Teaching Children
Christian Values

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Teaching Children Christian Values

Teach the Children Well

Welcome to Christianity Oasis Purity Publications. This E-book on Teaching Children Christian Values is titled Teach the Children Well written by Author Criss Tina. Christianity Oasis in association with Purity Publications proudly presents you with this Teach the Children Well E-Book free of charge for your enjoyment.

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Table of Contents

Mom Teach Me What You Know About Jesus
Elliot the ELEPHANT A Story for Little Christopher
Dream Store
Lost
Truth and Understanding
Candy Kangaroo
The Un-tangible Church

Mom Teach Me What You Know About Jesus

My child asked this question one day while eating a sandwich at the park, I realized then, that I could tell her how Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins, and of the loaves and fishes. Or maybe I could tell her how Jesus was born to Mary in a manger. There is so much I have read in my Bible, God's love story to the world.

We read and we see all God is and will be to come. But to really know God, we must look at our children. Children have an unconditional love of life, and faith that when we steer them in any direction it must be a good one. My child has taught me about faith.

God directs us on the path we need to follow. We chose weather or not to follow His guidance. As I guide my child on the right path I often hear, No, I don't want to, so I reprimand. He is always there to reprimand me when I steer from that path.

I'm often reminded of driving down the road and hearing, Oops Mom, you missed that entrance ramp. And we tell them don't be a back seat driver. So I try to give Him all power, that's not always easy. Like children, we want control of what we do, and we have free will.

I'm learning to trust God and like a child, give Him all control. But fear is in the heart of man. When I am afraid and that sweet little child says, Mom, its OK, I am once again reminded I need to have more faith.

Kids have fights with friends and forgive all the next day, God says forgive and be forgiven. Yet we have a hard time as adults doing this, we are all children of GOD.

I learn from my mistakes through the eyes of GOD. I see the wrong I do. He has a way of letting us know we need to draw near like a child needs a shoulder in the storm. He is my shoulder to cry on when fear sets in, He is my rock, yet I hide like a child who snuck a can of pop and tried to hide it under their bed. Our father knows us; He sees us and forgives us, then helps clean up our mess. I've made some big messes and He knows every one, yet He forgives.

From you my sweet child I have learned these things. You need my teaching. I can't teach you without asking God to guide me, like a child on a balance beam holding His hand so as not to fall. At times I can't give you a good answer but somehow they always understand, and smile and say, Oh, Mom. Yet we expect a lot out of them, we want the best for them as our Father in heaven wants for us all.

When we go to the mall we tell them stay close, do not stray, I don't want you to get lost. With our Father we are never lost.

I am often in awe when I consider the faith of a child. When I teach my Sunday school Class, the kids are so excited about JESUS, they sit in anticipation to hear all they can so they can tell everyone all about it. 'Funny that' we often keep it to ourselves, wondering what others may think or how they will respond. WE need to have faith and understanding and a will to follow a straight path and I am learning these things through the eyes of the children.

So my sweet child, what do I know about Jesus? I know He loves us and will protect and guide us and remind us of His love and give us all we ask, if we just have the faith of a child. Thank you my dears for teaching us all to love Jesus.

Elliot the ELEPHANT A Story for Little Christopher

Their once was a little elephant named Elliot. He was about six years old, and he was just like you. Elliot was smaller than all the other elephants, and even the monkeys thought he was funny looking. All the animals in the village would laugh at poor Elliot, just because he was a little different. Eliot was so very sad. All he wanted was for everyone to like him and to just be nice.

One day, Elliot came up with a plan. He decided to ask GOD to change him so that he would be enough for every one else, and they would like him. That night after mom kissed him good night, gave him a glass of water, and helped him say his prayers, Elliot prayed another prayer. It was his best prayer ever. He was sure GOD would answer his prayer because GOD does that sort of thing. But, the next morning Elliot was still small. He thought he may even have shrank a little.

Eliot was mad at GOD and he yelled at GOD. You made a promise to be here for me and you were not there, when I prayed to you. I am still small as ever and well GOD, I am angry at you. But, Elliot never gives up, so the next night he prayed that GOD would change the hearts of everyone else in the Animal kingdom, so they would not be mean to him anymore. Well you probably guessed it. All the animals acted the same. Poor Eliot felt awful, so he decided to go ride his bike. This always made Elliot feel better.

Just as Elliot went outside to get his bike, he saw something. Elliot saw a very nice looking family moving in next door. There was a little elephant just like Elliot and he was carrying a big box. Elliot decided to help his new neighbor. After all the work was done Elliot got a chance to talk to his new friend. His name was Erin. Eliot and Erin played together all the time after that, but all the other animals still made fun of Elliot. But now, they made fun of both of them and still called them little.

One day Eliot and Erin saw a sign that said Church so they went in. The two boys thought this thing called Church was a lot of fun and they learned that GOD made them and that God loves them just as they are. Soon the other Animals noticed that Eliot and Erin were not upset by them calling the names anymore and the other animals asked them why. They told the other animals that they learned that God loves them and HE made them just as they are. All the other animals were ashamed of themselves and they stopped being mean to the two little elephants. Now they are all happy.

Dream Store

Nancy was having a hard time piecing together her broken heart and keeping herself from running away from feelings. At night she sat up thinking about ending her pitiful life, but she decided after trying it twice, she couldn't even do that right. After a while she just stopped feeling, and grew bitter.

One night she had a dream that would somehow bring on many changes in her life. She dreamt that she was walking down a road made of silver bricks, lined with stores. All but one, were rather ordinary looking, shades of gray with nothing eye catching. This store looked different. It had such lovely paintings on one side, of unicorns dancing in the moonlight and painted sky blue all around. This store looked interesting, so she went in.

"Hello Nancy", the man behind the counter said. "What would you like?" Before Nancy could even wonder how this man knew her name, she noticed something odd about this store. It was empty except for a list of items to choose from. It looked like a fast food menu, only it had some of the most bizarre items that Nancy had ever seen.

Two of these items caught her eye. They were a cousin for the heart and shoes for the soul. "I would like number two", she said. "That will come in handy when my heart breaks and I stumble and fall, as I run from my past, so it won't catch up with me again." "Oh yes", said the store clerk, "Our best seller, yet the weekly special, comes with your choice of a road block or eternal life. Make your choice known to me, I will provide my dear."

"Well", Nancy said, "I don't want a road block. What good would it be to have shoes if I got nowhere? As far as eternal life, you can keep it. I have been around too long. I have seen too much to want this to last much longer. Certainly you must have something else for me."

"Look around and see what you will." Nancy read the roster and found just what she needed. She was so happy to have seen it. "I will take the rose colored glasses", she said. So she paid the man all she had and started back down the street.

With these rose colored glasses, she thought, I shall have no worries. She got only two feet from the store when she saw fireflies, as if dancing in the night sky. Each one brought back a memory she had buried deep inside where no one could touch them. The glasses did nothing. She fell to her knees and wept.

A voice called out from far away. This voice she had heard in the past. It was tender. "Those glasses", it said, "you have no need for them today. I will show you and give you all you need to live." With these words, Nancy woke and understood all she needed to know. God loves her.

Lost

It was a cold day on the Mountain of Churn, where a family of six dogs just trying to survive in the wilderness, found themselves in trouble. There was a loud rumble overhead, as a big wall of snow came crashing down the mountain side. Dad and Mom tried to get all the puppies under a ledge to safety, but the wall was coming down too fast and there was no time.

The dog family scattered to get out of the way. After the noise died down and all seemed safe, Peter, the youngest in the family, came out from the tunnel he was hiding in and called for his family. Peter grew frightened when he heard nothing but the howl of a wolf. He looked for his family, but he couldn't find them. Peter was alone for the first time in his life, and it was getting dark. He knew how cold the night time could be, so he went back into the cave. Peter knew he had to keep warm, but he remembered how Mom and Dad always laid close to the puppies and it was warm. "Now they are gone", Peter thought. "All of them, Mom, Dad, Tracy, Philip and Molly, and it is all my fault. I should have protected them. I knew about the cave. I just thought about myself and that's why they're lost."

Peter thought about his family. He remembered how he would play with his sisters and his brother. It was getting colder. "I have to find a way to keep warm. In the morning I will look for them." Peter dug a hole in the cave. He remembered how Dad taught him how to dig a hole to keep warm if he was ever lost. Peter fell asleep and dreamed of his family.

Morning came over the horizon. Peter woke to a beautiful sunrise. "Time to go looking", he thought. Cold and alone, Peter walked through the snow, searching for the family he lost. A fox approached peter and asked, "Why is a scrawny little puppy like you, alone out here?" "I am looking for my family", Peter replied. "They were lost in the avalanche yesterday." "How did you survive such a big avalanche?" asked the fox. Peter said, "I hid in a cave and they tried to run but now I can't find them. It is my fault. I should have made sure they followed me."

The fox, who was not nice at all, told Peter that he was right. He should have, and that it was all his fault. This made Peter very sad. The fox gave peter a little food and sent him on his way alone. Once again, Peter thought about his family. Peter got to his feet and walked in the snow. It began to get colder. It was a kind of cold that Peter had never known before. It sent a chill down his spine.

Suddenly, Peter saw a big dog. He looked like his Dad, only bigger, and his Dad had a white stripe on his back. This dog was all black, like Peter. "Can you help me?" Peter asked. "Are you Peter?" the big dog asked. "I am your Uncle Persy. I have heard a lot about you. Your Dad tells me you are quite a strong little guy. Where is the rest of your family?" "Well, I lost them in the avalanche, and it's my fault they are gone", said Peter.

Persy was a gently dog, and very big. Peter was frightened and cold. Persy kept Peter warm. He held him tightly as he cried himself to sleep. Peter woke to the smell of dog chow. Mmm. Peter thought he was home with Mom for a second, then realized he was in a house he had never been in before. "You slept a long time", Uncle Persy said. "Where are we?" asked Peter. "I can't stay, I need to find my family."

"They are gone, Peter. I'm sorry. I will care for you", said Uncle Persy. "It's all my fault!" Peter whined. "Peter, it was not your fault. What makes you say that?" Uncle Persy asked. "Well", said Peter, "I crawled in a cave and they were left in danger. I should have made sure they got out of the way." "You were all frightened, and reasonably so", said Uncle Persy, "but it was not up to you to save them. You are a puppy. All you are supposed to do is play. God knows how you feel. He wants you to know it is not your fault. We have to have faith that God has a reason for everything, and God will always be with you. He sent me to find you and I did. I will care for you now. You are loved."

Peter stayed with his Uncle Persy. He still misses his family, but he is happy knowing God is always watching over him. As for Uncle Persy, he has a wonderful gift of a puppy named Peter.

Truth and Understanding

Christen's 7th grade year started off as usual, with basketball practice and homework. Christen was like any 7th grader. She loved pizza, movies and the mall. Christen has Spinabifita and is home with headaches a lot. Christen is a Christian and loves God. At her school, these are obstacles. The other kids don't want to spend much time with Christen, even the ones she has been friends with since 1st grade, now seem to be interested in their other friends.

Christen talks to Jesus a lot, but still, she is lonely. She feels so different from everyone. The basketball court seems to be the only place she feels accepted. Her coach, Mr. Hearting, always tells them to have fun and the whole team works together. Christen lives with her Dad. Her Mom died last year. Christen feels like her Dad doesn't understand her. "If Mom was here, she would know what to say to make me feel better", often flies out of her mouth, before she can stop it. Dad looks so sad when she says that. He tells her she can talk to him, but Christen remembers that before Mom died, Dad was too busy to be bothered. She told Mom everything. They talked about boys, shopping, basketball ... everything. Now Dad says, "You can talk to me", but he is working even more now than before. Since Mom passed away, he hardly say a word to Christen.

Dad was hard to talk to. It was easier to talk on the computer in chat rooms than to talk to him, so after homework, when she wasn't practicing her hoops, or at a game, she would turn on her computer and talk to whoever would listen. No one had to know she was in a wheel chair and she could tell them all about her Mom and how happy she was. Christen thought, "What does it matter what I say?" So she spoke of going to the mall and spending time with Mom. She spoke of basketball, just left out the fact that she plays from her wheelchair.

But soon, Christen's whole life seemed like a lie. She became more sad and seemed far from God. By the time she realized she needed to get back to God, a boy started to talk to her a lot, so getting back to the Lord was put out of her mind. He said his name was Bruce and he played basketball on his Jr. High school team. He seemed nice and they had a lot in common. They both felt left out. He lives with his mom. His parents are divorced and he is just a loner.

Christen was getting more withdrawn at home. Her dad asked if she was all right and she said, "Yes, I'm fine." Her Dad didn't know she spent so much time online. He was usually working. "Christen can take care of herself", he thought, "she is responsible enough."

Christen and Bruce told each other about their games. Bruce's team had one win and three losses. Christen told Bruce, "It isn't all about winning, if you love the game." This made Bruce feel happy. They talked about school and life at home. Bruce lives in Chicago, and Christen lives in Minnesota. They talked about how nice it would be to finally see each other, face to face. "Bruce will never see me", Christen thought, "so he can't be hurt by my not mentioning the fact that I am in a wheelchair. He never needs to know. Besides, everything else I've told him is truth."

What Bruce hadn't told Christen would change everything. Christen and Bruce talked through most of that school year. In April, Christen was going to be in the biggest game of her life. Even Dad was excited for her. Bruce wanted to surprise Christen, by showing up at her game. He knew what she looked like from a picture. He talked to his parents about his idea. They gave him permission to talk to his aunt. She was a travel agent and was able to get cheap tickets.

Bruce and his Dad flew to Minnesota for Christen's game. They brought her picture along to make sure Bruce recognized her. He was so excited, he rehearsed what he would say when they finally met face to face. All he could think of while waiting for the teams to get on the floor was how excited Christen would be. Bruce told his Dad, "I think she really likes me."

Soon the teams were called on the court, but when Bruce saw them all in wheelchairs he was stunned. "Dad, are we at the right place?" "I thought so son." Then he saw her. Christen was as beautiful as her picture. Bruce was shocked to see her in that chair. He hoped she didn't see him. He had to see her game. He was proud of his friend, but thought, "How could she lie to me, and why?" Bruce's Dad watched the game with Bruce and wondered what to say to him.

Christen's team was doing well. The score was 5 to 2 when the teams took a break. Bruce's Dad thought, "I best say something to Bruce", so he told him how hard it must be to always feel so different. She probably wanted to feel more like normal. Bruce knew that feeling all too well. He told his Dad that he feels left out too. "There's not many kids like me, I'm just different. Kind of a geek." Bruce's Dad gave him some advice. "Talk to her after the game son. Anyone can walk away." So they stayed through the game.

Christen was a good player. Bruce never thought of a handicapped person as an athlete until now. He never thought much about them at all. He thought about that all through the game. After the game, Bruce and his Dad waited outside the school where the game took place and waited for Christen. When Christen and her Dad came out, she saw him. She didn't know what to do so she started to cry and told her Dad, "That's Bruce."

Christen's Dad shook his hand and asked, "Are you a friend from school? Christen hasn't mentioned you." Bruce felt confused. He told his parents all about Christen but her dad had no idea who he was.

Bruce's Dad explained what had happened. The children needed to talk, so they all went out for supper. Christen told Bruce she was sorry she hadn't been hones with him and she talked to her Dad about how she really feels. For the first time, she could remember, they talked about her feelings. Everyone learned a lot that night about truth and the importance of talking to our children. No matter how hard that may be or how old they are, we need to talk to our children. Christen and Bruce are still friends, and she talks to her Dad a lot more. Christen is going to be just fine.

Candy Kangaroo

In a kingdom far away, where animals roam free, lions roar, eagles soar, and everyone has their own special place, there lived a kangaroo named Candy and her three children. Candy didn't feel she had time to get everything done for Max, Anna and Isabella. "If only I had more time in a day to cook and clean for my children. It seems I have no time for me", she would say.

Candy had friends who seemed to have an easier time with their children. This made Candy feel even worse. What were her children doing to make her life so hard that her friends' children weren't doing? She confided in a friend who told her to take time for herself, then she could have fun and be happier when she was caring for the kids.

Candy thought this sounded like a wonderful plan. "Just don't take too much time", this friend warned her, "or you will have even less time for the kids." "Oh yes", said Candy, "I will be careful." At first she was very careful to take a little break with a cup of tea every morning. Max, Anna, and Isabella were glad Mom had something she enjoyed. They all were a lot happier. Things got done and there was time for play.

Candy was content with this for a while, but soon she thought, "I need more. My kids are all happy. Isabella and Anna love to play games with me. Max even found a new friend. His name was Doug. "But I NEED MORE." Candy liked Doug's Mom. Her name was Sue. They all had fun together. Candy and Sue ordered pizzas and the kids played together.

Candy was happy with her new friend, but soon they both said, "WE NEED MORE FOR OURSELVES." So they went shopping, just the two of them. The kids were at a sitter, and soon their pouches were full of jewelry and trinkets just for them. The kids had each other, thought the two mothers. We can have fun now. I like this.

Candy walked her children to the park the next day, but had no room for them in her pouch. It was filled with all she NEEDED for herself. Soon the kids grew tired. They stared to cry. Candy told them they can walk. She liked her things and planned to keep them.

Her children didn't understand why Mom wouldn't make room for them. They began to rebel. They broke things and fought with other kids. Candy couldn't understand why they were being so naughty. Max was the oldest, so he tried to care for Anna and Isabella when Mom and Sue were gone, but they would fight over the toys and make big messes.

Candy was upset, but she knew she had to make room for her kids, even if that meant not carrying her jewelry and trinkets, so she went back to taking time for herself in the morning with a cup of tea. Max, Anna and Isabella played games with Mom when she had time. Candy also found that children can help out. She gave each a chore they could do and the family had time to talk to each other.

Now all of Candy's children ride with Candy in her pouch and last thing I knew, they are doing fine. Candy, Max, Anna and Isabella go to church and play together as a team.

The Un-tangible Church

There's a place where I go, a place I meet many people my eyes haven't Seen. I get in my chair and fire up my machine click on a button and off I beam. I go to a place I've never Seen, the words on my screen are from people it would seem.

They all have a different flair one is guarding both heart and soul thinking maybe no one will know. Another is a dreamer full of wonder and hope. One has a soft side, and allows it to come out and play in the light of the day. One loves her Mother but worries about her a bit. one loves people, uses music as a tool when speaking to others.

These people I meet who my eyes never see are easy to talk to and I wander if that is how it should be, in my machine I am strong I have my cover on when I go out in to the real world with people my eyes see I lose my cover, how can this be. In a world of many what do we really see? do we look? Or merely let our eyes see as we please.

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