3 Fun (and Free!) Ways to Bond with Your Child This Summer

Buecherwurm_65 / Pixabay

Here in Texas, summer is one long stretch of heat that begins in May and lasts through September. Basically, the four seasons of our year, in order, are Summer, Not-Quite-Summer-Anymore, Sort-of Winter, and Almost-Summer-Again.

But whether you live in a place where summer is one extended reminder of why hell would not be a pleasant place to spend eternity, or in a place where summer confines itself neatly to three months out of the year and lets each of the other seasons have its fair share of months too, you—like me—are probably looking for fun things to do with your child this summer.

I would like to offer you three suggestions of great things you can do that will not only be fun, but also bond you and your child closer together, and ALSO be great opportunities for helping your child connect with God. (It’s like fun with a bonus.) And, as the title suggests, you can do these things no matter how much money you have, because they’re all free.

Can’t beat fun summer activities that strengthen your relationship with your child and your child’s relationship with God, and don’t cost a thing, can you? Great! Here are some ideas:

1. Go to the beach! Don’t worry; we’re not necessarily talking an actual beach, although those are great, too. This activity is primarily designed for moms and children who don’t have a great beach nearby (like us). How can you go to the beach when you don’t actually have one anywhere close? You make your own.

Before you start worrying about how you would ever vacuum up all that sand, let me assure you that there’s no actual sand involved. You simply spread beach towels in the living room. You get in your swimming suits, put on sunscreen, and lie on your beach towels wearing sunglasses. Periodically, you go to the kitchen to get refreshments—ice cream, soda, hot dogs, etc.

What about the water? Couple things you can do on this one. You can fill up the bathtub with cool water. You can place a small wading pool (if you already have one) in the living room and fill it with water.

This activity obviously works best with younger kids. But think about it: you get all the advantages of the beach without any of the hassles; you get to wear your swimsuit without worrying about appearing in it in front of other people; and you get to bond with your child!

You can use this activity to talk with your child about the majesty of God’s creation. Talk about many of the Bible stories that involve water or oceans. Talk about the verse that says, “He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19, NIV).

2. Go to a baseball game! And you don’t even have to pay for tickets or find parking. Why? Because you’re going to watch the game in your very own front or backyard. Set up some camp chairs or lawn chairs, haul your laptop, portable electronic device, or even your TV outside, and watch the game.

You and your child/ren can take turns walking up and down the “aisles” and offering everyone hotdogs, popcorn, or a cold drink. (Be sure you holler, “Hoooooooooootdooooooogs!”)

Make tickets to the game, and have one child be the ticket taker before you sit down. Bring your purse with you so that one child can be the security agent and examine your purse for unauthorized items (you may want to clear any private items out of your purse first).

If you want to get really creative, invite some friends to watch the game with you. Let everyone bring something (this still counts as free, because you’d have to eat anyway). This activity can work well with baseball fans of all ages. Your kids might like doing this even if they aren’t particularly baseball fans; they will probably find novelty and enjoyment in watching “TV” in the front yard.

A baseball game is a great opportunity to talk with your child about rules. Talk about why rules are necessary in a baseball game and what would happen if the players didn’t follow the rules. Point out that just as rules are necessary in baseball, so they are necessary in life—not to stop people from having fun, but to help them have more fun.

3. Go camping! Again, there’s absolutely no cost—and no special equipment needed. This one works best if you have a fenced-in backyard. Grab sleeping bags (or blankets, or a tarp) and pillows, and sleep in the backyard. If you have camping gear, go ahead and use it—but it’s not necessary. Your kids will do just fine with sleeping in their backyard with very simple gear.

Build a “campfire,” if you want to! You can either build an actual fire (though be sure to practice fire safety), or you can lay a fire and then just not light it. You can sit around it ad tell stories or jokes, or sing camping songs (or any songs, really). If someone in your family plays the guitar, have him or her do so.

Talk about how the first announcement of Jesus’ birth came to shepherds who were abiding in the fields, just as you are abiding in your backyard. Ask your child what he/she thinks it was like for the shepherds back then. Talk about what it would be like to be sitting around having a campout, and then all of a sudden to see an angel in the sky with a wonderful message from God.

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Hopefully, you will find one or more of these activities fun and helpful for your family. If not, that’s fine—just make up one of your own. The main thing is not which activities you to do bond with your children and teach them about God, but that you do such activities.

Have a great summer!

Deuteronomy 6:7—You shall teach [the ways of the Lord] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (ESV)

How Not to Worry

worried womanThis past Friday night, Lindsey and I were lounging on the couch together, just hanging out. She, of course, wanted to stay up late. But much as I wanted to continue our time together, I knew it would be better for her to get plenty of sleep.

“You’re going to have to get up early tomorrow,” I said.

“Yeah,” she said. “That’s why I’m tired.”

“You’re tired in advance?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said again. “It happens.”

Indeed, it does. I, too, have had times where I thought ahead to something that was coming up and got tired just thinking about it. You’ve probably had those times, too.

It’s understandable. The only thing is, we have to be careful about letting tomorrow affect today too much.

Apparently you and I aren’t the first ones ever to do this, because two thousand years ago, Jesus cautioned listeners now to let tomorrow mess up today. “Do not worry about tomorrow,” He said, “for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34, NIV).

Why would Jesus tell us not to do something that comes so naturally for us? First, worrying won’t change anything. In the verses just before the one cited above, Jesus illustrates this fact in several ways: We can’t add to our height. We can’t add a day to our lives. We just. Can’t. Do. It.

Not only does worry accomplish nothing, Jesus says, but second, we know that everything we need will be provided. All we need to do, He says, is focus on God and His priorities, and God will take care of the rest. It doesn’t make sense to worry when we know that we’re going to be taken care of.

Third, worrying destroys our peace. It churns us up inside. It’s useless (that was the first reason), it’s pointless (that was the second), and, third, it’s destructive. God doesn’t want us to harm ourselves like that.

So how do we stop worrying (which is often much easier said than done)?

First, let’s realize that Jesus wasn’t saying to stop thinking about tomorrow; He was saying we should stop worrying about it (huge difference).  Thinking about tomorrow is okay; worrying isn’t.

Second, we have to admit that worrying is a choice. It’s not required. Even when we’re facing something potentially difficult, we have a choice as to the perspective we choose to take. We can choose not to let thoughts of what might happen tomorrow ruin what is happening today.

When we find ourselves tempted to worry about the possibilities, let’s choose instead to focus on the fact that today, it isn’t happening. Today, there are things to rejoice in and enjoy. There is life to be lived.

Yes, what happens tomorrow might be awful. But it might not. If it is, then God will meet us there, with His incredible love, comfort, and wisdom. We will be cared for. We will survive.

If it’s not…well, then there was no point in ever worrying about it in the first place.

Matthew 6:34—Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV)

Why I’m Longing for Easter Right Now

Easter TombSometimes, you know something, but you don’t really know it.

Maybe you know it for years, and then all of a sudden, one day, the topic comes up in a fresh way, and you have this epiphany that causes you to see things in a whole new light. And you wonder, Why didn’t I think of that before???

I’ve known for years that Jesus lived in unspeakable glory in heaven with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Likewise, I’ve known that Jesus came to earth, which wasn’t really glorious at all in comparison, and that while He was on earth, He suffered all kinds of indignities and mistreatments (the biggest one being, of course, His murder).

But God reached down to my heart and mind through the words of this week’s sermon and helped me “get it” in a way I never got it before.

Lately, I’ve been struggling with, well, lots of things. Lots of pressure, stress, discouragement, and grief. I’ve been asking some raw questions. Why do I have to suffer so much? Haven’t I had far more than my fair share of suffering in this life? Is life going to be like this forever?

But, Lent.

For those of you who don’t know, or who never really thought about it (as I didn’t until becoming a member of the Anglican church), Lent is basically the 40 days preceding Easter. On Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday” (which I know you’ve heard of), people have a party. The idea is that the next day, Ash Wednesday, they begin to engage in the spiritual disciplines of denial.

One reason for this denial to remember Christ’s suffering here on earth—not just His suffering on the cross, but His suffering in even having to be here at all.

Even Jesus suffered on earth, which led to my first realization: Why shouldn’t I suffer? Do I really think that I deserve to escape that which even Christ had to go through? If only I could remain on the Mount of Transfiguration, basking in the glow. But I can’t. Even Jesus had to come down off the mountaintop, and so do I. That spiritual glow that I feel sometimes when I’m feeling particularly close to God and all is right with the world is only a step on the way to the Garden and to Golgotha.

I can’t remain on the mountaintop forever.

Lent is basically a microcosm of life. We start out grandly and gloriously on Mardi Gras (as Jesus started out grandly and gloriously in heaven). Then, we enter into suffering, just as Jesus did. Some people who observe Lent also observe a “break”, where they do not have to observe the denial they’ve been observing through the rest of the season. That’s kind of like how it is in life. We get breaks sometimes. The fact that we suffer doesn’t mean there are never any good days.

But after the break, it’s back to suffering. Until…Easter! Just as Jesus suffered until, well, Easter, when He again returned to His former glory and no longer suffers.

Friend, hear me: Easter is coming for us, too. For you and for me. And praise God that it is! Our suffering won’t last forever. It might seem like it’s eternal, but it isn’t. Easter (or, in our case, heaven!) is coming.

It’s coming as surely as seasons pass, and days, weeks, months and years. Each moment of suffering that we endure is only getting us closer to our Easter, the time when everything will once again be made glorious.

It isn’t quite Lent, yet. Maybe that corresponds to the fact that life is pretty good for you right now. It’s even pretty good for me. When I step back and look at the things that are weighing heavily upon me, I have to realize that I still have a pretty good life. But suffering will come. In some form or fashion, it will come.

But it won’t stay, at least not forever.

Easter is on the way.

Revelation 7:17—The Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (ESV)

Hidden Treasures

pan flute buskerSometimes, treasure lies buried in a field.

Other times, treasure is obscured in jars of clay.

I found treasure in a dark subway platform in New York City.

My husband Phil and I were in NYC for a trip celebrating our 20th anniversary. We rode the subway several times, since it’s much cheaper and often much quicker than taking above-ground transportation. One time, as we exited the subway and started toward the stairs to take us back to the real world, I heard music playing.

Sweet, beautiful, pure music.

I turned in the dimness to see a man playing a pan flute. As the notes of “How Great Is Our God” soared (yes, somehow soared, even on a subway platform) through the air, I stopped. I caught Phil’s attention, and he and I walked over to the man, who was standing next to a suitcase that lay open on the ground next to him. Inside were stacks of two different CD’s.

The music was incredibly well-played and so very, very peaceful. I bought both CD’s.

Treasure on a New York City subway platform.

It would have been easy to pass the man by. In NYC, you get used to ignoring people in the subway. Nobody pays attention to anybody else, really. But this time, for some reason, I paid attention, and I discovered treasure—two beautiful CD’s of some of my favorite music, and a connection between me and a perfect stranger as we chatted.

I wonder how much treasure you and I miss every day because we’re not really paying attention.

How many diamonds does God place right out there in the open for us to discover if we’ll only focus outward?

Obviously, yes, we have to consider our schedules, our duties, our relationships, our circumstances. But when we focus on them to the exclusion of seeing anything else God might place in our path, we miss beauty. We miss treasure.

May God open our eyes to see His treasures all around us.

Even in shadowy, unexpected places like a NYC subway platform.

Isaiah 45:3—And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. (NLT)

The Gift of Laughter

Easter FailI love to laugh. There’s something spirit-cleansing about a good, unbridled belly laugh. And when you laugh so hard that tears roll down your cheeks—what a blessing to the soul!

So the other day, when I followed a friend’s Facebook link and found absolutely hilarious results that made me laugh until I cried, my soul was abundantly blessed. My kids came up beside me as I watched, and they laughed too. Laughing together with my children—what a blessing, indeed!

What was it that we thought was so funny? Well…it was a set of photos of Pinterest fails. In case you’re not familiar with Pinterest, I’ll tell you what I told my kids: Pinterest is a site where people post pictures of things they think are special in some way. The idea is to make those things yourself. A Pinterest fail, therefore, is when someone tries to make something but it doesn’t come out right. Sometimes, in fact, it comes out very wrong.

Lest you think we were being cruel by laughing at people’s mistakes, let me assure you that the creators of these fails had submitted the pictures themselves as a fail. In other words, they were saying, “Hey, I know this didn’t come out quite right. Laugh with me!”

And we did. We laughed in empathy (we’ve all had things turn out not like we hoped) and outright hilarity.

That time of being together and laughing together was a gift. And, like all good gifts, it came from God (see James 1:17). Too often, without even realizing it, we buy into the mistaken notion that being a Christian is nothing but serious business. While it’s true that we must take our relationship with Jesus seriously, it’s also true that it’s okay to laugh and enjoy the good gift of humor that God gave us, and even to look for opportunities to laugh.

Did you realize that there’s humor all throughout the Bible? For example, in the book of Genesis, when Rebekah is riding a camel on her way to meet her future husband Isaac, most translations state that she “got off” her camel, or something similar. But in fact, the Hebrew word can be translated “fell off” her camel. In other words, it’s possible that she looks up, sees Isaac, and is so stunned that she falls right off the camel. (See Genesis 24.)
Another example of humor is found in 1 Kings 18. The prophets of Baal and the prophet of God, Elijah, are having a little contest. They have made an altar and laid a sacrifice upon it. Each “side” is supposed to call upon its God to come down and consume the offering. The prophets of Baal called out repeatedly, but with (obviously) no answer. Then Elijah starts a little trash talking. “Cry out louder,” he suggests. “Maybe your god is busy. Maybe he’s sleeping and can’t hear you. Or maybe he’s in the bathroom!” (Yes, the Hebrew phrase used there is a euphemism for using the toilet.)

I could go on and on, because there are many equally humorous examples found in Scripture. You see, you and I are not the inventors of humor. God is. He’s given us a wonderful gift to use.

Yes, sometimes we use it wrongly. We laugh at someone else’s expense, or we laugh at inappropriate things. But humor, properly used, is a blessing from God meant to be enjoyed. In fact, He has promised that humor will benefit us—as much as medicine, sometimes.

Why not thank God for this incredible blessing? (Not convinced it’s an incredible blessing? Try to imagine a world where there was no humor.)

Then find something funny and appropriate to laugh at—and rejoice at this good and perfect gift.

Proverbs 17:22—A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (KJV)