Mt. Ruhama Kidz

12/04/2023

09/21/2023

I thought this was a great article from the resource Parent Cue.

What’s So Magical About the Fourth Grade?
~Parent Cue

There’s something magical about the fourth grade. Okay, maybe magical isn’t the right word. But I simply can’t find another word to sum up the incomprehensible value of this phase.

Early in my career, I remember having a conversation with Bobb Biehl that really solidified my belief in the importance of the fourth grade. Bobb was the president of a master-planning group. He had never worked with children. Instead, he worked with executives and CEOs. The first time Bobb and I sat down to have a conversation about business and leadership, he began with this question: “Can you tell me about what happened when you were in the fourth grade?”

I was a little taken aback. It certainly wasn’t the question I had been expecting. But then Bobb went on to say that the fourth grade is the most deciding time in a person’s life.

Throughout the rest of my career, I’ve been fascinated by the significance of the fourth grade. If you ask most adults to recall a memory from childhood, to reach back to their earliest long-term memory, the vast majority will tell you something that happened in the fourth grade.

Related Resource: Parenting Your… Fourth Grader

Since I work in sports, I often ask grown men this question: “When you played football in the fourth grade, which position did you play?” The ironic thing to me is that most men answer that question by giving me a position. In truth, most fourth grade teams rotate players so everyone will play all positions. But what a person remembers playing is often an indication of how they felt about their value to the team.

What a kid believes about themselves in the fourth-grade matters. It leaves a lasting memory—one that will form a long-term belief about how they see themselves.

Later, Bobb and I would write the book, Every Child Is a Winner, where we worked to highlight the potential of this phase. We included a section to explain how most children grow from an early belief that “everybody is just like me,” into the realization that “hey, everybody is not just like me,” and finally (around the fourth grade), into the discovery that “there’s nobody just like me.”

The troubling thing about this fourth-grade realization is that it comes with a whole lot of other questions. Fourth graders often wonder: “Is something wrong with me?” And, unless a fourth grader hears consistent voices to reaffirm their value, they may become stuck in this struggle.

Fourth graders need to hear consistent voices reaffirming their value.

Here’s where you, the parent, come in. Now is your moment to get on their level, eye-to-eye, and consistently communicate: “There is nobody just like you, and that’s just the way it should be. You are exactly the way God made you.”

It may seem like this isn’t the phase to emphasize your influence as a parent. After all, your fourth grader may be spending more and more time around their friends. Or they may be withdrawing and discovering they enjoy time alone working on a hobby or skill. It may seem as if you’re losing influence. But don’t be fooled. Your fourth grader needs you as much as ever.

There will never be another year quite like this one. Don’t let it rush past you. And resist the temptation to hurry forward into the next phase. Simply sink into fourth grade and make the most of this remarkably unique and formative phase.

~Caz McCaslin is the Founder and President of Upward Sports.

09/18/2023

Mark your calendars now!

09/14/2023

Every family has a rhythm…even if your rhythm seems to beat to the drums of chaos.

For some, the mornings are frenzied because you have somewhere to be at a certain time, but you’ve got people (ahem, kids) around you with no concept of time.

For others, nighttime is more hectic because as you’re winding down physically, your kids seem to have a battery pack of energy that only activates when it’s time for bed.

For many of us, there’s a combination of the two chaotic situations…with the new back-to-school rhythm added in to make things really fun.

Even if your family’s rhythm is a bit unruly, you do have a rhythm—those regular moments that happen throughout your day or week no matter what. And without adding one more thing to your to-do list, you can leverage specific times you already have to build habits of connection with your family.

Here’s how:

Morning Time (any kid, any age)
Start your kid’s day with an encouraging word, even if they’re grumpy or don’t respond well.

Feeding Time (for babies)
Use this time to reflect on what’s most important.

Cuddle Time (for preschoolers)
Share with your baby, toddler, or preschooler what you love about them.

Bath Time (for preschoolers)
Talk about things that are related to character and be curious about their day. Point out how their character was noticeable during those moments in their day.

Drive Time (any kid, any age)
While on the go, use this time to get to know what’s going on in your kid/teen's life and what’s important to them.

Meal Time (any kid, any age)
Talk about your day, what you loved about it, and what you wish you could change.

Bed Time (any kid, any age)
End the day on a positive note with connection and prayer for who they are and your hope for the following day.

No matter what your family rhythm looks like, these regular moments in your day are where you can maximize your connection with your family. And rest assured these moments don’t have to be complex, instead go for simple and consistent.

09/07/2023

SEE YOU THIS SUNDAY!!!

09/01/2023

I can't wait to see you this Sunday! We will be talking about the First Passover. What's that all about you ask....see me in the gym at 10:30 to find out!

08/31/2023

LET YOUR KIDS SEE YOUR FAITH
~Tim Walker

As a kid, do you remember a moment when you realized that grown-ups were real people?

Maybe it was standing around the grill with your dad and his friends, or listening to your mom as she played cards with her sisters.

There was a way they interacted with each other that was different than when kids were around.

They let their guard down.

They laughed with each other.

They poked fun at one another.

They talked about people and events in their lives.

It felt like you saw a whole new side of them, like there was more to them than just “Mom” or “Dad.” They were . . . well, human.

And as we get older, we realize more and more just how human they are. Just ask any teenager—they can instantly tell you how a person who was once their superhero falls short. No one can spot a flaw or inconsistency better than a teen.

But it does get better. Mark Twain said: “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”

And while this normal process makes us more vulnerable to be misunderstood, it comes with some good things as well. Our teens can begin to see what faith looks like in the real world.

They are watching to see if we really believe what we say. They are looking to see . . .

What it means to trust God when life gets challenging.

What it means to love or show kindness.

What it means to forgive.

What it means to have faith in something bigger than ourselves.

Author John Mark Comer describes it like this: “To have faith in something is simply to live as if it’s true. It means to put your trust in something or someone and remain loyal to it.”

It doesn’t mean we do it perfectly. They are watching that too—what it looks like when we mess up. Because we will mess up. We’ll say and do things we regret. They are watching how we handle that.

They are also watching where and how we place our trust in God.

What do we pray about?
Do we turn to God with the things that weigh heavy on our hearts—or do we act like He’s not a part of our lives?

Do they see us wrestle with doubt while still placing our hope and trust in God?

We think that our teens don’t really want to hear from us anymore about faith, and maybe that is true. But they do want to see us. They want to see if our faith is real. They want to see where we place our hope and trust.

They want to know it was more than a show—that it’s something real in our lives.

So let them see it.

Ask them how you can pray for them, and sometimes even ask them to pray for you.

Share a verse or passage of Scripture you’ve read, and what it meant to you.

Talk about a sermon.

Share about a challenging situation, and how you are trying to navigate it in a way that honors God.

Let them see that your faith is real, even if it’s new or developing.

It will help them as they grow and develop their own faith.

08/23/2023

Due to a family emergency I will not be meeting with the children at the campground on Wednesday 8/23. I’m sorry for any inconvenience this might cause.

08/14/2023

AWANA INTEREST MEETING---
Tonight's AWANA meeting is being moved to THIS Sunday 20th immediately following the morning service. We will meet in the fellowship hall. Please help me spread the word!
Thanks!!

08/13/2023

It’s Camp Meeting Time!!!! We will see you at Balls Creek Campground at 6:30-7:30 Sunday (8/13) night at Tent 34B. We’ll have games, Bible Study and ice cream sundaes!!!

08/08/2023

The last one for the summer. See you tomorrow!!!