2012 | hiveresources

Clean slate: how to set better goals for 2013

By demingglobal1 on December 31, 2012 / Hive Resources / 1 Comment

Tags: 2013, a blank slate, a clean slate, chalkboard, clean slate in Christ, goals, goals for 2013, His mercies are new every morning, how to make better goals, Lam. 3:22-23, New Year

I took my Christmas decorations down yesterday. I packed up the ornaments and garlands. I wiped away the Christmas hymn written on the chalkboard hanging over my mantle.

And after I swept the pine needles and glitter from the floor, my home looked bare.

I stared at the chalkboard wondering what to write next. It was a blank slate.

The new year is a time when many feel they’ve been given a fresh start. New resolutions are made. New leaves are turned over.

And indeed, for those of us in Christ, we have been given a clean slate. Like the blank canvas of fresh snow, our sins are hidden in him who became sin for us.

In Christ, our Creator has wiped away the haunting messages and damaging words of our past. In Christ, we have been given a clean start.

However, the beauty of this reality rings true each and every morning – not just when we ring in a new year.

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.” Lam. 3:22-23

The breaking of resolutions and promises is inevitable, but in His lavish love, God extends mercy to us at the dawn of each morning. God does not falter in his promises. He never fails to be faithful to his resolve to show us his grace. And he proves this to us each and every day.

While I haven’t made any New Year resolutions, I have set a few goals for 2013. Practically speaking, I have no doubt that I will fail to meet them perfectly. But I am just as confident that Christ will complete those good works in me just as surely as he upholds his promises to wash me in his mercy (Phil. 1:6).

I hope you’ll join me this year celebrating our clean slate in Christ and setting new goals for our walk with Christ in 2013!

Every morning this week, I’ll be building a better foundation for growing in Christ’s mercy:

Wednesday, I’ll be looking at 3 ways to build a better library in 2013.
Thursday, I’ll offer 3 ways to build a better quiet time in 2013.
Friday, I’ll give you 3 ways to build better character in your kids in 2013.

Be sure to join me by subscribing to Hive Resources! Let’s hold each other accountable to our goals this year – meet me over at Twitter!

What goals do you have for 2013?

Happy New Year!

Ministry Monday: Best Ministry Ideas of 2012

By demingglobal1 on December 31, 2012 / Hive Resources / Leave a comment

Tags: 3 ways to impact even the smallest soul with Scripture, Best ministry ideas of 2012, Kathi Lipp, ministry ideas, Ministry Monday, ministry of thankfulness, Praying God's Word for Your Husband

Welcome to Ministry Monday at Hive Resources! This series is for everyday women who minister through the everyday mission fields of life. Posts feature resources and ideas for discipleship, outreach events, women’s ministries, Bible study, hospitality, and more.

Subscribe today so you don’t miss any of it!

Are you setting any ministry goals for 2013? I am!

And I can’t wait to show some of them to you as the New Year dawns! In the meantime, here are some of my favorite ministry ideas from 2012.

I like these ministry ideas for a variety of reasons – they’re easy and cheap! But I chose to highlight these posts because they are ministries born out of the heart and the home!

Praying God’s Word for Your Husband

Start off the New Year with a renewed commitment to pray for your husband. Use Kathi Lipp’s book, Praying God’s Word for Your Husband, to help you focus your prayers for your husband squarely in God’s Word. Plus, download 4 free printable prayer cards in this post utilizing passages and prayers Kathi Lipp suggests in her book. Print them out and put them on your dashboard, bathroom mirror, or by the kitchen sink.

3 Ways to Impact Even the Smallest Soul with Scripture

Commit to minister to your children in 2013 by intentionally teaching them the truths of Scripture and how to apply them to everyday life. This guest post, written by my real-life friend and fellow blogger, Jessica Dohner, gives you some easy ideas for teaching the Word of God to your child every day of the year.

The Ministry of Thankfulness

This year, ask Christ to orient your heart toward him daily with a resolve to be thankful. If you’re like me, the largest objects of gratitude spill more easily from things, events, or even people that touch my daily life. But a ministry of thanksgiving can be born as you grow in the grace of Christ, experiencing true delight in God’s blessings on others. In this post, I outline some of Paul’s prayers of thanksgiving that focused on the gratitude for God’s work in others. Claim them as your own and begin a ministry of thanking God for what he’s doing in others around you!

Stay tuned for some new Ministry Monday ideas in 2013!

Happy New Year!

Joy to the World! Merry Christmas from Hive Resources!

By demingglobal1 on December 24, 2012 / Hive Resources / Leave a comment

Tags: Joy to the World, Merry Christmas, Ps. 98

Merry Christmas from my house to yours!

I pray you have a blessed day celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and considering the wonders of his love!

Things will be a little quiet here this week so I can be fully present with my family.

But I look forward to resuming Ministry Mondays the week after Christmas! See you next week!

Joy to the world! The Lord is come: let earth receive her King!Let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns: let men their songs employ while fields and floods rocks hills and plains repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground: he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.
He rules the earth with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love

Joy to the World by Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98

Psalm 98

1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
²The Lord has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
³He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

⁴Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
⁵Sing to the Lord with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
⁶With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.

⁷Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord,
⁹For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.

How the incarnation proves God is at work in you (Flash Freebie!)

By demingglobal1 on December 21, 2012 / Hive Resources / 3 Comments

Tags: Athanasius, C.S. Lewis, Christmas, Desiring Virtue, evidence of God's love, finding purpose in life, freebie, giveaway, God is at work in our lives, God's purpose, guest post, incarnation, On the Incarnation, What's my purpose

Welcome to Hive Resources! The final post in my three-part series on the Incarnation and what it proves to the world about God’s love is over at Desiring Virtue today! But before you check it out, be sure to enter to win the resource I highlighted in this series – On The Incarnation by St. Athanasius!

I think Alexander Pope got it wrong.

To err is not human – at least not based on the Divine Playwright’s original script.

The meaning of humanity is never more reticent than at Christmas, when we focus on the one Person who took on flesh and demonstrated what true humanity looks like.

The incarnation shows us:

Evidence of God’s good character. (The Incarnation speaks to who God is).
Evidence of God’s role as Creator! (The Incarnation speaks to what God does).
And finally, evidence of God’s purpose in your life. (The incarnation speaks to why God does what he does).

The Christmas story, then, is about more than a miraculous birth and a back-stage pass into heaven. It’s the story of a Good God who created a good world that became corrupted by sin. It’s the story of a Good God who is at work in his creation to restore it back to its original state.

The Christmas story is about what you’re doing here on earth and how God is at work in your life for his glory.

So, how does the incarnation prove that God is at work in our lives?

Head over to Desiring Virtue to read the rest of this post and find out the answer! And don’t forget to enter below!

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How the incarnation proves God is the Creator

By demingglobal1 on December 19, 2012 / Hive Resources / 7 Comments

Tags: Christmas, Christmas series, Creator, evidence of God's love, incarnation, The incarnation proves God is the Creator

This post is the second in a three-part series on the Incarnation and what it proves to the world about God’s love. You can view the first post here. Come back on Friday for a special Christmas Flash Freebie!

Sometimes when I think about the incarnation of Christ, my head hurts.

You, too? Don’t worry, you can be honest.

I mean, I believe it. I’m thankful for it. And I celebrate the incarnation with great joy!

But when I sit down to truly explain it to myself – how the transcendent God could become human or how God could have two natures at the same time – the thoughts in my head get jumbled up like that knotted necklace I found at the bottom of my purse.

But here’s the thing. The incarnation gives us evidence of many things. And some of those things actually are easily understood.

The incarnation proves to us that God is good. It speaks to who God is.
The incarnation proves to us that God is the Creator. It speaks to what God does.

Haven’t you ever wondered why the Father sent the Son as the agent of salvation? Perhaps he could have sent his Spirit? Or could the Father could have come himself instead of sending the Son?

Why was it the Son who entered the world as an infant on that dark night in Bethlehem?

Colossians 1 gives us two reasons why that infant was the Son and no other.

1. The Son was selected as the agent of salvation for a very important reason: Christ is the agent of Creation!

Col. 1:16-17 says: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

The Son is the Agent of Creation. John calls him the Word or logos – a Greek word meaning the ‘spoken’ word (John 1:1). So, when God spoke creation into existence in Gen. 1, he did so through the Son who is the spoken, life-giving Word of God.

Basically in Col. 1, Paul is saying that Christ – as the spoken Word of God – is responsible for the act of creation.

So, what does the role of Creator have to do with the incarnation? Athanansius, the 4^th century bishop of Alexandra gives us a clue.

In his powerful little book, On the Incarnation, the five-time exile writes: “Who, save the Word of God himself, who also in the beginning made all things out of nothing? His part it was, and His alone, both to bring again the corruption to incorruption and to maintain for the Father His consistency of character with all. For He alone, being Word of the Father and above all, was in consequence was able to recreate all, and worthy to suffer on behalf of all and be an ambassador for all with the Father.”[1] (emphasis mine)

It is the role of the spoken, Living Word of God to produce life through creation. Because it was he who produced life in us the first time, it is only fitting that he should bear the task of becoming human so that we might be re-created in Him.

That leads us to the second point in Colossians.

2. The Son was selected as the agent of salvation for another important reason: Christ is the agent our Re-creation!

Listen to Col. 1:19-20: “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

The Word taking on flesh had to occur in order for us to be re-created into the image of Christ! Our re-creation occurs only because the Word took on flesh and died to conquer evil for us. He reconciles us – and all creation – to the Father.

Read the rest of this passage. Col. 1:21-23 says: “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

The incarnation proves a lot. It stands as indisputable evidence of God’s love for his creation. It proves God is purely good to his creation. And it also proves that God alone is the Creator and qualified to serve as the agent of man’s re-creation.

This truth stands diametrically opposed to those who believe good works have saving power. This truth decimates the belief that church tradition or any other human can influence where one spends eternity.

So, why did God send the Son – and not himself or his Spirit?

Scripture tells us the Son is the agent of creation who made all things in the beginning, and therefore, is the unique person of the Godhead tasked with remaking us into God’s image again.

Merry Christmas everyone! We have much to celebrate this Christmas – praising our Loving Creator who consistently works in and through his creation. God truly is God With Us!

[1] On the Incarnation: Saint Athanasius with an introduction by C.S. Lewis (St Vladimirs Seminary Press, 2012), 33.

How the incarnation proves God is good

By demingglobal1 on December 17, 2012 / Hive Resources / 3 Comments

Tags: 4th century bishop, bishop of Alexandra, C.S. Lewis, Christmas series, evidence of God's love, God is good, God's goodness, God's love, incarnation, Is God good?, On the Incarnation, On the Incarnation of the Word, the character of God, What does the incarnation mean?

Welcome to Hive Resources! This post is the first in a three-part series on the Incarnation and what it proves to the world about God’s love. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of the posts in this series – including a Christmas Flash Freebie on Friday!

At Christmas we celebrate the arrival of a special baby born in a supernatural way. We call his birth the incarnation, because in that moment the Son of God entered into human history and took on flesh in order to save the world from evil.

But the importance of the incarnation continues beyond the miraculous event that transpired on a dark night in Bethlehem. In our Christmas celebrations we speak much of the past event of the incarnation, but not as often of what it means for us today.

Primarily, the incarnation is indisputable evidence of God’s love for you. And understanding that evidence will change your life forever.

So, how is the incarnation proof of God’s love? The incarnation testifies to the goodness of God’s character.

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” Ps. 86:5

The fact that God commissioned his Son to take on human nature for the benefit of his creation speaks to who God is – a good God. Because only a good God would choose to redeem – at great personal cost – a creation corrupted by their own choosing.

God could have easily have left us to our own destruction. But the goodness of his character – demonstrated through the incarnation of His Son – compelled him to act otherwise.

In his book, On the Incarnation, the 4^th century bishop Athanasius of Alexandria puts it this way: “…such indifference to the ruin of His own work before His very eyes would argue not goodness in God but limitation and that far more than if He had never created men at all. It was impossible, therefore, that God should leave man to be carried off by corruption, because it would be unfitting and unworthy of Himself.”[1]

I am thankful that God’s goodness compelled him to act on my behalf. But I’ve always wondered why God chose to manifest his love toward me through the incarnation of His Son.

Being the Almighty God, he could have chosen any manner of salvation by which to restore his fallen creation. Say, an apology, for instance? Why did his Son have to take on the form of a bondservant and die in our place in order to conquer evil in mankind?

What specifically makes the incarnation a testimony to God’s goodness and love?

Again, Athanasius answers that question for us.

Mere apologies are not sufficient because repentance does not “recall men from what is according to their nature; all that it does is to make them cease from sinning. Had it been a case of trespass only, and not a subsequent corruption, repentance would have been well enough.”[2]

To redeem man’s fallen nature, God had to enter into human nature. God had to move on our behalf in a personal way.

The only way for men to be touched by the love of the King was for the Good Ruler to lovingly leave behind the glories of his throne and become a servant in His own kingdom.

With reports of the Newtown shootings fresh in my mind, I cannot help but cling to this Christmas truth: the incarnation of the God-man is concrete evidence of God’s good character and goodwill toward men.

Don’t let this very real Christmas application become overshadowed by the whimsy of animals, innkeepers, or traveling kings. God alone is good, and it is only by his good character that we see evil conquered in our lives and the world.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Rom. 12:12

This Christmas herald the news that because the Good King was born and lived to triumph over the darkness, you and I possess the very real hope of living in a kingdom of peace one day.

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:14

[1] On the Incarnation: Saint Athanasius with an introduction by C.S. Lewis (St Vladimirs Seminary Press, 2012), 32. There are many translations of Athanasius’ work available. However, the introduction to this translation – written by C.S. Lewis – is worth the price of the book alone.

[2] Ibid., 33.

Incarnation: Evidence of God’s Love (A Christmas Series)

By demingglobal1 on December 15, 2012 / Hive Resources / Leave a comment

Tags: Christmas, Christmas series, incarnation, Merry Christmas, new series, series, the incarnation

Next week, I’m starting a new series - Incarnation: Evidence of God’s Love. I’ll be looking at what the incarnation proves to us about God’s character, God’s extraordinary love for his creation, and God’s purposes to restore us to his image.

This series will help you reflect on Christ as the Word Incarnate and not simply a baby born in a stable! So, bookmark Hive Resources or subscribe today! Don’t miss it!

Merry Christmas!

Flash Freebie: Behold the Lamb of God Winner & New Series Promo

By demingglobal1 on December 14, 2012 / Hive Resources / 15 Comments

Tags: Andrew Peterson, Behold the Lamb, Christmas freebie, Christmas music, flash freebie, free Christmas music, freebie, MP3 album, Redeemed Reader

Did you win the Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God? Scroll down to find out and discover the Christmas series I’m starting next week on the Incarnation!

Since we just talked about Jesus’ genealogy, let’s do a Flash Freebie of Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God!

This album includes the famous “Matthew’s Begats” song, which traces the line of Jesus through his earthly father, Joseph. (Hive Readers will know that Jesus is related to David through Mary too!) The “Matthew’s Begats” song will definitely help you and your kids keep all those genealogical records straight! And you’ll have fun doing it! You can’t yawn while singing this song!

For more on this singer-songwriter/author, be sure to check out Redeemed Reader’s recent post by Peterson and the history behind his creative community, The Rabbit Room.

Then hurry back here! You only have a few hours to enter – the contest ends tonight at midnight! (Hence the ‘flash’ part!)

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This series will help you reflect on Christ as the Word Incarnate and not simply a special baby born in a stable! So, bookmark Hive Resources or subscribe today! Don’t miss it!

Merry Christmas!

Buzzworthy: Is Jesus a descendant of David through Joseph or Mary?

By demingglobal1 on December 12, 2012 / Hive Resources / 3 Comments

Tags: Abraham, buzzworthy, Christmas, Davidic Line, genealogy of Jesus, Jesus, king, Luke, Matthew, Messiah, nativity, Promised One, Questions about Christmas, royal

Special thanks to the Hive Reader who submitted this question for our Christmas Buzzworthy series! Do you have a question about faith, doctrine, or simply how to interpret a passage of Scripture? Email it to me at info@hiveresources.com!

The gospel writers make a big deal out of Jesus’ lineage. They wanted to prove that Jesus of Nazareth really was the Messiah (Anointed One) promised so long ago by the Old Testament prophets.

Their case rested on one crucial link between the Old Testament promises and the first century man, Jesus – Jesus was from the royal house of David. The prophets were clear. The Promised One would be a king (Gen. 17:15-16, Gen. 49:8-9, 2 Sam. 7, Is. 9:6-7). And to be a king, you had to be from a royal line.

In Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, he emphasizes Jesus’ royal lineage through his earthly father, Joseph.

Matthew 1:16-17 – “And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.”

Here’s Matthew’s logic: the first century Jews should accept Jesus as the fulfillment of Messianic promises because his earthly father, Joseph, was a direct descendant of David.

But here’s the question: If Jesus was born by the power of the Holy Spirit in Mary – and not by Joseph’s doing – then how can Jesus be considered a descendant of David?

The gospel of Luke gives us the answer. Luke also includes a genealogy of Christ in his gospel – but with a few key differences than Matthew.

First, Luke begins his documentation with Jesus and works his way backwards – all the way to Adam and God! (Luke 3:38).

Second, and most importantly, Luke traces Christ’s claim to the Davidic throne through another son of David – Nathan.

Luke 3:23, 31-32 – “²³Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph … ³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ³²the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,” (Remember, this genealogy runs backwards).

So, here’s the key difference. While Matthew traces Christ’s claim to the throne through Solomon, Luke chooses to trace Jesus’ royal heritage through David and Bathsheba’s other son, Nathan.

Mary was the “natural” descendant of Jesus through Nathan who was the son of David and Bathsheba just like Solomon (see 1 Chron. 3:5).[1]

I’m a visual gal, so this might help you map it in ‘yer’ head. (And of course, there are a just a few generations missing in this picture. But you get the point).

Christ’s lineage though Mary in no way weakens the legitimacy of his claim to the Davidic throne. Like Matthew, Luke could have easily chosen to trace Jesus’ genealogy through Solomon (2 Sam. 7). But being a ‘detail man’ (which I totally appreciate by the way), Luke is simply taking into account Jesus’ natural and royal descent from the woman who plays a key role in God’s plan for redemptive history.

So, how can Christ be of royal lineage if he is only biologically related to his mother? Christ’s lineage is royal on both sides of his parents. Both Mary and Joseph are descendants of David.

Boosh! They call that a genetic slam dunk.

Want some resources for teaching your kids about Jesus’ family tree? Check out this cool tool:

Andrew Peterson has an adorable book and CD called

The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats: An Unlikely Royal Family Tree.

Use it to help liven up and even translate those cumbersome lists of names for the kiddos! I haven’t purchased this, but it’s currently on my Amazon Wish-list for the twins.

[1] Dorothy Patterson and Rhonda Kelley, eds., The Women’s Study Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publisher, 1995), 1694.

3 ways to impact even the smallest soul with Scripture

By demingglobal1 on December 10, 2012 / Hive Resources / 4 Comments

Tags: 3 ways to impact your kids with Scripture, Christmas, Christmas activties, Christmas crafts, Deut. 6:7-9, helping your kids understand the true meaning of Christmas, how Scripture can impact children, how to teach your kids the Christmas story, Ministry Monday, Scripture, teaching your kids the Christmas story, the meaning of Christmas, Truth in the Tinsel

Welcome to Ministry Monday at Hive Resources! Today’s guest post is written by one of my dearest “real-life” friends. She blogs about her adventures in homeschooling, crafts, and motherhood at Jessica’s Jabber. Here’s what I love about Jess (and what I think you will too): her heart for instilling in her two daughters, Brie and Briar, that a passion for mining the truths of Scripture is fun!

Kids say the funniest things. They also say the most convicting things. Take my four year old, Briar Noelle for example, “Daddy, Christmas isn’t about OLD TOYS, it’s about NEW TOYS.”

Ouch.

Did she come to this conclusion on her own or by watching how I allocated my Christmas time? Was I spending energy analyzing wish lists, plotting Black Friday deal busters, and obsessive-compulsively gift wrapping? Or was my Christmas zeal being spent preparing my heart for the celebration of our Savior Jesus Christ?

Busted.

Clearly my priorities were off. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to share the true meaning of Christmas with my girls. In fact, I thought I was. But it wasn’t until I stumbled upon Truth in the Tinsel that I realized what I was missing…good ole’ fashioned Scripture, straight from the Bible.

Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands is chock-full of biblical meat. The e-book includes 24 days of Scripture reading, a simple ornament craft, talking points and extension activities. After just eight days Truth in the Tinsel has encouraged my heart and taught me a serious lesson on parenting.

Do not underestimate the big impact Scripture has on even the smallest soul.

Deuteronomy 6:7-9 instruct us to, “…impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.”

Through Truth in the Tinsel, my eyes have been opened to simple ways to do these very things all year long.

1. BE ACCURATE.

By reading the entire Christmas story straight from the Bible, my girls are learning more than they ever did from a simple Christmas book or even from my own retelling. They are learning how God promised a Messiah in Isaiah’s writings, used a lack of speech to grow Zechariah’s faith, and received a beautiful song of praise from Mary. Through these detailed accounts they can better understand that God loves people individually and works directly in their lives.

2. BE ENGAGING.

“Is it over yet?” If your kids are like mine, then you probably have heard whining like this in the middle of a sermon too. In your zeal to be accurate with Scripture don’t turn Bible reading into a monotone recitation. Make it engaging and appropriate for the ages of your children. Truth in the Tinsel offers some practical tips.

Clue Words - Everyday has a special “Clue Word” for the passage. Encourage your children to respond as soon as you say the clue word while reading the passage. Think PeeWee’s Play House Secret Word, just a lot less creepy.
Crafts - Each day the e-book gives instruction on how to make a simple ornament, which relates to the days Scripture reading. Seriously, my girls will do just about anything for the chance to use some glitter glue. But if yours kids aren’t so into crafts, then the coloring sheets might be a better fit.
Critical Thinking - Don’t just read to read! Get your kids thinking about the story. What kid doesn’t like to be called on? Ask questions and stop to really listen to their answers. Not only does this allow you to assess their understanding, but it also lets you share in a few giggles.
Activities - Take God’s instruction in Deuteronomy literally. Write key verses on your windows with window markers. Find ways during the day to teach through the passages. Who would have thought something as fun as playing with a flashlight in a dark closet would have such an impact on discussing Jesus as the light of the world. Don’t let “My kids won’t sit still” be an excuse not to read Scripture, because who says you have to sit still?

3. BE UBIQUITOUS.

Being a Christian is not just a Sunday morning exercise. Read Scripture daily and incorporate scriptural truths. Look for those teachable moments to share a word of truth with your children.

Don’t box up Truth in the Tinsel with your Christmas Decorations, keep reading Scripture daily! Continue to use the tips which work well with your family. Truth in the Tinsel has encouraged my heart to prepare ways to read with my girls throughout the year. There are so many opportunities: “Truth in the Passover,” “Truth in the Resurrection,” even “Truth in His Return.”

Thanks to Truth in the Tinsel! I will never underestimate the big impact Scripture has on even the smallest soul.

About Jessica: I’m just a simple girl, with a lot of enthusiasm. Come have fun with me on this adventure called motherhood. Learn about bento lunches, muffin tin meals and preschool crafts.