THE IN SEASON LIFESTYLE JULY FAMILY TREE

THIS PATRIOTIC MONTH BRINGS ANOTHER TEACHING TREE

Can you believe we have already arrived in July?

What fun we had with the Family Tree back in June when we celebrated The Day of Pentecost and the fact that it was the birthday of The Church.

July brings us to another important birthday. We are celebrating the birthday of America.

I guess you are curious as to what The IN SEASON Family Tree will feature for this month and whether or not it will be about our nation’s birthdate. Of course; the answer is yes!

We are very excited to share this simple tree with you.

This month we are focusing on a yet another “learning tree” which features the American Flag. The “learning trees” are quickly becoming one of my favorite ways of teaching.

LEARNING THE PATTERNS THAT MAKE A NATION HOLY

Just as God led the children of Israel through the wilderness and used them to form a holy nation of His very own; so God leads the leaders of our country today.

May we always continue to follow those beautiful patterns that God taught us through Israel about how to be the best nation and a holy and Godly nation.

No; we are not all naturally from that Jewish heritage and culture; but we do serve the same God that Israel worshiped in the wilderness and after they arrived in The Promised Land. They set the pattern for us to follow in order to be a holy and corporate nation serving God.

Please do not mistake this as a statement in favor of “replacement” theology (which it is NOT) but; America is today’s promised land for you and me. It is the place where God planted many of us to enjoy the fruit of our labor; to live and grow and love and worship.

AMERICA’S PROMISED LAND

We must be very diligent to keep God’s will above all for our beloved country. God’s people here support The Nation of Israel as God’s chosen and blessed. It is always our blessing to be a part of the whole because of our commitment as a wild vine adopted into the family and grafted into that old, old olive tree of God’s Holy Kingdom.

The fact remains that we ARE kin by blood in that all who are saved are under the covering of the precious blood of our Messiah; Jesus Christ.

So, keeping the above in mind we might answer that question; just how is this month’s tree a learning tree?

WHEN YOUR CHILDREN ASK

When your children or grandchildren ask you why the flags are on the tree; (hopefully they will help you to put them there) you can give them some of the history of America.

Start out by explaining how our country was founded and the fact that we needed a flag for our own special identity.

Here is an article which we blogged some time ago that speaks of the story of Betsy Ross, which you might enjoy sharing in all of your American based story-telling – FLAG DAY CELEBRATION.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD

After you tell the story of America’s birth and explain how Betsy Ross made our first official flag; you can teach them how to say the pledge of allegiance.

Be sure to include those precious words “one nation; under God” in your teaching.

Explain to the next generation how important our religious freedom is to us. Tell them how America is one of the few great nations left with such a freedom.

Remember those who fought for freedom of religion. Explain that this was the primary reason that our country was formed.

Emphasize that the pledge of allegiance was written in order to help us remember the fact that our nation was founded upon Godly principals. America has always desired to operate within those same Godly principles. Hence; we have The Declaration of Independence spelled out in black and white.

USING THE EVENTS OF THE SEASON TO TEACH

Our national anthem is important too. A great video that will help you remember a lot of details when you explain the facts to your children and grandchildren can be found here: https://youtu.be/Umg8v6DLZjs

Encourage the children to listen to others of the day who are giving their speeches on Independence Day and July 4th. Keep explaining the concepts of independence, liberty and freedom to them. Discuss their thoughts and get the comments of each child.

If possible; bring the celebration of freedom, which our flag emphasizes, closer to home by taking them with you to a local Independence Day parade. Let them wave a flag as the parade passes by!