What a fantastic time of year! For most of us it means cooler days and trees changing colors. It is also the time when kids go back to school, which adds more structure to our days. Structure isn\u2019t a bad thing because it helps us manage our days, accomplish our tasks, and still have time for the little things that make us happy.<\/p>\n
Joselyn Ward shows us how to have stress-free mornings with just a little planning the night before. And speaking of nights, no one likes nightmares, and we don\u2019t want our little ones suffering through them. So help guard their minds by controlling what they watch on TV. Teacher Julie Livingood (just love that last name!) explains why slasher and horror movies aren\u2019t appropriate for kids to watch. Just because it\u2019s available doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s good. We have to make choices about what is good and best for our eyes to see and our minds to think about.<\/p>\n
Psalm 101:3 is a good guideline for anyone of any age. \u201cI will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them.\u201d Verse 6 goes on to teach, \u201cI will search for faithful people to be my companions.\u201d The Bible helps us know how to live. If you\u2019re like a lot of people, you may not have read the Bible much and you might find it difficult to understand. So let me tell you a little secret of mine. I learned most of my Bible stories from a children\u2019s Bible story book!<\/p>\n
It\u2019s true. It all started when I was little. Everyday before school my mother would read a Bible story to me and then pray with me. I even remember one day in sixth grade being mad at my parents because they insisted we have devotions (that\u2019s what people call reading your Bible and praying) even though it meant being late to class. Now I realize devotions were a top priority for my parents and NOTHING would change it — not even if I fooled around and made myself late! God always came first.<\/p>\n