Faith in Parenting

Come to Our Next Free Parent Support Call:

Date: Thursday, April 3, 2008

Time: 8:00-8:30 pm (ET)

Phone Number: (218) 486-1300

Access Code: 669379

Cost: F*R*E*E

The next Faith in Parenting Support Call will take place this Thursday, April 3, 2008, at 8:00 pm (ET). (Note: That would be 7:00 pm CT, 6:00 pm MT, and 5:00 pm PT.)

To participate, simply call (218) 486-1300 and enter the access code 669379. The call is free, other than any regular long distance charges you may incur.

This month’s discussion topic is how we, as moms, can fuel ourselves Spiritually in the midst of raising our children.

I hope you’ll join us! Feel free to invite a friend, as well. And if you’d like to know more about these free parenting support calls, click on “Parent Support Calls” to your right.

You can also listen to the most recently recorded calls when you click on the sidebar link labeled “Support Call Archive.”

“See” you Thursday night!

Blessings,

Jennifer

The verse Ephesians 4:32, Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you, is a great choice for a quick one-minute devotion because it’s so applicable to our daily lives. Once you have this verse in your mind, you’re going to find lots of situations where it just naturally applies, and - ideally - that’s the time to slip in your one-minute devotion. Right there in that teachable moment.

For example, let’s say your kids are arguing. Remind them that God wants us to be kind to another and forgive one another; and then ask them why they think that is. They might say, “Because He wants us to love one another,” or “Because he want us to get along.” That’s certainly true! But it’s also a good time to point out to our kids that forgiving one another is one way we can acknowledge the extent to which God has forgiven us.

Pretty easy, right? Because sharing Christ doesn’t have to be hard, and it doesn’t even have to be well-planned or come from a formal devotional book.  Simply put the message into your own words, and look for an opportunity to share it with your kids this week.

Blessings,

Jennifer

Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Mom Tip: Imagine that there is a recording device capturing your words - and your tone - as you interact with your kids today. Practice being kind and compassionate, using a tone that is forgiving, rather than accusatory or exasperated. See how this one step - focusing on your tone of voice as you interact - affects your relationships. And when you feel yourself slipping into that negative voice, repeat this week’s memory verse in your mind: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

I wanted to let you know about some changes here at Faith in Parenting. Instead of meeting weekly for our support calls, we’re now going to try meeting once per month in the evening. Our April call will be Thursday, April 3 at 8:00 pm (ET).

We’ll be talking about how we fuel ourselves Spiritually in the midst of raising our kids.

In addition, I plan to add some new features here to the blog, including a weekly memory verse and One Minute Devotion idea, related to the memory verse, that you can share with your kids anywhere (in the car… at dinner… even while you’re grocery shopping!). Look for these tools in your weekly E-mail.

(And if you’re not signed up for weekly updates, enter your E-mail in the box to the right, and I’ll send you these tools, along with invitations to our monthly support call.)

Blessings,

Jennifer

This week, our church’s Children’s Minister and Preschool Director collaborated on an awesome series of activities designed to help families prepare for Easter Week. Along with various crafts, we had the opportunity to simulate washing one another’s feet (okay - we washed hands, but you get the idea!), share in the Last Supper, pray in the garden of Gethsemane, and walk through the empty tomb. On our Faith in Parenting Support Call this week, I’d like to share with you some of these activities and discuss how we can prepare our hearts for Easter as a family.

To join us, call (218) 486-1300 at 2:00 pm (ET) on Tuesday, March 18, and enter the access code 669379.

(For those in other time zones, the call will take place at 1:00 pm CT, 12:00 noon MT, and 11:00 am PT.)

Directions for Joining Us on the Weekly Support Call:

• Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2008
• Time: 2:00-2:35 PM (ET)
• Telephone Number: (218) 486-1300
• Access Code: 669379

And as always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Blessings,
Jennifer

Last week, on our Faith in Parenting Support Call, we got to talking about how to handle outside influences on our children. This week, we’re going to explore how we identify those outside influences. For example, what changes in our kids’ behavior cause us to say, “Wait a minute. This is having a negative impact on you (or your grades, or our family…), and we need to deal with it.”

It sounds simplistic, but sometimes it’s hard to make the distinction between what we need to keep an eye on and what we need to take action about.

To join us, call (218) 486-1300 at 2:00 pm (ET) on Tuesday, March 11, and enter the access code 669379. (For those in other time zones, the call will take place at 1:00 pm CT, 12:00 noon MT, and 11:00 am PT.)

Directions for Joining Us on the Weekly Support Call:

* Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2008
* Time: 2:00-2:35 PM (ET)
* Telephone Number: (218) 486-1300
* Access Code: 669379

And as always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Blessings,
Jennifer

It’s the first week of the month, so our topic for this week’s Faith in Parenting Support Call is up to you! Bring your questions and any pressing issues you’d like to discuss with the group. The last time we did this, it led to a really interesting discussion about dealing with bullies, and I’m sure this will be another great call.

To participate, simply call in at 2:00 pm (ET) to talk about whatever is on your mind, ask questions, and share concerns related to raising your kids. (For those in other time zones, the call will take place at 1:00 pm CT, 12:00 noon MT, and 11:00 am PT.)

“See you” there!

Directions for Joining Us on the Weekly Support Call:

* Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2008
* Time: 2:00-2:35 PM (ET)
* Telephone Number: (218) 486-1300
* Access Code: 669379

And as always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Blessings,

Jennifer

You know, a lot of the things we need to do to keep our families running smoothly are really quite simple.  Sometimes we just need a quick reminder and some support and encouragement to transform our well-intentioned plans and ideas into reality.

In thinking about this, I’ve decided to create a new weekly “feature” here on the blog - Saturday’s Simple Suggestion.  Every Saturday, I’ll share a different idea related to raising our families.

This week’s suggestion is a simple family devotion idea that one of our church families shared with us on our church-wide retreat a couple of weeks ago.  Simply take one of your favorite passages and read it in two or three different Bible translations.  For example, try reading it in the New International Version, The Message, and the The Living Bible.

In particular, pay attention to how each version teaches you a new aspect of the passage, or expands your understanding of the text in some way.

And if your kids are old enough to read on their own, allow them to participate by reading one of the translations aloud.   Then discuss which version holds the most meaning for you personally, and consider memorizing it together as a family.