"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches." ~Proverbs 24:3-4
"I Want to Teach You What I Believe" (A Children's Discipleship Curriculum)
Victorious Christian Living International (www.vcli.org) is a nonprofit organization with its headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Their ministry specializes in providing biblical discipleship training, based on the belief that Christian discipleship builds strong communities.
VCLI offers parenting workshops, training conferences and audio tapes with titles such as "Discipleship in the Church," "Discipleship in the Family," "Discipleship in the World," and "Discipleship in the Individual."
In 2002, VCLI published a Children's Discipleship Curriculum entitled I Want to Teach You What I Believe - a scripted guide to discipling your own child. There are three primary goals of this program: 1.) That your child will know God. 2.) That your child will know you. 3.) That you will know your child. What a wonderful concept!
The above objectives are achieved through the following strategies: 1.) Using the Bible as the foundation for knowing God, this curriculum gives parents nontheological terms and concepts which make that foundation easy to understand. 2.) Using a scripted guide, this curriculum helps parents share themselves personally with their children. 3.) Using effective questions, this curriculum helps parents understand their children.
The I Want to Teach You What I Believe Parent's Guide is an 8 ˝ x 11" softcover book containing 413 pages. This Parent's Guide costs $45. It comes with a New Living Translation Bible. Each student will need a spiral-bound notebook to use as a journal. The only other materials required are a dry-erase marker board and marking pen, or a chalk board and chalk. A large note pad (with or without an easel) would also work.
The children's discipleship curriculum is user-friendly and easy to follow. It features 92 scripted, interactive, biblical lessons within 23 chapters. Chapters 1-8 focus on Foundations of the Christian Faith. (These comprise 1/3 of the book.) Chapters 9-23 are based on Seven Areas of Life: Spiritual, Psychological, Physical, Social, Financial, Marital, and Parental. (These comprise 2/3 of the book.)
Parents should plan to study one lesson per week. Each lesson contains four sessions, so if you teach one session per day, this is perfect for homeschoolers who operate on a four-day week. Or, depending on the attention span of your child, you can go ahead and teach all four sessions at one time. (Each session takes approximately 15-20 minutes to teach.) Every session is followed by a review of the lesson.
This is an excellent curriculum for teaching your own children at home. Busy parents will find it easy to use, because no advance preparation is necessary. Since it is a parent's guide only and not a workbook (the child writes in a separate notebook), the book is reusable over and over again.
All you have to do is simply read the scripted text and follow the directions. The Parent's Guide will tell you what to say, what questions to ask your child, what to draw or write on the marker board, when to have your child look up a verse and read from the Bible, and when to pray with your child. It even provides teaching tips and includes sample illustrations so you can see what your marker board diagrams are supposed to look like.
The basic concepts in the book are simple enough for young children to understand, but they are interesting enough for older students as well. Thus, this curriculum is adaptable for children in all age groups, from preschoolers to teenagers. (We started using it simultaneously with our 8- and 13-year old sons).
Nevertheless, take a quick look at the lessons ahead of time to consider whether the topic is suitable for your child's age group. For example, in the chapter about the Physical Area of Life there is a discussion of purity and sex. While the lesson is appropriate and scripturally-based, you may want to save it for a future date.
Much more than a Bible study, the children's discipleship curriculum will help develop your child's character, improve their relationships with friends and siblings, and emphasize their responsibilities toward others, as it covers such practical areas as selfishness and how to live with impossible people. In particular, the course is ideal for children who are growing into young adults and on the verge of taking on new responsibilities.
The purpose of this curriculum is to help your child as a whole grow up with God, and it will train him or her to become a young adult who knows how to be responsible in all areas of life. Too many people have problems in their relationships, marriage, family, and finances because they never learned how to base these things on godly principles. This course will put your child on the right track with a strong biblical foundation.
I especially like the sessions entitled "God Chose Me to Teach You" and "Good Parents Teach Their Children…" - after all, isn't that what homeschooling is all about? And in the final chapter, the child has an opportunity to pretend to be the parent and get to practice teaching you!
This children's discipleship curriculum will serve as a means to promote spiritual and personal maturity within your family. As you and your child work closely together using this book, you will find that your relationship with your children as well as your own personal relationship with the Lord will be strengthened.
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Table of Contents
Lesson 1: I Want to Teach You What I Believe
Why I Want to Teach You What I Believe
Who Are We as a Family?
God Chose Me to Teach You
Review
Lesson 2: The Wonderful Treasure of Knowing God
Knowing God is the Most Important Thing
Knowing God is Our Relationship with God
What We Believe is Important
Review
Lesson 3: Why Doesn't Everyone Believe in God?
God Shows Himself to Everyone
The Fool Says "God Didn't Create Everything"
The Fool Says "God Can't Tell Me What to Do"
Review
Lesson 4: What Went Wrong?
God is Good and Everything He Made Was Good
Man Was Given a Choice
Who is the Serpent and What Did He Do?
Review
Lesson 5: Two Kingdoms: Darkness and Light
Two Kingdoms
Darkness and Light
Kingdom Actions and Attitudes
Review
Lesson 6: How We Started in the Kingdom of Darkness
Everyone is Born into the Kingdom of Darkness
What is it Like to be in the Kingdom of Darkness?
No One Can Escape the Kingdom of Darkness
Review
Lesson 7: How to Get Out of the Kingdom of Darkness
The Kingdom of Light is Filled With God's Children
Jesus Paid Our Way Out of the Kingdom of Darkness
You Can Enter the Kingdom of Light
Review
Lesson 8: How I Can Live in the Kingdom of Light
In the World, but Not of It
Why Some Christians Aren't Happy
What Does it Mean to Live in the Kingdom of Light?
Review
Lesson 9: Introduction to the Seven Areas of Life
Jesus is the Boss
The Seven Areas of Life
God's Will in the Seven Areas of Life
Review
Lesson 10: The Spiritual Area of Life (Part One)
God is Alive - He Wants to Have a Relationship With Me
God Lives in My Heart
If God is My Friend, What Can We Do Together?
Review
Lesson 11: The Spiritual Area of Life (Part Two)
Without God I Can Do Nothing
Growing in My Dependent Relationship With God
Practicing Dependence on God
Review
Lesson 12: Psychological Area of Life (Part One)
My Mind, My Will, and Emotions
Setting Your Mind on Things Above, Versus Things Below
Don't Worry, Be Thankful
Review
Lesson 13: Psychological Area of Life (Part Two)
Think on These Things
Choosing What You Put into Your Mind
Filling Your Mind With Truth - Reading God's Word
Review
Lesson 14: Physical Area of Life (Part One)
My Body Belongs to the Lord
Making Good Choices For My Body
I Am Responsible For My Body
Review
Lesson 15: Physical Area of Life (Part Two)
God's Plan For Your Body
Your Body is a Tool Meant for Doing Good, Not Evil
Choosing to Remain Pure
Review
Lesson 16: Social Area of Life (Part One)
What is the Social Area of Life
Why Are Relationships Important?
Truly Loving Others
Review
Lesson 17: Social Area of Life (Part Two)
Selfishness Destroys Relationships
Growing in Responsibility for Relationships
How to Live With Impossible People
Review
Lesson 18: Financial Area of Life (Part One)
It All Belongs to God
We Are to be Faithful Managers of God's Money
A Budget
Review
Lesson 19: The Financial Area of Life (Part Two)
Six Things For Which the Bible Says We Should Spend Money
Six Things…(continued)
Growing in Responsibility With Money
Review
Lesson 20: Marital Area of Life (Part One)
A Good Marriage Starts With a Good Husband
A Good Marriage is Completed With a Good Wife
What are the Wrong Reasons and Right Reasons to Get Married
Review
Lesson 21: Marital Area of Life (Part Two)
What Makes a Marriage Good? What Spoils a Marriage?
Marriage Teaches Us About God
Marriage is a God-Given Responsibility
Review
Lesson 22: Parental Area of Life (Part One)
What is Required of Good Parents?
Good Parents Teach Their Children About God
Good Parents Teach Their Children Right Thinking
Good Parents Teach Their Children About Their Bodies
Lesson 23: Parental Area of Life (Part Two)
Good Parents Teach Their Children How to Get Along With Others
Good Parents Teach Their Children About Money
Good Parents Teach Their Children About Marriage
Good Parents Teach Their Children How to Be Good Parents
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Victorious Christian Living International (www.vcli.org) was founded in 1975. Its purpose was to provide individuals with assistance in living life successfully. Through conferences, one-on-one counseling and advanced training, VCLI has mentored thousands of people.
The VCLI headquarters is on 14819 N. Cave Creek Road in Phoenix, Arizona. The organization has additional offices in Illinois, Alabama, Guatemala, and Cuba, as well as numerous church centers nationwide.
VCLI also has a partnership with Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministry, in order to conduct their mentoring behind the walls of our nation's prisons. Thousands of inmates have been helped through this life-changing program.
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