One last tool that can be used for creating a home of worship is playing Christian music. There are many styles of music, but the message should be the same. I don’t know that all Christian music exalts God, and I do have a few concerns that some Christian artists present a very worldly image to their audience (if they’re exalting God, why aren’t they smiling on their jacket covers?).
Nonetheless, there are a lot of worthy songs out there that inspire us to a different level of worship and that can positively influence our children. We don’t listen solely to Christian songs, but we do ascribe to the parameters of Philippians 4:8 (whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right….) in our choice of music.
Exposure by our children to the outside world means exposure to a lot of ungodly musical tastes. It may be impossible to prevent interest in certain genres of music. Your child likes what he likes and to deny and renounce his selection will inevitably set up a battleground of the wills that may not be winnable, even if you get your way.
Having experienced both public and home school, I know the uphill battle we fought with our two oldest sons in this area. There was many a discussion around the dinner table about lyrics, image and intent that, unfortunately, I think went in one ear and out the other. There were some CDs, when I found them and reviewed them, that I would not allow in the house. I wasn’t so naïve as to think that was the end of the artist. My intent was to establish what our household stood for, and it wasn’t what was on the CD.
Mainly what we did to battle the outside world was to expose our children to different types of music and encourage not zoning in on just one style. Thus they heard everything from classical to Broadway, from certain kinds of jazz, rock, pop and easy listening to most kinds of mainstream Christian music. But frankly, most of what we listened to as a family was Christian in nature.
My daughter, Rachel, has been gifted with a passion and talent for music, and it brings me great pleasure to hear her absent-mindedly singing a hymn or praise song as she goes about her day. And that has been the intention of deliberately playing Christian music in our home. I want that to be her first choice, and I know God hears her sweet offering, even if she’s not aware she’s singing.
There’s a line from the Disney movie Freaky Friday that we sometimes banter around our home. As a child leaves to go somewhere one of us will yell out, “Make good choices!” In essence, that’s what we’re trying to accomplish with our children at home, but to make godly choices. We want them to choose God in thought, deed and word.
Creating thankful hearts in our children is a long and tedious process. It’s an uphill battle for many. It takes years of consistent and diligent effort on our part before it becomes a matter of conviction on our child’s part. Yet, make the effort to create an environment in your home that lets your child know God is awesome, that He is deserving of our praise and that He is central to who you are as a family. Your child’s walk toward salvation will be much easier.
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Friday, June 13, 2008
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Thursday, June 12, 2008
5 Ways To Create A Home Of Worship - Develop A Thankful Heart For The Small Things
Be sensitive to opportunities to thank God as they arise. If your perspective is self-focused, they’ll be hard to find. If your perspective is God-focused, they’ll be all around you. Teach your child to look for these opportunities by pointing them out as they come up.
It might be when your child is overly frustrated with something and needs to be brought back to center. Remind him of the good things God has provided for him. My youngest son has had to work on a perfectionist streak in his personality (he comes by it naturally, trust me). It doesn’t take much to push his annoyance button when something isn’t going the way he thinks it should. However, I can usually divert his annoyance by pointing out that a) God has given him the ability to figure it out, b) not everyone has been so blessed with the thing that is frustrating him (video game, some project, etc.), and c) what he does have he needs to be thankful for.
We can even teach our children that our frustration can be used by God to mature us in our faith. This isn’t an easy concept to get across. In fact, this is one that may takes years (or a lifetime) to understand because it’s so hard sometimes to see beyond the immediate circumstances. However, we can help our children to see the potential for growth through the situation by pointing out the possibilities: learning self-discipline, tenacity, critical thinking, selflessness, generosity, etc. Children love to hear what their parents think of their potential and that they have faith in their abilities. But parents also need to point out that those abilities are gifts from God and the purpose of them is to lead a God-honoring life.
Use small things as an occasion for expressing thanks. Praise God for whomever thought up rocky road ice cream. Marvel at how certain people have been gifted with creative talents. Thank God for people who do kind things. Express gratitude when He answers prayer. Learn to say these kinds of things out loud for your child to hear. Your child will begin to learn that God can be seen in everything if he or she will just look.
Teaching our children to express gratefulness to God in even the small things will build a heart of thanksgiving that translates into love and adoration for their Lord. Their hearts will be inclined toward His Word and seek what pleases Him. God wants to know we appreciate Him just as much as we like knowing it ourselves. Teaching our children this goes a long way in shaping their attitude about who God is. If they can learn that He is a God of righteousness, love and mercy their hearts will be turned towards Him as they begin to understand what salvation means.
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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
5 Ways To Create A Home Of Worship - Holiday Opportunities
Another way of creating a home environment of worship is using holidays to put the focus on God. Like church attendance this is an attitude of the heart. Given our selfish natures, this attitude doesn’t come easily. Many of us like to celebrate in a way that puts the focus on us and satisfying our pleasures.
Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter are the most obvious holidays for religious observance. It is important, however, that our children understand the real reasons for celebrating these holidays beyond the commercially-driven magic of the season and the anticipated relief from work and school. Stuffing ourselves silly is wonderful, and Santa Claus is fun and the Easter Bunny cute, but they should never take precedence over celebrating thankfulness, adoration and worship of our Savior.
Look for deliberate ways of not only acknowledging Jesus but being thankful to the Father for all we have. New Year’s is a time for family members to resolve a closer walk with the Lord and thanking Him for the past year. No sincere valentine could be without a reference to God’s love. Memorial Day can not only remember our veterans but those who have passed on before us who had an impact on our lives.
July 4th is not merely parades, cookouts and fireworks. We should help our children remember our forefathers who put Christ first as they bravely proclaimed our country’s liberty. Birthdays are prime time for remembering God instead of focusing exclusively on glorifying the honoree. Basically any holiday or excuse for celebration can and should have God as the focus of it.
Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire….” God wants your child’s heart for himself. We are parents ordained by God to minister His Word to our children so that the Spirit of the Almighty Father touches their heart and inflames it with a love for their Savior.
Put God in your holidays. Make Him a big deal in your child’s eyes all year round.
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
5 Ways To Create A Home Of Worship - Never Miss Honoring The Sabbath
photo by Adam Baker
When it’s been just the four of us we hold what amounts to a family devotion. When vacation plans include extended family, it tends to get more involved. We will make an announcement that “church” will be held Sunday morning at either our cottage or one nearby. Plans are made for heaping piles of pancakes, eggs, bacon or sausage, cinnamon rolls, and the occasional fruit cup. Family members are encouraged to bring their Bible and their questions.
What takes place is a cross between a worship service and Sunday school. We pray, we read, we sometimes sing, we discuss, we go off on tangents. Oftentimes we’re still going at it two hours later, especially when the discussion gets hot and heavy. Drives the little ones crazy when there’s fishing to be done and a blissfully cool pool calling.
Although it happens only a couple times a year our family has actually developed a fondness for the time spent together in this fashion. Unless we’re visiting family and attending church with them, we’ll hold “church” wherever we are.
Should we never miss church? I’m a firm believer in following what the Bible says. There’s nothing in there that says Thou shalt never miss church. However, ‘Thou shalt honor the Sabbath and keep it holy’ made it into the top ten commandments, and Jesus was at temple on every Sabbath. That’s good enough for me.
There should never be a Sunday that goes by where our families are not worshipping our Lord and Savior. God gives us seven days to our week. He only asks us to dedicate one specifically to Him. Considering what He gave up for our benefit, our families should be in church on Sunday morning. It is a deliberate choice toward creating a worshipful home.
Monday, June 9, 2008
5 Ways To Create A Home Of Worship - Attend Church As A Family
photo by DanieVDM
In turning our homes into mission fields we need to create an environment of worship that draws our children into an attitude of thanksgiving. It is way too easy for them to engage in complaining and rebellious behavior, especially given the me-first mindset that permeates our society. Children find themselves comparing what they should or should not be doing with people they often do not even know but are convinced they should be emulating.
One of the observations my husband and I have made is that as children get older their frequency of church attendance tends to drop dramatically. Churches are often filled with young children attending Sunday school classes and mid-week activities, but somewhere around the middle school years the numbers start to dwindle. Get into high school and often the grades have to be combined because there are not enough students to break them into separate groups.
2. Fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters - we get to hang out with the best kind of people;
4. Edification as one of God’s saints - we will hear and see things that will make us stronger, smarter, happier and more powerful than we’ve ever been;
5. Being part of a testimony that others will want to emulate - what could be better than being a member of a group (your family) that others look up to and want to imitate?
