How Will You Invest Your Summer?

We all hear about the summer slide academically … does that translate spiritually? Summer is actually a great time to start those new habits or work towards those goals you’ve been thinking about! With intention, you can take the relaxed pace of summer to set your family on a new trajectory… or at least add one new positive routine!

Are there any goals or patterns you’d like to see in yourself and your family?
- Bible reading, family time, regular prayer, hospitality, family devotions, serving others, Scripture memory, creative generosity …

Remember learning about compounding interest and exponential growth? The growth of an investment is a function of time and consistent deposits. We used to live in a microwave society … now we’re in a “click” culture. With a click you have instant information, connection, or an entire 5 paragraph English paper! Unfortunately, personal and spiritual growth don’t happen that fast. Consistent deposits + Time = Growth.

So rather than spending your summer, invest your summer!

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” 
- Benjamin Franklin

Eyes Up

Remember, remind, rinse, & repeat what our ultimate goal & purpose is for parenting!  
According to Ephesians 6:4, we are to bring up our children in the fear of the LORD. Deuteronomy 6 tells us we are to teach & observe all the commands of the LORD so that our children and our children's children will fear the LORD! The ultimate command is to "Love the Lord our God will all our heart, soul, mind, & strength.

The urgent will always replace the important if we are not intentional. There will always be a spill to clean up, a fight to break up, homework, practices, games, recitals, dinner to cook, snacks to prep, teeth to brush, fingernails to clip, hair to do,  ... so really, how important is family time, reading the Bible, prayer, community, serving others?? We've got to draw some lines!

If we're remembering our ultimate purpose (which isn't to produce a genius, the next LaBron James, or Mozart), we’ll be more likely to make choices with lasting, eternal significance.

Rhythms & Habits (thoughts taken from "Habits of the Household")

Our brain loves ruts. So whatever we practice goes deep into our basal ganglia & will become our default. As adults, we can tie our kids' shoes while helping them solve their math question. On the flip side, try asking your 5 year old what their name is while they are tying their shoe. Every ounce of focus is wrapped up in maneuvering these laces to somehow emerge as a bow!
So we need to choose to form habits that lead to our desired goals.  Our heart follows our habits.


7 Simple Investment Ideas::

Schedule a time to plan & prep for investing your summer!
“An hour of planning can save 10 hours of doing.” - Dale Carnegie

1. Pray together - Go beyond “Thank you for this day and bless our food”. Try walking through the PRAYER acronym to encourage thoughtful and intentional conversation with God.  

2. Read the Bible … individually and as a family. The best gift you can give your child is the ability to read God's word for themselves! Nothing fancy needed. There are plenty of great devotionals out there (see attached resource list) but really all you need is a Bible. Pick a book of the Bible (the Gospel of John is a great place to start!)
You can use the SOAP note method:
S - Scripture. Read a chapter or a passage.
O - Observation. Make general observations like who, what, when, where, why. What does this say about God? What does this say about humans/me?
A - Application- What should do in light of what we learned?
P - Prayer- Pray about it!

3. Gratitude - this is a buzz word. Science is finally catching up to what God has told us through His word for thousands of years … “with thanksgiving”, “give thanks” is used almost 150 times in the Bible. Gratitude changes our attitudes. It releases all sorts of endorphins and mood improving neurotransmitters, reduces cortisol, and can literally rewire our neural pathways! So, at breakfast or dinner have everyone share 5 things they are grateful for. Challenge your kids to write 1 card a week to thank someone (teachers, friends, etc).

4. Family Time! All the extracurriculars often steal family time. Take it back this summer! Schedule a weekly game night. Let the kids help plan & budget for a trip - whether out of town or just a staycation.

5. Scripture memory - pick a handful of verses you’d like to learn and meditate on as a family. Write them on mirrors, sticky notes in the car, practice at dinner, and maybe reward whoever learns the verse - God rewards us so we can too!

6. Serve together! Find practical ways to live out your faith. If your faith is never put into practice, and in ways your kids can tangibly see/understand, it will seem irrelevant. Things like practicing hospitality, generosity, bringing food to someone in need, helping an elderly neighbor with their yard or rolling in their trash cans…

7. Family dinner - Set a goal of at least 3-4 times a week! This is sacred time. Family dinner should be a time the family can let their guard down. Share how their day really was. Know that mom & dad & siblings are present and there for each other.

Resources:

• Foundations for Kids: A 260-Day Bible Reading Plan for Kids
• Habits of the Household by Justin Earley
• RightNow Media: Don't miss this FREE resource available to our Christchurch Miami families. RightNow Media offers hundreds of kids’ shows, movies and songs that are engaging, fun, and best of all, gospel-centered!
• FamilyLife Today podcast - engaging and relevant topics that help families grow together with Jesus while pursuing the relationships that matter most
• Weekend to Remember marriage retreat by FamilyLife