Recently at our parent lunch (Jan 10, 2010) I talked about the need for parents to plant seeds of faith in the lives of their children. I had a neat experience the other day with my oldest daughter that illustrates this. For Christmas, she received a Larry Burkett money bank. It looks like a big blue plastic bank and at first I didn't know quite what to do with it. What's cool about it, though, is that it has three sections for the child to place their money. One is for the bank, one is for the store and one is for church. Now, if you know anything about Larry Burkett stuff, you know he was big on teaching money habits early.

As Katelyn and I sat down together and looked at what basically amounts to a piggy-bank, I saw an opportunity you don't always get with Christmas presents. I took some loose change from my dresser and laid it out on her table in front of the bank. For the next several minutes we took quarters and nickels, dimes and pennies and dropped them in each section. As we did, I talked with her about why we give to our church, why we save money in the bank and when we can spend money at the store. Now, my daughter is 4 and likely only barely grasped these concepts. But, she was interested and involved, even if she didn't understand it all.

Isn't that the key for us as parents, keep your child interested and involved in the things of God. Be creative and intentional and use every moment as an opportunity to teach and prepare because even if they don't understand it all now, they are watching and listening to you and it's in those "precious moments" that your faith can rub off just a little bit onto them and before you know it, a seed is planted. So look for seed-planting opportunities this week, they may be closer than you think.