Context for Kids

I wanted to take some time to talk the kids about the trauma they experience after losing a beloved pet. My favorite cat Monty died unexpectedly last week and I took some time when the grief was still raw to write up this broadcast so that I could help kids to be comfortable with their emotions and to know that love is still a wonderful thing even though it can also cause us a lot of pain. I also talked a bit about how to be sensitive and kind when others are hurting. It is my hope that this will encourage conversations with parents and kids not only about pets but also when relatives pass on.

This is the last of three special teachings on the Fall Festivals of the Bible that will all come out this week before they air on the radio because it’s important to understand the festivals before they happen so that we can celebrate them. Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, was the biggest party of the year in the Bible. The hard work of the harvest was all done and they could rest for the winter, knowing that they had enough food to eat. So why did God tell them to go camping? And what does any of this have to do with Jesus?

This is the second of three special teachings on the Fall Festivals of the Bible that will all come out this week before they air on the radio because it’s important to understand the festivals before they happen so that we can celebrate them. Do you understand the reason God commanded that Yom Kippur be celebrated forever? Do you understand what all those sacrifices were about, from the ancient Near Eastern perspective of the cleansing power of blood and sacred spaces? Through my own stories and parables, I will explain why Yom Kippur made the Temple habitable for God and the effect of sin on His Tabernacle, Temple, and even the Temple of Living Stones we are part of today.

This is the first of three special teachings on the Fall Festivals of the Bible that will all come out this week before they air on the radio because it’s important to understand the festivals before they happen so that we can celebrate them. This teaching will be about the festival that has a lot of descriptions in the Bible but no actual name! That’s why we call it different things but they all mean that we are going to celebrate and worship God our King and His Son Jesus, the King of kings.

Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2022/09/21/episode-75-the-feast-with-no-name/

We’ve finally reached the eleventh and final episode of Wonderful You! Today we are going to sum up all of the important aspects of our identity and talk about how God uses them to show Creation who He is and what He is like. But an accurate picture of God takes more than just a handful of people, it takes us all and it is only by working together in love that we can be God’s mirror.

(Parents, this is the eleventh in a series designed to help kids deal with identity and gender confusion by showing them that no matter what they like or what they look like or what they are good at, they are still boys and girls. When we try to push kids into filling stereotypical roles, we’re often the ones creating the confusion that they are forced to find a way to live with. I do this without making any mention of sexuality whatsoever.)

God has amazing plans for your life, even if you don’t know it. And you have the ability to do whatever God wants you to do—but you have to make good choices and prepare yourself. God’s plan for you, what you can be, is called your potential. Whether or not you make the choices to be all that God wants you to be is up to you. This week we’ll talk about what you can do to prepare for your future so that you can be the amazing person God designed from the beginning!

There are boundaries everywhere—and they are very important. You have boundaries too, even if you don’t know it. Good boundaries keep us safe and tell us what is and isn’t ours. Where we make our boundaries is a big part of deciding who we are and what we are and aren’t willing to put up with! When we do certain things, it leaves less time for others, which make other kinds of boundaries. Body boundaries are also very important because what we want to have happen to our bodies matters a lot.

(Parents, this is the ninth in a series designed to help kids deal with identity and gender confusion by showing them that no matter what they like or what they look like or what they are good at, they are still boys and girls. When we try to push kids into filling stereotypical roles, we’re often the ones creating the confusion that they are forced to find a way to live with. I do this without making any mention of sexuality whatsoever.)

Like it or not, we are defined by the choices we make and not by how we think about ourselves. So, how do we develop an identity like Jesus? What if we’ve already done a lot of terrible things? What does it say about us when people hurt us? Is Jesus really in our heart or does the Bible say something even better?

(Parents, this is the eighth in a series designed to help kids deal with identity and gender confusion by showing them that no matter what they like or what they look like or what they are good at, they are still boys and girls. When we try to push kids into filling stereotypical roles, we’re often the ones creating the confusion that they are forced to find a way to live with. I do this without making any mention of sexuality whatsoever.)

Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2022/08/23/episode-71-who-are-you-the-things-you-do/

What does it mean to be committed to God?

Why do we make the mistake of thinking that the sports teams we like, and the places we come from, and how pretty or handsome we are, or how athletic or smart we are make us better than the people around us? And how do all those things take the place of belonging to Jesus? How important are all those things and what is the difference between obsessions and addictions and likes, interests, and hobbies?