Dr Chris

Category: Resources

  • The 4th of July

    Almost every adult American has a basic understanding of the 4th of July. But the meaning is deeper than we see on the surface. The real reason of America’s foundation is nothing like what is being taught today; it is being taught separate from our godly beginning.

    America’s founding is based on God. The Pilgrims left England so they could worship God freely. Our nation was founded on God and the Bible. The first documents of our country declared that God gave us rights that cannot be taken away by man. I wrote the following in my book “God In Schools.”

    “On July 4th, we celebrate the Declaration of Independence, which was based upon Biblical truths. America was established as a truly Christian nation; a fact seems to have been lost today. After the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it is documented: John Hancock echoed the reliance upon God and the belief that the destiny of nations is in the hand of God as he said: ‘Let us humbly commit our righteous cause to the great Lord of the Universe…let us joyfully leave our concerns in the hands of Him who raises up and puts down the empires and kingdoms of the earth as he pleases.’

    This firm reliance upon God was so universally adhered to among those in America that the First Continental Congress insisted it be included in the Declaration of Independence. While reviewing Thomas Jefferson’s original draft of the Declaration, the committee assigned to the task added the words, ‘they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights’… Most of the revisions of Jefferson’s original work had to do with the Lord. Thus we see the Continental Congress declaring to all the world their Christian convictions” (Beliles and McDowell 149). (Van Horn, 19-20).

    The Declaration of Independence is the document that declared America was a free country, separate from England. It was founded on the teachings of God. The principles in the Bible were used in writing this document. It says that all people are created equal by God. The U.S. Constitution set forth rules for America’s new government with principles were inspired by God.As declared by President Eisenhower in 1956, “In God We Trust” became the official motto of the United States. This is written on all US money since then.

    I would like to recommend two books for you that explain the true Christian origins of the United States. They are: •“American’s Providential History” by Mark Beliles and Stephen McDowell•“Original Intent” by David Barton (Wallbuilders, Inc.).

    These are a must-read for all adults who want to know the true origins of the founding of the United States and what our Founding Fathers fought to obtain for us. We must continue on their pathway.

    I want to close this blog series with a quote from President Ronald Reagan. This should give every adult pause if you are truly concerned for our country. Heed his words, please.

    “But freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it and then hand it to them with the well-thought lessons of how they in their lifetime must do the same. And if you and I don’t do this, then you and I may well spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it once was like in America when men were free” (President Ronald Reagan).

    Thank you for loving America. Reflect on it this holiday patriotic season.Wishing you and your family a beautiful and blessed 4th of July!

    Dr. Christine Van Hornwww.drchris.cochris@drchris.co

  • The Pledge of Allegiance and Patriotism

    The Pledge of Allegiance was written over 100 years ago by a pastor from New York. It means we are loyal to the flag and to the United States of America. It is a promise to defend the rights and freedom of all Americans. You may be able to recite the words, but could you explain the true meaning to your children? You should. Here are the words.

    “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America; and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

    Let me explain the words so that you can better explain them to your children.

    •Pledge = give •Allegiance = loyalty•Republic = country in which the citizens have the right to vote•For which it stands = which is one of our foundations•One nation = we are together•Under God = we are under the protection of God•Indivisible = cannot be divided•With liberty = freedom•And justice for all = fair treatment for everyone

    When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, it means that we give our loyalty to America. America is a Republic, in which citizens have the right to vote, which is one of our foundations. We are one nation together under the protection of God. We cannot be divided. We have freedom and give justice and fair treatment to all.

    Now take a look around at our culture today. How much better we would be as a nation if we truly embraced the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance. Our nation did so in decades past and they stood more firm in their patriotism. That is a term we do not hear about enough these days.

    Let’s take a look at what Patriotism really means. Patriotism is defined as:

    devoted love, support, and defense of one’s country; national loyalty (dictionary.com).

    When you look around the country, you see the older generations wearing caps with their branch of service, where they served and in what war. We see them as patriotic. We see their devoted love for their country as well as a national loyalty. Younger persons can be very patriotic too, but they may not have the battle scars behind them. As adults, we need to reinforce the patriotism in the lives of our children. As we move farther and farther away from the older generation who openly displayed their patriotism, the younger generations are at more of a disadvantage from seeing patriotism in action. Ask their grandparents to explain patriotism to them. Please make this a family discussion this Memorial Day or 4th of July. We must stir up a love for America in our younger generation. Encourage your parents and grandparents to talk with your children about patriotism. If you child has a special project to do at school, one idea is for him or her to go to the American Legion or VFW Post and interview a veteran.

    We also need to pray for our country; we are called by God to do that. This could be an excellent thing to pray in family prayer time.

    “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV).

    Looking forward to sharing more with you next week,

    Dr. Christine Van Hornwww.drchris.cochris@drchris.co

  • Honoring Our Veterans

    [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]We need to honor all our veterans, both alive as well as those who have passed away. My Dad was a US Navy Veteran who served in WWII. My sisters and I were raised to have a patriotic spirit and honor all those who served in the U.S. military to fight for our freedom.

    Are any of your family members or friends or their parent’s military veterans? If you are reading this post in another country, honor those who served in the military in your country. That honoring spirit continues with me even to this day. We need to pass this along to our children. In this patriotic season, use everything you can to teach your children about this.

    My Dad lived with me in the last time of his life. Until his last day of life, he wore hats that represented the U.S. Navy, the ship he was on, or that he was a WWII Veteran. Look around in the coming months and look for hats or t-shirts of those who served in the military and thank them for their service.

    I spend a great deal of time in Branson, Missouri. I love the patriotism in this town. At the shows, they ask the military veterans to stand when the song for their branch of the service is played. People are always thanking the veterans for their service to this country. Shops have many patriotic items for sale. Branson is a patriotic town. This is how every town in America should be. If people spent more time on honoring our veterans than fighting with each other, there would be more safety in this country. We have a trend of turning away from honor.

    After my Dad passed away, I realized that I would not hear any more of his war stories firsthand anymore. It made me sad that I have not recorded more of them. But I decided to use the framework for the stories I had and seek out more stories from other veterans of the Greatest Generation. The Greatest Generation is the generation that lived through the Great Depression in the 1930s and WWII in the 1940s. Many of them served in the military. Others worked in the factories on the home front making the wartime supplies, raising their families so their husbands could serve in the military or supported them in other ways.

    “What The Greatest Generation Knew – That We Don’t”I determined that I would give this generation a voice, one more time. I am in process of writing a book called “What The Greatest Generation Knew – That We Don’t.” This book focuses on the character that these men and women had as they willingly fought to preserve world freedom. They knew that they may give their lives for this mission, but they went to the frontlines of battle anyway. The first and last chapters are already written and discuss their character, such as: courage, perseverance, patriotism, honor and respect. The major portion of the book is their stories. And I have room for many more.

    I am looking to still interview WWII Veterans or their families, as there are not too many of them still alive. These are the questions they can consider if they want to provide their stories to society;

    •What you remember about growing up as a child during the Great Depression.•How you decided to fight for world freedom in WWII.•What you did during WWII or what experiences you had.•The most important thing you learned from serving in WWII.•What words of wisdom would you like to leave as a legacy.

    If any WWII veterans or their families have a story they would like to tell, please contact me. This is one more opportunity to leave their legacy to a world that needs to hear it. My email address is:

    chris@drchris.co (not .com).

    Honor FlightThis is one of the ways I am honoring military veterans. Please seek out ways you can too. If you can participate in an “Honor Flight” in which military wartime veterans are brought to Washington DC for a day to go to the patriotic sites there. They are seeking escorts for the veterans. Their mission and vision are:

    Our mission is one of gratitude. For their service, sacrifice and selflessness. Join us as we proudly celebrate America’s veterans with a day of honor in our nation’s capital.

    Our vision – a Nation where all of our veterans experience the honor, gratitude and community of support they deserve.

    Please check out their website at: honorflight.org.

    We need to honor all veterans, no matter when they served and if they were in a war or not. Respect them and thank them. Let me leave you with this quote.

    “The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude” (Jeff Miller, Former US Representative, Florida).

    Looking forward to sharing more with you next week,

    Dr. Christine Van Hornwww.drchris.cochris@drchris.co[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

  • What Is Memorial Day?

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  • Palm Sunday Easter 2023

    Palm Sunday Easter 2023

    Week 1: Palm Sunday

    This is the first blog post to help us prepare for Easter Sunday.  Many churches celebrate Lent leading up to Easter, and that has already begun.  This is an important time to prepare our hearts to reflect on the true meaning of Easter –Jesus giving His life for the salvation of men.  Jesus is THE Lamb of God.  The information in these blogs is summarized from my book “The Lamb Eternal.”  If you want to learn more about what I am posting here, you can purchase my book through the link on my website (www.drchris.co) or through Amazon.  All Scriptures are NKJV unless otherwise noted.

    Where does the story of Easter begin?  It begins before time began, in God’s eternal past.  Revelation 13:8 states that Jesus is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”  This means He always has been THE Lamb.  Before God created man, Jesus was “THE Lamb.”  Even before He created man, God knew that man would fail and that He needed a plan to redeem mankind.  We will study about the end of Jesus’ life – Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

    Jesus is “The Passover Lamb.”  But what is Passover?  The first Passover was just before Moses led the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt, towards the Promised Land.  Pharaoh would not let God’s people leave Egypt, even when God sent a series of plagues.  God had one final plague to send upon them – the death of the first male children in the Egyptian households.  God had protected the Israelites children from all of the plagues, and He would do the same for this last one.  This protection from the final plague was called the “Passover.” 

    The Israelites took the blood of lambs and put it on the doorposts (and the crossbar over the doorposts) of their dwellings.  Death overshadowed the land that night but passed over the homes of the Israelites who put the lamb’s blood on their doorposts.  Death “passed over” their homes and spared their eldest sons.  That is where the name “Passover” comes from.  This was their blood covering and foreshadowed what Jesus would do for mankind on Calvary.  That night, the firstborn of the Egyptians households was killed and eventually Pharoah let the Israelites leave Egypt.  They crossed the Red Sea after God parted the waters, and Pharoah then had a change of heart.  His armies went out after the Israelites, and those armies were drowned in the sea when God had safely let the Israelites cross and put the waters back into place.  Please read Exodus Chapter 12 for the full understanding. 

    God told them also that Passover was an everlasting ordinance, which means it is to be kept as a Feast of the Lord.  The Jewish people today still remain faithful in celebrating Passover.  Christians should celebrate it too because it is a Feast Day of the Lord and is not just for the Jewish people. 

    Let us turn to Jesus’ day and what we know as Palm Sunday.  When Jesus was before the Jewish people during the final Passover timeframe of His life on earth, the people did not recognize Him.  That timeframe started on what we know as Palm Sunday.  For the Jews in Jesus’ Day, it was Lamb Selection Day.  It commemorated the day the Israelites selected their lambs that would be slain on Passover.  Jesus came before them as THE Lamb, and they did not recognize Him.

    The time of Jesus’ announcement of being the Messiah (which He did on that Palm Sunday) and His death was prophesied in Daniel 9:25-26 – about 500 years in advance.  This is in what we know as the “70 weeks of Daniel” prophecy.

    This prophecy sets forth a starting time (when the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem).  It says that the Anointed One (Jesus) would “come” (that is be announced as the Messiah) and be killed at the ending time of the sixty-two sets of seven (years).  It also explains that after this, Jerusalem and the Temple will be destroyed, which occurred in 70 A.D.  This is the reason why Jesus wept on the Mount of Olives on Palm Sunday.  He knew that they missed the time of their visitation and received Him not.  He knew the destruction of the city and the Temple that lie ahead.

    In this following passage from the Book of Daniel, God spoke through Daniel to tell him when the Messiah would be announced.  It is calculated in years – seven sets of seven years and sixty-two sets of seven years.  It gives the starting date and then can be calculated.

    Now listen and understand!  Seven sets of seven plus sixty–two sets of sevenwill pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes.  Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses,despite the perilous times.  After this period of sixty-two sets of seven,the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. (Daniel 9:25–26 NLT; author’s emphasis)

    Please read Chapter 4 (specifically pages 64-68) in my book “The Lamb Eternal” for a detailed explanation of this prophecy.  But it points to the exact day when the Messiah would be made known — and then states He would be killed.  If the Jews, who thought they were true students of Scripture, had studied what this prophecy meant, they would have known the EXACT day ahead of time when the Messiah would “come” – be announced to them – and then He would die for them.  Then it says the city and Temple would be destroyed.  There is so much in these two verses – but they did not figure it out.  It is when Jesus presented Himself as the Messiah. 

    It was prophesied in Zechariah 9:9 which says that He will come to them, riding on a donkey’s colt.  Scripture they had studied also told them this other fact that also pointed to Jesus being the Messiah.

    Rejoice, O people of Zion!

    Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!

    Look, your King is coming to you.

    He is righteous and victorious,

    yet He is humble, riding on a donkey —

    riding on a donkey’s colt. (Zechariah 9:9; author’s emphasis)

    If the religious men of that day were the well-learned men of God that they said they were, they would have calculated the date of the Messiah’s announcement to the world, and figured out who Jesus was.  But they did not.

    Palm Sunday was actually “lamb selection” day.  It was the day that the Jews found their lamb that would be offered for their family at the Passover sacrifice.  After they selected the lamb, they tied it up by their house so that they would become close to it and love it.  When the lamb would be sacrificed on Passover, it would have heartfelt meaning to them.  On that Palm Sunday, THE real Lamb of God came before them, but they did not recognize Him.  They missed the time of their visitation. 

    Do not miss the time of the visitation of God in your life.  Remember Palm Sunday, which for us is the start of Holy Week.

  • “The Greatest Generation” Book

    I am excited to tell you about the next book I am writing, and I need your assistance.  This book is to honor to the men and women who grew up during the Great Depression and served our country during WWII.  These men and women may be those who fought in the military, worked in the factories at home supporting the production of equipment needed for the war efforts, or who remained on the home front taking care of their families so their loved ones could fight.  The WWII generation has been called “The Greatest Generation” and they truly were.  They had values and character that we do not see as prevalent today.  We can learn so much from them, but there are so few still remaining.  My goal is to capture their stories to still learn what we can from them.  The world is in need of their wisdom at this moment in time.  My book is called “What The Greatest Generation Knew – That We Don’t.”

    My Dad was a WWII Vet who lived with me during the latter part of his life.  When he passed, I was filled with an emptiness.  I also was sad that I would no longer hear of his early life and war stories.  He did leave some of them and I began to write about the things he told me.  I realized that there are so many stories out there from these honorable men and women and we need to capture them now.  They have great wisdom to share about their WWII experiences and they can still mentor the people of today and leave a legacy.

    I am still searching for stories to put in my upcoming book.  I am looking for:

    • WWII veterans and other members of the Greatest Generation who are willing to let me interview them or have their families help them write their own stories
    • Family members whose siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles served in WWII, and you have information that you are willing to share with me.  This information could be in the form of things they wrote, books that were published about their military units, and stories they told you or wrote down. 

    Possible things to discuss in the stories:

    • Growing up as a child during the Great Depression
    • How you decided to fight for world freedom in WWII
    • What you did during WWII or what experiences you had
    • The most important thing you learned from living through and serving in WWII
    • What words of wisdom you would like to leave the world today as a legacy

    I am looking to write one chapter for each person.  I can interview you and help putting this information into a story format unless you would like to write the story yourself. 

    I am looking to start each chapter with a quote of theirs or something they would still say if they could.  The body of the information is all about their experiences.  I want to end each chapter with the things they learned from WWII and their words of wisdom to leave as a legacy to society today.

    Please share this request with family and friends who may be interested in sharing their WWII stories for this book.  If you are the WWII Vet who wants to submit your story, please ask your family and friends to help you document this, or I can interview you and write the story.  I live in the Chicago area but can talk over the phone (including a Face Time call), or a Zoom call.

    All stories will be subject to the approval of the Vet and/or the family prior to publishing.  Stories should be about 2-3 type-written pages or up to 1500 words in length.  (As an example, this blog is about 800 words so it could be up to 3 times as long).  That will retain chapter size consistency.  You may submit photos (up to 3 per story).  I am in process of talking to my book publisher regarding the number of photos I may use for the entire book.

    There is another benefit for writing these stories.  The written story (even if you decide not to submit it to me), becomes a family legacy.  The world is a better place because of those who served our country and the world during WWII.  I want the world to hear their words of wisdom.

    Thank you for being willing to read this and blessings if are willing and able to assist.

    The best way to contact me is via email at:

    chris@drchris.co   (not .com)

    I have published 6 other books, so I am an experienced author.  If you want to see the other books I have written, please check out my website at:

    www.drchris.co  (not .com)

    Thank you –

    Dr. Christine Van Horn

  • The Importance of Manners

    What are manners? 

    Dictionary.com defines manners as “a socially acceptable way of behaving.” 

    At least that is what it used to mean, and still should.  The manners of both adults and children today are not acceptable. 

    Why? 

    It is because manners have lost the place they once held in society since we did not continue to ensure its importance. 

    It is up to us to change that. 

    Let me give you an example: 

    I lived in Washington D.C. for a while and used to ride the metro system each day.  I was astounded at the lack of manners that I saw.  Youth sat in seats and let older passengers and pregnant women stand without offering them their seat.  Men usually did not offer their seats to women either. 

    I was always shocked by what I saw.  I would give up my seat for older persons, but the young people for the most part just sat there.  That would have been totally unacceptable when I was younger.  This is a result of neglecting to teach manners to the extent that is needed.

    Good manners will open doors for you and your children.  The right people will notice. 

    It could mean the difference between your child getting an opportunity or not.  If I were a manager and I was looking for someone to work for me, I would choose the one who said “please” and “thank you” and was courteous to me.  The one who showed good manners would be at the forefront. 

    If a person does not show good manners to the parent, teacher, boss or other leader, that person will not show good manners to others around them either. 

    If I were in the leadership position and I hired someone to work for me, I would want to know that the person I hired would show good manners to clients or customers.  This process starts when children are young.  It is up to the parent to teach them these good manners.

    When I was young, the use of manners was visibly seen throughout society by both the young and old. 

    Not so much today. 

    The use of manners needs to be incorporated into all aspects of life and specifically taught by parents and grandparents.  Please teach your children manners, and it will open doors for them in life. 

    It is a step on the road to success – to becoming a champion in life.  We are in a world that needs more focus on manners. 

    Teaching manners is an important component of the teaching in my course modules.

    To learn more, visit www.drchris.co and click on Courses

  • How Does A Person of Good Character Act?

    How Does A Person of Good Character Act?

    Good character is doing the right thing at all times, even when no one is watching (Dr. Christine Van Horn).

    A person of good character has specific attributes that makes them function like they do.  These people make a real effort to do the right thing all the time.  Let’s take a look at these attributes and explore what they mean.  This will help us better understand how a person of good character acts.

    Persons of good character have internal standards 

    This means they make an internal decision to hold themselves accountable to standards in specific areas in their lives.  It is a decision that they make for themselves and are their own judge regarding how they act.  This is a powerful attribute.  They hold themselves to their internal standards.

    They make the effort to do the right thing 

    They are not seeing if they can do something without getting caught.  They take the actions they need to ensure so they do the right thing no matter if anyone is around or not.  Then they are consistent in their actions.  They are the same in all circumstances.  They may not always succeed, but they make the effort to do so.

    They act the same whether anyone is watching or not

    When they act the same in specific situations, it does not matter if anyone is watching or not.  Their actions are consistent good actions.  This makes them a more solid person and others come to know and understand their consistency and what to expect of them.

    They are self-correctors

    If they fail in a specific area where they have standards, they know how to self-correct.  They do not wait for others to correct them if they fail or get caught.  They step up to the plate and correct themselves.  Sometimes it may be in the form of talking to others about the error they made.  But most often, it is part of the internal standards they have set for themselves and the effort to always do the right thing.  Then they make changes to ensure they do this action correctly the next time.

    They practice endurance

    Endurance means that you keep doing something even when it is not easy to do so.  It may not always be easy to do the right thing – but you keep on that course of action anyway.  Practicing endurance helps other areas of life too.  An athlete needs to practice endurance and keep doing something until the goals of that physical activity are met.  Endurance in the realm of school studies also applies.  A specific course may not always be easy, but a person of endurance continues on no matter how difficult it is until that subject is mastered.

    They are respectful of others

    People of good character are respectful of others.  Their own desires do not come first; they think of others according to the needs of that other person.  Being respectful means that consideration is given to the other person.  The person showing respect is polite, courteous, kind and is generally nice to others.

    They practice self-control

    Persons of character practice self-control.  What is self-control?  It means that they hold their emotions and actions in check and are not reactionary.  They wait, take a deep breath and think through what happened and about their response.  They do not take a negative action when they get angry.  Two negatives do not make a positive.  They hold themselves back from rapidly acting in a negative manner and stop and think through the implications of their own actions in response to a negative event or negative words spoken over them.

    A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls (Proverbs 25:28 NLT).

  • Foundational Values for the Next Generation

    Foundational Values for the Next Generation

    The first question to ask is “what is a value?”  Then we can answer why some of these values are foundational.  

    A value is something of significance or merit and can be exchanged for something else of worth.  It is useful and important.  

    In essence, a value has importance and is worth something.  Being foundational means that it is basic and a building block for other things to be built on top.  Foundational values are basic building blocks of values that we need to instill into the lives of our children while we demonstrate how they should operate.  

    Other values can later be added onto them once the basic ones are understood.  We need to understand these for ourselves and then pass them on to the next generations.  What are some of these foundational values?  

    They include essential character traits and life skills.  

    What is a character trait?  

    They are characteristics that show the qualities that are important in people’s lives.  They define people and are things that others know are part of that person’s life. 

     Being a person of character is a personal decision and a consistent pattern of good behavior.  Character defines who you are, how you need to respond to situations in your life and explains why you do the things you do.  

    I have identified hundreds of character traits, but some are more essential than others.  The ones I consider most essential include being thankful, responsible, respectful and truthful.

    What are life skills?  

    A life still is a practice or aptitude that helps a person function well in adult life.  

    Once they are learned as a child or adult, as long as they are practiced, they can be utilized throughout their lives.  They are enhancements to everything else specific you do.  Life skills are necessary components for success as an adult.  

    A person may be able to function without some of these, but these are really needed for a well-rounded, well-prepared adulthood.  

    I have identified 50 of them but I am sure there are many more.  They are not trade or professional specific but are generally needed by all of us.  The ones I consider most essential include adapting to change, goal setting, time management and problem solving.

    We bond character traits and life skills together by showing our children how to put them into practice.  

    We do this by being the example in their lives.  

    Children are imitators of adults.  

    They watch what we watch, do what we do, and say what we say.  We need to be the example of good character and life skills in order to be a more positive influence in their lives.  Then we are better able to pass these foundational values on to the generations to follow.

  • CHILDREN’S BOOKS THAT HELP BUILD CHARACTER

    CHILDREN’S BOOKS THAT HELP BUILD CHARACTER

    Are you looking for a children’s book that helps build character? The first thing to recognize is how important it is that you are searching for this topic in the first place. This means that you understand the importance of your child reading and learning about character. This is your first step in the right direction.

    Why is this more important now than ever before? In today’s world, the actions we see often on the news are a display of a lack of character. All you have to do is look at the news in any city on any given day. You see stories about riots, shootings, murders, theft, fighting, and so on… We often do not see the heartwarming stories about those who are doing good things for mankind and who show good character. Our children are being bombarded with what bad character looks like – and then given the impression that this is okay. We need to show them what good character looks like.

    But this is not an easy task for adults today. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, teacher or organization leader, there are so many negative influences that you face. Here are a few of the hindrances that keep our children from learning about good character.

    1. Fast moving information. Information is coming so fast. This includes news stories on social media. It updates minute by minute and this is a worldwide trend. Many of our youth have cell phones, which are really computers that also make phone calls. These computers are so full of negativity that they can access. They are not just to call you or text their friends. They may be seeing things that are beyond your control to review and provide guidance on first. You may not even be aware of some of the things they are seeing on their phones.
    2. Undeveloped life experiences for our youth. Information is not always accurate. Our youth do not have the life experiences to filter out what is true and what is not. What they hear and see, they often believe. They may not have the internal skills to know the difference.
    3. Unclear and rapidly developing situations. Things are happening faster than ever before. Grasping what is fully happening can be unclear, especially for our youth in negative situations. This is because of the abnormal stimuli and lack of time to process the events that are occurring around them. They may accept something negative that they would not otherwise if it had occurred in a normal timeframe.
    4. Much of information on good character and good values is at risk of being lost. There was a time when good character and values were taught in schools. It is now up to the parents, grandparents, teachers, and children’s organization leaders to teach this. It is very important that we ensure our children know these things in order to provide them better success in their future.
    5. In decades past good character was generally exemplified in everyday life. At least it was more than today. Sure, there are many people of good character around us, but in society as a whole it is not as prevalent as it was in the past. We need to search it out and show our youth what good character really looks like.

    Your children need to understand what good character really is and how to develop it. The end goal is that we want our youth to become better persons of character. It will bring them better success in their lives – both now and in the future.

    How we prepare our children for this is to teach them the foundational values that they need to know in advance. We want them to make the best decisions from their heart and not based upon peer pressure or spur of the moment thoughts. It is up to us to guide them properly and give them what they need when they are younger, in advance of needing this information in real world situations.

    Even if your children currently display good character and you teach it to them, they need to enhance it in their lives to be the best that they can be. We need to teach them how to make excellent character choices and know the difference when they recognize others are taking actions that are not of good character. Getting your children interested in learning about character is an important start for them. A great way for your children to learn about good character is to read about it and have interesting reading to catch their attention.

    Let me introduce you to a great option for the entire family. I have taught character to children and realized the importance of having a wholesome option for reading about character. I created a modern-day superhero that captures the imagination of children. After all, they like characters like Spider-Man, Batman, Captain America, and the list goes on. I created Captain Character® as a chapter book series for older children and for family reading time. It will teach them good character traits and values. Let me tell you about Captain Character®.

    CAPTAIN CHARACTER®

    In everyday life, Captain Character is Dr. Matthew Meleg, a physicist who works in research. He got zapped by a machine in his experimental laboratory, and it changed his life forever. He now has supernatural powers to know when someone is in need and get to them quickly. He has the power to capture people’s attention, cause them to freeze in their tracks with his focus, and teach them the lessons they need to learn so they can change their actions and attitudes to turn from their negative ways. Captain Character comes on the scene when his powers and abilities are needed. He teaches them lessons in character and makes real differences in their lives. The stories will capture the attention of everyone. The storylines are interesting, current, and based around a super-hero. There are two books in the series so far. “Captain Character® – The Adventure Begins” and “Captain Character® – The Legend.”

    CAPTAIN CHARACTER ®

    Both of these books are available through my main website (www.drchris.co) as well as (www.captain-character.com) at the “Books” page.  The books can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Westbow Press (the publisher) with the links within both websites.  Captain Character® merchandise is now available through the “Shop” page on the Captain Character® website.  We are selling t-shirts (adult and youth sizes), sunglasses (like he wears) and gym bags.  Now you can read his books and have official Captain Character® products to enjoy, once your children start reading Captain Character®.

    FAMILY RESOURCES

    You may find other character books for your older children, but Captain Character® is a unique resource for you.  I have added something to the Captain Character® website that is a great benefit to adults and is not available with any other superhero.  It is a Family Reading Plan that can be found on the “Resources” page.  There is an “Introduction” document that explains the family reading process.  Then, there is a document for each book, with background information and discussion questions.  You can have a family or group discussion after reading the character sections of the book.

    The national PTA website reports, “Creating a daily family reading habit gives children a boost over their peers. … Time spent reading together as a family is a long-term investment in vocabulary exposure. Family reading experiences give children the chance to ask questions about words they don’t understand, which leads to more effective reading.”

    At this time when families are spending more and more time together, reading together is increasingly important.  It shows how parents, grandparents and other adults can lead discussions around the character traits within the story.  Captain Character® brings to life real-world situations that young people and adults face today.  Reading together and discussing the story, and topics within the story, allows sharing time in which family members can speak to one another from the heart.  This allows a forum to discuss similar situations each has faced and receive parental guidance on how to handle them in the future.  Think of sitting together in the evening and taking turns reading.  Teens may want to help explain the story with you and help the younger children understand.  Being able to read about character in a family setting is a great idea for you and your children.  This format could also work for a children’s organization leader to lead discussion with a group of children.

    What Character Traits are discussed in each book?  Book #1 “The Adventure Begins” has stories centered around the character traits of respect and self-control.  Book #2 “The Legend” has stories centered around the character traits of generosity, trustworthiness, and kindness.

    YOUR CHILDREN NEED YOU

    Your children need your wisdom and direction.  There is so much that you know and have experienced already that needs to be imparted to them.  They may not know it yet and you may not understand the full importance of doing this – but it is very needed.  Think of all of your life experiences and how “if you knew then what you know now!”  You can give a glimpse of that to your children and in a great way.  Guiding our children to make good decisions is rewarding.  You will see successes in their lives and know you had a hand in it.  We want our children to be successful and every little bit of your wisdom imparted to them is key.  When you see them make wise decisions and display character, you know their lives will be more meaningful and that they will be able to be a better example to others.

     We must provide our children the best options for teaching character and Captain Character® is one of them.  Once again, these books can be found on both my main website (www.drchris.co) or the Captain Character® website (www.captain-character.com). 

    ​You can help spread the vital message of character! If you enjoyed this article would you think of 5 friends you could forward it to? Many more exciting character messages are coming your way.

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    Happy reading and family discussions!