Summer: Time To Grow Your Family's Faith
One of my favorite things growing up was Vacation Bible School. I looked forward to it every summer. It’s kind of funny looking back at it now, because it seemed to last for days and days and days. Back then, we went in the afternoon, and it was a blast. Kids would lead the songs from a little printed songbook. I always led my favorite…
One, two, three
The devil's after me
Four, five, six
He's always throwing bricks
Seven, eight, nine
He misses every time
Glory, Hallelujah, Amen!
Nine, eight, seven
I'm on my way to Heaven
Six, five, four
There's always room for more
Three, two, one
The devil's on the run
Glory, hallelujah, Amen!
I can remember everyone turning their books before I even told them what song I was going to lead. That was 40 years ago (WOW!). But I still remember how much I loved it.
We never know what kids will remember about their childhoods, but the more they do certain things, the more of a chance they will remember.
So what are you doing to help grow their faith?
Summer is the perfect opportunity to impress upon your children (both young and teenage) the importance of God in their lives. They don’t have school, and chances are they don’t have summer jobs. You take them on vacation, or at least you are with them most of the day. Use the time wisely!
You can’t throw a rock in June and July without hitting a church holding VBS. And I’m sure your children have friends in many of them. Send them. They’ll have fun, and they will hear a variety of lessons about Jesus and His love for us.
We live in one of the best places in the country for a fun, Christian vacation. We are just a couple of hours away from The Creation Museum and The Ark Experience. Both of these attractions have plenty to offer for kids and adults, and the prices aren’t very high. Tickets to the museum are always for two days, and they have a package for the two places that is very reasonable. They are always running ticket specials. Children under 5 are always free.
And what about your family time? Kids spend the entire school year in a place and around people not always friendly to Christianity. You need to make the most of your time as a family to encourage spiritual values.
Make sure you pray with your children every day. Meals are great times to do this. Sit down as a family and eat, always blessing your food and asking God for the things on your hearts.
Encourage Bible reading daily. While this is something we should all do throughout the year, kids have more time on their hands during the summer. Find some Bible reading plans that are short to get them focused on specific issues they may face. The YouVersion app on your smart phone is a great place to find plans that are a few days to a few weeks long. Read them together or alone, but always talk about them with your child. For very young ones, YouVerson has a children’s app that animates a number of Bible stories. It’s called Bible App For Kids. Install it and watch it with your preschoolers.
Don’t let the summer get wasted with sleeping in and video games. If your child plays sports, take advantage of the down time. If your child is facing trials, pray with them and show them where God’s word addresses them. Just make sure faith is a part of every day.
- Morgan