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A Publication of RenewaNation: Helping Children Develop a Biblical Worldview.

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Friday, March 6, 2015

The Awesome Activator


Our granddaughter, Emily, at the kitchen sink. I know she looks like an angel, but is she doing "the work of God?" Really?

I believe building a solid Theology of Work and Human Flourishing [TOWHF] into the hearts and minds of the coming generation is the next big frontier in the "faith-at-work" movement.

This is why Worldview Matters is helping Christian schools to intentionally and systematically embed TOWHF into their existing P-12 curriculum. We call it the "P-12 WRAP: Worklife Restoration and Advancement Project." [For more on this project, click here.]

But our task is not complete without active participation of parents in the home.

To help in this regard, we have developed a resource for parents (and teachers) that helps them guide young minds through a cognitive process of intentionally putting their daily work into the larger context of a biblical world-and-life-view. You might call this contextualization for kids.

We call it, The Awesome Activator. But don't be fooled. This tool works just as well with adults! Below is the layout. To get the most out of this, enlarge the images below by clicking them: 



 

To help young people think of specific biblical worldview truths to draw from, click here for a list of 101 biblical premises developed by The Biblical Worldview Institute, Puyallup, Washington. Go through this list and consider which of these truth statements particularly relate to washing dishes. [I once did this with a large group of parents and students, when, after considering which truths related to washing dishes, a particular student raised her hand and said: "Hell is real!"]




For a single .pdf copy of the complete dish washing example, click here.

For another example, based on the work of George Washington Carver, click here.

There is no end to the application of this tool!

How does building a bird house fit into God's purpose for humans--and birds? What meaning can such a project have beyond the shear enjoyment of building it (although this, too, is valid and biblical). Use the Awesome Activator tool to find out more reasons to build a bird house!
  
Is caring for a pet the work of God? How so, specifically? Use the Awesome Activator to discuss this question with your son or daughter. 

I once filled out an Awesome Activator for myself in connection with mowing my lawn. This led to putting the following reminder on the handle of my lawn mower:

Each time I mow my lawn, I am reminded of the First Commission of Gen. 1:26-28. It helps bring extraordinary meaning to my "ordinary" work.

To download a copy of The Awesome Activator for use with your children, your grandchildren, or yourself, click here. [downloaded Word file]

If you are a Christian school principal, and you would like to have an exploratory chat with me about how you can build Theology of Work and Human Flourishing into your existing P-12 curriculum, you may request a phone (or SKYPE) conversation to discuss the "P-12 WRAP: Worklife Restoration and Advancement Project" here.

If you are a parent (or a teacher), and you would like to have a personal one-on-one "coaching" session with me on how to help your child (or students) make intentional connections between the biblical worldview and their everyday work, use this link to arrange a 1-hour personal coaching session: here.

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