Pastor Bonnie's Notes

It's time to dance! It's time for our annual Kingdom Kids Party where we celebrate a child's decision to become a Christ follower.

Little Sarah will be at the party. She's four years old. She came up to me at the Christmas Eve service to tell me she had asked Jesus to forgive her sins and that she was going to love and follow Jesus the rest of her life. Her proud parents and have been a part of our church family for the last four years. Her mom is one of our preschool storytellers who later told me later the details of Sarah's decision to follow Christ.

On November 30, Sarah's mom had been on the computer and got up to check on her. She found Sarah in the other room with a princess dress on. Sarah told her mom, "I am dancing for God, and I have decided to follow Jesus all the days of my life. And when I get older, I am going to be bathtized."

Her mom asked, "Did you ask Jesus to forgive your sins and thank Jesus for letting you live in Heaven forever?" Sarah put out her hands saying, "Stay close, Mama." Sarah ran to her room, dropped to her knees, then thanked Jesus for forgiving her sins. She continued dancing and said, "I need to dance for Jesus, Mama. Take a picture, so I will always remember this day."

Has your child experienced the rejoicing dance? Let us rejoice with your child. Our Kingdom Kids party is for the family of any child who became a Christ follower sometime during 2007 (or previous years if you have missed our annual celebration) See the ad on this page for more details.

Perhaps as you read this, you are thinking, "I don't know how to help my child become a Christ follower." If you would like to know how to guide your child in this decision, contact me at baldrich@pulpitrock.com. I would love to be a part of preparing you as you ask the Holy Spirit to lead your child into a personal relationship with Jesus.

Click to view the Kingdom Kids ad

Posted by Webminister at 02:07 AM | Permalink

I have been smiling all morning. I just heard a frustrated mother say to her child, "You have reached your limit of questions you can ask me for the day." The child replied, "Why can't I ask any more questions?" If you have kids, you are smiling too, because you know how crazy you get with endless questions.

Children want to know. They are inquisitive by nature. Are you prepared to answer your child when he asks:

"Did God know Adam and Eve were going to sin?"

"What does God look like?"

"Why did I have a bad dream when I prayed before I went to sleep?"

"How can God be three persons and one person at the same time?"

"Why doesn't God just forgive everyone?"

"Why do you get mad at me if you have Jesus in your heart?"

"Would God send nice people to hell if they are not Christians?"

"What are demons?"

"What does my angel do?"

"Why does God let wars happen?"

"Why do we go to church if God is everywhere?"

"Why do people get baptized?"

"When is Jesus coming back?"

Do you need some help answering these questions? Our Children's Ministry is not just about teaching kids. It's about training parents. That's why we invite you to attend your child's class with him.

By experiencing the same lessons, you will understand the spiritual truths he is learning and get answers for the questions your child will ask you. Come learn with your kids!

Posted by Webminister at 08:05 AM | Permalink

Hang on to everything! The whirlwind is here. It's back to school time! We are frantically signing up our kids for music lessons, sports, dance, gymnastics, chess clubs, and drama classes. And we do all this because we want our children to fully develop their talents, abilities, and character. We love our kids, and we want the best for them.
Yes, these skills and experiences are an important part of their development. But don't stop with that! There is something even more important than all of this. Something that is foundational for all of life. Something that will truly equip our children for their future. That something is prayer.

I have been reading the book, Teaching Your Child How to Pray by Rick Osborne. He says, "Teaching our children to pray will equip them to face everything life has to offer...Teaching them to pray will put them in touch with the
Father who not only wants the best for them but who knows what that best is and has the power and resources to deliver."

So, if the Father has the ultimate plan for your child, if He has the power to develop your child's character, if He can equip your child with everything he needs to face life, if He can help your child to mature and grow through a relationship based on prayer, then why is it that less than 10% of the families who attend church pray together other than at meals?

If you need help knowing how to develop a life-changing prayer life for your child, you may want to get Osborne's book (available at any Christian bookstore). Rick Osborne teaches some of the "how-tos" of helping your child experience the presence of God. And who knows--it might even bring new life to your own personal prayer life.

Posted by Webminister at 01:53 AM | Permalink

Think how much harder it is these days to protect our children than how it was when we were kids. Our parents let us wander around the neighborhood as long as we came home before dark. They left us in the car while they went shopping. They left us home alone and didn’t even lock the doors.

But today, we are much more concerned about protecting our children. We want to protect our kids from physical dangers, personal traumas, and emotional crisis. Some children experience the pain of their parents’ divorce or the fear of a parent fighting in the war. Other children may be fighting a serious illness.

When children are surrounded by painful experiences, our tendency as parents is to try to compensate by being more lenient with our children--especially when it comes to discipline.

We do not want to add any more perceived negative experiences in their lives, so we let up on the discipline and we don’t deal with unacceptable behavior.

Because extra care and love is needed by children who have suffered loss in their lives, it may seem easy to just give in to a child’s demands. However, the over-lenient parent is not helping but essentially hurting the child. Yes, as parents we need to provide additional love, but at the same time we need to continue to be firm. By setting limits a child will have a greater sense of security.

Checking the condition of your child’s heart is a good place to start. If you find your child in stressful situations, don’t say, “I’ll go easy on him.” Instead, shower him with love and set firm limits. Giving him consistent discipline will assure him that there is control in his present world that seems out of control.

May Jesus give you wisdom as you parent your kids through tough times.

Bonnie Aldrich

This tip was taken from the CD series called Single Parenting: Brining hope and practical help to single, blended and reconstructed families by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

Posted by Webminister at 08:49 AM | Permalink

When you think about it (when you have time to think about it), our lives whirl around with so much business. We go to work, run errands, cook, clean, go to sleep and the next day it starts over. When we throw children in the mix, our whirlwind can turn into a veritable tornado with shuttling to school and activities, tracking homework and chores not to mention playmates and playtime. It's understandable, then, why we resort to reactive instead of proactive parenting. When the kids are behaving, getting good grades, and the house is quiet, the reactive parent sits back and relaxes from his role. But when grades slip, trouble arises, or the quiet home is in chaos, the reactive parent steps in to "fix" the problem then steps back again. The problem is that often the child notices the best way to get some attention is to do something bad.

You may have heard the phrase “parent driven” as it refers to our Children’s Ministry. The focus is for parents to become proactive about their children’s spiritual development here at Pulpit Rock Church. But we want to help you in this process. What if we could help your children to develop character more like Jesus, not because you told them to, but because they wanted to? Rejoicing in Right Choices is a 3-week PRC preschool program taking place in April that will focus on 3 Christian Character qualities based on the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5 and character qualities in Colossians 3. Read more about it in the article posted in this newsletter.

Dr. Bryan Davidson is a parent of four very active, beautiful children here at PRC and he is a Clinical Psychologist. He has noticed many benefits of using past Rejoicing in Right Choices programs. First, he says, the child was changing from “don’t do this, don’t do that” to focusing on positive attitudes and actions on his own. Second, he says, the parents changed from reacting to the normal daily routine to identifying and affirming virtuous behaviors and attitudes.*

The Christian walk is not about a system of dos and don’t,” Dr. Davidson says, “but about rejoicing in the positive aspects of a walk with God.” So, look for Rejoicing in Right Choices in your preschool child’s room in the coming weeks.

*Egeler, Kathy. ”A work in Progress: one parent’s response.” Christian Early Education. September, 2006 vol. 8, issue 1.

Posted by Webminister at 10:53 AM | Permalink

Eight weeks ago today we rushed through the hospital doors waiting to get a glimpse of our new grandson, Brandon Michael. We looked like a group of shoppers waiting for the doors to open at Target the day after Christmas.

We quickly entered the room where Brandon was being loved by his mom and dad and big brother Luke. I will never forget that visual picture. It’s now the picture on my screensaver. It’s the picture of a miracle.

The family (including all four grandparents) held hands to pray and thank God for this new life. Big brother Luke (age 3) said, “I will pway first…Thank you God for my bwudder bwandon (Brother Brandon). Thank you fow the nuwses and doctows that helped him get out of Mommy’s tummy…and that he will love Jesus like I love Jesus. Amen.”

I love Luke’s words, “That he will love Jesus like I love Jesus.” What a prayer—genuine and simple, yet profound. As Luke prayed, I sensed a smile on the face of God. For me, it was almost a holy moment. Don’t get me wrong. Luke definitely has his unholy moments. (We’re waiting for the terrible twos to end before he is four!)

But I am reminded of the need to teach our kids how to be holy in today’s world. Chip Ingram, president of Walk through the Bible, is the one who taught me that. Actually, Chip Ingrim has a lot to say on raising kids today. I think he is one of the greatest experts on child rearing, discipline, positive reinforcement, self image…everything from birth through teens.

This is why I am excited that we are offering Chip Ingram’s “Effective Parenting in a Defective World" six-week video series that will begin Sunday January 21, 2007. I encourage you to check out the details and meet me there.

Posted by Webminister at 11:28 AM | Permalink

It’s back to school! And as parents, we want to make sure our kids meet the standards in math, reading, language arts… We work on homework. We review spelling words. We create science projects--all to make sure our kids are grasping the standards set by the school.

What about the standards God sets for our kids? Are we spending evenings doing God’s homework? Are we reading His textbook? Are we reviewing His lessons?

Programming God time with our kids will help them develop a biblical world view. This perspective will help them pass the tests that God puts into their lives.

Need help getting started?
Kids Book of Devotions by Zonderkids may be a great addition to your homework evenings.

Posted by Webminister at 02:36 PM | Permalink

Three conversations to avoid in the car on the way home from church:

1. “That music was just too loud. They need to get rid of the drums.”
2. “The message was so boring! I was biting tongue to keep awake.”
3. (To your child) “What was your Bible story about?”

Why is it not a good idea to ask your child about the Bible story? Most likely he will look at you blankly and say, "I don’t remember."

So what do you ask your child in the car? You can know what your child is learning by going to the PRC website or picking up the teaching for the day when you pick up your child.

This way, when you get in the car, you do not need to ask, “What was the Bible story?” Instead, you can ask meaningful questions like, “Moses was afraid when God asked him to lead the Israelites. How did you feel when you heard that story? When have you felt afraid like that…?

Remember, the majority of spiritual life change for a child happens at home. Each weekend, we give you a starting point for meaningful application and teaching that you can use. When you reinforce what he has heard at church, it gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to make a strong impact in the child’s life.

So what are you talking about on the way home from church?

Posted by Webminister at 02:28 PM | Permalink

“To turn on the TV or not to turn on the TV? That is the question.”

Whether you use TV as a babysitter, an educational tool, or just for fun entertainment, we are all aware that we are viewing more and more questionable shows for kids. So, what’s the answer? Turn off the TV completely?

Randy Southern, author of Mind over Media, suggests that while we have a responsibility to guard the innocence of our children, using TV “intentionally” can equip kids to make right choices. So what does it mean to watch TV “intentionally?”

1. Put the TV in an open, common area where you can supervise it (Don’t stick it down in the basement or in a child’s room.)

2. Always watch TV with your child.

3. Talk about what you see: “What is he doing wrong?” “What lessons can you learn from his choices?” “What would Jesus do?”

4. Turn off the commercials.

5. Be aware of other world views shown on TV and teach your child about them.

6. No cruising through the channels - this will protect your child from attacks through images and commercials.

7. Be a model to your kids. What types of shows are you watching?

Remember, Satan and God are in a battle for your child’s heart. Pray and ask God to give you wisdom for the TV choices that are best for YOUR child.

Posted by Webminister at 02:19 PM | Permalink

Yes, I have already turned in my Christmas list to Santa!

If you are looking for that extra special gift for your kids, may I suggest you buy one that will not break by the New Year. In fact, why not invest in that gift that will get daily use all year. What might that lasting gift be? Why not purchase a daily devotional reading for your kids.

This can be a great way to teach your child to focus on God a few minutes each day. Here are ones I really like. You can find these at Family Christian Bookstore.

Me and God: Devotionals for ages 3 to 7 (Promise Press, Barbour Pub.)

Growing and Learning Day By Day: A devotional for young children (Tyndale Pub.)

Kids’ Book of Devotions by Mark Littleton: Devotionals for ages 8 to 12 (Zondervan Kidz pub.)

Posted by Webminister at 02:33 PM | Permalink

Children’s Ministry is here to partner alongside parents as they raise their children to know and love God. We realize the majority of a child’s life lessons take place not at church, but at home. Some of the best training a parent can receive comes by participating in the learning experience with their child.

This is why we invite you to participate in your child’s classroom at least once a month. 98% of your parents now serve in Children’s Ministry. While serving, parents learn three very important lessons:

We in Children’s Ministry want to give your child every opportunity to become a follower of Jesus, and yet respect your privilege as parents to lead them to Christ personally. With that in mind, we’d like to help you with that privilege and responsibility.

The Gospel message will be presented in Kid’s Clubhouse the weekends of March 29/30, April 19/20, and July 26/27 (2003). We will be providing an opportunity for any child who is prompted by the Holy Spirit to pray for God’s forgiveness. You may want to ask your child after church what he learned that morning. This may initiate a conversation with him about his salvation.

A - Admit
I am a sinner (Romans 3:23)
The result of my sin is death (Romans 6:23)

B - Believe
Jesus loves me and died for my sin (John 3:16)

C - Confess
Confess my sin and receive Jesus (1John 1:9, John 1:12)

If you want to be with your child when he hears this message, you are welcome to come with your child to his class.

If your child expresses to you a desire to ask Jesus to forgive his sins, walk through the “ABC” and read the Bible verses with him. Pray with him as he makes the most important decision of his life.

If you would like someone to assist you in praying with your child, or if you have any questions about what it means to be a Christ follower, please call Bonnie Aldrich, Children’s Pastor, 598-6767 x. 109.

Posted by Webminister at 02:25 PM | Permalink