Parents are the most powerful spiritual influence in a child's life. They influence a child's view of God, of the church, and of the spiritual life. This responsibility can be overwhelming, but God is working in children's lives long before the child is born. And He will continue working long after they leave the protection of the parental home.

The spiritual disciplines are the basic components of a God-soaked life. Just as an athlete trains and prepares long and hard to excel in athletic competition, so the Christian spends time doing the disciplines of the Spirit-filled life. These disciplines become a means of grace for Christ-followers to grow and flourish-they are God's method for transforming lives into Christlikeness!

Parents are a vital key for children to learn and utilize these disciplines throughout their Christian walk. The starting point for the parent/child discipling partnership is prayer. Teaching a child to pray gives them the ability to speak with and hear God's voice. Martin Luther once said, "As it is the business of tailors to makes clothes and of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray."

Here are a few ideas to help parents teach and encourage children to pray:
1. Pray before meals. From the earliest of ages, children can learn to bow their heads and pray before their meals. Recognizing the importance of teaching our daughter to pray, my wife and I began while our daughter was still very young. From the time she could sit at the table, we began praying with her before each meal. She quickly learned to extend her hands, grasping our hands, and looking at me to lead in prayer. At the end I would often hear her little voice say, "Amen." Now, at age four, she wants to pray for the meal. She sometimes forgets what to say, but it is exciting to see her praying.
2. Pray form prayers. Christian history is full of wonderful, written prayers. One of the most common is the Lord's Prayer. The Lord's Prayer teaches children the prayer our Savior taught His disciples. Also, its use during the Sunday service, enables children to connect to the Body of Christ during corporate worship. Though the meaning may not be completely understood, children will quickly learn the prayer; embedding it in their hearts. Use the Lord's Prayer before bedtime or in the mornings before leaving for the day. After the child says the prayer, encourage him or her to pray for friends and family members.
Encourage children to begin their prayer with praise and thanksgiving, followed by petitions, and concluding with personal requests.
As children grow older, teach them to use the acrostic ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) to expand their time of prayer. You may also want to teach them to pray the Psalms. Start with Psalm 23 or Psalm 100 as easy Psalms to both memorize and pray.
3. Ask children to pray for you. Asking children to pray for you encourages them in their prayer lives. It tells them, "Mom and Dad trust me to pray for them. My prayers are important." When children are asked to pray, they feel valued.
4. Pray for everything. Use every opportunity to pray. Pray a blessing over them before they leave for school, pray before leaving on a trip, or pray for others when needs arise. Praying at times other than meals and bedtime teaches children that communication with the Father can take place anytime and anyplace.
5. Pray for them. Nothing can replace an absence of prayer in a child's life. Parental prayer for children has been a powerful influence in many lives. John Wesley, the fifteenth child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, spent every Thursday night praying one-on-one with his mother. Later in life, John alluded to still feeling the power of his mother's prayer, especially on Thursday night.

Use every opportunity to equip parents with the tools to disciple their children. God joins with humanity in the partnership of spiritual formation. Be sure to check back next month as we move to the next spiritual discipline.

--Contributed by Eric Wright, Communications Coordinator/Special Projects Editor

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Sign up your kids to become Kids First Club members. Check out these exciting features for 2004 Kids First Club Members.

· One Year Subscription to the Kids First Club Monthly Newsletter. Sent directly to your home, this full-color two-page Kids First Club newsletter is an exciting part of our Kids First Club membership package.
The newsletter features:
(1) what's happening for kids in Children's Ministries,
(2) exciting upcoming events for kids,
(3) news about NazKids from around the church and all over the world,
(4) favorite jokes sent in by you and your NazKids' friends,
(5) fun food ideas,
(6) mind boggling puzzles and international mysteries for you to solve,
(7) drawings for prizes,
(8) exciting fun facts, news, and trivia no other kid will know.

The newsletter will be a fun and entertaining way to stay in touch with other NazKids. Subscriptions begin Children's Week/June 2004 and run through May 2005.
· Official Kids First Club Membership Card. A full-color plastic membership card identifying them as a member of the Kids First Club-the greatest club for kids in the Church of the Nazarene.
· Free Kids First--Club Membership Gift
Join the Kids First Club by sending the child's name, age, and address, plus $5.

Make checks payable to: General Treasurer, Church of the Nazarene
Mail to:
Kids First Club
Children's Ministries/Attention: Bill Rolfe
International Headquarters Church of the Nazarene
6401 The Paseo
Kansas City, MO 64131

--Contributed by Bill Rolfe, Kid's Worship Editor

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