Double Portion Inspiration

I normally try and put my kids to bed with a book or Bible lesson.  The other day our Bible lesson came out of Psalms 103.  This text of scripture is full of description about God's character.  Here's just a sampling from the chapter: He is merciful and tender toward those who don’t deserve it; he is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love. 9  He never bears a grudge, nor remains angry forever.   (Psalms 103:8-9) I knew my 12 year old understood the words that illustrated God's character but I was pretty sure my little one didn't.  I wanted to make sure he knew just how much God loves him.  I wanted him to know that God's love is constant whether he made good or poor choices.  There's nothing he can do that will cause God to love him less, just like there's nothing that causes God to love him more.   His "works" won't change God's love.  He's the same yesterday, today, and...

My boys enjoy video games, like most kids.  This generation is so stimulated by those interactive games that it has seeped into our classrooms.  My 4th grader has to complete homework every night on a private educational website that looks similar to Facebook. Normally, when my boys play on the weekends, I snuggle into take a nap.  It is one of the RARE times in my house that it is quiet.  The other times at home are filled with rowdy boys making crazy noises with their body parts.   With a simple xbox controller they can CREATE themselves in this fantasy world.  They choose from a plethora of features like eyewear, skin color, hair style, shoes, body type, etc.  They have the ability to build the perfect athlete, with the perfect skills and stamina.  No work has been done to achieve all this, just a little boys creative imagery.  My youngest always HAS to win.  If he doesn't, he carries around an attitude all day,...