What's For Dinner?

As we continue through the Jesus Story Book Bible, we find ourselves at a slightly tricky chapter, a hard one to explain to little children; Abraham sacrificing his son. We must be wise in how we tell Bible stories, but we must tell them. I've spent far too long as an adult falling back to the New Testament, the gospels where Jesus is in all His splendour, rather than searching for Him in the Old Testament as well. I want to teach my kids to find Him everywhere. A friend of mine says that it can be like playing 'Where's Wally?' You have to really search for him. But when you do, when something is made clear about Him, the penny really drops and your eyes are open to seeing Him more and more. 

So tonight we told the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac, and we discussed what the story meant to us. My son had a realisation as I read the words, "Many years later, another Son would climb another hill, carrying wood on His back. Like Isaac, He would trust His father and do what His father asked. He wouldn't struggle or run away". (pg69 JSBB) 
My wide-eyed son simply said, "it's the exact same story". He had found Jesus in the story.

After reading, we went into the kitchen where I had acted out the scene on the dinner table, using tonight's dinner. My kids had asked the infamous question earlier, "What's for dinner?" And I had simply replied sausages. (I know they ask me this to gauge whether they're going to like it or loathe it). 

Sometimes my kids barely bat an eyelid anymore, but they were amused and grabbed a plate. One of them suggested that I should have put ketchup all over the Ram roll of bread, to show where it had been killed. But I reminded them that they have little sisters, and that may not have been appetising. (Obviously I could have gone for a lamb joint, but that's an expensive dinner to spread all over the table!!) 




I asked how the story had spoken to them. One of my boys said that it was hard to sacrifice what you want for someone else, one said that he was coming to realise that we, his parents, want what is best for him, even when he can't see it. (I just nodded along, gently, humbly rather than fist pumping the air and shouting rather smugly, "finally!!")

My example was that I had recently felt the cost, the sacrifice of leaving one church site for another, and how I had to trust that it was God's best for me, for my family, and for both those church sites. One boy said that sometimes giving away what you want, actually means you get something better instead, and sometimes it doesn't. My little girl tearfully added that she had to trust God with her best friend moving to another country, even though it was sad and she didn't understand. I was just shocked that she had grasped an element of what I was teaching, on a really personal level. And the three year old was cross with me that I had stuck her Playmobile people in the savoury rice!

It was good to remember at the end of chatting and sharing, what God had sacrificed for each of us; His only son that He loved dearly, because of His vast never-ending love for us. Someone said to me yesterday that they wondered when Jesus' death on the cross had hit home, was it when He hung there and died? Was it when He carried the cross up the hill? Or was it when Him and His Father made that hill in the first place?! 
What an eye opening moment that was!

He Made Me Do It

As a family we have started reading The Jesus StoryBook Bible, again, and as I explained in my last post 'You are what you eat', we're attempting to link the stories with dinner, or pudding, or a snack, to help the teaching sink in more visually and more tastily! The world on a pizza took a while, with a comment from my oldest of "Maybe a little too much Pesto". He may have had a point, but it was for artistic purposes. He was on the phone to his friend, before he arrived at our house for a sleepover and he said to his buddy, "you may wanna eat before you get here". Rude!

"The Terrible Lie" (pg 28-37) was a great discussion for us. The older ones have to think of a way the story relates to them personally, or how it talks to them practically where they're at in life. The younger ones talk about what they liked, or ask questions. The three year old just asks for the apple, makes snake noises if engaged at all, or just grumpily says, "that's my Barbie", snatching her back and pulling off the Parsley modesty leaves, thus exposing Eve, and causing giggles throughout the family. Anyway, we plough on. They tasted the organic carrot cake nakd bar; two in favour, four not so much. 

One of the topics which comes up is of course disobedience. We talk about how Adam and Eve were not allowed just one thing, whereas it was a yes to everything else, and the disobedience was actually A&E not trusting God. 
They gave in to the temptation that they knew better than God, they gave in to the lie that God's best for them wasn't actually the best for them. It's such a great parenting topic, not to become all law-based, and use it as mum ammunition, but to teach our kids that we have their best interest at heart. Of course, with the humble admittance that we may well get it wrong, and the wonderful truth that God doesn't. His best for us is His best for us. No mistakes.

Our kids know that if we can trust them, their world gets bigger (boundaries stretched, independence upped) and if they break that trust, their world gets smaller. There's plenty of stuff I didn't understand as a kid about my parents wanting the best for me, because it didn't look like that at the time, but some teaching only comes into fruition when you're an adult; that's a long time for a mum to wait for fruit!

Another topic which came up was of course nakedness. Standard. The boys actually tried not to burst into hysterics, when it was mentioned; just sly looks at each other and a smirk. (As a side note, our kids aren't allowed to tell each other about sex, until the husband has individually taken them on a little camping trip, explained everything, and only then the older ones can talk to the younger ones about it. It's like a coming of age. It involves a library book, a campfire, and being able to laugh at a Sperm Whales. I'll get him to write a guest post on it! All the boys have had this chat so smirks are allowed...

We talked about the nakedness in Adam and Eve's story, and how it represented shame. We just thought for a moment how shame felt, and we understood why A&E wanted to cover up and hide. It was a great chat, with one boy really sharing about temptation in an area of his life, and another boy seeing how vulnerable his brother had been in sharing it. It's important that the Bible has application for us as adults, and for kids to grasp too. There's reasons for the Bible stories. They're not Fairy Tales or just moral teaching. And that's what The Jesus Story Book does so well; pointing everything to Jesus.

We all laughed at Adam's, "She made me do it". I sometimes say to a child, "I'm really sorry for shouting, you just made me snap". That's not an apology, and neither is it a taking of responsibility for my own actions. It may well be true! But one of the fruits of the spirit is 'self-control' no matter which kid pushes my buttons! (This is a life long lesson for me I'm sure). And the kids had to admit, that they all do throw the "he made me do it" excuse out into the justification speech. It may not be as clearly said as that, more like, 
"well we were both.... and then he....so I....."

It was good to remind them that God has an enemy, and therefore they do also, and we shouldn't be fearful of the serpent, but we should remember that he is always whispering, "does God really love you? Do your parents really love you? Does God really want what's best for you"? Because if they learn to recognise their enemy's voice, with God's help they'll learn to ignore it, dismiss it, refuse it. Instead they can tune into God's voice telling them they are; 

chosen John 15v16,

loved Ps 86v15 

created Ps 139v13-14

 forgiven Ps 103v10-12

 loved some more Romans 8v37-39

righteous Romans 5v1

 protected Psalm 46v1

  blessed Ephesians 1v3

 and loved even more John 3v16 

Adam and Eve's garden story ends with God's compassion, God's love for them, even in the midst of their discipline, even in the midst of their sin, and their shame. Our story begins in sin and shame, but God's compassion, God's love for us had a great rescue plan attached to it; Jesus. A terrible lie outweighed by a tremendous truth.

You Are What You Eat

In my morning Bible reading, I've been looking at the building of the Tabernacle, (the place where God's presence rested) and I have been struck by what the different people bring to the making of it; some people bring gold, some silver, some bronze, some scarlet yarns, some Acacia wood, some goatskins, and some precious stones. Then there are others who bring oil, some who bring spice for the oil, and some who bring goat's hair.

I really like where it says, 
"Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution". Exodus 35v5

You could be led to think that surely the person who contributed Gold, contributed a better, more worthy substance to this Holy build, than the person who contributed goat's hair or oil. But as always with God, He's interested in the state of our heart, rather than the stuff.

Yesterday I arrived at church, and headed straight for the coffee; standard behaviour for any mum! I was offered instant instead of filter coffee, because the lady knew me, she knew my preference. That felt like a generous heart towards me. And although not as many hours went into the refreshment set up, as it did the preach prep, her servant heart added to the building of church that morning. 


A few weeks ago, I was making the world on a pizza, while the husband was editing himself gagging on a bowl of peas, and I got the giggles. It seems that our own unique creative ways of adding to the building of the Tabernacle, could be considered more like goat's hair than gold. But it's our hearts that God is interested in, not our contribution. 
I know the husband's heart is for young people to have a place to find good, clean, fun, godly content on the internet. (Check out his Youtube channel Jibflik). And my heart is to encourage and spur on mums. 

The verses I'm reading in the morning, seem to be attaching themselves to different points during my day or week. I have a couple of friends who really look for moments in their week to see where God is bringing that point home more heavily, and I'm trying to do the same, rather than just read it and tick it off. The Bible is meant to impact our life, our daily choices, our ups and downs, not just be mere words to read. We have tried various ways over the years to keep our kids engaged in Bible reading, because we want them to be reminded of, and changed by what they hear & read. We want it to sink in today, but also in ten years time, because parenting isn't just about today, it's for shaping them for their whole life. (Which helps me breathe a sigh of relief if I get today wrong). 

We have been better with it in some seasons than in others... mornings don't work for us now due to teens leaving early and childminding kids arriving. We aim for some dinner times as a family now. The older ones and us two are attempting to go through the New Testament at our own bedtimes. I've dropped the ball on that one recently, so the teens may have too. Need to get back on that. The girls have a Bible story read to them each night, one from The Rhyme Bible, with me reading the sentence and her finding the last word which completes the rhyme. And one from My First Bible. I have to admit I'm sometimes grateful when they forget to ask, as I'm pretty spent by bedtime. But they tend not to forget because it's become a habit, and of all the habits kids can stick to (like the boy who puts socks on after a bath, so he's ready for bed) I'm most pleased with this habit. My 8 year old has just borrowed Diary of a Disciple as his bedtime reading, after completing The Action Bible.

But what comes around again and again is The Jesus Story Book Bible. Oh it's so good. It's helped me hear truths when I've struggled, it's helped in leading a few of my kids to become Christians, it's a great book to give non-christian friends. It just goes on and on about God's never ending, never breaking, unstoppable love for us, and that's what I want my children to soak in. 

So our new little family venture is to read a story from it, alongside having made a dinner, pudding, or snack to go along with it! (Hence the 'World on a Pizza' from earlier). Some of them are easier than others, and I've recruited help from slightly more creative friends at times. The teens have thrown in some suggestions when it comes to John the Baptist and his diet of locusts and honey! Mmm... can't wait for that one. But I'd love you to join me in it, and show me photos of your own Bible Dinner Inspirations. Have a look on Instagram 'jesusstorybookfood_onepink, after all "man cannot live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God". Matthew 4v4