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4/30/2018 April 30, 2018
 DO THIS: CUDDLE TIME Cuddle up with your child this month and pray, "Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to show us how to live and to die so we can be with You forever. Thank You that Jesus came back so we can be friends. Help us to tell (encouarge your child to name people) the big news that Jesus is alive and He wants to be their friend forever too. In Jesus' name, amen."
 THE SECRET OF SUPERMAN By Reggie Joiner When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Superman. I still remember the day my parents handed me a box from Sears and Roebuck that contained a red cape, blue tights with a red-and-yellow “S” shield on the chest. When I put it on, something magical happened. It transformed me from a shy six-year-old to a superhero with unique powers. I would become more powerful than my dad’s parked car. I could leap tall fences with a single bound. I was faster than our speeding fox terrier. It’s intriguing that while nations were drawn into a world war that would threaten their existence, a fictional story of a superhero would entertain the imagination of a generation to suggest that good will somehow always prevail. I guess you should just never underestimate the power of a good story. The point is the stories you tell to your kids every week really matter. The right story can inspire, incite faith, and give hope. If you want to change the way kids see the world, then make sure you give them stories over time . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG  4/23/2018 April 23, 2018
 DO THIS // BATH TIME: Add one of your child's favorite water-safe toys to bath time. Encourage your child to pretend with the toy to go to different places (park, store, school, vacation spot, etc.) and tell people the big news that Jesus is alive.
 SHARE YOUR KIDS By Melissa Thorson I’m learning that friendship, as a parent, is even more life-giving (life-saving?) now than ever before. The trouble is, finding time and energy to invest in friendships when your time as a parent is so monopolized by caring for your kids. It can feel risky to introduce yourself to the parent wrangling a child into a puddle-jumper at the pool or cheering on the sideline of the soccer field. It can feel burdensome to come up with a menu and hide the clutter in order to invite people over for dinner. Whether we reinvest in old friends or make new ones, inviting others into our lives opens the doors for powerful influence on our children. The people you invite over for s’mores today might end up being the sounding board for your angsty teen tomorrow. So, go ahead and text that person you’ve been hoping to get to know . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG  4/16/2018 April 16, 2018
 DO THIS // CUDDLE TIME Cuddle up with your child this month and pray, "Dear God, I pray [child's name] will believe Jesus is alive and that He wants to be [his/her] friend forever. Give me wisdom so I can share with [him/her] why Jesus and Easter are so speical. I love You, God. In Jesus' name, amen."
 FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT By Melissa Thorson I’ve heard before that when feeling insecure in a new job you just have to “fake it till you make it.” But I seem to have mixed luck with my attempts—especially in my role as a parent. Mostly, I just end up exhausted when I allow insincerity to take over. The faking that comes with this role of being a parent can be entirely exhausting. What I’m experiencing as the biggest relief from the faking-it exhaustion is when I am vulnerable with other parents. When we open up to others about what is really happening . . . We learn we are not alone—we are all fakers to some extent. We find encouragement from an outsider’s perspective. We can learn ways to improve. Maybe they’ve found something that work better. We can discover our own strengths and share what has worked for us. Are you exhausted from faking it? CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG  4/9/2018 April 9, 2018
 DO THIS // DRIVE TIME As you drive, look for people through the windows. When you or your child sees someone, cup your hands around your mouths and say, "Big news! Jesus is alive!" (Mom or Dad can cup one hand since the other is on the wheel.)
 YOU ARE NOT DISQUALIFIED By Carey Nieuwhof No new parent begins by saying, “I hope I mess up my child’s life.” Who ever sets out to be the villain in the story? But at one point or another, we end up there, don’t we? You leave for vacation but are yelling at the kids before you’re even out of town. You’re home most nights, but you’re far too tired to engage. Your date night ends in an argument. You make empty threats to your kids that would make you wince if you heard other parents make them. But you are all out of tricks, so you threaten anyway. Sometimes the temptation is to think that our failures should disqualify us as a parent. At least as a good parent. But when you think like that, you are wrong. What if the very thing you think is disqualifying you right now is actually qualifying you for a new chapter in your life in Christ? What if your weakness was a portal to new strength? . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG  4/2/2018 April 2, 2018
 DO THIS // MORNING TIME When you go into your child's room this week say, "Happy Easter, [child's name]! Jesus is alive and He wants to be your friend forever!"
 EASTER SUNDAY By Sarah Anderson IT’S EASTER!!!!! JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!!!! Easter reminds us that something good can always come out of something bad. See, Jesus told us life would be hard. That bad things would happen. That things that don’t make any sense would confuse us and make us wonder about God and if He is really as good as we want Him to be. We can count on life being difficult. But Easter is all about something being more true than life just being hard. Easter is about something new and something good happening in something old and something bad. As parents it can be really easy to get discouraged in a tough season with our kids. It can feel like it can never end and things will never get better. But Easter is the reminder that no season lasts forever and to hang on. The story will get better. It’s like a new flower poking through the dirt after a long and cold winter. It’s like a new baby smiling at his mama and daddy, after a long night of crying and no sleep. It’s like the first day of summer vacation after a long year of getting up early for school. That’s Easter. (Except about a million times better!) The moment something really good arrives after something really hard. When life conquers death!  |
