Latest / 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids. / Reaching Children with the Message of Jesus

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Reaching Children with the Message of Jesus · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to another session of Five Minute Parenting.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: Today we have a special guest, Crystal Bullman.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: She's an award-winning best-selling author of more than 100 books for children and families.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: She also writes lyrics for children's piano music, stories for Clubhouse Junior Magazine, and she's a mentor and a coach for children's writers.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: She and her husband have been married for 50 years and enjoy spending time with their eight huggable grandchildren.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: Crystal is one of the top children's authors, and it's been a privilege for me to know her.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: She's been a great mentor to me as a beginning children's writer, and I've appreciated her input and her willingness to share her knowledge and insight.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: And Crystal, I know you have a new, fairly new kids devotional out, and your devotionals are great.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: So just briefly tell us about that devotional.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you, Sandra, and it's I'm honored to be with you today.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Our daily bread for kids, 365 devotions from Genesis to Revelation.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: My daughter, Terry McKinley, and I have written this together.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: We wrote one nearly 10 years ago, but this is a brand new one with all new devotions, and it really takes kids into the Bible.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: And we start at the beginning and with Genesis and we end in Revelation, but we also show how Jesus, even in the second devotion already, we introduced Jesus because he was present at creation.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: So it's kind of a Bible story for kids, but all or I'm sorry, a Bible study for children, but it also in between the Bible story lessons, it it has practical application uh lessons as well.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that uh we bring kids to today.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And how does God's truth apply to uh apply to them today?
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: So we're excited about this.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: It just came out a few weeks ago.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's published by our Daily Bread.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and again, it's our Daily Bread for Kids, 365 devotions from Genesis to Revelation.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I can't wait to read it.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to invite my listeners to go to the podcast notes because I will have Crystal's um website address, and so you can go on and find all the books that she's written.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: So anyway, Crystal's going to be talking about reaching children with the message of Jesus today.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: So thanks again, Crystal.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: You're welcome.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think it's so important um to start from day one, you know, right when they're born, it starts with uh singing Jesus loves me to them while you're rocking them.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um but for the very youngest child, and I do write for uh the that younger audience mostly, um, their need is security and belonging.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um they get that through their family, but they also get that security and belonging through learning about God and how much he loves them.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um for the very youngest, I choose uh and write devotions that focus on God's presence, that he's always with them, that he watches over them.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, one of my picture books, God uh does God take naps, and it's about how, you know, God is always there.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: God doesn't sleep like we do.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: And that gives children such comfort to know that God watches over them all night.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: But uh God loves them, and we want that message to be clear to children that God loves them so much, but he also wants us to love him back.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, my newest board book is Good Morning, God loves you.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: And it's this adorable, and when I say adorable, I'm referring to the illustrations, which I do not do, so I can brag on those illustrations.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um these as as morning, um, as children wake up and go out through nature, uh, nature greets them.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we we read in the Bible that um, you know, all nature praises God.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so we have uh a variety of children and families interacting with um with with the animals.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: And um they say, good morning, God loves you, good morning, God loves you, and and the ocean even brings a message that reaches the shore.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Good morning, God loves you.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a very positive, happy, um just encouraging book.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: But at the very end, um, there's an important message that that we too, you know, with all of creation, we answer the call of God who showers his love over all.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Good morning, God.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: We love you too.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: So the message is not only that God loves them, but God wants our love in return.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, when we get to a little bit older children, they're able to understand that Jesus is God's son.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, Christmas is a wonderful time to introduce them to Jesus.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: He grew to be a man, he taught us how to love God and to love others.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that um even young children can handle the truth that Jesus died on the cross for our sins because it has that happy ending.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: He came back to life and he lives forever.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: And when we believe in him, we can live with him forever in heaven.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then we also want to um teach children that Jesus is our friend, he cares about us if we're sad or hurt.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: He is happy when we are happy.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: And God loves us no matter what, but he's pleased when we do what is right.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I think this is what we really need to um um tell children is that, you know, we don't want them to be afraid of God.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want them to think that, oh, God's gonna punish me if I do something bad.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: No, God's love is unconditional.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: He loves us no matter what, but he is so pleased when we try to do what's right.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: And then also to teach children that God helps us do what's right.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: We can't always do what's right on our own, but we can ask God and his Holy Spirit to help us.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: And then when we get to older kids, which is more uh our daily bread for kids, what that devotional book is about, they're able to understand what it means to be a Christian and to follow Jesus.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the devotions or Bible story books for this age group will help them to dig deeper into scripture, to learn how the Old Testament and New Testament fit together and to learn the story of God's people and how that story continues through us.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it starts with Abraham, but it's ongoing.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: God's family keeps growing.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, we are a part of God's story and God's people.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: So again, I think the the the important thing is to choose devotionals, picture books, Bible story books that are age appropriate and kid friendly, but yet I I want to be careful not ever to water down the gospel.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I, but we just have to have to take it at the right um levels for children for their comprehension, um, because we don't we we don't want to give them too much too soon, but we also don't want to give them too little too late.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then just answer their questions.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: Kids are going to ask a lot of questions.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I know my my oldest son, uh, usually uh it was he was about four or five years old around Easter.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he was very um, you know, curious about Jesus dying on the cross.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: And and he even cried, you know, I I had an Easter book and it showed Jesus on the cross and he cried and I said, Oh no, I said, you don't have to cry.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: I said, Jesus did this because he loves us so much and he came back to life.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: And because he did this, we can be in heaven with him when when we believe in him.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: So we can give children those deep uh biblical truths, the truth from God's word, um, but we have to do it in a way where we can reach them where they're at, um, emotional, emotionally and intellectually and spiritually too.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: Some kids are going to um grow grow deeper earlier, younger than other kids, but we just have to meet them where they're at.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: That's really true.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: I I love what you said about um not being afraid to share about Jesus' death, because some Christian parents think, oh, my kid's too young to really hear that.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: But I loved your perspective because you said you can explain Jesus' death, but also the happy ending that Jesus came back to life again.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's so good because then that helps children know that when a loved one dies, like a grandparent or something, that they will also come back to life in heaven, just like Jesus did.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a really great perspective to remember.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for sharing that.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you for sharing um your perspective on helping children understand God.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I love your books because they are so age appropriate.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you so much, and uh hope to have you back in the future.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you, Sandra.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I do have to quick add something, if I may.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um I don't even have my new um our daily bread for kids devotional on my website yet.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: I've got to send that to my my website designer, and he's got to plug that in.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: So um they can it's available on Amazon, Christianbook.com, and then also the our daily bread uh website.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: So it's our daily bread for kids, 365 devotions from Genesis to Revelation.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: And talking to you today made me realize I gotta contact my web designer to get this book on my website.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thanks again, Crystal, for being our guest today.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: You're very welcome.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me.