No More Grumbling

Grumbling, complaining, whining.  They’re all evidence of a heart full of discontentment. But what do we do about it?  How do we teach our kids to be content? Welcome to Episode #10 of the Family Bible Connection!  During the month of November, we are talking about contentment.  If you missed the first blog post / podcast episode in this series, be sure to go back and listen to Episode 9 where we discuss the root of discontentment, and some practical ways that you can teach your kids to be more thankful. DOWNLOAD EBOOK: GRUMBLING IN THE DESERT You guys, I am super excited about this episode today… Not only is it our 10th episode (Woo-hoo!) but I’m going to do something special that we’ve never done before on this podcast.  You may or may not know and that I write devotional Bible stories for families.  I have combined my passion for children’s books with my passion for the Bible by creating these stories.  The stories are all based on true events in the Bible, but some of the people are fictional characters.  I have several of these stories available on my website HERE, but today I’m going to read one of them to you!   In this story, Grumbling in the Desert, ten-year-old Ephraim and his family have been traveling in the desert for weeks, and he is sick and tired of eating manna every day. After his mom reminds him of all the ways God has blessed their family and taken care of them, Ephraim realizes the importance of being content with what God has given him.  The story is based on the account of the Israelites wandering in the desert in the book of Exodus. Feel free to play this episode later with your kids during your family devotion time.  Or, if you’d prefer to read the story yourself, you can download a free copy of the ebook HERE. At the end of the story, I have included some discussion questions that you can use to dig a little bit deeper into the story.   So, without further ado… here is  Grumbling in the Desert – A Story About Contentment LISTEN TO STORY HERE:   DOWNLOAD THE EBOOK VERSION OF THE STORY HERE: GRUMBLING IN THE DESERT   CLOSING PRAYER I’d like to close our episode today in prayer. I’m praying in the first person so that you can make this a prayer for yourself and your own children. You can find a copy of the prayer in the show notes.   “God, I do want to trust you. Help me to be content with what you have given me. Help me to remember all the good things you have done for me. Thank you for sending Jesus to save us from sin and give us new life. I know that you have blessed me so that I can be a blessing to others.  Give me a heart of contentment and gratefulness.  Amen.”    FREE RESOURCES I have a new free resource for you that will only be available for the month of November.  It’s a collection of printable 12 Bible verse cards that are all about thankfulness and contentment.  These cards are a great way to start off your day and fill your hearts with gratitude for what God has done for you.  Each card has a scripture passage as well as an image that goes along with the verse.  You can print out the cards, or you can save them to your phone or ipad and read one with your kids each day.