Khalil Girbran on Children

AND a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children.
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of to-morrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the Archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

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Cough in Children

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Teaching Module on Certificate Child Health

An enjoyable time of teaching a module for the Certificate of Child Studies for the Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary at their Johor Bahru centre.

May God bless their ministries with children.

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Boy's Brigade Enrolment Service 2009

Sermon on Discipline
Text: 2 Tim. 2: 3-7

Boy’s Brigade Enrolment Service 2009
29 March 2009
Holy Light Church, Johor Bharu

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Boy's Brigade Enrolment Service 2009

Sermon on Discipline
Text: 2 Tim. 2: 3-7

Boy’s Brigade Enrolment Service 2009
29 March 2009
Holy Light Church, Johor Bharu

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A Children's Christmas

A Children's Christmas

What's Imperfect about Down Syndrome?

Babies Perfect and Imperfect
by Amy Julia Becker
Copyright (c) 2008 First Things (November 2008).

Our daughter was born at 5:22 p.m. on December 30, 2005. Two hours later, a nurse called my husband out of the room. When he returned, he took my hand and said, “They think Penny has Down syndrome.” As this news began to make its way into my consciousness, we heard shouts from the room next door. Another child had been born. “She’s perfect!” someone exclaimed about that other baby. “She’s perfect!”
Once we found out that Penny had Down syndrome, we had a hard time celebrating her birth. We didn’t open the bottle of champagne perched by my bedside. We were afraid to call our friends and family. We didn’t shout, “She’s perfect.”

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What's Imperfect about Down Syndrome?

Babies Perfect and Imperfect
by Amy Julia Becker
Copyright (c) 2008 First Things (November 2008).

Our daughter was born at 5:22 p.m. on December 30, 2005. Two hours later, a nurse called my husband out of the room. When he returned, he took my hand and said, “They think Penny has Down syndrome.” As this news began to make its way into my consciousness, we heard shouts from the room next door. Another child had been born. “She’s perfect!” someone exclaimed about that other baby. “She’s perfect!”
Once we found out that Penny had Down syndrome, we had a hard time celebrating her birth. We didn’t open the bottle of champagne perched by my bedside. We were afraid to call our friends and family. We didn’t shout, “She’s perfect.”

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Certificate in Child Studies (6)

Teaching a module in child studies again reinforce a conviction that I am beginning to understand in the last few years of the importance of the spirituality and spiritual formation of children. Somehow, in our busy churches, we have neglected the spirituality and spiritual formation of children, relegating them to a few volunteers running children ministries.

First, I believe that children are as important as adults in our churches. Our churches are inter-generational churches but somehow the majority of resources are given to adult focused ministries. Children ministries are sometimes not more than child care, where the children are taken care of when their parents attend worship service or church programs.

Second, I believe that children's spiritual formation starts in their mother's womb. This means that children's ministries starts at marriage counselling and continues into adult spiritual formation. In order to develop the spirituality and spirituality of children, children's ministry should include the following

• antenatal classes where the spirituality of the mothers are deepened (one cannot underestimate the role of the mother in the development of the unborn child)
• parenting classes
• ministries to 0-2 years old
• ministries to 2-5 years old
• ministries to 5-8 years old
• ministries to 9-12 years old
• ministries to teens
• ministries to university students
• ministries to young adults

There is a need to divide into these smaller groups because ministries much be appropriate to their mental and spiritual development. Age-appropriate ministries is important because of development in our understanding of stages in development of the human person. No longer must we utilise a 'one size fit all' children ministry.

Third, ministries for spirituality and spiritual formation for children should be holistic. It must be age-appropriate and relevant to the stages of their needs. Children are not little adults and should not be treated as such. Children should be introduced to Scripture, their awareness of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit through contact with God fearing adults. This means we screen our volunteers and not accept just anyone who volunteers. This also means we do not manipulate or indoctrinate the children. We must not use guilt or shame to get their co-operations.

Finally, we must be sensitive to making children 'accept Christ'. Children should be allowed to grow into their 'conversion' rather than forced either through peer pressure or adult pressure to 'accept Christ' without fully comprehending what this implies. While it will be wonderful to report on the number of 'decisions made for Christ', it will be even more wonderful to see the work of the Holy Spirit work in the lives of children.

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Certificate in Child Studies (6)

Teaching a module in child studies again reinforce a conviction that I am beginning to understand in the last few years of the importance of the spirituality and spiritual formation of children. Somehow, in our busy churches, we have neglected the spirituality and spiritual formation of children, relegating them to a few volunteers running children ministries.

First, I believe that children are as important as adults in our churches. Our churches are inter-generational churches but somehow the majority of resources are given to adult focused ministries. Children ministries are sometimes not more than child care, where the children are taken care of when their parents attend worship service or church programs.

Second, I believe that children's spiritual formation starts in their mother's womb. This means that children's ministries starts at marriage counselling and continues into adult spiritual formation. In order to develop the spirituality and spirituality of children, children's ministry should include the following

• antenatal classes where the spirituality of the mothers are deepened (one cannot underestimate the role of the mother in the development of the unborn child)
• parenting classes
• ministries to 0-2 years old
• ministries to 2-5 years old
• ministries to 5-8 years old
• ministries to 9-12 years old
• ministries to teens
• ministries to university students
• ministries to young adults

There is a need to divide into these smaller groups because ministries much be appropriate to their mental and spiritual development. Age-appropriate ministries is important because of development in our understanding of stages in development of the human person. No longer must we utilise a 'one size fit all' children ministry.

Third, ministries for spirituality and spiritual formation for children should be holistic. It must be age-appropriate and relevant to the stages of their needs. Children are not little adults and should not be treated as such. Children should be introduced to Scripture, their awareness of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit through contact with God fearing adults. This means we screen our volunteers and not accept just anyone who volunteers. This also means we do not manipulate or indoctrinate the children. We must not use guilt or shame to get their co-operations.

Finally, we must be sensitive to making children 'accept Christ'. Children should be allowed to grow into their 'conversion' rather than forced either through peer pressure or adult pressure to 'accept Christ' without fully comprehending what this implies. While it will be wonderful to report on the number of 'decisions made for Christ', it will be even more wonderful to see the work of the Holy Spirit work in the lives of children.

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Certificate in Child Studies (5)

Session Four: Basic Communal Health Care Skills in Minstering to Children for the Purpose of Community Development.

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Certificate in Child Studies (5)

Session Four: Basic Communal Health Care Skills in Minstering to Children for the Purpose of Community Development.

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Certificate in Child Studies (4)

Session Three: Signs and Symptoms of the Malnourished Child

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Certificate in Child Studies (4)

Session Three: Signs and Symptoms of the Malnourished Child

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Certificate in Child Studies (3)

Session Two: Causes of ill health in children

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Certificate in Child Studies (3)

Session Two: Causes of ill health in children

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Certificates in Child Studies (2)

Session One: Childhood Health and Nutrition

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Certificates in Child Studies (2)

Session One: Childhood Health and Nutrition

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Myths about Diets in Preventing Children's Allergies

From Medscape Pediatrics

New Guidelines Downplay Role of Diet in Preventing Pediatric Allergies: An Expert Interview With Frank Greer, MD
Posted 04/21/2008
Kathleen Louden

Medscape: What was the impetus for developing this new clinical report?

Dr. Greer: There was a lot of folklore built around this idea that something the mother eats during pregnancy or lactation or something she feeds her baby has long-term impact for allergy disease. Traditionally a lot of pediatricians have recommended not to give infants eggs, fish, peanuts, or any nuts in the first year of life.

Medscape: Were there new research findings?

Dr. Greer: Yes. It makes absolutely no difference. For instance, if you're going to have a peanut allergy, it has nothing to do with when you were introduced to peanuts. If a mother eats peanuts during pregnancy or lactation or if she feeds her 6-month-old peanut butter, it has no effect on whether you get peanut allergy. If you're going to get it, you're going to get it. There's even evidence from one study that if you don't introduce egg into the infant's diet until after 6 months, the baby is more likely to develop an egg allergy. And European recommendations came out the same month that ours did that if you introduce wheat between 4 and 6 months of age, your baby will be less likely to have a gluten allergy.[1] We didn't go that far. This is one of the very few areas where ESPGHAN [European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition] policy differed from the AAP's January statement.

Medscape: So expecting and breastfeeding mothers don't have to restrict their diet by avoiding common food allergens?

Dr. Greer: Correct. The evidence is just not there that pregnant and lactating women restricting their diet in any way affects whether their baby gets allergic disease.

Medscape: This is a major change from the recommendations the AAP made in 2000, isn't it?

Dr. Greer: We've never had a statement this strong. The statement that this replaced said that it's probably not a good idea to introduce these [potentially allergenic] foods until after the infant is of age. [The former recommendation was to delay giving dairy products until 1 year; eggs until 2 years; and peanuts, tree nuts, and fish until 3 years of age.] These recommendations were not based on evidence but on expert opinion. The new statement is evidence based. There have been a number of recent studies, particularly looking at the effect on allergy of nutritional interventions during pregnancy and lactation.

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read journal article
Published online December 31, 2007 PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 1 January 2008, pp. 183-191
Abstract
Full Text (PDF)

CLINICAL REPORT
Effects of Early Nutritional Interventions on the Development of Atopic Disease in Infants and Children: The Role of Maternal Dietary Restriction, Breastfeeding, Timing of Introduction of Complementary Foods, and Hydrolyzed Formulas
Frank R. Greer, MD, Scott H. Sicherer, MD, A. Wesley Burks, MD and the Committee on Nutrition and Section on Allergy and Immunology