MONTHLY ARCHIVES: September 2013

Conversation Starters: Overcoming Prejudice

Posted by Teeny

Use these discussion starters to help foster a spiritual conversation with your family.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: Our culture tends to value people based on ethnicity, gender, wealth, or ability. But God wants us to see people as He sees them—created in His image to glorify Him. We should treat others as Jesus did—with impartiality and fairness.

Concept: Overcoming Prejudice

PRESCOOL

JOHN 4:1-30

LIFE POINT: Jesus loves all people, and so should we.

  • How did Jesus show love for the woman?
  • What is a way you can show love to another person?

LIVE IT OUT: Look around your neighborhood or school. Is there a new person who needs a friend? Help your child think of some ways to make friends with this new person.

KIDS

JOHN 4:1-30

LIFE POINT: Show love and care to all people.

  • How did Jesus show love to the woman at the well?
  • Why were the disciples surprised to find Jesus talking to the woman?
  • How does the Life Verse apply to this story?

LIVE IT OUT: Challenge your child to think about the person who is most like him, maybe his best friend. Next he can think about someone he knows and interacts with who is very different from him. This week challenge him to treat both people the same.

STUDENTS

JAMES 2:1-13

THE POINT: God wants me to see people as He sees them.

  • What is a challenge you face regarding how you treat people?
  • Is there ever a reason to treat one person better than another?

Have a conversation around this quote: “By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.”1 —Dietrich Bonhoeffer

LIVE IT OUT:

Have a discussion about your student’s circle of friends.
Encourage your student to treat others fairly regardless of their social or financial background.

If you have had any experience with favoritism, racism, or prejudice in your life, share about it with your student.

1. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York, NY: SCM Press Ltd., 1959), 185.


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Conversation Starters: Temptation

Posted by Teeny

Use these discussion starters to help foster a spiritual conversation with your family.

The Bible Meets Life: Temptation is a reality for all of us. Even Jesus was tempted. We can’t avoid it, but we don’t have to give in to it. The Book of James helps us understand that God does not tempt us, but He will provide a way to resist temptation. Because of the work Christ has done on our behalf, we can see temptation for what it is and through Him we can overcome any temptation.

Concept: Temptation

PRESCHOOL

MATTHEW 5:1-3; 6:25-34

LIFE POINT: God provides for us.

  • What are some ways God provides for you?
  • How can you thank God for providing you the things you need, such as the Bible?
  • How does the Bible help you make good choices?

LIVE IT OUT: Look around your house, and help your child name all the things that God provides for her, such as the Bible, food, clothes, and water to drink. Pray, thanking God for giving us the Bible to help us make good choices. Thank God for giving us Jesus, who died for us and who forgives us when we make bad choices.

KIDS

MATTHEW 4:1-11

LIFE POINT: Resist temptation by following Jesus’ example.

  • How did Jesus respond when the Devil tempted Him to sin?
  • What are some ways that you are tempted?
  • Can you think of a verse that will help you when you are tempted?

LIVE IT OUT: Help your child list several temptations she faces regularly. Talk about what her response will be when faced with those challenges this week. Remind her to use James 1:2-3 to remember that temptations can be turned around to produce good. Recognize that Jesus was tempted just as we are, yet He never sinned. Thank Him for His perfect life and for His death in our place.

STUDENTS

JAMES 1:13-18

THE POINT: God won’t tempt me, but He will provide a way to resist temptation.

  • What leads to temptation?
  • Do you have any questions for me about how I face temptation?
  • What can I do to help you with the things that tempt you?

Have a conversation around this quote: “Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is.”1 —C. S. Lewis

Ask your student to recite memorize a verse and recite it to you during the week.
Memorize the verse with your student.
Encourage your student to find an accountability partner.
If you have had a positive accountability partner experience, share it with your student.

1. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1980), 142.


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Conversation Starter: Good Attitudes

Posted by Teeny

Use these discussion starters to help foster a spiritual conversation with your family.

Life is filled with struggles. Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “When life gives you a lemon, just make lemonade,” but that’s a lot easier said than done. When you’re going through a trial in your life, the last thing you want to hear is a cheesy saying. You need real help and a real understanding of God’s purpose for your struggle. In the Book of James, we discover how, through Christ, we can overcome our trials and turn them into joy.

Concept: Good Attitudes

PRESCHOOL
Matthew 5:1-12

Life Point: We can trust God.

  • What are some ways that Jesus showed kindness to people?
  • Who is kind to you?
  • How can you show kindness to other people?

Live it out: Think of different reactions to scenarios your child has faced. Tell those reactions to your preschooler, and ask him to say whether each action shows a good attitude or a bad attitude. Help your child think about how Jesus was kind. Talk together about one person he can show kindness to. Help him think of a way to show kindness to someone and to carry it out.

KIDS
Matthew 5:1-12

Life Point: Keep a good attitude at all times.

  • Why did Jesus say you should be blessed when people persecute you?
  • Are you ever teased because of your Christian beliefs?

Live it out: Sit down with your child, and make a list of attitudes, both good and bad. Ask your child to draw a facial expression that a person with each of those attitudes might have. Remind your child this week that when he faces a problem to ask himself what he thinks Jesus’ attitude would be when dealing with that problem.

STUDENTS
James 1:1-4

The Point: Joyful trust in God will get you through any trial.

  • What’s a struggle we’ve faced together as a family?
  • Are you struggling with anything right now I can help you with?

Discuss the following quote: “You can’t always control circumstances. However, you can always control your attitude, approach, and response.”1 —Tony Dungy

Live it out:

Remind your student that God uses trials for our good.
Help your student think of the best way to respond to specific trials he or she may face.

Tell your student about how God has strengthened you through trials.

1. Tony Dungy, Whitaker, Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2007), 16.


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