MONTHLY ARCHIVES: January 2015

Conversation Starters: God’s Protection

Posted by Karah

DSC_0980A Study in the Psalms

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: We do all we can to protect ourselves and people we love from
danger. Nothing we do actually guarantees protection. As a result, we can live in constant fear, or we can adopt an “I’m not afraid of anything” attitude. The Bible, however, offers us a more complete choice: to trust God and His protection.

Psalm 91:1-4, 9-11, 14-16 

Preschool

Luke 15

LIFE POINT: Jesus was talking to people about God’s love. Jesus told three stories, or parables. First Jesus told about a lost sheep. Jesus said, “If you have one hundred sheep and one gets lost, you will go find it. You will call your friends and have a party because you found your sheep. In the same way, God and all of heaven will be happy when people decide to love and follow Him.” Next Jesus told about a lost coin. Jesus said, “Suppose a
woman has ten coins and loses one. She will light a lamp and look everywhere for it. She will call her friends together and say, ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Even more so, God and all of heaven is happy when people decide to love and follow God.” The third parable was about the lost son. Jesus wanted people to know that God and all of heaven celebrates when people decide to love and follow God.

LIVE IT OUT: Involve your preschooler in using the Bible. Let him turn the pages. Point out where certain verses are found. Point to the name Jesus. Help him to learn that
the Bible is a book for him.

Kids

Luke 15

LIFE POINT: Jesus told three stories, or parables, to teach the Pharisees how
God felt about sinners. Jesus asked, “If you had 100 sheep and one was lost, wouldn’t
you look for the lost one? When the sheep is found, you would call your friends. You would say, ‘Rejoice with me! I found my lost sheep!’ Heaven is excited when one sinner turns from sin!” Then Jesus told about a woman who had 10 silver coins. When
she lost one, she searched carefully everywhere until she found it. She was excited and called her friends and neighbors to share the good news. Jesus explained that God’s angels are even more joyful when a sinner turns from his sin! Finally, Jesus told the third parable about the lost son. The father was happy his son came home. The father told his older son, “We must celebrate. We must rejoice. Your brother is found!”

LIVE IT OUT: Talk to your child about how you protect him. Help him think of ways God protects him. Thank God for that protection.

Students

Psalm 91:1-4, 9-11, 14-16

THE POINT: A close relationship to God is my ultimate protection. How has God protected you in your life? Share with your student a specific time when you trusted God to protect you. Discuss the following quote:

“There are no ‘if’s’ in God’s world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety – let us pray that we may always know it!”1 —Corrie Ten Boom

LIVE IT OUT: Your student has been encouraged to do the Live It Out activity. Here are some suggested ways to help your student:

If your student plans to complete Faithful Protector:

• Memorize 2 Thessalonians 3:3 with your student.
• Share with your student how the Lord has been faithful
in your own life.

1. “Corrie Ten Boom Quotes,” Goodreads.com, [cited 7 May 2014]. Available from the Internet: https:// www.goodreads.com.

 


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Conversation Starters: Difficult Circumstances

Posted by Karah

IMG_1190A STUDY IN THE PSALMS 

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: We can often feel overwhelmed and let our circumstances get us down. Some of the most confusing times of our lives can be when we don’t know what to do. In the Bible, we read the words of the psalmist, who also experienced a down time, but his words give us encouragement by pointing to the God who is above our circumstances.

Psalm 42:1-3, 6-8; 43:3-5 

Preschool

Matthew 2:1-12

LIFE POINT: After Jesus was born, wise men came to Jerusalem. “Where is the special baby that was born? We saw a star that rose after He was born,” they said. “We have come to worship Him. He is God’s Son.” The king heard about the men who were looking for a special baby. The king asked the priests to find out where this happened. The priests
studied the Bible and said, “The baby was born in Bethlehem.” The king told the wise men, “Go to Bethlehem to find the child. When you find Him, tell me where He is. I want to worship Him also.” The wise men left Jerusalem. As they traveled to Bethlehem, they saw
the star they had followed. It was shining over the place where Jesus was. They were very happy! They went into the house and saw Jesus with His mother, Mary. They worshiped Jesus. The wise men gave Jesus special gifts–gold, frankincense, and myrrh. God warned the wise men in a dream to not return to the king. So they returned home a different way.

LIVE IT OUT: Use your time driving in the car to play worship music and sing. Encourage your child to sing along, too.

Kids

Matthew 2:1-12

LIFE POINT: During the reign of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem. “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw a star that rose after He was born,” they said. “We have come to worship Him. ” King Herod was upset. He was the king! Herod’s advisers told him about Micah’s prophecy that t Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. King Herod sent the men to Bethlehem. “When you find this child,
come tell me so that I can worship Him, too.” The star led the men into Bethlehem and stopped above the very place where Jesus and His family stayed. The wise men saw Jesus with Mary. They fell to their knees and worshiped Jesus. They presented Him with gifts: treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. After being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, the wise men returned to their own country by another route.

LIVE IT OUT: Help your child find the following verses in the Bible: John 16:33, Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37:7, and Hosea 12:6. Discuss how these verses speak about God’s
encouragement.

Students

Psalm 42:1-3, 6-8; 43:3-5

THE POINT: You can trust God when you don’t know what to do. Talk to your student about a time in your life when you had to trust that God was above your circumstances.
What did you learn about God’s character during this time? Discuss the following quote:

“Don’t trust to hold God’s hand; let Him hold yours. Let Him do the holding, and you the trusting.”1 —Hammer William Webb-Peploe

LIVE IT OUT: Your student has been encouraged to do one or both Live It Out activities. Here are some suggested ways to help your student:

If your student plans to complete Written Word:
• Encourage your student to look to Scripture when feeling discouraged.
• Suggest Scriptures to your student that you find encouraging.

If your student plans to complete Forward Thinking:
• Help your student find creative ways to encourage others this week.
• Pray for your student to be an encouragement to the people around him or her.

1. SearchQuotes.com, [cited 2 May 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.searchquotes.com.

 


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