Latest / 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids. / Teaching Kids to be Salt and Light w/ special guest April Graney

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Teaching Kids to be Salt and Light w/ special guest April Graney · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another episode of the Five Minute Parenting Podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Karen Ferguson, wife, mom, grandmom, and children's book author with a background in K-8 education and a passion for equipping parents to raise confident and God-confident kids.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: In this podcast, we'll cover parenting practices for both a practical view and a biblical view.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Our goal is to help you raise kids with a positive, godly self-image so they can become all they were created to be.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: I know you're busy, so we'll keep it short.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Let's take just five minutes and dive in.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, listeners.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to have a special guest on Five Minute Parenting today, talking about an important topic for our kids, teaching them to be salt and light in the world, just like Jesus calls us to be.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: April Grainy is the mother of five grown children, a wife of 30 years, a children's book author, and a teacher at Cooks and Hills, a children's home and school for at-risk students in Oklahoma.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: She's a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and the author of three children's books.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: She wrote her newest book, If Jesus Came to My School, to encourage parents of children who are sharing the love and light of Jesus in their schools.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the show, April.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much, Karen.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: I'm really excited to talk with you today.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, me too.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: And congratulations on your new book.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: I just saw yesterday it was a number one Amazon release, which is amazing.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, thank you.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: Praise the Lord.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: We are just praising him for his faithfulness and getting the word out on this book.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: Super excited.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I read it, and it's such a creative way to teach this principle of shining God's light to our kids.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm excited you'll be talking about this topic today.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it sounds like you'll be approaching it from three different ways.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: You have purpose, prayer, and power.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: So that sounds great.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Please jump right in.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, all right.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, the book is called If Jesus Came to My School.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: And um I, as a teacher where I teach at Cookson Hills, um, our kids who come to us are not necessarily believers.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, some of them have never even read the Bible or heard anything about it.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: And so as I've taught there the last six years, I really have seen just an amazing opportunity to love these kids with the love of Christ.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: And um that's one of the reasons why I wrote If Jesus Came to My School.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we had kids, I have five kids, as you mentioned, and um, we did all three.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: We did homeschool, we did um public school, and then now we're here at this um private Christian school.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: And um just the importance of the impact that kids can have in schools, when I think about my students at Cookson Hills, they are, I don't think they're any different than any other kid in any other school, you know, and you think of the public schools and the the light that families can be there.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, teachers, Christian parents who are volunteering, and Christian kids who are at these schools, they have just an incredible opportunity.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I wrote this to encourage them that they would let those lights shine bright in their schools.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so just talking about purpose, you know, um, as believers, when we are raising our kids, um our goal is not to, you know, children are a blessing from the Lord, right?
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: We've received them from the Lord as a blessing.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: And ultimately, you know, when they move out of the house, right, our goal is to launch them out into the world as godly Christ-like believers.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: And we want to share our children with the world so that they can have an impact.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: So we start training them to be the light and love of Jesus in their everyday lives as we interact with the world, as we are at the grocery store, or as they're um participating in maybe some club sports, or definitely if they're in the public schools or any other school setting, really, even a homeschool group at times can need the salt and light of Jesus, right?
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, all areas.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: So one of the first memory verses I ever chose on my own, as a I think I was probably a middle schooler uh to memorize.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I grew up in Iwana and I had to memorize a lot of verses, but this was the first one that I memorized to that I chose to memorize on my own.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: And it was Matthew 5, 16 says, in the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: And um yeah, I just see uh God wants us to shine his light, yes, not to bring glory to ourselves, um, but to reflect to Jesus, that we would point people to Jesus through that light.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, the book of first John talks about God is light and God is love.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so when we imitate Christ, we show love to the people around us.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and of course, we know that Jesus taught the golden rule, you know, love um do unto others as you would have them do unto you, right?
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: The golden rule.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: And then the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and the second is like it to love your neighbor as yourself.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: And so um, I remember the first time we uh we had been homeschooling for about seven years when we decided to put our kids, our four oldest kids, into public school.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember being um so anxious about that and so nervous.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I had a good friend, a mentor of mine, come to me and say, What are you teaching your kids?
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: What are they gonna learn through this process?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, I don't know.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: So she's like, April, they're learning to trust God, they're learning to put their anxieties on him, they're learning to impact the world and interact with people who may not know him and to be bold for Jesus.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: And um, so you know, that's part of our purpose.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I I'm so thankful to get to live that purpose out every day in my job at Cooks and Hills.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but but part of my second point with prayer is where you know prayer comes in because yes, it is can sometimes be a scary thing to allow our kids to have some interaction with the world.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: And um we we worry about the things they might be exposed to.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: And um, when I first started teaching at Cookson uh before I was hired, the principal's like, now April, you know, these kids are not Christian kids.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: They're gonna cuss in front of your kids, they're gonna talk about things, you know, you your kids have maybe never heard about.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: And and I said, I know, I know they are, and but this is a safe place, right?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: We have Christian teachers that are here, and you know, we have taught our kids the truth, and it's time to launch them and allow them to um have an impact and love these kids.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: But we had to pray, we have to pray and cover our kids with prayer.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so that first day years ago when we put our kids into public school, um, the first day I put them to school, I drove straight from there to a mom's in prayer meeting.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: Moms in Prayer International has groups of women who are praying for schools.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you can go online on their website and just type in your zip code and find a group.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um but I remember, yeah, it's a pretty incredible mystery.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: But I remember driving to that first mom's in touch meeting and I just I cried quietly through the entire prayer time.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: It was like 30 minutes of praying, and I just was, you know, so anxious and nervous.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: And God was so faithful when I went to pick up um my kids from the school.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: I was really anxious about my oldest daughter um because she was so nervous.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: Will the kids like me?
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: And she came walking out with a group of girls surrounding her, and um, it was just such such a beautiful gift from the Lord for him to give me and to ease, ease my um anxiety.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I and I'm reminded, April, of that scripture uh where Jesus said that you know we are to be in the world and not of it, right?
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I think yes is giving your children and and children in those public school or those public school places, like you say, to be the light of Christ.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what he's called us all to be.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: But man, I agree with you though, the power of prayer.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think that is so important, just to bathe our kids in prayer, no matter what school they go to.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, absolutely, yeah.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I I was thinking of uh Philippians 4, 6 through 9.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um and to know that He is He is with our kids when they do go to school.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: So if Jesus came to my school, you know, it's a little girl who imagines what it might be like if Jesus came to school with her and he was her age and how he would treat the the, you know, how he would include the child who's left out, or he would help people, kids get along.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe if there's a bully in the classroom, he's gonna, hey, let's not do that, you know, and how Jesus would appreciate the teacher.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: And so then the little girl in the story, she uh realizes, you know, I know Jesus can't physically come to school with me, but I can be like Jesus.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: His plan is he wants to live through me, you know, and I can be his hands and feet and spread his love to all.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I can share and help him give so no one feels too small.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: And uh then she goes on to teach the rest of the class, you know, our class can be a family, we'll treat each other right, and Jesus will be in our schools as we spread love and light.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, as kids read this book, hopefully they can be encouraged to know that Jesus is with them.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, if they're believers in Jesus, he's he's inside of them and um he can work through them to love those kids in their classes and the people that they interact with there.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there are some resources that I wanted to talk about and give parents.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, so we mentioned Moms in Prayer International, um fabulous, fabulous group.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: And um, even they even have homeschool groups of moms praying for their homeschool kids and they have Christian school groups, um any kind of school setting they've got a group for.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: You can start a group.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they just have these fabulous prayer guides each week that you go through and um practice, you know, uh laying those anxieties and fears before the Lord and praising him for what he's doing.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but another organization that comes along and helps students, um, particularly in middle school and high school, uh, start Christian clubs in their schools is called Decision Point.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: And Decision Point has tons of resources on their website and tools for helping these kids.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: Here's how you start a Christian club, here are some resources you can use, here's some videos you can share.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: They've got lots and lots of resources there.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um just a really yeah, fabulous organization.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: And um, and then for teachers, uh Christian teachers, you know, they're making an impact in our schools.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: One of them is Christian, yeah, Christian Educators is um uh supports Christian teachers to help them know their their legal rights um in the public school system, what they can talk about, and gives them tools and resources for you know, talking about the Easter story or Christmas or you know, just um what's what's allowed and comes alongside them to support them if they need legal support as well.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: And another one is Teach for the Heart.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: And Linda Cardamas has done an excellent job just organizing um people and resources for teachers.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: She has an amazing pray in the plan planner for teachers that helps them to pray through their school year and to pray for each of their students.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I'm I am just so thankful that you know I wrote this book, if Jesus Came to My School, to support parents and families, but there's already so many wonderful organizations as well that are that are doing that and um doing it well.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: Wonderful.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, April, thank you so much.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: This has been a pleasure having you here.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I thank you for these resources.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: I will list these in the show notes as well as links to your website.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: And where is the best place to find you online?
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: I want to encourage our listeners, you know, follow you, check out your books and resources.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yeah, for sure.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's aprilgrainy.com is my website, also onehappyhouse.org.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: That might be easier to remember and not have to know the spelling.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, so there's no eye in grainy.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody wants to put an eye in there, G-R-A anyway.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I'm yeah, I'm active on Facebook and Instagram mainly.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: So Okay, well, we will have all those links in the show notes.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I just want to encourage you, you know, you're doing a good work with this message for young children.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's so important.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: And um, yeah, I want to again encourage our listeners, check out April Grainy, her website, her books, and her resources.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: We'll have all those links in the show notes.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you again for being here, April.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: And that is it for today.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: I pray this episode is an encouragement to you.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode and share this with another mom, grandmom, or teacher you want to encourage.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, have a blessed week.