First, the Bible: “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut. 6:6-9).
The ideal Christian parent will think about God’s word in the context of their parenting on a regular basis, even daily basis. As a preacher friend of mine in Kentucky, Jerry Carmichael, has said, “Think homiletically all the time.” Parents should try to train themselves to do that with their children. And do it in natural ways and in fun, creative ways.
I attended the Gulf Coast Bible camp in Mississippi one summer when I was in elementary school. One thing I remember from that camp was the class acting out the story of the Good Samaritan. I don’t know if I knew much about the parable before that, but I certainly remember the parable from that event.
There are lots of Bible story books to read with your child. Even Apologetics Press has graded readers that teach about God’s creation that can be used to train your child to read.
Once you have saturated your own mind and hear with God’s word, then you are better prepared to share biblical stories with your children. When an opportunity arises and your child is in a predicament or situation that parallels a biblical character, remind them of the story and encourage them to apply biblical principles in their own situation.
Sometimes Rachel and I did that with our girls, especially while watching Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman. Like the Andy Griffith Show, there were situation ethics taught and reflected in the show. Occasionally, I would hit the “pause” button and ask the girls, “what would have been a Christian way to respond to that situation?” Of course, if we were watching some nature program, I would mock the evolutionists as I tried to help the girls understand how ridiculous the theory of evolution is. “Imagine how many birds died before any of them evolved the ability to fly…!”
Let your children hear you pray and read the Bible. Encourage your children to pray for you. Pray with them. Look for informal occasions to talk about God’s word.
If you have young children (though middle school), I would encourage you to use some books that mix science with biblical teaching. I have used these experiments with our girls and with the young people when I preached for a church without a youth minister: there are three volumes to Science and the Bible by Donald DeYoung and another resource is: Fun Science that Teaches God’s Word by Mary Grace Becker and Susan Martins Miller.
The late brother Stan Mitchell from Freed-Hardeman wrote a book titled Will Your Faith Have Children? It might have been the last book he wrote. The message is timely and relevant.
Paul Holland
