C.O.R.E. Lesson 3 - Holy Spirit Power! Sunday at 10am.

The last lesson on Core Value #1 is already upon us! (Of course, it doesn't help that we launched halfway through the month, but still!)

This Sunday, we take Intimacy with God to the next level as we teach the kids about Holy Living and Forgiveness as essential to an intimate walk with Jesus. We'll look at the account of Abraham and his dealings with King Abimelech in Genesis 20 and end with an altar call focusing on being baptized in the Holy Spirit! We're expecting Him to show up and impact some kids lives as we hit the climax of a month of prayer and intercession for revival!

Don't let your kids miss out and please keep praying... not only for revival in general, but for this Sunday's kids church!

The Most Important Habit to Teach Your Kids

Do you have a child who struggles – or just doesn’t care – to attend to the daily habits of life?

My younger daughter is notorious in our home for failing to accomplish the mundane but necessary tasks each day brings. She’s 10 years old, a wonderful child and an excellent student, yet she often doesn’t brush her teeth, comb her hair, put her personal belongings away or take care of other day-to-day responsibilities without reminders from her parents. My wife and I have tried various measures short of hypnotism but with only middling success.

As much as we remind, prod, nag, force and discipline her to get these things done, another daily practice deserves just as much and even more of her energy and our emphasis.

I’m talking about devoting time each day to studying God’s Word.

One of the most essential spiritual disciplines for Christians is daily Bible study. Without regularly feeding on Scripture, we won’t grow spiritually. Neither will our kids.

This habit is just as vital for born-again children and youth to start as it is for adults. If our kids don’t develop the daily discipline of personal Bible study under our tutelage before they leave the home, will they realistically pick up this habit when they’re on their own? I know from my experience that I didn’t learn this practice till I was in my mid-20s. It’s a discipline I wish my parents had ingrained in me when I was growing up. It would have made a huge difference in my young adult years.

How many of us as parents emphasize the value of daily “quiet time” with God and encourage its practice with our kids?

Our churches’ Sunday school classes, Awana and youth groups can teach our children that this spiritual discipline is important. But the average church-going child spends two to three hours a week at church. Our child’s church teachers and leaders aren’t with her every day to ingrain this habit.

We as parents are.

The only way our kids will incorporate daily Bible study into their lives is if we as parents model it, teach it and – when our children reach the age and spiritual level where they’re ready to own this discipline – integrate it into our kids’ day-to-day routines.

What does this look like in a real-life home? Tomorrow, when I ask my daughter if she’s brushed her hair and teeth, hung up her coat, done her homework and put away her dirty clothes, I need to pose to her another question: Did you spend time with God today? In fact, that’s the first question I should ask.

What are you doing to prepare your kids to have daily quiet times or to get your kids to spend time each day in the Bible?

Jeff Smith is editorial manager of Awana. He and his wife have two children. Jeff has written three curriculum books for Awana.

Powerful Presence of God in Kids Church

The J-Team finally made it to the C.W. Playhouse this last Sunday and the C.O.R.E. sign went up. They were a big hit, bringing lots of laughs, but more importantly, this crack-commando unit got the point across to our kids about intimacy with God and how to get into HIS presence. Check out the proof below:

Teaching Children to Know When You Mean Business

When we teach parents to avoid responding to their children in anger we get a common reaction, "But my kids won't obey unless I get angry."

And you're probably right, but only because you've taught your children to wait until you're angry before they have to obey. You give your kids cues to know when you mean business. Those cues tell your child that it's time to respond because your action point is coming next.

There is a definite connection between action point and anger. Many parents use the energy from anger to finally take action. When parents learn to tighten up their action point, then they don't have to use anger as the motivator. In fact, anger can often be a flag that your action point isn't tight enough.

If you find that you've relying on anger to motivate your children, then it's time to make a change. First, though, you need to develop a new plan. What signals do you want to use to indicate that it's time to clean up, or it's time to go? Maybe you'll use the child's name and obtain eye contact and use the word "now" in the instruction.

When you're ready to make the change, talk with your children. Explain that you have been wrong in teaching them to wait until you get angry before they start obeying. From now on you are going to tell them once, then comes the action. If your child doesn't respond to the new cues then move right to a consequence.

You may use a warning at first as your children are learning to respond to new cues. This helps them see that you mean business, but don't add several warnings or you defeat the purpose. Develop a routine with your kids so that they know when discussion or delays are over and obedience is required.

We don't encourage parents to always demand obedience. Children also learn from negotiation, compromise, and cooperation, but there is a time for children to respond whether they like it or not. Your kids need to know when that is and clarifying your action point will help them learn it.

This tip was taken from the CD series, Eight Secrets to Highly Effective Parenting, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. You can also learn about an Action Point by reading the book Home Improvement, The Parenting Book You Can Read to Your Kids.

The J-Team Arrives in the CW Playhouse this Sunday!

Last week, Colonel Hannah "The Bull" Smith surprised us by showing up as someone else (She is a master of disguise, afterall.) and agreeing to help us teach the kids the Core Values of Prayer House. This week, she's promised to bring her whole team and teach kids the basics of how to pray. This is a Crack-Christian Commando Unit we're talking about, so it ought to be good! We hope your kids will join us for all the fun!

Check out the team Dossiers below to learn a bit more about this team of professionals:

10 Ways to Separate Ignorance from Willful Disobedience.

Author Steve Farrar wrote about the time he and his sons visited a conference center. Just outside the main entrance was a clear sign marked “Stay off the Embankment.” As Steve was talking to the conference director, he turned around and saw his sons running up and down the forbidden hill – playing and joking like the sign didn’t even exist. Immediately Steve started to yell and discipline his sons. He was incredulous that his children totally ignored this warning and pointed to the sign repeatedly. Then, through their tears, his sons asked what an embankment was.

Dads—how many times do we unnecessarily discipline our children for what they can’t understand? And how many times do we crush their spirit? A better approach is this – when our children seem to disobey, get down to their eye-level and ask if what they know they’re doing is wrong. If they do, then discipline appropriately. But occasionally they may not. And you have saved your little ones from a bitter experience. Separate ignorance from willful disobedience.

Here are the 10 ways to separate ignorance from willful disobedience.


Parenting is difficult. Discipline is twice as hard. It takes backbone and a strong will to do what is necessary to raise your children properly. There are times when we have a knee-jerk reaction to a situation with our children and we make errors in judgment as a result. Did our child behave that way because he really didn’t understand what he was supposed to do, or was he purposely defiant? Before we can discipline effectively, we need to know how to separate ignorance from willful disobedience. Here are some thoughts on the subject.

1. Stay Calm

Knee-jerk reactions almost always lead us in the wrong direction. We react before we think. Unless your child is in danger, a parent should slow things down. Stay calm and carefully consider what is happening.

2. Observe

It sounds like a science experiment, but in a lot of ways, that’s exactly what parenting is. Observation is critical for scientific success and the same applies to disciplinary success. Watch your children go about their everyday activities. Learn their habits and nuances. Know them as well as they know themselves. Having this knowledge will help you determine much easier when they are willfully disobeying you.

3. The Child’s Perspective

Think as your child would think. What might seem like a blatant act of rebellion to a parent might be something completely different to the child. Consider your child’s point of view.

4. Ask The Right Questions

Kids are smart. If they are in trouble and you give them a way out, they will find it. You ask your child “Son, did you mean to play baseball before finishing your homework?” The answer will always be “No, Dad.” You have to phrase your questions in the right way. “Son, what is our rule about playing before homework?” This way he has no option other than to convict himself. If your child wasn’t aware there was a rule then you will discover that as well.

5. Open Your Ears

Many times we are too busy admonishing our child for an indiscretion that we don’t hear the explanation. Always listen to what your child is trying to tell you. Don’t let the heat of the moment plug your ears from hearing vital information. Let them talk. They will either dig the hole deeper or give a reasonable account for themselves.

6. Mixed Signals

There are times we are guilty of setting our children up to fail. We give mixed signals when we aren’t consistent. One night you say, “No candy before dinner.” The next night you give your daughter a candy bar as a treat before supper. That certainly sends her mixed signals. Set clear rules to follow and stick to them.

7. Repetition

Children tend to easily forget things they never wanted to remember in the first place. Just because you have given them a rule once doesn’t mean they’ll remember it a month from now. When they break that rule, they truly may have forgotten it. Repetition is the key. Standard household rules should be repeated often so that ignorance is no longer an option.

8. The Same Page

Are you on the same page with your spouse when it comes to the rules? Most of the time, both Mom and Dad are NOT with their kids at the same time. In divorced couples this is obviously the case. Mom has one set of rules. Dad has another set. The child is left completely confused. Come together and agree on common rules that are to be followed and kept at all times. It will make life much simpler for everyone.

9. Exceptions

There will always be exceptions to the rule. Your son has a bed time of 8:30. You choose to allow him to stay up until 9:00 so that he can view a special program. We should be flexible enough to realize that there are moments in which the rules should be relaxed. However when those times arise, be sure to make clear that it is indeed an exception. If they do not understand what the word exception means, explain it!

10. Trust

You are raising your children and doing the best job you can. Chances are you’re doing a fantastic job. That means you’ve instilled them with character and a sense of right from wrong. Trust what you’ve done and trust them. Willful disobedience will happen, but much less often if you follow these guidelines.

AWANA Clubs Tomorrow Night at 6:30!

Invite a friend!

Be Firm Without Being Harsh

Some parents believe that the only way to be firm is to be harsh. Firmness says that a boundary is secure and won't be crossed without a consequence. Harshness uses angry words and increased volume to make children believe that parents mean what they say. Some parents have assumed that firmness and harshness must go together. One mom said, "The thought of separating the two is like listening to a foreign language—it sounds nice but doesn't make any sense."

How do you make the change? Two things will help you remove harshness from your interaction with your children: Dialogue less and show less emotion. In an attempt to build relationship, some parents spend too much time dialoguing about instructions. They try to defend their words, persuade their children to do what they're told, or logically explain the value of obeying. This is often counterproductive. Parents then resort to anger to end the discussion, complicating matters further.

"But," one mom said, "I thought talking and showing emotion are signs of a healthy family, leading to closeness in family life." And that is true when they are used in the right way. Unfortunately, when added to the instruction process, these two ingredients confuse children and don't give them the clear boundaries they need. These are two good things, just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Firmness requires action, not anger. Having a toolbox of consequences is important to help move children along in life. It's not optional. Some parents use anger as their consequence. These parents need more tools that will help their children make lasting changes.

If you find yourself being harsh, take time to reevaluate your response. More action, less yelling can go a long way to bring about significant change.


This tip comes from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes In You and Your Kids, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. In chapter 6 you'll find more honor-based parenting skills.

J-Team Intro Video

Click on the link below and check out the new J-Team Intro video as seen Sunday!