Passing on a Little Parenting Advice

Many of my parenting decisions lately have been "what park to go to"… it provides an immediate gratification for us to get out of the house and have fun. We have enjoyed a new splash park this summer at South Lake Union. We also found a new playground called Artist at Play… definitely designed by artists. It was pretty cool. We love these things because the kids have fun and they are free. Though they are fun, the parenting advice I read the other day is much deeper than find the best park...

Wes and I struggle with how to incorporate God into discipline without making it legalistic. You know… talking obedience, sin, love, grace, mercy, love/respect, forgiveness….while still providing punishment...

I like how she advises against our natural tendencies when we are teaching our kids the Bible.  So I hope this serves you well too! This is from the lady who wrote the Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally Lloyd- Jones. 

She said that when she talks to children at church she ask them 2 questions: 

1. How many people here sometimes think you have to be good for God to love you?

2. How many people here sometimes think that if you aren’t good, God will stop loving you?

I know how I want my kids to answer those questions but I pray their hearts to actually believe it. Here is what she said…. "When we drill a Bible story down into a moral lesson, we make it all about us. But the Bible isn't mainly about us, and what we're suppose to be doing- its about God, and what He has done. When we tie up the story in a neat little package, and answer all the questions, we leave no room for mystery. When we say "Now what that story is all about is…." or " The point of that story is…" we're totally missing the point. The power of the story isn't in summing it up, or drilling it down, or reducing it into an abstract idea. Because the power of the story isn't in the lesson. The power of the story IS the story. The Bible is most of all a story- the Story of how God loves His children and comes to rescue them. And that in the story- there is only one hero." 

The Jesus Storybook Bible is available as a book on tape which as you can see is great for Leighton's age. Just download it onto your computer and they can get poured into while you are cooking, cleaning, showering or reading your own Bible at same time!