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The Switch: Nurture a child’s fascination
A captivating 4-minute animated video sheds light on the mystery of how children find their life purpose. A friend of Bill's, one of our blog readers, explains that Bill died in October 2015 in the mountains of Ethiopia while on assignment for his...
Children have power to lift people’s spirits, so let them
I received many expressions of sympathy after my mother died last year. One of the most meaningful (pictured) came from a child in my life. Her parents said it was her idea. But behind the scenes of that child's loving act was parental support facilitating her idea to...
Earth Day 2016: a Nature-and-child relationship
Readers of this blog know we focus on exploration of a child's human spirit. Nature plays a crucial role in spiritual development and health. After all-- to state the obvious-- it's our natural habitat. We are wired for it. Children need to spend time in nature-- even...
Encouragement for spiritually discouraged kids
What does spiritual discouragement look like in children? No hope for a way out of a tough situation? The faith (or nonfaith) they are growing up with not aligning with what they read, hear, see or feel in school and the world around them? Tired of rituals that do not...
It’s unfair to kids to ignore our spiritual blindspots
We all have a spiritual history. Awareness of our history—experiences, stories, defaults, blindspots--allows us to be fair with the important children in our lives. A personal example--one of my blindspots My spiritual history contains a chapter of my life in which I...
To kids you mirror a higher power: scary or exciting?
Like it or not, a child's caregivers mirror God's character in the child's eyes. No doubt you've been part of conversations like this: My 3-year-old asked me something--I've forgotten the exact question--but it was something I didn’t know the answer to. So I told...
Help a child acquire shame resilience
“There were maybe 5 kids sitting in a car across the street,” author Kara Powell says, recalling how she tripped and fell as a teenager. “I remember them laughing at me as I picked myself up. But that was in front of five kids, and it was over in five minutes. Today,...
“So Mom, do you think there’s a hell?”
Passing along spirituality to others can be fraught with many pitfalls and misconceptions. We must never try to force or convince, yet must still be open to those who are curious and seeking-- especially when the seekers are the children in our lives. Notice the...
How to help kids become agents of community change
School children often learn about historical figures who change their country through their fight against injustice. Mathatma Gandhi, William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King, Susan B. Anthony, Nellie Bly, Tommy Douglas. Many figures throughout history who have fought...
How to help children catch a vision for guiding others
Spirituality is passed on from generation to generation. How can you help the important children in your life learn to offer strength of spirit to others? Look at the peer counselor-mentor programs in schools. In all the programs I studied, teachers select children to...
Teaching children to face down their flaws
I watch my grandchildren regularly while their parents are working. One day I drove them and their friends on a day trip to a nearby town. It was supposed to be a fun trip, but the car was full and noisy. One of my grandchildren in particular was acting up and arguing...
4 ideas to guide a child toward experiencing God
The experience of God is certainly unique to each individual. Some speak of God as largely inside of us. Others say God is watching us from a distance. Even in religious families who share a theology, each family member walks on his or her own daily path in...
How to help children practice generous living
Children are just like us... we practice occasional acts of kindness toward others, but more generally take an outlook focused on ourselves. How can we encourage acts of kindness so children's perspectives focus outward more often --- on the gifts they have to...
5 overlooked ways your spiritual responsiveness furthers a child’s
Children think about God. They like to talk about God. Each person experiences God in a different way, and some not much at all. Some adults consider it a private matter, hesitating to speak of it even with the children we love most. It can be difficult for kids to...
The spiritual component in authentic relationships
When adults try to help children relate to others authentically, we generally promote qualities like patience, forgiveness, honesty, love, etc. These come to us by way of our human spirit. Strong spiritual awareness can figure prominently into our ability to form...
Service to others: even a child can excel at this
"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." (Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace Prize 1952). Can't we all think of occasions when we have seen the...
Your role in the spiritual development of a child
If you have been following this blog for any length of time, you know the spiritual development of a child begins and ends with the choices of the child. We cannot (and should not try to) force a child into a particular belief or spiritual practice. Yet we can walk...
Convey God’s love in response to a child’s questions
I'm not the first one to notice the earnest way children talk about and ask about God. They are curious. After all, they can hear about God almost every day. On the playground, at the park, at the zoo, basically anywhere people are talking: Oh my God. Oh God,...