Homefront march 2016

MARCH 2016

a spiritual parenting resource

homefrontmag.com

GETTING STARTED

20 5 WORDS THAT CAN

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38 DOES YOUR FAMILY DO HARD THINGS?

REFLECTING ON HOLY WEEK.

CHANGE THE WORLD!

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EDITOR'S NOTE Because we highlight 10 environments in HomeFront and there are 12 months each year, we are able to make each environment come alive through the lens of a new season. This month, we were especially excited to find out that our March issue falls in the environment of SERVING—and Easter is in March this year!

What better example of SERVING do we have than Jesus laying down His life for us?

This issue is jam-packed with new ideas to answer the servant question, “What needs to be done?” Our TRADITIONS article (page 14) shares about how one family “sneak attacks” the friends and neighbors they want to serve, while BLESSING (page 29) tells about a little boy who learns that serving his family brings them love and joy.

STORYTELLING (page 8) and CREATE (page 10) are both based on Luke 15:1–7. This portion of Scripture is a beautiful reminder that we are the sheep and Jesus is the shepherd—nothing will stop the Good Shepherd from rescuing us when we wander away.

As followers of this Good Shepherd, Easter is our most important holiday.

Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies aside, we set the day apart to remember that God sent His only Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and to die for our sins. But Jesus did not stay dead—He rose again. That is why many people call Easter Resurrection Sunday—because that is exactly what it is!

Our prayer is that this issue of HomeFront will provide you with Biblical truth, activities, and conversation starters that will resource you as you prepare to celebrate Resurrection Sunday with your family!

CONTENTS FAMILY TIME Family Verse

5

Capturing the Season

6

Storytelling

8

Create

10

Game Time

12

Traditions

14

Family Time Recipe

16

Kids in the Kitchen

18

Conversation Starters

20

Prayer

21

God's Word

22

Worship

26

Tot Time Rhyme

28

Blessing

29

Taking Action

30

Global

32

Bless Our Nest

The Best Time of Year Little Lost Sheep

His Lost Sheep Operation Sneak Attack

Brown Sugar Brie

Mini Coconut Cream Pies 5 Words That Can Change the World

Should Have Been Mine Holy Week

Let Your Light Shine Along the Road

Imprint

Greece

INSPIRE, EQUIP, SUPPORT Student ID

34

Everyday Mom Blog

36

Everyday Dad Blog

38

Tough Topics

40

Marriage

42

Spiritual Grandparenting

44

The Sacrifice of Serving

Debbie Guinn

Editor in Chief David C Cook debbie@homefrontmag.com

Families That Serve Together Our Family Does Hard Things

Let’s Be Social!

HomeFrontSP

HomeFrontMagSP

HomeFrontSP

HomeFrontSP

Just Be Present Share your photos using the hashtag #homefrontmag

I Want It ... Now Grandparenting Matters!

Design, Layout, and Photography by Stephanie Reindel (stephanie@homefrontmag.com) © 2016 David C Cook

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It's Here!

We're thrilled to announce the launch of our new website!

Things you won't want to miss: • Parent blogs to inspire you • Mobile-friendly format • Lots of downloadable giveaways • Marketplace to purchase article bundles and more!

Michelle Anthony

The new website is filled with fresh ideas and creative ways to provide you with even more resources as we partner together to spiritually parent your children.

Vice President and Publisher of Learning Resources | David C Cook T witter @TruInspiration

We believe that the Holy Spirit is God’s chosen teacher. It is He who causes spiritual growth and formation when and as He chooses. As such, we have articulated 10 distinct environments to create in your home. We desire to create spiritual space, which we refer to as an environment, in which God’s Spirit can move freely.

Simply go to the link below to check it out today:

homefrontmag.com

OUR MISSION

The environment of SERVING encourages a posture of the heart that asks the question, “What needs to be done?” It allows the Holy Spirit to cultivate a sensitivity to others and reminds us that we’re called to a cause bigger than one individual life. It helps fulfill the mandate that, as followers of Jesus, we’re to view our lives as living sacrifices we generously give away!

INSPIRE parents with ideas to create fun, spiritually forming times in the normal rhythm of everyday life.

EQUIP parents to become the spiritual leaders of God’s truth in their own households.

What if you and I and our kids walked into every situation, with every person, and simply asked the question, "What needs to be done?" Somebody’s crying. What needs to be done? Does she need to be left alone? Does she need to be hugged? Does she need to talk to someone? Does she need someone to pray for her?

SUPPORT families to engage their communities and change the culture around them.

FAMILY VERSE

Out of my own selfishness, I don’t always want to answer that question the way I know the Holy Spirit wants me to. But when we hear it and respond to it, we enter a very rich environment that enables us to lead an others-centered life. What might it look like if we started pursuing this posture with our children from an early age … teaching them to walk into any situation asking, “What needs to be done?” Wow— we’d live in a different world!

Memorizing Scripture can be an incredible practice to engage in as a family. But words in and of themselves will not necessarily transform us; it is God’s Spirit in these words who transforms. We come to know God more when we’re willing to open our hearts and listen to His Holy Spirit through the words we memorize. Have fun with this verse, and think of creative ways to invite your family to open up to God as they commit the verse to memory.

Consider purchasing an 8" x 10" frame to hold your family memory verse each month!

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BLESS OUR NEST

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family time

c a p t u r i n g t h e s e as o n

These decoupage eggs will make a beautiful Easter decoration in your home. Covered with the pages of a hymnal, they will serve as a great reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. The word “hymn” is derived from the Greek language and means “a song of praise.”

Take some time to go over the words of these songs with your children. Many of these hymns have a remarkable story of faith attached to their history. Your family may enjoy looking up the songs and reading together what caused the authors to pen the beautiful words that make up these special prayers that are still relevant today. Then enjoy decoupaging your eggs together!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED • papier-mâché or plastic Easter eggs • Mod Podge (matte finish) • small paint brush • small dish or bowl • old hymnal found at used book stores, thrift stores, or online

WHAT YOU’LL DO 1.

Cut or tear a few pages from the hymnal.

2.

Cut out the titles of the hymns and set aside. Tear or cut the rest of the pages into small pieces.

3.

Brush a generous coat of Mod Podge on both sides of a paper piece.

4.

Place the paper piece on the egg and use the brush to smooth it out, removing air bubbles and wrinkles as you go.

5.

Continue adding Mod Podge-coated paper pieces until the egg is completely covered.

6.

Mod Podge the hymn title on top of the other pieces so it stands out.

7.

Place finished eggs on a cooling rack to dry.

by Debbie Guinn 7

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THE BEST TIME OF YEAR

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family time

sto ry t e l l i n g But he didn’t find Little Lamb there.

PARENTS

Then he dashed through the tall grass and trudged through some thick brush. He didn’t find Little Lamb there, either.

The following story is based on Luke 15:1–7.

As usual, Farmer Zeb was awake before the roosters began to crow. By the time the sun came up, he was dressed in his favorite long-sleeved flannel shirt, red bandana, and soft denim overalls with a faded patch on each knee. He gobbled down some bacon and beans, stepped into two tall rubber, mud-caked boots and grabbed his floppy, wide-brimmed straw hat.

Next, he climbed up hills and walked down valleys and searched behind large rocks. Still, he could not find Little Lamb.

The sun was sinking low in the sky when Farmer Zeb reached the end of the meadow.

“Little Lamb! Little Lamb!” he called. “Where are you? I won’t give up!” He walked through a stretch of trees with tangled branches and a prickly patch of thistles, and that’s when he finally saw her. She was lying under some wet leaves, tired, cold, scared and hungry.

With a bounce in his step and a smile on his face, Zeb scurried down a winding dirt path that led to the barn. Springtime is the best time of year, he thought as he whistled a happy tune.

“Baaa,” said Little Lamb sadly.

“Good morning, friends!” Farmer Zeb called out as he reached the barnyard gate. “I’ll be tending the vegetables, stacking some hay, and milking the cows.

What else needs to be done?” he asked.

“I know you are very sorry,” said Farmer Zeb as he gently picked her up and carried her home.

When they arrived back at the barn, Farmer Zeb set Little Lamb next to Sheep. Then he looked around the barnyard once more, happy that so much work had been completed that day. “What else needs to be done?” he asked his friends.

“Meh-eh-eh-eh,” said the goat.

“Yes, quite right, Goat,” Farmer Zeb answered. “You can fill the water troughs. Thank you, Goat!”

“Oink-oink,” said the pig.

The animals were quiet. They couldn’t think of any other chores that needed to be done.

“That is true, Pig. The stalls need to be cleaned. You can push all the dirty hay out and tidy the pens. Thank you, Pig!”

“There is just one thing left to do,” he told them.

“Celebrate!” Farmer Zeb cheered. “Little Lamb was lost.

But now she is found! Just like me!”

“Neeeigh,” said the horse.

“Yes, Horse, good thinking,” answered Farmer Zeb. “The fields must be plowed and tilled. You can get the crops ready for planting. Thank you, Horse!”

The animals looked at each other with puzzled faces.

“You see, my friends,” said Farmer Zeb, “I was lost, too. Just like Little Lamb. But Jesus found me!”

“Bok-bok, ba-GAWK!” said the chicken.

The animals were still confused.

“Ah, yes, the eggs, Chicken! You may gather all of the eggs from the chicken coop. Thank you, Chicken!”

“Springtime is my favorite time of year,” Farmer Zeb explained, “because it’s the time we remember what Jesus has done. He died on the cross and rose again so that no one has to be lost. He wants us all to be with Him!”

“Moooo,” said the cow.

“You are correct, Cow,” Farmer Zeb answered. “The pasture fence is broken. You can mend the post. Thank you, Cow!”

One by one the animals began to smile. Then they danced and sang and ate and celebrated together.

Springtime is the best time of year, Zeb thought as he whistled a happy tune.

“Baa-baa,” said the sheep as she slumped onto a pile of hay.

All of the animals stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

by Kathryn O’Brien

“What?” asked Farmer Zeb. “What’s that you say?”

Farmer Zeb walked over to Sheep and patted her softly on the head. “Your little lamb ran away?”

Wife, mom, and award-winning children’s book author, Kathryn serves as an administrator for Stoneybrooke Christian School in Southern California. She is most grateful for family, fun, and the daily grace of a loving God.

“Baaaaa,” said Sheep as she covered her head with her hooves and started to cry.

Website kathobrien.com

Farmer Zeb ran out of the barn and toward the creek.

Illustration by Kenneth Crane

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LITTLE LOST SHEEP

family time

c r e at e

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. THE GOOD SHEPHERD LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP. JOHN 10:11 PARENTS Take some time this month to read "The Best Time of Year" in our Storytelling article (page 8). The story talks about a lost sheep and how the farmer or shepherd searched for the sheep and rescued it. After reading, ask your children, “Why do you think the Bible refers to Jesus as our Shepherd?” Then ask them why we might be referred to as sheep. Remind them that our Good Shepherd, Jesus, answered the question, “What needs to be done?” by giving up His very life for us.

As a family, create this Little Lost Sheep to serve as a reminder that Jesus loves us and is willing to do whatever it takes to make us a part of His family.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED • Sheep template download (available at dcc.is/sheeptemplate)

WHAT YOU’LL DO 1.

Download the sheep template and cut out each piece of the pattern.

2.

Cut the legs and the head of the sheep out of black felt using the templates as a guide. Set these aside.

3.

Take the glass out of the frame and glue the burlap to the backing of the picture frame.

4.

Take the body template and center it on the burlap. Trace around the template using a fine-tip permanant marker.

5.

Glue the felt legs onto the burlap.

6.

Glue a single layer of buttons onto the board to fill up the body of the sheep. Make sure to cover the top edges of the legs.

• 8" x 10" picture frame

7.

Then add another layer of buttons, overlapping the first to fill in the gaps.

• fine-tip permanant marker

8.

Glue the head of the sheep in place slightly overlapping the buttons.

9.

Glue a black button onto a white button and glue in place on the head for each of the eyes.

• variety of white buttons • 2 small black buttons • 1 sheet black felt • hot glue gun • hot glue sticks • 8" x 10" piece of burlap

by Stephanie Reindel Stephanie joined the HomeFront team in January 2015 as the designer and photographer. She and her husband, Joel, have been married a year-and-a-half and love their dog, Scout. Stephanie enjoys using the creative talent God has given her to help put HomeFront into the hands of parents looking for new and fun ways to spiritually nurture their children.

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family time

game time

HIS LOST SHEEP LET’S ADD A TWIST!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED • colored pom poms or cotton balls (5 per person)

If your children are older or you’re just looking for a fun second round, add a twist!

• markers and/or highlighters (1 color per person)

Set up the game as explained in “Before You Start.” As you invite your family into the room, give each person a straw. As they find their sheep, instead of simply walking or running them back to the pen, they must use their straws to blow them there. The first one to blow all five of their sheep back to the pen wins!

• straws (optional) • place mat, 11" x 17" paper, or masking tape BEFORE YOU START If you are using cotton balls, color one set of five cotton balls for each person playing. For example, if you have three people playing, you will need five blue cotton balls, five yellow cotton balls, and five red cotton balls. Use highlighters or markers to color the outsides of your cotton balls. These colorful balls represent little sheep.

REMEMBER When Jesus shares the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15), we see a God who loves His people so much that He will seek the broken and lost, no matter what. As we think about serving and ask the question, “What needs to be done?” let’s remember the ultimate answer to that question: we must love God and love others (Mark 12:30–31). Remind your children that we are given an amazing opportunity to serve the one true shepherd as He pursues His beloved sheep!

Hide all of the pom poms or cotton balls in a general location such as the living room. Designate a center point of the room and call this the “sheep pen.” You have the option of using a piece of paper, a place mat, or a square marked off with masking tape to represent the sheep pen.

TIME TO PLAY!

by Heather DePartee

Invite the whole family into the room. Assign one color of cotton balls—or little sheep—to each player.

Explain to your family that when you say, “Go,” they will need to find all five of their sheep, one by one.

Each time a sheep is found, they must return it to the pen. The first one to find and return all of his sheep wins!

Heather is a newlywed and works as an Instructional Aide for kindergarten students in Fresno, CA. She spent three-and-ahalf years working on the Families team at ROCKHARBOR Church in Costa Mesa, CA, as an assistant to the Early Childhood Director, participating in the development of Tru Curriculum, and as an administrative assistant to the team.

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family time

traditions

OPERATION

SNEAK ATTACK

The Rizo family

When I was a young girl, I relished my great grandmother's Easter tradition of saving up her spare change and hiding it in the Easter eggs.

I fondly recall running wild in her backyard, picking up eggs and shaking them as they dropped into my basket. We would finish the afternoon by sitting on the floor, lining up our piles of money, and counting our loot. Whoever walked away with the most was declared that year's winner.

was missing. My husband and I had recently moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to help with a new church focused on missional living. We had spent the previous two years studying what this means and now it was time to develop it in our family's culture. How could we tangibly celebrate the resurrection of Christ with not only our kids, but also our neighbors and friends? And with that simple question, Operation Sneak Attack was born.

I enjoyed finding Easter eggs and wanted to pass this tradition on to my children. As I began to prepare for Easter back in 2012, I felt like something

The evening of Easter began with the Mission Impossible theme song blaring through our van's speakers. Our hearts started to race as we drove 14

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family time

traditions down the road. Joyous sounds filled our van.

We were dressed as ninjas, ready to suprise our first targets.

So as to not be quickly seen, we parked our car at the corner and walked quietly to our friend's home.

Each child hid three eggs.

3. Plan out your own special mission with your kids. Get your kids involved and allow them to own a part of your family's tradition. Play together.

Laugh together. Serve together. Your family will grow up with these memories and others will be deeply blessed by them, too.

I raced back to the car with kids in tow while my husband taped a handwritten note to the front door:

by Jacqueline Rizo Jacqueline is a freelance writer by night and homeschool mom by day. She graduated from Ozark Christian College with her bachelor's degree in Christian Ministry. She has spent the past 15 years serving alongside her husband, Sergio Rizo. They have four children: Josiah (11), Lydia (8), Eliah (7), and Clara (5). She has a passion for journaling and the art of storytelling.

Her heartbreaking story of loss was featured on USA TODAY. She transparently shares her life and love for Jesus in venues around Nashville, TN. You can easily find her on her blog: todaywrittenbymom.com.

"You've been egged! The Rizo kids hid 12 eggs in your yard. Enjoy the hunt, but do not be discouraged when you find the empty egg. It is a simple reminder of Jesus' empty tomb. For He is risen!"

My husband knocked loudly on the door and made a mad dash back to us.

As we drove away, the kids' endless laughter wrapped around my heart. In that moment, I felt the impact of "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). This sparked a movement in our family. Daily we speak over our kids the words, "Be kind to one another, considering others better than yourself" (from Philippians 2:1–4). Operation Sneak Attack has taken these verses and allowed our kids to experience authentic love in action.

HERE ARE A FEW STRATEGY STARTERS FOR YOUR OWN MISSION 1. It begins with relationships. Open your home, meet your neighbors, invite them over for dinner, and hear their stories. As Dan Allender writes in his book Leading Character, "We are to have a character that invites others to see the goodness of Christ and to be a character that intrigues and compels others to discover what it means to be forgiven and set free to live with passion and joy."

2. Listen carefully. Are your neighbors fighting a battle behind closed doors? If you hear of a need, that's your cue to pray, "Lord, how can we bless them and point them to you?" If your friend is struggling to buy food, you may want to buy some of the essentials and leave them on her doorstep. If your neighbor is in financial need, you can tape an envelope of cash to his door. Perhaps it is as simple as inviting the widow(er) over for weekly tea, dropping off flowers, or asking him/her to read books to your children. It doesn't have to be much to bless, encourage, and love those around you. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated in Life Together, "It is God's love for us that He not only gives us His Word but also lends us His ear. So it is His work that we do for our brother when we learn to listen to him."

If you and your family would like to start the tradition of Operation Sneak Attack by egging a friend or neighbor, go to dcc.is/egged to download your own "You've Been Egged" doorknob hangers.

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BROWN

SUGAR

BRIE

family time

fa m i ly t i m e r e c i p e Cooking for people I love is one of my favorite ways of serving. It really gives meaning to the phrase “cooking with love” when I get to watch the people I adore enjoy what I made for them. This appetizer never fails to put a smile on friends' faces. It is constantly requested at family get-togethers, and is sure to be a crowd pleaser, especially at your Easter brunch!

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 25 min.

Serves: 10–12 WHAT YOU'LL NEED • 1 wheel of Brie cheese (13.4 ounces) • 2 (11-ounce) cans refrigerated French bread dough • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted • 1/2 cup brown sugar • 1 cup pecans * For an easy metric conversion chart, search the Internet for “metric kitchen.”

WHAT YOU'LL DO 1.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

2.

Remove paper wrapper from the wheel of Brie (leave the skin). Place it in the center of a baking dish.

3.

Form a circle of French bread dough, wrapping it around the Brie.

4.

With a knife, poke 10 holes in the bread.

5.

Pour the melted butter evenly over the bread.

6.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the bread, and press it into the dough as you go.

7.

Sprinkle the pecans over the whole dish.

8.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until bread is golden brown.

9.

Slice and serve warm.

by Rachel Howard Rachel is in her freshman year at Biola University in La Mirada, CA. She began volunteering in the Children’s Ministry Department at Mariners Church in Irvine, CA, when she was in the fourth grade. She has a passion for cooking and baking, and loves using her culinary gifts to serve others.

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MINI COCONUT CREAM PIES

family time

k i d s i n t h e k i tc h e n

Kids seem to especially enjoy things that come in miniature size. These Mini Coconut Cream Pies are no exception!

There are plenty of opportunities for your children to help out while preparing this treat. Be ready to allow them to complete some of the steps and encourage them to ask, “What needs to be done?” along the way!

Prep Time: 20 min. Cook Time: 10–15 min. Yields: 24 mini pies WHAT YOU’LL NEED • 1 (16.5-ounce) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough • 1 box (3.4-ounce) instant coconut pudding, prepared according to package directions and chilled • 2 cups milk • 2 cups sweetened coconut

5.

Bake dough until golden brown and set (10 to 15 minutes).

6.

Remove from oven. Cool 10 minutes.

7.

While cookies are cooling, place the coconut in a large plastic storage bag with several drops of green food coloring. Shake the bag until all the coconut is the desired color of green.

8.

Spread coconut evenly on a cookie sheet, and place in the 350° F oven for 10 to 12 minutes until slightly toasted.

9.

Carefully loosen the cookie cups with a knife and remove from the muffin tin.

• whipped cream for topping • green food coloring • mini jelly beans

10. Transfer cookie cups to a cooling rack and cool completely.

* For an easy metric conversion chart, search the Internet for “metric kitchen.”

WHAT YOU’LL DO

11.

Spoon a generous teaspoon of chilled pudding into the center of each cookie cup.

1.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

2.

Grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin.

12. Top each cup with a dollop of whipped cream.

3.

Divide sugar cookie dough into 24 even pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

13. Place jelly beans on top of whipped cream and sprinkle generously with coconut.

4.

Place dough in prepared muffin tin cups.

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co n v e r sat i o n sta r t e r s

5

WORDS THAT CAN CHANGE

THE WORLD

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? What if we walked into every situation and asked this question? How different would our world be?

GET YOUR CHILDREN TALKING This month, during a mealtime, present different scenarios to your children and ask, “What needs to be done?” Encourage them to think outside the box and give more than one answer for each situation you present. Here are some ideas to get you started.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ... in our home?

at our neighbors’?

in my school?

in our city?

at our church?

around our country?

at my grandparents’ home?

around the world?

The next step is to take action. After coming up with some answers, brainstorm how your family can start becoming world changers by choosing one or two of your best ideas to put into action this month!

by Debbie Guinn Debbie is the Editor in Chief of HomeFront. She has more than 25 years of experience working in children’s and family ministries.

She is passionate about equipping parents to become leaders of God’s truth in their own households.

Instagram @homefrontmagsp Twitter @homefrontsp

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p r ay e r

SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE I remember sitting next to my grandma during the Easter play at our church one year when I was around 14 or 15 years old. I watched her weep as they portrayed Christ’s crucifixion. I knew something was right about her reaction, and being a Christian myself, I wanted to experience at least a small portion of the feelings she displayed. But I didn’t. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t. Whether it was my lack of theological depth, or the anti-supernatural secularism indoctrinated in me throughout my educational life, I had a major disconnect when it came to processing what Jesus had done for us. Thankfully, through the ministries of researchers like Lee Strobel and William Lane Craig, my confidence in the historical reliability of the New Testament records of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection has grown enormously over the years. And because of theologians such as N. T. Wright and Dallas Willard, my understanding of Christ’s sacrifice has significantly deepened.

Because of Christ’s work, we are no longer slaves to sin. Accordingly, “I’m not bowing down to fear; fear is bowing down to me!” There is no need to fear, for we are reconciled to God! Now, when I draw my mind to these things through reading, songs, and other art forms, I find it difficult not to be deeply moved. I don’t have to try to work something up. It really is true—as many have pointed out—that our worship is greatly enriched by the discipline of study.

Paul Copan. Loving Wisdom: Christian Philosophy of Religion (p. 11). Kindle Edition.

1

PARENTS This month, pray the words of this powerful song (words in bold print) together with your children. Talk about how Jesus took our place on the cross and share with each other how this makes you feel.

My wife, Nirva, and I recently had the opportunity to co-write a song with Mia Fieldes and Jacob Sooter on this very topic. It was a joy to create art directly rooted in subject matter we have studied over the years. The song, “Should Have Been Mine,” springs out of that central biblical doctrine known as the atonement—a doctrine which affirms that Christ died on the cross in our place, forgiving us our sins, and reconciling us to God (that is, those of us who place our confidence in Him).

by Seth and Nirva Husband and wife Seth and Nirva Ready are talented vocalists who, individually, have performed with top Christian artists like TobyMac, Kirk Franklin, CeCe Winans, and Chris Tomlin.

Together, they are signed with Integrity Music as the worship duo Seth & Nirva and are working on their full-length debut album, Never Alone, which features the song “Should Have Been Mine."

We flesh out this idea a little bit in the lyrics: “The death You died should have been mine. The crown of thorns, I should have worn. Every step to Calvary should have been reserved for me … tears in Your eyes, should have been mine. The heavy cross, You suffered on should have been the price I paid for all my failing, all my shame ….”

In the chorus of the song, we turn our attention to magnifying Christ for what He accomplished on our behalf, and end each stanza with, “By Your death I’m raised to life.” For Christ’s death (and resurrection) not only removed our guilt but secured life and freedom for us as well. We can finally become who we were meant to be from the beginning: “Co-regents with God and worshipping priests in his presence.” 1 Next we come to the bridge (my favorite part): “I’m not living under sin; sin is underneath my feet.”

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g o d ' s wo r d

HOLY WEEK “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Such a simple verse, but have you ever taken a moment to consider the weight of these words? “Resolutely”… Jesus was determined. He knew full well what awaited Him in Jerusalem and yet, in firmness and determination, He went anyway.

That is service. Jesus chose to "give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

Jesus is a perfect example of service. He demonstrated both in His life and His death what it means to love other people and to continually ask the question, “What needs to be done?” During Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter), spend some time each day in God’s Word. Reflect on the perfect example of Jesus and think through ways we can better serve the people God brings into our lives.

PALM SUNDAY HEAR IT Read Matthew 21:1–11. Jesus sent His disciples to find a donkey. Then, in full humility, Jesus sat on that donkey as He entered the city of Jerusalem. As He rode, the people shouted at the top of their lungs, “Hosanna!” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” The people cried out and laid their coats and palm branches on the ground as the donkey click-clacked along the path.

DO IT Close your eyes and picture this scene. Jerusalem's roads are dusty and dirty. Huge crowds press along the main street.

People are crying. There are shouts of celebration and excitement. The scene must have been absolutely overwhelming.

Now think about Jesus as He sits on the donkey. He is entering this city because He loves these people. Jesus not only loves these people, but He also loves you and me. He is willing to die so that all of us can have life. Open your eyes.

How did Jesus model what it means to be a servant as He rode into Jerusalem?

MONDAY HEAR IT Read Matthew 21:12–13. Jesus reminds us that the church is meant to be a place of prayer and of praising God. Jesus was angry that people had turned His house into a place of greed and profit.

DO IT Jesus still cares about His church today. He wants churches around the world to be places of prayer and praising God. Spend some time in prayer for the church around the world. Ask God to help people in every country hear about Him and to be able to worship Him. Use the Global article on page 32 and spend time praying for the church in Greece.

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g o d ' s wo r d

TUESDAY HEAR IT Read Matthew 26:6–13. This woman was willing to give up incredibly costly perfume in order to serve Jesus. She gave what she had to demonstrate her love for God. DO IT We can serve God by allowing Him to use our time, talents, and treasures. What is something you are willing to give today to demonstrate your love for God? Spend time thinking about something each person in the family can give out of their love for Jesus. Examples might include donating toys to a family in need, baking cookies and giving up your time to share them this Easter, giving money to the church, or other creative acts of service.

WEDNESDAY HEAR IT Read Matthew 26:14–16. Judas was Jesus' friend—he walked with Jesus, learned from Jesus, and shared life with Jesus.

And yet, Judas was so fixated on money and wanting more that he was willing to do the unthinkable and sell his friend's life for 30 silver coins.

DO IT What have you let get in the way of your friendship with Jesus? Judas was willing to give his friend's life away for money. What about you? Walk around the house as a family and point out things that can get in the way of your friendship with Jesus. For example, as you walk past the TV, say something like, “TV can be a fun way for our family to relax, but watching too much TV can get in the way of listening to God and doing what He has called us to do.” Walking past a clock could prompt you to say, "It's easy to feel like there isn't enough time to talk to Jesus or to serve other people, but what is the truth about our time?"

MAUNDY THURSDAY HEAR IT Read Matthew 26:17–30. This was the last supper that Jesus shared with His friends. At this meal Jesus introduced the practice we call "communion" or "the Lord's supper." Today we celebrate communion with others as a way of remembering Jesus and this last meal He ate with the disciples. Verse 30 says that they finished by singing together. Up until the very end of Jesus’ life, He chose to be a part of His faith community and to celebrate God with them.

DO IT Sing a worship song together. Pick a song that celebrates Jesus' sacrifice for us. Even if you don’t know all the lyrics, play it a few times until everyone catches on. Fill the room you are in with loud singing, thanking God for who He is and His great love for us. During this time, remember Jesus. Remember that last meal Jesus ate with His friends. And remember Jesus' ultimate act of service when He died for us on the cross.

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g o d ' s wo r d

GOOD FRIDAY HEAR IT Read Matthew 27:27–37, 50–54. In the greatest act of service ever, Jesus died on the cross. Jesus knew that all of us are hopelessly separated from God because of our sin. But God loves us and wants us to know Him, so He asked His perfect son, Jesus, to pay for our sin. And Jesus chose to die on the cross for us. For all of us.

DO IT Silence. Spend two to three minutes in complete silence. This will be a hard task for some children, but explain that what Jesus did on the cross was for each one of us. As everyone remains quiet, have them each think about how Jesus chose to serve others. Think about how amazing it is that Jesus chose to die on the cross for each of us.

SATURDAY HEAR IT Read Matthew 27:57–66. Jesus was buried in a tomb. What do you think the tomb was like? Guards were posted at the door of the tomb. Those guards may have felt silly, guarding the tomb of a man who had died. The guards may have wondered to themselves, "Why this tomb? What was so special about this man?"

DO IT Make a list of all the things that are special about Jesus. Think about the miracles He performed, the ways He served people, and His amazing love. Try to write out as many things as possible describing why Jesus was completely unique and special. There has never been anyone else as wonderful as Jesus!

EASTER SUNDAY HEAR IT Read Matthew 28:1–10. Jesus is risen! What amazing news! Jesus did not stay dead—He rose from the grave! What an amazing and awesome God we serve. An angel appeared to spread the word and then Jesus Himself appeared. Jesus proved that He alone is more powerful than sin and God alone is more powerful than death. Jesus is alive and this is the miracle we celebrate at Easter.

DO IT Celebrate the truth that Jesus is risen. Just as the angel declared to the women, “He has risen,” today declare that Jesus is risen to everyone you encounter. Begin right now by shouting the good news that Jesus is risen as loud as you can.

Throughout the day, find people to share this truth with. Jesus rose so we could have freedom from sin and friendship with God, and this is the best news we will ever hear!

by Krista Heinen Krista is the NextGen Associate Pastor at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, WI. Krista helps equip and support the families at Elmbrook through resources, events, and conversations.

Twitter @KristaHeinen

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family time

wo r s h i p

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE As a child, one of my most precious memories of Sunday school was singing the sweet and simple worship song, “This Little Light of Mine.” We’d point our little index fingers straight up to symbolize the light in our hearts ignited and kept alive by the love of Jesus and we’d sing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine!”

Visit Handspeak.com/word to look up these Easter-inspired words with your children: Christ Cross Crown Joy Praise

Now I teach elementary Sunday school at our church and worship time is my favorite part of the morning. These kids take Psalm 100 to heart and “shout for joy to the Lord” while worshipping.

Jumping, shouting, dancing, and hand motions come together to make children’s worship a powerful experience. It’s impossible not to feel the JOY that David talks about in the Psalms when we see our kids worshipping in these ways.

Sacrifice As you learn the sign for each word, talk to your kids about how each one relates to Easter. Your children may have heard some of these words many times, but may not know what they mean. This exercise EASTER will give the words deeper REMINDS US meaning and will help bring OF JESUS’ the story of Easter alive GRACE AND HIS for them.

SACRIFICE ON Easter reminds us of Jesus’ THE CROSS—THE grace and His sacrifice on ULTIMATE ACT the cross—the ultimate act of OF SERVICE. service. Your kids can reach out to serve others as a way to worship and praise God. In other words, they can use simple sign language to let their “little lights shine!”

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs" (Psalm 100:1–2).

Matching hand motions and signs with music is an effective way for us to teach our children how to worship and makes the songs more memorable and meaningful to them.

LEARN SIGN LANGUAGE THIS EASTER Some people use signing instead of their voices to communicate. The most popular way to do this is to use American Sign Language (ASL). Talk to your kids about people living with hearing disabilities and how Jesus calls us to serve all people. We are all the same in His eyes, and though He has made us unique with different abilities, He loves us just the same (see Revelation 7:9)

by Suzanne Moshenko Suzanne is a mom, stepmom, and wife living in Orange County CA. She writes on her blog "Alive in Wonderland" about her adventures in parenting and blending a family. She also has her own business, Social Smarts Media.

Website Suzannemoshenko.com Twitter @Suzmoshenko

One way we can serve is to learn simple words in sign language that can tell others about Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Instagram @Suzmoshenko

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family time

tot t i m e r h y m e ( ag e s 3 & u n d e r )

ALONG

THE ROAD

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 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. Deuteronomy 6:6–7

SIT AT HOME

ALONG THE ROAD

LIE DOWN

GET UP

This month as you are traveling from here to there, sing this sweet little rhyme to the tune of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" with your little ones.

Remind them that Jesus laid down His life for us and now we get to show others His love by serving them.

Christ came to serve us and on the cross He did.

He died to forgive us of all of our sins.

The third day He rose and freedom He gave us To love and serve like our Father did for us.

by Arielle and Jonathon Vasek Arielle and Jonathan both have bachelor's degrees in Music from Colorado Christian University. They have been married for a year-and-a-half and are very excited about every musical opportunity God has blessed them with.

In May they will welcome their first child, a baby boy.

Get the audio recording of this song at dcc.is/marchtottime Repetition is fundamental to almost any learning style, so when you’re teaching your children, use repetition!

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family time

blessing

A BLESSING CAN BE A PRAYER OF COMMISSION, A BIBLE PASSAGE, OR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT. BLESSINGS CAN BE SPOKEN OVER A CHILD FOR THE PURPOSE OF DECLARING GOD’S PROTECTION, JOY, AND WISDOM OVER HIM.

READ

Over breakfast on a typical family day, we all express the things we want to do that day. But today, as the conversation comes to a close, I can see tears streaming down my son’s face. He’s been hit with the realization that he’s going to have to compromise and let go of something he wants to do. Instead of focusing on what he’s giving up, we try to bring light to what he is giving.

Parents, read Mark 10:45 over your children: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

BLESS (Child’s name), may you be a blessing to others by looking for ways you can help them, even before they ask. May you remember that serving people is giving them a gift of love and joy. (Child’s name), may you remember that every time you serve someone else, you are showing that person how much God loves him or her. And may your life be full of joy and blessings that come when we love and serve others.

“How many people are in our family?” we ask.

He looks sheepish: “Three.”

“That’s right. Then there are two people that each one of us can give joy and love to today by helping them out.”

And with a slow smile, he nods and begins to be excited once again.

When our children realize that to serve someone in need is to show them love and bring them joy, they will begin to look for ways to give abundantly. From family day, to chores, to helping our neighbors—we can cultivate servant hearts in our children by focusing on what they give more than on what they may be giving up.

by Bonnie Lewis Bonnie is a wife, mother, and follower of Jesus who also has a seminary degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. She is well-versed in not having it all together, and is a big proponent of being vulnerable and authentic. You can find more of her writing and podcast at findtheblue.com.

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IMPRINT

family time

ta k i n g ac t i o n Something clicked for me when I read Michelle Anthony’s Spiritual Parenting book. Usually I am a very linear thinker, working through a checklist of to-do items—and not really looking beyond my list. That’s just how my brain works. But Spiritual Parenting helped me to realize that, as believers, we’re called to always be open to God’s leading.

created an inspiration board on Pinterest to generate excitement.

I read about training your kids to enter into a space—whether a neighborhood, a friend’s house, a school—and look around to see: What needs to be done? That was THIS WAS the key question, and it caused me HOW JESUS LED HIS LIFE, to examine not only how I raise my kids, but also how I approach life.

SERVING

Seventy people came from the church to help with improvements to the school. We redid the entire parking lot, five big planter beds, and the teachers’ lounge. It was beautiful watching people arrive with their families to love their community like Jesus does.

THOSE IN HIS COMMUNITY.

To my surprise, the church agreed to donate $1,000, and a week later bumped it up to $2,000.

Then I gave a presentation to the whole congregation.

They donated another $2,500, and the principal of the school agreed to let us help out.

It started to slowly change things for me. Especially as I realized that this was how Jesus led his life, serving those in his community.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? When we moved into our home, the elementary school directly across the street from us caught my attention. We knew it was a great school, but from the outside it seemed that the campus had not been updated in a while. The letters were falling off the sign, areas were knee-high in weeds, and paint was chipping off the curbs.

As we walked around the school we started a long list of other updates we hoped to make: new trash cans, basketball hoops, picnic tables, and more.

Our church has really taken schools in the area under our wing.

And the amazing thing is, the whole time we were serving, we were training ourselves and our kids to see what needed to be done and respond—the very thing Spiritual Parenting challenged us to do.

It’s been amazing to find my place in my walk with God and to watch our community come together.

SPIRITUAL PARENTING

My kids weren’t going there at the time, but I felt like something needed to be done. So I took pictures and sent an email to the school foreman letting him know about the problems. Really I was just hoping to push it back on the school district—to check it off my list.

His response was short and to the point. “Thanks for bringing this to our attention,” he wrote. “We have to take care of thirty-five schools and we are working with a limited budget and resources.”

Over the coming weeks I kept driving by the school and thinking, “Gosh, what can I do?” So I emailed back and asked if we could help to raise the funds and purchase the needed items for them.

I never heard back, but I knew something needed to be done.

Candice Becklund discovered Spiritual Parenting through a class hosted at ROCKHARBOR Church in Mission Viejo, California. She and her classmates used a series of videos and worksheets provided in the Spiritual Parenting curriculum to guide their time together. The class provided them with the opportunity to bounce ideas off of one another and deepen their understanding of the book. It was instrumental in rallying initial support for the community service project at Del Lago Elementary School.

This story first appeared in the Winter 2015–2016 issue of Resourceful magazine, davidccook.com/resourceful. Used by permission of David C Cook.

DCC.IS/IMPRINT See a video about the project inspired by Spiritual Parenting.

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY I mentioned the need to my church at the Spiritual Parenting class I was attending, provided photos, and

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g lo b a l

Awakening a compassionate heart and a global mind-set in children for people beyond the boundaries of their own neighborhoods.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ...

GREECE?

Greece is the southernmost country in the Balkan Peninsula, with a total area of 50,942 square miles.

Continental Greece has a length of 584 miles north to south and a width of 480 miles east to west. It is bounded on the north by Macedonia and Bulgaria, on the northeast by Turkey, on the east by the Aegean Sea, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea, on the southwest and west by the Ionian Sea, and on the northwest

by Albania.

Bulgaria

Macedonia Italy

Albania Aegean Sea

Greece

Turkey

Ionian Sea

Malta

Mediterranean Sea

Cyprus

QUICK STATS

POPULATION

11,130,186

LANGUAGE

GREEK

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RELIGION

GREEK ORTHODOX 98% OTHER 2%

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family time

g lo b a l NOW THAT WE KNOW THE LOCATION OF GREECE, LET’S MEET ITS PEOPLE.

There are more than 11 million people who call Greece their home.

If you lived in Greece you would most likely go to a Greek Orthodox church.

To talk to your friends in Greece you would speak Greek.

To say hello you would say: Yassou (pronounced YAH-soo).

If you lived in Greece you would eat a lot of Mediterranean cuisine. This type of cooking includes olive oil, lemon juice, vegetables, herbs, grains and bread, fish, and various meats, including lamb, poultry, rabbit, and pork. Also important are olives, cheese, zucchini, and yogurt. Your desserts would always include nuts and honey.

DID YOU

KNOW

?

• Greek is considered the oldest written language still in existence with nearly five thousand years of continuous usage.

• The Olympic games originated in ancient Greece.

• If a Greek spits on you it’s usually a good thing. It is believed (mostly by older Greeks) that spitting chases the devil and misfortune away.

EASTER WEEKEND IN GREECE In Greek Orthodox churches, a tomb is often put in the center of the church for the Good Friday service. People come to the service as though they are going to a funeral.

A service is held on the Saturday evening before Easter, just before midnight. Priests give out candles to people in the church and they are lit at midnight. Fireworks are also sometimes used to signal that Easter Day has started.

On Easter morning, a soup made of lamb's stomach is sometimes eaten for breakfast! The rest of the lamb is roasted and eaten for the main meal. A traditional Greek Easter cake is made with oranges and almonds in it. It is eaten with a spicy orange sauce poured over it. http://www.whyeaster.com/cultures/greece.shtml

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THE SACRIFICE OF SERVING

equip

st u d e n t i d (6 t h

to

8th grade)

Easter is my favorite Sunday, ever. It’s just the best.

There is a vibrancy in the air, an expectation for God to move in mighty ways, and a fullness to the morning that marks the day as significantly different from other days in the year. The roads are busy with people trying to get to church, the kids' ministries are full of coloring pages that depict the glory of hope through an empty grave, and people are dressed up in their Sunday best, all gathered to celebrate the WE CAN, risen Savior.

HOWEVER, GET We can, however, get lost A LITTLE LOST in the midst of all the Easter IN THE MIDST hoopla and forget the heart OF ALL THE EASTER HOOPLA behind what Jesus did.

AND FORGET In Philippians 2:6–11, Paul THE HEART reflects on the power of BEHIND WHAT Christ's servant heart through JESUS DID. a hymn that would have

opportunities he saw to serve Jesus that day, or about how God might be asking him to serve is a beautiful way to cultivate a kingdom mind-set that looks to serve.

If serving others is founded in guilt or approval, we have missed the very thing that Jesus calls us to do. His call is to serve others in love. It is out of His love for us and our love for others that we are so freely enabled to ask the question, “What needs to be done?” When we are then faced with a list that needs to get done, our servant heart is so cultivated that we are ready and willing to step into the task under the obligation and joy of love.

In our serving, we experience a sacrifice of ourselves that, when rooted in Christ, allows others to experience His love. That is the heart of serving: that others experience the love and presence of Jesus.

Every time we take communion, we are reminded of the way Jesus gave His body on our behalf. As you and your family enter this Easter season together, I encourage you to take communion together and remind one another of what it means to sacrificially serve one another as Christ would.

Pray together and ask God to show you how He is asking you to meet the needs around you. Ask Him the question, “What needs to be done?” and then be expectant and ready to answer His call.

been familiar to early church believers. In this humble Christ hymn, Paul reminds his readers that Christ is the ultimate example of what it means to be a servant. As Paul points to Jesus, he encourages a church that seems to have been struggling with self-centeredness to think beyond the bounds of their own interests.

He tells us that Jesus set aside His rights as God, came to earth, and took on the “very nature of a servant.” He “humbled himself”—an intentional choice—and became "obedient to death." He was not obedient to death for death’s sake, but for ours. Only in His sacrifice could those around us experience God’s redeeming life in us.

How deep the Father’s love for us, How vast beyond all measure, That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure. ("How Deep the Father's Love for Us," Stuart Townsend)

This is where the rubber meets the road.

Jesus answered the servant question, “What needs to be done?” by laying down His life to serve others. In Mark 10:45, Jesus declares that He "did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." The servant question holds merit for us as followers of Jesus today, and is one that starts first and foremost at home.

by Kate Johnson Kate Johnson loves Jesus and deeply desires for those around her to know and experience Him in their daily lives. She has a bachelor's degree in Youth Ministry and a master of divinity from Azusa Pacific University, and currently serves as the Student Ministries Pastor at ROCKHARBOR Church in Southern California. She and her husband, Aaron, are expecting their first child (a boy!) in April.

For a middle school or high school student, the development of a servant heart often gets lost in the obligation of chores. Chores are important and remind students of their responsibilities in the family; however, a servant heart is cultivated outside of a to-do list. When talking with your student about his daily life, asking him questions about what

Website katejohnson.us Instagram @katejohnson43 Twitter @katejohnson43

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Families That Serve Together Kara Noel Lawson

Thanks to Michelle Anthony’s book, Spiritual Parenting, our kids do “acts of service” around the house instead of “chores.” And let me tell you, my husband did a happy dance as soon as our oldest son was able to add "mow the lawn" to his acts of service list!

Even though it sometimes feels wordy, I really love the term "acts of service." I think it embodies the heart behind all the work it takes to keep our house in order. While each family member’s jobs around the house can feel like drudgery, it really does boil down to a willingness to do something for someone else.

Within our big family, serving each other and lending a helping hand comes along with the territory. But beyond acts of service in our home, I want my children to look at this broken world around them and recognize what needs to be done, and then do it.

When our firstborn was about 10 months old and we knew everything about parenting (ahem), our church partnered with dozens of volunteer/mission organizations around the country. They encouraged members to go on a mission trip, large or small. We had friends who traveled to New Orleans to help with Hurricane Katrina relief and friends who did one-day trips into the city to serve the homeless.

Our mission trip commitment fell somewhere in the middle—we did a “family friendly” weekend to do repairs and help clean up at a camp. It wasn’t easy lugging all our baby gear, but it was doable, and we had a wonderful and impactful time as a family and with the other mission trip volunteers. I remember the passionate discussion my husband and I had on the drive home about making a yearly mission trip part of our family’s rhythm. We agreed to start off small, like this weekend trip, and by the time our son was seven years old he would be helping us teach English at an orphanage in India. Boy, did we have this parenting thing down, or what!?! And, by golly, our son and future kids would know what serving others was all about.

Flash forward nine years (and three more children), and we had taken exactly zero more family mission trips. And to be perfectly candid, I never really thought about going on one. It sure is easy for me to continue with our regular day-to-day routine.

Then a few months ago a member of our Life Group organized a “family friendly” weekend mission trip to a school for deaf children in Mexico called Rancho Sordo Mundo (featured in HomeFront magazine, April 2014).

We expected a weekend serving others. What we didn’t expect was for our children to have a complete perspective change. From the moment we arrived in Mexico, my kids were impacted by the poverty they saw. The first day of the trip, our nine-year-old said to my husband, "Dad, when you pray, you always thank God for giving us so much more than 36

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we need. Now I see that means everyone in California, not just our family. Our whole country has so much more than we need."

He would never have had this dramatic perspective switch if we hadn’t stepped out of our regular everyday routine.

First Samuel 12:24 says, “But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you” (NLT).

It is a privilege to be able to serve others, and as soon as my children had that point of view, they couldn’t help but look for ways to serve at Rancho Sordo Mundo!

And yes, on the drive home, my husband and I, along with our four children, had a passionate discussion about making a yearly mission trip to Rancho Sordo Mundo part of our family rhythm. But this time I think we’ll stick to our goal because the Holy Spirit has started to cultivate a new sensitivity to serve in our lives.

Sometimes learning what needs to be done means leaving the familiar places and entering another world. It means being part of something bigger than our individual lives and serving in our roles in The Big God Story!

For information about volunteering at Rancho Sordo Mundo, please contact Janet Grobstein at: janet@deafdisciples.com.

Kara is the blogger liaison for HomeFront. She is a homeschooling mom to four, wanna-be farmer, and freelance writer. Kara writes from the heart on her blog and speaks to mom groups about how the small things in our lives can make a big impact.

Blog smallthingsarebigthings.com Instagram @KaraNoelLawson Twitter @KaraNoelLawson 37

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Our Family Does Hard Things Tim McMahan

Our family does hard things. We heard that family motto from someone else and decided to adopt it as our own. It doesn’t serve us just when our kids want to whine their way out of doing chores or homework, it declares how we posture our family when it comes to serving other people.

We intentionally will to do something hard for the sake of others.

We have decided to take this posture because of the way Jesus surrendered His very life for us. His death and sacrifice on Good Friday not only paid the price for sin that we could never pay, but also set the mark for how we are to love other people. And we do lay down our lives for the sake of our brother. But self-sacrifice for its own sake was not the point of Jesus laying down His life—and it's not the goal for our family. Jesus' sacrifice paid the price for our sin. Jesus came to earth to set things right ... to make all things new. The crucifixion and resurrection were the means to accomplish this. This was the way to reconcile the world back to God. And what's amazing is that He invites us into that same ministry of reconciliation.

Paul tells the Corinthians, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:18–20).

With the fall of man came separation. Men and women found themselves at odds with God, with each other, with creation, and even with themselves. On Easter, the path was set for those relationships to be restored. Not only did Christ give that restoration to us, He gave us His own 38

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ministry. He invited us into the work of reconciling the world to God. Our service is never focused on solving immediate needs; it’s always carried out with the perspective of bringing people back into right relationship with themselves, the world around them, the people in their lives, and ultimately with God Himself.

For the last nine years, and until very recently, we have served as foster parents. It’s easily been the most difficult thing in our lives. Imagine the worst society has to offer, and then focus the consequences of those actions on a child. The results are always heartbreaking. But because of Easter we have hope, and with that hope we step into these children’s lives, knowing that they too can have hope.

Some of those children have become permanent members of our family, and others have moved on to be reunited with their birth families, or to find permanent families elsewhere. People often ask us if we get attached. The answer is always, “Yes, and it hurts,” but our family does hard things.

We intentionally put ourselves in a position to be emotionally hurt because we serve a God who does the same for us. This ministry of reconciliation that Jesus has given us requires us to risk, and we’ve found nothing to be more fulfilling than doing exactly what God has asked us to do.

Serving as foster parents may not be how God is calling your family to serve. But however you serve, always be ready to risk for the sake of others. We see our example in the story of Jesus' ultimate act of service that we commemorate at Easter and, as Christians, we pattern our lives after Jesus.

Tim is the father of three children (and sometimes more). He and his wife, Wendy, are deeply invested in foster children, global missions, and extreme poverty. They make their home in Lake Forest, CA. When not serving his wife, his children, or his church and neighbors, Tim roots for Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels.

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JUST BE PRESENT I clearly remember the day our family was celebrating our youngest daughter’s college graduation. Suddenly our oldest daughter, Heather, who was 24, announced she was moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. I felt like she had punched me in the stomach.

I wanted to scream, “Of all places in the world, that’s where you’re moving?” She knew how I felt. I had frequently voiced great disdain for Las Vegas. I was discouraged and disheartened.

Later that afternoon, I turned to God’s Word for comfort. The Holy Spirit directed me to Hosea 2. Verses 14–15 jumped off the page: Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the

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equip

to u g h to p i c s

Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

I felt as though God was saying to me, “I’m in this and you can trust Me.” HOW DO YOU TRUST GOD WITH YOUR ADULT CHILDREN WHEN THEY SEEM TO BE MAKING CHOICES THAT ARE SO DIFFERENT THAN ALL YOU’VE TRIED TO INSTILL IN THEIR LIVES?

How do you trust God with your adult children when they seem to be making choices that are so different than all you’ve tried to instill in their lives? How do you respond?

I don’t have a stellar record of responding lovingly. I have been trying since Heather was 16. She’s now 34. When she moved out of our house at 18, I was sad, but relieved. Our mutual tension was gone but my journey of learning how to have a healthy relationship with my adult child was just beginning. It’s been 18 years. I’ve learned many things about myself over these years—about my judgmental attitude, selfrighteousness, perfectionism, control issues, anxiety—and the list goes on. When she moved out, I thought it was all about her, but God made it clear that I had issues that He wanted to address.

A turning point came two years ago. I planned a visit to see Heather and her boyfriend one weekend in the fall. Before the trip, the Holy Spirit seemed to say, “Just be with them and love them.” The weekend was filled with a Friday evening work-related event, followed by late night karaoke in a cowboy bar, and back-to-back football games on television all day Saturday. Sunday, Heather’s friend was scheduled to pick me up for church, but to my surprise, there was a change of plans. Heather and her boyfriend said they would be attending church with me. Sunday afternoon was filled with more football and a quiet dinner at home.

Monday morning came with an unexpected gift. Prior to leaving for work, Heather, with tears in her eyes, hugged me long and hard and said, “Thanks so much, Mom, for just hanging out with us and doing what we do.” I could say in all sincerity I loved every minute of it.

Sometimes the best way we serve our adult children is to just be present—to be where they are without judgment, criticism, or advice. Jesus gave us countless examples in Scripture of serving people simply by giving His presence. Perhaps that is the best gift you can give your adult children this Easter.

by Jan Frank Jan Frank is short, spunky, sassy, and sound in her biblical knowledge. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, author, and speaker. Jan has authored five books and has spoken for over 25 years, both nationally and internationally. Jan has been married to her husband, Don, for 36 years and they have two adult daughters. She and her husband live in Placentia, CA and enjoy spending time with their granddaughter, Averie Mae. Website www.janfrank.org Facebook JanFrankMFT Twitter @JanFrankMFT

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m a r r i ag e

I WANT IT ... NOW

Here in Southern California, I can order a refill of soap, cereal bars, and other basics with the convenience of an app on my phone while in the middle of a meeting, and the shipment will be patiently waiting for me at my door when I arrive home. And it doesn’t stop with just household items, does it? It’s all around us. I can call, text, or email anyone instantly—and expect an instant response. Technology is incredible, and yet it has an eroding effect on the expectations we hold: "It should be mine, and it should happen now!" But let’s be clear.

Technology isn’t the root problem; technology is just a tool to allow us to live out the reality that exists in our hearts and minds.

Is it possible that the ability to buy anything I want and get it immediately could be damaging my ability to think beyond my own needs? What happens when my heart and headspace are consumed only by my own needs? What happens to the quality of my relationships when I’m training myself daily to expect that the things I need will arrive exactly when I want them to? Eventually I begin to see others merely as the means to the ends that I desire.

When we live life on the conveyor belt of productivity, efficiency, and self-focused needs, the image of God imprinted in other people begins to fade from our view.

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m a r r i ag e 1. START ASKING THE QUESTIONS, “WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?” AND WITH IT, “WHAT MATTERS MOST TO MY SPOUSE?”

As Jesus followers, and disciples of the One AS JESUS who knows best how to FOLLOWERS, live, we have the chance AND DISCIPLES to see a completely OF THE ONE WHO different picture of our KNOWS BEST reality. Jesus modeled HOW TO LIVE, and expressed the life of WE HAVE THE the Trinity in self-giving CHANCE TO SEE love. Jesus’ attention and A COMPLETELY focus was on what He DIFFERENT saw the Father doing, PICTURE OF OUR and as a result, He was REALITY. constantly moving away from His own desires and circumstances. Jesus taught and modeled that life lived in a way that lifts up “the other” is truly a life worth living, whereas a life focused inward on our own needs circles the drain. He tells us, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it" (Matthew 16:25).

Making sure that your schedules are clearly prioritized and in sync is a first step toward creating margin together in your week to love others.

2. MAP OUT THE SKILLS AND INTERESTS YOU HAVE AS A FAMILY. As you begin to learn how to meet needs within your family, you begin to grow more capacity to serve needs beyond your family.

3. TALK TO YOUR OUTREACH TEAM ABOUT LOCAL NEEDS. Are you aware of what your church (or a local church near you) might already be doing to serve the needs of the community or beyond?

4. EXPLORE WAYS THAT YOUR CHURCH INVESTS IN GLOBAL NEEDS.

Our families are the primary context for us to grow this understanding and exercise this all-important muscle in the kingdom of God. When we lay down our lives for each other, we are practicing an elemental part of life in Jesus’ kingdom. Serving one another, and serving people with needs around us, shifts our focus away from our selfish drives and pulls us into the flow of the kingdom of God.

Participating in a family mission trip was very formative for our family. While it was only a weekend, we created great memories learning about our neighbors to the south while serving alongside them with other families.

5. FEED THE CURIOSITY. If your kids are like ours, they will often ask some great questions about the things they see. Our kids model an empathy and curiosity that is at the core of serving well.

5 TIPS TO JUMPSTART A POSTURE OF SERVING My wife and I have sought to get better at this practice over the 16 years we’ve been married.

Like most worthwhile practices, it begins with awareness of needs, and small efforts toward meeting those needs. Note that I use the word “practice.” These are things that we do more and more, so they soak into our very beings.

It’s called “tacit knowledge.” Something done repeatedly will begin to become second nature.

In Acts 1:8 we are given a great model of how the kingdom of God advances—first in Jerusalem (your own home and town), then in Judea (the region surrounding where you live), Samaria (the places where you may never go), and the ends of the earth. Here are five ways to begin practicing together.

Whether in big or small moments, there is always the potential for us to be shaped into the kinds of people who are constantly looking for where God’s Spirit is moving, and how to invest the things He’s given us into that work.

by Andrew Richards Andrew has lived in 26 different places on two continents, all the while attempting to join with what God is doing in His world.

He has his master's degree in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary, and has had the pleasure of working with some larger churches across the US. Andrew and his wife, Annette, live with their two kids in Newport Beach, CA. You can sometimes find him trying to surf local breaks, and periodically surfing Twitter or Flipboard: @ahrichards.

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s p i r i t ua l g r a n d pa r e n t i n g

GRANDPARENTING MATTERS! The role of my Grandma Cooper was clear and hard-working and wholesome: bear children, bake and cook from scratch (“a smidgeon here, a tad and a dab there”), clean and scrub, sew and darn the socks, milk the cow or goat, join in on the chores, and kill animals to eat rather than buying them at Costco!

A vivid memory of watching Grandma cut off the head of a chicken has given me a lasting image for the metaphor, “running around like a chicken with its head cut off!”

by-products! God, the parent of all families, knew that the best was yet to come if parents could just hang on, let go, and not lose heart or hope in their quest of bearing and bearing-up under the task and strain of raising children.

But there’s a new kind of grandma out there these days, as depicted in this poem:

Being a grandparent is not just a good idea, it’s a God-idea, and He has spoken much to the matter!

Grandchildren don’t come with an instruction manual attached. That’s one of the reasons for a monthly article just for grandparents. We want to repurpose our roles as grandparents, learn, grow, process, gain new skills, and a new heart and vision for those who bear our names and are carriers of our blood and DNA.

In the dim and distant past, when life’s tempo wasn’t fast, Grandma used to rock and knit, crochet, tat, and baby-sit. When the kids were in a jam, they could always count on Gram. In that day of gracious living, Grandma was the gal for giving.

But today she's in the gym, exercising to keep slim.

She’s off touring with the bunch, or taking clients out to lunch. Going north to ski or curl, all her days are in a whirl. Nothing seems to stop or block her, now that Grandma’s off her rocker!

(Author unknown) By living longer we should be making a greater difference in the lives of those whose photos we carry in our wallets and purses and display on THERE IS MORE TO our refrigerators. There PARENTING THAN is more to parenting than RAISING CHILDREN; raising children; and AND THE GREATER the greater purpose of PURPOSE OF grandparenting is to point GRANDPARENTING our grandchildren toward IS TO POINT OUR Jesus, encouraging them GRANDCHILDREN to walk in His ways. Have TOWARD JESUS. you ever wondered why in the world God made a pair of parents who were not “so-so” or even “so good,” but really GRAND? What is it that makes grandparenting so grand?

It is one of God’s most finely crafted parenting 45

There is an old Egyptian proverb that states “Dearer than our children are the children of our children.” I’ve often heard from friends, “If I had known being a grandparent was so good, I would have had the grandkids first!”

Dr. Arthur Kornhaber put it this way: "There are three times our lives are totally transformed by natural events without our having much to say about it: when we are born, when we die, and when we become grandparents."

May you be renewed in your great God-given position as GRAND-parents!

O God, you have helped me from my earliest childhood.… And now that I am old and gray [or older and with dyed hair or no hair], don’t forsake me. Give me time to tell this new generation (and their children too) about all your mighty miracles.

(Psalm 71:17–18 TLB)

by John Coulombe John, interGen and Pastoral Ministries Pastor at First Evangelical Free Church, Fullerton, CA, serves on the planning team with Legacy Coalition, a newly formed organization committed to the task of envisioning and equipping grandparents to impact future generations to know, love, and serve Christ.

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ENVIRONMENTS The order of the 10 Environments listed coincides with the monthly distribution of this resource.

1

“God has entrusted me with the things and people He created around me.”

Responsibility This environment captures the ability to take ownership for one’s life, gifts, and resources before God. A child must be challenged to take responsibility for his or her brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as for those who are spiritually lost.

Our hope is that the Holy Spirit will use this environment to allow each child to understand that God has entrusted His world to us.

3

“Asks the question, ‘What needs to be done?’”

Serving This posture of the heart asks the question, “What needs to be done?” It allows the Holy Spirit to cultivate a sensitivity to others and focuses on a cause bigger than one individual life. It helps fulfill the mandate that as Christfollowers we are to view our lives as living sacrifices that we generously give away!

4

“God fills me with His love so I can give it away.”

5

“God has a big story and I can be a part of it!”

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2

“God transforms me when I step out in faith.”

Out of the Comfort Zone As children and students are challenged to step out of their comfort zone from an early age, they learn to experience a dependence on the Holy Spirit to equip and strengthen them beyond their natural abilities and desires. We believe this environment will cultivate a generation that, instead of seeking comfort, seeks a radical life of faith in Christ.

Love&Respect Without love, our faith becomes futile. This environment recognizes that children need an environment of love and respect in order to be free to both receive and give God’s grace. Innate in this environment is the value that children are respected because they embody the image of God. We must speak to them not at them, and we must commit to an environment where love and acceptance are never withheld due to one’s behavior.

Storytelling The power of The Big God Story impacts our lives by giving us an accurate and awe-inspiring perspective into how God has been moving throughout history. It is the story of redemption, salvation, and hope and tells how I have been grafted into it by grace. It further compels us to see how God is using every person’s life and is creating a unique story that deserves to be told for God’s glory.

SERVING | homefrontmag.com

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6

“I belong to God

“God knows me, and

and He loves me!”

I can know Him.”

Knowing Nothing could be more important than knowing and being known

by God. We live in a world that denies absolute Truth and yet God’s Word offers just that. As we create an environment that upholds and displays God’s Truth, we give children a foundation based on knowing God, His Word, and a relationship with Him through Christ. God is holy, mighty, and awesome, yet He has chosen to make Himself known to us!

9

“When I get off track, God offers me a path of healing.”

10

“I see Christ in others, and they can see Him in me.”

8

“God’s family cares for each other and worships God together.”

Course Correction This environment flows out of Hebrews 12:11–13 and is the direct opposite of punishment.

Instead, biblical discipline for a child encompasses: a season of pain, the building up in love, and a vision of a corrected path for the individual with the purpose of healing at its core.

Identity This environment highlights who we are in Christ. According to Ephesians 1, we have been chosen, adopted, redeemed, sealed, and given an inheritance in Christ … all of which we did nothing to earn. This conviction allows children to stand firm against the destructive counter identities the world will offer.

Faith Community God designed us to live in community and to experience Him in ways that can only happen in proximity to one another. The faith community serves to create an environment to equip and disciple parents, to celebrate God’s faithfulness, and to bring a richness of worship through tradition and rituals, which offer children an identity. Our love for each other reflects the love we have received from God.

IT IS OUR PRAYER THAT HOMES AND CHURCHES WOULD CREATE THESE ENVIRONMENTS FOR CHILDREN TO LIVE IN SO THEIR FAITH WILL GROW IN A COMMUNITY OF CONSISTENCY, COMMON LANGUAGE, AND PRACTICE. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THESE ENVIRONMENTS CAN IGNITE A TRANSFORMING FAITH IN YOUR FAMILY, WE SUGGEST YOU READ:

Modeling Biblical content needs a practical living expression in order for it to be spiritually impacting. This environment serves as a handson example of what it means for children to put their faith into action. Modeling puts flesh on faith and reminds us that others are watching to see if we live what we believe.

SPIRITUAL PARENTING: An Awakening for Today’s Families

BY MICHELLE ANTHONY © 2010 DAVID C COOK

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.

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Scripture quotations marked (NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

THE CHURCH IS UNDER ATTACK. Will you stand with our brothers and sisters?

In northern Iraq, radical Muslims (ISIS) spray-painted the Arabic letter ‫ن‬, or “N,” on the homes and businesses of Christians. The property owners were publicly identified as Christ-followers and given a choice to convert to Islam, leave, or die. The courageous believers refused to deny their faith. Over 100,000 left with barely the clothing on their backs. For these exiles, this is not temporary; their life circumstances on this earth are unlikely to improve—ever.

“I will not let them suffer in silence.

I will not let them serve alone.”

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