Parenting - Hive Resources

Investing where you are

February 8, 2016 By: demingglobal12 Comments

One of the biggest lessons I’m learning as a mother is to be joyful as I invest where I am. I say “am learning” because, honestly, finding joy in the investment of motherhood can be a daily battle. Thankfully, though, when I see the storm of discontent or frustration looming on the horizon of my heart, I can now name it before it hits and wrecks me.

The years pass quickly, and if I’m not careful, I can easily tether myself to the empty promises of wishing myself forward. As if the future will automatically be better and brighter by virtue of being nothing else but the future – different than today.

“When we finally get out of this apartment and into our new house, I will be so much happier!”

“I’ll be so much happier when the kids are sleeping through the night! Then, I’ll finally get some decent rest!” (Some one told me I probably won’t sleep again until they turn 18…if I am lucky!)

“When the boys get a little more mature, life will be so much easier!” (Again, I’m thinking around 18 we should be good…)

The forward-wishing gets me every time.

Every. Time.

Instead of celebrating the good days with gratitude, I wonder why every weekend can’t be this great.

Instead of loving my family “where they are” on really bad days, my wish for the weekend to arrive overshadows all other prayers.

As women who trust in a future King, we cling to the promise that our futures ARE brighter and better, but only because of the One who is Better, Jesus Christ. It is because of Christ, who is also our present King, that we can invest where we are – in the exact country, state, city, neighborhood, classroom, moment he has laid out for us.

So, while we look to the horizon with future-looking eyes, we are also to view our messy, imperfect present with hope and joy knowing our King has placed us right where he wants us because he has a special job for us to do.

Letting go of worthy things

This year brought some big changes to our family. We kissed and hugged ministry partners and friends goodbye, packed up a house full of happy memories, and drove cross-country to Chattanooga, TN.

And although the move was a painful uprooting, we are beginning to see the tender shoots of new growth in our lives.

I took a break from blogging to invest in our family, helping my two challenging boys discover a new way of life among new friends. I have my missed both my Pittsburgh family and my little online community, but I knew that establishing real life community in our new city was important for our family’s transition.

And while investing where you are often means letting go of worthy things, God always cultivates in our hearts and hands something new for his glory.

Letting others invest in you

Another big lesson for me in this whole “investment gig” concerns its rate of return.

Investing where you are means more than simply setting aside personal desires, it also means setting aside personal pride. Investing where you are means more than letting go, it also means letting others in.

When we cling too tightly to what we cannot see, we often miss the blessings Christ has placed in plain sight – others whom he has tasked with investing in us.

Part of this moving adventure included finding a new church home – a new place where we could love and serve and do life together. We are blessed to find such a home in Christway Community Church in Ooltewah.

Our life group has been an immeasurable source of joy to us as we’ve intentionally slowed from a ministry sprint to a jog. As we wait to see where God wants us to invest next, he’s blessed with new friends to come alongside us, pray for us and with us, and cheer us on in everyday life.

When we wish ourselves forward (“We’ll start going to church when the kids get older…”), we miss out on the primary place God wants us to invest in and where he invests in us and our family through others: his body – the church – our home.

“Home is where the heart is” the adage goes. And if we, as women – mothers, daughters, friends, and sisters – can learn to invest where we are, we will receive the greatest blessing of all – Christ, who is our home.

Where is God leading you to invest right now? What blessings have you seen so far?

Big thanks to one of my newest blessings, friend & neighbor Jessica Tyndall of Heartwork Photography.

About

Melissa Deming is the creator of Hive Resources — a site to help women sweeten their walk with Christ through Bible study, ministry and missions resources, and more. She is the author of "Daughters of the King: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Story." Melissa has an M.Div. in Women’s Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

A must-have book for helping women who miscarry

May 7, 2015 By: demingglobal11 Comment

After Sunday worship recently, I could sense a friend was upset. When I inquired, she mentioned she was miscarrying. I did what I knew to do — I hugged her. And then I hugged her again.

Last week my sister texted me. “I have a friend who had a miscarriage. What can I do for her?” Immediately, I replied: “Take her a meal!”

For those of us not acquainted with miscarriage, it can be an isolating and strange kind of grief. I know this grief personally, I’ve had three miscarriages. The first two were what doctors consider routine; the third was a particularly difficult as I was further along in my pregnancy. In both instances, women around me hugged me and loved on me by bringing me meals.

You don’t have to serve in women’s ministries very long to encounter a woman suffering from the tragedy of miscarriage. Although you would never know from the very little we speak about it or hear about it from Sunday pulpits, miscarriage is a common event. Yet, the sadness from the loss of a pregnancy is so unique that the church is often left wondering how best to minister to women walking through this circumstance.

This Mother’s Day, it’s my honor to recommend a new resource written by my friend Jessalyn Hutto. Inheritance of Tears: Trusting the Lord of Life When Death Visits the Womb is a biblically-faithful and thoughtful account of God’s sovereignty over and through miscarriage.

Why I recommend the book:

Packed into five little chapters, Jessalyn offers hurting women wisdom, comfort and hope while leading them to the cross of Christ, their ultimate source of comfort.

–She offers wise counsel regarding practical questions of grief. For the woman who wonders if her miscarriage is her fault or if she could have prevented it, Jessalyn draws their attention to the salve of the gospel.

–She speaks from the big picture of life, opening her book with a primer on the impact of sin on a woman’s body.

–She beautifully links God’s sovereignty to God’s goodness for women who doubt the Creator’s trustworthiness for allowing their miscarriage.

–She offers sweet prayers for hurting mothers at the close of each chapter, giving women a chance to digest the rich doctrine covered in each section.

And because she wisely guides the reader through the different levels of emotional suffering entailed in miscarriage, I would recommend that every women’s ministry leader purchase and use Inheritance of Tears as they serve women walking through this difficult circumstance. Despite hard the circumstance of miscarriage and the equally hard truths Jessalyn explicates in her book, women ministry leaders must be prepared to give biblically-informed comfort to the hurting women in their care. Inheritance of Tears is a must-have book for helping women who are suffering from the “unseen grief” of miscarriage.

Special thanks to Jessalyn for providing me a copy of Inheritance of Tears to review. For more information about the links in this post, click here.

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A family devotional for the New Year

January 15, 2015 By: demingglobal11 Comment

Looking for a new family devotional to kick off the New Year? Then check out the recently released I Can Learn the Bible: 52 Devotions and Scriptures for Kids by Holly Hawkins Shivers. Published by Tommy Nelson, this weekly devotional will help you hide God’s Word in even the smallest heart in your home.

I Can Learn the Bible

Here’s what’s inside:

— a short and relatable devotion based on 52 Scripture verses

— explanations and illustrations of each verse that children can understand

— helpful discussion questions for parents to use in prompting their children to apply the passage to their lives

There are a number of things I enjoyed about this book, like the fill-in-the-blank statements sprinkled throughout the text that help prompt discussion.

The author also offers a sample daily schedule of simple activities for parents to help their children memorize the weekly passage. A far cry from the moralistic lessons typically found in children’s religious material, I particularly appreciated how the author embedded a biblical worldview into each devotional.

Ultimately, I love the author’s encouragement to parents feeling the pressure to raise godly children. In her introduction, she writes:

“…we can educate our children with a biblical worldview, we can enroll them in church activities and teach them principles to the best of our abilities, and we can pray for them, discipline them, and love them well. But there is nothing like the Word of God being planted in their hearts, taking root, and producing genuine spiritual growth. Ultimately, the spiritual well-being of our children rests in the hands of God – He will form and strengthen them through His Word and His Spirit.”

Overall, this is a wonderful devotional for families just starting to carve out time together in God’s Word, as well as for families with children ages 5-12. My only criticism is the illustrations are not available as Scripture cards or printable 8×10’s for framing. Now THAT would be fun!

Thanks to Tommy Nelson for providing a copy for review. You can purchase I Can Learn the Bible at the link. And psst, the kindle version is only $1.99 right now!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, click here.

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Operation World: how to give your kids global eyes

October 13, 2014 By: demingglobal11 Comment

Looking for a way to give your kids global-gospel eyes? Then check out this massive resource – Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation.

A RESEARCH TOOL

Operation World is a reference book containing information about each of the world’s countries. Each country is profiled outlining geography, people, economy, politics, and a breakdown of religions.

A PRAYER BOOK

Far from being a dry database of facts about the world, Operation World chronicles the evangelization of the world, noting missions emphasis and victories among peoplegroups considered unreached – with little to no access to the gospel.

Nearly 2.84 billion of the world’s population are still considered unreached or among the world’s least reached.

The book opens with a great challenge for prayer in Christians to complete this task and includes specific prayer points for world missions. Each country includes answers to prayer as well as challenges to prayer including the physical needs specific that country, how to pray for the population, and missionary personnel on the ground.

Although this could be a great reference book to keep on hand for research papers or missions projects, it is best used as a prayer guide.

Here are some ideas for using this book in your home:

–Pick a country during family devotions and take turns reading about it.

–Bring a globe into your reading time for fun. Let smaller children spin the globe to pick the country you learn about or let older children find the country on a globe after it’s been selected.

–Spend a week praying for a specific country during meal time, following the prayer points outlined in the book.

–Let your children make a poster about your country with facts from the book.

–Have your child write notes to missionary personnel living and working among people they’ve read about and prayed for.

–Turn your reading into a hands-on missions project. Look for refugees from countries you’ve read about who have relocated to your area. As a family, pray about ways to minister to them. Let your kids lead the way as God calls ideas to their minds and hearts.

For more information about Operation World, check out their website. From their Facebook page, you can receive daily prayer reminders in your newsfeed about pressing concerns in specifics countries. You can also follow them on twitter.

This post contains affiliate links. For more info, click here.

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Ministry Monday: The Big list of ministry ideas

August 17, 2014 By: demingglobal14 Comments

Last year, I started a series called Ministry Monday to share practical ways to be on mission as mothers, disciples, and women and sisters in Christ.

Most of the posts I shared came from real-life ministry and service projects in our now 3-yr-old Pittsburgh church plant as well as ministry ideas from our own home.

Because Ministry Monday continues to place among my popular posts, I thought I’d list them all here:

The 1 thing that always kills the Great Commission

3 ways to balance family & ministry

22 ideas for calling a family time-out

Why I don’t wear high heels to church

A app that shares the gospel in 40 languages

When Bible lessons fail

Easter devotional for families

How to teach your kids about new life with a new life tree

How to get to church without fighting

Teaching your kids about the resurrection

How to mold missions-minded children

Living and leading from grace

How to teach your child to be a dinner-table missionary

How to host your own home Bible study

Making Better Disciples

Grace vs. Knowledge (the motive of disciple)

Investment vs. Sacrifice (how we view discipleship)

Feeding vs. Feasting (the strategy of discipleship)

Missional Motherhood

3 ways to live on mission and still say ‘no’

How to connect the gospel with social ministries

When you’re tempted to throw in the towel on quiet times

My favorite missional motherhood tools

Simple Service

Real chicken soup for the soul

1 easy way to stir up love in your church family

The best way to encourage the mother of a challenging child

A missional meal for new moms or new move-ins

Summer Edition

When You’re struggling to each your child to serve

How to transform playdates into service opportunities

How to host the BEST grandparents camp ever

Banish summer boredom with ministry ideas for kids

7 resources for a summer of faith & fun

Passport to summer missions

Have a ministry idea you’d like to share or see featured?! Leave your ideas in the comments!

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3 ways to live on mission and still say ‘no’

August 3, 2014 By: demingglobal1comment

When we train disciples to fulfill the Great Commission, we train them to say yes.

Yes to serving.

Yes to going.

Yes to doing.

But sometimes being missional also means saying no.

No to too many good projects.

No to serving in worthy areas that you aren’t gifted for.

No to keeping your same service schedule during a difficult season.

In my own life, I’ve discovered three ways that I can live on mission and still say no:

Click over to the full post to learn what they are!

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Missional Motherhood: How to connect the gospel with justice ministries

July 7, 2014 By: demingglobal13 Comments

I cut my journalistic teeth on writers like Mark Kelly, who brought to light stories of God’s work in dark and dangerous places on the global mission field.

I’d been reading Mark’s pieces for years when I finally met him in a convention press room. Surrounded by veteran reporters, it took me a full day and a half to muster the courage to speak directly to him. And when I finally addressed him, I tried to play it cool. “Hey, do you know if there is a Starbucks around here?”

Yes. Out of all the things I could have asked this career global journalist, I asked the man for directions. Directions! Facepalm!

Journey into Justice

Since my lame moment in time, however, I’ve discovered one thing about Mark. While I was busy glorifying his day job, he was even busier glorifying Someone else.

Since his press days, Mark has gone on to create a “kingdom justice” org (Multiply Justice) that fights to bring the gospel to bear on the whole person – a ministry forged from the stories of broken people and broken places he encountered on the mission field.

This summer, Mark released the eBook Journey into Justice: Redemption, Salvation, and God’s Mission to Restore Justice – a culmination of his journalistic experience and missionary heart.

This book isn’t just for people interested in justice ministries, nor is it solely for those who love missions. Journey into Justice is for all believers who desire to see God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Every missional mother needs to read this book, here’s why.

A book for every missional mother

The book connects the dots between the gospel and true biblical justice. So, if you’ve ever wondered what social ministries have to do with spiritual realities, you need this book!

The book explains what biblical justice is. In fact, the book is truly a biblical theology of justice, tracing the larger theme of justice throughout the Scriptures beginning with God’s first kingdom in Genesis and culminating in his new kingdom in Revelation. Above all, social justice is about God’s kingdom and his original intent for the people living in it.

The book offers full and accessible definitions of popular terms – mercy, justice, repentance, transformation, faith, etc. He carefully roots these concepts in the full context of the biblical story.

This book is about redemptive relationships – with God and with others – as Jesus’ disciples walk in his ways and multiply themselves. Each chapter offers real-life stories of the transformation that comes from God’s justice and the people who pursue it. So, Journey into Justice isn’t a book to brow-beat you into adding another item to your “spiritual check-list.” It’s a book to challenge you to return to the King.

So, Mom. Before you’re tempted to jump onto another bandwagon or buy that bracelet to fund another justice ministry, be sure your heart is aligned to the One who brings peace first.

Missional motherhood is about more than a different way of shopping; it’s about a different way of living.

If you’re wondering how to walk with integrity and pursue God’s “kingdom justice,” this book will get you started.

Right now, you can read Journey into Justice for free. Or, make a donation to the humanitarian aid group Baptist Global Response, and Mark will email you a copy of the e-book.

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Missional motherhood: When you’re tempted to thrown in the towel on quiet times

June 2, 2014 By: demingglobal14 Comments

Keeping God’s Word in our hearts can seem like an insurmountable challenge during the darker days of mommydom.

It seems, lately, that each time I sit down to read God’s Word, I’m thwarted. It’s like my kids have a radar that tells them when I open my Bible or shut the bathroom door. Yelling starts, fighting commences, or one decides at just that particular moment to tell he’s awfully sorry, but there’s been “an accident” and a small clean-up on aisle 5 is needed.

And I watch that precious flame of peace that flickered ever so slightly when I sat down on the couch suddenly get extinguished with a giant bucket of water.

When the bottom falls out and frustration sets in, it’s tempting to throw in the towel on ever having a quiet time. But missional motherhood cannot happen without spending regular time in God’s Word and prayer. It is through the Scriptures, after all, that God aligns our hearts with His heart and helps us to see others how He sees them – with gospel eyes.

Last year, I was able to wake for early devotions before our house sprung to life. I grew spiritually by leaps and bounds as I poured over the Psalms in prayer and praise almost every morning.

This year, however, my boys’ sleeping schedules changed (age 5) without explanation. I suddenly found myself propelled back to the newborn stage getting up 2-3 times a night with each child. And when I finally dragged myself out of bed in the morning, meaningful devotions suddenly became a herculean feat.

For most of this year, I struggled with my inability to maintain my 5 a.m. wake-up call. I felt discouraged, deflated, and extremely frustrated. Finally, I had to come to terms with the fact that quiet times are going to look different at different stages of motherhood. There will be some seasons I can wake to a quiet home and other times I will need to adjust to shorter devotions.

Missional motherhood is NOT about meeting an imaginary standard I’ve set for myself, but trusting my Savior in the midst of challenging days (and nights!).

Looking back, I realize the year I was able to wake at 5 a.m. was a gracious gift meant to prepare me for the difficult days ahead. Many of the truths I gleaned from my walk through the Psalms last year sustained me while our family journeyed over rockier roads and dry patches we never expected to navigate.

So, how did I have a quiet time during those challenging seasons? Here’s a few ideas for mothers are tempted to thrown in towel on ever having a quiet time again.

Read the Bible together (but separate!)

If a child woke early, I’d set them on the couch with their story Bible of choice while I read next to them in my Bible.

I found this worked best, when we had a special reading area already set up. We had our Bibles in a basket by the couch, and I’d give them a granola bar to tide them over until breakfast.

Read the Bible while they are occupied

And by occupied I mean watching TV. I know, I can hear you gasping, but on the difficult days I made this choice, I was renewed, strengthened, and able to finish the day with the right heart. The key is not making a habit of hiring technology to babysit your kids. Remember, this is just a season!

Rely on Scripture memory cards

This year, I positioned Scripture memory cards in prominent places in my home (like above my kitchen sink) to help me to keep God’s Word in my heart. In fact, I started the Abide Groups last Spring when I was desperately clinging to the truths of God’s promises.

On those days where 20-30 minutes of peace to read my Bible could not be found, I used the cards to help me dwell on the riches of God’s love as I scraped leftover casserole from my corning wear.

Sometimes moments of peace can only happen outside the home. If you work, take Scripture cards with you on your morning commute. If you work out, take the cards to the gym.

When I was younger, my mother memorized the entire book of Ephesians on her morning walks. She kept her verses on index cards, but now you can track your progress on your smart phone as you work out.

Remember down time

As missional mothers, we must be intentional with the few hours of quiet we’re given each day. Taking advantage of down time is one way to sneak in a quiet time.

When my children were smaller, I often napped when they napped. For mothers of newborns this can be essential! Today, I’m more tempted to catch up a season of Downtown Abby on Netflix when those rare and glorious afternoon naps roll around, but spending time in God’s Word is usually the better choice for me.

New moms know best what their bodies and souls need, and those needs might change daily. The key is to pay attention to our hearts during those seasons, whatever they might be, and seek our Savior above all else.

So, stay encouraged, Mom, in whatever season you find yourself in! Regardless of where or how you are able to squeeze in a quiet time, be intentional to allow God’s Word to fuel your mission as a missional mother.

Hey, busy Mom! What do you do to sneak in a quiet time?

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Missional motherhood: Being on mission as a mom

April 21, 2014 By: demingglobal14 Comments

Whenever I attend a conference, I get a little queasy. Not because I’m anxious meeting new friends or because I’m out of my comfort zone, but because I know the guilt is coming.

Whether it’s the heart-felt messages from inspiring speakers on social justice or the endless line of booths on clean water and poverty-fighting non-profits, it’s typically at conferences that the call to be ‘radical’ in our faith is sounded the loudest. So, after being presented with opportunity after opportunity “to do” something radical for the King’s kingdom, this momma gets a wee bit weary.

As a homeschooling, work-at-home mother of twins, motherhood often feels the absolute farthest thing from being radical. Instead of jetting off to Uganda, I’m printing out copywork. Instead of buying beaded bracelets that fund education for girls, my budget is allocated for pull-ups and bananas.

I’ll be the first to confess, that my feelings for being un-radical are rooted solely in my own sinful pride. But all the same, the idea of “being radical” can make the more mundane activities of motherhood somewhat lackluster.

Missional Women Conference

This past weekend, I attended the Missional Women conference, and while I was excited to soak up some truth from new friends and discover some amazing ministries, I also braced myself for the impending wall of guilt.

But guess what? It never came!

Instead, this is what I found. Being on mission occurs within the “existing reality” that God has appointed for me.

My current reality is I’m the mother of two very unique boys. The ministry of the Great Commission – from which all radical faith springs – is to make disciples of my children first and foremost. So, right now, for me, radical faith doesn’t involve third-world countries or soup kitchens; it involves my home.

To that end, I found some great ways at the Missional Conference to be on mission as a mom.

Kids on Mission

It’s radical to teach your child about the gospel.

Kids on Mission is a non-profit that helps you lead your children to learn, pray, and serve God’s world. Their website is chock full of free printables on world cultures and countries – all designed to give your child a heart for the nations.

At their booth, I picked up these Cross Gospel Tracts for Kids. This tool is so cool. My boys loved opening the different flaps and talking about what they mean. This tool could be used by an adult who is sharing the gospel with a child and even older children could be trained to use them as they learn to share their own faith.

Compassion International

It’s radical to teach your child to love the world.

At the conference, we heard musician Shaun Groves share his heart for poverty-fighting group Compassion International. I love this group because they are Christ-focused and local church-based, meaning sponsored children receive their aid through a local church. But I also love this group because sponsorships that alleviate poverty, hunger, and sickness help keep families together who would otherwise be faced with unthinkable choices.

At the conference, my family signed up to sponsor a child from Ecuador about our boys’ age. We hope it becomes an opportunity for us to teach our children about generosity and compassion for the world’s poor.

But listen to how big our God is. Later, as my husband researched the area in which our sponsored child lives, we discovered her village was located at the base of a mountain my husband climbed some years ago – Mount Cotapaxi.

God was so good to make that connection for us, because we already have material on this area – photos, postcards, and stories from his trip that we can share with the boys to help them understand where and who is receiving their gifts and notes of love.

We’re praying this ministry becomes a way for us to be radical in living out the Great Commission as we teach our kids to pray for our sponsored child and her family.

In the next few years, God might change my current reality, making the way I live out radical faith look completely different from the way he has designed it today. But for right now, I’m content to live ‘on mission’ right where he’s put me. Motherhood, in and of itself, is radical – something I’m learning each and every day.

I hope you’ll join me for this new mini-series on Missional Motherhood! For the next few weeks I’ll be sharing some ideas and resources for living out a radical faith at home.

Are you looking for ways to be missional right where you are? Check out Laura Krokos discipleship video explaining this principle!

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The God Puzzle: A family Bible study for busy moms

February 7, 2014 By: demingglobal1comment

I talked on the phone with a dear friend, recently. She was feeling frustrated because it seemed many of the new resources for teaching children about God’s Word are heavily marketed exclusively to homeschooling mothers.

With two children in public school, her afternoon and evenings hours are already filled with homework and meal prep. Coupled with ministry and church obligations, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything on her list. She needed a sound and intentional resource on the Bible with no prep work.

The God Puzzle

So, when I received The God Puzzle by children’s ministry pro Valerie Ackermann I got excited. I could read the author’s heart right away – she had a passion for equipping parents to tell their own children the story of the gospel.

The God Puzzle: How the Bible fits together to reveal God as Your Greatest Treasure is a workbook about the Christian faith for kids ages 7-12.

What I liked:

It presents children with the whole story of the Bible! (You know how I love the Big Picture of God’s Word). Ackermann begins where all good Bible studies should – the beginning (creation) – and follows the redemptive thread of the biblical story of Christ through to the new creation (Revelation)!

It puts the parent in the driver seat. The God Puzzle gives parents the tools to fulfill their biblical responsibility to train up their child in God’s Word – without any prep work! The 36 lessons can be tailored to any schedule. I think my public school mom/friend would be happy to know the lessons can be done daily or weekly, in 30 minutes or 10.

It preps children for a robust faith. This workbook tackles some tough ideas like the meaning of the image of God and sin. It introduces and explains words like covenant, prophecy, and worship. All these theological terms are presented in fun and engaging ways. Plus, the child is encouraged to look up Scripture using their own Bibles (which I really appreciate).

What I didn’t like:

The author’s use of illustrations to explain the Trinity. On the chapter on the Trinity, the author uses an illustration of an egg and an apple to explain the three-in-one aspect of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

While they successfully avoid modalism found in the water/ice/vapor analogy (that God is made up of and reveals himself in different modes – Father, Son, and Spirit), I tend to think these types of illustrations are too simplistic. I agree with author Michael Reeves, who believes these types of impersonal sketches don’t do real justice to explaining the personal nature of our God, who eternally exists in community with Himself.

Who should buy this book?

Overall, there is much in this workbook to commend itself. Here’s who I think would benefit the most from it:

Busy moms. The God Puzzle would make a great tool for any mother who doesn’t have time for prep work!

Homeschool moms. Even though I specifically think my public-school mom/friend I mentioned earlier would love this resource, homeschooling parents would too! The lessons are easily configured into a 36-week Bible curriculum with daily activities and discussion questions.

The unconfident mom. For parents who feel ill-equipped to tackle big interpretative questions, The God Puzzle would be a great tool. It uses simple and fun ways to answer questions like: “What does my Work have to do with my Faith?” and “What do Old Testament stories teach about God’s Plan?” and “What are My Old Self and My New Self?”

The strategic mom. Any mom who wants to intentionally set aside time to teach her children the truth of the Bible would benefit from this book. The God Puzzle is a great tool for intentionally engaging children for an extended period of time with the seamless story of Scripture.

Want to find out more? Check out The God Puzzle online. Connect with Valerie Ackkermann on Facebook or Twitter.

As a busy mom, what is your go-to tool for teaching your children about God’s Word? Leave your resources in the comments!

Special thanks to Litfuse for providing this copy for review. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, click here.