7 Things that will help keep your Children to God in every Holidays

1. Summer camp or festival or Retreat

It's not too late to book into a summer camp programme or come as a day visitor to a festival. There's a lot to pick from, whether it's a 72-hour continuous worship event like David's Tent or a preaching and teaching event like Keswick – or even our family favourite Le Pas Opton, the Spring Harvest site in France. There may be a chance to get in on one of Urban Saints' or Scripture Union's children's camps, too. Residential events can be a fantastic way for our children to encounter God in a new way while making friends and enjoying outdoor activities and stimulating Bible teaching.

Festivalgoers at Greenbelt

 

 2. Nature

It's great to be outdoors this time of the year enjoying God's creation on our doorstep. Why not take a trip to your local woods, beach or park? Children of all ages will enjoy a good treasure hunt. For younger children, give them a paper bag to collect things in that remind them of God's attention to detail. For older children, task them with a mission to capture an image on their phone to illustrate a Bible verse. For example: Psalm 96:11-12, 'Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all trees of the forest sing for joy.' Preserve these images, or even the items collected in the bag – they may come in useful in a couple of month's time when you are preparing Christmas cards and gifts.

3. Books

When my eldest daughter was baptised recently, her account of her journey to faith included the impact made on her by a book. When she was 13, she had read The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson, first published in 1962. As someone passionate about helping the Church recover a love of great Christian literature, it was amazing for me to see evidence of the inspiring power of reading so close at hand. This summer, why not encourage the children in your life to read something that may turn out to have a lifelong impact on their faith?

Here are some I would recommend for a start: Jesus Story Book Bible (5 to 9-year-olds),

Diary of a Disciple – Luke (8 to 11-year-olds), Hero Bible (8 to 11-year-olds) The Hiding Place (12 to 16-year-olds). Don't forget to invest in an audiobook that you can all listen to in the car and load up the Kindles for a long afternoon on the beach.

4. Films

When the rain is coming down, a film can be a cheap and convenient way to entertain the children for a couple of hours. But why not turn it into an opportunity to help your children think about their faith? There are some great films out there, including classics such as : Joseph King of Dreams, Prince of Egypt and the Narnia films. Or for older children you could try: Exodus: Gods and Kings, Noah, Soul Surfer, Miracle from Heaven, God's Not Dead.
There are of course a myriad great family films not created by Christians but that could provoke fantastic conversations about faith and life. Just be intentional about making the most of the opportunities in the film – watch the films with your children if you can or strategically place a meal in the middle so you can have a 'half time' discussion.

5. Church

Summer is often more relaxed in church; many churches run all-age services instead of sending the children out to Sunday school. I am a big believer in integrated church, so why not experiment in the summer with ways to help your children engage in the service? Teach them how to sketch something inspired from the sermon, or how to do spider diagram themes from the talk, how to follow along in the Bible, or how to jot down questions they have. There is probably a church near you running a holiday club week this summer. These are usually lots of fun, and easy to invite your children's friends along to.

6. Prayer

There are so many challenges around regular family devotions, but during the holiday season why not experiment with some different forms of prayer with your children? Ideas could include reading through one of the gospels over the summer at bedtime. Or watching BBC Newsbeat after tea and praying for the situations it highlights. Or beginning each car journey with a one-minute prayer after the seatbelts are all on. You could keep a prayer journal for a week, or set up a prayer space in your home/holiday home. If you can't get to a church service on Sunday because you are abroad, why not find a church building open to visitors during the week, where you can take 10 minutes to pray together as a family.

7. Homework

Quite a few of my children are set long summer projects by school. For some it is an art project, others have to read a number of books, or begin research or revision, or keep a scrapbook of their activities. If your children have something similar, why not get involved and encourage them to be open about their faith in the project? This will not only help your child to overcome the 'sacred-secular divide,' but it will also help normalise church and faith not just for your child but for the wider school community. Use images from your summer camp, passages of the Bible, or Christian art work to inspire you

I love the summer holidays, and remember as a child those long lazy days paddling in streams, flying kites and building dens made of sticks. With six children of my own it's very tempting to fill up the time with organised activities, but I also relish the opportunity to spend extra time with them, to enable them to have those lazy days like I did and watch them interact with each other and God before the new term begins. I want them to be forcefully reminded each summer that grace matters more than grades, that hospitality is more important than homework and that spiritual curiosity is more important than SATS scores.

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Shining light or shrinking violet: Did Jesus contradict himself?

A recent survey suggested that the 'good deeds' of American Christians go mostly unnoticed by the average US citizen. In some ways, it was good news perhaps that believers weren't pompously parading their charity to the world so that everyone knows about it. Then again, the negative consequence was also raised – if people don't know they can get help from the Church, then they won't ask for it.

It probes a paradox at the heart of Christian living: are good deeds meant to be public – a living light to the world – or purely private, as hidden and humble as can be? Jesus seems to have said both, but is that really possible? Did Christ contradict himself?

Pope Francis has made a focus on the poor a defining note of his papacy.

 

Jesus seems to have been unrelenting in his judgment on those who advertise their piety to the world. In the Sermon on the Mount, he warns: 'Be careful not to practise your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

'So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you' (Matthew 6:1-4).

They're challenging words, and Jesus gave similar warnings about prayer and fasting – they should be done in secret. We all know that the feeling of 'doing good' can be alluring, such that we focus on that more than the purpose of these deeds – actually helping people in need. The danger is even greater when, as in our present culture, social justice is actually pretty fashionable. Causes are cool. In a twisted way, we can use charity to make us look good and feel great – but the needy get forgotten.

So, Jesus says, don't do it. Then again, he also said the opposite. Only the chapter before, in the very same sermon, Jesus implores his audience: 'You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

'You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven' (Matthew 5:13-16).

Here, we're told to be bright and bold, to let our deeds be so public that they shine before the world. And again the logic holds up: the Church is actually meant to do things on earth, to illuminate, heal and preserve what's good in creation. To defend the helpless and speak for the silenced. It can't do that if it's hidden.

Can those in need be helped if they don't know the Church is there for them?

 

Likewise, when Jesus tells people to 'turn the other' cheek when struck, or go two miles when you're only forced to go one, these are pretty public acts. They send a message. As the biblical scholar Tom Wright would put it, Jesus declared that God was becoming King on the Earth, taking charge, establishing a radical, counter-cultural alternative reality that took shape through the people of God. It has to be public.

So which is it – public or private? Did Jesus deliberately demand the impossible?

What Jesus seems to be doing is going beyond external acts to the human heart. The problem of the hypocritical Pharisee looks external but is really within: he wants the prestige that comes from public piety – his lengthy prayers betray his true audience. He's not truly seeking God. To combat that spirit, Jesus says – go into your room and pray, where no one will see you but your heavenly Father. Likewise, don't use your giving to make you look good – give in private, where you'll get nothing in return but the gift of giving itself.

In the opposite direction, Christians are called to a heart that looks outward to the world: humble in spirit, but also abounding in generosity. Our lives exist for the sake of others, and so we're implored to be a light that shows other the way; to stand up and show a weary world a hint of a new reality. In this case, when there are people in need, the life of a purely private faith is too constrained –  it can't be seen, and so people can't be helped.

The Christian faith abounds in paradox, and this ethical conundrum is another. But perhaps the complexity of the human heart demands something a little bigger than we can comprehend. We're pulled in directions that appear to contradict, because if we only had one imperative (eg be as public as possible, all the time) we might start thinking we had faith and God in a box. Instead, we're called to be inward and outward, humble and bold, to think much of the world, and not too much of ourselves – to know with godly wisdom when to stand out and when to step back.

Jesus famously preached on that mountain: 'Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Matthew 5:48).

It probably wasn't meant to be easy.

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Who was the meanest man in the Bible?

There are plenty of examples of really good people in the Bible, and plenty of examples of wicked ones. But there's only one who's described as just plain mean.

Before David became a king, when he was still being chased through the desert by Saul, he relied on the goodwill of local people to provide him and his men with food. Generally this seems to have granted readily enough, but then he tried Nabal. He sent his men with a polite greeting: 'Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!' (1 Samuel 25:6). Nabal, however, was described as 'surly and mean in all his dealings', and he lived up to his name, refusing David's men point blank and accusing David himself of being nothing but a runaway servant.

David, not surprisingly, saw red. But before he unleashed his soldiers, Nabal's wife Abigail took matters into her own hands. She met David with ample provisions and begged for her husband's life: 'Pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal... his name is Fool, and folly goes with him.'

When he finds out what Abigail has done, Nabal has what appears to be a stroke (verse 37) and dies; Abigail becomes one of David's wives.

Being known as the meanest man in the Bible is not much of a legacy. From the start to the end of the story we don't hear anything good about Nabal. There are other people in the Bible of whom that's true, but this story is different: his faults aren't that he's particularly wicked or bloodthirsty or deceitful or proud. He is just not a very nice man.

His faults are, in other words, too close to home.

The story makes us ask: what's the legacy I'm leaving? When I die, how will I be remembered? Am I kind, generous and sensible, or am I surly, mean and foolish? In Proverbs 10:23 it says: ' A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.' That godly wisdom was shown by Abigail; Nabal is just remembered as a fool.

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I TESTIFY BY ADA

For the lord himself is my portion
He lifts my head in glory
For my horn the lord has exalted
He teaches me to prosper
i have come with stories to tell
i have come with testimonies
Take a look at me you could see it
say you can call me testimonies
Every day testimonies

it is my time and it is my season
all around me testimonies
And because the Lord is my shepherd
i shall never want.
Everyday testimonies
Everywhere testimonies
see the word is working i'm so full of praise
In the morning testimonies
And in the evening testimonies
now i tell the stories of how i overcame,
i testify. ... i testify
Your life is not ordinary
It's filled with signs and wonders
For the hand of the Lord is upon you
He fills your life with laughter
You have come with stories to tell
you have come with testimonies
when i look at you i can see it
you are full of testimonies
It's your time yes this is your season
All around you testimonies
And because the Lord is your shepherd
you shall never want
Everyday testimonies
Everywhere testimonies
see the word is working
And you re so full of praise
In the morning testimonies
And in the evening testimonies
Now we tell the story of how we overcame
Every day testimonies
Everywhere testimonies
glory hallelujah
i'm so full of praise
In the morning testimonies
And in the evening testimonies
now i tell the story of how i overcame
i testify. ...
i testify
oh oh oh
The Lord is my shepherd oh
for he leads in glory
to his glory
i testify (oh oh)
for i am like the tree (oh
planted by the waters (oh oh)
i testify
my leaves are evergreen
A thousand shall fall down by my side
ten thousand shall fall down by my side
i testify i testify
from glory to glory
here we go
from glory to glory
here we go
to glory to glory (i testify)
this is my song testimony
this my story testimony
see the word is working
i'm so full of praise
every where testimonies
Every day testimonies
Glory hallelujah
i'm so full of praise
every where testimonies
in your family
testimonies
Now we tell the story of how we overcame
Every day testimonies
Everywhere testimonies
glory glory glory my Jesus is ali ii ive
eh testimonies
every day testimonies
see the word is working and i'm so full of praise
when you look at me testimonies
when i see you testimonies
now i tell the stories of how i overcame
i testify. ...
i testify
i testify
you will testify
i testify i testify
faithful ever sure
you are marvellous, wonderful
i lift my voice to say, i testify today today today...

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The wisdom of John Stott: 9 quotes from a giant of 20th century evangelicalism

John Stott, who died today in 2011, was one of the great figures in 20th century evangelicalism. A scholar, pastor and preacher, he was revered for his wisdom and statesmanship and influenced generations through his writing and speaking. He placed his formidable intellect at the service of the Church, but found time to indulge his great passion of birdwatching. His work continues today through his books and the work of the Langham Partnership global fellowship.
John Stott died on July 27, 2011, at the age of 90.Langham Partnership International

Here are nine quotes from John Stott's writings.

1. Our love grows soft if it is not strengthened by truth, and our truth grows hard if it is not softened by love.

2. Every Christian should be both conservative and radical; conservative in preserving the faith and radical in applying it.

3. The truth is that there are such things as Christian tears, and too few of us ever weep them.

4. In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent, but thin, veneer of Christianity. They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved, enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable.

5. Social responsibility becomes an aspect not of Christian mission only, but also of Christian conversion. It is impossible to be truly converted to God without being thereby converted to our neighbour.

6. The overriding reason why we should take other people's cultures seriously is because God has taken ours seriously.

7. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?

8. The Bible isn't about people trying to discover God, but about God reaching out to find us.

9. Christianity is not just about what we believe; it's also about how we behave.

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Scottish Anglican cathedral is UK's first to host same-sex weddings

An Anglican cathedral in Scotland is to become the first in the UK to host same-sex weddings.

Glasgow's St Mary's Cathedral is now taking marriage bookings for same-sex unions after the Episcopal Church's General Synod made the landmark decision to amend canon law and approve gay marriage in June.

St Mary's Cathedral is to host same-sex weddings.

'It is hugely exciting to open up wedding services to all couples who want to get married,' said the cathedral's provost, the Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth, according to The Herald.

'People at St Mary's were part of the campaign to allow gay and lesbian couples to get married in Scotland so it is not surprising that we would want to be able to offer such weddings in the cathedral itself.'

He added: 'St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow is one of the most stunning places that anyone can get married. It is wonderful that more people now have the chance of coming here for their special day.

'I want to live in a world where same-sex couples can feel safe walking down the street hand in hand and in which they can feel joy walking hand in hand down the aisle of a church too.'

The motion to change the law of the Scottish Episcopal Church was passed narrowly in June, and the divisive legislation comes in effect today. It includes a 'conscience clause' meaning no priest will be forced to celebrate LGBT weddings if they do not want to.

Since the Church of England has not changed its canon law on marriage, it's expected that some seeking a same-sex wedding in the UK will now choose to get married in Scotland.

Holdsworth said: 'We already have one booking from a couple coming up from England who can't get married in their local Church of England parish. We are glad to be able to welcome them and expect there will be many others who will follow them'.

The cathedral congregation's lay representative Dr Beth Routledge celebrated the move toward a church that is 'open, inclusive and welcoming'.

She said: 'When members of the congregation go to Glasgow Pride later this year, we'll have a real sense of having helped to bring about greater equality for members of the LGBT communities.'

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“Rabboni!” by Ken Young

You were there when the world had turned against me.
When the darkness had possessed my soul,
Your tender mercy made me whole.
When I followed You, my life was filled with meaning
From the morning to the evening.
I’ve seen the face of God.
 

Chorus:
Rabboni! My Teacher and my God!
You’re alive and my burdens melt away.
Rabboni! Sweet Son of God Most High!
I know death has lost its power
And Your glory’s here to stay. (repeat).

When I close my eyes
I can hear Your voice so clearly saying,
“Father, please forgive them,
For they know not what they do.”
What good reason did they have to do
The things they did to You?

So I come once again bringing all I have to offer,
Just to find a dark and empty tomb,
Your holy frame somehow exhumed.
Then I hear someone say,
“Why are tears so freely falling?
Can’t You hear the voice that’s calling?
A voice that knows Your name.”

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