Leading Your Child to Jesus : How Parents Can Talk with Their Kids about Faith

by David Staal

• ISBN13: 9780310265375
• ISBN10: 0310265371
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-04-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

A book to equip parents with proven principles to have life-changing discussions with their kids about how Jesus changes lives, to explain the plan of salvation, and to lead a child in prayer to begin a relationship with Christ.

Table of Contents

Foreword	7	(2)
by Bill Hybels
Acknowledgments	9	(2)
Introduction: Prepare for a Moment's Notice	11	(6)
1. Communicating with Kids	17	(18)
2. Share Your Story	35	(22)
3. Share God's Story	57	(16)
4. The Prayer and Beyond	73	(16)
5. The Early Years	89	(16)
6. What If I Don't Have a Story?	105	(16)
A final Word	121	(2)
Endnotes	123

Excerpts

Leading Your Child to Jesus
Copyright © 2006 by Willow Creek Association
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Staal, David.
Leading your child to Jesus : how parents can talk with their kids about faith /
David Staal.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-26537-5
ISBN-10: 0-310-26537-1
1. Children — Conversion to Christianity. 2. Christian education of children.
I. Title.
BV4925.S73 2006
248.8'45 — dc22
2005031944
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New
International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked “NRSV” are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible,
copyright 1989, Division of Christian
Education of the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the united States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked “MSG” are from The Message. Copyright © by Eugene H.
Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing
Group.
The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to
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of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for their content for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
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permission of the publisher.
Interior design by Beth Shagene
Illustrations by Liz Conrad
Printed in the United States of America

Ch a p t er 1
Communicating with Kids
The forecast called for a hot, sticky day — and the weatherman’s
prediction was right on the mark. Although late July in the
Midwest is a great time to swim in a pool, it is nowhere near
the best time to trek through a crowded theme park. But there
we were, my five-year-old son Scott and I, constantly seeking
shade and drinking our weight in lemonade. Unfortunately,
the fun was melting faster than the ice in our cups.
My spirits lifted when I spotted the Logger’s Run. Simpler
than most attractions, this ride featured a lazy float in a loglike
boat along a river channel that led to a waterfall’s brim.
Then came a sudden long drop that bottomed out in a big wet
splash, appearing to bring refreshment well worth a second or
two of terror. “Hey Scott,” I said, “want to go on this ride so
we can cool off?”
“Sure,” he replied.
Even the hour-plus wait in line took place in the shade, so it
looked like smooth sailing to me. Finally our turn came to step
into a log, and Scott and I took the front two spots of the log’s
four. I noticed no restraining bars, so concluded the drop must
not be dangerous. Two teenage girls boarded the back seats,
and our voyage began.
We meandered through the channel for a few minutes,
then paused momentarily before we took the big plunge. Even
though most logs skim the water surface at the bottom of the
fall, ours didn’t. Because Scott and I were in the first two seats,
the log was very front heavy. Okay, to be fair, the weight imbalance
was due to me. Regardless of the reason, the nose of our
log dove into the water like a duck bobbing for food — and took
all of us down with it. While most people
get showered from
the big splash, those aboard our log took a bath. We didn’t sink
in over our heads, but we definitely experienced 100 percent
saturation from mid-torso down. And I loved it!
But I sat alone in my joy. The quiet ride to the disembark
ramp hinted that a problem existed. The two girls and I quickly
exited the log. Then, as I offered Scott a steady hand to step
out, I asked him how he liked it. His response confirmed we
had a problem. He burst into tears.
“What’s wrong, buddy?” I asked.
“You didn’t say we’d get wet!” he yelled back.
“Wait a minute,” I reasoned, “what did you think I meant
when I said we’d cool off?”
He paused to catch his breath and then blurted out, “I
thought it was going to be air-conditioned!”
What’s Said vs. What’s Understood
I’ll never forget the lesson I learned as we stood there dripping
in front of a crowd now staring at us: unless I’m careful,
I can do a poor job of choosing words my children fully
understand.
This is a common challenge for parents. Especially, it seems,
for Christian moms and dads. Listen closely as some of them
speak about spiritual life, and you may hear a language all its
own. It might require years to learn — and that poses a problem.
Christianity has the greatest message in the world, but it
won’t have any impact if it’s delivered with descriptions that
come close to being in code to those outside the circle.
This disconnect is even more obvious when it involves children.
Sure, it may create humorous moments for parents to
chuckle over or even write about in a
book someday. But it also frequently,
and unintentionally, stands in the
way of meaningful dialogue about
spiritual issues. Which is no laughing
matter.
In The Gentle Art of Communicating
with Kids, Dr. Suzette Elgin
underscores this issue when she says,
“The only meaning a sequence of language
has is the meaning the listener
understands it to have.”1 Consider
the implications of her statement. It
doesn’t matter what you say; what
matters is how a child interprets what you say. Basketball Hall
of Fame coach Red Auerbach was on the same track when he
offered a tip to coaches that lends itself to our topic: “It’s not
what you tell your players that counts; it’s what they hear.”2
This chapter was designed to help you close the gap between
what you say and what your children understand you to have
just said. Then the remainder of the book will build off the
foundation laid by the following four key dynamics of communication
with kids.
Dynamic 1 — Children understand concrete terms and language
better than they understand abstract terms and language.
In other words, children are likely to be much more literal
than adults are with language. The parental application of this
dynamic is easy: avoid symbolism or “religious” words. A few
examples of what to steer clear of may help.
“Ask Jesus into your heart” is a common confusion causer.
Sure, some kids understand this statement, but many don’t.
Although a child might not say so, she may wonder how Jesus
can physically fit into such a small space. A place inside her
kid-sized body, no less! What the adult who says, “Ask Jesus

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Excerpted from Leading Your Child to Jesus: How Parents Can Talk with Their Kids about Faith by David Staal
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