Children and Worship

Reading about Susannah Wesley and the way that she ran her home has always inspired me and challenged me. To be honest, it has awed me. I believe that the Lord at certain times in history places His hand upon parents in a special way. He does this when He is preparing to use their children in a great work of His hand. We see this in the lives of Moses' parents; we see it in the life of Susannah Wesley, the mother of the great evangelist John Wesley and his brother-hymnwriter Charles. 

The other day, I read a story about Susannah that pertained to the way that she raised her children. It really encouraged me and spurred me on to press on with my little ones. We all have to admit that though there are many joys in bringing children up, there are also challenges and discouragement that comes along with the territory. We are not raising robots; we are raising fellow sinners saved by grace with wills sometimes as strong as iron. We have need of perseverance and I love how this story involving Susannah and one of her children speaks to this aspect of parenting. She was teaching one of her young children a piece of information in one of their lessons and her husband was listening. She repeated the same lesson over and over again and her husband interrupted her to say, "I wonder at your patience. You have told that child the same thing twenty times." She answered him with these words: "If I had satisfied myself in mentioning it only 19 times, I should have lost all my labor. It was the twentieth time when the lesson was finally learned." 

We have an opportunity as parents to lovingly and patiently impress lessons upon our child's hearts. They are listening. God has given us authority over them--but only for a short time. We have an opportunity by the grace of God, to be "unusual" parents--the kind that teach the lesson twenty times. God will reward us for our diligence and give us the strength that we don't have in our own flesh. One of these areas is teaching our children to worship. 

I believe that this is an area that is vital in encouraging children toward having a heart that loves and reveres our great God. Teaching our children to worship at home and in church is a tremendous part of their understanding of who God is and of how He impacts and relates to them--and what response this should illicit from them. 

This week, I've compiled some idea for encouraging children to worship in the house of God. Next week, I'll share some ideas for encouraging children to worship God in our homes. I pray that these would be an encouragement and I would love to hear your ideas as well! 

Encouraging Children to Worship in the House of God

Ideas for involving children in worship:

Preparing children for church~

• Talk to children about church during the week; encourage children to be excited about going to church. Talk about how wonderful it is to be able to go into God's house and to meet with God's people. 
• Prepare clothing, bags, anything else that is needed beforehand so that the morning isn't chaotic and rushed.
• Play hymns/quiet music in the morning before going to church. Encourage a quiet atmosphere in the home that will be helpful in encouraging young, active children to sit still in church.
• "Play" church at home. My kids love this! They will "act out" the service and play the different roles of Pastor, song leader, etc. It prepares their little hearts for "real" worship and sets the stage for participating in "real" church.
• Practice sitting still at home. For a while, I believed that the Lord laid upon my heart to teach my children to sit quietly in church through listening to sermons at home together while they were expected to sit quietly. This was helpful in going to "real" church where they are expected to sit through the service quietly (this does not always happen, of course, but it is a work in progress! :-))
• Talk about people who attend your church in a positive way during the week. Talk about how we are excited to see them, etc., and how good it is to be able to worship with the people of God. 

Encouraging children toward a worshipful and reverent attitude in church:

• Encourage children and set an example of wearing our "best" to church (something special, according to your convictions). Iron it and prepare it ahead of time. Let your children see you do this.
• From when children are very small, teach them to regard the sanctuary of the church as a special place to meet with God in worship. Encourage children not to run or shout in the sanctuary. Speak quietly as you enter the sanctuary and demonstrate a quiet, reverent attitude for your children. 
• Children should speak quietly in the sanctuary as the family sits down and settles into their pew; help children to practice this.
• Talk quietly to a child about each aspect of the service (without distracting those around you). Direct them to focus on what is taking place in the service. 

Encouraging Children to be Involved in Church: 

• Let children hold a hymnal; encourage them to follow along and to sing the hymns and if they are not able to read yet, to hum the tunes of the hymns!
• Let children bring an offering or hold the family's offering and let them put it into the plate as it is passed around. 
• Point out the different leaders in the church. 
• Encourage children to listen to the speaker as they bring the Word. 
• Demonstrate an attitude of serving/helping at various functions that the church holds. Encourage children to come alongside in helping at these functions rather than always allowing them to play while the adults work. 

Enjoying children in church:

• At times we wish that we could listen to the sermon/be able to worship ourselves without distraction. Remember that children are only little once--for a very small window of time. Cherish this time of training your children in church while they are young--this season will soon pass, and you'll probably wish that you could have it back! 
• Remember our Lord's admonition to Peter to "feed (His) sheep." What a blessing and a privilege it is for us as parents to train these little ones in the ways of the Lord! 
• Be thankful for the little souls next to you in the pew and enjoy watching them worship as little children. They can actually teach us a lot about true worship. 

Of course, many of these ideas will look different at different ages/stages of a child's life . . . the goal is not perfection, but purpose. Are we purposing in our hearts as parents to teach our children how to reverently worship the Lord? Or are we distracted or distanced from our children? It may also look different for different families--some families have one child; some have 7; obviously the dynamic in the pew might change according to the number of children a person has. Family situations are different. Some people face parenting alone as a single parent or as the partner of an unbelieving spouse. They are trying to parent alone. God gives grace in every situation. Lay hold of His promises and obey Him to the best of your ability and He will bless you. 

Above all, press on . . . some weeks may bring discouragement. Children misbehave. Parents get tired and frazzled, but press on. The Lord will reward your efforts with your children and give you fruit as you seek to honor Him in raising up your little ones to know and to love the Lord. He will bless you. Do you want children who love and serve the Lord as they grow older? Is that the desire of your heart? Press into His ways and He will bless you--we will never train our children perfectly, but the Lord knows the intent and desire of the heart. Do your best and don't quit. I was listening to a sermon from Pastor Charles Stanley the other day that really spoke to me in regards to my children. He was talking about prayer, but this applies to any aspect of our walk with the Lord. Stanley said, "Just beyond where we stop is God's very choice blessing. When you want to stop, DON'T STOP." 

Train your children to worship. Help them, guide them, direct them. Children need and crave direction. Enjoy them; enjoy this season in your life. And above all, don't stop. 

You might find me on these link-ups:

Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Messy Marriage,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, SHINE Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday, Tea and Word

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas! Plus a GIVEAWAY!

*Please read to the end for a GIVEAWAY!!! 😊 

To welcome in the Christmas season, I thought that I would share a fun post about some stores that I love to shop from for people on my Christmas shopping list. :-) 

For those of us who don't have a huge budget and are not able to normally support small businesses even if we would like to, Christmas is a great excuse opportunity. 😊. 

And I would add a Scriptural principle into the mix here--as believers, we are to do good to all people, but especially to those of the household of faith. Therefore, I often try to support small businesses/shops run by Christians when I am purchasing gifts. I believe that this is just one way that we can show love and kindness towards our sisters and brothers in Christ through supporting them in their business endeavors--and they usually make/create beautiful things! :-) 

So, without further ado, I'll share some of the shops that I love below. These individuals create lovely products that make great Christmas gifts--they are also very easy to contact/get in touch with and are quick to answer any questions that you may have. Use the highlighted links below to check out their shops; maybe you'll find something for someone on your list that they will love from one or all of these shops! 🎄

Figure Eight Jewelry

Elizabeth creates lovely and unique jewelry that makes wonderful Christmas gifts! Her work is careful and meticulous and she is a joy to order from! I ordered a pair of earrings for my niece from Elizabeth for Christmas (shhh ;-)). They were delicate and incredibly well-made and carefully packaged. Elizabeth continually posts new pieces on Facebook; there is so much to choose from! You can find Figure Eight Jewelry on Facebook. 

A Brighter Destiny Productions

I have to admit that I am a bit partial toward this shop as Alicia is my dear sister, but even if she was not, I would highly recommend her works of fiction. Alicia writes beautiful Christian fiction; her stories are redemptive, heartwarming, and incredibly well-written. She is a disciplined writer who pours herself into her work and into every aspect of her books. Alicia recently opened a shop on her author website where her books may be purchased directly from her.  Her books are priced extremely reasonably and make perfect Christmas gifts, especially for those who enjoy Christian fiction with substance that is well-written. She is even running a sale right now! You may visit her store HERE--and she is offering autographed copies of her books as well when you purchase them directly from her. 

Little Hope's Blessings

This is a very sweet Etsy shop that is filled with all kinds of delightful handmade soaps, gift baskets, and other wonderful gifts. All of the items are prepared with great love and care and there is almost certainly something for everyone in this shop! I've enjoyed getting to know Ang a little better through blogging and I really enjoy many of the products that she offers in her sweet shop! There are so may wonderful listings right now! 

The Enchanting Rose 

Stephanie is a friend who makes exquisite handmade gifts. I love her shop because she offers free shipping in the continental United States, which is a huge incentive for me, along with the fact that her creations are lovely, very feminine, and highly "gift-able." If you have a someone on your list who loves pretty, useful, unique gifts, this shop is for you! Stephanie also ships extremely quickly and often includes "extras" in her boxes. You may shop directly through Stephanie's store on her blog. 

And there you have it! Four wonderful shops to visit this Christmas season! And you may do it all from the comfort of your cozy couch! I hope that you will find something for someone on your list! Go ahead! Be a blessing to someone from the household of faith! 🎄

And now for the fun part! If you would SHARE this post and comment below that you have shared it and where you have shared it, I will enter your name into a giveaway for the complete signed set (trilogy) of Alicia Ruggieri's A Time of Grace Series. The only condition is that you share this post and live in the continental United States. Please check back in a week to see if your name was chosen! 


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Giveaway Update! :-)
dguz your name was chosen as the winner of the giveaway! Please send me a message with your e-mail address so that I may contact you! :-)

You might find me on these link-ups:

Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Messy Marriage,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, SHINE Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday, Tea and Word

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving

This book . . . Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving--I cannot say enough good things about it. My children picked this book up in our church library; they handed it to me and asked if we could bring it home. We read it together and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to recommend it to my readers here. 

First, I must say what an incredible blessing church libraries are . . . my sister, who is an avid (voracious :-) is a better word :-)) reader organizes our church library and fills it with such treasures.  My children always find a book that they like and this time it was this one--

Partly because I grew up in New England and partly because I love history, the Pilgrims have always held a very special place in my heart. One of my favorite places to visit (we used to camp there when I was a little girl) is Plymouth. I love the cobblestone streets, the roar of the water at the Jenney Gristmill, and especially Burial Hill where many of the great men and women who risked their lives to begin fresh in the New World are laid to rest. 

I realized that Squanto, of the Patuxet Tribe, helped the Pilgrims to survive in the New World after their harrowing first winter. But this book, written by Eric Metaxas, delves more deeply into the details of Squanto's early life and of his conversion to Christianity that I was not aware of. This book fascinated me. I never realized that Squanto was captured as a young boy and sold as a slave in Spain. I never realized that sincere, compassionate monks bought him and treated him kindly, and then found a way for him to return to his native land. The seed of Christianity was planted in his heart through the loving example of those humble men of God. When Squanto returned to the village where he was born, he learned to his devastation that his entire village had been wiped out--not one member of his tribe had survived--except him--because he had been sold as a slave and had been delayed from returning to his village. 

Truly, the Lord worked in a marvelous way in this young Native American's life, using, like Joseph, men's evil for ultimate good in the life of Squanto and ultimately for the good of the Pilgrims who were struggling to survive in an unfamiliar place.  Squanto was instrumental in helping the Pilgrims to learn to hunt, fish, and plant in the New World. He could even communicate with the Pilgrims as he had learned their language while in captivity. His long confinement had turned into a blessing both for himself and for those around him. What men intended for evil, God used for good. 

This book is so well worth reading--the paperback is priced extremely reasonably on Amazon. It is definitely a worthwhile book to add to your family library. Eric Metaxas lends his usual wonderful writing style to the book and it is such a rich, historic story suitable for children and adults alike.