How to share christian faith with our kids?

[Anonymous]

We are a duel working parent family so our lives are hectic. My husband is the more religious of the two of us but isn't really showing an interest in sharing his faith. I didn't grow up in church so I have no idea how to teach my kids any of it (9 and 2) Oldest was in private christian school so pretty well versed. Is there a curricula anyone suggests evangelical or nondenominational christian? I downloaded the parent cue app recently. Anyone have experience with that?

[Anonymous]

Depending on their ages I would start with most basic practices:

1. Bible study - you can determine amount of time to spend on study based on your schedule. Derek Prince's sermons on Youtube are phenomenal and can be understood even by children. Reading at least one passage in the Bible every week should be essential, as Bible reading is difficult and one needs to spend time contemplating verses. Maybe ask them to write a small essay about their impressions of a passage.

2. Regular prayer - they can start small, 5-10 minutes day of a sincere prayer. The point is to do it diligently and sincerely.

3. Fasting - this of course is an adult discipline but even children can observe small fasting window on Friday to remember Jesus's suffering on the cross and remain close to Him in their thoughts. It could be an hour or two, or an afternoon. You can modify it, e.g. no meats or no sweats or giving up something they like eating for a short period of time. The point is to give up something to be closer to the Savior.

[Anonymous]

^^ Just saw that the youngest is 2. He/she would benefit the most by seeing the older sibling performing the above practices. Maybe you can also get him/her illustrated/interactive Bible for toddlers.

[Anonymous]

Check out Kids Read Truth. They have excellent resources. And they often have resources for men and women that all coordinate, so the family can learn the same things together. Risen Motherhood also has great resources for teaching children the Bible!

[Anonymous]

You could also just take them to church. Where do you live, OP? Maybe we can give some recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are a duel working parent family so our lives are hectic. My husband is the more religious of the two of us but isn't really showing an interest in sharing his faith. I didn't grow up in church so I have no idea how to teach my kids any of it (9 and 2) Oldest was in private christian school so pretty well versed. Is there a curricula anyone suggests evangelical or nondenominational christian? I downloaded the parent cue app recently. Anyone have experience with that?

It's a little late for the 9 year old - even with the Christian school experience, your child certainly notices that there's no religious focus at home. I'd urge your husband, the religious one, to start taking the kids to church -- that's where religious practice is centered. It's hard for kids to be religious without seeing it modeled at home through regular church attendance. If your life is too hectic to go to church on Sundays perhaps you should re-examine your commitment to a Christian upbringing. Also consider that many children are raised with strong moral values, without ever attending church.

[Anonymous]

If you don't go to church, and if you aren't already sharing your faith with your kids, it's going to be an uphill road. The oldest is already aware that going to church isn't a priority for you. And what is the "faith" you want to share with them? Which church's values and theology do you want them to learn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you don't go to church, and if you aren't already sharing your faith with your kids, it's going to be an uphill road. The oldest is already aware that going to church isn't a priority for you. And what is the "faith" you want to share with them? Which church's values and theology do you want them to learn?

Maybe OP just wants to do what's best for her kids and always figured having a religion was a good thing -- like taking music lessons, maybe -- even though she's perfectly happy without religion and doesn't play an instrument (or have time to take the kids to lessons)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't go to church, and if you aren't already sharing your faith with your kids, it's going to be an uphill road. The oldest is already aware that going to church isn't a priority for you. And what is the "faith" you want to share with them? Which church's values and theology do you want them to learn?

Maybe OP just wants to do what's best for her kids and always figured having a religion was a good thing -- like taking music lessons, maybe -- even though she's perfectly happy without religion and doesn't play an instrument (or have time to take the kids to lessons)

I think a lot of parents feel like this, actually. Their faith doesn't actually mean that much to them, but they want their kids to be exposed to some kind of faith, like being exposed to a foreign language. One problem is that it's hard to make the case to your kids that religion is important if your everyday life demonstrates that you don't actually think that it's important.

[Anonymous]

There is a difference between faith and religion. One can be faithful and worship God in one's home without being affiliated with a specific church or religion.
As a lapsed Catholic, I don't want my children inculcated by the Church. No Christian church felt like a fit for me, so my children have daily Bible study and prayer at home. I teach them about world religions, making connections with the Catholic faith which I tell them is part of our cultural heritage. If they asked to attend services, I would take them.

[Anonymous]

I think the key is for them to see you engaged with God through prayer, Scripture reading and church attendance. Have a brief 5-10 minute family devotion time each day. One of our kids lights a candle before we begin. We are Lutheran and start by crossing ourselves in remembrance of our baptism (a typical Lutheran practice) and then read one of the lectionary passages for next Sunday’s service. We have a minute or two of silence to think about the Scripture passage and/or discuss it. Yes, the kids often zone out during that time, but I think they are also aware that we are engaged with the scripture and comment on how it relates to our lives. We then say the Apostles’ Creed. Then each person makes a brief prayer or thanksgiving (one kid always says “God help us today”). We finish with the Lord’s Prayer. We end by blowing out the candle. By the end of the week the kids have heard all the scripture passages that will be read in Church the next Sunday. Since you have a two year old, you could use a kid Bible with lots of pictures and you could abridge the passages. Our kids are all readers, so we read the passage by having each family member read one sentence. This makes the kids have to pay attention since they have to chime in when it is their turn. In our family, church is pretty nonnegotiable unless you are sick. I think even for a two year old, being in the rhythm of going to church each Sunday is important.

[Anonymous]

If you don’t use the lectionary in your church, do they publish the scripture passages to be preached on the next Sunday? If so, read those. I think it gives continuity to the week. Since you have such a young child, you may want to focus on Bible Stories in a picture Bible. Just try to do a little a day. Consistency is important. A little every day for 10-15 years is much better than some elaborate curriculum that you end up unable to do half the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't go to church, and if you aren't already sharing your faith with your kids, it's going to be an uphill road. The oldest is already aware that going to church isn't a priority for you. And what is the "faith" you want to share with them? Which church's values and theology do you want them to learn?

Maybe OP just wants to do what's best for her kids and always figured having a religion was a good thing -- like taking music lessons, maybe -- even though she's perfectly happy without religion and doesn't play an instrument (or have time to take the kids to lessons)

I think a lot of parents feel like this, actually. Their faith doesn't actually mean that much to them, but they want their kids to be exposed to some kind of faith, like being exposed to a foreign language. One problem is that it's hard to make the case to your kids that religion is important if your everyday life demonstrates that you don't actually think that it's important.

Maybe unitarian Sunday school. You could drop them off and they could learn about religions, without being taught that theirs was the best one, that they should believe in or be punished.

[Anonymous]

We read a lot of books together - some are Bible stories, some are more theological. Currently on our shelf: My Very First Bible, Thoughts to MAke Y our Heart Sing, Big Truths for Little Kids, The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook, etc. We pray at each meal and before bedtime together. Sometimes we have discussions about God/life during meal times. One good time to take advantage of is car time - we play Christian music and Christian kids stories. My elementary school-age kids like Adventures in Odyssey (I don't agree with everything, so sometimes we skip episodes or at least talk about them).

I think the biggest things are living it our yourself and to talk about God/your worldview/ask questions as part of your everyday conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't go to church, and if you aren't already sharing your faith with your kids, it's going to be an uphill road. The oldest is already aware that going to church isn't a priority for you. And what is the "faith" you want to share with them? Which church's values and theology do you want them to learn?

Maybe OP just wants to do what's best for her kids and always figured having a religion was a good thing -- like taking music lessons, maybe -- even though she's perfectly happy without religion and doesn't play an instrument (or have time to take the kids to lessons)

I think a lot of parents feel like this, actually. Their faith doesn't actually mean that much to them, but they want their kids to be exposed to some kind of faith, like being exposed to a foreign language. One problem is that it's hard to make the case to your kids that religion is important if your everyday life demonstrates that you don't actually think that it's important.

Maybe unitarian Sunday school. You could drop them off and they could learn about religions, without being taught that theirs was the best one, that they should believe in or be punished.

OP said she was Christian and looking at evangelical faith training.

Uniterian is not Christian is it? And certainly not evangelical Christian.

OP, look at Sunday schools in your area and church youth groups for your oldest.

One small thing I do with my kids is on the car drive to school I say a prayer outloud for them, asking for blessings in their day, asking God to guide them to make the most of the gifts he has blessed them with and asking God to watch over and protect them. If one of them has a need for special prayers, like a test or friend problems, we pray for that too. It is very brief but a wonderful way to start the day with them.

The Catholic Channel Gus Lloyd does the daily readings and Gospel every morning around 9:00 AM. When my oldest was in elementary, we listened to that on our way to school in the carpool lane.

Even if you are not Catholic the readings are universal Bible passages, and are just the right length for a quick connection in the morning. I am not sure if the Christian channels do something similar, but you might try that.