Our First Giveaway!

Listed on our list of resources both here on the blog and on the Wellsboro Vineyard website is the magazine Thriving Family.  It is published by Focus on the Family and is full of great ideas for families!  I don't know about you but I am a magazine junkie.  I LOVE 'em!  And this is one that I read and re-read each time it comes.  One of my goals is to get parenting resources into the hands of parents, and now I have this great opportunity!  I am thrilled to offer this month, a 1-year subscription to the magazine Thriving Family.

How do you enter?  I'm so glad you asked!  Just leave a comment below!  Be sure to include your name so I know who you are and can get in contact with you. :)

IF you have never left a comment on a blog before, click on the tab at the top of the page that says "How to leave a comment" and it will guide you!

You can also earn a SECOND entry by participating in a little virtual scavenger hunt!  C'mon, it'll be fun!  Here are the instructions:
1. Go to the Wellsboro Vineyard Website at www.wellsborovineyard.org
2. Once you are there, you must find the answer to this question: What special family fun idea is on the Vineyard Kids calendar for November 29th?
3. Once you have found the answer, email me at carolyn@wellsborovineyard.org with the answer!

You can earn a THIRD entry by completing the activity listed on the Vineyard Kids calendar for Monday, November 29th and then emailing me at carolyn@wellsborovineyard.org and telling me what you did and how it went!  I will trust your honesty. :)

Winner will be chosen at random from all entries and announced on Tuesday, November 30.  Giveaway entries CLOSE at midnight on Monday, November 29.

*Disclaimer: This offer is only available to parents who attend the Vineyard Church of Wellsboro.

Spiritual Parenting: The Trinity

Egghead...


Recently, my middle daughter (who just turned 4) asked me: "How can God be God, and Jesus be God?"  I stumbled and mumbled something that I can't remember and I'm sure wasn't very helpful to her, but it got me thinking that I need to be able to illuminate spiritual mysteries to my kids in a practical way.

I came across an article in the children's ministry magazine K! by Alan Root where he shared the following three illustrations that help to share the idea of the Trinity with children (and adults!).

Illustration #1: Mathematics. 1+1+1=3.  And 1x1x1=1.  So 3 ones can be either 3 or 1 depending on how you compile them.

Illustration #2: Physics. H20 exists as a gas, a liquid and a solid.  Vapor, water, and ice.  But it's all still H20.

Illustration #3: Biology. from Gallus Domesticus (the chicken).  A single egg has three parts: outside shell, egg white, and egg yolk.  3 parts--one egg.


The age of your child or children may determine which of these illustrations will be most useful to you right now...but remember that discussing the idea of the God-head shouldn't be a one-time conversation, so maybe those other examples will be useful later.  You can also share with your kids how they, in fact, are 3-in-1 as well...spirit, soul (mind, or brain) and body.  We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made in His image.

Interestingly enough, the word "trinity" does not appear in the Bible, but the concept is clearly taught throughout Scripture.  Root also mentions that these illustrations are just that- illustrations, and they are not perfect in explaining the mystery of the Trinity.  Ultimately, the one-ness of Father God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is something our human brains cannot fully understand.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

In the midst of eating and watching the game and the parade and after-meal napping, 

How will you connect with the heart of your family this Thanksgiving?

Help!

Okay parents, (specifically Vineyard Parents, but anyone can weigh in!) I'm having trouble making a decision (a shocking realization for me :) and I want your help!  Since this blog is primarily for you, or for us, as a group, I want you to help me think of a name for this blog.  I think "Wellsboro Vineyard Kids" is too boring, and I want other parents out there in cyberspace to not feel excluded, if they have something valuable to offer.  Sooo...what do you think?  Right now I have it listed as "Parenting: It's a marathon, not a sprint."  Other ideas I've had are "Extreme Parenting," "Intentional Parenting." etc.  I want it to sound fun and exciting and not just educational, but I want it to be clear that it is about parenting. Share your thoughts on my ideas, share your own ideas...


What do you think???

Vineyard Kids News Update!

Click here for the latest Vineyard Kids News Update!

Thankfulness: Madame Blueberry

https://bigidea.com/products/shows/shows_content.aspx?pid=22

I find it amazing the things that I have learned from kids products...for myself!  One of those is the VeggieTales show Madame Blueberry. If you haven't seen this one, I highly recommend it.  The main tagline: "A thankful heart is a happy heart" has stuck with me and come to mind at times when I was discontented or complaining.  I think my daughter may have even reminded me of it a time or two.  Kids have an uncanny way of showing us our own weaknesses.  If we can let go of our pride, we can learn a lot from them. This is the last post (for now) devoted to our monthly theme of Thankfulness.  I'm SURE we'll revisit it at some point, but we're closing out this series for now. I hope it's been helpful and I would love to hear your feedback!

What kids products (or things your kids have said) have impacted YOUR spriritual walk?

Family Fun

Here are some Family Fun ideas for this weekend!  Spend some time playing with your kids! Appropriately, these two suggestions come from the Family Fun website!  Check it out here!

Pumpkin Bowling

Arrange a triangle of 10 empty plastic 1- or 2-liter bottles. Players take turns gently rolling a pumpkin into the pins, with three chances to knock them all down. 

Pumpkin Roll

Determine a starting line and a finish line. Set 2 pumpkins on their sides at the start and have the racers line up behind them. At "Go," each pair of challengers uses sturdy brooms to propel the pumpkins over the finish line.

Teens: Building Character

I found a great article from Focus on the Family about character-building with teens.  You can find it at this link.  Read it and share your thoughts!

How do you work on character-building with your teens?

Thankfulness: Operation Christmas Child

^{Matthew 25:34-40} “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

This is sort of a double-promo entry today.  First of all, one of the easiest ways to improve thankfulness is to increase serving and giving.  We are trying to reach out to "the least of these" through the Operation Christmas Child.  AND... to start getting people thinking about the Financial Peace University course this spring, here is Dave Ramsey talking about OCC!  

Don't forget to bring your OCC boxes this Sunday!

Prayer

^{I Thessalonians 5:16-18}  Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

So, let's talk about prayer...we all want to do it- especially we want to regularly pray for our children.  If you're like me, though, it's easy to get overwhelmed with all the things you want to pray for your kids, and then I find myself only throwing up the occasional prayer as I think of it.  Enter the monthly prayer calendar...click here to see it.  It comes from a great blogger named Kat at inspiredtoaction.com. This has been such a useful tool for me and my family.  It has a topic and a scripture to pray for your kids each day of the month.  


We've added to it a little bit- since it only goes to day 30 and some months have 31 days, we have added praying for our children's future spouses on day 31.  Also, we have added in people that we want to pray for on the number day of their birthday- we have written them in on the calendar itself.  For example, my husband's birthday is October 10th, so on the 10th of the prayer calendar, we wrote his name...so at the very least, we're thinking and praying for specific people once a month.  It has really helped my scattered brain to be more intentional about prayer for my kids, my family, and my friends.  


What tips or tools do you use to improve your prayer life?

Thankfulness: Veterans

If you haven't already, take time to thank a veteran- and have your kids to the same.  We need to pass on a legacy of thankfulness to those who have preserved our freedom.

Thankfulness: The Thankfulness Tree

As I mentioned last week, the character trait theme of the month is: Thankfulness.  Here is one idea to help you and your family focus on thankfulness this month: The Thankfulness Tree.

Directions for The Thankfulness Tree:

1.  I went out into our yard and found a branch.  We don't actually have many trees in our yard, but my dad had chopped a dead one down earlier in the summer and I was able to make use of part of that for this project!  I'm sure all of you have someplace you can find a branch!
2. I googled "maple leaf template" and found this link. I printed it out on my computer and then I printed it again, this time on cardstock.  (Learn from me and do this the first time!)  There is also this link, which offers some other leaf-shapes.  You could also totally make these free-hand or even as you're cutting them out, but I thought I'd share some templates with you just in case you are not confident in your leaf-shape-cutting skills. :)  Also- rather than printing onto cardstock, you could print onto regular paper, cut it out, trace it onto cardboard, and then cut that out, and voila, you have yourself a lovely leaf template. :)  I cut mine right out of the cardstock.  Not as nice and thick as cardboard, but it gets the job done.  Some of you may even be lucky enough to own some sort of large leaf stencil.  We have TONS of stencils, and we had some leaves but they were all too small.
3. Obviously, after you make the template, the next step is to trace it onto paper.  I used some cute fall-colored scrapbook paper, because I have a RIDICULOUS amount of scrapbook paper that I need to use up.  Any paper will do, though.  I also traced mine on the back of the paper so you wouldn't see my lines on the front.
4. Next I cut it out, and went to find Phoebe.  I asked her what something was that she was thankful for and she said "Bubby" (her blanket).  So I wrote Bubby on the leaf with a sharpie.
5. I punched a hole in the leaf, put a little string through and hung it on the tree.  Doesn't it look lovely? Actually, you can hardly see it but it's on the top right in the pictures.  Hopefully we'll be able to add a lot more to this!

I will present this tree to my whole family tonight at dinner, and I'm sure Naomi will be more than willing to trace and cut out millions of leaves for us.  Then maybe I'll put them in a little basket so we can add to our tree frequently!  We should make a goal for how many we want on our tree by the end of November...how about 50?  That sounds good for our family.  

What's a good number for your family?

*Tip: Make sure YOU'RE using the tree too!  This isn't just for kids. :)

**Tip #2: I've also seen this project done with a large cutout paper tree that you can tape leaves to, or write right on the tree!  Find a way that works for you, and then share!  I'd love to hear about it.

***Tip #3: If you're wondering how to comment, under this post it will likely say "0 Comments."  Click on that and it will guide you through posting a comment.  PLEASE comment!  

Parenting Tip: Build a relationship.

     It is my plan to include practical parenting tips on here on a regular basis.  We all need help with parenting and we all have something to offer, so I invite you to read and respond via "comments."  To comment, just click the "0 Comments" link and it will take you through the (easy) steps to comment.  As I've said, I really want to get an ongoing conversation of parents here, so PLEASE respond!  (If anyone has commented, then it might say "1 Comment" and so on.)

So, what's the parenting tip for today?  Here it is: Build a relationship.

     I've heard it said many times at various parenting seminars, on radio broadcasts and in books, but I think Josh McDowell was the first to coin this catchy little phrase: "rules without relationship = rebellion."  Perhaps some of us think it is inevitable that our children will rebel, but I don't think that has to be the case.  Of course there will be times in their life when they become more independent and may test boundaries and so on.  But if they feel connected to us through relationship, we will have more influence on their lives.

     If we look at how God parents us, we can see a model for building relationship.  God gives us rules, yes, but He doesn't leave us there to follow them on our own, getting frustrated and angry.  First of all, we need to realize that everything God tells us to do is for our good.  (Just like we tell our kids to go to bed, stay out of the street, don't eat too much candy, etc.  It is for their good!)  But He wants an intimate relationship with us.  He wants us to come to him and tell him about our day, share our sorrows, share our joys.  He wants to comfort us, rejoice with us, and know us.

     Now, since He created us, He does know us--better than we know ourselves.  Regarding our own children, we have to try a little harder.  This is where relationship-building comes in.  Let's examine ourselves- do we mostly speak to our children to correct them?  To redirect them?  To discipline them?  Let's take time to talk with them with no agenda.  Take time to do things with them that are what THEY want to do.  I am so guilty of only spending time with my kids on my terms.  Sometimes the things that they want me to do (crawling around on the floor, playing dress-up, playing Candyland--can I just tell you how much I hate that game?!) are not the things that I want to do.  But if I'm truly serving my kids and interested in knowing them, I need to bend to them sometimes and do the things that they want to do.

     One special way that I have been able to connect with Naomi (my 6-year old) lately is through lunch notes.  In her lunch I put a little notebook and a pen in the front pocket.  Each day I write her a little lunch note, and often, she writes back.  These little notes are not deep or earth-shattering, but I do feel a special connection with her through these notes.  I'm hoping that as she gets older this can evolve into a journal that we pass back and forth.  Sometimes it's easier to talk about things in writing than it is in person.  And the written word can very special and personal.  I plan to save all these notebooks and journals.

So my encouragement today for all of us parents is to look for creative ways to get to KNOW our kids!

What is one way you build your relationship with your children?

Character Counts!

        One thing I've wanted to do with my family is focus on a character quality each month and do some activities to support building character in my kids.  I'd love to have you all join us!  I'm hoping that putting it up here will push me to do it with my family!  Share your ideas, too!  So, for November, I'm going to make it easy and choose Thankfulness as our character trait.  So I pose this question to you: what do you do to increase thankfulness with your kids?

Vineyard Kids News Update

We're coming up on the 1st Sunday of the month, and we will be having the Vineyard Kids Elementary class this week!  We're going to open up an opportunity to the Elementary class- we are hoping to raise some money in the their class so they can purchase something from the Samaritan's Purse catalog. So, if you can,  send some change with your elementary student!  Maybe they could do some extra chores to earn  a little cash to donate! 

Also, this is just an encouragement to put together an Operation Christmas Child shoebox.  It's so fun to do this together as a family!  It's a great opportunity to help your kids look outside their world to those who are less fortunate than they.  I will be collecting the shoeboxes on or before November 21, and I will deliver them to a local collection facility.  You can learn more about what Operation Christmas Child is all about at this link.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at carolyn@wellsborovineyard.org or leave a comment on this post!  Don't forget to sign up to have this blog delivered right to your email inbox every time there is a new post! 

New Blog Format!

We are launching a new format for my blog and I am SO excited about it!  As it says under the "purpose" of this blog (see right), I want to equip and encourage parents to raise spiritual champions.  I'm in this game too, right along with the rest of you, so I hope that we can all help each other.  I welcome your comments (you can feel free to comment below) and I hope that we can develop an ongoing conversation about parenting.

As the Children's Director at the Vineyard Church of Wellsboro, my goal for all the kids in our church is that they would grow to be spiritual champions, living life completely sold out to God.  I want their relationship with Christ to impact every area of their life and of course, the lives of everyone around them.  I believe we can have families that draw others to Christ.  At the Wellsboro Vineyard, we will do everything we can to encourage our kids to follow wholeheartedly after Christ, but we are only one part of the puzzle.  Parents, you are the PRIMARY spiritual teacher of your child, and as the church, it is our goal to equip you and encourage you to take that responsibility seriously, and don't assume "the experts" at church or even at a Christian school can take care of that for you.  You have to do it.  God has entrusted these children to you and you have the privilege of raising them in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

As I said, I am so excited about this new blog format, and I have tons of ideas.  I can't wait to share thoughts, ideas and questions with you regarding parenting, and I hope that we can have an ongoing discussion through this blog.  My goal is that it will be another way to spur you on to be completely in touch with the heart of your child.  I would love to hear any ideas you have for topics we might address here, or resources that have helped you.  I love to research parenting techniques and ideas and I will be relying heavily on resources offered by Christian parenting experts.  I can't wait to get started and travel this journey together.  I'm also eager to hear from more experienced parents who have been through the trenches of child-rearing and have some wisdom to offer us from their experiences.  Thank you all for your interest in and dedication to the future generation that is rising up to take their place in history.

in Him,

Carolyn