by Barrett Hendrickson
As many of you know I am just a little over a year from being done with my Masters of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary – Orlando. I’ve been in the program since August 2015. I’ve loved it and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to work while pursuing an MDiv. I’ve come to a pivotal point in my education, where I no longer have to go to Orlando for classes. My trip to school last month was difficult in that I said goodbye to many of my classmates for the last time.
My primary goal in going to seminary was to apply what I’ve learned to benefit Hebron. I hope you’ve seen my growth over the years, and how I’ve implemented my education in my worship leadership and occasional preaching. I’ve been thinking about more ways I can help the friends and members of Hebron throughout the week; and I’ve decided that for the next few months I will recommend some resources that I’ve found helpful.
One of the most prominent messages I’ve heard at RTS is the benefit of family worship. Hebron Kidz gives great resources for practicing family worship every week. Each month the kids’ small group leaders send home a Parent Cue Card, to help keep the conversations going at home. There are also social media reminders to encourage you to read with your child(ren).
However, sometimes reading the Bible with children can be confusing, so let me offer this insight. When the Parent Cue tells you to read a passage, look it up in a story Bible. Each story takes about 5 minutes to read, and then we ask each kid one thing they heard. If you supplement that with a little time to go over the Hebron Kidz memory verse, and maybe sing the doxology, you’ve got yourself a good 10 minute family worship time right before the kids go off to school or to bed.
Over the years HebronKidz has given different story Bibles to 4-year-olds, the most recent being My First Hands On Bible which provides meaningful ways to engage the youngest kids. Another good story Bible is Catherine Vos’, The Child’s Story Bible, for older children. The Child’s Story Bible puts the Bible into stories that help children (and adults) understand the reason for the story. In any case, I highly encourage you to worship at home during the week, teaching your children the importance of Scripture and how to better their faith in the Lord
