Join the Robinson Kids this Sunday morning as they cover for their Dad while he’s out of town doing a Kids Jesus-Sensitive Conference in Emporia, Kansas. 

The Holy Spirit has given all of us, including our children, gifts for ministry.  Our gifts may be different, but all are important and necessary for the body of Christ.  In this session we will be using the image of a search warrant to help the children learn about the six ministry gifts listed in Romans 12 and to begin discovering their own gifts. 

Before a search warrant can be issued, there must be some compelling evidence that one is needed.  Such evidence can be shown through our reaction to specific situations.  Different reactions are typical of the different gifts.

A search warrant allows us to dig deeper into hidden places to find more evidence.  We will be investigating the key verse, Bible characters, and our own lives to discover these ministry gifts. 

 It’ll be full of fun and educational all the way around!

Keep Connections Open

Some of the ways parents relate to their children work against emotional closeness. Be careful not to undermine your own efforts with actions that close your child’s heart. Here are a few examples of things to avoid:

1. Using anger as discipline. Angry responses, sarcasm, and mean words may seem justified at the moment, but they do more harm than good. Anger builds walls in family life. Firmness is important with children, but harshness hinders closeness.

2. Focusing on problem-solving instead of empathy. When children begin to open up emotionally, they reveal problems so obvious that you may have trouble resisting the urge to fix them. Be careful that, in your desire to solve problems, you don’t lose the emotional connectedness that comes through vulnerability.

3. Lecturing is another common pitfall that prevents emotional growth. Just because you have an important truth to communicate doesn’t mean your child is ready to learn. Some children shut down and just tolerate a lecture, missing much of the content. Teaching is valuable, but kids need parents to be creative and sensitive for them to learn life lessons.

4. Too much criticism also hinders emotional connectedness. It may seem that the fastest way to change children is to point out when they miss the mark, but efficiency may miss effectiveness. Children often perceive parents as critical, so be careful how you share negative information. Parents who use children’s mistakes as examples of what not to do often give the impression that the child can’t measure up—which, of course, decreases the child’s willingness to open up.

As you work with your child, remember that a soft heart is an open heart. We need to look for ways to connect before we can impact the heart.


This parenting tip comes from the book Parenting is Heart Work by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

As Super Sleuths, we are sometimes called upon to communicate secret insights received from our Heavenly Commander.  This classified information is to be communicated to certain people at a certain time by a certain individual.  The communication can be compared to a person’s recorded testimony or statement of truth called a DEPOSITION.  Just as this statement can be used in a court of law when the person himself is not able to be there, heaven’s deposition is given on God’s behalf to His people by His messengers. 

The super sleuth communicating God’s message is speaking under God’s direction in His stead.  These depositions are manifested through the gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues, and the gift of interpretation.  This Sunday’s session will show God’s desire to reveal heaven’s secrets to His followers and will encourage the boys and girls to follow Paul’s admonition to desire spiritual gifts. 

10 Ways to Read Your Kids and Make a Change

Whether you have multiple children or just one, being able to read your kids and make adjustments is important. Becoming good at this can be the difference that takes you to All Pro Dad status. Below are 10 ways to read your kids and make a change as needed.

1. Talk to them. Communication is the number one thing to develop in your relationship. Start a conversation and learn from it.

2. Listen to them. If you talk to them but never listen, it’s as good as not even talking. Listen to them and adjust accordingly. 

3. Ask them questions.  Communication is like tennis. Keep the ball going back over the net. Ask them questions so you can learn, then adjust.

4. Takes notes on them. We can’t remember everything about our kids, so take notes—notes about conversations, events, likes/dislikes. Read them from time to time and make adjustments. 

5. Play games with them. Playing games with, and competing against, a person will reveal a lot. It’ll show you how they handle adversity, frustration, and success, which will enable you to adjust as needed when those emotions arise at other times.

6. Spend one on one time with them. My kids love alone time with me. Their “love cup” is filled, but most importantly there are no distractions, which means I can focus solely on them.

7. Help them with schoolwork. This is similar to #5. You’ll learn a lot while watching them learn. You’ll see how they react to and solve a problem, which educates you on how to help them.

8. Read with them The books they read shape their minds. When you read with them, you’ll enter their world and can relate better. As you relate better with them, you can adjust to their needs better.

9. Tuck them in at night. This is another “love cup” filler. Some of the best and most eye-opening conversations happen around this time. Use it to learn more about your kids.

10. Huddle up with them.  Questions can help facilitate all of the above. They are designed to open conversation that isn’t surface level. When you get below the surface, you can learn and adjust accordingly.

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