Colonel Mustard with the Guitar

Thankfully there is no mustard on the guitar. But with kids you never know what you might get.
A few months ago, Ginger and I were just talking about the ministry and how the kids were doing in school. We realized that with four kids, none of them seemed to be getting any one-on-one time with us. Ginger then recommended that we start having “kid night”. The idea was for us to have one hour with just one kid. So, we decided to give it a try. We only have one rule: all the other kids are not allowed to be in the same room or to interrupt this hour. Every Monday night we spend one hour with just Jonathan; Tuesday night with just Luke; Wednesday night with just Abigail; and Thursday night with just Rebekah. Everyone has enjoyed this special time just with Mom and Dad. Each night we begin with a devotional, which is then followed by a time just to talk. The topics vary according to the child.

Then there is still 40 minutes remaining to the hour and we let the child choose what we do as it is their night. Jonathan likes to play dominoes and “Cars” monopoly; Luke likes to play Miles and Bourne or Clue; Abigail likes to practice the guitar with Dad and play Clue (Colonel Mustard + Guitar = “Colonel Mustard with the Guitar”); Rebekah likes to work on a puzzle and play Cribbage. All the kids are sad when it isn’t their night or when the hour is finished on their night. Often we extend the time a little. Truly this has been fun quality time together and we hope we are creating some special memories for the kids.

This past week, our partners have left the village to return to Germany. We already have noticed that Stephen’s work load has increased, but at the same time, we have no desire to “sacrifice” our kids or our time with them. Please partner with us in prayer and encouragement to keep our special time each night with the kids.