Family Devotions and Fudgsicle Juice: Guest blog for Joe McGinnis

I’m so happy, because today I get to guest-blog at Joe McGinnis’ site. Joe is a pastor at Fellowship Bible Church, an author,and most importantly, a husband to Aime and a dad to their six children. Joe has developed a concept called In-Gauge Parenting that helps parents understand the unique roles they play throughout a child’s “journey to independence. Fabulous, insightful, helpful information…for all of us!

Joe asked me to write about how each family has unique strengths and struggles. I decided to share a particular struggle I’ve had (and how my son helped me through it…)

Here is part of the post:

I have a confession to make:

I am a family devotions failure.

I had such high hopes of…you know…”training my children up in the way they should go.” In fact, I was quite certain that with my teaching background and my solid Protestant upbringing, I would be able to create family devotions that would rival dinner at the Dobson’s house. I envisioned cozy gatherings by the hearth, my children’s rapt attention shining on their little faces as I read aloud from the Bible. I’d grace them with my wisdom and insight, and lovingly encourage their attempts at memorizing whole chapters of Zechariah.

And then I actually had the children.

Click here to read more… and while you’re there, be sure to click around and read more at Joe’s site. You will be encouraged!
And now, I’m going to eat a fudgsicle.

~Katie

Life Lessons from “Words With Friends.”

I am one of the 5 million-plus people who plays Words With Friends.

I love it.

There’s something about that bubbly sound as the letters go into place and the little jingle I hear when I hit “play.” I get a rush when I put together a word that gets multiplied in the scoring. Plus…I get to “chat” with friends far and near…my sister-in-law, Wendy, and I have solved many world problems during our games!

I do have quite a formidable opponent, though. Meet Barbara Newman.

She wins at least 90% of the time. I don’t know how she does it…but she seems to magically put letters together in combinations that must make the scrabble board sing.

And every time we play, I learn something new. A new word. A new strategy. New humility (because every time I think I’ve got her cornered, she counters!)

Barb and I share not only a love of words, but a great passion for teaching and ministry as well. Barbara is the Director of Church Services for CLC Network, as well as an Inclusion Teacher at Zeeland Christian School in Michigan. She has authored several books, including Autism and Your Church and Helping Kids Include Kids with Disabilities.

It occurred to me over the past year, that our Words With Friends games hold a lot of life lessons…Here are just a few:

• Play with someone who is more skilled than yourself. I have become a better Words With Friends player because of Barb. Similarly, I am a better teacher because I have watched her in action. I often hear myself saying in my own trainings, “My friend Barbara Newman  always says…”

  This is true: Iron sharpens iron. Play with someone from whom you can learn!

• Be proactive. Just when I think I’ve beat Barb, she plays a word that turns the game in her favor…and fast! She has a knack for thinking ahead, considering options, and anticipating what I might do. This works well in the classroom and in the home. When we, as teachers and parents, can spend time anticipating what kids might do, we’re more apt to help them make good choices and learn effectively.
• Be strategic. Barb seems to know which letters to play and which to save. She considers the “whole game” rather than just the next play…she really uses a long-term view and appears to gauge her actions based on winning the game rather than just her turn. While this might set her back temporarily, it invariably gives her an edge in the end. In parenting, friendship, ministry and teaching, we need to be strategic…as Covey says, “begin with the end in mind.”
• Be available. Barb is a busy lady…she teachers, travels, and writes, and volunteers. Even so, she always makes time to take her turn, even when I know she must be utterly exhausted (sometimes she plays at 4 a.m.!) Those who have worked with her know that she is similarly available to help churches, parents and children, with an endless creativity and an easy, comfortable disposition. What a gift we can give, in all of our relationships and leadership opportunities when we are willing to be available.
• Eliminate competition. (I don’t mean “do away with the opponent!”) Barb seems to focus more on playing games with people rather than against them. She’s humble and fun and encouraging at every turn. She lives this out in her teaching and ministry as well.Recently, as she and I shared lunch at a conference she said, “There is NO ROOM for competition in the Kingdom.” 

Thanks, Barb!

~Katie

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5 Ways To Help Kids Pay Attention

“1-2-3- all eyes on me…”
“I’m only going to say this ONE TIME…”
“I like how Joe and Cindy are paying attention…”
“Everyone who is seated and ready is getting a sticker…”

Sound familiar?

Whether we are teaching or parenting, we all want kids to pay attention! However, sometimes, their ability to focus is elusive. It’s important to recognize that improving kids’ attention to task often has more to do with our behavior than with theirs. As we interact with children and teens, we can improve the likelihood that they’ll absorb what we’re saying by offering a preview so they know what to expect.

Consider the title of this blog, for example. “Five Ways to Get Kids to Pay Attention.” Articles with numbered lists are ALL over the blogosphere these days…just scroll through twitter or Facebook and you’ll easily find several at first glance…from “10 Things Your Doctor Wishes You Knew” to “Four Steps to a Happy Family.” We like information to be organized for us, and when we see titles like these, we know that the information will likely be listed in an easy-to-read format.

When you read the title of this blog, for example, you likely anticipated a rather succinct article with five key strategies. You might have asked yourself, “I wonder if I use any of those strategies?” or thought, “I could use a few new tricks for helping kids…” You also had the number 5 in your mind…this gave you an idea of how long this article would be so you could gauge how much time you might need. Finally, you drew on your past experience, knowing that you would likely be able to remember a list of 5 things, and you could also relate new information to what you already know.

So…this article ISN’T really going to give you “5 Ways To Get Kids To Pay Attention.” It’s going to give you just one…when you are giving directions or teaching, considering using a number to get kids’ attention and help them anticipate instruction:

“Today we are going to learn about the THREE branches of government”
“You need TWO things for group work: your pencil and your workbook.”
“This morning, we’re going to learn FOUR ways to obey God.”
” TWO things: brush your teeth and put your laundry in the hamper.”

Wishing you infinite success in your teaching and parenting today!
~Katie

(Image courtesy freeimageslive.co.uk)