Summer Training
Good Morning,
With summer almost here, let me urge parents to take at least one important action with your children, SHUT DOWN the MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT.
Many activities can be done with your children, but training them to be men and ladies is no accident. The mess we have in America today is a result of parents trusting public schools and parents allowing their children to do whatever they want.
Proverbs 22:15 “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child…”
Proverbs 29:15 “… a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”
Children do not know what to do. They will come up with all kinds of shame and sinfulness if left to themselves. If parents are missing, Satan will surely fill in the void.
Isaiah 34:16 “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read…”
Read the Bible — individually and as a family. If dad works too much and cannot, mom can do it when dad is gone from home.
Read books, fill your home with GOOD BOOKS. There is junk that some people call books. Fill your home with books that have morals, character, integrity, strength, and decency. Of course, this will require parents to do their homework. Talk to the school teachers at our church; ask, borrow brains, and then, of course, read the books yourself so you can talk to the children about the books they are reading.
It is commanded that we TRAIN our children — not allow them to run unchecked.
Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Outside activities are vital. Get bikes or a small above-ground pool, or go on walks at parks or in the mountains. It is important for a child to spend time alone outside, but be aware of where he is, and with whom and what he is playing. I rode bikes with my kids from the time they were in diapers to their teen years. We played outside. We played on the swings and slides, played with balls, and shot BB guns — all of these were just around for the children to play with at will. (Yes, my panic-stricken friend, BB guns, air soft guns, nerf guns, and knives too - both rubber and real - along with nunchucks, fighting sticks, and anything that had to do with manly activities.) My wife helped the children think of things to do outside, then she went back to her duties and left them to play.
Shut off or monitor video games. We limited our children to thirty minutes of play at a time, and then only occasionally. Shut off the television unless it is planned and very limited.
It was Abraham who commanded his household after God. He led them, taught them, trained them, and created a home honoring to God.
Genesis 18:19 “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”
Set a schedule: read during these times, do yard and household chores, go outside and play, or go to a park. Set up a schedule for your week and run it all summer.
Teaching children is not just an obligation you meet for an hour in the morning; teach them all day long.
Deuteronomy 6:7 “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Be training your children all day long!
Work and skills:
in Luke 2:52, it was said of our Lord, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”
There is more to life than just sitting home in front of a Bible. The word stature refers to the physical body: to be strong, to work, and to have skills. Many a boy has never dug a hole, used a hoe, mowed a lawn, or washed a car. Every child should be able to detail a car inside and out, but it takes a parent to sit by his side showing him how to do it.
If you have no lawn, find someone who does, and ask if you might care for their yard for no charge just to train your children to use edgers, blowers, rakes, and mowers. (By the way, you can buy all that equipment cheaper than video games and game systems.) Summer is a great time to do that which is time-consuming and could not be done during school. Load up the kids and go to museums, or go on hikes. Google hiking trails in your area and you will find many. Have the kids pack a lunch (teach them how), and leave for the day. (In our area, San Diego has many hiking trails along the cliffs above the ocean where it is cooler.) Children need to learn to cook. All our children were comfortable in the kitchen before junior high. Once a week, you could do a serious cleaning in one room. Make it a project for mom and the kids. Empty the room and scrub, touch up paint, reorganize, throw out, etc.
Change sprinklers, drip lines, timers, or take care of other details in the yard. Who cares if it is already working fine, use that yard to train the children.
We are to train the child for life, everything in life. Of course, do not miss anything your church has going on: VBS, camps, and conferences. It would not hurt to go to church and do serious room cleaning for God’s house. Why not go empty a room and make it sparkle? Teach children to wash windows; the church is a good place to do that as well. Then help them start doing it for neighbors and make money.
Animals are a great responsibility builder. Rabbits, dogs, and cats (in our area, a few chickens are great too). I grew up with goats and milked them; I also grew up with a cow, horse, pigs, and many other animals. We would have one animal for a while, then get rid of it and get something different, then another. Everything is teaching and training.
Camping is great for children. If dad cannot get away, mom can take them for an overnight stay first in the yard, then out in the woods. I have slept in our treehouse with children (and with ants etc.)
Where did John the Baptist grow up?
Luke 1:80 “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.”
Read, watch informational shows, and find places to go in the desert; bring a telescope, and get out of the house and away from technology.
We have allowed a heathen government to train our children. This stupid world in which we live is the result of that mistake. Make summer a training time of fun, work, and learning skills — but all training.
And did I mention… SHUT DOWN MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT!
Pastor