Northwood Parents

Hey Guys!  Thanks so much for your comments about the video updates I posted last week during our time at Centri-Kid!  I hope they gave you a glimpse into the fun we had and helped ease the worry of having your child gone for a week!  We did have a great time!  Here is the recap video of our week at camp.  I would love for you to comment here or on Facebook and let me know what your child talked about when he or she got home from camp.  What was his favorite part?  What did he learn at camp?  What was his favorite story he heard from the Camp Pastor?  I look forward to your comments!

Here’s the recap video …

Tonight, we have our last video message back home! We LOVE Centri-Kid! Here’s a look at your kids at Centri-Kid today. See you Friday!!

I asked some of the kids that wanted to participate to tell you guys back home about their favorite part of Centri-Kid. Here’s what they had to say…

We’re having a great time at camp…just wanted to say hi!

This week, preschoolers will continue their month of learning about Noah and the floods that came and filled the whole earth.  On Sunday morning, your preschooler will learn that, after the floodwaters subsided, God promised Noah that He would never flood the earth again.  God even put a rainbow in the sky as a symbol that He would not flood the earth again.  Your child will discover that every time he sees a rainbow, he can remember that God always keeps His promises.  Your preschooler will learn that when God makes a promise, He always keeps it!  Sunday afternoon, make a  cereal rainbow with your preschooler.  Sort some Fruit Loops cereal into the different colors and make a rainbow on the table.  Talk with your preschooler about the rainbow and how it symbolizes a promise from God. 

Elementary kids are continuing their month-long study of the virtue of forgiveness – deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn’t have to pay.  This week, children will learn from Luke 19:1-9 and hear about a tax collector named Zaccheus.  Zaccheus had taken money from people and had refused to pay it back.   He longed to see Jesus and, when he did, promised to pay money back to those he owed it to and ask for forgiveness.  The best part — Jesus forgave him and it changed his life!  This week, we want Northwood kids to learn that when people are really forgiven, it can change them.  We want kids to understand that, when we offer someone who has wronged us the gift of forgiveness, it can change their entire lives.  It can help them see things about themselves that they need to change.  On the ride home Sunday, talk to your child about whether it is harder to forgive a friend or someone you don’t know very well.  Talk about how, when we choose to forgive, it changes us and the other person.

I hope you have a great weekend and I hope you will make sure your child is at Northwood this Sunday morning at 8:45.  It will be life-changing Sunday for every kid!  See you then!

How can I know if my child saved?  Can you talk with my child about accepting Christ as Savior?  These are two questions I’m asked frequently.  I love talking to kids about becoming followers of Christ!  That is part of why I do this thing called ministry every day – for that moment!  For Christian parents, there are few concerns are more pressing than the salvation of their children.  I’ve know many parents who struggle to know if their kids are saved.  I ran across an article recently that discussed this same topic and I want to share some of the insight I gained from that article and some insight I have myself.

You see. the truth is simple to say but hard to accept, we cannot know – for sure – if your child has accepted Christ as his Savior or if he is ready to make that decision.  We can’t be 100% certain until we get to heaven.  A person’s relationship with God is deeply private and too easy to fake.  This is especially true for kids who want to earn their parents approval but we can look for evidence of conversion in a child’s life.

The first and best evidence is the child’s statement of believe in Jesus.  Has the child said they trust Christ for salvation and is seeking to follow Him?  Once that is the case, here are some more things we should encourage and try to determine:

• Does the child show a growing love for God?
• Does the child demonstrate love and concern for others?
• Does the child have a growing appreciation for God’s grace?
• Is the child learning to pray and spend time alone with God?
• Does the child have a sense of their own sinfulness? (without being guilty over being caught) 
• Does the child demonstrate new spiritual desires?
• Does the child continue in their faith over time?

If your child is interested in talking more about what it means to be a follower of Christ or if your child is concerned about whether or not he is a follower of Christ – I would love to talk to him.  Let me know how I can help!  Take some time to evaluate your child based on these questions!  Talk through it!  You know your child better than anyone!  Use your relationship to encourage discussion with your child about what it means to be a follower of Christ!