What does the Bible say about sibling rivalry and how can I get my kids to get along? (Part 1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you imagine your home truly being a ‘home sweet home’? What if everyone in our families always spoke gently and kindly to one another? What if everyone got along famously, loved and respected one another and enjoyed each other’s company?

No sibling rivalry, no fighting, no arguing, no yelling, no unkind words, no whining, no complaining or blaming, can you imagine what that would be like?

Well, that family does not just exist in your imagination or in a Sunday school picture. Having your Christian home look and feel like that is not only possible, it is Biblical.

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What role did God intend for the Christian home and family to play in his salvation plan, the Gospel? (Part 3)

So how exactly can God use our Christian families (Christian parents and Christian children) to impact the world and bring God’s blessing to the nations?

I believe he wants us to raise a generation of Christian kids that will do major damage to the gates of hell. Let me explain.

If Israel could become great and powerful by teaching their children to walk with God and keep the Old Covenant how much more can the Body of Christ grow and powerfully impact the nations, according to God’s promise, if we were to teach our children to walk in the power and grace of the New Covenant.

Can you imagine if instead of losing our kids to the world we kept them all in the church. I’m not talking about just having more bodies to warm the pews. I’m talking about a generation that grows up learning God’s Word, walking in relationship with God and growing in his grace. A generation that is excited about being used by God and about taking ground for the Kingdom of God. Like the generation of Israelites that took the Promised Land only each one of these would be under the New Covenant and filled with God’s Spirit.

Right now we try to protect our children from the evil influences of the world and there is a time for that while they are young.

Unfortunately, our children, (for the most part) are not learning about and growing in their Faith during that time. Think about if we taught our children math and science like we teach them their Faith not one of them would ever graduate. So when they get old enough to see what the world has to offer they wander over there to check it out.

Instead we should be training up our children in the Word of God, equipping them with truth, showing them how to grow close to God, walk with him and influence the world for God and change it for his Kingdom. If we did this we would not have to worry about the world affecting our children. The world would have to start to worry about our children changing them.

If we followed God’s plan and raised kids God’s way, we would all leave this world with the Body of Christ stronger and more powerful than it’s ever been.

Do you know why we have youth groups that have to put all their energies into keeping our teens out of the world or retrieving them from it? It is because we have not brought them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. They do not know God, who they are in Christ or what they believe. What they learn from Sunday school and from Bible stories and the occasional Bible reading won’t cut it.

I foresee the day when we won’t need that kind of youth group anymore. If we stuck to God’s program and taught our children well, when they were young, more youth groups would be more like an army headquarters then a long term care hospital.

Think about this, we currently burn out our pastors because a large portion of the congregation is either new to the Faith or they have never really grown in their Faith. While the pastors are getting burned out trying to get a congregation of baby Christians to grow up just a bit, the children of these same people are headed towards the world.

So we burn out the pastor and lose the children. Then when the children who left the church (who never grew up in their Faith) have children of their own, come back and we start the whole process over again.

If we did it God’s way we would focus on the children and grow up a generation of mature Christians who would work with the pastor, reach the world for Christ and train and instruct their children to do the same. The old cycle would be broken and a new cycle of strength and growth would be established.

What God wants to do through families is raise a generation that can have a bigger impact on this world then the one before so that he can bring about his promise to bless all nations.

For more practical and Biblical Christian Parenting ideas we recommend the Christian resource, ‘What Mary and Joseph Knew About Parenting’.

 

 

 

 

(RICK OSBORNE / Christian Author, Speaker & Bible Teacher)

What role did God intend for the Christian home and family to play in his salvation plan, the Gospel? (Part 2)

In part one we talked about how God wants to have salvation and his blessing come to our families. In part two I would like to talk about God’s calling on Christian families and how God wants to work through them.

Let’s go back and take a closer look at the verses about why God called Abraham.

Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” (Genesis 18:18, 19) Read more

What role did God intend for the Christian home and family to play in his salvation plan, the Gospel? (Part 1)

When my mother gave her life to Christ and started attending church every Sunday she had a husband, (my step dad) six children (ranging from toddler to adult) and a large extended family. She was understandably worried about how her new Faith would be viewed and if everyone would embrace it as well or reject it and her. She even started taking the youngest of my siblings to Sunday School on her own.

One evening not too long after her decision to live her life for Christ, no matter what the cost, she attended a Gospel dinner with a special Christian speaker. That speaker prayed for her and while he was praying, even though he did not know her or her situation, he said, “Don’t worry, today salvation has come to your house.” Read more

Can you recommend a Bible that my son might be interested in and actually use?

My first two children were girls. I had a wonderful time and spent many hours reading Bible stories to my first daughter which, for the most part she attentively listen to.

The things I learned with my first helped me get a head start with my second daughter. It was a different experience because she’s a different girl but for the most part it was easy to stay on the track that I started on with my first. This Christian dad was in the groove.

Then my son was born and in his younger years much of what I had learned worked but when he got a little older it was like starting all over. Many times what had worked wonderfully with the girls did not even register with my boy. So I pressed into prayer asking God for help and wisdom and slowly but surely the seemingly obvious started to sink in. So here is some sound parenting advice, boys and girls are different and they learn differently.

In our Bible times together I started to be a bit more aggressive and animated in my story telling, like an wonderfully energetic Sunday School teacher. I hit the story highlights and I put more focus on people and events in the Bible and Bible stories that boys in general would enjoy. It worked, my son’s interest in the Bible and our Bible times took a leap forward.

It had been simple finding Bibles and Bible books that my daughters enjoyed but the stuff that was working with my boy was what I was having to make up as I went.

As a Christian author I asked the question, “Where are the Bibles and Bible books designed specifically to capture the imagination and attention of Christian boys?”

When I started talking to the publishers I got the answer to my question from the publishing experts. Books for boys and Bibles for boys do not sell because most boys do not read and therefore publishers do not publish them.

Fortunately after much discussion and planning, the people at Zondervan agreed that there was a need for Bibles and Bible books for Boys and that what we needed to do was design them differently so boys would want to read them. Which was exactly what I had done with my son.

The Luke 2:52 Boys series was born out of those discussions. The Boy’s Bible and the nonfiction book series have beaten all sales expectations and have hundreds of thousands of boys reading their Bibles and about their Bibles. The letters and reviews we get confirm over and over again that there was a huge need and that these Christian resources are getting boys excited about their Bibles.

If you are looking to get your son reading his Bible and growing in his faith you may still have to be more animated but at least there are resources available now to help.

I highly recommend these books and Bibles for boys.

(Note – we haven’t written a Bible Storybook for young boys yet, however below the age of eight the need is less pronounced. For recommendations see my blog on Bible Storybooks in this category.)

The Luke 2:52 Boy’s Bible (Ages 8 – 12)

 

 

 

 

The Luke 2:52 Boy’s Nonfiction Bible series (Ages 8 – 12)

 

 

 

 

(RICK OSBORNE / Christian Author, Speaker & Bible Teacher)

How can I know which children’s bible is the best one for my child? (ages 8-12)

Before I make some suggestions, let me briefly blog about why getting the right Bible for your children in this age group is so incredibly important.
Once we are Christians, the foundation for building our relationship with God is regular time in the Bible and in prayer. Yet how many of us as adults, struggle with this?

My daughter was seventeen when she told me that her and several Christian friends were talking about their time with God and most of them said that they had a real struggle with it. My daughter went on to say that she had not realized that people struggled with this.

If our children are guided through the process of developing a relationship with God progressively, from sitting on our knee right up to doing it on their own, they establish a habit and a relationship that is easy to maintain and difficult to walk away from.

Many Christian parents (dad, mom or both together) do a great job of this in the early years when we are reading Bible Stories and saying prayers with our children. Where the process usually falls apart is when our children become too old for Bible Stories and too old for Sunday School.

Many of us flounder to find a whole text children’s Bible for our children and kind of hope that they will read it and pray on their own.

Unfortunately we find out really quickly that this approach does not work. It is kind of like saying to your child, “Well you’ve had a few years at school now. You know how to learn, so just get on the internet and work your way through to graduation on your own.”

Our children must be taught, trained, encouraged to crawl, walk and then run in every area of learning.
So getting down to it, here are some things to remember and some practical Christian parenting advice on how to move your child from Bible Stories to reading a whole text Bible on their own.

• Include your child in on the growth process. When my children were quite young, I started to tell them regularly that our bedtime devotions together was their time with God. I was helping them learn so that they could eventually do it on their own. The children understood that the activity was about them learning, (we were not just doing it to get it done) and that it was their time to connect with God.  Eventually they would be responsible for this discipline on their own and for the rest of their lives. It is much easier to teach when the student understands the goal and the process. Talk with your child about graduating from Bible Story time and agree on the timing and process.
• Don’t just leave them on their own. As with any transition in life, the more gradual it is the more comfortable and successful the transition will be. You and your child may decide to continue reading and praying together for a while but with a full text Bible instead of a Bible storybook. (This is a good time for you to help them better understand how their Bible is put together and how to read it.) You may want to choose a certain book like one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) or Genesis and read through it together. Then they could read one on their own and alternate. You could choose to read together and have them say their prayers on their own or vice versa. When they are ready to do it all on their own, help them set aside a regular time for doing it. Help them be consistent and follow up with them to make sure they have done it. Kind of like you do to make sure they are brushing their teeth. (Remember encouragement is more effective then harassing.) Be aware that if you have had quality time together at night for a while, some kids may be sensitive to losing that. Continue to put some time aside to talk with them and spend a little time together before sending them off to have their time with God. One of the things you can talk about is your time with God, what you are reading and/or what Bible study you are doing and what you are praying about. Ask what you can pray for them and tell them what they can pray for you.
• Set them up with the Bible and materials that will help them be successful. First and foremost choose a modern translation that your child will understand. Next a good strategy is to choose a companion book or devotional guide that will help your child get into and go through their Bible. This helps a ton because picking up the devotional book first is less intimidating and a little more appealing. Be careful though that you choose a book that directs them to their Bibles or the book is the only thing that will get read. When you first get the book and the Bible, look through them together and talk to your child about how to use the materials. Finally once you have narrowed your choices down to a few good Bibles and their companion books, let your child in on the decision. When we start to transfer any responsibility to our children, we should also start to transfer the right to make related decisions.

Here are some Bibles and companion books that I recommend for helping you and your child make the transfer successfully. They are all best selling Christian resources that work well together and are designed for this age group.

The ‘Kids Quest Bible’ works well with the ‘Amazing Questions Kids Ask About…’ series.

      

 

 

 

If you have boys I would highly recommend ‘The 2:52 Boys Bible’ along with the books from the 2:52 nonfiction series.

        

 

 

 

If you already have a Bible for your child or they choose another, I would recommend Focus On The Family’s ‘My Time With God, 150 Ways To Start Your Own Quiet Time.’

 

 

 

 

(RICK OSBORNE / Christian Author, Speaker & Bible Teacher)

What Should I Look For When Buying A Bible Storybook For My Children?

I probably get asked this question and ones like it more often than any other question.

When I first started developing Bibles for children it was in response to the frustration I experienced over the years when trying to find Bibles that I could use with my own children.

At first the publishers I went to with my ideas responded by telling me the market was already glutted with Bible Storybooks.

They were shocked to hear me tell them that unfortunately many of them are useless when it comes to teaching children the Bible.

Let me pass on to you what we should be looking for in a Bible for our kids and why.
I think the first thing we need to ask is what is God’s purpose for the Bible. In a nutshell, the Bible reveals God’s story and plan for humankind, it focuses on God’s salvation plan and brings us to Jesus and it teaches us how to live as Christians.

Should a Bible Storybook for children have the same purpose? Of course, however many are merely a collection of Bible stories that are not linked together to reveal God’s big picture story. They tell stories about Jesus but say nothing about what that means to us and they include very little of the New Testament books that teach us how God wants us to live.

It is probable that the first Bible Storybooks were published in response to the popularity of books that contained collections of stories and/or fables for children. So a clever someone put a bunch of the best stories ever told (the ones in the Bible) together and the cash register has been ringing ever since. Unfortunately we have come to refer to these as Bibles for children instead of what they are, a mere collection of stories from the Bible.

The idea of a Bible Storybook is great and very beneficial but it just needs to be more than just a collection of stories if you truly want your children to learn God’s Word.

So let’s get to it. Here is what to look for.

• Read the ending of several stories and the beginning of the ones that follow. Check to see that the stories are linked together into God’s big story from creation to the second coming.
• Look for the Gospel message. It is great if it has a prayer to pray but it should (like our Bibles do in Romans) explain what Jesus did means to us.
• Look at the table of contents and see where the stories stop. The ones that make an effort to present the Apostles teaching will have stories about the Apostles missionary journeys and the letters they wrote to churches.
• Next it is helpful if the Bible includes a prayer suggestion, a lesson and/or a question or conversation starter after each story that will help you turn story-time into your child’s devotional time.
• Also if you are satisfied with the above move on to check if it is appropriate for your child’s age and attention span. (Less text and more pictures are needed for our younger children and the opposite is needed as our children grow older.)
• Finally, if you are willing to put the least important thing last and you have found a couple of good choices, choose the one with the artwork and packaging that you think will appeal to your child.

 I am happy to report that many others and myself have been working hard to write and create Bible Storybooks that are truly Bibles for children and there are some good choices out there.
Here are a few.

I would highly recommend that you get your children started listening to the Singing Bible. Children love it (ages 1 – 8 ) and it was designed to teach them God’s Big Story, the Gospel and how God wants us to live. It is a great plug and play supplement to your Bible Storybook.

THE SINGING BIBLE (Focus on The Family)

 

 

I should note that some of the above is not as important if you are looking for a Bible for your young toddler so I would also recommend;

For Toddlers (ages 1 – 3)

GOD LOVES ME BIBLE

 

 

 

For Preschoolers (ages 3 – 5)

MEMORY VERSE BIBLE STORYBOOK 

 

 

 

For ages 4 – 8 

BEDTIME BIBLE (Focus on The Family)

 

 

 

 

(RICK OSBORNE / Christian Author, Speaker & Bible Teacher)

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