A mother’s job is hard, especially if she works outside of the home in addition to raising her kids. When you add church responsibilities and the needs of her friends and community to that you have a woman will little time left over for her self. Yet, often, she seems to manage. It’s all in a day’s work. 

The demands on a mother are hard and if she’s not careful she can become so busy taking care of others that her own needs are neglected, both physically and spiritually. 

This week in class talk about the responsibilities of a mother, how each child can help around the home, God’s command to obey her, and what things you can pray over her. Discussed how people are impacted who have lost their mother – their emotions and loss of a parental guide. 

Use the documents below for activity/prayer time as well as to send home with the parent for reinforcement at home.

DOWNLOADS:

 Prayer for Mothers activity sheet -
 Parent Connect: All in a Day\'s Work (prayer for mothers) -

Related posts:

1. Unintentional Influence

“What are you going to do when you get older?” This is perhaps one of the most frequent questions asked to a child by teachers, mentors and adults. It’s a good question. It’s a great question. Yet, it’s a terrible question!

What do I mean by that? Shouldn’t we be interested in what children want to as they grow into adulthood? Yes. Shouldn’t we start planning for our children’s future? Yes. Shouldn’t we encourage the children to aim for their goals as they mature? Yes! Yes! Yes! Shouldn’t we wait for them to do this when they are grown. NO!

A great dilemma of childhood is being looked on as if you have nothing to contribute until you have grown into adulthood. A child’s area of “purpose” is most often confined to adolescent activities, school programs and being helpers in Sunday school. There’s nothing wrong with these areas of focus but they can be limiting regarding personal growth. 

John Maxwell teaches a concept called, “The Law of Lid” (you can find his resources online or in many bookstores.) He teaches how a person (and this doesn’t exclude children) will often only rise to the level of expectation and limitation that they are given. Churches often teach this in a leadership series but the concept also applies to children. If we don’t push them to excel, most won’t.

How does this relate to prayer? Most involved in Kids Prayer ministries do push their children to pray. If not, they should. The question we need to ask ourselves is how far and into what areas? Are we satisfied that a child can recite the Lord’s Prayer only? Are we happy if they can pray over a snack, a meal or a Sunday school lesson? Are we content if they can pray for their family before bed? 

In all of the above examples we should be happy, but not content. As trainers we have the responsibility to push those under us to their maximum, spiritual potential. We should push them to pray beyond their own needs or even the needs of their immediate family. We need to train them to pray for their church, their community, their government and their world. As we push them their level of understanding of God’s Kingdom grows and they develop a greater sense of purpose than just a snack-time chant. We should also push them to intercede and travail for the lost and seek God to lead them into what He wants them to pray for. 

Here is an example regarding your local church:

Instead of just praying for the church in a general, non-specific way, share with the children the vision of the church and its current needs. Talk about each ministry of the church, what it does, and how they can pray for that ministry and those involved in it. Bring in the ministry leaders, or even the pastor, and have them share their burden with the children. As they listen, they will gain a greater understanding of the purpose of the church and how it affects their world. It will give them a better understanding of what they can pray for.

Don’t stop there; push them some more. Ask the leaders if there are any ways that the children can help in any area of that ministry. Perhaps they can help with paper work, putting things together, setting up for meetings, etc. Train them to pray for that ministry as they work.

Using this method of training will create ownership and the more a person feels ownership in something the more likely they will not walk away from it, especially when they see results. The younger children may do less than the older children but the point is… they are doing SOMETHING, and they are doing it NOW. Raise the lid and help them grow spiritually and in their prayer life. 

In the beginning I mentioned how that famous question can be great, and yet terrible all at the same time. If our goal for a child’s ministry or a deep prayer life is always in the future then we loose the greatest timespan in their life to train them for it. Statistics prove that a large number of youth leave church by the time they become adults, taking their ministries with them. Don’t wait until they are grown. God gives ministry to children just as He does adults; they just need some guidance and a little push. Add active prayer training with that and you’ll have a child that will forever be changed.You may even be amazed at the leaders you are developing.

This week, ask yourself what you are doing to empower your children in personal ministry and prayer. 

-Colleen Clabaugh

Below are some resources you can use with your children to pray for churches, missionaries, and people groups. 

During our Monday night Kids Prayer meeting we always have a time of focused prayer for various requests based on current issues and events. Many times this is lead by one of our teachers, but this night we had a time of being quiet and had each student pray and ask God what they felt God wanted us to pray for collectively. After a short time, little hands went up in the air and each child shared what God gave them. Some of their answers were:

Texas
Astronauts
the President
Japan and the fires
A family of children who hated God (name omitted)
Levi (who had a rash on his body) 

It’s the job of the teacher to lead and train our children to pray. As leaders we often give a list of a things that the church needs, or things that are happening in our community or world. Often we share the names of those who are sick or in need. This type of leading is needed since it helps train the child what kinds of things they can pray for besides their boo-boos. However, part of their training must also be to have them listen themselves to the leading of the Lord.

In hearing and reviewing these prayer requests one may raise an eyebrow and say, “Astronauts? Well, I don’t think that’s correct.” The thing is, we don’t know for sure, and if a child feels God lead them to pray for something, we need to encourage that openness even if we need to help direct it some. You never know… maybe an astronaut in training (or at a space station) was in danger. 

Any time that you have children share what God is putting on their hearts, look to see what the outcome of it is. Sometimes you’ll see a pattern or theme in what was shared. Sometimes something will happen in the news that aligns with that request. If God is speaking to a child about what to pray, then there is a reason and we need to share that as much as the request.

Encourage your children to listen for God speaking to them. Train them to ask God what He wants them to pray for, since He certainly knows much more than we do.

We wanted to share with you a great writing from Roger Fields that gives a good foundation for every children’s ministry worker. Thank you Roger for your voice.

By Roger Fields (text and image from rogerfields.com)

I am a minister.
I minister to the largest mission field in the world.
I minister to children.

My calling is sure. My challenge is big. My vision is clear.
My desire is strong. My influence is eternal. My impact is critical.
My values are solid. My faith is tough. My mission is urgent.
My purpose is unmistakable. My direction is forward. My heart is genuine.
My strength is supernatural. My reward is promised.
And my God is real.

In a world of cynicism, I offer hope.
In a world of confusion, I offer truth.
In a world of immorality, I offer values.
In a world of neglect, I offer attention. In a world of abuse, I offer safety. In a world of ridicule, I offer affirmation.
In a world of division, I offer reconciliation. In a world of bitterness, I offer forgiveness.
In a world of sin, I offer salvation. In a world of hate, I offer God’s love.

I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled, discouraged or distracted.
Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back or sit back.
I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature or veneration.
I do not have time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, outdated methods,
normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes or low vision.
I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender.

I will pray when things look bad. I will pray when things look good.
I will move forward when others stand still.
I will trust God when obstacles arise.
I will work when the task is overwhelming.
I will get up when I fall down.

My calling is to reach boys and girls for God.
It is too serious to be taken lightly, too urgent to be postponed, too vital to be ignored, too relevant to be overlooked,
too significant to be trivialized, too eternal to be fleeting and too passionate to be quenched.

I know my mission. I know my challenge.
I also know my limitations, my weaknesses, my fears and my problems.
And I know my God.
Let others get the praise. Let the church get the blessing. Let God get the glory.

I am a minister. I minister to children.
This is who I am. This is what I do.

They are known as Generation Z.  They are creative and collaborative. They are smart. They know more about the world due to the Internet then many of us knew by the time we were adults. They are concerned about their environment. They are true multi-taskers. They brand Life and what’s popular with a simple click of a “Like” button. They have never known life without technology. They thrive on user-generated content and self-publishing. They live for speed and instant access and gratification. Their resource for problem solving is asking, “Is there an app for that?”

The generation between 1994 and 2004 are true digital natives. From the time they were toddlers they were exposed to digital media in the form of games, videos, computers, and cell phones. They have their own form of shorthand known as “texting” and “instant messaging.” Children in grade school can fix computer problems that baffle many of the older generation. Everything is digital, online, fast, fun, and accessible whenever they want it. They have countless friends of Facebook – friends they barely know at all.

There’s a rising epidemic in secular schools known as ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder. In the church and home I call it RDD – Relationship Deficit Disorder. The current generation has found its identity in a digital world where emotions are expressed through combinations of keyboard strokes and thumbs up or down instead of a hug, time spent together, or a real conversation. Gamers find relationships with other online gamers instead of in backyards or playgrounds. In many cases these gamers will never meet yet they will spend as much as 50 hours a week interacting in an imaginary world.

Many of us previous to Generation Y or Z find this imaginary world frivolous and silly. To Generation Z it is very much real and it’s all they have ever known.  The information they consume is all in bite-sized pieces. They cannot focus long on time-consuming tasks. If they cannot find the answer quickly they would rather ask someone to give them help then to spend time trying to work it out.

It’s no wonder that when in comes to their relationship with Jesus Christ that they suffer RDD. Jesus doesn’t update Facebook. Jesus doesn’t play the latest video games. Jesus doesn’t text message. Jesus doesn’t have His own YouTube channel. Jesus doesn’t exist in their imaginary world. If the majority of their world is online then where can they find Him? How will they get to know Him? How will they “Like” Him? How will they communicate?

The answer to the dilemma is not in getting “Plugged In” but getting “Unplugged.” It’s getting our children back to the world of reality where smiles are on faces and hugs are given with two arms. It’s in having real conversations at a real dinner table. It’s having devotions in the home where parents and children talk about real problems instead of the latest gadget. It’s in training children to pray and worship a real God, in real time.

Many will agree with these statements but the question remains, “Who is going to pull the plug?” Parents cannot expect children to unplug themselves from what they see as their world. The modern child feels they have the right to their digital world and get offended when someone steps in to pull them out of their reality. Parents feel helpless because “all the other kids are doing it.” They themselves are often caught up in their own version of the same world. Babysitters have become computer screens and game systems and quality time is now recorded in the form of status updates.

If parents, guardians, or mentors do not pull the digital plug at times then we are, in effect, leaving children to spiritually parent themselves. A child cannot teach themselves things they don’t know; yet they are always learning. Where is their source coming from? Friends? Videos? Hollywood? YouTube? Role-playing games? Games can’t teach a child to build a friendship with a real person who has real problems. Digital entertainment can’t fix matters of the heart.

The day we live in is saturated with technology and there’s no way around it. In the beginning God created the world. We weren’t happy with that so we have created a digital world that is nothing more than humankind’s attempt at being their own solution.  Now we have passed that world onto our children. Technology in itself is not bad, but it can never be a replacement for God. It can never be a replacement for fellowship with each other. It can never be a replacement for prayer. When mankind attempts to fix everything ourselves we become our own god, building another Tower of Babel. There’s an app for that – if not, we will create one.

The solution is found at the source of power. You must unplug your home from the digital world and plug into the real source of power, Jesus Christ. Relationship Deficit Disorder can only be medicated with prayer, and time with God and each other. As parents we must train our children to pray in a real world with real problems. We must train them as to what is real and what is not. We must train them to find answers on their knees instead of on the Internet. We must train them how to talk to God and how to hear Him speaking to us. They can’t train themselves.

If the world our children are growing up in now is mostly digital and imaginary then what kind of world will they leave for their children? Who will pray when war arises? Who will pray when famine comes? Who will pray when disaster strikes? Who will pray for our nation? Will they know how to pray at all?

When needs arise and the question is asked, “Is there an app for that?” the answer should be, “No; but there is a God!”

Get unplugged. Train your child to pray.

Colleen Clabaugh

Published in the May 2012 edition of the Pentecostal Herald

by Donna Rankin Dalton

A girl in our Kids Prayer Club has started her own missions project using the M&M prayer theme. She is raising money for missionaries by making yarn dolls in the M&M colors and giving each one a beaded necklace in all the colors to encourage praying for the different groups. You can read more about it on her mom’s blog at:
http://themacrak.blogspot.com/2012/03/yarn-dolls-for-cause-giveaway.html
This young lady is such a blessing in our prayer group!

*Disclaimer: content on external websites are not necessarily endorsed by the World Network of Prayer (Kids Prayer)

Related posts:

1. M&Ms Are For Missions
2. Candy Prayers

Recently we asked our Facebook Kids Prayer Focus Group to tell us in their own words what they envisioned as a successful Kids Prayer ministry. The Bible says that “where there is no vision the  people  perish.” For a ministry to be truly effective you need to know what your goal is so you can consistently evaluate whether the things you are doing are helping reach that goal.

Here are some responses:

Question: 

“We’d like to have as many of you as possible define for us in your own terms what you see as the end result of a successful kids prayer ministry. What is your goal in specific terms?”

Answers:

Allison Harrison Mack:
I love this question because it’s something I think about often! It’s what keeps me motivated. My goal is first and foremost to see all my kids filled with the Holy Ghost and loving God above all else and that they make Heaven! Second my prayer is that through loving God and what they are learning they will become great warriors in the kingdom. They may not all be preachers or whatever else BUT I pray that they will all know how to listen to God and follow His calling whatever that may be. Third I pray that they pass it on! When the time comes I want them to be able to pass the mantle and know that generations are following Christ because of their faithfulness! 

Annette Jordan:
Success at the close of a child’s tenure in kids prayer is that the end is just the beginning. If we can graduate a child to the next ministry grounded in the foundational principles of a daily relationship with God, and with the attitude towards worship and prayer being “that’s just what we do” we have set up our children to succeed at becoming powerful forces as adults. My goal is to develop entire generations through kids prayer to define the future of the church.

Chris Anderson:
My definition of success can only be witnessed over large spans of time. When I see kids not living for God ten years later, that seemed to be in rapt attention while I was teaching them, I feel my teaching was not successful. But recently I have seen the fruit of some of my labors, which are grown ups living and Apostolic life for God, and I am very thankful that He called me into children’s ministry. I learned you can’t base your success on an emotion. Be faithful to your message and your ministry, pour your 100% in, and that is success.

John Alan Wilson II:
 The overall goal is to help the children to understand the power of having a relationship with God, that can only come through prayer. As far as making it a specific, measurable goal, that is much more difficult to define! I would say that a successful kids prayer ministry would be one that the parents notice at home. If the children start pushing the parents and I start getting feedback that their children are encouraging them and challenging them to evaluate their own prayer lives, that is a success. Also, the results should be seen through the fruit that comes from the children, as far as watching them flourish in ministry and as witnesses as they age.

Michelle Cron:
To me a successful prayer ministry for kids is to see them continue in prayer when they become teenagers. I taught teens for many years, and I have seen too many of them walk away from God once they turned 18 or got to college. While parents livestyles had a lot to do with it for some, I have noticed those who had a real desire for God as a child and had learned to really pray had better success living for God as a teenager. I want to give my kids all the tools they need to survive those years.

Related posts:

1. Why Have a Kids Prayer Ministry?
2. Kids Prayer Seminar 2011 DVDS

Senior citizens often face many problems that younger generations are oblivious to. They have debilitating diseases, health issues, substantial medical bills, vision loss, memory loss, hearing loss, degraded ability to move around, and so on. In addition, they face fear of loneliness, loss of purpose and death. The effect of just these issues alone is far reaching and affect not just them but their families as well. 

The Bible tells us to honor our elders and to seek wisdom from them. We are to care for them and pray for them consistently. This needs to be a core area of prayer in your life and in your kids prayer ministry.

Use the attached handout/take-home paper with your kids as to train in this area.
Download:  Praying for the Elderly -

Related posts:

1. Holiday of Healing: the Elderly
2. Praying for the Sick… Kid-Style
3. Kids Praying for Kids

As I sit here and watch the fresh snow falling in the Seattle area, the term “new beginnings” stirs up memories that are not necessarily pleasant. I don’t know what the proper term is for this feeling but the snow takes me back to a very emotional time in my life.

I had picked up my son from his Middle School and we drove to Tiger Mountain Summit where it was snowing. I was feeling like a failure as a mother, asking the age- old question, “Where did I go wrong”? We sat there watching the snow fall and tried to figure out where to go from here. But in my mind, my life would never be “normal” again.

I hadn’t raised my son to be making the choices he was making. Living for and loving God were of the utmost importance to my husband and I and we just assumed our children would follow our footsteps. At this moment I wasn’t a fan of this “free choice” God gave His creation. I wanted to make my son serve my God.

I’m not here to share his journey with you, but mine. See, I was so furious-not with my son, although I was plenty angry with him, but I was furious with God. I didn’t deserve this. I had served God my entire life, trained my children up to love God, never missed a church service , attended DOZ prayer meetings and made sure we had family time at home. My son had the best Apostolic upbringing one could wish for. I didn’t deserve to have a rebellious son, God, how could you do this to me?

During this time I would go to the church, alone, and intercede for my son. It was in the middle of one of those prayer times that God spoke to me. “Vicki, if your son never serves Me will you still trust Me?” My victory came before my son ever made a move towards God. My victory and fresh beginning came that day when I surrendered one of my most prized possessions to the Lord. “Yes, Lord, if he never serve You, yet will I trust You”. ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.

By Vicki Warren

Vicki’s husband pastors Renaissance Apostolic Church in Renton, WA where she is the minister of music. Vicki is also the Ladies Ministries President of the Washington District. They have three wonderful children.

[Shared from the Daughter's of Zion April 2012 Newsletter]

I must confess, helping teach a kids prayer class has made me realize that I didn’t know quite as much as I thought about prayer. I find myself being taught by them more and more.

A few weeks ago, we were teaching on the armor of God. I particularly liked this lesson because I have been a long-time advocate of praying the Word. One of the teachers was talking about using the ‘Sword of the Spirit.’ She mentioned what a powerful weapon it was when you began to pray the Word of God – using it to fend off the enemy or to attack them offensively. While I sat there deep in my own deep thoughts about the subject, one of the kids said something incredibly simple, yet incredibly powerful. Wide-eyed – and connecting the dots in his young mind – Josh yelled out, “Yeah! And the Devil don’t have no armor, so our sword will take him out real fast!”

Wow! Suddenly I began to envision how helpless someone without armor would be if attacked by a sword. Josh was right, they wouldn’t last long at all.

I know the enemy has power, but I think we sometimes forget how much MORE power God has. If His Word is correct, WE have that same power. Josh painted a picture in my mind and my heart that I won’t soon forget. I don’t have to be afraid of the enemy; he doesn’t have any armor, but I do!

Next time the enemy bothers me, he’s going down. Thanks Josh.

Lisa Marshall

Check our new Kids Prayer Boot Camp curriculumwith lessons on the Armor of God!

BUY NOW [Downloadable version]
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