Being Conscious of the Devil’s War on our Children

For the Christian, parenting is an important responsibility.

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How do we discipline our children with opposition from other adults?

Establish the need: Sometimes other relatives, in-laws, parents and sibling who oppose us disciplining our kids. How do we discipline our children when facing opposition from other adults?

Purpose: Today we will go over five points concerning what to do when adults object to our discipline of our child.

• Examine ourselves to see if others have legitimate biblical concerns with how we discipline our child
• Explain to the other person why you discipline is because you are following the Bible
• Discipline in a private place
• Spank quickly and firmly
• Explain to your child why you discipline so they take your side

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Encouragement for Single Parent

Establish the need: With our parenting series some might be discourage and think God’s Word is only for a perfect family where there’s a father and mother; yet one might think “My family has problems and I’m a single parent…” Does God’s Word have any truths to apply for single parents?

Purpose: In this session we will consider five thoughts to consider for those who are single parents.

• See your identity in Christ as more important than your status as a single parent
• Understand your hardship biblically
• Pay attention to your child’s struggle with missing a single parent
• Surround your child with godly examples and mentor
• Remember God can still save your children even with your family’s weakness

Before we begin…

This message have the following people in mind:

• • Widows/Widowers
  • Divorced Parents
  • A parent taking care of the kids while the spouse is working in another country
  • Those who had a child and never got married
  • While this is not the main focus of this message I do think this lesson also has implications for those who are married to non-Christian spouses

While this message is meant to speak to those who are single parents this message is not saying it is permissible to make choices that sinfully or unwisely lead one to be a single parent.

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Review: Two Biblical Counseling Booklets for Single Parents

Quick note before I get to my book reviews: WordPress notified me that I’ve been blogging on here for 16 years!

Two book reviews below: I found the first one to minister more to the heart than the second; but the second was helpful with making readers consider many other issues related to single parents.

Carol Trahan.  Help! I’m a Single Mom.  Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press, March 15, 2011. 60 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

While researching to teach a session on single parents I picked up this biblical counseling booklet to read and I found it very helpful.  The author is a biblical counselor and teacher for women’s conference.  She’s also a single mother and her story in the beginning of the booklet was sad and moving and would lead readers to appreciate her insight with her loss and tragedy.  As a pastor I thought this booklet went more for the heart rather than being practical about actions per se but this is very good and I as a pastor have several copies on hand ready to give out.  These biblical counseling booklets from Shepherds Press are such precious gold and their insights are very helpful and its wonderful that so much can be jammed packed in a small booklet of under sixty pages.

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Dealing with Bullies

Purpose: This session we will cover four points concerning the subject of bullies and dealing with bullies.

• Realize your child will face bullies
• What parents must do
• Wrong responses of a child to bullying
• Right responses of a child to bullying

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Leading Home Bible Study for Children

Establish the need: How do I teach my children?

Purpose: This session we will look at three points concerning

1. Parents have an obligation to teach their children
2. Practical advice when you teach
3. Help when a child is not interested in the Bible study

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Review: Angry Children: Understanding And Helping Your Child Regain Control

The next few weeks I’ll be reviewing various booklets on parenting in light of my preparation to teach overseas.

Michael Emlet.  Angry Children: Understanding And Helping Your Child Regain Control.  Greensboro, NC: New Growth  Press, April 28, 2008. 24 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

What help is there for a parent of an angry child?  This biblical booklet addressing the parent on this issue is helpful.  It is a from a minibook series published by New Growth Press which feature booklets authored by various counselors from the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF).  The author Michael Emlet is a faculty member of CCEF and a family physician before becoming a biblical counselor.  I appreciate with his background he is still able to write in a way that’s accessible for the general Christian reader.  It was a worthwhile resource for Biblical and Pastoral Counselors to give parents who are are parenting an angry child.

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Church: When the teaching is sound but the fellowship can be better

Over the years online there have been brothers in sisters online who want to find solid sound Bible teaching churches but there’s not much option nearby where they live.  On various social media platforms I have found many of these precious saints and I feel for them and pray for them.  Some of these individuals were previously in churches that can have great programs, and a church that is sociable.  But the importance of the church being sound in doctrine matters.  So these believer leave in search of a church that is Bible preaching and has sound biblical doctrines.

Now I know fellowship and sound teaching shouldn’t be mutually exclusive; and a healthy church would have both; and the relationship of the two would be sound Bible teaching drives the fellowship; that is, sound teaching is the basis of the fellowship.  How?  In the sense of the basis for unity and what is talked about, and sound doctrine is use for encouragement to one another.  But sometimes in our sin effected world, there’s a break and a gap between doctrines and fellowship.

In fact sometimes churches that are weak in doctrines or are not conscious of what the Bible teaches as applied to social interaction can technically be very sociable but the social interaction might not be fellowship or is a weak fellowship, at least in the biblical sense as I described it in the previous paragraph.  I think of when I was in high school showing up at a big church’s youth group and Tuesday night is their “fellowship” night and there was board games, video games and basketball but after a while I asked the youth pastor when does the Bible study start and he said not tonight and with the big youth pastor grin he said “Tonight’s fellowship night!”  There’s places to hang out but if every Tuesday night is that kind of fellowship night actually fellowship?

So there are times God might put two options before an individual and their family: There is a church with sound doctrines but it can improve on the fellowship, or a church with weak doctrines but there’s a lot of socializing/social activity.  Which ones do you pick?

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Don’t forget to talk to your kids

This last weekend of ministry left me very fatigued and tired.  I’ve been having a hard time getting the basic of things done.  I usually study at night but I have been falling asleep with my books and the laptop open.  The administrative stuff was harder to take care of Sunday through today.  And there’s things I do need to do for this upcoming week: Email those of you who want to write guest posts sometime later in the fall, the agendas for our Church meeting with parents to discuss children ministry and youth group (which I also need to have someone translate into another language!) and also the routine teachings throughout the week.

But in the midst of this I had a long talk with my daughters over lunch just now.

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Review: Helping Your Anxious Child

The next few weeks I’ll be reviewing various booklets on parenting in light of my preparation to teach overseas.

Julie Lowe.  Helping Your Anxious Child: What to Do When Worries Get Big.  Greensboro, NC: New Growth  Press, September 10, 2018. 24 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

How does a parent and an adult minister to an anxious child?  This book was helpful and edifying.  It is a part of the “minibook” series published by New Growth Press and authored by various counselors from the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation.  The author Julie Lowe is a faculty in the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation has written articles and other resources on biblical counseling concerning ministering to children and parenting.  This particular book is an excellent resource for Biblical and Pastoral Counselors to give parents who are burdened to minister to their worrying child.

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Helping our Child’s Anxiety

Purpose: This session we will explore three points to think biblically how to help our child with his or her anxiety.

1. Do you know what your child’s fears are?
2. Beware of problematic solutions to your child’s fears
3. Training a child to deal with fears biblically

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Review: Intentional Parenting: Family Discipleship by Design

Tad Thompson. Intentional Parenting: Family Discipleship by Design.  Adelphi, Maryland: Cruciform Press, January 1, 2011.  114 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

I love the title of this book.  Are you intentionally raising your children in a manner that is meaningful and fulfilling God’s purpose?  This is a book Christian parents should get and read.  I have not heard of the author Tad Thompson before until I read this book and after I finished this book I see that he’s a second generation pastor and started ministry when he was 18.  He’s written a resource that’s definitely biblically wise.

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Extra-Biblical Confirmation of the Importance of Fathers in Early Years of A Child

Purpose: Today we will continue to see how extra-biblical studies confirm that obedience to God’s Principles of the importance of fathers in the lives of children.

• The importance of father for new born health
• The importance of father for infant development

Our Study’s Biblical Principle: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 so that it may turn out well for you, and that you may live long on the earth..” (Ephesians 6:1-3)

From this passage we see the importance of honoring our father. One of the reasons we honor our fathers is because fathers are so important for a child’s life even in the early years of a child.

Some methodological precaution:

•            Keep in mind Correlation does not always mean causation; yet correlation and patterns are important.
•            Don’t confuse primary motivation for obedience versus getting good side effects

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What Christians can learn from Children

Establish the need: Can we learn from children?

 

Purpose: This session we will explore five things we can learn from children so that we can live out a life that glorify God more.

• Kids teach you conduct matters (Proverbs 20:11)
• Kids teach us humility matters (Matthew 18:2-6)
• Kids teach us about God’s love (Matthew 18:10)
• Kids teach us the importance of the kingdom of God (Mark 10:13-16)
• Kids teach us to praise God (Psalm 8:2 see Matthew 21:15-16)

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Review: Help! My Child Is Being Bullied

 

Tim Keeter. Help! My Child Is Being Bullied. Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press, September 30, 2019. 64 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

What do you as a parent when you learn that your child is bullied?  Does God’s Word has anything to help in such a situation?  This counseling “mini-books” is definitely one of the first place you want to begin with reading about this issue.  I have previously read five other booklets from this series and they have convinced me this is probably the best biblical counseling booklet series out there.  So seeing this title as part of the series I was led to read the booklet.  While this wasn’t the best installment in this series still it is helpful and worth reading.

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