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I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for summer to begin!  Sleeping in, taking the time to savor that first cup of coffee, and maybe even finding a few extra minutes to actually work out!  Yes, I’m ready for summer, but first we all have to get through the last two or three weeks of school!

For many kids, the next few weeks will be a time when class projects are being completed and studying for final exams will fill their afternoons and evenings.  Whether your kids are in grade school, high school or college, it’s that time of year when studying is the most difficult because the glorious taste of summer is a mere daydream away.

Maybe you can remember back to your own youth – what helped you get through this time?  More importantly, how will you calm your own child’s nerves? How will you reassure them if they worry about doing poorly on their exams?

In our house we have a philosophy that is simply, “Do your best, then let God do the rest!”  This doesn’t mean sit back and pray for a miracle, though! My kids know that we expect them to do their part.  My oldest attends a brick and mortar school, so we expect him to be physically AND mentally present during class, take good notes, ask questions if he isn’t understanding the subject matter, do his homework and study for his exams. It’s his job to learn what he’s being taught. This is our expectation.  It is not an expectation of perfection, but rather an expectation that he will do his best.

I have witnessed  many kids who are so anxious about achieving perfection in their school work that they have to be medicated just to get through the school year.  It bothers me greatly that the world has placed the expectation of perfection on our kids.  Having home schooled both my kids, and still home schooling my youngest, we have a different perspective about the big picture of school.  For us it’s more important to give our children a true desire for knowledge, but within that desire we hope to teach them that there is great joy that comes from learning, and a peace that comes from not expecting perfection in all subjects.  God has an individual purpose for each of us and has wired us all a little differently as to achieve that purpose.

God doesn’t want any of His children to stress out about anything!  He will provide for all of our needs and it’s up to us to reinforce that comforting truth to our kids, especially during times when they are going through stress.

Here are some wonderful Bible verses that may help you as you pray over your kids during these last couple weeks of school, when stress and worry may run a bit higher than normal. Great reminders for all of us to trust God in all ways and at all times.

(Luke 12:25-26) “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?”

(John 14:27) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

(2 Corinthians) 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

(James 1:5-6) “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

About the Author: Lisa Strnad is a freelance writer/blogger, who regularly contributes to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly.  She is a homeschooling mom of two, who works independently in Christian media in the areas of writing, promotions and marketing. She lives with her husband and children in Nashville, TN.

The Messiah could have come to earth as a fully-grown man.  God didn’t need to come through the womb of a woman, but yet He chose that path.  This monumental choice makes it clear the importance God places on motherhood. Moms matter!  Jesus shares with all of us the very human experience of being born and cared for by a mother.

I’m a mom.  Many of you reading this article are moms. Motherhood is not an extraordinary thing. No, on the contrary – motherhood is very ordinary.  But going back to the Gospel, how did the ordinary compare to the extraordinary when it came to impacting the life of Jesus.  He was born to an ordinary girl who lived an ordinary life.   Yet there were extraordinary choirs of angels singing his arrival that night in Bethlehem! And then three extraordinary wise men came bearing gifts for a new born baby, laying in a manger – gifts that were customarily reserved for royalty!!

However it is not the choir of angels or the three wise men who are found throughout the Gospel. It is that ordinary girl, Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is found throughout the Gospel. From the time Gabriel came to her to announce she had been chosen among all women to give birth to the Messiah, to Jesus’ birth, throughout His ministry and even during His Death, Resurrection and Assumption.  Mary was there as God’s plan for redemption through His son unfolded.  Her role was not that of a co-redeemer. No, her role was that of a loving mother, who had hope and a strong faith in God’s ultimate plan of salvation, through her much loved Son, Jesus.

We know that Jesus loved His mother and was even concerned about her well being.  As he was dying on the cross, His thoughts about His beloved mother are clear.  (John 19:25-27) “But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”

Even though Scripture doesn’t go deeply into the time of Jesus’ life before His ministry started, I can imagine how precious the little boy Jesus was to his mother, Mary.  How she would take care of her son, what she may have cooked for him, how she taught him how to walk, talk, and even shared moments of goofy laughter and tears of sadness with her Son all the years He lived with her at home.  She was a mom, much like you or me. Sometimes that human quality of our dear Savior is overlooked.  But just like us, Mary must’ve cuddled Jesus in her arms– probably not wanting to let him go; perhaps not wanting the years to click by so quickly. Did her heart ache, perhaps knowing His destined role and what that may have ultimately meant?

When I look at Mary, as a mother, I am reminded that it is the little daily things I do for my children that matter.  I am not extraordinary by the world’s standards.  No – far, far from it.  But I am a mom who will hopefully influence my children’s lives through the little things I do for them, the loving words I say to them and the way I behave around them.

God has a purpose for each of us.  This purpose my be reached through ways which seem very ordinary, but touch the hearts of our children in extraordinary ways!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mother’s out there! May God continue to give you daily amounts of wisdom, strength, perseverance, peace and abundant joy.  What you do on a daily basis really DOES make a difference!

About the Author: Lisa Strnad is a freelance writer/blogger, who regularly contributes to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly.  She is a homeschooling mom of two, who works independently in Christian media in the areas of writing, promotions and marketing. She lives with her husband and children in Nashville, TN.

And we know how much you love your mom, whether you are 6 or 36 or 56 or even 86!

Click here to download your Mothers Day activity sheet :
Mothers Day Activity Sheet

In celebration of all things mom, we wanted to give you this free printable Mothers Day Activity to fill out and give to your mom on Mothers Day – May 13.

It’s the perfect Mothers Day activity for the whole family – moms, fill out your own “I love my mom!” worksheet about your own mothers while your kids fill out theirs about you! (Dads – you can do it too!)

Children’s pastors – this is the perfect Mothers Day activity for Sunday School! Just print it out, have your students fill it out and take it home on Mothers Day!

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As the parent of a child who is on the Autism Spectrum, I deeply desire for him to have real friendships and the chance to play with other kids who are his own age.  But I also know that throwing him into unregulated play is sometimes taking a big gamble.  Will he have an emotional outburst or will something done during play contribute to a sensory overload that will cause him to react, scaring or confusing the other kids or alienating him from these children and potential friendships? Will the desire for him to be included in with his peers eventually lead to self-esteem issues, schoolyard bullying and social isolation?

These are the daily questions parents of special needs kids face: this ongoing teeter-totter of trying to balance the need for our children to have socialization and the need to protect them from psychological and even physical pain.  It’s tough. It’s a balancing act that many of us aren’t exactly sure where or how to begin.

I need to tell you that I dislike the titles of “special” and “typical” we give kids, just like I dislike the word “normal”, but it’s how classifications work, so I’ll use them to clarify points.  Just know that I personally believe every child is special in a very non-typical way, because God created them to be unique! That being said, I am also the mother of a typical child. He’s the older brother.  Like many of you, I have taught my older son the Biblical lesson of loving his neighbors, hopefully leading by example.  We have served in local missions to feed the hungry, put together many Christmas shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse, and are currently sponsoring children in Africa and South America. But what here at home? What about our kids even in our neighborhood or at his school who may have a learning or physical disability? How does he love them in a Biblical sense?

Loving our neighbor can come in the form of including all kinds of unique kids in our group of friends.  It can mean going the extra mile and learning about their specific behaviors, which may seem odd to someone who is considered “typical” but which really are a natural mechanism in which they try to function in a world that may be simply too loud or too confusing at times. It is realizing that ALL kids desire friendship and then taking the first step to be that friend.

Being the hands and feet of Jesus can be done right in our own neighborhoods, churches, and school yards!  (Matthew 25:40) The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”

My friend, Bill Nason, MS, LLP, who is a behavioral specialist, has developed a great Facebook discussion page in which he provides useful advice for parents and advocates to help children on the spectrum feel safe, accepted and competent. Using common strategies, he’s able to speak to individual strengths and challenges in our kids.  Here are some wonderful suggestions that Bill has posted on his site for parents who want to organize play dates for their kids who may have self-regulation or sensory issues. This information is also great for school teachers and ministry leaders who teach in an inclusive Sunday school program! If you have a friend who has a child with autism, I encourage you to share this information with them. Bill writes the following:

“I usually recommend to parents to start with short, one on one play dates, that can be planned ahead of time, previewed and reviewed with the child in advance and facilitated to maximize success. I recommend doing the following for maximizing “peer play” or what some call “play dates.”

1. Plan ahead and preview what is going to happen. Make a list of what possible activities the child and his friend is going to play. Try to schedule out the play date with possible substitute activities if things do not go right. Always have a plan B ready.

2. Discuss with the child ahead of time the following:

a. What he can expect to happen; lay it out for him,
b. What will be expected of him.
c. How long it will last.
d. How he might handle any anticipated problems (sharing, taking turns, choosing activities, not getting his way, etc.)

3. Based on past play dates, discuss any problems he may have had and how he should handle them. If possible, role play them. Also role play and new games or activities, so he is familiar with them.

4. Prepare the activity the night before and then review everything again just before the event.

5. During the activity, observe closely and help scaffold the activity if needed. Let the activity flow naturally, unless you see little signs that your child is getting dysregulated. When you see possible problems (break down in regulation), then provide subtle redirection to help repair the breakdown.

6. After the activity is over, sit down with with and review how it went. Talk about what went well and what snags may have occurred. From your observations, pick one or two possible problems you saw, and review this with him and how he may want to handle them (taking turns, sharing, taking turns choosing activity, etc.). Try to have one main objective (social skill) that you are working on to help develop greater cooperative play skills.

7. Make a journal with a page for each play date. Make an outline form to fill out with the following information. Divide it in two sections:

a. Preparation: List of potential activities, plan B, potential problems with possible solutions.
b. Post Activity: What activities where played, what worked well, what snags occurred, and what to try next time.

8. If you notice that the friend is perplexed about, or uncomfortable with, your child’s behavior, then explain to the friend “what and why” your child is acting that way. Children feel most uncomfortable when they don’t understand what is occurring and how to react to it. However, most children are flexible when they know what to expect and how to react.

Do not be too quick to move on to (1) multiple players, and/or (2) unstructured activities until you build that into your play dates. Once your child seems to be building the cooperative play skills needed to co-regulate with one friend, then build in less structure and less facilitation to see how he does handling the “give and take” interaction, and repairing breakdowns in regulation. Take it slowly to maximize success. I see the greatest failure in moving too quick into the unstructured, multiple peer, play activities, similar to what you would find on a playground. This type of unstructured play requires way too much regulation for most of our children to learn from.”

If you’re a parent of a special needs child and have been trying to balance their need for socialization and their need for protection, like me… I’d love to hear your story!  Please share it in the comments section.  May God bless you and give you daily strength and wisdom.

About the Author: Lisa Strnad is a freelance writer/blogger, who regularly contributes to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly.  She is a homeschooling mom of two, who works independently in Christian media in the areas of writing, promotions and marketing. She lives with her husband and children in Nashville, TN.  Follow her blog at www.talkinglikeagirl.blogspot.com

We may wonder how to protect the hearts of our children from pain when a death occurs in our family or circle of friends.  How to do we tackle the subjects of physical death and the hope of Heaven, without totally scaring our kids, as we ourselves are dealing with our own plethora of emotions?

Several years ago, when my oldest son was only 5, our four-year-old nephew died after an eighteen month battle with brain cancer.   We didn’t know how to explain cancer to our son, so instead we told him that his cousin went to Heaven because he had gotten “sick”.  Little did we know that because we didn’t give him enough information, he internalized that everyone he loved COULD die if they simply got “sick”; meaning a simple cold could take mom or dad away to Heaven, just like his little cousin.  It became a pretty scary thought for him, which he internalized for about a year!!

I spoke to a friend of mine who is also a therapist, because I needed to figure out how to help my son deal with his own grief and console him that there was a better than average chance that my husband and I were not going to die if we caught a cold. She told me that just like discussing the “facts of life” with our kids has to be done in intervals that answer their specific questions, as their maturity dictates, we need to also have honest communication with our kids about death.

It may be perfectly acceptable for a three-year-old to hear that grandma went to Heaven because Jesus called her home. While we will miss seeing her at Christmastime, we know that she is now in Heaven with grandpa! This helps explain why we are sad that she is no longer here with us, but also rejoicing that she is in Heaven.  But if you have an older child who needs more information to alleviate undue anxiety, it might be important to talk to them about grandma’s heart being sick, or her cancer, etc.– still reassuring them that Heaven is a wonderful place that Jesus has prepared for us!  While a lot of kids may not need any more information than that, be open to their questions and pray for guidance as you answer them truthfully, yet carefully.  Although I have no medical credentials, I would advise everyone to also enlist the help of a child therapist or pastor if the concepts of death and the afterlife are just too hard to explain.  Surrounding ourselves with a trusted, like-minded support group during times of grief is always a good idea!

The Bible reveals a few facts about what happens after we die.  We can turn to these following scriptures for comfort and use them as a resource to help our kids better understand what happens at the end of our life, here on earth.

Believer’s can face death without fear! (1 Corinthians 15:54-57) “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We will enter into the Lord’s presence at the time of our death! (2 Corinthians: 5-8) “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

Jesus, himself, has prepared a special place in Heaven for each of us! (John 14:1-3) “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Those who believe in Jesus are promised eternal life with Him after their physical death! (John 11:25-26) “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.””

If you’ve had to explain the death of a loved one to your child, how did you approach it?  What additional resources would you recommend to other parents trying to explain this  tough subject, while dealing with their own grief?  Please share in the comments section.

About the Author: Lisa Strnad is a freelance writer/blogger, who regularly contributes to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly.  She is a homeschooling mom of two, who works independently in Christian media in the areas of writing, promotions and marketing. She lives with her husband and children in Nashville, TN.  Follow her blog at www.talkinglikeagirl.blogspot.com

Deborah lived in a time when there was no king over the nation of Israel, a time when the head of each family was responsible to teach faithfulness to God.  Because of this, the people’s faith in God and loyalty to their nation was broken.

Deborah was incredibly wise. She was a prophetess who encouraged people to follow God’s Law and reminded them of His faithfulness.  She was the only female judge in Israel. Because of her wisdom, people would come to her to help them sort through disputes. She was essentially responsible for leading the Israelites in battle against the Canaanites, yet she took no personal credit in the victory.  But she was humble, the wife of Lappidoth, and even after a great military victory, described herself as simply, “a mother in Israel” (Judges 5:7).

Obviously she possessed great leadership skills, but her greatest character traits were her unwavering faith in God and her personal relationship with Him.

My recent study of Deborah came at a time in my life when I was contemplating making career changes – changes that would have a definite impact on my family, especially my children.  Admittedly, I was longing for a type of personal achievement in my professional career and I guess also a bit of prestige – some of the things that we stay-at-home, home-schooling moms seldom receive.  While I prayed about this possible change, I kept hearing God tell me, “Not now.”  It wasn’t a stern voice, admonishing me for being selfish, which is what I probably deserved–and even expected.  No, God, my loving Father, knew my heart.  He led me to His Word, and quite perfectly, He led me to read about Deborah; a mother in Israel, who He used for His great purpose.

God opened my eyes to the current career I have been personally called into BY GOD– motherhood; educator; advocate; wife; daughter; homemaker.  He reminded me about the importance of these roles. He reminded me How my daily routine, while seemingly mundane to me, actually made a difference in the lives of those I love the most.

Studying Deborah has allowed me to re-evaluate my life, my purpose, and my calling. Deborah was concerned about people not personal success.  In her example, we can all learn that God will accomplish great things through the people who are willing to trust Him! Like Deborah, I hope to learn the importance of fully relying on God, and pray for His daily guidance in every decision that I must make as a wife and mother.

This week I am keeping all of you women in prayer who are called by God to work at home with your kids.  May God bless you with wisdom in your daily work as mother, mediator, counselor, educator and advisor.

About the Author: Lisa Strnad is a freelance writer/blogger, who regularly contributes to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly.  She is a homeschooling mom of two, who works independently in Christian media in the areas of writing, promotions and marketing. She lives with her husband and children in Nashville, TN.  Follow her blog at www.talkinglikeagirl.blogspot.com

You can listen to the full broadcast here.

Here are some of our favorite moments from the broadcast:

On Easter

“You had a debt you couldn’t pay and Jesus paid it for you.  And that’s what we’re celebrating.  So, you focus on the celebration.  To move away from the secular view of Easter, I think one important point is to celebrate the whole week. Celebrate Holy Week.”

“Easter is the Super Bowl of Christian holidays, not Christmas. So, I think the first step is to put Christmas back in its place and say, “Hey, Jesus was born.  Isn’t that wonderful?  What does that point us towards?”  It points towards Easter. Now you’re thinking of Easter all through the year.”

“That’s one of the things I don’t like about in when we turn holidays into huge productions, is that it implies that all of this meaning is confined to a certain day of the year and we’re not living in it.  You know, we need to be steeped in Easter.  We’re in the soup of Easter, you know.”

“We don’t go to Easter to learn about Jesus.  We go to Easter to celebrate what we know already. “

On Teaching Kids of Different Ages

Jim Daly: When you look at it for your own kids, I mean, when you look at age 5, what do you really want them to understand? At age 10, what should they be grasping? 

Phil Vischer: At 5, I think Resurrection Eggs are actually a really good tool, because you take something they enjoy, coloring eggs and the notion of eggs and bring the story of Jesus out of it. There are also tools like The Jesus Storybook Bible, which is a version of the Bible that points to how Jesus is the subtext behind every story.  It’s an amazing little Bible storybook that’s become very popular.  Those are the things you start with kids when they’re 5, tools that use things they like–picture books, eggs–to bring the story of Jesus out in a very kid-friendly way.

When you’re 10, you’re ready to look at images of the cross. So, you can actually start to feed ‘em. As you get into grade school, as you get towards 10, we need to think, okay, why isn’t the world the way you would like it to be?  Why isn’t school the way you would like it to be? Why are you having conflicts with your friends? Why does nothing seem to work the way you would like it to work? Let’s talk about sin. And sin is something that is in all of us and ruins our relationships and makes everything harder and we can’t be with God, because He’s holy and we’re not.  He’s perfect and we’re not.  He’s got a standard that’s way up here and no matter what kind of gym shoes we have on, we can’t jump that high.  We can’t meet God where He is. And that’s where you’re telling the Gospel. That’s where you’re presenting the Gospel. So, for an 8-, 9-, 10-year-old, which is why with What’s in the Bible?, which is geared for that age kids, we’re really hitting the Gospel.

Did you listen to the broadcast? What were some of your favorite moments?

What is Easter?

What is Holy Week?

How to Talk to Your Kids about the Crucifixion

Easter Songs and Prayers

History of the Easter Bunny

Celebrating Easter as a Family {guest post}

How to Bring Every Lesson Back to Jesus {guest post}

What is Lent?

How to Talk to Your Kids about Lent

Lent Craft: Jellybean Prayer Jar

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How do we effectively communicate to our kids that the gloriousness of Easter is about much more than colored eggs and baskets of candy? Many of us now use the term “Resurrection Sunday” instead of Easter, to clarify what it is we are truly celebrating. But the thing is we can’t talk about the Resurrection without talking about Jesus’ death, and we can’t talk about His death without talking about crucifixion.

Is crucifixion too scary of a subject for kids?

The Crucifixion is indeed a powerfully disturbing event, even for adults! But if we tackle it as age appropriately as possible; remembering each child’s developmental readiness, the story of Salvation, through Jesus’ death, burial AND resurrection becomes personal and purposeful.

Using language that they understand, start talking to your kids about what happened to Jesus on Good Friday. Keeping in mind that too much graphic detail isn’t necessary to convey His act of love and sacrifice. Death, in and of itself, might also be a concept not fully comprehensible to a young child. They’ve heard about people, maybe even pets, dying but may have never personally experienced such an event.

When I was teaching my own kids about what happened on Good Friday, I explained that in the time of Jesus, people who did bad things were hung on crosses as a punishment and would die on these crosses. They would either tie a person’s hands and feet to the cross or, as in Jesus’ case, use nails to hang Him on his cross. It hurt a lot. More than any pain we can imagine. He was being punished for things he never did. Jesus was perfect and never sinned but because God loves us so much, and wants us to be with Him forever, He took all the sin from each of us, even the sin that was in our hearts, and placed it on Jesus. When Jesus died and was buried, all of our sins died and were buried too. Forever. We are now forgiven because of what Jesus did for us on the cross! Jesus took our place when He was punished for all of our sins. He loves us that much!

If you are a fan of using Resurrection Eggs, you may enjoy the story of Benjamin’s Box . This story goes along with the Resurrection Eggs, and follows a young boy named Benjamin who is in Jerusalem at the same time as Jesus. He wants to learn more about Jesus, so he follows him during this one week. At first he thinks Jesus is a teacher, then he thinks he is a king– finally he learns the Good News and who Jesus really is! Story can be such a great way of reinforcing the truth of the Gospel!

We try to protect the hearts of our kids, but it’s okay for kids to feel sad that Jesus suffered so much. If you have a child who is especially sensitive, it’s always a good thing to remind them, right away, that the story of salvation doesn’t end at Good Friday. Sunday is coming! The “rescue plan” of salvation is not just about Jesus’ death and burial– but it is completed through His resurrection! He is Risen! He is alive! Our tears of sadness will turn into joy!

Have you talked to your kids about the Crucifixion?

About the Author: Lisa Strnad is a freelance writer/blogger, who regularly contributes to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly. She is a homeschooling mom of two, who works independently in Christian media in the areas of writing, promotions and marketing. She lives with her husband and children in Nashville, TN. Follow her blog at http://www.talkinglikeagirl.blogspot.com/.