Why I love Children Desiring God
For the last year or so, we have been using the Children Desiring God Curriculum at our church. At first glance, the curriculum isn't really a perfect fit for us, it seems a bit stodgy, and not terribly playful for a church born out of the Willow Creek model.
The kids are changing though. They get it.
In reflecting on it, I recognize that the CDG curriculum doesn't candy coat anything. Nearly every week, it acknowledges that there are many times that our life is going to be very very hard, but God promises to strengthen us as we persevere through the hardships.. Probably 50 or 60 % of the kids are from broken homes. Many of the neighborhood kids are relatively poor. Several of them are in foster family situations.
So when we tell the kids that life is going to be hard, it resonates with them.. They know that to be true. And the promise that God will be good, even when life seems bad makes a big difference to them. Life may be good, and life may be bad, but God will always be God, and whatever He puts us through will always be used for His glorious purpose in the end.
We are just finishing up the "Faithful to all his promises" series, and we are about to embark on the "How Majestic is Your Name" series.
We started using CDG curriculum for our Sunday School & Kid's Club programs exclusively last year. You're spot on about it. Even the teachers have been commenting about how they've been challenged & have grown from the curriculum.