Upgrade Your F.I.R.E.

Morgan Farr models her faith in her home, teaching her children the relevance of life in Christ to every part of their lives. In this Parenting UPGRADE, she shares her plan for lighting a fire in their hearts for God.

"Have you ever watched a fire? It seems to have a life all it's own," Morgan says.

Like Morgan, I (Dawn) homeschooled my children for many years. Those were challenging years, but also rewarding. Beyond educating my boys, my main goal was to teach them Christian character. I appreciate Morgan's fresh approach on parenting and education as she says, "Upgrade your F.I.R.E."

Morgan continues . . .

A fire dances, frolics, and bends—depending on how the air around it is moving. Fire can be an incredible force for good or a horrific impetus for evil—depending on who sets the fire and why. 

William Butler Yeats is credited with saying, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

Allow me to share with you how I use F.I.R.E. to guide my children as individuals. 

First, I AM NOT a parenting expert, psychologist, or pediatrician. I do not hold advanced degrees in education or theology.

WHAT I AM is a follower of Christ listening to the Holy Spirit as I train my children in the way they should go.

I have two boys in first grade, a girl in pre-K, and a girl who is learning to sit up unassisted. When I first started homeschooling—three years ago—I wanted them to be successful and to thrive, so I copied what I knew from school.

I was so focused on “keeping up” that I lost sight of my kids as individuals.

I needed to shift my way of thinking.

After discovering some incredible homeschooling advocates and writers, I was able to grow and learn in my understanding of my children as unique individuals.

I now frame our time using the acronym F.I.R.E.

F — Focus

We all have 24 hours in a day. Are we using that time wisely?

I have found that planning out our week, month, and year help us to be able to make solid choices and free us up.

This means saying no to a lot of good things so that I can say yes to the best things.

I — Ignite

Every fire is started; fires do not just randomly happen. Sometimes they are ignited by lightning, and sometimes by man. But fire has to be brought to life.

Guess who is responsible for lighting a fire in your kids? YOU! 

Obviously a huge part of igniting the fire of faith in your children is reading the Bible. But using other resources like art, literature, and the world around you can also help a lot, especially if you have a visual learner.

In our home we read a LOT of books. We just finished a book on Greek mythology for children. For anyone that doesn’t know, mythology can be really dark. It is all origin stories, cause and effect, and interrelational drama.

Was it a Christian book? Nope.
Did I use it to teach about Christ? You bet!

In every story, we talk about what went right and what went wrong.

• Was the problem caused by misunderstanding or sin?
• If we were in the hero’s position, how could we make a choice that honors God?
• How do you think the villain ended up in the position that he is in?

Teach them to look for God and to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead by talking through problems and situations so that, when the time comes, the fire is already lit and they are ready to shine for Him.

R — Repel

When I say repel, I mean to get rid of anything that distracts from God’s calling.

What music, movies, books, or podcasts are you as a family taking in?

Keep in mind that you are to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:5); and in order to train someone, you have to know how to train yourself.

• Are you telling your teenagers “no porn”—while watching 'Game of Thrones'?
• Are you teaching about being a good steward of your finances—while racking up your Target credit card?
• Do you struggle to have a time in the Word—but you're up to date on the latest Netflix shows?

Study your individual children and learn where they struggle. Let them see you struggle so they know that struggle is normal and victory through Christ is possible.

E — Embark

The last portion of my education motto is Embark. We are not called to develop all this theological knowledge and then sit in our big houses.

Model your faith. Show your children how to use it.

• I have a friend that is a brilliant cellist. She uses her talent to lead worship for the elderly in a nursing home. 
• My friend Rachel has never met a stranger. She uses her extroverted personality to welcome newcomers to the military lifestyle by being a kind and caring friend.
• My sister-in-law is a missionary that uses her incredible sewing skills to teach new missionaries how to make their own clothing in the local style.

What can you do with your children to teach them to use their skills and talents for God?

Is one of your kids really into baseball? What if he offered to coach younger kids for 30 minutes once a week… for free?

Do you have a child that loves to read? What if that child read scripture to an elderly neighbor once a week?

Be creative, but get out and serve God!

Igniting a F.I.R.E. in your children takes work and intentionality.

Parenting doesn’t happen in convenient chunks. It is an all day, every day marathon.

Romans 12: 11 says, “Never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve the Lord.”

If you are wanting to encourage your children to be like Christ you must be fanning the fire in your own heart and serving God with everything you have. 

Are you on fire for God? How could you help your children to be on fire for the Lord?

Morgan Farr is a Texas-loving, succulent-cultivating, book nerd and aspiring author. Stationed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this Army wife is learning to train dogs, developing her four young children, and tackling homeschool life… while moving all over the country. Morgan believes in integrity, authenticity, and grit. Although she writes for many different publications, you can almost always find Morgan’s most recent ramblings on her blog.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Comfreak at Pixabay.

Photo is of Morgan with her children.

Praying Through Our School Problems

Julie Sanders, a teacher, cares about students. In this Prayer UPGRADE, she calls us to pray for our students, especially as they struggle in school or face tough circumstances in their education.

"It doesn’t take long into a new school year before problems emerge," Julie says. "No education format is exempt from trouble to sort out, so how do we find school solutions in spiritual ways?"

I (Dawn) know Julie is right. Whether our children are in public school, private school, or even homeschool, when problems arise, we need to know the best way to move forward.

Julie continues . . .

When the first sign of a school problem appears, with speed unique to moms and grandmas of students, we can assess an issue, create a list of options, and find the school office number.

In the moment when our learner faces a fear, challenge, obstacle or conflict, it’s easy to forget about being quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19).

Education questions today raise issues related to curriculum, requirements, pacing, classmates, special needs, transportation, and cultural exposure, to name just a few. Parents face challenges to ensure students receive academic opportunities they need, while shaping their spiritual perspective and relational patterns.

Keeping the school formula at home has its benefits and challenges, while traditional classrooms, Christian or private, invite their own opportunities and obstacles.

Thankfully, God doesn’t call us to bow to problems, but to bow to Him.

Rather than being a fearful woman, I can be a prayerful woman.

In The ABCs of Praying for Students, I wrote, “What our learners need more than anything is our prayers—prayers fueled by your genuine love and a heart full of hope for the student on your mind.”

In Paul’s explanation to his learners about the essence of his prayers for them, we find guidance for how to pray for students on our hearts and minds.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19).

We want children:

• to learn according to their ability,
• to respect their teacher,
• to develop healthy peer friendships,
• to make wise choices, and
• to have a friend at lunch.

Those things matter, and God cares about every element in our child’s education.

But most of all, we want our learners to intimately know the love of Christ, so deep and wide that no vocabulary describes or defines it.

Back-to-school problems have a powerful ability to turn our thoughts toward things we can touch, people we can email, supplies we can get, and assignments we can review. Earthly things (Colossians 3:2).

But in God’s greater curriculum, these things come under a bigger plan to help learners know the love of Christ. This truth applies from cradle to college and career.

Whether you school in a traditional classroom, a co-op, homeschool, or a one room schoolhouse like my mom, God wants to use the experience of education to teach our child the truths that matter most.

May our kids and grandkids know we pray for their concerns, but most of all we pray for them to know the concern and love of God toward them. There is no greater lesson to learn.

The most powerful thing we can do for our students will never be found on a school supply list. 

Engage what your child’s education needs most: the great power of your prayers at work.

As the learners we love start a new school year and problems emerge, what is your default action? Resist the urge to whip up a list and type an email. Instead, stop and pray for God to use hard things to lead to holy things.

Julie Sanders has been teaching students of all ages for thirty years. She loves Back-to-School season and how learning leads grown-ups and children to God’s deep and wide love. Julie is the author of The ABCs of Praying for Students, available at Christen Price Studio. Learn more about Julie at her blog.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Open Clipart / Vectors at Pixabay.