Other than identity - who you are - the most important factor in effectively passing on the faith to the next generation is message: What you say – specifically, what you say about having a relationship with God. Almost every week I’m in a conversation with a coach or a parent or a friend who is trying to figure out how to talk to someone about having a relationship with God. Here are 10 ideas, specifically focused on talking to kids: · Read the Bible with Your Kids · Read Christian Allegories (Pilgrims Progress, Narnia Chron...

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This week the children at Emmaus will be learning about how God wants us to be kind.  The kids will be hearing the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37). They will be discussing the verse: “Love your neighbor as yourself” Luke 10: 27.  And they will be exploring the idea of “Neighbor.” Who is their neighbor? Who does God want them to be kind to?    Please help your child throughout the week to try to remember to be kind to family members and friends and even people who they don’t know. Encourage your child to pray f...

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There's another shift that needs to take place if we're going to pass-on the faith to the next generation: We must truly believe that love is stronger than fear. I think this is always true. But it is especially true in terms of Biblical character development. In the Christian story, love is the starting point, not fear of punishment. Some of us would probably say that our faith development was very much motivated by a fear of punishment – as in eternal punishment. And I realize some fearful threats exist in scripture, that there are Bibl...

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During Bonus Round on Sunday, the kids will make a book about the sermon series that we have just finished. Read the book together, and ask your child to tell you more about each of the 8 meals from the book of Luke. Read the passages from the Bible to put each story in context. Thay will learn about two disciples who met the resurrected Jesus while taking a long walk from Jerusalem to a town called Emmaus. Take a long walk as a family this week and talk about what it might have been.  Consider asking questions like these: Was...

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A four-week series of Sunday morning classes is headed our way.  Starting the Sunday after Easter, 4/15, and running through 5/6, all kids will be able to join in on a collection of fun elective style classes.  The courses will include:  cooking, babysitting certification, sports, dancing, and missions themed crafts.  There will be NO charge to participate!  Each class will be held from 9:00 to 9:45 in rooms or outdoor spaces through out our location.  And, parents will be able to relax and visit in the adult/paren...

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Why are Christians failing to pass-on the Faith even to our own children?

The value of one generation sharing the story of God with the next is one of the highest in scripture. But we don’t do this well.

I think one of the reasons we often strike out here is that we fail to appreciate our children’s capacity for spiritual insight. We dumb down spiritual mystery so dramatically that our stories lose their capacity to captivate.

 

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The Feeding of the 5000 is truly an exciting example of our partnership with Jesus in the restoration of this world. Author and speaker, Jill Briscoe, put it this way, “I’ve got a hunch Jesus wants my lunch.” Whatever we have to give, He wants it. He invites us to give all we have no matter how insignificant we think it may be and use it for the good of others. The disciples quickly identify the need to feed the hungry masses that had gone out to seek the healing power of Jesus. They see the challenge and immediately turn to Jesus for a...

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As our community continues this new series studying the meals in Luke, it is important that we recognize the amazing ministry Jesus carries out as he eats with different groups of people. In His gentle yet revolutionary way, he changes everything in their lives. He accepts the unaccepted. He loves the unlovely. He is kind to the unkind and fair to the unfair. He forgives the unforgivable in society’s eyes. No one is out of His reach. He loves each of us and those we least expect Him to love. He invites all of us to his table. This week...

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Are you looking for a great devotional tool to use with your children 10 and under to inspire their journey with Jesus? I have a great book that I have used with my kids that has come to be considered a children’s Christian classic. Step into the Bible- 100 Bible Stories for Family Devotions by Ruth Graham. This book introduces you and your children to the basic doctrines, about what it means to obey God, what original sin is, why Christ had to die and what is eternal life. Every story has a Bible memory verse- which I put on 3X5 cards a...

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Generous members of Emmaus have contributed to our Camp Scholarship Fund in order to enable the children and youth of Emmaus to benefit from Christian summer camp experiences. To apply for a scholarship, please email responses to the following questions to info@emmauscommunity.org: What is the name of the camp? What is the session length and cost? What amount can the parents/family provide? What amount can the student contribute? What is the requested scholarship amount? As always, come join us for church in Linco...

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