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A SERVING FAMILY

"Our children are not the center of the world.  They're not the center of our world.  They're not even the center of their world... God is to be the center of your family's world.  Yet that is how we often treat them.  We structure our lives around them.  Their good sets the agenda.  A gospel-centered family is a family that serves others to the glory of God."

Join us at the Thursday Moms Group this week as we discuss Chapter 12 of our study, 'A Serving Family' based on Mark 12:28-34.  We will look at practical ways we can teach our children to serve by serving together as a family.

Here are some questions for reflection:

• Audit your children's involvement in household chores.  What do they do?  What could they do?  Do you need a rota or list of responsibilities for each child?

• When do your children hear you prizing the greatness of service?

• Who are your neighbors?  List the people you're linked with - locally and globally.

• Who are your needy neighbors?  What could you do as a family to serve them?

• What opportunities do you have to share the good news of Jesus with your neighbors?  What could you do as a family to reach them?

• What evangelistic events does your church have coming up?  How could you involve your children in these events?  How could you encourage your children to share the good news with their friends?

This week we will also be hearing from Rebecca Gyra as she shares her experiences of being a mom to a child with special needs.  She will then go on to lead a discussion group for Moms of children with any form of special needs, learning differences or ADD.  Please come along and invite anyone you know who may like to join for this one off session.

We will meet this Thursday May 17th from 9.30 - 11.30am at 2/F Island ECC.  Refreshments and childcare provided.  Newcomers always welcome.

A BIGGER FAMILY

"Christians belong to two families.  We're born into our biological families, but we're born again into God's family.  We're children of our parents, but we're also children of God... To be a flourishing gospel-centered family, you need your church family.  There's an old African saying which goes: "It takes a village to raise a child."  Or we might say: "It takes a whole church to raise a child.""

Come and join us at the Thursday Moms Group this week as we discuss Chapter 11 of our study, 'A bigger family' based on Mark 3:31-35.  We will look at how our family can be involved in church life, and how our church can be involved in family life.

Here are some questions for reflection and discussion this week:

• What are the benefits of growing up with an extended Christian family?

• Where, if anywhere, do you feel the tension between your Christian family and your biological family?

• What are your obligations to your extended (biological) family?  What responsibility should your children feel to their extended family?  What responsibility do they feel?

• What has helped your children see beyond your immediate family?

• What stake do your biological and Christian families have in the way your kids are raised?  How can they be partners with you in Christian parenting?

• Identify people in your church family that have a good relationship with your children, especially people older than your children.  What could you do to encourage them or thank them?

• How do you open your home to the church family?  Could you have someone live with you?  Could you open your meal table more to people?  Could you 'adopt' a single person in your church?

• Think of your last three family celebrations, events or trips.  Did you involve other people from the church family?  Could you have done so?  What about the next three family events?

• Alex: "I loved having people come and go in our home when I grew up - so many good times - talking, playing, laughing.  Some are still friends with me today."  Harry: "I came to resent the many guests my parents had.  I just wanted my parents to myself, but the guests always came first." How can you ensure your children look back like Alex rather than Harry?

We will meet this Thursday May 3rd from 9.30 - 11.30am at 2/F Island ECC followed by a potluck lunch together.  Refreshments and childcare provided.  Newcomers always welcome.

PRAYING THE WORD

"Teaching our children to pray is not about imparting a procedure, but teaching them the character of God and His gospel.  We're teaching them how to relate to God."

Join us at the Thursday Moms Group this week as we discuss Chapter 10 of our study, 'Praying the word' based on Matthew 6:5-15.  We will look at how we can teach our children to pray by praying with them.

Consider these questions for reflection:

• How did you learn to pray?

• What sort of things do you pray for as a family?  How do they correspond to the priorities Jesus gives His disciples?

• What are good times in the day to pray as a family?

• Think about each of your children.  How are you helping each to pray?  What do you pray with them daily?  What do you pray for them?

• When do you pray for something or someone outside of your home?  How are your children involved in this?

• What would you like your kids to be praying for you?

We will meet this Thursday April 26th from 9.30 - 11.30am at 2/F Island ECC.  Refreshments and childcare provided.  Newcomers always welcome.

THE WORD AND OTHER VOICES

"There are many voices today calling to our children: TV, books, magazines, the internet, friends and school can all be mouthpieces for the "sinful woman" described in Proverbs, enticing our children away from what's right.  We can't isolate them forever, so how can we prepare them?"

Join us at the Thursday Moms Group this week as we discuss Chapter 9 of our study, 'The word and other voices' based on Proverbs 4:1-9.  We will look at how we can shape WHAT younger children watch and HOW older children watch.

Consider these questions for reflection:

• Talk to your children about their favorite programs.  Which programs do they like?  Why do they like them?

• Keep a record of your children's television watching.  What does it reveal?

• What limits do you put on your children's TV and film watching?  What reasons can you give for putting the limits there?  How will you respond to the fact that another family lets their children watch things you don't?

• What has helped you think about the films you watch and the books you read?  How can you teach your children to think in the same way?

• When do your children hear the voice of God?  When do your children hear the voice of the world?  Whose voice do they hear most?

We will meet this Thursday April 19th from 9.30 - 11.30am at 2/F Island ECC.  Refreshments and childcare provided.  Newcomers always welcome.

LIVING THE WORD

"We take our children to church, read the Bible with them and pray together.  But this is only a fraction of what we teach our children.  They watch our every move.  Your everyday talk teaches them what you really care about.  Deuteronomy tells us that we are to express our love for the Lord in our everyday actions and to declare His word in our everyday talk."

We are looking forward to meeting again this Thursday at the Moms Group after our Easter break and will be discussing Chapter 8 of our study, 'Living the Word' based on Deuteronomy 11:16-21.  We will look at some practical steps we can take towards becoming a word-centered family.

Here are this week's questions for reflection:

• How do your family celebrations reflect God's salvation?  What could you do differently at Christmas or Easter to give an opportunity for children to ask why we do this?

• How did you face the last difficult time you had?  How much of this were you able to share with your children?  Did they see your faith in action?

• Do your bible reading times need adapting?  What's holding you back from starting or changing?

• John Younts says: "Your everyday talk reveals where your treasure is, and therefore where your heart is."  What message is your everyday talk communicating?

We will meet this Thursday April 12th from 9.30 - 11.30am at 2/F Island ECC.  Refreshments and childcare provided.  Newcomers always welcome.

CHILDREN AS A GIFT

"Children are a gift from the Lord... In the midst of trying hard to be a good parent, don't forget to receive the gift with thanks.  And enjoy it.  And think, too, how you can help your children enjoy their family life."

Join us at the Thursday Moms Group this week as we discuss Chapter 7 of our study 'Children as a gift' based on Psalm 127.  We will look at practical ways we can enjoy family life such as: Showing love, spending time, being available, talking together, pursuing conversation, eating together, creating together, playing games, creating memories, and telling stories.

Consider these questions for reflection as we prepare for this week's study:

• Think of times when your children have: made you laugh, made you proud, filled you with joy, moved you to tears.

• Ask your children about their happy family memories.

• What were your family traditions when you were growing up?  What are your family traditions now?  Could you create a new tradition?

• When did you last take time to find out what your child was thinking?  What did you discover?

• "The best way to get my Mom's attention was to be naughty."  Could that be said of you?

• "If your child is ten years old, 3,650 days have already gone.  You have 2,920 left." (Rob Parsons) Does this encourage you to make any changes?  What's your plan?

We will meet this Thursday March 29th from 9.30 - 11.30am at 2/F Island ECC.  Refreshments and childcare provided.  Newcomers always welcome!

MOMS SERVICE DAY

"Be doers of the word, and not hearers only"  (James 1:22)

Join us for the Moms Group 'Service Day' tomorrow as we pause from the Bible study guide and come with sleeves rolled up ready to work!  We will be preparing materials for a children's camp in The Philippines - bring your scissors!  Looking forward to this opportunity to do something to help and to have fun and fellowship together as we work, a great chance to experience community.  Same time, same place, same childcare, same snacks - but different plan!

We will meet this Thursday March 22nd from 9.30 - 11.30 am at 2/F Island ECC.  Newcomers always welcome!

GRACE FOR A CHILD'S HEART

"We're natural born legalists, trying to make the grade by doing the right thing.  The challenge for parenting is that, if we're not careful, our discipline can reinforce this innate legalism.  Our children learn that good behavior earns acceptance while bad behavior earns rejection.  So we need to communicate grace to our children."

Join us at the Thursday Moms Group this week as we discuss Chapter 6 of our study, 'Grace for a Child's Heart' based on Luke 15:11-32.  We will look at practical ways we can communicate grace in our discipline such as:

1. Discipline and then stop - don't make them feel they have to earn their way back into your good books.
2. Always show acceptance - there should be no hint of rejection.  Discipline then cuddle.
3. Watch your own heart - discipline out of love not retaliation.
4. Don't use bribery to control your children - the true reward for doing the right thing is that it pleases Mummy & Daddy and ultimately, God.
5. Make sure your child knows you discipline them because you love them - not to make them into someone you will find lovable.
6. Don't put other people down - it's a sign of legalism and self-righteous pride.
7. Don't compare your children to other children - whether for better or worse.
8. Say sorry to your children when you don't get it right.
9. Above all, bring your children to the cross.

Here are some questions for reflection:

• Think of some parents you admire.  What makes them great parents?

• What tendencies towards legalism can you detect in your own life?

• When was the last time you said sorry to your children?

• When was the last time you talked about the cross with your children?  What opportunities can you think of to talk about the cross with your children?

• What struggles are your children facing at the moment?  What opportunities do these struggles offer for your child's spiritual development?  What could you do to help them grow in this area?

We will meet this Thursday March 15 from 9.30 - 11.30am at 2/F Island ECC.  Refreshments and childcare provided.  Newcomers always welcome!

DISCIPLINING A CHILD'S HEART

"Why do children misbehave?... Sinful behavior arises when our hearts treasure something more than God. The source of all actions - both good and bad - is the heart.  And that means changing hearts matters more than controlling behavior. If your aim is to teach your child the ways of God, then your discipline will be calm, clear, consistent and concentrated on the motives of their heart."

Join us at the Thursday Moms Group tomorrow as we discuss practical ways we can practice good discipline, focussed on our child's heart, not just their behavior.  We will be looking at Chapter 5 of our study, based on Colossians 2:20 - 3:10.  Here are some questions for reflection:

• Think about the last time you disciplined your child.  Was the focus of your explanation on their behavior or their heart?

• Think about the wrong ways of disciplining that aim at controlling your child.  Are there any that you recognize in your life?
• Manipulation ("Your sister did it ok.")
• Fear ("You won't know what's hit you.")
• Bribery ("I'll give you a sweet if you shut up.")
• Emotionalism ("After all I've done for you.")
• Inconsistency ("Okay, just this once.")

• The bible speaks of many different interventions we can make into a child's life: encouragement, correction, rebuke, instruction, warning, teaching and prayer.  Pick a recent example of bad behavior.  Think how you could have intervened in each of these ways.  Which would have been best for that occasion?

• Look at Proverbs 4:18-23.  What guidance is there for parenting?

We will meet this Thursday March 08 from 9.30 - 11.30am at 2/F Island ECC.  Refreshments and childcare provided.  Newcomers always welcome!