Kids Blog #16 - The Travels of Paul

“From One Person to the Next ”

This week we read in Acts about the first missionary journey! When I was younger, the church my family attended supported a missionary family that lived and shared God’s love in Guyana (in South America). They would come to our church once a year and share with us a slide show and stories of how God was changing the hearts and lives of the people in the churches and schools that they worked in. I looked forward to their visits – I loved seeing their pictures and hearing their stories! I remember praying several times during those years, “God, if you want me to go to Guyana, or somewhere else far away, to tell others about you – I’ll go.”

God hasn’t asked me to go to Guyana, but He has given me the privilege of working at Southbrook Church and being a part of leading kids on a journey to know Jesus and make Him known each week in The Cove – I’m so thankful for that!

God has asked each one of us to share His love and truth with others – whether it’s in a far away country or right here in our schools and neighborhoods. God’s message of love and forgiveness needs to be passed on from one person to the next – it’s as easy as talking with your friends and family about what God is doing in your life today. How is He answering your prayers, how is He providing for your family, how is He helping you when you feel afraid or lonely, how does He get your attention when you’ve sinned and how do you feel after you’ve asked for forgiveness? You can be a “missionary” when you share those things with friends in your classroom or at the neighborhood park.

Do you tell others about Jesus or do you think that’s someone else’s job? Take some time to talk with your family about ways that you can tell others about Jesus. Think about what friends or family members you could talk with and take turns “practicing” what you might say to them.

This week, I’m praying that you will take the time to talk about what God is doing in your life. Let’s all do our part and pass God’s message of love and forgiveness from one person to the next!

Kids Blog #15 - The Church is Born

“The Church Is Born”

We read this week about the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit was given to the people who trusted in Jesus Christ on that day, so that they could go and tell others with the power of God at work in them. On that day, they all spoke in their own languages, sharing the message of Jesus and worshipping God together. Can you imagine what it would be like to hear all of those languages at the same time? To me, it would sound like a lot of buzzing noise. I only speak one language – English.

One of the amazing things about God is that He understands every language around the world. Incredible, huh? In fact, he hears the prayers of Christians in China and Germany and Brazil and Mexico with the same love and care as He shows us!

Today, let’s remember that we serve the God of ALL creation. He knows everything about us and can speak every language. Take a few minutes to say out loud the name of Jesus in each of these languages and remember that He is the God of every nation.

Nante koto da – Japan

Hay-soos – Spain

Lisus – Russian

Yeshua – Hebrew

Jezoo – Italian

Yesu- Welsh and Swahili

Lisa – Turkish

Al Maseeh – Arabic

Yesu-nim – Korean

Kids Blog #14 - The Cross of Christ

“God’s Perfect Gift to Us”

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! What a perfect time for us to give thanks for the gift that God gave to us – His perfect son, Jesus! As a family, give thanks for the price that Jesus paid for each of our sins – so that we can have a relationship with Him that will last forever!

It may seem a little strange to make Easter Story Cookies in the month of November, but anytime is a perfect time to remember as a family what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Easter Story Cookies
You will need:
1 c. of whole pecans
1 tsp. of vinegar
3 eggs – just the whites
1 pinch of salt
1 c. of sugar

A zipper baggie, a wooden spoon, a mixer and mixing bowl, wax paper, a cookie sheet, a piece of tape and a Bible.

Preheat oven to 300 – It is important to do this before you start the recipe!

Place pecans in the baggie and beat them with the wooden spoon to break them into small pieces. Read John 19:1-3 After Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

Smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp of vinegar into a mixing bowl. Read John 19:28-30 When Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink.

Add the egg whites to vinegar. Read John 10:10 Eggs represent life. Jesus gave His life to give us life.

Sprinkle a little salt into your hand and taste it. Add the rest to the bowl. Read Luke 23:27 This represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers and the bitterness of our own sin.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1c. of sugar. Read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16 The sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 mins. until stiff peaks are formed. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3 The color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Read Matt 27:57-60 Each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Take the piece of tape and seal the oven door. Read Matt 27:65-66 Jesus’ tomb was sealed.

Go to Bed! Read John 16:20 and 22 You may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

The next morning…open the oven door and share the cookies. Read Matt 28:1-9 Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On that first Easter, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Remember and give thanks that Jesus lives!

Kids Blog #13 - The Miracle of Jesus

“God’s Power in You”

Jesus healed people everywhere he went. He gave blind people their sight back, healed sick people, made people who couldn’t walk well, and even made people who were dead alive again! Wow! That’s incredible. When we read about the miracles of Jesus this week, we can remember that we serve a powerful God who sent His son to love the people that were hardest to love and to die for you and me!

But have you ever thought about that same power of God being in you and me? The Bible says it is true. In Ephesians 3, Paul tells us, “Out of His glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” If you have told Jesus you want to follow Him and you believe He died for you, then His spirit is at work in your heart. And the same power that quieted storms and had power over death, is at work in your heart.

Pray as a family and ask God to give you courage to ask Him for strength and power so that you can “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled with the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19)

Miss Heidi

Kids Blog #12 - Love in Motion

“Love in Motion”

The teachings of Jesus have 2 basic Big Ideas: Love God and Love Others. What better place to start showing love than in our homes. Here are some quick, simple things that you can add into your family’s daily routines that will put love in motion at your house!

Love in Motion:

1. Make an effort to pray as a family each day – in the morning before work and school, after dinner or before bed.
2. Make an acrostic of each family member’s name – each letter begins a word or phrase that describes an admirable characteristic of that family member. Post this on your refrigerator for all to see!
3. Have a secret “I love you” signal such as 3 squeezes of the hand, touching the tip of your nose or maybe a V-sign with your fingers.
4. Surprise someone in your family with breakfast in bed (moms especially love this!)
5. Invest in a joke book and learn how to make each other laugh!
6. Make a game of outdoing each other in the “I love you more than…” statements.
7. Do a family member’s chores without being asked.
8. Hug, Hug, Hug - you’re never too old (or cool) for a family hug!
9. Haul out the family photo album and reminisce about good memories your family has made.
10. Make some new family memories this week: Have a squirt gun fight, play a game of family Frisbee or have a bonfire and roast marshmallows.

Let’s put love in motion in our families! When our homes are filled with fun, laughter and love, our neighbors and friends will take notice – they may even ask you, “What makes your family so great?” Then you will have a chance to share with them why you Love God and Love Others!

Kids Blog #11 - “What Color is Christmas?”

Parent tip: As you read the poem, provide a blank piece of white paper for your child(ren) and draw (you or them) twelve small circles on the page to color in during the story. Get crayons out for your children so they can color in each circle as you mention it. This will keep little hands busy and help them focus on the story of the birth of Jesus.

Green is for “go”. This is where we begin: In a green garden before there was sin. [Draw] a green pear and a snake, if you can. From the beginning God has a great plan.

Purple’s for evening. The sky’s growing dark. Purple is floodwater tossing an ark. [Draw] a storm cloud that brings so much rain. Grapes show that life can start over again.

Red is for stop, but we should not delay. God saves his people from Egypt today. [Draw] a bush that burns bright as can be. Then your search ends when you cross a red sea.

Yellow is bright like the sun when it shines. David was king in the brightest of times. Yellow’s the crown on a mighty king’s head. Yellow’s the color of wheat and of bread.

Black is the night. It is so hard to see All of the promises God said would be. [Can you draw an] inkwell? The prophets will write, “People in darkness have seen a great light.”

Silver is valuable: precious to hold. Silver-haired people might seem much too old. But here’s a halo to show the good news: God’s precious gift is for each one of you.

Orange is for oranges, and other orange treats. Also for honey: a sweet thing to eat. Out in the desert a man points the way, Just like a sign that reads, “Prepare the way!”

Pink is the color of love and of joy. Light a pink candle and wait for the boy. Make your heart ready – a warm, welcome place To house the Savior: the gift of God’s grace.

Brown is for Joseph, so steadfast and true. His brown tools [remind us he worked hard too]. Just like the donkey which carried the Lord, Joseph was humble and followed the Lord.

White is the color so clear and so bright. Think of the angel who flew down one night. Those fearful shepherds were happy to see God’s spotless Lamb born for you and for me.

Gold is the light of a bright shining star. Wise men came searching from countries afar. Gold was a present those magi did bring: Three gifts to show that this child was their king.

What color is Christmas? Well, what have you seen? Red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and green. God kept the promise made so long ago. The answer is Jesus – our Christmas rainbow!

The above poem is an excerpt taken from a phenomenal devotional book for families that I use with my own kids every year at Christmas time. The title is “What Color is Christmas”. It is a “seek-and-find” picture book and breaks down the colors for a daily look at the story of Jesus’ birth, with a bible reference for each day that children find in the seek-and-find puzzles. I highly recommend it! You can buy the book at the following link, if you are interested:

http://protestant.creativecommunications.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=DYH

Miss Heidi