by Kimberly | Nov 24, 2015 | Books, Shepherding Children
Let’s be honest for a second, sometimes (in the midst of temper tamptrums and bouts of continued disobedience) it is hard to be really thankful for our children.
But, God has given them to us as a blessing and should be one of the greatest gifts we’ve ever been given – and they need to be told over and over again how thankful we are for them.
One of the times i usually love the most, is when I get to lay down with my older one and pray over him as he goes to sleep at night. He has some sensory delays in his development, so he absolutely loves to sleep in the floor. We’ve made him a soft palette and pile on his stuffed animals and his night night (the blanket he has slept with since he was a few months old). He always wants either me or his Daddy to lay beside him until he falls asleep. And as soon as I lay down with him, I pray aloud over him with my hand on his back or his face. Such a sweet time. I pray for his little heart to be turned to God because God would be calling him, giving him a new heart. I pray that he would be obedient and that he would love God. I also finish each prayer saying how thankful we are for him, bubba, mommy, daddy, and most of all Jesus.
It is so important for our children to hear us praying for them – not just telling them about it. I learned from my mentor the importance of writing down prayers and journaling for future generations. I admit that the discipline has been a struggle for me in these early years, but I do it some. And it is such a treasure for me when I do journal and write out my prayers for them to my great Heavenly Father who listens to our prayers.
Tommy Nelson sent me Jean Fischer’s new book I Prayed For You – and I love it. A cute board book complete with cute illustrated bears. Tells of prayers a mama can pray for her cub as he grows up. And yes, like any good mom I cried as I got to several of the prayers.
This will be a book you can treasure reading to your little one – even until he or she is 5 or 6. Treasure the time. Treasure the prayers. If you want to have a chance to win this book – leave a comment with something you pray for your children. That’s it! I will pick the winner on Wednesday.
by Kimberly | Nov 18, 2015 | Books
I grew up on the humor of Bill Cosby. I loved (and still do) that man. Most of his comedy on tv and his tapes was relatively clean and appropriate for most audiences. Now, I can’t say the same for his stand-up, or so I’ve heard.
Humor has a way of connecting with people that some other types of literary genres don’t. I do love to read books about food: memoirs, cookbooks, etc. And that is why I wanted this one from Blogging for Books.
What I didn’t anticipate is how funny it is – but also how damaging that was to me. I had to put it down. You see, I have sin issues with food. I eat too much, I am a glutton, I worry about what food is doing to my body – I can be totally consumed with it. So, to read a book making fun of food, of eating too much, of the problems in America that we have with food – it didn’t do my heart (or my body) any good.
And I think, in every book you read, or however you engage with culture – you have to know how to impact your heart.
And your body.
by Kimberly | Nov 3, 2015 | Books, Shepherding Children
If you have a little girl – then this post is for you. I am a boy mom, but I got this from Tommy Nelson because I thought it would be good to be able to recommend to all the girl-moms out there. Yes, Precious Moments can be for either gender, but I think it best fits little girls.
This Bible, with its padded board book style, is beautifully illustrated in pastels that is traditional of Precious Moments. I actually love the retelling of Bible passages that are perfect for little ears – think older preschool to early grade school. As a parent, it would be great just to sit down and read them the story – but even better to read the Bible passage out of the Bible (especially as kids gets older and have more of an attention span and understanding) and then read the passage in the book. It covers a wide variety of stories.
If you want this Bible for your own little girl (or boy), just leave a comment telling me one special thing that you love about your child.
by Kimberly | Oct 28, 2015 | Books, Shepherding Children
I love reading to my boys. It is definitely one of the highlights of being a mommy. I love the fun pictures and the cute rhymes. I also love it when the books I’m reading with our boys teaches them good theology. It is never too early to start teaching them good theology.
Two things I definitely want to teach the boys early on (we are already doing so) is Jesus is everything and they need him because they are sinners.
I get to review books and usually I love them – but even if I don’t love everything about them – I want to introduce them to you, give you some wisdom hopefully in how you can read the books to your kids (whether you agree wholeheartedly or not), and tell you what I do like about them. Tommy Nelson is great about sending me books each month in exchange for a review (and all thoughts are my own) and also giving a copy to one reader!
Lysa Terkeust, of Proverbs 31 and the Best Yes fame, put out her children’s book (ideal of young school age) Win or Lose, I love You. It is a book about woodland farm animals and some best friends. I love her use of imagination – I definitely want to instill imagination and creativity in my boys. It teaches some good encouragement to how to deal with competitiveness and greed and self-centeredness among friends – which I see in my boys already. I love the verses that Lysa encourages parents to read over and instill in their kids.
Here is my problem with this book – and there really is only one, but its a big one: Coyote doesn’t get his way and smashes all the pies. His response to Lulu (one of the main characters) is “I’m the worst animal in the forest.” Lulu said “Coyote, you behaved badly, but you aren’t bad.” ALERT! FALSE THEOLOGY!! This is when, if you choose to get this book with all its great other qualities, you can teach your children about what the Bible says.
Human beings aren’t born good.
Romans 5:12-14
Romans 5:19
Psalm 51:5
Romans 3:9-23
Here’s the good thing: if we know the problem – and there is an answer – then the Gospel can become clear to our children. If we always tell our children that they aren’t bad (inherently, they aren’t born good), then why would they ever need a Savior?
Question: how do you teach your kids theology?
by Kimberly | Oct 26, 2015 | Bible, Books, parenting, Shepherding Children
As a parent, I love both of my boys, but I long to see lasting change in their behavior and heart. But, I’ve realized in a very short period of time that I can’t change their hearts – only God can.
One of the ways that God changes hearts is by the Word of God. And it is very important as parents who love the Lord to help instill in our children a love for the Word. I know they won’t love the Word unless God saves them, but we can work on creating moments where they Word gets in them and the Word works in their hearts.
Tommy Nelson just put out a new study Bible for kids (8-12) and I think its awesome. They gave me this Bible as a part of Tommy Nelson Mommies and are giving you a chance to win won too! It is in the NKJV and that is readable and understandable while still sticking to the languages pretty well. It has bold colors and a style that pre-teens will like Easy thumb tabs built in to the pages so the books are easy to find. Has application points that are geared toward pre-teens. Has further study points throughout the Bible that will help kids learn more about God’s will for their lives.
The Bible is living and active and life-changing. Get it into your kids’ lives and hearts.
If you would like to win won, comment with your favorite verse that you like to pour into your pre-teens, or kids of any age.
by Kimberly | Oct 4, 2015 | Books, Shepherding Children
How do you lead your family to know God better and to dwell in the truth of the Gospel?
As Christian parents, we know that is our chief goal as parents – not to save them (because only God can do that) – but to introduce them to the Gospel and to pour the Gospel into their lives so they will have every chance to respond to the Gospel before they are out of our homes.
But, it is much harder to do. We usually want a play by play or some ideas to help us achieve said action. Some of us struggle to know how to incorporate the Gospel into our every day lives, every day conversations, mini van rides from soccer games. And we also struggle with knowing how to plan special events that will hopefully be a supplement to our every day conversations – but will help drive home the Gospel into our babies’ hearts!
The new book, Pass it On, by Jim Burns and Jeremy Lee, is a special one to me. One of the authors, Jim Burns, wrote the first devotional I ever read as a teenager, Spirit Wings. I remember it being the first one I read when I was in high school and I was learning what it meant to have a quiet time.
Pass It On is a very helpful instructive book to parents. Not only does it give insight into your children (or children of the same age) on many different viewpoints, it helps you with activities you can do with them to help cement the Gospel into their lives. At every age it gives you a larger activity (not just a conversation). You can get some wonderful ideas from this. You can take all of them word for word and incorporate them into the life of your family, or you can just take the ideas, pray, see what the Lord would have you do – how to change it up, match it to your family.
The most important concept this book drives home is that raising your children to love God is hands on. It is active. If you want to make a lasting impact for the Gospel on your children, you need to always be sharing the Gospel with them, living it out in front of them. And parents, with older kids, parents who may have just become believers – its not too late. Its never too late. Don’t be regretful over the years in the past – but confess them to the Lord and press on in obedience now.
Thankful for Litfuse for sending me this book in exchange for this review, and all thoughts are my own.
