POP QUIZ!!!

OK, don't get scared. Its multiple choice. I wanted to share some things I have noticed as sort of a resounding theme in Deuteronomy. Maybe you too will see what I noticed.

Try and figure out the answer.

In Deuteronomy it says...
(ch4-vs9)"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip form your heart as long as you live. Teach them to______________ and to __________________.
A) your neighbors and to your friends
B) your Sunday School class and to your bible study group.
C) your children and to their children after them.


(ch4-vs10)"Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them _______________.
A)to the church youth group
B)to their children
C)to their unsaved friends


(ch6-vs4-7)"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give to you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on_____________. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
A)your husband
B)your annoying co-worker
C)your children


there are plenty more I could type up but 1) I am getting tired and 2) you pretty ladies are so smart I am certain you got the point. GOD wants us to teach OUR CHILDREN! I am sorry, that was excessive capitols, but its true. God only offers ONE solution for your childrens biblical training and one answer for their lack there of................YOU. Yes, you.
You may say "well I am not as trained as a youth pastor, or a Sunday school teacher for that matter", well what I say to that is.... you have a pastor!?!? Good for you! Still your job. You have a really nice neighbor who loves to give the children in the neighborhood little bible lessons on Mondays?? Good for you! Still your job. Are you overworked and unappreciated as it is? That so stinks, I feel ya, but.....still your job. Do you feel unequipped and hypocritical? So do we all! Pray, ask God's help, and believe, its still you job! :)

You may think I am lecturing you but actually, my blog is often my weird way of having some introspection time and lecturing myself. You see, I often like to shout it out when I learn something new, or when God has refreshed in me a fire I once had, but let go out. That is what I am finding with this subject of parents, as primary teachers of religious studies, with our children. I went to a private catholic school and there only nuns and priests taught religious studies. How was I to know I was to teach them? That's where reading His word comes in. You can't escape it, its all over the bible. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN. Over and over and over again, He says it.
Even as a homeschooling family with the time together all day, we still have plenty of days that we focus more on math than we do one God's word. Some days what God wants is personal accounts of what God has done in my life (which I feel are equally important to tell to children) told to them.
I am starting to understand God never set it up, nor did he ever wish, children to be taught their Godly heritage by just ONE or a few "experienced" childrens ministry people. DO NOT READ ME WRONG, there is nothing wrong at all, with childrens ministry (although some can get out of hand), nor is there anything wrong with the sweet lady down the street giving bible study lessons to children. There is something wrong however with them being the ones teaching your children FOR YOU. If THEY are the only ones who teach your kids, then in my opinion, it stands in opposition to scripture. We must do our best to speak of God to our children, to answer their questions about God, and to dive into the scriptures with them. Sadly in America, we tend to think, and are even sometimes TOLD by our churches, that its better to hand them over to someone who is trained to do these things. I mean they have all kinds of cute coloring pages, and songs, and finger puppets! And the older kids love the high energy action packed lessons! How can I compare to that???? The only problem is God not only thinks you can compare to that, HE knows you CAN DO THE BETTER JOB. He set it up that way. Certainly I am grateful for programs that help children better understand the gospel, ESPECIALLY children whose parents don't follow the Lord. Praise God we have people willing to step out there and help preach and proclaim the Gospel to all people. But could we all agree that there is a difference between something that is good, and something that is ideal? As odd as it sounds, the "ideal" that God set up is, *gulp* you and me. The flawed boring parents. But God's plans are good plans. And if He says that WE are to teach them to OUR children then, by golly, I am doing to do it. What do you think?

p.s. I am fully recovered from my Catholic school education, thanks for asking! :)