|
7/30/2018 July 30, 2018
 DO THIS // CUDDLE TIME Cuddle up with your child this month and pray, "Dear God, thank You for loving us so much You gave us Your Son, Jesus, to be our friend forever. I pray [child's name] will never forget how much [he/she] is loved by You. In Jesus' name, amen."
 WHAT YOU SHOULD BE STRIVING
FOR AS A PARENT By Jeff Brodie There are no perfect parents, and there are no perfect kids. So what is the ideal family? What should be our goal? When I look at my family, there is a tension between what is real and what is ideal. While I should be a patient parent, I can find myself making mistakes and pulling my hair out every day. God sets out some great ideals for us as parents. How do we handle the tension between what’s real and what’s ideal? The answer: We take our cues from a God who models this for us. One of the mysteries of God is his ability to hold up ideals for me to aim towards, but to hold out his arms with grace because He knows I won’t always meet them—all with the goal of seeing me grow in my faith as a person and a parent. You’ll never be a perfect parent, but you can strive for what’s best, while understanding that God is ready to forgive and walk alongside you every step of the way . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/23/2018 July 23, 2018
 DO THIS // BATH TIME For bath time, cut a new kitchen sponge into the shape of a heart. When you place the sponge in the water say, "Water goes in." When you squeeze the sponge say, "Water comes out." As your child plays with the sponge say, "When we say God's words over and over, the words go in our heart."
 PARENTING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO EMPTY
By Amy Fenton I’m a single mom, managing 3 kids, trying to take care of my house, the bills, the food, our schedules. I work full time, plus side jobs, and I often find myself parenting dangerously close to empty. I am reminded of a few principles from the book Leading on Empty that resonate in my parenting, that I want to share. KNOW WHAT FILLS YOUR TANK AND WHAT DRAINS IT. Make a list of “Fill” and “Drain” items. Our life, our very soul, has to be filled up in order to pour out. If I were to keep driving my car way past empty, my car would stall. If I only put 3 gallons of gas in each time I stopped to fill it, I wouldn’t make it very far. We are the same way. Are you putting less in than your giving out? . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/16/2018 July 16, 2018
 DO THIS // CUDDLE TIME Cuddle up with your child this month and pray, "Dear God, Your Word says in Psalm 5:3 that 'In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice' (NIV). We want to thank You for listening to us when we talk to You. I pray [child's name] will grow up talking to you, believing that you hear everything [he/she] says. In Jesus' name, amen."
 PASSING DOWN A FAITH-FILLED LIFE,
NOT A TRIAL-FREE LIFE By Courtney DeFeo I’ve watched my kids hurt many times and it stinks. My knee-jerk reaction is to protect, hover, block, or tackle—basically do anything to prevent my children from feeling pain. The same goes with their faith. I want them to fall in love with Jesus and never walk away, while at the same time never experience hardship. And then I realize I love them too much to desire a trial-free life. Because I remember my biggest moments of personal and spiritual growth were during my trials. Bringing faith to life in our home is a great privilege. I’m encouraged that we don’t have to have a perfect life to pass down a faith-filled life. God has got this. Our role is to simply teach our kids what we already know and to continue learning and sharing more day by day as we grow . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/2/2018 July 2, 2018
 DO THIS // MORNING TIME When you go in your child's room this month say, "Good morning, [child's name]! It's morning time. God loves us in the morning time, night time, ALL the time!"
 HOW TO FIND REFRESHMENT IN THE
MIDDLE OF SUMMER By Sarah Bragg Think back to what summer was like before you were a grownup. Do you remember the glory of it? Summers used to be about recharging. Taking time off from the daily grind in order to come back refreshed. I think the people who need refreshment the most are parents, yet it’s sometimes most difficult for parents to find it. Instead, you find yourself just trying to hold on to your sanity as you try to figure out how to entertain your kids while school’s out. You become a constant referee in sibling warfare and get lost in a never-ending state of laundry (how do they wear so many clothes)? And if you hear “I’m bored” one more time, you may lock yourself in a closet. Summer comes and goes quickly. And much like a hurricane, your emotional, spiritual and relational state of being can be tossed around and left in a state of destruction by the time school starts again. That’s why it’s important to think about how to safeguard your soul. Here’s your challenge: . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG |
