When your children want to move from their Bible storybook to a regular Bible, it's time to begin talking to them about how the Bible was put together. At first glance the structure looks confusing, but there's a definite, easy-to-grasp plan and order in the arrangement of the books of the Bible.
The Bible isn't just one big book; it's a library of sixty-six books. And like a library, it's organized in sections, each section with it's own kind of books.
The Bible's library is broken down into two main sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament, each with its own subsections.
The Old Testament contains the books that tell the story of creation and give the history of God's chosen people, the Israelites. It also contains nonhistory books, such as poetic books and books by prophets, that were written during this same time period.
The New Testament contains the books that tell the story of Jesus, his birth, life, death, resurrection, and return to heaven; as well as the story of what the disciples did afterward and the beginnings of the church. The New Testament also contains books that were written by the apostles and other early church leaders; these books teach us what it means to be, and how to live as, Christians.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
How can I tell my kids in a simple way what the Bible is all about?
It's relatively easy to use a Bible storybook. Stories have been selected for us from the Bible, and we can simply read these stories to or with our kids. (Even if you're using a Bible storybook with your kids, the rest of this chapter can still be very helpful.) But when our kids are old enough to get a "regular" Bible (a bible that has the whole text in it, from Genesis through Revelation) what are they supposed to do with it?
It would seem logical to simply start reading the Bible at the beginning and keep on reading until the end. But if you've ever tried to do that, you know what happens. The first book, Genesis, is incredibly engaging and full of wonderful stories about creation, Noah's ark, Abraham, and so on. The next book, Exodus, beginswith the great story of Moses and the pharoah, but then come sections where we get bogged down in laws and detailed descriptions of the tabernacle. And when we discover that Leviticus is all laws, we quit and go back to reading just bits and pieces in the Bible, the stories we understand and are familiar with.
The problem is not that the stuff we get bogged down in doesn't make sense; rather; it's that without a larger context we don't know how to read it or what to do with it. It's like planning a trip by car from Panama City to San Diego with only a stack of city maps. You don't have a clue which towns you'll be traveling through until you look at a map of North America as a whole to give you the big picture. THen the maps of smaller areas start to make sense, because you understand them in a larger context.
In teaching any subject, it usually works best to start with an overview and gradually work our way down to the details. Then the details can be understood in terms of their wider context. Exactly the same thing is true of the Bible. The various stories of the Bible, as well as all the other pieces, such as laws and psalms, all fit into a Big Story, a single, coherent, wide-angle picture that serves as our roadmap through the Bible.
Most kids have heard Bible stories, but without the Big picture, the Bible Story of the Bible, they don't have a clue how the various stories are related to each other or in what order they did happen. Did Abraham come before or after Noah? Who came first, King David or Sampson?
Knowing the stories is better than not knowing them, of course, even if the kids don't know how they fit together. But if we really want our kids to understand the BIble, we must help tem understand these two relatively simple things
1. The Big Story (Or main storyline). Once children grasp the outline of the Bible, the Big Story that weaves itself through both the Old and New Testaments, telling of God's plan for humanity and of how God has been working out that plan, they can fit the pieces into a larger context.
2. The structure of the Bible: Children need to learn how the various books of the Bible fit into the Big Story so that they can find their way around the Bible.
We'll discuss more in later blogs.
It would seem logical to simply start reading the Bible at the beginning and keep on reading until the end. But if you've ever tried to do that, you know what happens. The first book, Genesis, is incredibly engaging and full of wonderful stories about creation, Noah's ark, Abraham, and so on. The next book, Exodus, beginswith the great story of Moses and the pharoah, but then come sections where we get bogged down in laws and detailed descriptions of the tabernacle. And when we discover that Leviticus is all laws, we quit and go back to reading just bits and pieces in the Bible, the stories we understand and are familiar with.
The problem is not that the stuff we get bogged down in doesn't make sense; rather; it's that without a larger context we don't know how to read it or what to do with it. It's like planning a trip by car from Panama City to San Diego with only a stack of city maps. You don't have a clue which towns you'll be traveling through until you look at a map of North America as a whole to give you the big picture. THen the maps of smaller areas start to make sense, because you understand them in a larger context.
In teaching any subject, it usually works best to start with an overview and gradually work our way down to the details. Then the details can be understood in terms of their wider context. Exactly the same thing is true of the Bible. The various stories of the Bible, as well as all the other pieces, such as laws and psalms, all fit into a Big Story, a single, coherent, wide-angle picture that serves as our roadmap through the Bible.
Most kids have heard Bible stories, but without the Big picture, the Bible Story of the Bible, they don't have a clue how the various stories are related to each other or in what order they did happen. Did Abraham come before or after Noah? Who came first, King David or Sampson?
Knowing the stories is better than not knowing them, of course, even if the kids don't know how they fit together. But if we really want our kids to understand the BIble, we must help tem understand these two relatively simple things
1. The Big Story (Or main storyline). Once children grasp the outline of the Bible, the Big Story that weaves itself through both the Old and New Testaments, telling of God's plan for humanity and of how God has been working out that plan, they can fit the pieces into a larger context.
2. The structure of the Bible: Children need to learn how the various books of the Bible fit into the Big Story so that they can find their way around the Bible.
We'll discuss more in later blogs.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Choosing the right Bible
Here are a few hints for choosing a Bible storybook or a Bible by age group.
1. Preschoolers. For this age group, a simply illustrated Bible storybook that covers the key Bible stories and has a smal number of simple words per picture is appropriate.
2. Beginning Readers. Several Bible storybooks have been created with simplified vocabularies at a reading level for the beginning reader. Your choice should be simply illustrated and contain more stories than a storybook for preschoolers. If you can find one that takes more than two pages to tell a story, your children will enjoy the stories more.
3. Grade schoolers. Look for a Bible that contains more words and therefore more of the details of each story. Don't choose one, however that has so many words and so few pictures that your child will give up. (The best balance of text and pictures will vary with the individual child, of course.) The illustrations for this level should be more detailed and interesting, but be careful to choose a book that has artwork that will appeal to your child. (Some children's Bible storybooks have been on the market so long that the artwork is no longer current and exciting for today's kids.) Some Bible storybooks for this age group have a very simple Bible reference tool or index in the back, which is a plus.
In the last few years, technology has created a whole range of new tools. Bibles and Bible storybooks are now available on CD, many with a variety of multimedia elements. Although these tools can be wonderful assistants in teaching our children the Bible, we should still have a hard copy available for them to read and carry, reinforcing its personal importance.
Another great tool, especially for younger kids, is video material that features animated Bible stories. Video Bible time shouldn't replace regular Bible study with our children, since part of what we're doing with our kids is helping them develop a lifelong habit of Bible reading. But videos can augment our teaching.
1. Preschoolers. For this age group, a simply illustrated Bible storybook that covers the key Bible stories and has a smal number of simple words per picture is appropriate.
2. Beginning Readers. Several Bible storybooks have been created with simplified vocabularies at a reading level for the beginning reader. Your choice should be simply illustrated and contain more stories than a storybook for preschoolers. If you can find one that takes more than two pages to tell a story, your children will enjoy the stories more.
3. Grade schoolers. Look for a Bible that contains more words and therefore more of the details of each story. Don't choose one, however that has so many words and so few pictures that your child will give up. (The best balance of text and pictures will vary with the individual child, of course.) The illustrations for this level should be more detailed and interesting, but be careful to choose a book that has artwork that will appeal to your child. (Some children's Bible storybooks have been on the market so long that the artwork is no longer current and exciting for today's kids.) Some Bible storybooks for this age group have a very simple Bible reference tool or index in the back, which is a plus.
In the last few years, technology has created a whole range of new tools. Bibles and Bible storybooks are now available on CD, many with a variety of multimedia elements. Although these tools can be wonderful assistants in teaching our children the Bible, we should still have a hard copy available for them to read and carry, reinforcing its personal importance.
Another great tool, especially for younger kids, is video material that features animated Bible stories. Video Bible time shouldn't replace regular Bible study with our children, since part of what we're doing with our kids is helping them develop a lifelong habit of Bible reading. But videos can augment our teaching.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
What kind of Bible should I use with my children?
Choosing a Bible or Bible storybook for our kids used to be a simple thing since choice was limited. Today it's a different story. We can choose from a wide variety of Bible storyboks for younger kids, most of them with colorful illustrations, as well as for many regular Bibles that contain the whole Bible text in language targeted at older children. It's well worth the time to investigate what's available, since not all Bible storybooks and regular Bibles for kids are of the same quality, and some may be better suited to some kids than to others. Here are some general tips:
1. From the time children are old enough to be read to until the time they leave home, they'll probably go through four to six different Bibles. This is in part a practical necessity, since their reading skills, comprehension levels, and interests change, but it also helps kids see that learning about God is progressive (and that they are progressing). Graduating from one Bible to the next can be a real encouragement for our children, propelling them forward with newfound motivation.
2. It's important that each of our children has his or her own Bible. That helps to show our kids how important the Bible is and emphasizes that the Bible always needs to be available as a book for learning and a practical guidebook for life. Of course, Bibles can be passed down to younger brothers and sisters as the older children grow out of them.
3. When it's time to buy a new Bible, try to let your children choose their own. You can point out which Bibles or Bible storybooks are labeled for thier age group, and they can make the final selection. This helps strengthen the ownership factor and increase the interest level.
4. When your children are old enough to want a whole text Bible, be sure to choose a translation that uses modern day language so that your children will be able to understand what they're reading. You'll find the different Bibles labeled clearly as to which translation is used. Some translations are deliberately aimed at a lower reading level for kids. For example, the New International readers version (NIRV) and the International Children's version are both at a third grade reading level, the (NLT) is at a slightly higher level. If you're not familiar with the various modern translations, pick a few verses in different parts of the Bible and look them up in the various translations for comparison.
5. Finally, look for whole text children's and teen Bibles that contain additional materials that will help your children understand and apply what they read. Many Bibles for children and teens contain some or all of the following: a simple concordance, explanation notes in the text, an introduction to each book of the Bible, maps of Bible lands, and cross references to other places in the Bible that talk about the same topic.
Next time I will give hints to choosing the Bible by age group.
1. From the time children are old enough to be read to until the time they leave home, they'll probably go through four to six different Bibles. This is in part a practical necessity, since their reading skills, comprehension levels, and interests change, but it also helps kids see that learning about God is progressive (and that they are progressing). Graduating from one Bible to the next can be a real encouragement for our children, propelling them forward with newfound motivation.
2. It's important that each of our children has his or her own Bible. That helps to show our kids how important the Bible is and emphasizes that the Bible always needs to be available as a book for learning and a practical guidebook for life. Of course, Bibles can be passed down to younger brothers and sisters as the older children grow out of them.
3. When it's time to buy a new Bible, try to let your children choose their own. You can point out which Bibles or Bible storybooks are labeled for thier age group, and they can make the final selection. This helps strengthen the ownership factor and increase the interest level.
4. When your children are old enough to want a whole text Bible, be sure to choose a translation that uses modern day language so that your children will be able to understand what they're reading. You'll find the different Bibles labeled clearly as to which translation is used. Some translations are deliberately aimed at a lower reading level for kids. For example, the New International readers version (NIRV) and the International Children's version are both at a third grade reading level, the (NLT) is at a slightly higher level. If you're not familiar with the various modern translations, pick a few verses in different parts of the Bible and look them up in the various translations for comparison.
5. Finally, look for whole text children's and teen Bibles that contain additional materials that will help your children understand and apply what they read. Many Bibles for children and teens contain some or all of the following: a simple concordance, explanation notes in the text, an introduction to each book of the Bible, maps of Bible lands, and cross references to other places in the Bible that talk about the same topic.
Next time I will give hints to choosing the Bible by age group.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
How can I help my child have a strong faith in God part 3
Part 3: Seeing God through what He has created.
"Ever since the wolrd was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I'm talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made" Romans 1:20
The awesomeness of human beings is an incredible testimony to God's power and love. Whenever you see a news article or television show about medical discoveries and the awesome inner workings of the human body, or when your children learn about such things at school, take the opportunity to point out God's incredible design and the love he demonstrated in making us so wonderful and so complete.
Next time you're looking out at the stars, or your children are learning about the incredible vastness of the universe, take the opportunity to help your children see how unlimited and powerful God is.
Point out to your children how everything in creation works in perfect harmony and balance: the way the food chain works; how our atmosphere is perfect for sustaining life; how the atmosphere is maintained by the amazing cooperation of different systems that we take for granted; how each creature that God has made, from bacteria to whales, has a special role in maintaining the balance of life on earth. All of this demonstrates God's loving character through his care for us and for all of creation.
And when your kids watch a butterfly just because it's beautiful, or spend time with a playing cat just because it's funny, or sit by the gutter in the rain just because they're intrigued by the ever changing patterns in the water, we can help them see God in the beauty of everyday life.
We're surrounded by the best tools available to help strengthen our children's faith in God. When we show our kids that what they believe is reasonable, their faith is anchored; when we help them experience God's love, their faith is made real and practical; and when we help them see God's power and character in his creation, their faith is inspired.
"Ever since the wolrd was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I'm talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made" Romans 1:20
The awesomeness of human beings is an incredible testimony to God's power and love. Whenever you see a news article or television show about medical discoveries and the awesome inner workings of the human body, or when your children learn about such things at school, take the opportunity to point out God's incredible design and the love he demonstrated in making us so wonderful and so complete.
Next time you're looking out at the stars, or your children are learning about the incredible vastness of the universe, take the opportunity to help your children see how unlimited and powerful God is.
Point out to your children how everything in creation works in perfect harmony and balance: the way the food chain works; how our atmosphere is perfect for sustaining life; how the atmosphere is maintained by the amazing cooperation of different systems that we take for granted; how each creature that God has made, from bacteria to whales, has a special role in maintaining the balance of life on earth. All of this demonstrates God's loving character through his care for us and for all of creation.
And when your kids watch a butterfly just because it's beautiful, or spend time with a playing cat just because it's funny, or sit by the gutter in the rain just because they're intrigued by the ever changing patterns in the water, we can help them see God in the beauty of everyday life.
We're surrounded by the best tools available to help strengthen our children's faith in God. When we show our kids that what they believe is reasonable, their faith is anchored; when we help them experience God's love, their faith is made real and practical; and when we help them see God's power and character in his creation, their faith is inspired.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
How can I help my children have a strong faith in God Part 2
Part 2: Seeing God working in their lives.
The second way in which we can strengthen our children's faith in God is to help them experience God, or see him at work in their lives. A survey of youth found that 95 percent of teens said that they believe in God or a universal spirit, 93 percent said that they believe that God loves them, but only 29 percent said that they've personally experienced the presence of God.
It's great that our kids believe in God and that they believe he loves them, but God wants to demonstrate that love in their lives. Our children should be able to see the results and the effects of God's love and his Fathering. We would think it unreasonable if someone continually told us that he or she loved us but never did anything about it. Contrary to the popular saying, it's not the thought that counts. Without corresponding action, there's no way to demonstrate the existence of the thought. The Bible teaches us that we must demonstrate our faith by showing our love for our fellow humans. God wants to do the same thing for us.
Often we distance ourselves from God, his active participation in our lives, and his very real answers to prayer by thinking either that our concerns are too small to bother him with or that we can handle things ourselves. But God wants to demonstrate his love in very real and wonderful ways. Nothing is too small or unimportant to bring to his attention. He wants us to talk with him and trust him about everything, big and small:
"Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him. Then God's peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6-7
"My God will meet all your needs. He will meet them in keeping with his wonderful riches that come to you because you belong to Chrsit Jesus" Phil 4:19
"God did not spare his own Son. He gave him up for us all. Then won't he also freely give us everything else?" (Rom 8:32)
It's important to believe that God exists, but God wants us to move on from there and believe that he rewards us as we look to him as our Father. God insists that we can trust him and should believe that he'll be incredibly good to us. We need to help our children understand who God is and make sure that they're confident that he'll express his love and care not just in theory but in reality, in the mundane details of their loves. God is not an absentee Father.
Talking to our children about all of the things that God has said he is willing to do in their lives, ans their Father, is a necessary foundation. Then, as life's stage provides the opportunities, we should gently remind them and guide them with all their needs, questions, and desires, toward God and his love. As God responds to their simple faith, sometimes boldly, sometimes subtly, we can help them see God in his answers.
At the heart of our children's simple faith is prayer, the essence of their relationship with God. Prayer isn't a science, it doesn't work like the shopping channel. Certainly the things they pray for and about shouldn't read like a list for Santa Claus. Their prayers should include petitions for others, for wisdom, and for growth. We need to teach our children to trust that God will always hear them and do what's best for them with regard to the things they talk with him about in prayer.
When we encourage our children to trust God and talk with him about anything and everything, his answers and the demonstration of his love will begin to show up in many different forms, in direct, obvious answers to prayer, in situations that work out better than we could have expected them to, and in many other ways that our children would miss if we weren't there pointing to God's love at work in their lives. Talk to your children about the times that you've seen God answer your prayers. These stories will be a great inspiration to your children and will motivate them to want to make a collection of similar stories in their own loves. (We'll talk about teaching our children how to pray later on) Being a Christian doesn't mean simply that we believe in God; it also means that we experience God and his love.
Another way in which we can help our children experience God is to assist them to see the results of doing things God's way and following his principles. When your children choose right over wrong, take the time to not only praise them for their wisdom but also point out the immediate and long-term benefits of their actions. The more evidence they see that doing things God's way works, the stronger their faith and their resolve to follow God will become.
The second way in which we can strengthen our children's faith in God is to help them experience God, or see him at work in their lives. A survey of youth found that 95 percent of teens said that they believe in God or a universal spirit, 93 percent said that they believe that God loves them, but only 29 percent said that they've personally experienced the presence of God.
It's great that our kids believe in God and that they believe he loves them, but God wants to demonstrate that love in their lives. Our children should be able to see the results and the effects of God's love and his Fathering. We would think it unreasonable if someone continually told us that he or she loved us but never did anything about it. Contrary to the popular saying, it's not the thought that counts. Without corresponding action, there's no way to demonstrate the existence of the thought. The Bible teaches us that we must demonstrate our faith by showing our love for our fellow humans. God wants to do the same thing for us.
Often we distance ourselves from God, his active participation in our lives, and his very real answers to prayer by thinking either that our concerns are too small to bother him with or that we can handle things ourselves. But God wants to demonstrate his love in very real and wonderful ways. Nothing is too small or unimportant to bring to his attention. He wants us to talk with him and trust him about everything, big and small:
"Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him. Then God's peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6-7
"My God will meet all your needs. He will meet them in keeping with his wonderful riches that come to you because you belong to Chrsit Jesus" Phil 4:19
"God did not spare his own Son. He gave him up for us all. Then won't he also freely give us everything else?" (Rom 8:32)
It's important to believe that God exists, but God wants us to move on from there and believe that he rewards us as we look to him as our Father. God insists that we can trust him and should believe that he'll be incredibly good to us. We need to help our children understand who God is and make sure that they're confident that he'll express his love and care not just in theory but in reality, in the mundane details of their loves. God is not an absentee Father.
Talking to our children about all of the things that God has said he is willing to do in their lives, ans their Father, is a necessary foundation. Then, as life's stage provides the opportunities, we should gently remind them and guide them with all their needs, questions, and desires, toward God and his love. As God responds to their simple faith, sometimes boldly, sometimes subtly, we can help them see God in his answers.
At the heart of our children's simple faith is prayer, the essence of their relationship with God. Prayer isn't a science, it doesn't work like the shopping channel. Certainly the things they pray for and about shouldn't read like a list for Santa Claus. Their prayers should include petitions for others, for wisdom, and for growth. We need to teach our children to trust that God will always hear them and do what's best for them with regard to the things they talk with him about in prayer.
When we encourage our children to trust God and talk with him about anything and everything, his answers and the demonstration of his love will begin to show up in many different forms, in direct, obvious answers to prayer, in situations that work out better than we could have expected them to, and in many other ways that our children would miss if we weren't there pointing to God's love at work in their lives. Talk to your children about the times that you've seen God answer your prayers. These stories will be a great inspiration to your children and will motivate them to want to make a collection of similar stories in their own loves. (We'll talk about teaching our children how to pray later on) Being a Christian doesn't mean simply that we believe in God; it also means that we experience God and his love.
Another way in which we can help our children experience God is to assist them to see the results of doing things God's way and following his principles. When your children choose right over wrong, take the time to not only praise them for their wisdom but also point out the immediate and long-term benefits of their actions. The more evidence they see that doing things God's way works, the stronger their faith and their resolve to follow God will become.
Monday, August 11, 2008
How Can I help my children have a strong faith in God
Part 1: Seeking that their faith is reasonable.
We should never tell our children that having faith and believing in God is something that doesn't make sense, that flies in the face of reason. God created our intellect and our ability to reason, and he doesn't require us to check them at the door of faith.
Jesus appealed to people's intellect and reaosn repeatedly, even when it came to believing:
"Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father" John 10:37-38
Peter and Paul used arguments of reason when trying to convince others to believe, including reminding them of JEsus miracles, which many in the community either had seen or knew of, and using the testimony of the more than five hundred people who had seen Jesus after he rose from the dead.
Showing our children that their faith is reasonable also prepares them for the inevitable onslaught of conflicting information they'll receive from others. There are many good resources available that can assist you in this task, but I offer her a few simple facts that you can use in discussions with your children. Just knowing some of these basics will help your kids see that their faith is indeed reasonable.
Have your children imagine that your family is walking through the forest. There, beside the path, you see a beautiful gold watch. You pick it up and say, "Wow! This is truly remarkable; this watch just came together all by itself over thousands of years through a remarkable string of chance happenings." As you try to convince your children of your conclusion, they'll try to convince you of how ridiculous you're being. Now help them see that they automatically assumed that the intricate design of the watch was a sure sign that it had been designed and put together by someone.
The odds of everything in creation coming together through a remarkable string of chance happenings are so astronomical that there are no computers big enough on this planet to calculate them. One thing is for sure: it's many, many times more likely that the watch came together by itself. Saying that the earth aand all of creation came into existence without a creator is like saying that the Mona Lisa is the result of a paint spill of that the dictionary is the result of an explosion in a print shop.
The odds of all the components that make up a singe-cell creatue coming together by themselves in just the right way to form life have been calculated to range from 1 with 40,000 zeroes after it! And those are the odds from a single cell life form! Not only is a human being made of millions of cells which compounds the odds astronomically, but each cell in our bodies must work in absolute harmony with every other cell.
The picture of the origin of humanity that's usually presented in popular books about evolution involves a series of life forms from beginning with a single cell in the ocean. That single cell creature evolves, via fish that crawl up on shore, to apes and then to humans in a nice, continuous parade. But there are two things missing in this picture: time and transitions.
The earth, according to evolutionists, is four billion years old. That's a long time by our standards, but as a time frame for evolution from inert matter to human beings, it's inadequate. Some scientists realize this. One solution, proposed by respected scientists, involves the assumption that life forms evolved on another planet where there was enough time, and that their seeds were transported to earth on meteorites and comets (I'm not making this up!). But this doesn't solve the problem; it simply extends the boundaries and finds more time elsewhere, with no additional proof.
The second thing that's mission is transitions: the socalled missing links. If al life evolved from simple molecules to human beings, one would expect to find transitions between, say, reptiles and birds and between apes and humans. These transitional forms haven't been found. One solution, again proposed by respected scientists, is a theory that argues that species existed for hundreds of millions of years without any significant change and then a bunch of change happened in only a few million years. The result, they claim, is an abundance of fossils from long periods and very few from short periods of time. It's a litte neat solution, but it begs the question. It assumes that the fossil record of change is there, evey though we haven't found it yet.
So what do we mean by a "reasonable faith"? Having such a faith doesn't mean that we can or have to prove to everybody's satisfaction that God exists or that everything we believe about God is true. Rather, a reasonable faith is simply a faith that doesn't go against reason. Here's one way you can illustrate this point to your kids.
There are extremely smal, short lived, subatomic particles that no one has ever seen. They were believed to exist before anyone had ever observed evidence of them, because everything else known about particles indicated that they should be there. Later they were shown to exist by trails they left behind in highly sensitive equipment. Was it reasonable to believe, before they had been proven to exist, that these particles were there and could be found? Of course. Is it reasonable to believe that these particles really exist evey though no one has ever seen one? Of course. The effect they have on their surroundings, which can be observed, is enough to make scientists accept that they exist.
The odd thing is that the same logic isn't applied when we talk about the origin of the universe and of life. No one can go back and prove what happened at the beginning of time, neither the people who believe that either there is no God or that God had nothing to do with whatever happened to bring about time, space, matter, and life.
Yet either God stands at the beginning of time or he doesn't. The choice, either way, is a matter of faith. And if, by faith, you accept that God wasn't there, then you have to work hard to find alternative explanations that make sense.
It's important to help our kids understand that we all believe things we can't prove, though some are more reasonable than others. But we don't have to be put on the defensive because we have faith in God. Based on the available evidence and the effects we can see, faith in God seems a whole lot more reasonable than any of the alternatives.
We should never tell our children that having faith and believing in God is something that doesn't make sense, that flies in the face of reason. God created our intellect and our ability to reason, and he doesn't require us to check them at the door of faith.
Jesus appealed to people's intellect and reaosn repeatedly, even when it came to believing:
"Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father" John 10:37-38
Peter and Paul used arguments of reason when trying to convince others to believe, including reminding them of JEsus miracles, which many in the community either had seen or knew of, and using the testimony of the more than five hundred people who had seen Jesus after he rose from the dead.
Showing our children that their faith is reasonable also prepares them for the inevitable onslaught of conflicting information they'll receive from others. There are many good resources available that can assist you in this task, but I offer her a few simple facts that you can use in discussions with your children. Just knowing some of these basics will help your kids see that their faith is indeed reasonable.
Have your children imagine that your family is walking through the forest. There, beside the path, you see a beautiful gold watch. You pick it up and say, "Wow! This is truly remarkable; this watch just came together all by itself over thousands of years through a remarkable string of chance happenings." As you try to convince your children of your conclusion, they'll try to convince you of how ridiculous you're being. Now help them see that they automatically assumed that the intricate design of the watch was a sure sign that it had been designed and put together by someone.
The odds of everything in creation coming together through a remarkable string of chance happenings are so astronomical that there are no computers big enough on this planet to calculate them. One thing is for sure: it's many, many times more likely that the watch came together by itself. Saying that the earth aand all of creation came into existence without a creator is like saying that the Mona Lisa is the result of a paint spill of that the dictionary is the result of an explosion in a print shop.
The odds of all the components that make up a singe-cell creatue coming together by themselves in just the right way to form life have been calculated to range from 1 with 40,000 zeroes after it! And those are the odds from a single cell life form! Not only is a human being made of millions of cells which compounds the odds astronomically, but each cell in our bodies must work in absolute harmony with every other cell.
The picture of the origin of humanity that's usually presented in popular books about evolution involves a series of life forms from beginning with a single cell in the ocean. That single cell creature evolves, via fish that crawl up on shore, to apes and then to humans in a nice, continuous parade. But there are two things missing in this picture: time and transitions.
The earth, according to evolutionists, is four billion years old. That's a long time by our standards, but as a time frame for evolution from inert matter to human beings, it's inadequate. Some scientists realize this. One solution, proposed by respected scientists, involves the assumption that life forms evolved on another planet where there was enough time, and that their seeds were transported to earth on meteorites and comets (I'm not making this up!). But this doesn't solve the problem; it simply extends the boundaries and finds more time elsewhere, with no additional proof.
The second thing that's mission is transitions: the socalled missing links. If al life evolved from simple molecules to human beings, one would expect to find transitions between, say, reptiles and birds and between apes and humans. These transitional forms haven't been found. One solution, again proposed by respected scientists, is a theory that argues that species existed for hundreds of millions of years without any significant change and then a bunch of change happened in only a few million years. The result, they claim, is an abundance of fossils from long periods and very few from short periods of time. It's a litte neat solution, but it begs the question. It assumes that the fossil record of change is there, evey though we haven't found it yet.
So what do we mean by a "reasonable faith"? Having such a faith doesn't mean that we can or have to prove to everybody's satisfaction that God exists or that everything we believe about God is true. Rather, a reasonable faith is simply a faith that doesn't go against reason. Here's one way you can illustrate this point to your kids.
There are extremely smal, short lived, subatomic particles that no one has ever seen. They were believed to exist before anyone had ever observed evidence of them, because everything else known about particles indicated that they should be there. Later they were shown to exist by trails they left behind in highly sensitive equipment. Was it reasonable to believe, before they had been proven to exist, that these particles were there and could be found? Of course. Is it reasonable to believe that these particles really exist evey though no one has ever seen one? Of course. The effect they have on their surroundings, which can be observed, is enough to make scientists accept that they exist.
The odd thing is that the same logic isn't applied when we talk about the origin of the universe and of life. No one can go back and prove what happened at the beginning of time, neither the people who believe that either there is no God or that God had nothing to do with whatever happened to bring about time, space, matter, and life.
Yet either God stands at the beginning of time or he doesn't. The choice, either way, is a matter of faith. And if, by faith, you accept that God wasn't there, then you have to work hard to find alternative explanations that make sense.
It's important to help our kids understand that we all believe things we can't prove, though some are more reasonable than others. But we don't have to be put on the defensive because we have faith in God. Based on the available evidence and the effects we can see, faith in God seems a whole lot more reasonable than any of the alternatives.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
There is only one God, but He exists in three persons (The trinity)
The New Testament clearly describes the Father as God, Jesus as God, and the Holy Spirit as God. But the Bible also says that there's only one God. This means that these three distinct persons are at the same time one.
For some children, this apparent contradiction isn't a problem at all. They simply accept that that's the way God is, and that's wonderful. But other kids try to understand it rationally. In talking with that second group, we have a choice: (1) we can try to explain the Trinity in accurate theological terms (assuming we can do that!), (2) we can try to avoid an explanation by telling them that "that's just the way God is" (which goes counter to everything else we're trying to do in helping our kids relate to God!) or (3) we can try to explain the Trinity in the simplest possible terms and help our children understand what that concept means in their lives.
Perhaps the easiest way to explain "one God, three persons" is this. We as human beings understand complete separation: each one of us can be in only one spot at one time, we know only what we've learned (and not what somebody else has learned), we can think only our thoughts (and not somebody else's), and we all have different abilities. But what if our limitations suddenly disappeared? What if all of us could be everywhere at the same time instead of in only one spot? Then all of us would be everywhere! What if all of us suddenly knew everything? Then all of us would know everything and thus have exactly the same knowledge. And so on.
We can only imagine what it would be like, but in the case of God it is true. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all can do anything, all know everything, and all are absolutely everywhere at the same time; so they're one in thought, knowledge, presence, power, and ability. Yet they're different. What is it that separates them? It's their unique persons, each with a separate task.
When Jesus was on earth he was baptized in water by John the Baptist. The gospels tell us that when he came out of the water, the Holy Spirit came down on him like a dove, and God spoke from heaven (luke 3:21-22). In this picture we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all presented together, all working together, and yet each one completing a separate task.
Here's a simple way to explain the separate roles that God the Father; God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have in our kids' lives.
1. God is the Father; he's the one they're to pray to, trust, and develop a relationship with.
2. Jesus is God's Son, and he died for us so that we could join God's family; he's our Savior and role model.
3. The Holy Spirit helps us get to know God, learn from him, and grow as his children, and he directs and guides us into the life that God has designed for us.
God is greater than we can comprehend. But he's described himself thoroughly so that we can better relate to him and can understand that he's more than able to love us and take care of us individually and completely, as our Heavenly Father.
For some children, this apparent contradiction isn't a problem at all. They simply accept that that's the way God is, and that's wonderful. But other kids try to understand it rationally. In talking with that second group, we have a choice: (1) we can try to explain the Trinity in accurate theological terms (assuming we can do that!), (2) we can try to avoid an explanation by telling them that "that's just the way God is" (which goes counter to everything else we're trying to do in helping our kids relate to God!) or (3) we can try to explain the Trinity in the simplest possible terms and help our children understand what that concept means in their lives.
Perhaps the easiest way to explain "one God, three persons" is this. We as human beings understand complete separation: each one of us can be in only one spot at one time, we know only what we've learned (and not what somebody else has learned), we can think only our thoughts (and not somebody else's), and we all have different abilities. But what if our limitations suddenly disappeared? What if all of us could be everywhere at the same time instead of in only one spot? Then all of us would be everywhere! What if all of us suddenly knew everything? Then all of us would know everything and thus have exactly the same knowledge. And so on.
We can only imagine what it would be like, but in the case of God it is true. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all can do anything, all know everything, and all are absolutely everywhere at the same time; so they're one in thought, knowledge, presence, power, and ability. Yet they're different. What is it that separates them? It's their unique persons, each with a separate task.
When Jesus was on earth he was baptized in water by John the Baptist. The gospels tell us that when he came out of the water, the Holy Spirit came down on him like a dove, and God spoke from heaven (luke 3:21-22). In this picture we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all presented together, all working together, and yet each one completing a separate task.
Here's a simple way to explain the separate roles that God the Father; God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have in our kids' lives.
1. God is the Father; he's the one they're to pray to, trust, and develop a relationship with.
2. Jesus is God's Son, and he died for us so that we could join God's family; he's our Savior and role model.
3. The Holy Spirit helps us get to know God, learn from him, and grow as his children, and he directs and guides us into the life that God has designed for us.
God is greater than we can comprehend. But he's described himself thoroughly so that we can better relate to him and can understand that he's more than able to love us and take care of us individually and completely, as our Heavenly Father.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
God knows everything (He is Omniscient)
God knows everything there is to know. This includes all information that exists anywhere, as well as the knowledge of everything that's ever happened anywhere, is currently happening, and will happen in the future. It can be tempting at times to use this information as a threatening reminder that our children should behave themselves. We need to resist that temptation, however. Instead, we should present God's omniscience to our children as an incredibly awesome benefit to life. If our kids are in need of understanding or knowledge about absolutely anything, they can go to God and ask for his wisdom and his guidance and his direction.
"If any of you need wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone. He doesn't find fault." (James 1:5)
Solomon, a great king mentioned in the Bible, sincerely and wholeheartedly asked God for wisdom. God didn't just say abracadabra and all of a sudden Solomon's brain was crammed with all manner of wisdom and knowledge. On the contrary, Solomon started on a journey when he bagan trusting God to teach him. He learned to pursue wisdom and knowledge with all his heart while being tuned in to the One who knows everything.
Sometimes we think that Solomon's wisdom was limited to knowing how to handle people and life situations properly. But the Bible and history record that Solomon, besides being a great king, was also a master builder; an expert in botany and zoology, and a master of finance, commerce, and international trade. He made his country and his people so wealthy that silver became worthless and was piled up in the streets.
We should also make clear to our kids that there's a big difference between information and wisdom. We can get information from books and the internet, but wisdom comes from God. Information is stuff that can be stored on CD's and jump drives. But all the information in the world can't help us live life the way God intended it. Wisdom, on the other hand, is knowing and being able to apply the principles that God gave us to function in harmony with the way he created life to work. Solomon himself tells us over and over in the Old Testament book of Proverbs that the key to life is wisdom and the key to wisdom is trusting the One who created and knows everything.
A great way to help our children understand the benefit of their Heavenly Father knowing everything is to tell them that they have, with them and on their side, the greatest teacher, coach, trainer, financial adviser, career counselor, family counselor, and overall life-planning expert possible.
"If any of you need wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone. He doesn't find fault." (James 1:5)
Solomon, a great king mentioned in the Bible, sincerely and wholeheartedly asked God for wisdom. God didn't just say abracadabra and all of a sudden Solomon's brain was crammed with all manner of wisdom and knowledge. On the contrary, Solomon started on a journey when he bagan trusting God to teach him. He learned to pursue wisdom and knowledge with all his heart while being tuned in to the One who knows everything.
Sometimes we think that Solomon's wisdom was limited to knowing how to handle people and life situations properly. But the Bible and history record that Solomon, besides being a great king, was also a master builder; an expert in botany and zoology, and a master of finance, commerce, and international trade. He made his country and his people so wealthy that silver became worthless and was piled up in the streets.
We should also make clear to our kids that there's a big difference between information and wisdom. We can get information from books and the internet, but wisdom comes from God. Information is stuff that can be stored on CD's and jump drives. But all the information in the world can't help us live life the way God intended it. Wisdom, on the other hand, is knowing and being able to apply the principles that God gave us to function in harmony with the way he created life to work. Solomon himself tells us over and over in the Old Testament book of Proverbs that the key to life is wisdom and the key to wisdom is trusting the One who created and knows everything.
A great way to help our children understand the benefit of their Heavenly Father knowing everything is to tell them that they have, with them and on their side, the greatest teacher, coach, trainer, financial adviser, career counselor, family counselor, and overall life-planning expert possible.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
God can do anything (He is Omnipotent)
With all the big screen superheroes in our culture today, the concept of omnipotence isn't hard for children to grasp. However, we need to help them know that in God's case the power is absolutely true and real. We also need to help them understand the difference between God and the superheroes: God's power isn't the power of fists and guns; it's the power of love, compassion, and forgiveness.
Simply put, nothing is impossible for God. He can do anything and everything, and he's more than willing to use his ability to help, because he's love. The Bible says that nothing is impossible to the person who believes and trusts God. We should teach our children that no matter what happens in life or what they come up against, they can rely on the One who can do anything to help them overcome, solve, or get through the problem.
Simply put, nothing is impossible for God. He can do anything and everything, and he's more than willing to use his ability to help, because he's love. The Bible says that nothing is impossible to the person who believes and trusts God. We should teach our children that no matter what happens in life or what they come up against, they can rely on the One who can do anything to help them overcome, solve, or get through the problem.
Monday, August 4, 2008
God is everywhere (He's omnipresent)
God doesn't have a physical, in-one-place-ony body. He's spirit, and he's present everywhere all the time. But if you leave your children with only that description, they'll start thinking of God as air or as a formless ghost. It can be very hard for children to relate to a Heavenly Father who has no substance and is in no particular place.
So how can we help them understand? First of all, just because God is spirit doesn't mean that he can't be ina specific place at a particular time or that he has no substance. Angels are spirit too, but the Bible describes them as having form and substance. But while angels can be in only one place at a time, God is described in the Bible as being able to simultaneously be in one spot and be everywhere. Yet he's not depicted like air and without substance: The Bible talks many times about God's throne and throne room, allowing us to picture him with substance and in one spot. God represented himself visibly to the Israelites in a cloud on many different occasions, again demonstrating his willingness to be understood in a more concrete manner. And in Genesis the Bible talks about God walking in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.
One way to help your children understand this concept is to use the analogy of an aquarium. Though very limited, the analogy is effective for this purpose. The fish see the aquarium as a big place, as their entire world. It's impossible for them to see more than one small part of it at a time. However your children can look at the aquarium and see all the fish and their entire world all at once. Your children still have substance; it's just that both their field of vision and their ability to gather information are far greater than those of the fish.
While explaining this to our children, we can use the opportunity to reinforce the benefits of putting our lives in God's hands. The fact that God can be everywhere at the same time means that he can give each one of us his personal love and attention and be with us always. It's like having a personal teacher or coach as opposed to sharing one teacher or coach with thirty other kids. It means that when you talk to God, you never get a busy signal.
How can I answer my children's questions about God's omnipotence and the trinity?
When talking to our kids about how God is different from us, we need to be careful not to make our children feel far away from God by explaining these differences in a way that makes it impossible for them to relate to or comprehend. Instead, we can focus on how God's differences benefit us and make him all the more wonderful, powerful, and available as a loving Father.
It's important to cover three very basic facts about God to begin with: first, God has no beginning and no end; he has always existed and always will. Second, God created everything that exists, and nothing that exists came into existence apart from him. Third, there's no other God; he's the only one.
We all, at some point in our lives, struggle to try to make sense of these three facts about God and about other ways in which God differs from us. Our thoughts seem to trip over themselves as we wrestle with understanding these concepts.
It's certainly reasonable for our minds to spin a bit when thinking of these things. But it's not reasonable to conclude that because we have trouble comprehending or proving them, God can't be real.
It's important to cover three very basic facts about God to begin with: first, God has no beginning and no end; he has always existed and always will. Second, God created everything that exists, and nothing that exists came into existence apart from him. Third, there's no other God; he's the only one.
We all, at some point in our lives, struggle to try to make sense of these three facts about God and about other ways in which God differs from us. Our thoughts seem to trip over themselves as we wrestle with understanding these concepts.
It's certainly reasonable for our minds to spin a bit when thinking of these things. But it's not reasonable to conclude that because we have trouble comprehending or proving them, God can't be real.
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