Basics

Old enough to be spiritual?

Posted on September 26, 2013January 6, 2017 by Carol Hulbert

It always amazes me to catch sight of kids that I haven’t seen in a while; they’ve grown by leaps and bounds!

The long shadows of two girls on a beach Our Rotation this month is a story that kids can relate to – it’s about Jesus as a young boy.

The Bible tells us that at this time in his life Jesus grew strong and wise. (Luke 2:40)

And from the story we can also glean that Jesus was growing in other ways: he was exploring his calling; he was delving into his spiritual self.

Do we allow our kids the chance to grow spiritually?

Granted, Jesus was twelve years old in our story but even young children — preschoolers! — are spiritual.

Here are ways to encourage spiritual growth in all ages:

Surround your child with people who genuinely demonstrate God’s care for your child. Obviously this is present in your household, but having a church family is important as well.
Create a daily time of being intentionally still and seeking God in prayer. This may be best accomplished at bedtime.
Share joys and concerns around the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) This serves as a reminder that God is listening to them and cares about them.
Keep a gratitude list. Or follow other ways of counting thankfuls.
Take them out into nature. Create opportunities to see and touch and hear the world around them that God has made.
Offer daily blessings as a way to reassure your child that God thinks highly of them.

What are ways that you expand your child’s spiritual awareness? Are they growing their spiritual side?

Photo credits:
Tall shadows by thejbird, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

What was Jesus thinking!?!

Posted on September 12, 2013November 9, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

My two day-old son, freshly home from the hospital, was being laid down for a nap when my two and a half-year-old daughter surprised me. She insisted on singing to him the song we sang to her every night at bedtime – the first verse of the hymn Precious Lord — all by herself!

Has your child ever surprised you with something that you didn’t expect?

Sometimes things your child does will astonish other people. The Jewish teaching community likely experienced eye-opening amazement with a young boy named Jesus who joined their midst in the Temple courts during the Passover celebration. “Everyone was surprised and impressed that a 12-year-old boy could have such deep understanding and could answer questions with such wisdom” (Luke 2:47).

A public domain painting of Jesus amidst the 'doctors' in the Temple

That sort of thought didn’t percolate through Mary and Joseph’s minds, however. No, this event did not invoke a benign well-look-at-what-our-boy-is-doing sort of moment. Mary and Joseph had frantically searched for Jesus for three days. They couldn’t find him anywhere! Describe Mary and Joseph as anxious; worried sick. When they finally found Jesus in the Temple courts, can’t you hear Mary sputtering:

Jesus, what were you thinking!?

I’ll bet they are stunned by Jesus’ reply.

Why did Jesus stay behind at the Temple?

(a) He was almost a teenager. He wanted to irritate his parents.
(b) He got so wrapped up in his exciting surroundings that he totally lost track of time.
(c) Your reason here _______.

Mary and Joseph had been searching for Jesus. Meanwhile, Jesus was searching for something entirely different.

Jesus was searching for something that all of us look for!

Aren’t we all looking for an explanation for feelings we can’t explain…

What is this sacred reverence which hums within us, when we allow it to escape?
Why do certain situations (holding a newborn, catching a glimpse of beauty, the receipt of joyous news…) invoke feelings of deep respect, tinged with awe?
What is my purpose here on earth?
What can I do to promote peace, justice, love and compassion?

Do you suppose that Jesus found what he was looking for?

Have you?

Photo credits:
Jesus in the Temple a painting in the Public Domain by William Brassey Hole (1846-1917), via Wikimedia Commons.

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Accept mistakes and celebrate grace

Posted on August 8, 2013August 8, 2013 by Carol Hulbert

It’s a nasty train of thought that I’ve carried with me for a long time:

But it’s not perfect!

All of my life I’ve been a perfectionist. In the 2nd grade when we were creating self-portraits at school, my mother was mystified by my insistence that I wear the same dress for several days in a row. (I wanted to get the details just right.)

I recall in 8th grade getting a “D” in Art class because I couldn’t finish my projects; I couldn’t get them to be perfect.

It’s a disease and I know that others suffer from it too. (Like the 5th grader I worked with who was afraid to estimate an answer to a mathematical problem because, well, it could be wrong!)

I think perhaps it is something that we teach ourselves to believe?

Here’s the pitch I’m repeating these days: Jesus is bigger than any mistake.

Try this at the family dinner table (or wherever your family is gathered together): Have everyone (adults included) share a mistake that they made that day. Repeat the process on a daily basis.

Exposing and naming our goof-ups teaches our kids that:

Everyone makes mistakes;
Home is a safe place to confess our sins;
When necessary, forgiveness can be extended;
We can all celebrate God’s gift of I-love-you-anyway Grace.

It’s not too late to learn: Jesus is bigger than any mistake. What learning is happening in your family?

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Broken seedling by D. Sharon Pruitt, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Proclaim the Presence of God

Posted on August 1, 2013December 3, 2014 by Carol Hulbert

Every family has routines — from the getting-up-and-getting-going groove, to the daily-drill, all the way to the beaten-path-to-bedtime.

Does your family routine include spending time every day, attentive to God’s presence?

It’s a behavior that needs to be taught.

Cultivate coming to recognize and experience God’s presence.

Here are some ways to teach your family to take note of God!

Make it a habit at every dinner table gathering to review everyone’s day with a sharing of highs and lows. Add in the question: where did you see God today?
Take a walk with a camera. Take photos of God at work around you. Puffy clouds with a blue, blue sky? Yes!
Is your child worried about something? Model for them the behavior of remembering when: Tell a story about a way that God has cared for you in the past. Encourage them to recall their own story. (Remember how you were afraid to go on that ride at the fair?)
Practice gratefulness. Start recording your thankfuls. (I’m up to #1756.) [Updated for December 2014 — I’m at #2985. Counting up reveals joy in all sorts of moments!]
Find God in the Bible. Read a passage using the practice of reading scripture known as Lectio Divina. Ask: “Where is God in this story?”
Add and subtract. Consider what needs to be reduced or augmented in your life, to make room for noticing God.
Admit that God is easy to see when life is full. Encourage looking for God, even in hard times.

Is God’s presence proclaimed in your family on a daily basis?

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
State fair photo by my niece, Sarah Clouse. Used with permission. Other photos from my archives.

Discussing Joseph in Egypt, part two

Posted on June 27, 2013April 26, 2019 by Carol Hulbert

Here’s a daily hint: Spend time GROWing at the dinner table.
Growing as in…

Grace (say a table grace together).
Review the days highs and lows while you eat.
Open the Bible and read just a tiny bit.
Work on applying it to life.

The “work on it” part doesn’t have to be elaborate. It’s all about…

Asking questions or doing activities
that help us to see that the Bible applies to our lives.

So if our current Rotation story is about Joseph in Egypt, how can such a long story—with numerous characters and complex plot twists—be broken down in bite-sized (dinner table-sized) chunks?

Easy! Use the following reading/discussion guide!

Joseph’s brothers arrive in Egypt. Unwittingly they bow down before Joseph! (Genesis 42:6)

Clipart - a girl points out while reading If you’d like to print out this reading plan/discussion guide, click here.
Need a review? See part one of Joseph in Egypt here. And if you’d like to go even further back, review the discussion guide for Joseph’s “Coat” portion of the story, here.

Read in Genesis	Discuss…
42:1-4	Why did Jacob have fears about Benjamin going to Egypt? Kids: Do you suppose that your parents have fears about you going places without them? What can help your parents when they are afraid?
42:5-7	Why do you suppose Joseph pretended to not know his brothers? What would your reaction have been if you were Joseph?
42:8-9	What “dreams” is Joseph talking about? (Hint: Genesis 37:5-11) How do you suppose Joseph is feeling watching his dreams come true!?
42:8-17	Why do you suppose Joseph locked up all of his brothers for three days? Describe a time when you schemed to “get back” at someone who had wronged you. Did you follow through with your plans?
42:18-23	Joseph says he “fears” God (verse 18) meaning he respects God. Where would you put Joseph’s trust-in-God-level at this point in the story? How do you suppose the brothers of Joseph are feeling: upset at their lot in life or sorry about what they did to Joseph? Where are they on the trust-in-God-meter?
42:24-28
42:

Share in the comments how applying-it-to-life helps you to GROW your family faith!

Photo credits:
Clip art “reader” by Improulx, in the Public Domain. Slightly altered and shared at Flickr.
Joseph is governor, an ilustration by Owen Jones from The History of Joseph and His Brethren (Day & Son, 1869) in the Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Worried? Time to work on remembering

Posted on June 20, 2013August 4, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

When faced with tough times does your trust in God evaporate?

Or do you remember?

When you cross deep rivers, I will be with you.
Isaiah 43:2a

Do you suppose Joseph had that thought while he was at the bottom of a pit or sold as a slave in Egypt or unfairly placed in jail?

He must have! Because in spite of all of the hard stuff that Joseph experienced, he maintained godly values and he readily shared his gifts with others.

Okay, so how do I get faith like Joseph.

And how can I help my kids to grow their trust in Jesus?

Here are a few ideas to try:

Model growing your own faith: Keep a Bible in a well-traveled space in your house. Let your children catch you reading the Bible and praying. Help your child to realize that a journey with Jesus is on-going. There is always something new to learn.
Start a family habit: when gathered together around the dinner table or while driving in the car, ask: What has God been teaching you lately? Share your stories of God with you. Hearing stories about how God was with someone can make it easier for us to remember: God is with me in all situations.
Re-focus: Use visualization techniques such as placing all their worries in a basket.
Commit Bible verses to memory. Look here and here, for ideas on how to learn verses by heart.
In times of stress, use breath prayer as a way to sense God’s presence. That link will take you to a how-to which uses an Aramaic word – the language Jesus used. Or try… On inhale: “God,” On exhale: “always here.” The possibilities are endless.

What are other ways that you teach your kids about growing their faith in God?

Photo credits:
Reflection time by Rajesh Kumar, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Wrestling worries

Posted on June 12, 2013July 12, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

Imagine living like this:

Potiphar left everything up to Joseph, and with Joseph there, the only decision he had to make was what he wanted to eat. Genesis 39:6a

I was reading our current Rotation story using Lectio Divina when this passage jumped out at me. Imagine not being concerned about anything, except what you eat! What a life Potiphar led!

Not a single worry.

Except whether to eat figs or grapes.

Crops need planting? No concern, Joseph will handle it.
Supplies need restocking? No problem, Joseph can take care of it.
(I wonder if Joseph did windows?)

Ever wished you could live like that – worry free? I sure have!

What about when your kids worry? How can you help them?
Does it work to say, “Jesus tells us not to worry?” (See Matthew 6:25-34)
Probably not.

Try this: Ask your child to close their eyes and imagine a basket. (Best done at bed time!) Have them imagine a basket on the floor next to their bed. Tell them to give details to their musing. What color basket? What shape and size?

a picture of a field is cut into strips and woven to look like a basket

When they have the image in their mind, ask them to imagine themselves putting their worries into that basket. Help them to form a clear picture of this process. Tell your child that Jesus will take care of the basket. Have them picture handing the basket to Jesus.

Try it out! What are other ways you help your kids not to worry?

Photo credits:
Woven “basket” by Cindy Cornett Seigle, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

When tornados stir things up – what to say to kids

Posted on May 23, 2013May 24, 2013 by Carol Hulbert

Why didn’t God save their house? Why was it destroyed?

How do you answer the tough questions?

Rather than panic, take a moment to marvel! Isn’t it wonderful that God created your child with a unsuppressed, passionate sense of wonder and curiosity! (How will they find out about the world without cross-examination?) Thank God for their questioning nature!

But, there is this hard question hanging in the air. Perhaps in your household due to the recent Oklahoma tornado. (Which for me, stirred up memories of our own close-at-hand destruction in March 2012.)

The nature of the question asked may be different, but at any rate a response is required. What will you say? Here are some things to consider in formulating your reply:

Ask them what they know about the situation. You want to be able to provide them with answers that are specific to what they are looking for. (No need to go into details beyond what they have wondered about.)
Perhaps you need time to think about what you will say. It is okay to say: “I would like to continue talking about this, but I need time to think it over.” (But remember to reintroduce the topic later! Saying: “Remember when you asked me about…”)
Use age-appropriate words to describe what has happened. Give them a name for their feelings. “You sound frightened” or “You seem worried.”
It is okay to say that you don’t have all the answers! Words like: “I don’t know. God’s world is sometimes really hard to understand. We can’t see the reasons for why things happen. Sometimes we have to live in the mystery. All we can know is that God always loves us. God wants us to be safe.”
For specific questions:
- Where was God?
  Your religious thinking may differ but Methodists don’t believe that God creates storms or other natural disasters to punish people. Reassure them that God weeps right along with those who suffer loss. God’s love never ends! And nothing that happens can separate us from his love. (See Romans 8:38-39.)
- Why didn’t God stop this from happening?
  Back in the beginning of time God set in motion the creation of our world. God created our world to be ruled by natural laws. Take, for example, gravity: gravity is good – it keeps us from floating out of control! But gravity can also be bad – such as when an airplane looses power and falls to earth. It would be nice if God could save the airplane and temporarily suspend the law of gravity. But if that were to happen, we’d all go spinning off into space! Specifics in the case of a tornado: we have an unsettling mix of hot and cold air. Yet individually, hot and cold serve purposeful parts of our physical world. God doesn’t arbitrarily manipulate the laws of nature!
- I’m wondering if I can trust God?
  A valid concern! God gives us a choice. Point to Bible stories such as Joseph in Egypt; Joseph chose to trust God in spite of difficult situations he faced. He eventually saw a purpose for his suffering. (See Genesis 45:4-7.) Trusting God doesn’t make troubles go away; it does make troubles easier to handle.
Point out the helpers. God always sends helpers. (Especially when you are looking for them!) Ask your children how they think that they can be a helper? (Prayer for victims is always one answer.)
Create a family plan for what to do in a similar situation. Calmly hold a family drill.

Are there questions you have or topics you’d like to see addressed? Fill out the form below to let me know.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Damage in Dexter, MI March 2012 tornado by Andy Fowler, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.