Stay Tuned...

I am working on a series of guest posts so please stay tuned. The first one is set to post on Friday. If you would be interested in doing a guest post please feel free to contact me. I would like to get as many people as possible involved with sharing their insights and ideas on here.

Valentine's Heart Pockets

Valentine's Day Resources

For lots of great ideas to do with your kids or students on Valentine's Day, check out Ministry to Children's website by clicking here.

The Importance of Take-Home Papers

I used to think take-home papers were a waste of money. After all, most of them end up in the trash without ever getting a glance. Then one day someone made the comment that this may be the only opportunity you have to get the Word of God into the homes of some of these children. A parent may not necessarily get saved, but seeds are being planted. God promises that His Word will not return void. 

Make sure you give your students something to take home with God's Word on it. It may be as simple as an index card with a memory verse. Take every opportunity you have to get the Bible into the homes of your students.

Building a Library Inexpensively

Reading is important but how do you build a library inexpensively? The more a child is surrounded by books, the more he or she will be encouraged to read. I know that we are in the age of electronics - books in digital formats may be good for older children and adults but you aren't going to give a child a love for reading this way. Personally, I prefer to hold a real book in my hands. 

There are many ways to pick up book inexpensively: 
- garage sales 
- thrift shops 
- used book sites on the internet: Alibris, Abe, Half.com, Barnes & Noble, Kregel 

Be sure your library includes a variety of books, not just fiction. Include some of the following:  

Classics: Dickens, Hawthorne, Defoe, Spyri, etc.  
Biographies: Presidents, Missionaries, historical figures, composers, artists  
Spiritual, Character building: find books that will help grow your child's character and spiritual life. These can be fiction or non-fiction. Check out Vision Forum and Lamplighter Ministries for some great sources  
Reference books: dictionary, commentaries, concordance, Bible dictionary, Thesaurus  

 “He that loves a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counselor, a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. By study, by reading, by thinking, one may innocently divert and pleasantly entertain himself, as in all weathers, as in all fortunes.” - Barrow

Thoughtful Tuesday

"Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own."  

-- Nikos Kazantzakis

Thoughtful Tuesday

"If we are going to serve the Lord, we must stop focusing on other people."

~ Evangelist Jim Pruitt