March 2, 2010

By Vonda Skelton

Posted in: Christian Living | Jesus | Writer's Conferences

Touching the Hearts of Children

grandkidsandmeWhether you write for kids or not, whether you have children or not, you have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of participating in the second annual Write2Ignite Conference for writers of children's literature. It was a glorious time of focusing on our calling as writers in the battle for kids' minds and hearts. As I prepared for my Friday night keynote, "Setting Children's Hearts Afire for Jesus," I recalled considering a similar thought when I was writing my book, Seeing Through the Lies: Unmasking the Myths Women Believe.

When our daughters, Christina and Nicole, were in elementary school, we discovered the best place to trim their hair was out on the deck. After all, I could just snip, snip and toss the hair into the yard without having to clean it up (and if you've been reading my blog very long, you already know about my struggle with housekeeping!). Well, one spring day, my husband Gary was cleaning out the gutters when he found an old bird's nest. Thinking it might make a good science project, he carefully brought it down--and made an amazing discovery. There, woven through the fragile walls of the nest, were long strands of the girls' hair! What a picture of God's plan and provision for the tiniest of His creation . . . and what an opportunity to share that plan with our daughters.

Deuteronomy 6 tells us to use these everyday opportunities to share the reality of a Holy God with our children. It says to love the Lord with all our hearts and souls and strength. And then it says, These commandments I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9poorchildrenchristianphotos

This passage tells us to live God's Word every minute of every day; to weave our relationship with Christ into every facet of life--not as brow-beating, overbearing authoritarians, but as loving parents and adults who want to share the reality of a loving Father with children. We don't shepherd children's hearts by simply enforcing a Sunday morning ritual. We do it by truly living for Christ, by sharing the reality of His presence and incorporating His precepts into everyday life.

We also shepherd their hearts by setting an example of holiness. God has a standard, and that standard is holiness. But holiness is not a popular word in today's culture.

What kind of standard are we living and writing for children? Are we sacrificing our kids on the altar of tolerance? Are we so focused on being their pal that we avoid setting standards we know will be unpopular?

We also shepherd their hearts by praying for them. In Children are Wet Cement, Anne Ortlund says, "Whether your child is yet unborn or has long been an adult, cry to God for him." Even if our children turn their backs on all we call holy, even if they won't listen to our messages of God and are rebellious to His Lordship, we can still shepherd their hearts through prayer. In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren says, "People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers." Praise God!

Friends, let's commit to God and to each other that we will use every opportunity to shepherd children for Christ. Through the testimony of our lives and our written words, through our choices and our prayers, we can make a difference, not only in our own children, but in those around us . . . those who look up to us . . . those who are trusting us to tell them the truth.

(Photo courtesy of ChristianPhotos.net)

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I Forgot to List One of My Favorites--St. David's Christian Writer's Conference!

I am so embarrassed, but I forgot to list another of my favorite, most recommended conferences: the St. David's Christian Writer's Conference! I had the joy of teaching there last year and it is a wonderful conference, led by anointed writers, editors, publishers, and speakers. You won't want to miss it! June 22-26, 2010 in Grove City, PA.

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Next Week is Kudos Week--I Need to Hear From YOU!

What's happening in your writing life? If you've received a contract, gotten an agent, had an article, devotion, or book published, created a new blog or website, or any other good news, we'd love to celebrate with you.

But please follow these guidelines: Contact me with your name, your state, your good news, links to your site, links to your publication, and a jpg of the cover, if available. You can reach me here.

Thank you! I can't wait to see what God's done for us this past month!

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thinplacescoverMary DeMuth's Thin Places Winner is...

Gloria! Congratulations, Gloria! Now, just contact me with you mailing address and the book will be on its way to you.

Thank you all for your response to Mary's amazing interview. It was obvious that Thin Places touched many of you, just as it did me. Please don't wait, but go ahead and get your own copy. This book can make a difference in your life and the lives of others.

And thank you, Mary, for your faithfulness to write what you're called to write, even when it's not easy.

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If You Write for (or WANT to Write for) Kids...

I hope you'll take advantage of my special Writing For Children Package of downloadable classes and handouts.  For a limited time, this package will offer Write a Novel Children Will Love AND Teaching Biblical Truth Through Secular Fiction at the reduced price of $22.43...that's a $7.47 discount! No shipping, no waiting. Just click and download and you'll be able to have your own writer's conference in the comfort of your own home and on your own timetable!

(Be sure to check out the other classes, too.)

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And as we begin another week, let's seek opportunities to reach out to children in our realm of influence.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,

Vonda

 

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7 Comments

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#1 Cheryl Barker — http://cherylbarker.blogspot.com/

I love those thoughts, Vonda, about being able to shepherd kids' hearts through prayer and also about others being defenseless against our prayers. What a privilege to influence others through prayer!

#2 Melony — http://www.melonybrown.com

Vonda~

Your message is timely in that my oldest son is dealing with his classmates at a Christian school calling him very inappropriate names and banding together to alienate and harass him. He's been asking questions about why the parents of these kids would accept their children talking that way to others. It's been a great opportunity to share with him that our family strives to follow God's Word . . . even with how we talk to others.

As his parent, I too am amazed that these parents brushed off their kids' words when we spoke to them. My husband reminded me that we aren't responsible for raising those kids; we must focus on raising our boys in the way God asks of us.

Thanks for reminding us to be diligent in the responsibility of being parents to our children instead of trying to be their friends. In the end, we'll be held accountable for the parenting or lack of parenting we did while here on earth.

Melony

#3 Cindy Jones

Dear Vonda,
Your article spoke to me this morning.

This move, the funeral, packing, packing, packing, has just zapped me.  My kids are suffering because I just don't have the time, energy or mind anymore to help them.
I went to bed last night thinking what an absolute failure I am as a mom.  Your words were so encouraging that when I do fail, my prayers don't.

Have you ever been so spent that you feel you have nothing else to be taken?  I feel stripped down to the bare emotions of just crying out to God, No MOre, Please, God, please, no more.  Then I feel like a wimp and an ungrateful, whining, complaining wilderness wonderer.  I know that God is working out his plan and I am very excited...some of the time.

How do I get past the grief into the excitement of what God is doing in my life, how?  I know that there are so many others going through sooooo much worse, why am I so whinny?

I prayed, God, open up many new doors of opportunity for my whole family, redeem what has been lost, stolen, wasted, turn this grief into joy, I know you can bring treasures out of darkness.  I actually believe that all of my experiences will one day be used to help others.  I even had the guts to pray, Let me do amazing things for you.

But... I can't even get through a move.  What am I thinking?

I am beginning to see that my desire to  write is changing.  I no longer want to be in print for me,  I want to be like you and the others I have met.  Doing want God wants, filling up others that are empty.  You do that most elegantly with your written words, even the small stuff in the emails have been like water to a bone-thirsty soul.   That's what I want to do with the rest of my life.

Thank you for ALWAYS responding back to me, it has meant so much to know someone cares.  Thank you for all your advice, I appreciate it.  Thank you for being such a good friend to someone you hardly know, that is the love of God flowing through you.

God bless, keep you and abundantly return all that you have poured out into the lives of others.

Sincerely,

Cindy Jones

#4 Nan Jones — http://www.jubilantlight.com

I, too, am concerned about the children of this world. As a pastor's wife, I work extensively with kids. What a joy! And what a distinction there is between children who are being raised in the knowledge of God's love and those who are not. It breaks my heart. For 9 years, I worked as a teacher's assistant in special education. We had several children who were nonverbal. Many of these children had been neglected or abused. Some were the result of a mother's cocaine addiction. Quite often, these kids would scream out with night terrors during nap time. I had to be careful because I worked in the public school system, but there was no way I could truly comfort them without the Holy Spirit. I sang scripture melodies to them and taught them that they were not alone. I reassured them of their value to God. And peace would come into their little hearts. In some ways I was a coward because I knew they couldn't tell anyone what I had done, but mostly I was thankful that the Lord would use me to comfort one of His little ones.

To Cindy, your note broke my heart. I don't know what has happened, but I am sure of this: God will be glorified through your suffering and will show you eternal purposes for it. Because of this difficult time, you will gain an understanding of who God REALLY is to His children. How do I know this? Because you have asked for His Light to shine into your darkness - You have embraced Him with honesty and purity of heart. I will be praying for you.

God bless you, Vonda!
Nan

#5 Jean — http://jeanmatthewhall.com

Thank you, Vonda. What beautiful and timely thoughts. You are right about sheperding through loving actions and acceptance.

They are powerless against our prayers, for sure.

Blessings,
Jean

#6 megan vance — http://inchristalone-byhismercy.blogspot.com

Dear Vonda,
Your thoughts also spoke to me. I work with children in my part time job. I care for little babies each day. It is funny how attached you get to them, even though they are not my own.
I have had sorrow with one of my own children, thank you for the encouragement to keep praying.
My heart too was touched by Cindy who has experienced the loss. May God comfort her as only He can.
Megan

#7 Vonda Skelton

Oh Cindy, (and all the rest of us who are/have been struggling with the trials of life) you're not crazy...you're an overworked, stressed mom who has reason to cry out to God.

You know, people talk about the patience of Job, but I wonder if they've actually READ Job! Job cursed the day he was born, asked God why he didn't kill him in his mother's womb, what he ever did to deserve what he got...and yet, God chose to put Job in His holy word!

Read Psalm 55, where David is ranting and raving and crying out. The key is that after all that ranting and raving, he said in the last line, But yet, I will trust in You.

Powerful!

God knows and expects us to act like humans, after all, He created us! But the key is, what do we do after we rant and rave? Do we come to a place (eventually) of knowing and claiming Him as Lord and creator of all? Do we recognize His hugeness and our littleness? If so, we're simply following in the footsteps of those men and women of God who walked before us.

Powerful!

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. I have been struggling, too. Primarily with feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do. All of us feel that way, don't we?  There is so much good we can do...but only so much time to do it. I have trouble saying no, which means I tend to overcommit. All good things, you understand, but are they all in His perfect will for me?

That's the question. 

Be blessed this week, dear friends. When you think about trials and stress and feelings of inadequacy, think of the great men and women of the Bible. We're in good company.

Vonda

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