One of the ideas they shared was for parents to encourage their children to take notes during the sermon.  My first thought was how hard this would be for my kids  (who are ages seven, nine, and ten) because it’s hard enough for me! But I decided to give it a try. I gave them some basic instructions and encouragement and we tried it out.

The first Sunday of note taking was a little rough. I had to remind them a few times to keep it up during the sermon, and they had trouble knowing what to write. Like I said, note‐taking isn’t easy. But one thing I did notice was that for the most part, they were paying attention during the whole sermon.  It felt like a small but significant step forward.

The next thing I did that really helped was create a one-page, note-taking form for them to use. The form  includes boxes that hopefully get them thinking about what to look for in the sermon. The boxes give  them  special places to write down the main verse, other verses, big  idea or main point, what I should do, words I don’t know, and extra lines for additional notes.

As an Easter gift to our kids, Christy made them each a decorated three-ring binder in which they can keep their sermon notes. They loved the binders and are excited about writing down things on the form each week.

We’ve been using this form for a couple months now, and I’ve been really impressed with the results. It is incredible to me how quickly they’ve been able to learn this skill and how much they are able to write down. The other significant thing is they are doing their best to pay attention to the sermon now. Some weeks are better than others, and sometimes they give up or get frustrated, but we’ve found that they are really growing in it and making progress. They are learning important life skills in listening and note taking, and I want to deliberately help them grow in these areas.

Another great benefit we’ve found from the note taking is it gives us an opportunity to talk about the sermon as a family. At dinner on Mondays, we all get out our notes and walk through the sermon. Christy and I help the kids fill in parts that they missed, and we explain the parts that were hard for them to understand. This also reinforces the big ideas for Christy and me too!

In the May newsletter, Jack talked about worship “preflight” and how important it is to get ready in advance to worship. That pre-worship preparation is important for success in teaching your children to take notes.

Ultimately, our family goal is to teach our children about the incredible value of worship and learning in a community of believers. As a parent, I also need to teach my kids through my actions about the exciting opportunity we  have  on  Sunday mornings  to  corporately worship our God and Savior. My kids need to see me truly excited about worshiping God in order to fully incorporate this lesson into their lives.

Download the pdf here:

Side note: “The Quest for Authentic Manhood” and getting together with other men has been a fantastic time and if you can work it into your schedule I encourage you to make a commitment to it. I hope to see you there!

Something that struck me this morning that I wanted to share are five things Lewis listed as being what every son wants and needs from his father. This aspect is just part of his larger point which I won’t share here but the points on fathering sons was excellent.

Got a son? Read on …

1. Time Together – Lewis said that “Memories are the markers of life.” Every boy wants that time where it is “just me and dad.” He wants to go out and throw the ball and pretend they are in the Super Bowl together or put together that model or just hang out and laugh. Proverbs 17:6 in part says that “the glory of sons is their fathers.”

2. Life Skills – Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Robert Lewis described “life skills” as the stuff we need to know to get by in life. It might be practical skills like how to change a flat tire, or the oil in your car, or how to tie a tie. Popular Mechanics pubished 100 Skills Every Man Should Know that might be a starting point for the practical stuff. But there are also emotional and spiritual life skills that need to be taught. For example we men generally have a hard time understanding our emotions and how to share from our heart. Sharing from your heart and understanding your emotions is an important life skill that fathers can help train and teach to their sons. Other life skills… How do I treat a woman? When is it appropriate to laugh and goof around or to be serious?

3. Direction with Solid “Why” Answers – Lewis described this as the philosophical stuff of life. “What is really important in life?” “What is life about?” “What is my ultimate purpose in life?” It could be described also as our convictions about higher truths. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says “These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up.”

4. Convictions Through Modeling – This is the influence of your words plus your convictions lived out in what you model in life. This point in equation form: Your Convictions + What you Say + Your Model in Action = Your Integrity. It is showing him through the model of how you actually live your life. The son knows the real father and not just the veneer or what he says. 1 Thessalonians 2:10-11 makes this point very well, “You are witnesses, and so is God, as to how holy and righteous and blameless our conduct was toward you who believe. As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his own children”

5. Dad’s Heart – Lewis said this is what sons need most of all from dad. It means that the son is loved and affirmed by his dad. He said there are three things every son wants to grow up and leave home with confidence having heard from dad: 1) I love you, 2) I’m proud of you, and 3) You are good at _____ [fill in the blank]. Lewis said even today as a grown man “I wish my dad would come out of the grave and tell me these things.” Jesus the Son recieved these things from God the Father. Check out Matthew 17:5 how God says all these things about Jesus: “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my one dear Son [I love you, son!], in whom I take great delight [I'm proud of you, son!]. Listen to him!’ [hey everyone, my son has something good to say!]“

Joe posted on his blog the following post that puts it all in perspective. Read on to see the whole post…

Glimpses Of God’s Goodness

by Joe Holman

Looking at these photos makes you doubt my title. If you have been keeping up with the news lately, then you konw that here in Bolivia we are experiencing ‘unrest’. Some of the events have made international headlines (like the Ambassador being kicked out), while most of what is going on is local. Yet in the midst of this turmoil, we have been surrounded by the goodness of God. Let me share what I mean, in asending order with the last being the greatest.

1. The Leadership Of Our Mission. One of the reasons that SIM appealed to us was the strength, commitment, maturity and wisdom of the leadership. Throughout this ‘crisis’, our leadership has proven to be focused on Jesus and the Mission. They have been a calming influence due to the trust we have in them. God works in and through leadership, and seeing Him working through SIM has been GOOD.

2. The Commitment Of Missionaries. I have truly seen the GOODNESS of God in watching the hearts of loyalty and commitment of my fellow missionaries, both SIM and other mission agencies. It is a joy to see people fully surrendered to the call of God and walking by faith in Him…even when sight seems dim. (This is not a self-brag…I am a wimp…I am talking about watching the courageous hearts of those I know here.).

3. Relationships. Having friends and family with us. Darlene (Denise’s mom) and oru friend Shelly have been here for a couple of weeks. Just their being here reminds us of what really matters–people. They, along with our other friends here, have let us see the GOODNESS of God in His love manifested through others. We have celebrated Patience’s birthday, and my birthday during the last week. Both events overshadowed any negative things that have happened. Love always defeats hate!

4. The Most Important Way That We Have Seen God’s Goodness…

The gift of life. The gift of personhood. The gift of family. The gift of love. God’s goodness in the birth of Mercy so overwhelmed anything else in the world…Life…what a gift of God. Children truly are the blessing of God.

Living In His Goodness…All The Time,
Joe