Intentional Times of Teaching Our Kids - Part 4
Posted by Randy | Labels: Children, Deuteronomy, Family, Parenting, Reggie Joiner, Students, Think Orange | Posted On Thursday, May 27, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Today I'm looking at the fourth way parents can help teach their children biblical truths. I'll wrap this collection of articles tomorrow, but all this is 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 third time - Bed Time. Today I wrap up with to Morning 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 |
Getting up in the morning provides a blank page for the family to start fresh relationally. Whether you eat breakfast together or just interact for a brief moment, morning has the potential of planting an important emotional seed in the heart of a child. Just a few encouraging words carefully spoken or written can give your child a sense of value and instill purpose. Imagine parents as coaches, sending their kids into an important game. Parents should ask themselves the question, What can I say or do to give them fuel for dealing with whatever they have to face today? (Most teachers will tell you they can sense if things went well at home by a child's demeanor when he arrives at school.)
