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www.genonministries.org                    March 2013: Developing Moral Character
In This Issue:
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Welcome to GenOn
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Scripture to Guide Your Steps This Month

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out."

Romans 12: 1 - The Message

A Prayer for Parents
Holy Lord, Inspire us to imagine how healthy our lives can be with you at the center. Guide us to think, care and decide as you do about all matters in our lives---especially  about our children. In the name of Christ, Amen.
 
Family 'Round the Table

A life of faith involves worship, prayer, study and service, and the most important teachers for all things spiritual in the life of children are their parents. 

Family 'Round the Table is designed to help families who want to intentionally gather together at home to support the spiritual growth of family members by sharing a meal together, playing together, talking about and reflecting on a scripture passage or story, and praying together.


Click Here  for this month's free Family 'Round the Table 
plan for dinner, family fun and worship time.
Family Resources
The Children's Book Corner
 
Children's books are primarily for entertainment and enjoyment. They can also be an important teaching tool for a parent and can lend themselves to good family discussions and the support of critical thinking. Occasionally, while reading to your child, look beyond just the pure enjoyment of the story to the possible lesson that could be learned. 
 
Click Here for this month's recommended reading for children, and youth.
The Parent's Resource Place

 

Click Here for this month's recommended reading for parents, grandparents and other caregivers. 

 

REBIRTH: GenOn's 50th
REBIRTH

You're Invited!
This year we celebrate 50 years in ministry - 
50 years of impacting thousands of lives, families, and churches for Christ!

When: Throughout 2013

Who: You, Your Family, Your Church, Your LOGOS, Your Volunteers, Your Summit - the entire GenOn Family!

How: There are many ways to celebrate with us!
For a full listing visit our REBIRTH webpage

Don't forget to give to the REBIRTH Challenge! 
From now until July 1st, 2013 every contribution will be doubled up to $60,000!

Make a Donation
 
*Donations are tax deductible.
"Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street, talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night."
Deuteronomy 6: 6-8
In My Opinion...

by Patricia Janssen, Heartfelt Managing Editor

 

This issue of Heartfelt tackles the subject of developing the moral character of your children, a truly important task. Teaching children right from wrong, helping them develop empathy for others requires the diligence of parents, and as pointed out in this month's Family Book Club, the modeling of such behavior by all of the adults in a household. The wisdom of our age also gives us this: "It takes a village to raise a child." The role of a community --- school and church especially --- can be a huge help to parents. How does your school teach about good decision-making? How does your church reinforce the teachings of Christ? In this time of national conversations about a variety of tough topics such as school safety, let us remember that it is imperative to teach our children how to think, care and decide like God, and to live as Christ did, loving others without condition.
 Faith Formation
A moment of personal privilege:
I have been honored to serve The LOGOS Ministry, now GenOn Ministries, for over 30 years, first as a volunteer, then on the staff as Director of Publications, and finally these last two years as an outside CE consultant. In 2008, I was charged  to create a newsletter for parents that would offer support to families who valued the spiritual growth of all of its members and who understood that ministry with children happens wherever children are. In September 2008, Heartfelt was launched and I have fully enjoyed being its Managing Editor since the beginning. The Heartfelt staff has included researchers and writers Margaret Sue Ballay, Shirley Carlson, Barb Cullaj and graphic designer John Moorehead. They are wonderful colleagues and it has been a joy to work with them --- such a great team! I am now moving on, and want to personally say goodbye and thank all of Heartfelt's readers for the support and encouragement you've sent our way in the past four-and-a-half years. 
  
The Heartfelt newsletter will continue under other leadership. Watch for a survey soon from GenOn Ministries as they seek to discern the shape of Heartfelt's future.
  
May God fully bless you and your family in all you do!

Raising Children of Character

by Scott Wardell

Empowering Parents.com

�2013 Legacy Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved.

 

1. Make Parenting Your First Priority: Parents are busy.  We go to  work, pay our bills, rush ourselves and other family members to activities, visit friends and relatives and yes, try to get some sleep.  But none of this "busyness" is real parenting.  Parenting involves the raising, teaching and nurturing of a child or children.  One of the main roles of a parent is to provide a safe environment where a child has a chance to grow physically, emotionally and socially.  It's important that this environment allows a child an opportunity to build character.  Too often, we chose to make other activities in our lives a higher priority, leaving parenting to the daycare centers, schools and activity leaders.  Parenting is a privilege.  Make it your first priority.

 

Read more here... 

10 Parenting Strategies That Raise Children of Strong Character

by Michele Borba

www.micheleborba.com All Rights Reserved.

Here are ten parenting strategies that will help you raise your child.  The character-building strategies are adapted from my books, Building Moral Intelligence: The Seven Essential Virtues That Teach Kids to Do the Right Thing and The Big Book of Parenting Solutions: 101 Answers to Your Everyday Challenges and Wildest Worries and are based on the work some of the best research in character development. So roll up your sleeves, and get started:

  

Ways to Build Character in Children

From Kimberly L. Keith, former About.com Guide

�2013 About.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Children's character development certainly can't come from the classroom alone. The qualities of character develop through an interplay of family, school, church, and community influences, and the child's individual temperament, experiences, and choices. What can parents do to encourage their child's development of the qualities of good character? We have many opportunities and tools for this important task. Using them will give us the joy and satisfaction of seeing our child grow into a person of integrity, compassion, and character.

 
Structured character education has flourished as schools seek to instill the values of integrity, respect, responsibility, fairness, honesty, caring, and citizenship in their students to strengthen the social fabric of the school and community. Though not without criticism, these efforts to strengthen children's character through school-based programs are welcomed by parents who want their children educated in a strong culture of respect, integrity, and self-control.

 

Read more here... 

Family Book Club: Read and Talk Together
by Shirley Carlson, Heartfelt Staff Writer
 

 

Sow a thought and you reap an action;
sow an action and you reap a habit
sow a habit and you reap a character
sow a character and you reap a destiny.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson -                       
 
As we define moral character, we think of words like kindness, honesty, hard-working, giving, forgiving, unselfish, respectful, loving, gentle, faithful, pure, courageous, responsible, resilient --- there are might be more traits you would add to this list. Raising morally responsible and thoughtful children is an awesome task. It requires parents to model the behavior they want to see in their children. Reading good books together can help create teachable moments. We've chosen a few for you to get started. 
 

Read more here... 

 

The Heartfelt Newsletter is published by GenOn Ministries. The mission of GenOn Ministries is to equip faith communities and families to develop lifelong disciples of all ages. GenOn accomplishes this mission through its LOGOS midweek ministry, conferences, trainings, Heartfelt newsletter, service, mentoring, and leadership development by way of meaningful intergenerational experiences that nurture all people into right relationships of faith with God through Jesus Christ. 

 

 To learn more visit www.genonministries.org 


Copyright � 2013 GenOn Ministries
All Rights Reserved.