New Articles Added Below!

To help us better understand kids and culture, I've added four more articles below on the differences between girls and boys, taming the tongue, the craziness of middle school, and developing a biblical worldview. Check them out!

Have you found any other resources that you can share with the rest of us?

The Soul of a Child

Cheryl Dunlop opens this section, "Understanding Children and their World," with a quote from Marva Dawn, who is a theologian, author, educator and minister. I heard Marva speak about ten years ago at Beeson Divinity School. She impressed me with her commanding knowledge of the Scripture and her passion for the health of the Church. I highly recommend her book Is it a Lost Cause: Having the Heart of God for the Church's Children.

Marva writes to all those who love the church's children:

What is necessary is a wake-up call--for the Church to realize that we are not in charge anymore. In the past children were formed with Christian values more easily because the society around us supported Christian beliefs, ethics, and rites. The dominant culture never has to worry about character formation because its principles and morals are easily imbided.

But Christianity is no longer the dominant culture in the United States. If we want our children to grow up with Christian convictions, capacities, and choices, we must much more deliberately nuture the faith and its concomitant lifestyle. (page 6, Is it a Lost Cause?)

Based on your experience in the classroom, do you agree or disagree with Marva Dawn's observation? What examples can you give to support your thoughts?

Father, give us understanding into our children's world so that we can help them catch a glimpse of the Kingdom and your plan for their lives.

Scripture and Children

"Biblically, teaching children is far more than just baby-sitting." Amen! We have a high calling as teachers because Scripture places a high priority on children. Dunlop gives us several insights:

• Children are capable of believing faith.
• Children should be included in gatherings of the community of faith.
• Children should be deliberately taught.
• Children can be used by God.
• Children are held accountable to God.
• Children can serve as examples to adults.
• God holds adults accountable for their actions towards children.
• God loves children.
• Children are gifts from God, especially to their families.

Take some time to read Matthew 18-19. What does Jesus say about children? In what ways can you follow Christ as you teach children?

Children and Majesty

This week consider two quotes and two questions:

"We worship God before we can begin to comprehend him, and we will have all of eternity to learn more about Him." How do you create an environment for worship in your classroom?

"But teachers need to know how to critique curriculum and reject all such unbiblical teaching." We use a variety of publishers and resources here at Heritage to teach our children, and we are careful to use the best materials we can find that are age-appropriate and lead a child toward spiritual growth. But these resources aren't perfect...so as a teacher, how do you critique curriculum? How do you decide which areas to teach as written and which areas to modify?

As Dunlop writes, the greatness of God cannot be contained in a simple activity or an object lesson, but we can make sure that every craft we make, every game we play, every song we sing, and every story we tell points to our Awesome Creator.

Teaching What the Bible Teaches

"The discerning teacher should still make every attempt to teach what the Bible teaches rather than relying on what the teacher's guide teaches" (24). What a challenge! It's often so much easier to rely exclusively on the curriculum guide than to wrestle with the words of Scripture in quietness with God. Transforming teachers must sit at the feet of the Master Teacher before we are able to teach his children. We must live with the Word all week before we can teach the Word on Sunday. Remember this week to teach from an open Bible, not the leader guide. We want children of all ages to know that this story, this concept, this truth comes from God's Word, not a magazine.

Let's encourage each other to continued good work.
1. How do you study for the lesson each week (in preschool or children's ministry)?
2. Share an "ah-ha" moment when your students connected with God's word.