All posts tagged Timebenders

The NEW revised and updated Timebenders series has arrived!

Thanks to the excellent work of my new publisher, Greenbrier Book Company, the Timebenders science-fiction adventure series is back and better than ever, and the first two books are available in all popular ebook formats.

The Timebenders series presents the adventures of Max McCrane, a young inventor who just wants to fit in with his fellow students at Victor Appleton Middle School. Trouble is, Max isn’t your run-of-the-mill middle schooler. He’s a boy genius who has invented his own time machine—Timebender!

That rusty orange Volkswagen Beetle may look like it belongs in a junkyard, but under the hood, Max has installed a photon-powered, Einstein-defying, time-warping power plant that jaunts across the centuries with ease. Don’t believe me? Well, climb aboard Timebender and plunge into Book 1: Battle Before Time!

Journey through time with Max and his friends—Allie O’Dell, Grady Stubblefield, and Toby Brubaker—as they confront mankind’s most ancient enemy in a place before time began. Follow them into the fourth dimension as they face otherworldly dangers armed with nothing but courage, loyalty, and the power of belief! Join Max and his friends on a fantastic voyage that sends them hurtling from primeval Earth … to a long-lost Planet Mars … to the Garden of Eden.

Along the way, these young heroes encounter rampaging dinosaurs, unearthly beings of golden light, and the most deadly opponent of all—the fiendish Silver Dragon! Battle Before Time is a wild roller-coaster ride through time and space, a page-turning adventure rooted in timeless truth.

In Book 2: Doorway to Doom, Max, Allie, Grady, and Toby tumble into a perilous new adventure when they enter a doorway to an ancient, evil kingdom, ruled by the shadowy figure of the Silver Dragon. Within the dark, forbidding walls of Castle Serpenfane, they meet evil King Wyvern, his wizardly alchemist Doctor Delyrius, and the strange and mysterious Lady Galatea. The ruthless king confronts Max with a seemingly impossible choice: either help him in his mad pursuit of weapons of mass destruction—or watch his friends suffer a horrible fate.

Meanwhile, Allie must discover the secret that is hidden among the slithering worms and silent crypts of the midnight maze. Worst of all, Max, Allie, Grady, and Toby are stranded in the past without Max’s Volkswagen time machine, Timebender. They have no hope of ever returning home!

So open the Doorway to Doom—if you dare! Then take a thrill ride through an age of castles and kings, knights and fair ladies, chivalry and superstition. This action-packed tale sweeps you along to one of the most unexpected endings you’ll ever read.

Young readers love Timebenders: “The Timebenders books are so awesome! They really encourage me,” writes Chloe. And Ben writes, “I’ve read all the Timebenders books! My mom reads them to me at bedtime and I take them for independent reading at school.” And Elliott says, “The Timebenders books are great! Now I’m writing my own book about time travel!”

And parents love Timebenders: “My son has devoured the Timebenders books,” one dad writes. “They really entertain him. We hear him laughing out loud as he reads.” A mom writes, “Thank you for books that are both exciting and appropriate for young readers. As a mother of three and a lover of books, I’m thrilled with Timebenders!” Another mom writes, “My son spent most of his vacation reading Timebenders—the first time he’s read an entire book without skipping pages! His video games are all but forgotten.”

The next two books in the series, Timebenders Book 3: Invasion of the Time Troopers and Timebenders Book 4: Lost in Cydonia, were released on Christmas Day 2012. And after that, who knows? I have a lot of ideas for future Timebenders books on the drawing board.

Please help me spread the news through word of mouth, Facebook, and Twitter. Tell other readers and parents about the thrilling new Timebenders books from Greenbrier Book Company.

And please write to me. Post your comments here at my Timebenders blog. Post your reviews on the Timebenders pages at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and Kobo. Visit my Author Page at Amazon.com. Let’s get acquainted.

I look forward to hearing from you.

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by Jim Denney on July 2, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in About Timebenders, For Kids, For Parents

Tagged Battle Before Time, Doorway to Doom, Ebooks, Greenbrier Books, Jim Denney, KidLit, sci-fi, science fiction, Time Travel, Timebenders

Posted by Jim Denney on July 2, 2013

https://jimdenney.wordpress.com/2013/07/02/the-new-timebenders-series/

Writers on Reading: Interview with Timebenders author Jim Denney

Battle Before Time

Over a thirty-year career, Jim Denney has written more than a hundred books for various publishers—fiction and nonfiction, for young readers and adult readers, as both a sole author and a co-writer. He has worked with leaders and celebrities in many fields, including Orlando Magic cofounder Pat Williams, political communicator Michael Reagan, Super Bowl champion Reggie White, supermodel Kim Alexis, actress Grace Lee Whitney, and many others.

Jim is the author of the four-book Timebenders science fantasy series for young readers. The Timebenders books were first published in 2002, and Jim has recently revised and updated the Timebenders series for reissue by Greenbrier Books.

Here, Jim talks about his reading choices and what inspires him to write. Read the entire interview at Writers on Reading.

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by Jim Denney on January 21, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in About Timebenders, For Parents, Writing for Children

Tagged Author Interview, Interview, Timebenders, Writers on Reading, Writing

Posted by Jim Denney on January 21, 2013

https://jimdenney.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/writers-on-reading-interview/

The Blog Hop Tour

Ten Questions for “The Next Big Thing”

A lot of my author friends have been doing the “Blog Hop” tour, in which we all answer the same set of questions about our newest (or future) releases. My thanks to award-winning suspense novelist James L. Rubart, author of Rooms, The Chair, and Soul’s Gate for pointing the way to my blog.

Thanks, also, to Dorothy Love, author of fine Southern historical fiction, for linking to this page. Dorothy is the author of the Hickory Ridge series, including Beauty for Ashes and Every Perfect Gift.

1. What is the working title of your book?

Actually, I want to talk about a series, not just one book. My Timebenders series, first published in 2002, has just been completely revised and updated, with Books 3 and 4 debuting on Christmas Day 2012. Plus, I am currently writing a brand-new book in the series with the working title War of the Electronic Brain.

The first four books in the series are Book 1: Battle before Time, Book 2: Doorway to Doom, Book 3: Invasion of the Time Troopers, and Book 4: Lost in Cydonia. These books are for middle grade readers, ages 9 to 14.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea for the Timebenders series came from my son, who was a kindergartner at the time (he’s now working on his master’s degree!). One day, he came to me and said, “Daddy, would you write a book with me?” I said, “Sure. What kind of book should we write?” He said, “I want to write a book about a time machine and dinosaurs.”

So we started working and we wrote a little each day for a week or two, then we forgot about it for a while. A few years later, I took a fresh look at the pages we had written, and I decided to finish the book. That first book was Battle Before Time, and the publisher asked me to write three more. Last year, I got the rights back from the original publisher, and I updated and rewrote the books, and Greenbrier Books has reissued them with stunning new covers.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

The Timebenders series is science fantasy for young readers. I deliberately chose titles that would have a campy, pulp-science-fiction feel.

I honestly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a science fiction fan. When I was five years old, my favorite TV show was a space opera called Space Patrol. It had spacemen in space suits with fishbowl helmets spouting dialogue like “Smoking rockets! A cosmic storm!” And my favorite cartoon at that age was Popeye, the Ace of Space, in which Popeye battles space aliens on Mars.

In elementary school, I searched for science fiction books in the school library, and was ecstatic when I discovered A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle on the “new arrivals” shelf. I was only nine, but the scientific concepts and appealing characters captured my imagination. (I wrote about the impact of that book on my life in a recent op-ed piece.)

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

My protagonists in the Timbenders series are in their early teens. To play Max McCrane, I’d cast Zach Mills of Super 8 fame (with round-lensed eyeglasses, Zach is Max). The perfect Allie O’Dell would be another Super 8 alum, Elle Fanning (with the addition of red hair and braces). C. J. Sanders, who played a young Ray Charles in Ray, would be well cast as Grady Stubblefield. For villainy, either Max von Sydow or Christopher Plummer would make an excellent Dr. Delyrius, the evil alchemist in Doorway to Doom.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Here’s Book 1: Battle Before Time in one sentence:

“Boy inventor Max McCrane turns a rusty orange Volkswagen into a time machine and takes three friends across time and space to battle a deadly dragon in a place before time began.”

Here’s Book 2: Doorway to Doom:

“Max and friends go back in time to an ancient kingdom ruled by evil King Wyvern and Max must either serve the king or doom his friends to a horrible fate.”

Here’s Book 3: Invasion of the Time Troopers:

“Max McCrane is hijacked into the past by scheming Luna Skyes, and his friends are chased through time by robot warriors of the fourth dimension, the Time Troopers.”

Here’s Book 4: Lost in Cydonia:

“A frightening miscalculation sends Max and friends to Mars, where they encounter an ancient secret guarded by strange blue-skinned creatures, the Timelings.”

Here’s Book 5: (working title of work-in-progress) War of the Electronic Brain

“Max and friends go back in time to Los Angeles in 1942, and must foil a plot to attack America and change the outcome of World War II.”

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Agency.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

My first four Timebenders books were each first-drafted in about six to eight weeks (each is about 45,000 words long). Once the first draft is written, there’s a lot more work to do—additional drafts, substantive editing, copyediting, first proofs, and second proofs.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I set out to write the kind of books I enjoyed when I was a boy—a wild roller coaster ride through time and space. I wanted my readers to have the same experience I had when I was a boy reading A Wrinkle in Time, The Martian Chronicles, and The Weirdstone of Brisingamen.

As time travel fiction, the Timebenders tales are part of a literary tradition going back to Washington Irving, H. G. Wells, and Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. There’s even an echo of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in Lost in Cydonia.

And, of course, there’s a great tradition of adult time travel literature that I’ve enjoyed over the years—classic short stories such as Robert Heinlein’s “All You Zombies—” and “By His Bootstraps,” Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder,” C. L. Moore and Henry Kuttner’s “Vintage Season,” and Harlan Ellison’s “Soldier,” to name a few. Great time travel novels include Poul Anderson’s Time Patrol series, Gordon R. Dickson’s Time Storm, Terry Pratchett’s Thief of Time, David Gerrold’s The Man Who Folded Himself, and Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My son, who was in kindergarten at the time, inspired the Timebenders series. That’s why the first book in the series is dedicated to him.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I vividly recall the writing process of the first four Timebenders books, especially Book 2: Doorway to Doom. I was a couple of chapters into the second book when we were attacked on 9/11. At first, the horror of that event disrupted my creative flow. At that time, some of my writer friends actually stopped writing for a few weeks. I had a tight deadline, so I had to keep writing. I wrote with the cable TV news blaring in the background, so I could keep an ear open for news developments.

As I wrote, I kept coming up with new ideas, including a new ending for the book. Later, I realized that most of those new ideas had to do with darkness. My mood was dark, and it showed in the writing. I added a scene where Max, my protagonist, was tossed into a dungeon by the villain, Dr. Delyrius. I added another scene involving Max’s friend, Allie, threading her way through an underground maze by torchlight.

Even though the scenes dealt with darkness, they demonstrated the light of faith, hope, and courage. A number of readers have written to say that those scenes are their favorite passages in the whole series.

I recently gave an extensive interview that provides more background on the writing of the Timebenders series. You can read it at Random Writing Rants.

Thanks for stopping by on the Blog Hop Tour. Check out the Blog Hop interviews by these fine authors:

Southern historical writer Dorothy Love (author of Beauty for Ashes)

Fantasy novelist Jill Williamson (author of By Darkness Hid)

Science fiction writer Steve Rzasa (author of The Word Reclaimed)

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by Jim Denney on January 9, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in About Timebenders, Books by Other Authors

Tagged A Wrinkle in Time, Author Interview, Battle Before Time, Doorway to Doom, Dorothy Love, Invasion of the Time Troopers, James Rubart, Jim Denney, Kid Lit, Lost in Cydonia, Madeleine L'Engle, Popeye, science fiction, Space Patrol, Time Travel, Timebenders, Writing Advice, Writing Tips

Posted by Jim Denney on January 9, 2013

https://jimdenney.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/the-blog-hop-tour/

The New, Revised and Updated Timebenders Series is HERE!

Book 1: BATTLE BEFORE TIME — Kindle Edition at Amazon.com, $3.99.
Book 1: BATTLE BEFORE TIME — Nook Edition at BarnesAndNoble.com, $3.99.

Book 2: DOORWAY TO DOOM — Kindle Edition at Amazon.com, $3.99.
Book 2: DOORWAY TO DOOM — Nook Edition at BarnesAndNoble.com, $3.99.

Book 3: INVASION OF THE TIME TROOPERS — Kindle Edition, $3.99.
Book 3: INVASION OF THE TIME TROOPERS — Nook Edition, $3.99.

Book 4: LOST IN CYDONIA — Kindle Edition, $3.99.
Book 4: LOST IN CYDONIA — Nook Edition, $3.99.

The NEW revised and updated Timebenders series has arrived!

Please help me spread the news through word of mouth, Facebook, and Twitter. Tell other readers and parents about the thrilling new Timebenders books from Greenbrier Book Company.

I look forward to hearing from you.

1 Comment

by Jim Denney on December 24, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in About Timebenders, For Kids, For Parents

Tagged Battle Before Time, Doorway to Doom, Ebooks, Greenbrier Books, Jim Denney, KidLit, sci-fi, science fiction, Time Travel, Timebenders

Posted by Jim Denney on December 24, 2012

https://jimdenney.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/the-new-revised-and-updated-timebenders-series-is-here/

Timebenders Mailbag

“I love letters from little kids. Adults never proclaim themselves ‘Your Number One Fan!'”
—Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of The Sisters Eight series

Doorway to Doom

One of the best things about being a “kid lit” writer is getting mail from Timebenders readers and their parents. I write these tales in the solitary confinement of my little office, and sometimes it amazes me that people, young and old, in all parts of the world, are actually reading and enjoying my stories!

The Timebenders books, beginning with Battle Before Time, are about the adventures of Max McCrane. I tried to make his invention—a time machine called Timebender—seem plausible and believable. Apparently, I succeeded. One young reader wrote me and said, “I liked the first two books a lot. Have you ever built a time machine like Max did?” A question like that reminds me of my responsibility as a children’s author, because kids take these stories very seriously.

I wrote back to this young reader and said, “Thank you for writing to me. I’m glad you liked the books! I have never built a time machine like Max did. I don’t think anyone knows how to build a real time machine, not even our smartest scientists. I think it would be fun to hop into a machine that could take me anywhere in time, and that’s why I wrote the Timebenders stories–because time travel is so much fun to imagine. I think if I could build a real time machine, I’d probably get into all kinds of trouble, just like Max and his friends! The other day, I went to a museum and saw the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and those bones were huge! I’d hate to meet a real dinosaur face to face.”

A young lady, age twelve, living in Malaysia, wrote to me for advice about writing. “If I wanted to write a book,” she said, “how long are the chapters supposed to be?” In my reply, I told her that her chapters should be as long as needed for the story she’s telling—just don’t make them too long, because readers like to feel they are making progress through the story. I imagine that, within a few years, we may be seeing this young author’s books in print.

One of my favorite emails was a single sentence from a boy in Minnesota. The subject line read: “Toby,” which is the name of a selfish, surly, irresponsible boy in the Timebenders series. My young correspondent wrote: “Thank you for writing such exciting books, but why did you put in such a jerk like Toby?” I wrote back and explained that while Toby is, indeed, rather unlikeable, his bad behavior always helped to launch our heroes off on an exciting new adventure.

I was surprised how much mail I received from readers who are outside the “target demographic” of the series, which is roughly ages eight to fourteen.

A father in Australia wrote to me, saying, “My six year old son has devoured your first three books and is now into number four.” Six years old? A first grader—and he’s reading chapter books on his own? I was impressed. The dad continued. “It’s hard getting him to shut off his reading light because your books really entertain him. I often hear his laughter from upstairs—and every so often he comes out of his room and reads to a passage to us that cracked him up. And he has given your books to me as a reading assignment!”

At the other end of the age spectrum, I received an email from a software designer in Missouri. He wrote, “I was in the bookstore looking for some grownup reading fare when I spotted the cover of your Timebenders book, Doorway to Doom. I picked it up on a whim, started reading, and loved the story line. I forgot about all the other books I had picked up and I just grabbed up the rest of the Timebenders series. I’m 28 years old and married, and probably not a typical Timebenders reader. But now I’ve got my wife reading the series, and I wanted you to know how much we are enjoying them.”

As you can see, I enjoy getting mail from readers and parents. So, please write soon. Post a comment or use the form below to email me with questions, comments, or (sure, why not?) complaints. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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by Jim Denney on September 22, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in About Timebenders, For Kids, For Parents

Tagged Contact Form, Contact The Author, Jim Denney, Kid Lit, KidLit, Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Reader Emails, Readers, Timebenders

Posted by Jim Denney on September 22, 2012

https://jimdenney.wordpress.com/2012/09/22/timebenders-mailbag/

Timebenders 3 and 4 are Coming Soon!

Timebenders 3: Invasion of the Time Troopers

Timebenders 4: Lost in Cydonia

Very soon, I’ll announce the release of two more revised and updated ebook editions in the Timebenders series—Book 3: Invasion of the Time Troopers and Book 4: Lost in Cydonia. To be notified when they are released, find the “Follow This Blog By Email” box in the sidebar to your right and click “Follow.”

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by Jim Denney on September 22, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in About Timebenders, For Kids, For Parents

Tagged Invasion of the Time Troopers, Jim Denney, Lost in Cydonia, Timebenders

Posted by Jim Denney on September 22, 2012

https://jimdenney.wordpress.com/2012/09/22/timebenders-3-and-4-are-coming-soon/

The NEW Timebenders Books are coming!

Battle Before Time

For the past few weeks, I have been working closely with my new publisher, Greenbrier Book Company of North Carolina, to bring back my Timebenders science-fiction adventure series for young readers. I am revising and updating each book, and my friends at Greenbrier are repackaging these tales as ebooks with stunning new covers. They will be available in all popular ebook formats.

After more than a decade, I finally feel these books are exactly as I want them. I am extremely grateful to my Greenbrier publishers, Ron and Janet Benrey, for producing these new and improved editions of my Timebenders series. Very soon, I’ll be announcing the release of the first two books in the series, Timebenders Book 1: Battle before Time and Timebenders Book 2: Doorway to Doom. And just look at these incredible covers!

Doorway to Doom

Within a few weeks, I’ll also be announcing the release of the next two books in the series, Timebenders Book 3: Invasion of the Time Troopers and Timebenders Book 4: Lost in Cydonia. And after that, who knows? I have a lot of ideas for future Timebenders books on the drawing board.

Please help me spread the word through word of mouth, Facebook, and Twitter. Tell other young readers and parents about the thrilling new Timebenders books from Greenbrier Book Company.

And please write to me. Post your comments right here at my Timebenders blog. Tell me what you think of the Timebenders books. If you’re interested in writing books and stories, send me your questions. Let’s get acquainted.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

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by Jim Denney on July 9, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in About Timebenders, For Kids, For Parents, For Young Writers

Tagged Adventure, Battle Before Time, Doorway to Doom, Ebooks, Fantasy, Greenbrier Books, Invasion of the Time Troopers, Jim Denney, KidLit, Lost in Cydonia, science fiction, Time Travel, Timebenders

Posted by Jim Denney on July 9, 2012

https://jimdenney.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/the-new-timebenders-books-are-coming/

Mars in a Minute: How Do You Land on Mars?

In two of my four Timebenders books, Book 1: Battle Before Time and Book 4: Lost in Cydonia, our heroes—Max, Allie, Grady, and Toby—journey to Mars. Each time they get there in a wildly improbable but exciting way.

When real-life astronauts eventually go to Mars, they will have to solve problems of motion, gravity, air friction, heat, and so forth in order to land safely on the Red Planet. Click the image below to watch a 60-second video from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It explains three ways to land safely on the surface of Mars.

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by Jim Denney on April 13, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in About Timebenders, For Kids

Tagged JPL, Mars, NASA, Timebenders, Video

Posted by Jim Denney on April 13, 2012

https://jimdenney.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/mars-in-a-minute-how-do-you-land-on-mars/

From Jim Denney: A Special Word to Parents about Spiritual Warfare

The central theme that runs through my Timebenders series is spiritual warfare. If you read any book in the series, I think you’ll hear echoes of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians:

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand (Ephesians 6:11-13).

The issue of spiritual warfare is not an abstract or theoretical concept to me. It’s very real. This generation lives in morally and spiritually dangerous times. Through the Timebenders books, I hope to help bring these biblical truths alive in our children’s imaginations—and their everyday lives. I was impacted at an early age by Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, which has a similar spiritual warfare theme. I want to help new generations of readers to have the same experience, and develop the same understanding of God’s truth.

It’s never too early to teach children the importance of reliance on God through prayer. It’s never too early to teach a child that one person plus God is a majority in any situation. It’s never too early to teach children the importance of making good moral choices, and that bad moral choices come with unpleasant consequences. These are some of the themes that are woven into the adventure tale that is Timebenders.

Another key theme in Timebenders is that God wants to use each of us in a powerful way, and we should never underestimate God’s purpose for our lives. This concept come from another one of Paul’s letters:

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

Each of us has a role to play in God’s eternal plan. God is pleased to use ordinary believers like you and me—and our children—to demonstrate His wisdom throughout the universe. As the apostle Paul wrote:

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 3:10).

So we are engaged in a war, an all-out battle of good versus evil, the forces of God versus the “the rulers … the authorities … the powers of this dark world … the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (And, of course, when Paul talks about the “heavenly realms,” he does not mean “heaven,” the believer’s destination with God. He means the spiritual realm, the unseen region of reality where spiritual warfare takes place.)

The central theme of the Timebenders series is spiritual warfare.

As your children read the Timebenders books, or as you read them together with your kids, I’d like to leave you with a few thoughts and suggestions about spiritual warfare and your children. I’d like to encourage you to:

1. Pray daily with your children and for your children. Pray with them and teach them that talking to God is as natural as any other conversation. Go into their rooms at night when they are sleeping and ask God to protect them, to strengthen their faith, and to make them strong and wise. Whenever you sense that your children need your prayers, stop what you are doing, focus your attention on God, and pray for your children.

2. Bless your children. Let your children hear you thank God for them. Tell them you love them, that they are a blessing in your life, that they are God’s gift to you. When they fail or do wrong, let them know you always love them and you are always cheering for them. Give them your blessing on a daily, continual basis.

3. Keep the lines of communication open. Talk to your children—and listen to them. When they talk to you, look them in the eye and let them know they have your complete and undivided attention. Ask your children lots of questions—especially open-ended questions that must be answered in complete sentences, not monosyllables. The only way we get to know our children’s thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams is by continual two-way communication.

4. Avoid rescuing your children from consequences. One of the best ways to discipline your children is to allow natural consequences to impact their lives and teach them important life lessons. Don’t let a child get away with poor ethical choices, such as writing a book report from an online review instead of reading the book. If a child does wrong, and suffers consequences as a natural result, then you frequently don’t need to lecture your child or impose a restriction. You can simply say, “Yes, I know this is hard, but that’s what happens when we do such-and-such.”

5. Use every “teachable moment.” The more time you spend with your children, the more teaching and disciple-making opportunities you will have. Jesus used the day-to-day events in His disciples’ lives to teach them valuable lessons about spiritual warfare. In Luke 10, He taught them how to pray, witness, preach the Kingdom of God, and do battle with evil—then he sent them out, two by two, to use the skills He had taught them in real-life situations. As parents, we need to use real-life situations in our children’s lives to make the lessons of the Kingdom real in their lives.

My friend Pat Williams, vice president and co-founder of the Orlando Magic, has been a dad to nineteen children—four birth children, fourteen by international adoption, and one by remarriage. He has experienced seven lifetimes worth of Christian parenting! He says, “If you watch TV with your kids, you’ll have many opportunities to discuss righteousness, moral living, sexual purity, and other issues of the Christian life with your child. When you read with your child or help him with homework or school projects, you’ll have opportunities to grow closer and impart lessons about character and diligence. Even times of conflict and tension can be teachable moments for growth and instruction. Don’t let those opportunities pass you by. Take advantage of each one.”

Pat Williams, his wife Ruth, and a few of his nineteen kids.

4. Spend time serving God alongside your children. Find projects that you can do with your children that involve serving God and serving others. Maybe there’s a rescue mission or homeless shelter that needs volunteers to serve meals or paint walls. Or you and your kids could go on a short-term mission venture. Or you and your children could do something as simple as manicure a lawn, plant flowers, and wash windows for an elderly neighbor. Do it in the name of Jesus—and see how your own family is impacted.

5. Be aware of the influences in your child’s life. Know who their friends are—and be aware of their influence on your kids. Know what your kids are watching, reading, and listening to, and the computer and video games they play. Remember that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against … spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” So be watchful about such influences as the occult, Ouija boards, vampires, witchcraft, and similar practices.

As my friend, author Rachel Hauck, has said, “In spiritual warfare, the devil doesn’t fight fair.” And the Lord’s friend, the apostle Peter, put it this way:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

God bless you as you raise your children to be warriors and ambassadors for Him!

1 Comment

by Jim Denney on April 11, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in For Parents

Tagged Bible, Children, Children's Literature, Christian Parenting, Christianity, God, Jesus, KidLit, Orlando Magic, Parenting, Pat Williams, spiritual warfare, Timebenders

Posted by Jim Denney on April 11, 2012

https://jimdenney.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/from-jim-denney-a-special-word-to-parents-about-spiritual-warfare/

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Battle Before Time
The original edition of "Timebenders # 1: Battle Before Time" is out of print, but the NEW revised and updated ebook edition is HERE in all popular ebook formats!
Doorway to Doom
This is the original cover for Doorway to Doom, published in 2002. The thrilling NEW revised and updated ebook edition is HERE in all popular ebook formats!
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Jim Denney's Timebenders

All posts tagged Timebenders

The New Timebenders Series is HERE!

Writers on Reading: Interview with Timebenders author Jim Denney

The Blog Hop Tour

The New, Revised and Updated Timebenders Series is HERE!

Timebenders Mailbag

Timebenders 3 and 4 are Coming Soon!

The NEW Timebenders Books are coming!

Mars in a Minute: How Do You Land on Mars?

From Jim Denney: A Special Word to Parents about Spiritual Warfare

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Battle Before Time

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