You see it in movies and on television. You think about it, but do you actually take the time to complete the task? You know it is a great idea for your kids, but you make all these excuses and put it off for years. But, is it really that difficult? What is this undertaking I suggest?
Writing a journal, of course. We all have those moments in adulthood when we see life from our parents perspective. When we have kids, we see how they cared for us, and we understand things that were confusing to us before. We begin to see ourselves in similar situations taking care of our own kids. We can understand how much our parents cared for us, and how they could see our potential, as they watched us grow.
Life is complicated. People are complex. But, what if we make it a little bit easier on our kids to understand us and to understand themselves? What if they could read our thoughts and see life from our eyes? What if they could read about all the times that they were able to shine? They could see the child that God really created them to be.
What if your kids could read how awesome they are, and see how much you believe in them? They could find their desire to work hard in life and never doubt themselves. What if, years from now, they can remember the crazy, fun times together as a family because they can read about it in a journal? They could have joy and be ready to move on creating more exciting memories as they grow. What if they can actually understand how much God has blessed them with family, as He intended? They could be at peace, knowing that God is in control. They, also, could see the blessings that go along with God's good design.
I encourage you to start small. Keep a separate journal for each of your kids, and write just a five minute letter to them today. Then, once a week go back and write some more. Tell them about the day, tell them whatever you would want them to know as they read your letters to them years from now. I hope it's a great gift you can give your kids when that time comes!
Thanks for reading!
Melissa Seng
(If you enjoy reading my blogs, you can visit www.williamhseng.com. Click on the "contact" tab at the bottom of the page so that they can be sent to you by email.)
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Friday, September 22, 2017
Raising Christian Children in a Secular School Environment
Raising our kids, it's an exciting journey. We get to see them run around, having so much fun exploring the world around them. The gift in the journey is that we get to see the joy in their hearts and, at the same time, impact their lives in such a great way. We get to teach them the good in life, and we get to teach them that they are valuable. We, also, get to help shape their surroundings. To our kids, their environment is their world. For this reason, I want to talk about a few tips on how to raise kids in a secular school environment.
As I began discussing this topic with my husband, I questioned whether I had any credibility to write on such a topic. My kids are not school-age yet, and they are not old enough to make statements about their faith. They know truth, as they are taught the Word of God, but their faith has yet to be challenged.
The experience that my husband and I have in secular education for 12+ years, has encouraged us to dive in to this subject. We have had to overcome challenges in order to strengthen our faith and understand where truth originates.
In this blog I want to outline a few important points to remember as we raise kids in a secular world. I will have an entire checklist in my next blog, but the most important points I want to discuss at this time. Some of them are basic principles, but I want to emphasize why they are so vital in raising our children.
1. Display Christian values in the home. They will learn that the Bible actually matters. They will see how being obedient to the Word of God is a great blessing to our lives.
2. Attend church regularly. They will be surrounded by people who encourage them and help teach them purpose and morality.
3. Have them attend a good, Bible-based church camp. There are many church camps that do not abide by Biblical values, but my experience is that a good church camp can make an incredible impact on your life. Kids will be blown away that people in the world, outside of their family, actually care about them. They will see that they can act in good character and actually have a lot of fun.
4. Emphasize character more than accomplishments. We praise achievements with grades and sports, but it is most helpful to teach our kids to be kind and caring to others.
5. Encourage them to attend a Christian college, not just a church-affiliated school or secular university. Some schools are church-affiliated more so in name than in the standards they uphold. Christian colleges teach morality and truth. They help kids to makes sense of life and their learning.
I hope these tips are helpful and a blessing to you! To receive the full checklist, and my future blogs, visit www.williamhseng.com. Click on "contact" at the bottom of the page, and send us your email address.
Thanks for reading!
~Melissa Seng
As I began discussing this topic with my husband, I questioned whether I had any credibility to write on such a topic. My kids are not school-age yet, and they are not old enough to make statements about their faith. They know truth, as they are taught the Word of God, but their faith has yet to be challenged.
The experience that my husband and I have in secular education for 12+ years, has encouraged us to dive in to this subject. We have had to overcome challenges in order to strengthen our faith and understand where truth originates.
In this blog I want to outline a few important points to remember as we raise kids in a secular world. I will have an entire checklist in my next blog, but the most important points I want to discuss at this time. Some of them are basic principles, but I want to emphasize why they are so vital in raising our children.
1. Display Christian values in the home. They will learn that the Bible actually matters. They will see how being obedient to the Word of God is a great blessing to our lives.
2. Attend church regularly. They will be surrounded by people who encourage them and help teach them purpose and morality.
3. Have them attend a good, Bible-based church camp. There are many church camps that do not abide by Biblical values, but my experience is that a good church camp can make an incredible impact on your life. Kids will be blown away that people in the world, outside of their family, actually care about them. They will see that they can act in good character and actually have a lot of fun.
4. Emphasize character more than accomplishments. We praise achievements with grades and sports, but it is most helpful to teach our kids to be kind and caring to others.
5. Encourage them to attend a Christian college, not just a church-affiliated school or secular university. Some schools are church-affiliated more so in name than in the standards they uphold. Christian colleges teach morality and truth. They help kids to makes sense of life and their learning.
I hope these tips are helpful and a blessing to you! To receive the full checklist, and my future blogs, visit www.williamhseng.com. Click on "contact" at the bottom of the page, and send us your email address.
Thanks for reading!
~Melissa Seng
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Positive Vibes or a Good God?
"I need your positive vibes today!" "I am sending some positive thoughts your way!" It's the kind of dialogue we see and hear all the time. It's quite thoughtful and sounds great, but is it doing anyone any good? Is it okay for us, as Christians, to use this kind of lingo?
I am not a fan of the term "positive vibes." People do not always know what they even mean when they say it. But, for many, they are really saying that positive thoughts trump the Christian practice of prayer. People use to say, "I'll pray for you!"Now people say "I'll send my positive vibes your way!"
I'm sorry, but if I am sick, your positive vibes are going to do me no good. If you were to come visit me, you could cheer me up, out of the goodness of your heart, or pray. According to the Word of God, prayer is powerful and effective. James 5:16 says, "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
The idea that we need to rise up positive energy from the universe to use for our own good is a New Age belief. As Christians, we believe that positive energy comes from God. Everything comes from God because he created everything out of nothing. We are not to worship the energy, but to recognize where the positive energy originates.
Zig Ziglar, a motivational speaker and Christian, taught that positive thoughts -> positive action -> positive results -> positive emotion. We are not to act purely out of emotion, but out of our knowledge from the Word of God. We can have joy (emotion) because we first know that we have eternal life (thoughts). We know that good things are to come, so we can have peace and joy in this life.
Sometimes if we do not feel positive or happy, instead of just doing a happy dance, we can think about why we are to be happy. Scripture tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to "be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." By being grateful for our blessings we can have joy in our hearts. Romans 8:28 tells us that "in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him." We can be positive today in knowing that God works for our good.
I hope this blog encourages you today!
Thanks for reading!
~Melissa Seng
I am not a fan of the term "positive vibes." People do not always know what they even mean when they say it. But, for many, they are really saying that positive thoughts trump the Christian practice of prayer. People use to say, "I'll pray for you!"Now people say "I'll send my positive vibes your way!"
I'm sorry, but if I am sick, your positive vibes are going to do me no good. If you were to come visit me, you could cheer me up, out of the goodness of your heart, or pray. According to the Word of God, prayer is powerful and effective. James 5:16 says, "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
The idea that we need to rise up positive energy from the universe to use for our own good is a New Age belief. As Christians, we believe that positive energy comes from God. Everything comes from God because he created everything out of nothing. We are not to worship the energy, but to recognize where the positive energy originates.
Zig Ziglar, a motivational speaker and Christian, taught that positive thoughts -> positive action -> positive results -> positive emotion. We are not to act purely out of emotion, but out of our knowledge from the Word of God. We can have joy (emotion) because we first know that we have eternal life (thoughts). We know that good things are to come, so we can have peace and joy in this life.
Sometimes if we do not feel positive or happy, instead of just doing a happy dance, we can think about why we are to be happy. Scripture tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to "be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." By being grateful for our blessings we can have joy in our hearts. Romans 8:28 tells us that "in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him." We can be positive today in knowing that God works for our good.
I hope this blog encourages you today!
Thanks for reading!
~Melissa Seng
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