{"id":306052,"date":"2020-05-28T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/a-book-children-can-grasp\/"},"modified":"2020-05-28T07:00:05","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T11:00:05","slug":"a-book-children-can-grasp","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-book-children-can-grasp\/","title":{"rendered":"A Book Children Can Grasp"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At what age can children start understanding the Scriptures? Jennifer Lyell assures listeners that children as young as three years old can understand simple concepts of the Bible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/mp3.familylife.com\/fl2020-05-28.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:30:28","filesize":"27.89M","filesize_raw":"29244537","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2806,2881],"tags":[4292],"podcast_series":[8363],"cwp_profile":[9625],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-306052","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spiritual-development","category-young-children","tag-children","podcast_series-the-promises-of-god-storybook-bible","cwp_profile-jennifer-lyell","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/306052\/a-book-children-can-grasp","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/306052\/a-book-children-can-grasp","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"IaiAaqzqSp\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-book-children-can-grasp\/\">A Book Children Can Grasp<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-book-children-can-grasp\/embed\/#?secret=IaiAaqzqSp\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;A Book Children Can Grasp&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"IaiAaqzqSp\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"At what age can children start understanding the Scriptures? Jennifer Lyell assures listeners that children as young as three years old can understand simple concepts of the Bible.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2020-05-28.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>For years, Jennifer Lyell has been teaching three- and four-year-olds the Bible in Sunday school. Jennifer says those are strategic years in a child\u2019s life. Parents and teachers alike need to make sure we are redeeming this important time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> That child is going to, Lord willing\u2014and we hope and plan and anticipate\u2014going to grow to be an adult. God\u2019s plans for that child are not unformed at age three. Age three is a part of God\u2019s plans for that child, so that\u2019s a responsibility. I get 100 minutes a week with them for 52 weeks in a year. That\u2019s a lot of time; I want to spend it wisely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, May 28<sup>th<\/sup>. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson; I'm Bob Lepine. As a parent, are you making the most of these years with your kids?\u2014making sure to pour a solid foundation on which their lives can be built? We\u2019re going to talk more about that with Jennifer Lyell today. Stay with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. Just a few minutes ago, I got the opportunity to introduce you guys to my friend, Jennifer.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes, we did. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> And we already like her. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> We had lunch together. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Thank you!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Jennifer Lyell is joining us on <em>FamilyLife Today.<\/em> I have to tell you\u2014you don\u2019t think of many people, who have been to seminary, as being called as missionaries to three-year-olds. [Laughter] But that\u2019s <em>really<\/em> kind of your story, isn\u2019t it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> That is a great way to sum it up; I\u2019ve never thought of that before. It\u2019s interesting\u2014I don\u2019t know if you knew this before\u2014but my seminary training and degree is actually in missions. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Really?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Yes; I went to seminary, anticipating and planning to go overseas as a missionary, because I had just spent time overseas doing missions. The Lord redirected that. I <em>never<\/em> expected that teaching little kids was going to be the place that is <em>the most <\/em>home for me. I\u2019ve taught all ages; but preschool, in particular\u2014and three-year-olds\u2014is my favorite. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> If I would have ever made a missionary to three-year-olds, this is the woman\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014this is it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Isn\u2019t that the truth?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Oh, yes; it just fits you!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> I <em>love<\/em> it! That makes my heart feel [inaudible].\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>I want to explain, too, Jennifer is <em>brilliant<\/em>. She has a brilliant mind; you can tell you\u2019re a great teacher. You\u2019re passionate. These kids\u2014you are a gift to them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> That\u2019s really kind! I\u2019m not sure <em>they<\/em> would agree when I\u2019m trying to get their bottoms to stay on the carpet, and listen, and \u201cWe\u2019re not going to have toy time if we don\u2019t finish story time.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> The reason that Jennifer is here is because we want her to help us know how we\u2014as grown-ups, whether it\u2019s as parents, or grandparents, or people who are teaching the three-year-olds in Sunday school at our church\u2014how we can move beyond just teaching really simple things. Because kids, at age three\u2014this is your conviction\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Absolutely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014they can learn more than we believe they can learn.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Absolutely. I believe\u2014having taught women, having taught teenagers, having taught the ages from two to ten\u2014three-year-old\u2019s are distinctly the age, I have found, that can best understand both the things that are certain about God, while also being able to reconcile and sit with the mysterious aspects of God in a way that truly helps them to have a broader, more firm foundation for what they\u2019re both going to experience in life; and then, what they\u2019re going to continue to learn about God\u2019s Word.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I have <em>never<\/em> heard that. That\u2019s fascinating.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> And it\u2019s absolutely true. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I\u2019m just thinking of a mom, who\u2019s going: \u201cNow, wait a sec. I\u2019ve got a three-year-old at home; I can\u2019t teach them how to clean up their room! And you\u2019re saying that they can understand the <em>mysteries<\/em> of <em>God<\/em>?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Yes; at the end of the year, I teach on the Trinity for two weeks. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014to three-year-olds.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>And they get it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Yes, as much as you can get it. Part of what I teach them is that there are some things about God that we can know for <em>absolutely certain<\/em>\u2014and God has allowed us to understand completely\u2014those things are revealed in His Word. But there are also things we learn from His word that, because we are a <em>little<\/em> like God\u2014which is how I talk about being created in the image of God, but not <em>fully<\/em> God\u2014that we can understand a <em>little<\/em> bit, but not <em>fully<\/em>. That\u2019s part of what helps us to want to hold onto God as He holds onto us in those mysteries. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey can know that there\u2019s one God, who has three persons in Him. We can\u2019t have three persons in us, but God\u2019s different; He can. So one God, who has three persons. And <em>all<\/em> the persons are <em>always <\/em>God, <em>all<\/em> the time\u2014<em>always<\/em> have been and <em>always<\/em> will be. We talk about there\u2019s the Father, and the distinct aspect of Creator; then Jesus the Son, as Savior; and then the Holy Spirit as Helper. They get that as well. I draw little icons; so yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>When I read your book\u2014that\u2019s like page 1 or 2\u2014it\u2019s very early.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I was thinking, \u201cHow does a three-year-old get this? I\u2019m not sure <em>I<\/em> completely understand it.\u201d You\u2019re saying they really can grasp it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> They absolutely can. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Way to go!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Let me say\u2014the book is called <em>The Promises of God Storybook Bible.<\/em> You took all of the years you\u2019ve been teaching\u2014and has it been three-, four-, and five-year-olds?\u2014or mostly three-year-olds?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Really, this approach to the text of the promises of God; and really, the Trinity; and a lot of\u2014there\u2019s a thread of the heart, and the heart being disconnected from God through sin; and then, being reconnected. Hard hearts versus soft hearts\u2014that\u2019s a strong theme. All of that really came out of teaching three- and four-year-olds. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEven the Trinity\u2014teaching and how I teach it\u2014I\u2019ve stumbled on this and learned on it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI didn\u2019t walk out of seminary and into this classroom; I made lots of mistakes\u2014<em>really<\/em> came from the questions the kids would ask me. The Trinity conversation came from a child\u2014actually to whom the book is dedicated, in part\u2014who was a week after his fourth birthday. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI teach the Old Testament throughout that year, but we had taken a break in December to teach four weeks on Advent. I had just taught the first week. We were finished teaching; and he looked at this picture I have on my wall, which is a drawing of Adam and Eve in the Garden. He said, \u201cMiss Jennifer, Jesus is God.\u201d I said, \u201cYes,\u201d and I\u2019m getting snack time ready. He said, \u201cGod created Adam and Eve.\u201d I said, \u201cYes.\u201d He said, \u201cBut Jesus wasn\u2019t born yet. Jesus is God; there\u2019s only one God.\u201d I remember I was trying to wedge out the Goldfish<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> container. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI paused and thought, \u201cI think a four-year-old just asked me about the pre-incarnate existence of Jesus.\u201d [Laughter] \u201cWhat do I say?\u201d [Laughter] I don\u2019t remember what I said, exactly, to him that day. I remember the mystery language I came up with. He kept asking questions for weeks and weeks. It was <em>really<\/em> through that one child that I landed on how to reconcile the Trinity conversation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne week, his dad came running in after he picked him up. I was cleaning up the class, and he said: \u201cI need you to explain it to me the way you just explained it to him. [Laughter] He\u2019s talking to me about it, and <em>I<\/em> don\u2019t know how to talk about it that way.\u201d So the kids <em>really<\/em> taught me this.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, because I\u2019ve been teaching so long, the book\u2019s not really written <em>to<\/em> three-year-olds\u2014although that is sort of the introductory age to it\u2014but I have ten-year-olds in our church now, who I taught at three. I also wrote it with the idea that for a child, who\u2019s older, that this becomes a bridge resource that they could even read on their own, that goes into, then, them reading God\u2019s Word. Because of that, I also feel really passionately about not just telling the stories but really giving more of a sense of the overview of the <em>types<\/em> of teaching that is in the Bible; because that\u2019s where we need to get them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I think a lot of parents are thinking: \u201cOh, yes. I\u2019ll start reading the Bible with my kids. I\u2019ll <em>help<\/em> them when they get into elementary school age.\u201d But this is\u2014you\u2019re saying, \u201cthree-year-olds.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>What happened in <em>your<\/em> life that put this passion on <em>your<\/em> heart?\u2014because this is like your passion\u2014oozes out. How did this come about? Were you <em>raised<\/em> in the church? What happened?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> No; actually, it\u2019s interesting because, when I agreed to teach the three-year-old class at my church, I thought, \u201cOh, I think this is going to be too young for me,\u201d because I like to teach substantively. Then, I realized the first year: \u201cOh, wait; these kids are developmentally really ready to understand and interpret things as individuals. They can be taught.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI also realized, in my church, this was the first age where they were being <em>taught<\/em> the Bible every week. I just <em>love<\/em> that idea of being able to set the foundation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> It\u2019s not just babysitting, down in church, while the parents are sitting in big church; you are <em>teaching<\/em> them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Yes, I teach about 25 minutes; I mean, granted, 7 minutes of that is me asking them to: \u201cStop\u201d; \u201cKeep your bodies\u2026\u201d \u201cCrisscross applesauce,\u201d\u2014all that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn hindsight, I did not grow up in the church. Age three, for me, was a pretty tumultuous time. I\u2019ve had other relationships and children in my life, for whom that was the case as well. My memories start at age three. My most vivid memory that is early is of being in a magnolia tree\u2014was at my grandparents\u2019 house\u2014and it went all the way down to the ground. I would go <em>inside<\/em> of the tree to the branches before the leaves. There was a way\u2014I was so little\u2014I could just sit in the tree; I would sit in the tree for hours, and hours, and hours. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy mom left when I was very, very, very young\u2014before then\u2014and I lived with my dad. We were kind of bouncing around; I did spend a lot of time with my grandparents. I didn\u2019t have a <em>lot<\/em> of supervision\/oversight. Most of my memories are me, alone, outside playing\/kicking around dirt. Honestly, it was the confusion of: \u201cOkay, I\u2019m a person; and there\u2019s grownups, but I don\u2019t really know where I fit,\u201d and \u201cI don\u2019t know how to understand what\u2019s happening,\u201d and \u201cI don\u2019t know what to do with myself. What am I supposed to be doing right now, in this moment?\u201d It sounds crazy\u2014it\u2019s not like I had that organized thinking\u2014I\u2019m sure I was also doing silly kid stuff.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut the passion now is for me to introduce children, at that age\u2014because I <em>know<\/em> you can be thinking those things, right?\u2014because I was! To help them to understand: they have a place; they have a place in God\u2019s created order; they have a place in God calling a people to be His; they have a place to reconcile the fact that they\u2019re sinners. Those were things\u2014that now, with a biblical world view\u2014I can look back and say: \u201cGod gave me this weird, very young, big-problems-of-life, irreconcilable processing. I didn\u2019t figure that stuff out to any degree.\u201d I\u2019m still figuring it out, but I didn\u2019t start until I was 21!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the things I <em>love<\/em> is\u2014I\u2019ll teach, almost every week, something to these three-year-olds; and I ask them questions at the end. You know, they\u2019re\/not every three-year-old is ready for as much of this as four\u2014or whatever\u2014it\u2019s a scale. But they will know stuff at the end of every week that I did not learn, sometimes, until I was in seminary. I went to seminary just a couple years after I was saved. I tell them that all the time, and they <em>love<\/em> it; they think that\u2019s just <em>fantastic<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTo me, they\u2019re not alone: God has a plan; God made them. I\u2019m honest about: \u201cThere are going to be things that happen in your life that are going to be <em>so hard<\/em>,\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019re going to sin in ways that you can\u2019t imagine. Your mom and your dad are, and I do,\u201d\u2014and we talk about how our pastor does\u2014\u201cbut that all of that is within the scope of God\u2019s plan.\u201d I want them to know that they\u2019re not sitting on branches that are going to break; but that they\u2019re sitting on truth, and that truth is for <em>them<\/em>. It\u2019s not just for grownups; it is <em>as much<\/em> for them as it is for the pastor.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I think that\u2019s so encouraging for parents and a good reminder that these years <em>matter<\/em>\u2014because, as moms, I know, I can feel so frantic; I can feel so frazzled\u2014I can wonder, \u201cDo these years really <em>matter<\/em>?\u201d\u2014because I\u2019m in the survival state. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYet, as you were talking, I was thinking about my three-, four-, and five-year-old self. It was hard! I had <em>deep<\/em> thoughts. Abuse\/sexual abuse had taken place by then. I can remember being in my bed, wondering: \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with me? Why are these things happening to me?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI can remember even\u2014I didn\u2019t go to church much, growing up\u2014I remember my brother used to tease me: to tell me that I was adopted. He would bring proof like, \u201cHaven\u2019t you every wondered why your hair was blonde, and all of us have brown hair?\u201d I remember saying to my mom, \u201cWas I adopted?\u201d It was interesting, too, because she said: \u201cAnn, you weren\u2019t adopted\u201d; she said, \u201cNow, you <em>were<\/em> an accident, and you were a total surprise,\u201d\u2014[Laughter]\u2014which some people are like, \u201cThat wasn\u2019t nice!\u201d But then she said <em>one<\/em> thing\u2014she said, \u201cBut I think God must have a reason why you\u2019re here, and He must have something special for you.\u201d I didn\u2019t go to church; but I remember that planted deep in my soul, wondering, \u201cDoes God have something for me?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think, for parents, this is a <em>great<\/em> reminder to read God\u2019s Word. These are <em>seeds<\/em> we\u2019re planting in their hearts and souls; it makes a difference. So even take a few minutes at night and ask those questions, like, \u201cWhat do you feel God has for you?\u201d And then <em>tell<\/em> them, \u201cGod has something great.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I have to ask you, right on the heels of that, because a lot of parents are here; they\u2019ve got two-year-olds or three-year-olds, who have a prayed a prayer. Mom and dad walk away and go, \u201cDid something really happen there?\u2014or not?\u201d You watch their behavior over the next couple of years, and go, \u201cI don\u2019t think anything happened.\u201d [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> That\u2019s a good point. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Help us process a three-year-old, who says: \u201cWhen I grow up, I want to be a dinosaur,\u201d and \u201cI want to trust Jesus.\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> That\u2019s fantastic; because I\u2019ve had that conversation, pretty much. [Laughter] From a teaching standpoint, I <em>avoid<\/em> the focus being on kind of the traditional gospel narrative of the Four Spiritual Laws or things like that. I think there is a context for that; I\u2019ve used that a lot, teaching overseas, for instance. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut with children, I\u2019m pretty hard core on the heart: \u201cThis is about the heart.\u201d I use\u2014when I teach and throughout the book\u2014this construct of a soft heart and a hard heart. When I talk about the gospel, I really don\u2019t\u2014they don\u2019t know the word, \u201cgospel\u201d; they don\u2019t know the word, \u201cTrinity\u201d; I teach the Old Testament\u2014they leave my class and never heard the word, \u201cIsraelite\u201d; because I say, \u201cGod\u2019s people.\u201d It\u2019s honestly just about language. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut with the soft heart and the hard heart\u2014I taught from the first day, where we talk about creation\u2014that: \u201cGod made Adam and He made Eve; He made them to be a little bit like Him. He gave them hearts that were connected to His; that meant that they could hear Him, just like you can hear me. It meant they loved Him, and they wanted to obey Him.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen we talk about the snake; we talk about how he deceived\u2014how Eve had heard God\u2014she <em>did<\/em> know what God had said; but yet, she <em>saw<\/em>, and she <em>wanted<\/em>, and she <em>took<\/em>. I reiterate this all year, through every single story\u2014you\u2019ll see it in the Scripture if you look\u2014that as she took that fruit, and Adam took that fruit, their hearts changed. Their hearts became <em>hard<\/em>; they could not <em>hear<\/em> God the same; they could not <em>love<\/em> God the same; they could not <em>obey<\/em> God the same\u2014<em>that<\/em> is the start of what we see unfold in Scripture. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, transitioning them to understanding: \u201cBut wait! God made a way! He made a way for our hard hearts to become soft again.\u201d I even talk about the sacrificial system\u2014people think I\u2019m crazy\u2014we talk about how there were two ways. The one way was for a time, but it didn\u2019t work; they kept having to sacrifice more, and more, and more, and more. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat I know, and what I reiterate to them, is that\u2014to me, I hope\u2014is planting the seed against legalism, right?\u2014that they\u2019re going to recognize, \u201cWait!\u201d At some point in their future, I\u2019m hoping it\u2019s going to come back up. The only true and whole way for our hearts to be connected back to God is by us <em>understanding<\/em> how <em>desperately<\/em> we need Jesus and that we were <em>made<\/em> to have hearts that were connected to God; and <em>nothing<\/em> in our lives will ever be tolerable or have the way it was supposed to be without that. Jesus is the way.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I have to wonder, as you\u2019re explaining that for three-year-olds\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> That was for adults! Are you kidding me? That wasn\u2019t just for three-year-olds.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> And if you didn\u2019t know how to convey that to your child, there it is.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Get the book and do it!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Are there folks listening, right now, who are going, \u201cI\u2019ve never understood it that way\u201d? If you look at your own life today and say: \u201cI think I still have a hard heart. I may have had that moment, where I was moved and I prayed something; but my heart\u2019s still hard.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m asking you, Pastor Dave\u2014you\u2019re sitting down with that guy\u2014\u201cWhat do you say to him?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I would say just what Jennifer said: \u201cThis is your moment to say, \u2018I am going to make a decision that\u2019s going to change my life.\u2019 It\u2019s amazing to think that it could happen at three years old, and it does. It could be your day right now. It\u2019s as simple as saying: \u2018Jesus, I believe, and I surrender my life and my heart to you. Transform my heart because I <em>can\u2019t<\/em>. I\u2019ve tried; I can\u2019t. <em>You can<\/em>. I give you my life; I give you\u00a0 my heart. Change me.\u2019\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I love the words: \u201cI repent,\u201d [Agreement from all] \u201cI turn.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Yes; that\u2019s actually the one distinct grown-up theological term I actually teach; because I think it\u2019s different than\u2014you know, they\u2019re kind of used to saying, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mom, for this,\u201d and that kind of thing\u2014because there\u2019s a differentiation between how we respond to God and how we respond to parents.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We can be sorry for things, but the question is: \u201cAre we turning from those things?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer:<\/strong> Exactly, exactly.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I would hope that anybody listening\u2014who\u2019s going: \u201cYou know, I have had a hard heart, and I want a soft heart. I want to turn from old ways to new ways,\u201d\u2014you can go to our website at FamilyLifeToday.com. There\u2019s a link there that says, \u201cTwo Ways to Live\u201d; and it maps out for you two strategies. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ll suggest to you\u2014the way you\u2019ve chosen to live has brought you to the place where you are today. If that\u2019s a dead end\/if that\u2019s <em>not<\/em> a good place\u2014if you look at your life today and say, \u201cThis is not what life is supposed to be,\u201d\u2014go explore the <em>other<\/em> way to live. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the link that says, \u201cTwo Ways to Live.\u201d Read through that and consider what your life would look like if you were living your life with Jesus\u2019 agenda in place rather than <em>your<\/em> agenda in place. Again, our website is FamilyLifeToday.com. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOn the website, you will find a link to the book that Jennifer Lyell has written for us, as parents, to read to kids. It\u2019s called <em>The Promises of God Storybook Bible: the Story of God\u2019s Unstoppable Love<\/em>. You can order a copy of this wonderful new tool for parents or for grandparents. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com to get your copy. Again, it\u2019s <em>The Promises of God Storybook Bible, <\/em>beautifully illustrated\/beautifully written. Order online at FamilyLifeToday.com, or call to order: 800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to add a quick word of thanks to those of you, who over the last few weeks, have gone online or called us, here at FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, and made a donation. We\u2019ve been mentioning that there\u2019s a matching-gift opportunity that\u2019s available to us during the month of May. Every donation we\u2019re receiving this month is being matched, dollar for dollar, out of a matching-gift fund. The total amount of that fund is $345,000; that\u2019s a big number. You\u2019ve been helping us meet that if you\u2019ve gone online to make a donation or if you\u2019ve called us. We still have a ways to go to get to that total, and we just have a few days left. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe want to ask you, if you\u2019re a regular <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listener: \u201cWould you consider making a donation today, knowing that donation will be matched, dollar for dollar?\u201d If you can do that, we\u2019d love to say, \u201cThank you,\u201d by sending you a copy of a new book by Barbara Rainey called <em>My Heart, Ever His<\/em>, a wonderful new book\/a book of prayers that Barbara has written. It\u2019s a beautiful book, and it\u2019s our gift to you when you donate to support the ongoing ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me also ask you to consider becoming a monthly supporter, what we call a Legacy Partner. If you\u2019ll agree to make a monthly donation in support of this ministry\u2014so that we can provide practical biblical help and hope to marriages and families all around the world every day\u2014in addition to a copy of Barbara\u2019s book, we\u2019ll send <em>you<\/em>, as a Legacy Partner, a certificate so that you and your spouse can attend a <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><sup>\u00ae <\/sup>marriage getaway as our guest. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can donate or sign up to become a Legacy Partner, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate or become a Legacy Partner. Thanks, in advance, for your support on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of folks, who benefit from this ministry every day. We are grateful for the partnership.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, we want to talk more practically about how, as parents, we can make the most of these years with our kids; or as grandparents, how we can intersect with our grandkids and read them stories like the stories in <em>The Promises of God Storybook Bible<\/em>. We\u2019ll talk more with Jennifer Lyell tomorrow. I hope you can be with us for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2020 FamilyLife. 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