Blog - The Character Corner

10 Principles To Teach Your Children for Biblical Success

July 13, 2020 By Kathie 13 Comments

When the word prosperity is mentioned, most people automatically equate it with financial success. However, these 10 principles to teach your children for Biblical success are much more important.

As I read through them, I thought how very valuable it would be for our children and teens to learn these early in life, and be reminded of them often.

They are great truths to help Christians stay strong in their walk with the Lord, which is the foundation for prosperity and blessing.

10 Principles To Teach Your Children for Biblical Success

These principles are the foundation of what is taught by Reformers Unanimous, a recovery program for people struggling with addictions, AND a discipleship program for any Christian who wants a stronger walk with God.

1. If God’s against it, so am I.

Galatians 5:19-24

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

2. Every sin has its origin in your heart.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. also, see Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 13:14

3. It is easier to keep the heart clean than it is to clean it after it has been defiled.

Proverbs 6:27-28

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? Also, see Proverbs 22:3.

4. You cannot fight a fleshly appetite by indulging in it.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. See James 1:14-15 as well.

5. Small compromises lead to great disasters.

Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Matthew 6:24 and Romans 6:16 also.

6. Those who do not love the Lord will not help us serve the Lord.

John 5:18-20 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. Please see Proverbs 25:15-16 as well.

7. Our sinful habits do hurt those who follow us.

Romans 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. Also see 1 Corinthians 10:23, 24

8. It is not possible to fight a fleshly temptation with fleshly weapons.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. See also I John 4:4

9. We lose our freedom to choose when we give in to temptation. The consequences of our choices are inevitable, incalculable, and up to God.

Proverbs 9:17-18 Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. Found in Proverbs 5:22 and Proverbs 20:17 as well.

10. God balances guilt with blame. Accept the blame for your actions, and God will remove the guilt.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

These 10 principles to arm your children with Scriptural truths will prepare them for Biblical Success. God’s Word is the best weapon for spiritual battles. What a valuable list of truths!

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Plan a Successful Summer – Intentional Summer Challenge

July 9, 2020 By Kathie Leave a Comment

Often by the time summer break comes, we are tired and just want to sit back and relax all summer. As far as goals go, relaxing pretty much covers it for us! However, rather than just letting those months fly by aimlessly, why not plan a successful summer with our intentional summer challenge?

Don’t let the kids get bored, and allow sibling squabbles or bad attitudes ruin your summer. Be purposeful about planning for your best summer yet!

It will take some thought to plan a successful summer, but that’s what this challenge is meant to do!

Get help as you focus your thoughts on what makes a summer successful for you and your kids.
It will give you ideas and resources to help you be intentional in six key areas.
It will encourage you to be intentional with your time.
It will include printables, journals, and resources to help you plan.

To have a successful and productive summer, it is important to have a routine for your days. Not only will your children function better with a routine to guide their days, but you will also be sure to accomplish your priorities for the summer as you plan intentionally.

Will you join me for an Intentional Summer Challenge?

I’m going to be sharing six things in a daily post for six days, that I believe should be included in your daily routine this summer, to make it a success!

Some of the topics covered in the challenge are:

The Ultimate Habit For A Summer of Success
Your War Room – A Secret For A Successful Summer
The Secret Sauce For Summer Success

Sign up below to be sure you get all the posts in the series. (You will also get 4 weeks of FREE character lessons in one of the daily emails!)

Learning To Trust God Through Infertility

July 6, 2020 By Kathie 4 Comments

My husband and I have 8 wonderful children. We never experienced infertility. When my oldest son and daughter got married, they also both had kids within the first couple of years.

Imagine my surprise then, when my second oldest daughter, Ruth, got married and had problems with infertility! This is my daughter who always just wanted to be a wife and mother.

Often, we tend to think we can choose when to have children. Even how many children we will have. But in reality, it is in God’s hands!

Learning To Trust God Through Infertility

There’s nothing more heartbreaking for a couple than wanting a child, but not being able to conceive. My daughter Ruth, went through two years of tears, and heartache. But she would also be the first one to say that she is glad for what she learned during that time.

My daughter wrote her testimony about her infertility journey. I’m going to share that with you over these next posts.

I hope it will encourage any of you who are learning to trust God through infertility!

Let me just start out by saying that I believe life is precious and miraculous. Whether you have one child or one dozen, children are a blessing from God.

Having said that, we feel especially blessed by my pregnancy, and we have been calling this our “miracle baby.”

Allow me to share our infertility story and how I learned to trust God in the process.

For the first year of our marriage, I did not have health insurance. I was able to get it after our 1-year anniversary, and Rob & I began “trying for pregnancy,” as they say. We had felt ready for this at least 6 months earlier, and now we were really anxious to get going with our plans. God had other plans, however…

Pregnancy did not happen over the next 6 months, which was an unexpected jolt to us, as we had not expected to have any problems. I made an appointment with my doctor. Hormone levels were tested, and some of mine were found to be extremely low, so in an effort to kick things into gear, I began taking a prescribed supplemental hormone.

We were encouraged as this appeared to be an obvious infertility problem with an obvious solution – or so we thought.

3 months later, the change in my levels was so very minuscule, it was discouraging at best, and I cried as I began to recognize the painful fact that maybe this wasn’t going to be as easy as we had thought.

My dosage was upped. We re-tested 3 months later, only to find that once again, my levels had budged ever so slightly, but were still dangerously low. My doctor warned that if we were to somehow become pregnant at this point, my body would not even be able to sustain the pregnancy due to the low progesterone level.

By this point in time, my infertility journey had already begun to turn very painful.

I began to wonder where this was all going to end, or if it was going to end. I had never considered the thought that I might be one of those women who might never be able to get pregnant. It felt like my heart’s desire was being wrenched away from me, and it hurt with a pain deeper than I could have ever imagined.

Trusting God for a Baby

We made an appointment with a specialist. They were very encouraging and optimistic about my chances at pregnancy, our course of treatment, etc. But here is what happened next.

Month number one: my body did not respond to the medication at all, so they doubled the dose for a month.

Month number two: once again, nothing.

Month number three and four: they tried another medication which seemed to have slightly better results, but still nothing.

Month numbers five and six came and they added another medication, with even better results, but still no pregnancy.

Read the rest of my infertility story in these posts:

Learning To Trust God Through Infertility

The Emotional Pain of Infertility

Dealing With The Pain of Infertility

Supporting Those Dealing With The Pain Of Infertility

5 Tips For Surviving and Enjoying Life With Little Ones

July 1, 2020 By Kathie 2 Comments

Life with kids is busy, especially when you have little ones! My youngest is now 23, but I still remember the days when I had several young kids, including preschoolers. During those stages, enjoying life with little ones sometimes seems more like survival than enjoyment!

Here are 5 Tips For Surviving and Enjoying Life With Little Ones

Recently, I have been reminded of just how crazy things can get for a mom in this season of life.

My son and his wife, and their three little ones, two-month-old AJ, four-year-old Michael, and six-year-old Beth, are home from the mission field to raise more support. For the next year, they will be traveling to different churches and presenting their ministry in the Philippines, seeking to raise enough support to go back and start a church.

In the meantime, when they don’t have meetings, they live with us.

What a reminder this has been to me of the daily busyness that comes with having little ones. A reminder of what it looks like to both survive and thrive in this season.

I find myself chuckling at times, as I watch my daughter-in-law dealing with the kids while trying to do laundry, or fix their breakfast, etc.

I see her and my son stop what they are doing to discipline, correct, and train the kids all through the day. And I say to myself “How did I do it?!” and “How did I survive life with little ones?!”

I was just talking to another mom about it recently. We discussed how when you are at this season in your life you just do what you need to do. You don’t even think about it!

However, it isn’t easy. You love your kids and are thankful for them, but you are also tired often and can get tired of parenting. Little ones take a lot of time, work, and energy.

Here’s what you can expect with life with kids:

Toys all over the house
Crumbs and bits of food all over the floor and chair after meals/snacks
Frequent spills of water or drinks
To spend lots of time playing with little ones
Reading lots of books out loud daily
Staying so busy with kids that you don’t get much else done on many days
To spend lots of time teaching, training, and correcting.

If you’re not careful, you can let those things discourage you!

Tips to help you get through the busy season and enjoy life with little ones:

1. Remember that teaching & training them is your main job.

It’s easy to look at all the cleaning or laundry that didn’t get done, rather than focus on the training that did take place. Spending time reading Bible stories to your kids, teaching them character, and correcting them with Scripture are the things that matter!

2. Recognize that this time with little ones is a season.

It’s not forever. It will get better and easier. (especially if you work hard NOW to teach and train!) Each season has its own challenges, but when you start early with training and character building, the other seasons will be easier.

3. Realize that you’re not the only mom who feels like her house will never be clean again, and the laundry will never be caught up!

Don’t get fooled by all the things you see on Pinterest, and think that everyone has a picture-perfect house. If you have little ones at home, your house is going to look different than someone whose kids are older or grown-up.

4. Remind yourself that everything you do for your family is an investment in eternity.

You are training little soldiers for the Lord’s work! Any time and effort put into cleaning, cooking, and teaching your kids is of eternal value. Do it as unto the Lord.

5. Remember to take care of yourself.

Make sure you are getting the rest you need, as well as some time for self-renewal. This will make you a better mom. It’s hard enough to keep up on things when you have little ones and are well-rested. Lack of sleep makes everything more overwhelming.

Adequate rest and self-renewal are essential for your well being and will enable you to better do the task God has given you. You will also move from simply surviving as a mom, to enjoying life with your little ones.

What has helped you get through the busy days with little ones?

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10 Things Your Kids Need To Hear

June 29, 2020 By Kathie 6 Comments

As parents, we love our children. We think they are the best! But we often fail to communicate that to them. Do you fail to say the important things your kids need to hear?

When they are little, we tend to shower them with kisses and words of praise and delight. “I love you sooo much! You are so precious! You did a great job coloring that picture!”

The positive affirmations just flow naturally because of the joy they bring us.

Somehow, at some time, as our kids get older, all of that changes. We don’t express direct affection near as often, or freely.

We may even unknowingly quit offering words of encouragement to our kids.

However, they still need to know that we love them and accept them unconditionally. There are things your child needs to hear, rather than just show them by things we do or buy for them.

Our positive words go a long way.

Using your words to express your approval of and love for your children is one of the key components of winning and keeping their hearts. When you intentionally focus on positive things to say to kids it builds them up and helps them to feel secure.

When your child feels secure in their relationship with you, they are more likely to be honest with you and open up to you as they grow.

If you have their hearts as they grow, you then have the opportunity to influence them and point them towards God as a teen as well!

Here are 10 things your kids need to hear

1. I love you and I always will.

2. I’m here for you no matter what.

3. I have confidence in you.

4. I wouldn’t change anything about you.

5. I’m so glad God put you in our family!

6. I’m sorry; please forgive me.

7. Yes…..I will play that game with you or go ________with you, etc.

8. I love watching you play (basketball, the piano, etc.)

9. It’s okay — mistakes happen.

10. You are precious to God.

Make sure your kids hear these things often, so they will have no doubt in their minds that you love them unconditionally just the way they are!

I would love to know in the comments below – which of the 10 things kids always need to hear are you going to share with them today?

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30 WORDS OF AFFIRMATION EVERY CHILD NEEDS TO HEAR!

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5 Scriptures To Help You Become A Better Mom

June 25, 2020 By Kathie 3 Comments

Are you wondering what the Bible says about mothers? Finding Scriptures to help you become a better mom is the best thing you can do as a parent! God’s Word is the source of power and wisdom, which we desperately need as moms.

The Bible verses for moms in this post are perfect for women like us who need joy, hope, and strength to get through the tough mothering days.

5 Scriptures To Help You Become A Better Mom

Motherhood is the most rewarding and hardest job that anyone will ever receive. It will test your patience, tolerance, and overall sanity.

Sometimes it seems impossible to meet all the expectations that being a mom demands.

Not only do we have the responsibility of training and guiding our children, but we are also required to manage a household by maintaining the laundry, dishes, cleaning the floors, wiping the tables, dusting shelves, and providing cooked meals three times a day.

After running errands, carpooling, dressing, bathing, and dealing with the everyday drama of children’s emotions many mothers end up feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, and unappreciated.

Those unwanted feelings shouldn’t be entertained in a mother’s mind or heart.

To help combat those negative thoughts, and give moms a sense of peace, and strength, here are my top 5 Bible scriptures to turn to daily:

1. Isaiah 40:11

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Whenever you feel overwhelmed, remember the Lord’s calm approach to guiding His children. God wants to encourage you and lead you daily.

This scripture also tells us that the Lord guides mothers, as well. I love that! The important thing is that we have to be sure to take time to turn to the Lord for His guidance.

2. Isaiah 55:11

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

As mothers, we sometimes wonder if the teaching we are doing with God’s Word is making a difference. We wonder if it is taking root in the hearts of our children. (Read Now: When You Wonder If Your Parenting Is Worth It)

I LOVE this promise that God’s Word WILL accomplish what it is supposed to and prosper in that purpose.

What an amazing promise to claim as we teach our children God’s Word!

3. Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

At times we all reach a point of weakness and need that boost of inner strength and endurance to keep us moving forward. Remembering that Christ gives us that power and takes on our burdens whenever we ask is such an encouragement.

Don’t be afraid to stop, take a deep breath, and ask Christ to give you the strength to move through your day. You don’t have to try to do it in your own strength!

4. Psalm 63:7

Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

Rest in the truth that God is your helper and will bring you joy, even on those hard days. (Read Now: Having One Of Those Character Building Days?)

I love this reminder that as a baby bird hides under its mother’s wings, we can hide under the protection and comfort of God’s “wings,” letting Him strengthen and help us on the tough days.

5. Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

I love that we don’t have to try to figure things out on our own but can trust God to guide us and let His plan unfold.

(For more related tips see: 5 Ways To Be A Great Mom)

Remember how blessed you are to be a mother. Refer to these 5 Scriptures To Help You Become A Better Mom and know that you can accomplish great things in the lives of your children with God’s help!

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My Favorite Character Building Resources

June 22, 2020 By Kathie 5 Comments

Consistency is key in character training, but consistency is also hard! Building Godly character in your kids requires time and planning which can be overwhelming. But, here’s the good news. With any of my favorite character-building resources, it doesn’t have to be hard!

Let’s take a look together. The first four resources are mine. I discovered a need when training my own kids in character, so I wrote them. The rest of them are tools I have found that are excellent resources!

My Favorite Character Building Resources

The Mini Character Building Boot Camp

This is your first step to fun and consistent character training. It offers 6 weeks of foundational character lessons. Your child will learn 3 key character traits – obedience, attentiveness, and self-control all while having fun in the process!

There are bonus materials in the boot camp PLUS an upgrade option for an accountability group to help keep you on track!! Join the group where you’ll be a part of a community, receive additional teaching tips and encouragement, more printables, and Q & A sessions with Kathie during the 6 weeks!

What a great way to teach character AND keep the kids busy this summer! Check it out here

Little Lads & Ladies Of Virtue Preschool/Early Elementary Character Curriculum

This book provides you with 6 months of character lessons, that require very minimal preparation. 24 character qualities are taught, with a week of lessons for each of the traits.

The lessons provided in this character curriculum are:

A definition for the trait

A memory verse

3 “I WILL” statements that relate to applying the character quality in their daily life

Games, object lessons, or role-play

A prayer for the child to pray about applying what they have learned

A coloring page for each lesson.

A reward chart with a picture for them to color and space to display the character badges that they earn each week.

(Available in print/bound form, or digital download.)

Lads & Ladies Of Wisdom Elementary Character Curriculum

This curriculum provides you with 5 months of character lessons, which will take minimal preparation, and can be taught in 5-10 minutes a day. There are 5 daily lessons a week.

The lessons provided in this character curriculum are:

A weekly memory verse,

3-4 KEYS that relate to applying the character quality in their daily life,

Games, object lessons, or role-play,

A prayer for the child to pray about applying what they have learned.

A coloring page for each lesson.

A reward chart with a treasure chest and space to display the “treasure” that they earn each week as they grow in wisdom.

(Available in print/bound form, or digital download.)

Training & Correcting the Heart With Scripture

The book includes a Bible study of 21 character qualities. You will look at the Bible commands concerning them, the negative consequences of them, and the positive consequences of following God’s way instead. The information provided in this set is given to help parents make the most of each opportunity they have to train their children “in righteousness”, using His Word.

The 2nd section includes a list of common wrong behaviors and Bible references that relate, making it easy for you to take your kids to Scripture and show them what God says about their behavior.

(Available in print/bound form, or digital download.)

Character Building For Families

A topical Bible study for parents and children, Character Building for Families, Volume 1 is designed to be used for family devotions or homeschool Bible/character curriculum.

The 165 lessons (approximately one school year) are designed to be done by parents with their children and include reading Bible passages together, thought-provoking discussion, Bible memorization, practical application, and prayer.

Each lesson takes about 20 minutes to complete. The studies are written at an elementary level, accommodate large or small families, and can be reused again and again.

(Available in print, bound version only.)

Good & Angry: Exchanging Frustration for Character

Recognizing the very real emotions parents feel, Good and Angry taps into the constructive side of your anger and teaches new strategies for addressing the things your child does that drive you crazy.

Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, & Bad Attitudes In You and Your Kids

Honor is more than just behavior change. Honor comes from the heart. It affects the way people think, the way they act, and the way they treat others around them. Honor motivates parents to treat children differently. It gives children more constructive ways to interact with their parents. It helps siblings develop tolerance and patience. Honor builds incredibly strong bonds that, in turn, benefit all members of the family. This book shows you in practical ways how honor can transform your family.

Knights In Training: Ten Principles for Raising Honorable, Courageous, and Compassionate Boys

Bringing chivalry back into our modern-day world, this book shows us how to inspire today’s generation of young boys to pursue honor, courage, and compassion.

In an age when respect and honor seem like distant and antiquated relics, how can we equip boys to pursue valor and courageously put the needs of others before their own? This book helps parents to inspire their boys by captivating their imagination and honoring their love for adventure. Heather Haupt explores how knights historically lived out various aspects of the knights’ Code of Chivalry, as depicted in the French epic Song of Roland, and how boys can embody these same ideals now.

When we issue the challenge and give boys the reasons why it is worth pursuing, we step forward on an incredible journey towards raising the kind of boys who, just like the knights of old, make an impact in their world now and for the rest of their lives.

Girls Created To Shine

Girls Created to Shine is a 12-week Course in God’s Word + Today’s Issues + Hands-on Application

This course will help you teach your tween girl by topic but remains deeply rooted in God’s word.

It’s designed to address real-life struggles and questions they face today.

It will save you time. All the prep work is done for you so you can teach and share from the heart.

You follow a simple repeated format and have ideas for questions to ask and answers so you don’t get stuck while teaching.

You can teach this even if you don’t have a lot of scripture knowledge! It’s all laid out for you to dig into and learn together.

Hero Training

Hero training is a fun, hands-on, 12-week program for parents to do with their kids that will help them build character and learn more about Jesus.

Improve behavior issues through building character skills

Open the lines of communication with your child on matters of the heart and character

Help your child learn more about the person and heart of Jesus

All while taking a playful approach that is tons of fun

Parenting With Proverbs

Parenting with Proverbs offers parents a simple method to use biblical proverbs to teach and correct their children. The book contains…

A detailed explanation of the “Proverbs Method” of teaching

A catalogue of some of the most helpful proverbs, categorized by topic

A list of conversations questions that help parents engage their children with proverbial wisdom

The Heart of Humility

The Heart of Humility is a 30-lesson family devotional that helps your children understand the importance of putting others first. Focusing on Philippians 2:1-18, the study unearths a dozen biblical motivations for why we should strive to be humble. Most importantly, the study focused on the ultimate example of humility by studying the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ.

There are lots of great choices to help you but these are definitely my favorite character-building resources! Which one are you going to start with?

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The Powerful Influence Of A Father

June 19, 2020 By Kathie 4 Comments

Recently I was talking to my oldest son Mike, a missionary to the Philippines, and was reminded of the powerful influence of a father.

Mike mentioned to me that he had preached a sermon about why he was so much like his dad. I looked through his notes from that sermon and wanted to share them with you, as they are powerful words of wisdom and truth.

As parents, we need to remember that spending time with our kids is a great way to influence them. They do become like us as we spend time with them. This is a great reminder to use our influence in a positive way!

This Is The Powerful Influence Of A Father

“Anyone who knows my father well could recognize that I am his son without ever being told. I think it would be fair to make the statement, “If you’ve seen Mike, you’ve seen Mike’s father. If you know Mike, you know Mike’s father. If you know how Mike would respond in a certain situation, you know how Mike’s father would respond in that same situation. We are the same in many ways.

It is only natural that the question should be raised, “Why is it that I am so much like my father?” Is it just part of the Morrissey DNA? Is it because something magical happened when “Morrissey” was printed on my birth certificate?

Certainly, there are traits that were passed down to me from my father, but I don’t believe that is the reason that I am so much like him. I am like my father not just because he is my father.

It’s because I spent lots of time with him, and he powerfully influenced me in every area of life.

Because I spent time with him, he influenced my thinking and developed the way I look at life.

The closer I got to my father, the more I began to think like him. What was important to him became important to me. The things that were exciting to him became exciting to me. The things that made him angry began to make me angry. What he thought was funny became funny to me. His desires became my desires. His passions became my passions.

As I grew older, the closer I got to my father, the more I thought like him, and the more that I thought like him, the more I acted like him.

Hey Mike, why are you so much like your dad? I spent time with him and ….

His thoughts became my thoughts.

His dreams became my dreams.

I began to love the things he loved.

The things he hated, I began to hate.

His priorities became my priorities.

If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen my father.”

What a great and sobering reminder about the influence we have as parents!

This is a great example of the influence that comes when you win your child’s heart. Download this free printable for subscribers with 20 ways to win your child’s heart.

20 Ways To Win Your Child's Heart

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6 Tips For Intentional Character Training

June 18, 2020 By Kathie 3 Comments

There are several ways that our kids learn character, but the most important and effective method is intentional and consistent character training. We can talk about how important character training is. Or how a child’s character is formed in the early years. Even how we hope our kids will develop Godly character. However, the truth is that it doesn’t just happen.

How do you teach a child character? It takes work, time, teaching, and training.

It requires a plan of what you want them to learn, and how you are going to teach it to them.

You need to be intentional about character training if you really want to see them grow and become more like Christ.

Here are 6 Tips For Intentional Character Training

1. Take advantage of opportunities that come up in the day.

Often we fail to take advantage of those teaching moments that we have during normal daily life. For example, when one of the kids helps a younger one, comment on how kind they are being.

If one of them picks up toys without being told praise them for showing initiative. If one of them walks away from an argument, make a big deal about them being a peacemaker.

The more you talk about the good character traits that they are showing, the more they will try to please you in those areas. Kids just love to make their parents happy, and the best thing we can do is let them know what pleases us so they can repeat it.

I would suggest using character charts to help you look for the good in your child’s behavior, as well as to keep them encouraged. You can download the 3 Best Character Charts to Encourage Growth for free here.

2. When correction is necessary, always point them to God’s Word.

Show them what God says about the behavior, and pray with them about doing what God says is right. This shouldn’t be done in a negative way, but a positive way.

Here is the way we usually approached it:

I know how much you love God, and that you want to please Him, but when you acted like that (did that, said that…) God wasn’t pleased. Let’s go to His Word and see what He says about that, and find some answers.

Training & Correcting the Heart With Scripture is a great resource for finding verses that relate to the issue you are dealing with. It covers the most common behaviors kids struggle with, and gives Scripture to go with each one.

3. Give them Godly role models.

One of the best ways to teach your kids what Godly character looks like in everyday life, is to introduce them to Godly role models. This can be adults in the church, relatives that are a good example or even reading biographies to them about great Christians.

4. Pray daily for their character to grow and develop

One of my favorite things to tell parents is that we need to work as though it all depends on us, and pray as though it all depends on God. We need to do our part to diligently teach and train our kids to have Godly character. But then ask God to do His work in their hearts.

Even when you get discouraged and don’t see the results as soon as you were hoping, you need to stay faithful in working and praying, trusting God will do His part.

Praying consistently for your children to grow in character is one of the best things you can do for them! If you need some help and encouragement in this area, join me for our 30 Day Prayer Challenge: Praying Biblical Virtues For Your Children

5. Praise good character more than good grades or physical appearance.

If you praise them for being smart or pretty, they will think that is what you value. (And really they have no control over if they are smart or pretty.) Let them know how thrilled you are when you see them making wise choices, or being kind to a sibling, doing schoolwork with a good attitude, etc.

Brag about their character to the grandparents or your spouse when they can hear you. That will just encourage their heart, and make them realize how pleased you are about them showing good character.

6. Teach daily character lessons in a fun, practical way that will help them apply the lessons to their daily lives.

Making sure that our kids are being taught regular character lessons is much more important than making sure they learn math or history every day.

Add to your faith, virtue (character), and to virtue, knowledge.... II Peter 1;5

I found that when we took the first part of our day and gave it to God by getting into His Word, and working on homeschool character training, God blessed the remaining part of the day. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you are too busy and don’t have time for that, but in reality, we make time for what is important to us.

God says that faith and character should come before knowledge (academics), so it only makes sense that He will bless our day when we follow His priorities.

Just a couple of tips about teaching character lessons to your kids daily

They don’t have to be long and drawn out.

Depending on their ages, I always suggest stopping the lesson before they get bored with it. You want them to enjoy and look forward to learning about Godly character, so keep it short.

2. Make the lessons practical, but fun.

Most kids will enjoy lessons more if you do some hands-on activities to demonstrate what you are teaching. You can do some role-playing with right and wrong responses. Also playing some kind of game to illustrate will help make the lesson more applicable.

I am going to share some of my favorite Character Training Curriculums to help you get started if you aren’t sure where to begin.

The first three on the list are ones that I wrote for the purpose of providing fun, hands-on learning that made the lessons applicable for younger kids. The other ones listed are what we used for our kids as they got a little bit older, or that I highly recommend.

Character Training Curriculum Suggestions for Your Home or Homeschool

The 6 Week Mini Character Building Boot Camp: Your First Steps to Fun and Consistent Character Training

Little Lads & Ladies of Virtue Preschool & Early Elementary Character Curriculum

Lads & Ladies of Virtue Elementary Character Curriculum

Character Building For Families

The Young Peacemaker

Christian Character

There you have it! These 6 tips for intentional character training plus ideas for character curriculum will help you provide a strong foundation of Godly character for your child.

How To Homeschool Successfully With Character Training

June 15, 2020 By Kathie Leave a Comment

The first thing to do when building a house is to lay a strong foundation. The same is true in “building” your homeschool. If you want to homeschool successfully you must begin with character training. It is the foundation upon which everything else is built.

Without laying the foundation of character, it is easy to end up getting frustrated and burned out as a homeschool mom. When your children have no character, you will face daily struggles as you try to get them to obey, be diligent, and have initiative.

How To Homeschool Successfully With Character Training

It is SO easy to fall into the trap of believing that knowledge is the most important thing, but it is very important that you don’t let the academics (or knowledge) distract you from what is most important.

Teaching our children at home is so much more than working than book learning. It is a process of discipling our children, leading them to Jesus, and then equipping and preparing them to fulfill His purpose & plan for them.

True education seeks to train not just the mind but also the heart and soul. This is what we call character training. The most important area of instruction is not academics, but the development of godly character. It is the precious foundation-stone on which all other learning is built. If a person has great intellectual knowledge but little godly character, his life will not have much positive impact upon the world in which he lives.

*The most important task of the educator is to prepare his students for life. And the best way to prepare a student for life is to teach, model, and promote the development of godly character. Character training is the most important & most laudable activity for a teacher to be engaged in. If a student is taught nothing else save character alone, he will be better prepared for life than those who are taught pure academics but no character. – (Ray Ballman – The How & Why of Homeschooling)

Perhaps you are struggling with how to homeschool successfully right now. If you aren’t sure where to start with character training, I’d suggest you begin with obedience.

If you try to teach your kids skills or academics without first addressing obedience, you will be met with frustration. You really can’t teach your kids to read or do anything else if they won’t obey you. So obedience is a character trait that should be at the top of your priority list.

Your child must learn to obey, first and foremost, or you can never serve as his teacher. Teaching him to obey, to do his work and stick with it, to follow instructions, not to interrupt, and much more requires your diligent supervision and follow-through. That is the work of parenting, really.

Unless your children learn to listen to your directions and follow them, it doesn’t matter how fabulous your resources are. The first and foremost subject to teach is good behavior born of self-discipline, or character!

Another important character trait to focus on for better academic success is attentiveness.

If you don’t have your child’s attention, it doesn’t matter how great your curriculum is. They have to be listening and paying attention to learn. If they are distracted, you might as well just realize it’s time to stop teaching the lesson and work on teaching them to be attentive.

After working on those traits, I’d suggest looking at the things that frustrate you in your children’s behavior. Usually, that goes back to a character trait that you need to work on.

The Bible makes it clear that you need to focus on using God’s Word to build your kids’ faith, and train them in Godly character:

….giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (II Peter 1:5)

This is a clear and simple list of what your priorities should be if you want to child to be prepared for life and be successful:

Build their faith by pointing them to God and His Word daily

Build their character by teaching daily character lessons

Teach them knowledge by academic training

In order to homeschool successfully you must begin with character training and pointing your kids to God and His Word.

Are you a mom who knows you want to start building Godly character in your kids?

Not sure how?

Discover the Mini Character Building Boot Camp! Get 6 weeks of fun character lessons and activities to help engage your kids and build Godly character over the summer break or to use throughout the year!

Your child will learn 3 key character traits- obedience, attentiveness, and self-control all while having fun in the process!

There are bonus materials in the boot camp PLUS an upgrade option for an accountability group to help keep you on track!! Join the group where you’ll be a part of a community, receive additional teaching tips and encouragement, more printables, and Q & A sessions with Kathie during the 6 weeks!

What a great way to teach character AND keep the kids busy this summer! Do not miss this opportunity! Check it out now!

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10 Principles To Teach Your Children for Biblical Success

1. If God’s against it, so am I.

2. Every sin has its origin in your heart.

3. It is easier to keep the heart clean than it is to clean it after it has been defiled.

4. You cannot fight a fleshly appetite by indulging in it.

5. Small compromises lead to great disasters.

6. Those who do not love the Lord will not help us serve the Lord.

7. Our sinful habits do hurt those who follow us.

8. It is not possible to fight a fleshly temptation with fleshly weapons.

9. We lose our freedom to choose when we give in to temptation. The consequences of our choices are inevitable, incalculable, and up to God.

10. God balances guilt with blame. Accept the blame for your actions, and God will remove the guilt.

It will take some thought to plan a successful summer, but that’s what this challenge is meant to do!

Will you join me for an Intentional Summer Challenge?

Some of the topics covered in the challenge are:

Learning To Trust God Through Infertility

I hope it will encourage any of you who are learning to trust God through infertility!

Allow me to share our infertility story and how I learned to trust God in the process.

We were encouraged as this appeared to be an obvious infertility problem with an obvious solution – or so we thought.

By this point in time, my infertility journey had already begun to turn very painful.

Trusting God for a Baby

Read the rest of my infertility story in these posts:

Here are 5 Tips For Surviving and Enjoying Life With Little Ones

Here’s what you can expect with life with kids:

Tips to help you get through the busy season and enjoy life with little ones:

1. Remember that teaching & training them is your main job.

2. Recognize that this time with little ones is a season.

3. Realize that you’re not the only mom who feels like her house will never be clean again, and the laundry will never be caught up!

4. Remind yourself that everything you do for your family is an investment in eternity.

5. Remember to take care of yourself.

Here are 10 things your kids need to hear

I would love to know in the comments below – which of the 10 things kids always need to hear are you going to share with them today?

5 Scriptures To Help You Become A Better Mom

To help combat those negative thoughts, and give moms a sense of peace, and strength, here are my top 5 Bible scriptures to turn to daily:

1. Isaiah 40:11

2. Isaiah 55:11

3. Philippians 4:13

4. Psalm 63:7

5. Proverbs 3:5

My Favorite Character Building Resources

This Is The Powerful Influence Of A Father

It’s because I spent lots of time with him, and he powerfully influenced me in every area of life.

Here are 6 Tips For Intentional Character Training

1. Take advantage of opportunities that come up in the day.

2. When correction is necessary, always point them to God’s Word.

3. Give them Godly role models.

4. Pray daily for their character to grow and develop

5. Praise good character more than good grades or physical appearance.

6. Teach daily character lessons in a fun, practical way that will help them apply the lessons to their daily lives.

Just a couple of tips about teaching character lessons to your kids daily

I am going to share some of my favorite Character Training Curriculums to help you get started if you aren’t sure where to begin.

Character Training Curriculum Suggestions for Your Home or Homeschool

How To Homeschool Successfully With Character Training

Perhaps you are struggling with how to homeschool successfully right now. If you aren’t sure where to start with character training, I’d suggest you begin with obedience.

Another important character trait to focus on for better academic success is attentiveness.

Are you a mom who knows you want to start building Godly character in your kids?

About Kathie Morrissey

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