A New Way to Teach!

A couple of weeks ago, I was playing video games with one of the youth in our
church, and seeing the mural on his bedroom wall reminded of a time shortly after I
became an uncle to the greatest niece and nephew a guy could have. You see, when I
first became and uncle there were several things that I was looking forward to
teaching my niece and nephew. Since I am the smarter of my mom’s two children (I can say that as I am sure my sister will not see this newsletter article), there are certain things that Ashley and Zachary will not learn unless their Uncle Michael teaches them. One of the things I looked most forward to teaching them has now come under some revisions and I am not sure how I will accomplish the task. I so looked
forward to teaching them how to name the planets in order. Well, I have struggled how I am going to do this since some group of know-it-all scientists have stripped Pluto of its official planet status. At the time, this change led to many discussions with students at Lexington Theological Seminary as well as
some talk among other colleagues. I am sure at this point, you are wondering how this minor change will affect the way I teach them the planets in order. Well, let me explain. Not all that long ago when I was in third grade, I memorized the planets by a nice little mnemonic that went something like this. My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles. I thought this was brilliant. Each letter in the sentence corresponded with the order of the planets. (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) This was something that I was sure I would be able to pass on to children, as I grew older. Now, comes the dilemma. What will my very energetic mother serve now? Nachos? Noodles? Nectarines? I am sure I will find an “N” word that will make the planets teachable again, but is it that important. Is there something else that I can teach my niece and nephew that will benefit them as they grow? There is, and it has nothing to do with the planets or anything they will learn in school.
So often, we want to teach our children so that they can get passing grades in school, so they will receive full scholarships to college, in order to go out and get high paying jobs in the future. What benefit is that to them though? Sure, a good education helps, and we all want the best for the children in our lives, but there is something we tend to overlook. Something found within scripture. Proverbs 22:6, tells us we are to “Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.” This is not a suggestion from Solomon; it is a command. We are to train children in the faith. We are to train them up to know and believe in a loving God, we are to train them up to know the saving grace we received from the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus. We are to train them up so that in times of trials
and tribulations, they will not turn away from, but turn to God and the Bible for support and guidance.
The next time you are looking for something to teach your child, introduce them to the teachings in the greatest textbook they will ever possess. Train them up in the way of the Bible and when old, they will not stray.