Keepers of the Kingdom - Standing Strong in Today's Battle for Truth. July 14-18, from 9 - 11:45 AM at Niles Westside Adventist Church (1105 Grant St, Niles) for kids in Pre-K (age 4) - 6th grade. Please register early online at www.nileswestside.org. Email nileswestsidevbs@gmail.com or call 269-683-5998 with questions.
Prepared?
Turning Young Parents Into Vital Mentors
Speaker
Dwight K. NelsonDwight Nelson served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University from 1983 to 2023. During his time at Pioneer he spoke on the “New Perceptions” telecast, taught at the theological seminary and has written books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.
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More In This Series
PREPARED?—Turning Young Parents into Vital Mentors
www.newperceptions.tv
7 Mentoring Practices for Parents with Children
• Practice #1—Parents must worship the of the child. (Luke 1:67-68)
—It’s one of the great laws of parenting: You can’t pass on what you don’t .
• Practice #2—Parents must declare the of the child. (Luke 1:60-63)
• Practice #3—Parents must pronounce the of the child. (Luke 1:76)
—Gary Smalley and John Trent: “Before the children can walk, they should be carried on the Sabbath and on the Holy Days to their father and mother to receive their blessing. After they are able to walk, they should go to them of their own accord, with body bent and with head bowed, to receive the Blessing.” (The Blessing 33)
• #4—Parents must focus on the of the child. (Luke 1:68-79)
—Donna Habenicht (How to Help Your Child Really Love Jesus):
• Show your children Jesus’ love through love: Hug your baby while you say, “Mommy loves you and Jesus loves you.”
• Paint a picture of Jesus: Instead of “Oh my, how sad you have made Jesus,” emphasize a smiling Jesus, “How happy Jesus is with what you have just done.”
• Encourage spontaneous with Jesus: “Jesus Christie feels so sad . . . please help her to feel happy soon.”
• Joyfully introduce Jesus through and pictures about His life: My Bible Friends is a beautiful way for youngsters to meet Jesus, and so is a picture of Jesus surrounded by children hanging in your child’s bedroom.
• “Remind them that Jesus hurts when they hurt. That He would love to take them in His arms and comfort them. Tell them Jesus can be their best friend, their forever friend . . . who never abandons them.” (130)
• “The most important and impressive thing you can do is to show your children openly how much love Jesus, and they will learn to love Him, too.” (130)
• Practice #5—Parents must confirm the of the child. (Luke 1:76-79)
—Re John the Baptist: “From childhood his mission had been kept before him, and he had accepted the holy trust.” (Desire of Ages 101)
• Practice #6—Parents must seek the Spirit’s of the child. (Luke 1:67, 80)
—Desire of Ages: “Even the babe in its mother’s arms may dwell as under the shadow of the Almighty through the faith of the praying mother. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth. If we will live in communion with God, we too may expect the divine Spirit to mold our little ones, even from their earliest moments.” (512)
• Practice #7—Parents must control the of the child. (Luke 1:15, 80)
—Q: How can parents today create a “wilderness environment” for their children? A: You control what comes into your .
—The very word “wilderness” suggests “less” is better.
• Less .
• Less .
• Less .
“Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”
Michigan Advance Partners
Author Melvin Santos Speaking: For the longest time, in my early years, I quietly disagreed with this Bible passage in Acts 20, “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35, NKJV).
I wondered how people can say, “I receive a blessing when I give.” On the contrary, in my younger years, I always enjoyed receiving gifts. To pay for the gift and give it to someone wouldn’t bring me joy. That would cost me time and money.
When I fell in love, got married, and had children, I finally learned that when you’re in love, there is a greater joy in giving gifts to your wife and children. I would do anything for them because I love them.
Then I understood that this is the Spirit of Christ, who sacrificed all to share His love with us. When I participate in giving, or helping someone in need who cannot reciprocate the deed or pay me back, I’m sharing the love of Jesus. Now, that’s the heart of Jesus.
Just seeing the smiles on my family’s faces was enough for me to experience this passage, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Today, let’s share our gifts with a generous heart.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries