This month’s Toolbox Resource is made up of two main parts.
Part one, Ten Ways To Utilize M2P More Effectively, was designed and created for you as a children’s ministry leader. It’s a curated list of ten ways you can utilize M2P more effectively in your children’s ministry.
Part two, Discipleship Starts At Home: Romans, was designed and created for you to use to equip the parents within your span of care as they seek to be the primary disciplers of the kids in their homes. This discipleship and bible study resource is the second installment of a very popular resource (actually several resources that have been bundled together) that we previously provided for the book of John.
PART ONE:
Ten Ways To Utilize M2P More Effectively
HOW TO USE IT
Download the Ten Ways To Utilize M2P More Effectively PDF.
Read and explore all the resources that your M2P subscription provides you.
Discuss with your ministry team ways you can implement some of these ideas/resources to be more effective in encouraging, equipping, educating, and training the parents within your span of care.
PART TWO:
Discipleship Starts At Home: Romans
BIG QUESTIONS. SIMPLE ANSWERS. is a brief e-book that offers parents a way to learn and explain the Bible’s Big Story to their children in an easy-to-understand format. The topics are:
What is the Big Story of the Bible?
Why do we have four Gospels?
What is the Good News?
What is the Bible?
Who is God’s Family?
FAMILY BIBLE STUDY: ROMANS is one of M2P’s Family Bible Series that is designed to help parents lead their kids through a book of the Bible and have spiritual conversations as a family. This study is all done for you and is simple to use. It includes:
Book Summary that comes complete with descriptions of the setting, overview, and theme of Romans.
Daily Reading Plan that breaks each of the 16 chapters of Romans down chapter by chapter into seven themes.
Family Journal sheets help guide the reader’s thoughts through each chapter. Every journal sheet corresponds with a chapter in Romans and provides space to write (or draw), share favorite words, and more. This section creates opportunities for spiritual conversations over dinner, at night before they go to bed, in the car, or anytime the opportunity arises.
Each of the resources found in Discipleship Starts At Home: Romans is designed to provide parents with a practical tool they can use to lead spiritual exercises and conversations that will help their kids grow in their faith and position the parents to be the primary spiritual leaders for their family. Each of the resources offers a different experience, and parents can use one or multiple of them as they seek to help their kids grow into true disciples of Jesus.
HOW TO USE IT
Download Discipleship Starts At Home: Romans containing the two resources.
Post the resources on your website or email parents a copy of the resources.
Encourage parents to set aside some time this month to use one or more of these discipleship resources with their kids.
Print copies of the resources for parents to grab at church.
Subject Line: Getting the Help You Need as a Parent
Dear Parents,
Do you ever have one of those days when everything you do as a parent seems to push someone in your home over the edge or just plain make you crazy? It happens. Things begin to go down the wrong path, and you are not quite sure where to turn or what to do. You often need a moment to collect yourself and attempt to get it all together. You also need some direction, help, or ideas that will lead you to a different result.
This month’s Online Parenting Class will encourage you to make sure that you are taking the time to find the resources you need to grow as a parent and give you some ideas about where you can look. There is so much out there that can help you gain knowledge, shift your perspective, or simply give you encouragement as you walk down this parenting road. Ask yourself, “Am I taking advantage of the parenting resources that are out there to help me lead my family well?” Know that we are here to help, and we can point you to some of the resources you need. Don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know what you need or how we can be praying for you and your family.
You likely know this, but as a parent, you play a significant role in the spiritual health, growth, and development of your children. Actually, according to the Bible, you are the primary spiritual leader for your kids. Hearing that may have made you cringe a little or make your hands start to sweat, but the truth is that you are perfectly positioned to be the best spiritual leader your kids could ever have. It’s God’s design.
One way to encourage spiritual growth in your children is to model a strong and consistent faith yourself. Your kids are watching you lead by example as they try to decipher what following Jesus actually looks like. That’s why it’s important for you to spiritually lead them by example. In fact, this month, we are providing you with a Parent Toolbox Resource that will help you do just that. Discipleship StartsAtHome: Romans is a resource designed to help you lead your child through a book of the Bible and have spiritual conversations as a family. This study is all done for you and is simple to use. It includes:
▪ Book Summary that comes complete with descriptions of the setting, overview, and theme of Romans.
▪ Daily Reading Plan that breaks each of the 16 chapters of Romans down chapter by chapter into seven themes.
▪ Family Journal sheets help guide the reader’s thoughts through each chapter. Every journal sheet corresponds with a chapter in Romans and provides space to write (or draw), share favorite words, and more. This section creates opportunities for spiritual conversations over dinner, at night before they go to bed, in the car, or anytime the opportunity arises.
To watch this month’s Online Parenting Class video, click the link below.
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: Learning and Growing as a Parent
Dear Parents,
Have you ever heard the phrase “leaders are learners?” If not, you have likely heard some version of it. We all know that we have to learn more about the things we are involved with if we are going to hone our craft and get better. We go to conferences, listen to podcasts, and read books that help us in our careers or hobbies. We want to get better, and we take the time to grow and learn.
And those of us who lead at church know that one of the things you want to get better at is parenting. Not only do you want to be a good parent, but you want to be a great parent. It’s the most important role you have, and it’s a big job. Your kids need you, and you need help in order to be the best version of you as you lead and guide them. As you move through life and attempt to learn and grow as a parent, there are lots of resources that can help you along the way. There are books, articles, online classes, and groups you can join. We want to help point you to the resources and help you need to be the parent God has called you to be.
If you haven’t watched this month’s Online Parenting Class Video, you still have time. It will help you think deeper about how you can learn and grow as a parent and point you in a direction you can go to find the help you need. We also have an online article called “Ages & Stages- What To Expect As Your Child Grows” and exercises you can do at home (like this month’s Parent Toolbox Resource, Discipleship StartsAtHome: Romans) to help you create the parenting rhythm you need to continue growing and learning. Make sure you are taking advantage of the resources that are available to you, and know that we are always here to help. To read the blog article or watch the video, click on the links below.
We are in this together! Let us know if there is ever anything we can do for you or your family.
Praying for you as you lead at home,
[INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE]
M2P February KIDS Parent Video Script
I don’t know if this was true for you, but I remember when our first child was born bringing him home and having no idea what to do. There was even this moment a few hours after we got home when his face went blue, it seemed like he couldn’t breathe, and my wife and I were really freaking out. Then, once he did his business in his diaper … all was well, and he actually gave us a smile. If I’m honest, I often haven’t known what to do along my parenting journey, and I’ve needed help. I bet you can relate.
As parents, we all want to be good at parenting. We want to love our kids well and give them the best possible opportunity to be successful in the world. We want them to be healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And in order to do that, we need to always be learning and growing ourselves, giving us the best possible opportunity to be the parents God has called us to be. Over the years, I have heard people say that “leaders are learners,” and I think we would all agree with that. We all know that in our careers or even in our hobbies, we need to be learning in order to be successful. I would argue that the same is true in our parenting. And I might argue that continuing to learn as a parent is one of the most important things you can do. Here’s why: Sometimes you can learn something about something, and you know what you need to know and what you need to do. That often occurs when the environment around the thing you are doing never changes. I’ve learned how to make sourdough bread, and I do the same thing every time, and I get the same results every time, and that’s because nothing around the process ever changes.
But when it comes to our kids and raising them, everything is changing all the time. First and foremost, they are changing. Literally every day, they are changing. Their body is changing, their mind is changing, their emotions are ever-changing, and the kid you are parenting today isn’t the kid you were parenting yesterday or the kid you will parent tomorrow. And then there’s the culture they are living in that is ever-changing, They are around different people each day, they are in different situations each day, and they are being influenced by different things all the time.
So, as parents, we need to be students of our children and students of the culture they are in, and we need to find resources to help us learn and grow. I’m not sure the “I hope we figure it out along the way” approach is a good one.
One of the best resources we can have as parents is other people who are walking with us along our journey. These could be friends from church or wise family members. We need people in our lives to bounce ideas off and encourage us along the way. Connecting with fellow Christian parents in community groups or churches can be a source of tremendous support. Sharing experiences, seeking advice, and praying together can create a network that uplifts and strengthens us in our parenting journey.
There is also an abundance of materials available. Christian parenting books can offer guidance on navigating various challenges, help you learn how to foster a nurturing environment in your home and give you practical ways to instill biblical principles in your family. Take some time to find a book that speaks to the specifics of what’s going on in your family and read it. Short articles can encourage us and give us regular insight as we seek to lead our teens, so create a rhythm of finding articles or blog posts to read regularly. Online platforms and courses tailored for Christian parents provide a convenient way to deepen our understanding of parenting through a spiritual lens. Engaging with these resources can equip us with the knowledge and tools we need to navigate the complexities of raising kids in today’s world while staying true to our Christian beliefs. I know your church wants to help you have the resources you need, so continue to be on the lookout for both what they provide and take the time to find things on your own.
So, as we continue to walk down this Christian parenting path, I would encourage you to actively seek out resources that align with your Christian values, remembering that growing as parents not only is a personal benefit to us but it’s also a gift we give to our children. When we take advantage of all the tools at our disposal, and we become better parents, it has a tremendous impact on our family, and the faith and lessons we pass on could make a difference for generations. Together, let’s embrace the opportunity to continually learn, grow, and deepen our faith and our parenting skills as we navigate the role God has given us to lead our kids.
Happy New Year, M2P Community! That’s right; it’s a new year—another trip around the sun together with 364 brand new opportunities for fresh starts, new adventures, goal setting, and fertile ground to be taken for the Glory of God! Sure, these are all great and even potentially God-honoring aspirations for 2024. But as exciting as that all is supposed to sound to us as children’s ministry leaders, for many, it sounds a whole lot more like limping back onto a hamster wheel of ministry that’s leading us down the road of spiritual exhaustion and ministry burnout.
Let’s be honest; there’s a lot to manage when daily navigating our children’s ministry life, home/family life, or both simultaneously. To say we are “busy” is often an understatement. The frantic pace of life we often live is leading us to a place of emptiness and exhaustion where we simply cannot give the Lord or our families our best. This emptiness, exhaustion, and “addiction to busy” is just as real and just as much of an issue for the parents to whom we are ministering. And yet, we all struggle to fight the natural push we feel towards taking on more—a constant pressure to do more, be more, offer more, and add more. So, in response, we tend to move from event to event, leaving little time for rest, reflection, or genuine relational connection. Our culture (and quite honestly, many of our churches) not only celebrate our addiction to busy but we are also taught to wear the “Well, I’m busy!” answer to “How are you doing?” as some sort of badge of honor. We have either bought into (or been pushed into) the ways of the world when it comes to the speed at which we think we need to operate. The idea of slowing it all down, creating a healthy rhythm, and caring for ourselves or the people we love and lead can feel like a pipedream.
It doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, it shouldn’t be this way. God has not created us, the families, or the ministries we lead to run at a breakneck speed—cramming in every little bit we can. We have been created to be in relationship with Him, in relationship with others, and to develop a pattern of life that allows space for both. God encourages us to be still and focus on Him. He wants us to rest in His presence and learn to seek His kingdom above all else. He wants us to learn that loving each other in true relationships is more valuable than being involved in more things, taking on more things, offering more things, or getting more accomplished. As children’s ministry leaders, we need to begin this new year with an openness to thinking differently in this area, and we need to lead the parents in our churches to do the same. When we choose to intentionally slow down, rest in Him, and live life according to what He wants instead of what the world pushes us into, our hearts and souls have the opportunity to settle down and better connect with Him and those around us.
This month’s M2P resources have been uniquely crafted to challenge and equip you, the leaders who serve alongside you, and the parents in your ministry to step into a new year with a resolution to slow down, rest in the Lord, and live life at a sustainable and healthy pace that honors Him. Our Coaching Video will provide you and your leaders with thoughtful insights, creative ideas, and practical steps that will help you create healthy rhythms. This month’s Blog Articles and our Online Parenting Class Video share some great insights about what we need as we all seek to rest in the Lord and live as He intends us to live. This month’s Toolbox Resource is called A Family Guide to Building Rest, and it provides parents with some specific disciplines and practices they can use to begin building habits and laying a foundation for developing a healthier pace at home. Our social media resources will help you reinforce these ideas to parents. It’s all designed to serve you as you serve and equip the parents in your church.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
– Matthew 11:28-30 ESV
The M2P Team
WHAT IS IT?
Learning how to build rest into our daily rhythms often requires us to be more intentional about implementing some specific practices and disciplines into our daily lives. Although these practices and disciplines are no “magic pill’ that will undo years of learned “addiction to being busy” overnight, committing to a more sustainable cadence of rest will, over time, help us to build the new daily rhythms we desire and so desperately need.
A Family Guide to Building Rest is designed to provide you with some practical steps to take over the course of four weeks to begin building habits and laying a foundation for developing a healthier pace that can help you to live in the way rest that God intends for you to live. Please note that this resource is titled A Family Guide to Building Rest, not A Parent-Only Guide to Building Rest. This is as important as it is intentional. Our desire is for this guide to encourage both you and your entire family to begin implementing these practices and disciplines into your daily lives. As a parent, your example of intentionally choosing rest over an addiction to being busy will help your kid(s) to rethink and reconsider the prioritization of slowing down, resting, and connecting with the Lord on a regular basis. With that in mind, tweak these habits and practices to fit your family context, and feel free to simplify steps or only use those your kid(s) can do along with you. Make sure to set aside a few minutes at the end of each week to talk together about what you learned through these exercises.
HOW TO USE IT
Download A Family Guide to Building Rest and post it on your website.
Email parents a copy of A Family Guide to Building Rest and encourage them to set aside some time to go through it this month together with their family.
Print copies of A Family Guide to Building Rest for parents to grab at church and let them know where they can pick it up.
As we move along in our journey as a children’s ministry leader, it can seem like one busy season of life, and ministry simply bleeds into another busy season of life and ministry. We are often working long hours and dealing with physically and emotionally draining situations. We get tired and often don’t have (or take) the time we need to rest and recover. We find ourselves feeling exhausted, not able to muster up the energy we need to do the things God is calling us to do. We feel guilty that we aren’t where we need to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally, and we can struggle to get it together and lead in the way we want to lead.
Parents in our church often feel the same way. They are juggling schedules and activities, and they feel like they are always on the run. They move from one practice or activity to another, finding just enough time for a drive-through dinner to feed their family. Most of them would say that they value rest and quality time to connect; they just can’t seem to jump off the hamster wheel of life and slow it all down. The pressures of the world and the perception that they have to be “busy” wins the day.
This month, we want to encourage you to both pay attention to your own pace of life and help the parents and families in your ministry pay attention to theirs. We all need to learn how to build a healthy rhythm that allows space for rest, reflection, and authentic personal connection. God made us to “be,” not just “do.” If we want to live the abundant life that we were made to live, something has to change in the way we approach each and every day. This month’s coaching video will address building a healthy rhythm and provide you with practical ways to do it.
There is no doubt that most of the parents we serve in our churches and communities are often running on empty. Their busy schedules take them from event to event, and they struggle to find time to catch their breath. Their family is always busy, and the relentless pace takes a toll on so many things. They rarely have time for the real rest, reflection, and soul restoration that they desperately need. They need these things in order to live their lives at a sustainable, healthy pace that leads them to the abundant life God has for them. This month’s Online Parenting Class offers an encouragement to parents to think about family life in a different way and take some steps to slow it all down.
As we move along in our journey as a children’s ministry leader, it can seem like one busy season of life, and ministry simply bleeds into another busy season of life and ministry. We are often working long hours and dealing with physically and emotionally draining situations. We get tired and often don’t have (or take) the time we need to rest and recover. We find ourselves feeling exhausted, not able to muster up the energy we need to do the things God is calling us to do. We feel guilty that we aren’t where we need to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally, and we can struggle to get it together and lead in the way we want to lead.
Parents in our church often feel the same way. They are juggling schedules and activities, and they feel like they are always on the run. They move from one practice or activity to another, finding just enough time for a drive-through dinner to feed their family. Most of them would say that they value rest and quality time to connect; they just can’t seem to jump off the hamster wheel of life and slow it all down. The pressures of the world and the perception that they have to be “busy” wins the day.
This month, we want to encourage you to both pay attention to your own pace of life and help the parents and families in your ministry pay attention to theirs. We all need to learn how to build a healthy rhythm that allows space for rest, reflection, and authentic personal connection. God made us to “be,” not just “do.” If we want to live the abundant life that we were made to live, something has to change in the way we approach each and every day. This month’s coaching video will address building a healthy rhythm and provide you with practical ways to do it.
Click the image above to watch the video or click HERE!
Learning how to build rest into our daily rhythms often requires us to be more intentional about implementing some specific practices and disciplines into our daily lives. Although these practices and disciplines are no “magic pill’ that will undo years of learned “addiction to being busy” overnight, committing to a more sustainable cadence of rest will, over time, help us to build the new daily rhythms we desire and so desperately need.
A Family Guide to Building Rest is designed to provide you with some practical steps to take over the course of four weeks to begin building habits and laying a foundation for developing a healthier pace that can help you to live in the way rest that God intends for you to live. Please note that this resource is titled A Family Guide to Building Rest, not A Parent-Only Guide to Building Rest. This is as important as it is intentional. Our desire is for this guide to encourage both you and your entire family to begin implementing these practices and disciplines into your daily lives. As a parent, your example of intentionally choosing rest over an addiction to being busy will help your kid(s) to rethink and reconsider the prioritization of slowing down, resting, and connecting with the Lord on a regular basis. With that in mind, tweak these habits and practices to fit your family context, and feel free to simplify steps or only use those your kid(s) can do along with you. Make sure to set aside a few minutes at the end of each week to talk together about what you learned through these exercises.
HOW TO USE IT
Download A Family Guide to Building Rest and post it on your website.
Email parents a copy of A Family Guide to Building Rest and encourage them to set aside some time to go through it this month together with their family.
Print copies of A Family Guide to Building Rest for parents to grab at church and let them know where they can pick it up.
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: Finding Rest
Dear Parents,
In the frantic pace of our daily lives, it’s too easy for us all to get caught up in an unhealthy pattern where we sacrifice so many things that can lead us to a fulfilling life. Can you relate? My guess is the busy schedules that run your life leave little time for true rest, reflection, and time to connect with those you love the most. If we want to live our lives in a way that doesn’t lead us to exhaustion, we need to figure out how to better prioritize things that will foster a healthier pace of life.
This month’s Online Parenting Class highlights the importance of slowing down and drawing inspiration from Scripture and the teachings of Jesus. It encourages you to make intentional choices that lay the foundations of building healthy rhythms for you and teaching your kids to do the same. The practical suggestions, such as prioritizing family dinners and scheduling downtime, will provide you with tangible ways to create a more fulfilling and purposeful family life.
It’s worth taking the time to reflect on how we can incorporate these principles into our lives. We encourage you to embrace a pace of life that allows your family to truly connect, recharge, and live the life you were made for.
To watch this month’s Online Parenting Class video, click the link below.
You can do this! We are always here for you if you need us.
Cheering you on,
[INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE]
EMAIL 2
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: Slowing it All Down
Dear Parents,
As we all seek to navigate the chaos of life, we quickly get reeled into a pace that is unsustainable. We sacrifice crucial aspects of well-being for the allure of constant busyness. We struggle to slow down and turn it all off, fearing we might miss something or get left behind in some way. It’s a real struggle.
We know that slowing down is really important. It gives us the opportunity to rest and reflect, foster meaningful connections, and embrace a healthier pace for our family. This month’s parent resources offer some valuable suggestions and encourage us to adopt a different mindset. When we make the decision to take a step back, recharge, and cultivate a deeper connection with each other and with God, we begin to live in the way we were created to live.
Take a few moments to check out this month’s Online Parenting Class if you haven’t already. Maybe share it with a friend. Read this month’s blog article titled “The Gift of January.” Carve out some time to go through the Toolbox Resource, A Family Guide to Building Rest, which is designed to provide you with some practical steps to take over the course of four weeks to begin building habits and laying a foundation for developing a healthier pace that can help you to live in the way rest that God intends for you to live. These resources speak to the challenges many of us face in the fast-paced world. It’s an invitation to reconsider our priorities, create intentional moments of connection, and lead our families in a way that aligns with our faith.
To read the blog article or watch the video, click on the links below.
We are in this together! Let us know if there is ever anything we can do for you or your family.
Praying for you as you lead at home,
[INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE]
M2P January KIDS Parent Video Script
In the speed and chaos of today’s modern life, it’s easy for families to get caught up in what can quickly become a relentless pace. We often sacrifice rest, quality time, meaningful connections, and an overall healthy mentality for a faux excitement that comes from doing something all the time … from “being busy.” You know how it goes. We have to get up each day. We have to get dressed, pack lunches, and head out the door to work and school. There are appointments and practices and homework and meetings. Sometime late afternoon or early evening, we get home, unless we have something that night, but eventually, we have to eat, bathe, and do homework, and finally, we lie down to hope to fall asleep … only to get up the next day and do it all over again. And we wait for our weekends, which actually are full of practices or games or rehearsals and church and so much stuff. It can all be kind of crazy.
As Christian parents, deep down, we know this isn’t the way it should be. We know that there are encouragements from Scripture to prioritize a healthier pace of living, one that echoes the biblical principles of rest, reflection, and a focus on our family. In Genesis 2:2-3, God Himself rested on the seventh day after the creation of the world, setting a precedent for rest and rejuvenation. By figuring out how to take time to slow down in your life, you can model the same rhythm that God demonstrated, and you can create an environment where your family can find a semblance of peace and renewal. In Psalm 46:10, the Psalmist implores us to “Be still, and know that I am God,” emphasizing the importance of quiet reflection and communion with our creator. Slowing down allows families to cultivate a deeper sense of awareness, fostering a deeper connection with each other and with God.
Moreover, in Mark 6:31, Jesus encourages His disciples to “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” This call to retreat and recharge is a reminder that even in the midst of life and responsibilities, taking a step back is crucial.
Hopefully, you can see that developing a slower pace for your family can allow for some real bonding and spiritual nourishment. In Ephesians 5:15-16, Paul advises believers to be wise in how they use their time, urging them to make the most of every opportunity. Slowing down enables you and your family to seize these opportunities, savoring the precious moments that can contribute to a more fulfilling and purposeful life.
I have a few practical suggestions for you:
First, I would suggest you make family dinners at home a priority. You may ask, “What does this have to do with slowing down and resting?” and I would argue it does. Making time to connect over a meal gives us all a type of soul rest that can slow us down. If we’re all eating at different times and on the go, it plays into the frantic pace of life, and we miss out on practical opportunities to turn it all off and, tune it all out and just be together. In seasons of life where our kids were busy with sports, church, or other things, we would often eat dinner together at 8:30 or 9 just to ensure we had that time to stop, eat, and connect. I’m convinced that making those family dinners a priority did a lot of things for us as a family, and I’m so glad we did.
Next, schedule family downtime. Often, when we have a free night or a free weekend, we might feel as if we need to plug something into that spot and get something done. You don’t. In fact, you likely not only need the rest, but you might need the opportunity to reconnect with your family. Now, when you have this downtime, you’ll have to work to NOT let everyone, and I do mean everyone, retreat to their devices and/or their rooms for their own personal time alone. Our devices make it so easy to isolate ourselves and somehow think it’s good, healthy time away from the chaos, but, in reality, we just get reeled into a different kind of chaos as we scroll, watch, or mindlessly play. Create a culture in your home where there are times of rest when the family is all together, having good and meaningful conversations and building your relationships. This will give everyone another type of soul rest that matters to our well-being.
Finally, figure out ways to regularly; I would argue daily, stop, and reflect on God. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Himself demonstrates the importance of rest and retreat. In Matthew 11:28-30, He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” As parents, taking time to focus on God and embrace a healthier pace allows us to lead by example, showing our children the value of finding rest and refuge in Christ. In doing so, we cultivate a family environment that is grounded in faith, love, and a shared commitment to prioritizing what truly matters.
So, don’t let you and your family move so fast that you are in danger of crashing and burning. Pay attention to how the frantic pace of life your kids might be in is impacting them. Recognize the need we all have to move through life, having a healthier pace, and do what you can to make sure your family makes decisions that will lead you to the life you were made for and really want to live.
As we attempt to lead the kids in our midst into deeper relationships with God, we have to make sure we are pointing them to the best place they could go to grow in their faith. No, it’s not Church or a children’s ministry. It’s not us as children’s pastors (ouch!). And as incredibly impactful as they are, it’s not even their teachers or small group leaders in your children’s ministry. Sure, the people who walk alongside them and the spiritual formation experiences they have at church are important pieces of their faith development. Still, there is one source that is essential to them growing into disciples. That source is the Bible—God’s living and active Word. If the kids we minister to can become passionate readers and studiers of God’s Word, they will be much more likely to grow and mature into an authentic, vibrant faith that can sustain them through the ups and downs of life. If we can help the families in our churches move from simply relying on what they hear other people say about the Bible to learning to dive into the pages themselves (and teaching their kids to do the same), they will be much less likely to have a distorted picture of God and how He operates in the world.
This month’s M2P resources have been created to help you elevate your focus on Bible reading/study in your children’s ministry and encourage the kids and parents in your church to spend more time reading, studying, and engaging with it. Our social media posts will help you to drive home to parents this month the importance of putting the Bible at the center of spiritual growth and development. The Online Parenting Class Videos will provide parents with some practical suggestions for making the Bible more accessible to their kids. This month’s Coaching Videos, Blog Articles, and the latest episode of the M2P Podcast will focus on you and those who serve alongside you in children’s ministry, growing in your own spiritual growth and discipleship while helping parents embrace their role as the primary disciplers at home. Finally, for this month’s Toolbox Resource, our friend and author Joel Lusz is providing you and the families you minister to with a 7-day sample of his 12-Month Discipleship Journal. This year-long devotional journal is an incredible resource comprised of short, dedicated, daily readings of God’s Word along with some pointed reflection questions and interactive prompts that will help the reader engage the Scripture, learn about God and His Word, and discover more of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Although originally written for teenagers, parents of slightly older children can still effectively use this resource to provide their kids with a catalyst for building the habits of daily Scripture reading, reflection, application, and prayer. Parents of younger children can also take full advantage of this resource as they read the daily Scripture to their child and talk through the discussion questions and prompts together. In fact, we think it’s such a tremendous and incredibly well-done resource that we want to provide you with a direct link so that you can pick up the full version of the 12-Month Discipleship Journal as an inexpensive resource that you can either gift or pass along to the parents in your church as a way to further encourage and equip their kids to spend time in God’s Word every day.
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:12-17 ESV
The M2P Team
WHAT IS IT?
For this month’s Toolbox Resource, we want to introduce you and the families in your church to a great resource from our friend and author, Joel Lusz. This 7-day sample of his 12-Month Discipleship Journal is an incredible resource comprised of short, dedicated, daily readings of God’s Word along with some pointed reflection questions and interactive prompts that will help the reader engage the Scripture, learn about God and His Word, and discover more of what it means to be a follower of Christ.
Although originally written for teenagers, parents of slightly older children can still effectively use this resource to provide their kids with a catalyst for building the habits of daily Scripture reading, reflection, application, and prayer.
Parents of younger children can also take full advantage of this resource as they read the daily Scripture to their child and talk through the discussion questions and prompts together.
In fact, we think it’s such a tremendous and incredibly well-done resource that we want to provide you with a direct link so that you can pick up the full version of the 12-Month Discipleship Journal as an inexpensive resource that you can either gift or pass along to the parents in your church as a way to further encourage and equip entire families to spend time in God’s Word every day.
HOW TO USE IT
Download the 12-Month Discipleship Journal Sample and post it on your website.
Email parents a copy of the resources and encourage them to give it to their older children or use it together with their younger children for seven days.
Print copies of the resources for parents to grab at church and let them know where they can order the entire journal.
As we attempt to lead the kids in our churches into a deeper faith in Jesus, we often do a great job of sharing stories from the Bible. We want them to know all the key characters and how God worked in their lives. We want them to know how God has worked in the world and the fact that He has the power to do miracles, including overcoming death. We teach them in many creative ways, and we have them take home crafts or sing songs that will hopefully help them remember what they heard. All of this is good and important stuff, but what if we took it one more step? What if, instead of just pointing them to the stories OF the Bible, we pointed them TO the Bible?
In this month’s coaching video, we talk about how we can help parents encourage their kids to grow in their discipleship by spending time reading and studying God’s Word. There is so much “content” coming at all of us, and we, as leaders and parents, must work hard to ensure the Bible is the primary source of information and inspiration for our families. Helping people become comfortable with navigating the Bible and getting them to a place where they read it on their own can be a valuable gift you give them as they continue along their spiritual journey.
This month’s Online Parenting Class talks about a few things parents can do for their kids as they attempt to help them embrace the Bible. If parents are honest, they often aren’t as comfortable with the Bible themselves, so they outsource the teaching of Scripture to the “professionals” at church. In reality, parents should be on a spiritual journey with their kids, and the way they engage and talk about the Bible really matters when it comes to the spiritual development of the family. There are some easy things that parents can do to both grow in their own faith and lead their children into a solid relationship with God that is not simply based on what they have heard about God but on what they have discovered themselves through reading His Word. When it comes to discipleship, the Bible needs to be a central piece of the way families grow, and this month’s videos will help parents take a step toward making that a reality.
As we attempt to lead the kids in our churches into a deeper faith in Jesus, we often do a great job of sharing stories from the Bible. We want them to know all the key characters and how God worked in their lives. We want them to know how God has worked in the world and the fact that He has the power to do miracles, including overcoming death. We teach them in many creative ways, and we have them take home crafts or sing songs that will hopefully help them remember what they heard.
All of this is good and important stuff, but what if we took it one more step? What if, instead of just pointing them to the stories OF the Bible, we pointed them TO the Bible?
There will come a time in their lives when stories fade, questions arise, and they will need a strong foundation to stand on. They will need to know where they can go to get answers and learn truth. They will need a resource that is everlasting and speaks to the true desires of their heart.
In this month’s coaching video, we want to encourage you and those who lead alongside you to continue doing what you are doing to lead kids in the faith while maybe thinking through how you can add a layer. The Bible is central to our faith and should become central in the lives of the parents and kids we lead. As you seek to be a better leader, check out this month’s video and think through how you can perhaps lead in a deeper way.
Click the image above to watch the video or click HERE!
For this month’s Toolbox Resource, we want to introduce you and the families in your church to a great resource from our friend and author, Joel Lusz. This 7-day sample of his 12-Month Discipleship Journal is an incredible resource comprised of short, dedicated, daily readings of God’s Word along with some pointed reflection questions and interactive prompts that will help the reader engage the Scripture, learn about God and His Word, and discover more of what it means to be a follower of Christ.
Although originally written for teenagers, parents of slightly older children can still effectively use this resource to provide their kids with a catalyst for building the habits of daily Scripture reading, reflection, application, and prayer.
Parents of younger children can also take full advantage of this resource as they read the daily Scripture to their child and talk through the discussion questions and prompts together.
In fact, we think it’s such a tremendous and incredibly well-done resource that we want to provide you with a direct link so that you can pick up the full version of the 12-Month Discipleship Journal as an inexpensive resource that you can either gift or pass along to the parents in your church as a way to further encourage and equip entire families to spend time in God’s Word every day.
HOW TO USE IT
Download the 12-Month Discipleship Journal Sample and post it on your website.
Email parents a copy of the resources and encourage them to give it to their older children or use it together with their younger children for seven days.
Print copies of the resources for parents to grab at church and let them know where they can order the entire journal.
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: Making God’s Word a Family Priority
Dear Parents,
When it comes to helping your kids understand and grow in their faith, what do you focus on the most? Is it taking them to church and having them involved with Sunday school and all the other events? Do you read them stories from the Bible, hoping that they will be intrigued and want to hear more? These are certainly good things that will contribute to them developing a real faith. But here’s another question: Are you helping your kids develop the habits they need to grow on their own and not have to rely on anyone else to have a vibrant faith? Sure, at this point in life, they need to rely on others for many things. But that will one day change. As they grow older, they will need to learn how to be more self-sufficient, and they will need the tools to do so.
One of the most important things you can do for your kids as they continue their spiritual journey is to help them feel comfortable reading and studying the Bible. As a parent, you have the opportunity to model to your kids what it means to read and study the Bible. They are watching you, and if they see you value time in Scripture, they just might, too. Facilitate times in your home where everyone takes at least some time to read their Bible and reflect on what God says. If you make reading the Bible a normal and natural part of life, your kids will develop a critical habit that they will need as they go through life.
This month, we want to equip you with some resources that you can use to lead your kids in spending time reading, studying, and engaging with God’s Word on their own and together with you. Our hope is that you will find this month’s Online Parenting Class Video inspiring and encouraging and that the 7-day devotional Toolbox Resource will act as a catalyst for building the habits of daily Scripture reading, reflection, application, and prayer in the lives of your children and family.
To watch this month’s Online Parenting Class video, click the link below.
You can do this! We are always here for you if you need us.
Cheering you on,
[INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE]
EMAIL 2
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: Spending Time in God’s Word
Dear Parents,
One of the things that we all seem to deal with is the fact that good things get crowded out of our lives. We’re so busy and so preoccupied that we don’t spend the time we need to spend on the things we need to spend it on. If we’re honest, most of us see this struggle play out in the amount of time we spend with God, particularly reading His word. We know that spending time reading the Bible should be a key part of our spiritual development, but for a number of reasons, we don’t spend the time we should getting to know God better through the pages of His Word. We’re content with listening to a sermon, attending a class, or maybe reading another book that tells us what other people think about the Bible.
But, if we really want to grow in our faith and effectively pass it on to our kids, we have to make time to learn more about God and how we can have a relationship with Him. We have to develop the discipline to make time for reading God’s word, reflecting on it, and discerning how He wants us to live each and every day. We have to model spending time in the Bible to our children so they see that we value learning about what it says. We don’t have to be perfect and have all the answers, but we do have to have a posture of learning and growing if we want our kids to do the same.
This month’s parent resources, like the blog article “Teaching Our Kids to Treasure God’s Word,” can help you discover ways to make reading and learning the Bible a key part of your family’s spiritual development. And if you haven’t watched this month’s encouraging Online Parenting Class video, you still have time. To read the blog article or watch the video, click on the links below.
We are in this together! Let us know if there is ever anything we can do for you or your family.
Praying for you as you lead at home,
[INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE]
M2P December KIDS Parent Video Script
As our kids are growing and learning in life, they are certainly encountering a lot of different things. They encounter different people, different circumstances, and different ideas. They are trying to process what they think and believe about the world. They are trying to discern what they think is true. They have a lot of input that comes their way, and we need to make sure that the things they are learning are pointing them in the direction we want them to go.
When we think about where we want them to go, a lot of things come to mind. We want for them to be successful, whatever that means. We want for them to be healthy in lots of different ways. We also want them to understand and embrace a true faith in God that will lead them for the rest of their lives. I imagine you wouldn’t be watching this video if you didn’t want that.
You see, just like we nourish their bodies with healthy food, it’s equally important to feed their hearts and minds with the timeless wisdom found in the Bible. When we do that, it’s like giving them a kind of map to navigate life’s adventures. The Bible is packed with stories of courage, love, hardship, and struggle, and the most extraordinary hero of all time—Jesus! Now, the Bible doesn’t specifically answer every question they or we have, but it does offer us hope for the future and challenge us to “live a life worthy of the calling we have received.”
As parents, we have the opportunity, and I would argue responsibility, to guide our children on a journey of faith. I think that we need to be careful that this faith that we help them develop doesn’t just come from things that we think we have heard over the years, principles that we have learned in the past, or vague Christian ideas that we think sound good. The foundation of this journey needs to be the Bible, God’s word, and what He says about us and the world. Think about the stories of Noah and the Ark, David and Goliath, Paul and his conversion, and Jesus as He performs miracles, demonstrates His love, and overcomes death. These are more than just words on paper; they are the building blocks of a strong, resilient faith that will anchor your children in the storms of life. Just like we teach our kids to tie their shoes or ride a bike, introducing them to the Bible can be an essential part of their growth and development.
Now, I know life gets busy, and it’s not always easy to find any extra time in the day to do one more thing. But I would encourage you to make spending time in the Bible a real priority for both your kids and for you. If you become more familiar with what it says in God’s word, you will be better positioned to lead your kids as they discover who God is through all that they encounter. And, if we help our kids get into the habits of reading their Bible, reflecting on what it says, and coming to God in prayer, they will learn and grow as disciples. Life won’t be perfect, and things won’t always go their way, but God will be with them.
As parents, we have a front-row seat to not just witness the formation of our child’s character and values but to influence it, and we need a foundation that is bigger than just what we think. The Bible serves as a foundation for instilling virtues like kindness, patience, forgiveness, and love. When our kids learn about the compassion of Jesus or the bravery of biblical heroes, they are not merely gaining knowledge; they are learning the essence of what it means to be a person of integrity and love. Talk about what you are learning, read stories together, ask your kids if they have any questions, and make studying and talking about the Bible a normal and natural part of family life.
So, in the hustle and bustle of life, let’s not forget the importance of cultivating a vibrant spiritual life in our homes. Know that your efforts, no matter how small, contribute to the growth of these little disciples who carry the light of their faith into the world. So, let’s embrace this beautiful responsibility that we all have and let’s dive into what God has given us, His Word, and let’s help our kids develop a foundation of faith that is built on Jesus and bolstered by their understanding of the Bible and their exploration of it.
