Intentional Times of Teaching Our Kids - Part 3

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , | Posted On Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 12:01 AM











This week I'm offering a short collection of articles that share ways parents can help teach their children biblical truths. These are based on the passage below from Deuteronomy 6:4-9:
"'Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.'"
Below is a chart that summarizes the four teaching times lifted up in this passage. I'm covering one each day, quoting material from a book entitled Think Orange by Reggie Joiner. Yesterday I covered the second time - Drive Time. Today I move on to Bed Time.

Times
Communication
Role
Goal
Meal Time
Formal Discussion
Teacher
Establish Values
Drive Time
Informal Dialogue
Friend
Interpret Life
Bed Time
Intimate Conversation
Counselor
Build Intimacy
Morning Time
Encouraging Words
Coach
Instill Purpose
Tucking children into bed can also be a meaningful time for families. Too many parents miss the potential of this time because they have a habit of sending their kids to bed rather than taking them. There is something about the private domain of a child's room that gives the parent a chance to have an intimate conversation and become the kind of counselor who listens to the heart of a child. (Have you ever seen a child get mad and go to their room and shut the door? It's like she is saying, "I am upset with you and closing you out." The door to a child's room is an important metaphorical door to keep open.)