It’s time for a giveaway, friends.
Violence, poverty, hate… this world is sinful and rough and lately the weight of it has been especially heavy for me. My reach feels small, my time feels short, and I know I’m not the only one that wants to be more present and effective for the Kingdom. Bonus points if that effect impresses upon our children the importance of being advocates for the vulnerable and oppressed.
This summer, our church’s Sunday School program pulled together a curriculum for the K-5th grade students. They focused on God and science. Biologists, mathematicians, astronomers, nurses, and chemists from our church congregation presented lessons to the children each Sunday morning, accompanied by group experiments, worship songs, and more. The kids came alive with each presentation and excitedly discussed God and science in one breath. We could all see that something uniquely important had taken place this summer. God and science aren’t two opposed “things” to these children; they go hand in hand. It was a beautiful effort on the part of our teachers and members, and is one of the many reasons we’re thankful to presently be part of this church body.
Last week, I wrote about Natasha Crain’s forthcoming book, and as I composed that post, I asked one of my sons what they would say if a skeptic asked “How do you know God exists?”
He replied, “Let’s start with this, God made everything, right? But if people said He didn’t, it couldn’t just exist by itself! Only God can make everything by saying a word… and because He’s doing many miracles. (pause) And the Bible.”
At the time, I made a mental note of those points, in the hope that we could circle back and address them at a future date. Providentially, my son brought that conversation up today and rather confidently reasserted that a person who doesn’t believe God exists should just read the Bible.
While that is true, and that the Holy Spirit often brings people to a saving knowledge of God through the Word, my child’s smug tone called for some correction and guidance; So I became the skeptic.
Have you asked your kids “How do you know God exists?” lately? I’m not sure I’m brave enough to ask mine and share their answers here. I like to think my husband and I do a pretty good job of helping them think carefully about God… but we all know how kids have a way of humbling us. Often publicly. However, in the interest of encouraging you to continue/start talking with your kids about God, I’ll ask one of them and share their answer. Here we go.
Last month we shared how Family Bible Time happens in our house. We also explained why we think setting aside time as a family to read and discuss the Word is important. What we didn’t want to do was blast you with resources! Now that you’ve had some time to try your own ideas or find your own rhythm, we’ve got a post with some helpful (we hope) resources.
Are you acquainted with a family that’s busy? You probably know the kind, running to appointments and practices and events and meetings and and and… Perhaps you do, or perhaps it’s you, but either way, one important thing that can get forgotten under a pile of busy family To-Do’s is spending time as a family in the Bible: Family Bible Time. (Skip to the TL;DR)