Ron:
Hello everyone, I'm Ron your host, and today on the podcast we'd like to address some pretty important questions about the children that are in our lives and all around us. One question is how by the Holy Spirit, can we draw and impart a hunger for the Lord and for the scriptures? How can we lay this foundation in these children so that they can find their own walk with God.
Dale:
I taught school, fourth and fifth grade, and boy are fourth and fifth graders smart. And they are aware, they are aware of the things around them, they’re aware of fashion, they’re aware of a lot of things. A way to talk, they’re very much aware of their family where they fit in the family. They’re very aware. It’s been a number of years ago that I taught fourth and fifth grade. One of the things I did as a teacher I wanted to introduce them to new things. I wanted to introduce them to a world that was full of fun and it was interesting so I took them to a very boring place called the library. But I taught them how to use it. I taught them how to do research. I taught them how to find a book about elephants. I taught them how to find a book about exercise. All the ways to find their ways into the library. We took the things; history, what happened to the children during this time? What did they do? I tried to bring it into where it was alive to them. I don’t know how successful I was or I didn’t know for many years. The kids; we had a great time; we had a wonderful time. Located in D.C. we went downtown to the museums, I loved to take the kids out all the time and we did fun stuff. We cooked, we made things. We all hated to go home including me. The other teachers there on my case. Aren’t you done yet don’t you know it's three o’clock. And I’d purposely say, oh, it’s three good, we’re going to go out and do this, we will be back in at four. And the janitor would be there waiting for lock up. So, we had a lot of freedom, but it was here about two or three years ago on Father’s Day, one of my students was my oldest daughter and so she got on Facebook and wished me Happy Father’s Day, and then all of a sudden it started coming. Happy Father’s Day, I think every one of the kids wished me a Happy Father’s Day. And one of the girls who has had a difficult life she wasn’t a difficult student to me but she said, you know he was a father to all of us. And it took that length of time for me to know that I was a success. Now that story is not about me, that’s story is about what those kids received when somebody took time love them. And the fact that they received it, remembered it. And it was a part of their lives. I bless every parent, every aunt, every uncle, every teacher. Those people who come in contact with children. That’s a story about what you can do. What is available through the anointing of the Holy Spirit that you can draw. Not on your behalf but on behalf of these kids.
I’d like t throw out a couple of things for parents with these little kids and one of them is personal when I was a little kid my parents taught me a little bedtime prayer. I only remember half of it, but it started out is, now I lay me down to sleep, which in my case my parents were delighted when that happened. So, if I am praying for it, God just might come through on their behalf. And He did many times. But it starts out with, now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Your parent teaches that child that simple prayer. They don’t realize what they’re saying. But because they're a little child and they’re repeating what they were taught to say, and the parent is teaching that child that prayer for a reason. That child will have a relationship with the Lord. Your teaching very simple things about walking with God. I don’t care how old you are, you’re always going to the Lord to appropriate. Asking and appropriating are the same thing. Here you are teaching your child to ask the Lord. There is a book called Hurlbut’s Storybook of the Bible. And it is probably the best book. And what it does is it teaches stories about the Bible, introducing the people, it lays a foundation. Excellent, excellent thing to do with the kids. And you will notice that pretty soon the kids are talking about come on let’s play David and Goliath. If you start them out in a place where heroes are somewhere else than on TV they're going to learn and enjoy that.
I take that child, dad’s not feeling well and he’s tired. Grab the child and hand him a blanket and say let’s go cover dad up. Let’s go bless him. But dad’s not feeling well, big brother is not feeling well. Let’s go pray for him. Include them in your walk with God.
