Question:
Very tight budget. How do I shop?
Answer:
When you shop, shop by dollar per kg.
Shop online and sort by “price per unit”. Buy the cheapest of everything that way but don’t forget to read ingredients. Canned food, for example, vary in percentage of contents. They’re not 100% of whatever you think you are getting. So add the percentage to your calculations.
Sort fruits and veggies in that order as well, so you end up buying what’s in season and on sale.
Question: I need a Christian Homeschooling curriculum.
Answer:
Do all three:
1. The Bible is the textbook.
2. Make a workbook of questions without answers.
3. Get them to write the curriculum.
Question:
If money is the root of all evil, should I teach my kids that? We are not well to do but we live off one income. Shouldn’t we be teaching them to be good stewards?
Answer:
Money is not the root of all evil. But the love of money that is the root of all evil. 1 Tim 6:10.
Jesus Himself was a businessman in the carpentry industry. Why is he a business person? Because he was not employed. He was self-employed. He had his family business on his shoulder as the oldest Son when Joseph died. Do you think he was a terrible business person? I don’t think so.
It is our responsibility to teach our kids to invest and prosper. It has always been God’s will for us to prosper. His desire is to give us a hope and a future.
God did not ask us to be poor. He asked us to help the poor.
Question:
Am I to have faith or prepare? Isn’t it my responsibility to prepare as a parent?
Answer:
We have faith but we still need to prepare as part of our responsibility, but it is about the attitude. We are not preparing out of fear but out of responsibility.
Also, when it comes to contradicting values or scriptures, it depends on the situation. Sometimes, God asks us to have faith, but sometimes He gives us a warning (I.e. to Joseph, to run from Herod with baby Jesus.) so it depends on your situation. And this is the same with a lot of God’s word. When you find it contradicting, you have to know which applies to your situation — you have to hear from God yourself. That’s why we do our devotion every morning. God will tell us how to prepare for the day, week, season, etc. He will give us a verse from the Bible so we know which situation we are in.
Question:
My 4.5 year old distrusts everything we say although we never lie to him. He argues every time we say anything, insisting that we are lying.
Answer:
That’s a very smart 4.5 year old. Sounds like he’s been lied to before, not by you but by someone else. And that he was hurt, and that caused him to distrust anyone. It sounds like he is scared and confused, and doesn’t know what to believe anymore because he’s trust has been betrayed.
Perhaps try telling him that some people do lie, but not mommy and daddy, and not this family, and see whether he can argue with that. Perhaps he will, and show you instances of the time when someone did lie to him. Then you know where it came from and deal with it.
If nothing comes up, you can continue with statements that ‘Christians are not supposed to lie either’. And see if anything comes up then.
Question:
6 year old weaning off melatonin. Takes 2 hours to sleep. Help.
Answer:
My theory has always been early to rise, early to bed. Can you get him to wake up at 5 or 6am?
If the house is noisy, I usually play wave sounds to drown the noise. If you have a Google Home with you, that’s easily done. Other than that, any phone will do. You can either get a sound app or play it on YouTube.
Also, just make sure he has had enough for dinner which means some healthy carbohydrates (not the bleached ones). Healthy carbs are like potatoes and brown rice. If your child is on a strict veggie and fruit diet, he might be too hungry to sleep.
Another way is try praying or worshipping really long. After praying about an hour, he should be sleeping. If that still doesn’t work, then play some Jesus Image worship. They usually go on for 2 hours. If you can find one session that makes him sleep, make sure to remember which one it is!
If not, just hold him to sleep every night for at least a week or two until he is cold turkied off the meds.
Taking 2 hours to sleep is normal I think. My 7 year old needs some time to unwind as well. Try a long and warm bath as part of a good bedtime routine. And part of that bedtime routine is to reflect upon what he has done that day, etc. I usually play with the kids before the bedtime stories and prayer. That’s our family time.
Emotional Expressions are really expressions of the heart and not the head.
For example, the more we try to hold back a tear, the more gushes down.
And the most genuine of smiles come without you even noticing until much later.
Laughter are like tears, which burst the very moment you try to hold it in.
And arrows that pierce the heart is what you get if you don’t express anything at all; while the underlying truth is that the world itself will fail to contain the entirety of what you really feel in your heart.
Question:
Grandparents practicing favoritism towards kids and grandkids — to run away or get close anyway? What if one is a step-dad?
Answer:
Wow. That’s a lot to take in.
I don’t know if a step dad is considered a parent and therefore if the ‘honor your parents’ applies to him. Hmmm.. food for thought. My guess is that he is technically not, so I wouldn’t be so worried? That being said, I do think it is great if we can all be a happy family. At least for the honoring your mom part. And I guess honoring him is how you honor your mom?
It’s really sad to experience favoritism in your family and more sad to be the less favored. However, how your mom treats your younger siblings have many reasons. It’s always easy for parents to be mushy with the youngest but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you more. Different people express love to different people differently. That doesn’t measure love accurately at all. Love carefully hidden is worse than open rebuke. Proverbs 27:5
Personally, I would have two reactions myself so I can’t really say. It really depends on the children’s ages as well.
If the kids are really young and won’t notice anything, and therefore won’t be affected, I’d say, go for it and spend time anyway. It’s not like we can do so forever. One day your mom will be gone. Treasure all the time you have left.
On the other hand, when things get too awkward and if the kids are old enough to notice the difference, and if they truly practice favoritism, I’d say take them as far away as possible. But then again, these are grandparents and not parents. The effect on them would not be so great as parents themselves were practicing favoritism. So nothing much to worry about. I would only worry if it gets out of hand, and your kids are emotionally affected, or could get emotionally affected.
The third scenario is when your kids are much older, like upper primary or teens. I guess by this age, if you raised them well enough and they are mature enough to handle it, they will be able to. So it depends on the kids.
Whatever it is, go to God because He knows the future and only He will be able to assess your future situation to advice you to get close or run away. There is no fixed answer. Only God knows their hearts.
Love and Blessings.
Question:
Question:
I'd like to hear from those of you who keep the Jewish feasts. What denomination are you, what are your reasons, do you still celebrate the "regular" holidays? Also interested in any resources you might have on the topic.
Answer:
Yes, we celebrate both Jewish and mainstream, except Halloween. We are interdenominational, apostolic and prophetic. Also, we celebrate Passover and Resurrection Sunday instead of Easter.
The reason is because God says so. Exodus 12:14, 17, 24. Leviticus 23:41
New Testament: https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/gods-holy-day-plan-the-promise-of-hope-for-all-mankind/gods-festivals-in-the-new-testament
And the reason why the Jewish feasts were removed was because of Constantine. He removed all the Jewish feasts because he blamed the Jews for murdering Jesus and wanted nothing to do with them. Today, we know that is so wrong. Jesus Himself is a Jew.
I’m sorry it’s a wiki but it sums up everything:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great_and_Judaism
First off, Children Ministry is not a baby sitting service. It is a children’s church, and therefore do not need to be the same time as the service. I prefer my kids to be in the church with the congregation.
Having said that, younger children need to be nursed. And personally I prefer to nurse in a separate room myself. A lot of churches’ nurseries are still incompatible unless it is a mega church. But if you go to a mega church for the sake of their facilities and programs, you will feel very dry, and will feel like there is no point going to church either.
The teenagers could help out with the younger kids if you have a large family. A youth group is not the answer. If anything, can only make things worse. A lot of youth who go to a youth service at the same time as the main service never fit in again once they are too old for the youth group. And they drop out of church.
If I were you, I’ll put all my kids in the main hall throughout the service. That’s where the real anointing and presence of God is and that’s what they need. I usually take a playmat and toys that don’t make noise, along with me, and food that don’t make a mess, like biscuits. Once there is food in their mouth, they can’t really make much noise. Once a kid reaches 6, they can learn to take notes. Each have their own note books. At 6, they can tick off certain words that is mentioned regularly by the preacher in that particular sermon. They can also draw a picture of what they think the preacher is preaching about. Some take notes using emoticons on the handphone using the Notes App. I refused to go to Children’s Ministry myself since I was 10. I wanted to take notes like the adults. I wanted the Word of God that had more substance and revelation than just Bible Stories I’ve already heard over and over again, in different forms.
Children who are involved in inter generational worship know the presence of God and their lives are very different. Soak them in. Programs is just doing church, to be honest. They need to see and feel the power and presence of God.
Here’s a suggestion: ask the pastor to give you the notes to the sermon ahead of time so you can prep some activities and worksheets for the kids based on that sermon. Some can even watch a Superbook with headphones on during the sermon if it is sermon related.
So have them all with you in the main hall at all times, and if you need to nurse, have the 14 year old take charge. If necessary, give the 14 year old authority to reward them with points on a point chart that they can use after the service to “buy things” like snacks or screen time. They get points for behavior, including being quiet the whole time and for taking down excellent notes, etc.
Question:
My Catholic mother-in-law asked me to read Matthew 28:19-20 because she is concerned that my last 2 babies haven’t been baptized with Holy water. She made me question what happens if something should happen to my babies when they aren’t baptized 😔
Answer:
Baptism is about leaving the old life behind. Romans 6:4 Babies don’t have a past, so there is no need for baptism yet.
Secondly, real baptism means being fully immersed in water. John 3:23 (much water was needed). Matthew 3:16 (Jesus arose from the water.) Acts 8:38 (They went into the water). Not sprinkled. Babies are too young for that. And Jesus himself was 30 years old when he was baptized. And the Bible never mentioned baptizing babies.
Thirdly, baptism is about dedicating one’s life to God which means that a child must acknowledge this and willingly and consciously make such a decision. Watch Jesus Image baptisms, especially of children, to understand how this is done.
Nevertheless if she still insists, feel free to have your baby fully immersed in water 😁 I understand they can be trained to naturally hold their breath? 😆
But what we do as a family is to dedicate them. We have dedication ceremonies for each of our kids, that means we dress them in a beautiful gown because a present has to be wrapped, and we are giving them to God. Yes. We take it seriously.
Question:
As a Christian mom who is not doing “Santa” with her kids, how do you approach the topic with young children?
Answer:
The truth. Santa was a good guy many years ago who just wanted to give children presents, especially those who could not afford it. But after he passed away, instead of following his example to give unfortunate children presents like he did, children became obsessed with receiving presents from him instead, and plenty of folktale followed as if he lived in the North Pole with a bunch of elves, etc. so we must not get distracted with Santa during Christmas but remember that it is Jesus’ birthday, and don’t forget Santa’s example in giving presents to underprivileged children. Also, all the kids in my family give presents to each family member. So there’s a ton of presents every Christmas. Don’t need one from Santa. The best presents are from mommy and daddy or grandpa and grandma.
Question: Can a Christian not go to church?
Answer:
Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together Hebrews 10:25
The cross is a picture of the horizontal and vertical relationship that we have: our vertical relationship is our relationship with God, the horizontal relationship is our relationship with one another.
The church is a spiritual family. There is power when the generations come into alignment with each other. There is power in inter generational worship. Do not hold back your kids from the corporate worship and the presence of God and the power of God. If you are not experiencing the presence of God in the church you are in, I suggest you find one that has the presence of God.
Where are you located?
I have always believed that parents are also mentors in the real world. That means, expose them to Daddy’s job. Use this opportunity to take them to his workplace and see firsthand how things are run. Take this opportunity to expose them to the area that he is involved in, that is his passion, and also other areas that touch on his skill and hobbies, whatever he is interested in, be it in fishing, fixing the car, etc. Dads love to be heroes, so let him bring them into his world.
Question:
What are the toys that keep your toddler busy while you homeschool? My little guy is almost 3 and very disruptive!
Answer:
My little girl loves DUPLO, cooking toys (she’s a girl), but she also loves watching those little balls roll down tubes on YouTube so I’m considering getting her one of those. And she loves playing with cups, containers, small books and blocks.
If this is you, then as a teacher, I would say, look out for signs of dislexia and always sound encouraging. But as a mom, I’d say, my daughter has the same issues, and I have to correct her, but I will not give in to believing that she is dyslexic. Just be extra patient with her.
Try Pinterest for cool games. I used to work for a math company called Math Monkey which teaches mental arithmetic using games. Turn everything into a game. Some games included are treasure hunts, fishing and basketball. They have like number cards with either answers or questions. They have to hunt for them or fish them out, etc. and how many right answers will result in how many times you get to throw the ball into the hoop. Every throw is one point and you can buy stationary with them.
Question: What is the role of biblical headship when you have unmarried adult daughters at home? What does it look like?
Answer:
A parent will always be a parent, no matter how old your kids are. Your spiritual responsibilities remain just as much as your natural responsibilities remain. At this stage, they should be mature enough to appreciate any advice from their parents, spiritual or not. And they should be going to you for advice. Just don’t shun them off due to age, if anything. My parents are also my spiritual parents. They raised me up both naturally and spiritually. And age doesn’t graduate anyone from having spiritual parents. Even if they are married, you still have Biblical responsibility to lead them. Because when they get married, you’re still their mom. Even after you pass away, you are still their mom. Nothing will ever change that.
Question in response:
Does the leading become more of a walking beside?
Answer:
Not really. Spiritual parents have spiritual authority. This means that they have authority in the spiritual realm. When they pray for you٫ their prayers are very effective because they have authority in the spiritual realm. Similar to when Moses interceeded for Joshua as his spiritual authority and father while he fought (Exodus 17). They also have authority to bless٫ as when Jacob blesses his sons in Genesis 48. Spiritual authority is a good thing. It is like a covering of protection when the enemy attacks. Like an umbrella. i.e. They enemy cannot touch you if the mother bear is around.
It is also a sonship relationship. Like how Jewish fathers train٫ guide٫ prepare and approve his son towards his wedding day. This includes financial stability and housing.
It is a father-son relationship٫ the linking of the generations much required٫ as stated in Malachi 4:6.
Someone’s comment: Education requires experts. Let us leave it to the experts. Education has to respond to the global need for knowledge and skills.
My answer:
Since when was education created to respond to the global need for skills? They are human beings, not machines to produce a desired output. If the world has a need for skills, it is up to an individual to decide if they want to fulfill it. If they don’t have the best interests of the students at heart, they don’t deserve to write the curriculum. They’re using the students to fulfill the needs and desires of the politicians. — curriculum writer here.
How about the government control what is on our plate every meal according to the monetary and political benefits of the country rather than their health? Don’t follow every recipe given just because someone with a PhD in culinary wrote it. Who’s paying them to write what?
Response to my answer:
when was it created to not to?
My answer:
Education was first homeschooling before the government education system was established. Ask Adam and Eve how they train their kids.
Cleaning up the house is not a chore;
It is a luxury not everyone can afford the time for.
There was a young man who fell in love with a girl. “I’m going to make her my girlfriend,” he promised himself.
Wife: I wonder if you love me...
Husband: Love is patient; Love is kind; Love is long suffering. I did long suffering, so you can’t say I didn’t love you.
Wife: ...
True story.
1. I was shaped to fly.
2. I was made to be sent.
3. I am handmade.
If you really want to help victims of domestic violence and single mothers,
begin with the fathers.
I had a dream this morning. A nightmare. I dreamt that my whole life was coming to an end in terms of ministry, family and finance. I dreamt that I screwed up with my kids so badly that everything was literally falling apart - the whole house, and that it went viral so much so that everyone who ever meant anything to us in the ministry told us off, that I was unfit as a pastor, as a teacher and as a mother. And I screwed up so badly that even my parents’ ministry was jeapordized and they were denied their right as pastors because of me. Even they were lectured at the end of it by the nicest people in the ministries we knew of: the fathers of the people who were the closest to us, whom we respected the most.
But then, when I woke up and felt terrible about it, and was trying to get over how real it all was, I heard God speak to me:
Don’t ever apologize:
1. For something you did not do.
2. For who you are.
3. To the devil.
4. For doing the right thing.
Every part in that dream, I did my best, and it was not good enough. But that was unreal and the devil just wanted to push me down. He gave me that dream to try to destroy me by destroying my confidence.
Gender Awareness/Consciousness
Gender Awareness comes about when a child is about 3 years of age. Before this, the child is knows what gender he or she is and can tell the difference but will not really be bothered until this age, when he starts to ask more questions and show curiosity, and making conclusions based on gender differences. He might also start to insist on his own gender and not wanting to relate with certain items that may not reflect his own gender. At this stage, it is very important for parents to provide Gender Assurances to the child because he will be looking for it. Our reaction is very important – how seriously we take a Gender Offence.
Gender Offences
Gender Offences are non-acceptable gender-crossing behaviour. For example, a boy is not allowed to go into the ladies' room. This is a serious Gender Offence and should be given a serious disapproval or it may result in Gender Confusion.
Gender Confusion
Gender Confusion happens when a child is uncertain, undecided about her gender, wrongly concluded or wrongly decided on it. This happens when insufficient or inappropriate approval or disapproval has been given.
Gender Assurances
Gender Assurances are approvals and disapprovals given by an adult, whether through his words or actions or reactions in relation to a child's gender, beauty or confidence in himself. Gender Assurances to a girl, for example, comes from a father's words, praising his daughter by telling her that she is beautiful; and a father affirming his son that he has what it takes to complete a task, thus building his confidence and musculinity which is much needed in a man. It can also be given when a father buys clothes for his children accordingly. Try not to make the mistake of buying or passing down the same clothes for both son and daughter, especially those with the obvious gender differences, i.e. khaki pants, board shorts, or pink clothes. The more obvious a difference in clothes selection given to a child, the higher the chances of Gender Assurances being passed on. These may seem like small differences when children are young, but once they reach the age of 3 and Gender Awareness comes into place, a lot of questions will be asked and we have to avoid answering conforming words, such as, "That's alright, she's still young." or "It does not matter what you wear." The appropriate answer should be, "You're right, that's for boys and you're a girl. Sorry about that. I made a mistake." Then, lead her towards the gender-appropriate choice.
Gender-appropriate
Gender-appropriate behaviour is the norm – what is generally accepted and unaccepted behaviour based on culture. Gender-appropriate items are the items a person ought to be related with, based on their gender. For example, a dress for a girl, but definitely not for a boy. This is the result we should be striving for in developing Gender Confidence.
Gender Confidence
Gender Confidence is how confident a person is in who they are and what they are –– the original gender they were born with. Gender Confidence is displayed not just when they acknowledge their original gender as their gender, behave and dress appropriately, but are happy, comfortable and confident about it.
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