MONTHLY ARCHIVES: February 2017

Conversation Starters: Transformed in My Plans

Posted by Karah

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: Worry is never healthy, yet so many of us engage in it. Worry affects our appetites, relationships, sleep, and our ability to work. Regardless of the level worry plays in our lives, a pat response like “Don’t worry; be happy” just doesn’t cut it. Jesus gives us the solution to worry, and it’s a call to trust fully God’s care and provision.

Concept: Transformed in My Plans

Preschool

2 Kings 4:8-37

LIFE POINT: Elisha was one of God’s special helpers. He walked from town to town telling people about God. Elisha often went to a town called Shunem. There he met a woman. She knew that Elisha told people about God. She invited Elisha to eat with her and her husband. Every time Elisha went to Shunem, he ate at the woman’s house. One day the woman said to her husband, “Let’s build a room for Elisha. He can stay here when he comes to town.” The woman and her husband built the room on the roof of their house. Inside the room they placed a bed, table, lamp, and chair. When Elisha returned to Shunem, the woman and her husband showed Elisha the new room they had built for him. Now Elisha
had a special place to rest when he came to town. Elisha knew the woman and her husband were his friends.

LIVE IT OUT: Encourage your child to help around the house. Assign duties that correspond to his age.
Thank him often for helping. Say: “When you help, you are doing what the Bible says.”

Kids

2 Kings 4:8-37

LIFE POINT: A woman said to her husband, “I know Elisha is a man of God. Let’s make him a room. We can put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it. When he comes to town, he can stay in the room.” The couple built the room on the roof of their house. One day when Elisha came to stay he asked the woman, “What can I do for you? You have done so much for me!” The woman did not ask for anything. Elisha’s servant reminded Elisha that she had no son. So Elisha promised the woman a son. The woman had a baby boy. He grew and went into the fields with his father. One day, the boy felt sick. The father sent him
home. When the boy got home, he grew worse and died. The woman brought Elisha to her home. Elisha prayed over the boy. Suddenly, the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes! “Here is your son!” Elisha told the woman.

LIVE IT OUT: Choose a person in your church or neighborhood who needs help. Lead your child in
planning a way to help this person, whether it is by taking them a meal, doing yard work, or other loving
action. Remind your child that another way to worship God is by helping others.

Students

Matthew 6:25-34

THE POINT: Faith in God to provide all I need opposes worry. What are your biggest worries? How do we know when we’ve crossed the line from reasonable concern to harmful worry? How do you feel when you think about how well God knows you? Discuss the following quote:

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”1 —Corrie ten Boom

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

If he or she plans to complete Stress Reliever:
• Help your student this week to go beyond reading scripture, and instead engage with God’s Word and
wisdom for us.

If he or she plans to complete the Daily Reading:
• Take time to discuss your student’s scripture readings from this week.

1. Corrie ten Boom, Clippings from My Notebook (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).

 


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Conversation Starters: Transformed in My Priorities

Posted by Karah

archeryTHE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: We are physical beings, and we live in a physical world. It’s natural, then, that we fill our lives with physical objects. We seek to possess things, but those things have a way of possessing us. Jesus calls us to seek a different type of treasure: treasures that last beyond this physical life. When we focus on God and follow Him, we find and invest in far greater treasures.

Concept: Transformed in My Priorities

Preschool

1 Kings 17:8-24

LIFE POINT: Elijah was one of God’s helpers. God took care of Elijah. God sent him to live by a stream where he could drink water. God gave Elijah food to eat. No rain had fallen for a long time. One day the stream dried up. God told Elijah to go to a town. A woman would help him. When Elijah got to the town, a woman was gathering sticks to build a fire. “Would you bring me some water?” Elijah asked. “And
please bring me some bread.” The woman said, “I only have a little bit of flour and oil to make bread for my son and myself.” Elijah said, “Go home and make some bread for me. Then make some bread for you and your son. You will have enough flour and oil until God sends rain.” The flour and oil were not used up, just as God promised

LIVE IT OUT: Fold two pieces of paper in half to make a book. Print on the front the words God Loves
People. Print on other pages the names of people your child knows. Include your child’s name on one
page. Find pictures of each person and help her glue each picture by the name.

Kids

1 Kings 17:8-24

LIFE POINT: God told Elijah to go to a certain town. God had told a widow there to care for him. Elijah trusted God. He went to the town. He saw a widow getting wood for a fire. He asked, “Will you bring me a drink of water and some bread?” The widow replied, “I don’t have any bread. I have only a little flour and a little oil. After I feed my son one time, we will die.” Elijah said. “Bake your bread. Bring me a small loaf. God told me that your flour jar and oil jug will not empty. ” The widow made the bread. She gave some to Elijah. She and her son also ate. Day after day, there was enough. Later, the son became ill and died. Elijah took the boy to his room. He prayed and prayed. God made the boy live again. Elijah handed the son back to the widow. He said, “Your son is alive!”

LIVE IT OUT: With your child make a list of all the good things you have as a family. Include more than just material things. Remind your child that God provides things we need and we can trust Him to always care for us.

Students

Matthew 6:19-24

THE POINT: Your relationship with God is the only thing that will last. What are your most valuable
possessions? What sign do we see in our lives when we lose our spiritual focus? When have you felt the tension of trying to serve two masters? Discuss the following quote:

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”1 —Jim Elliot

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

If he or she plans to complete You’re Number One:
• Dicuss with your student ways they can make Christ a priority in every aspect of his or her life.
• Pray over these activities with your student and eliminate any that do not place Christ in the center of
his or her life.

If he or she plans to complete the Daily Reading:
• Take time to discuss your student’s scripture readings from this week.

1. https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2125255.Jim_Elliot


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Protecting Children’s Privacy Online

Posted by Karah

img_6136Back in 2009 when Ridgecrest Summer Camps first began our Parent Blog, we posted about several ways you can create a cybersafe home. “This generation of parents is the first to face the challenge of helping our children make the most of their virtual space while keeping them safe in it.” (1) This rings more truly today than it did 8 years ago.

The world has rapidly changed since then, and the dangers of online activity apply to more than just what your child searches on the internet. Online bullying, predators, and in-app advertisements are one click away from accessing information about internet users, especially children. Comparitech is an online blog that has recently posted steps you can take to block unwanted contact and advertisements from the websites and apps your child might use. Since we at Ridgecrest Summer Camps want to continue partnering with you the parent as you invest in your child, we are pointing you to some professionals regarding these touchy issues.

This link will take you to a very informative blog posted by Comparitech in 2016. This guide is slightly different because it tackles the issue of online privacy which can span not only protecting children from online predators but also things like preventing identity theft (the FTC estimates that close to 3.5m children have had their SS number stolen for example) and ways to minimize the risks of the household computer becoming compromised. Take the time to read this blog and hear what the professionals have to say.

“Protecting Children’s Privacy Online- A Guide for Parents, Carers, and Educators”

https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/protecting-childrens-privacy/

 

Feel free to refresh your memory on other ways to create a cybersafe home that can still be applicable today. To access the blog posted by Ridgecrest Summer Camps in 2009, click the link here!http://parentsblog.ridgecrestcamps.com/tag/cybersafe-home/

 

(1) http://parentsblog.ridgecrestcamps.com/tag/cybersafe-home/ 


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Conversation Starters: Transformed in My Prayer

Posted by Karah

img_6510THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: Perhaps the most well-known prayer is the one commonly called The Lord’s Prayer. Even people with nominal faith will recite this prayer in times of distress or as an act of piety. As “common” as this prayer is, it may also be the most misunderstood prayer. People typically go to God simply because they need something, but the model prayer Jesus gave us does not begin with us and our needs; it begins with a focus on God and His glory.

Concept: Transformed in My Prayer

Preschool

1 Kings 8

LIFE POINT: The temple in Jerusalem was finished. King Solomon, who was in charge of having the temple built, planned a time of celebration and invited all of Israel. People came from far and wide to see this new building where the Israelite people could worship God. The celebration lasted for seven days. To begin this happy time, all of the church helpers carried the ark into a very special place in the temple. The ark was a large box that held the Ten Commandments. Everyone was excited. King Solomon prayed to God and thanked Him for keeping His promises. He asked God to help them obey God and keep God’s
rules. King Solomon told God that they were sorry for the times when they made wrong choices. After 14 days of celebration, all of the Israelites went home.

LIVE IT OUT: Ask your child to name things he does at church. Give him paper and crayons, and guide him to draw a picture of his favorite things to do at church. Pray and thank God for your church.

Kids

1 Kings 8

LIFE POINT: King Solomon gathered the people. The priests carried the ark and the other worship articles to the new temple. When the priests came out, a cloud filled the temple. King Solomon said, “I built this temple for You, God.” Then the king turned to the people. He told them that his father David
wanted to build the temple. God’s plan instead was for David’s son, Solomon, to build it. Now King Solomon had built temple. The king prayed. “There is no God like You anywhere. Please hear my prayer. Please hear the prayers of Your people.” The king praised God for keeping His promises. He told God that he wanted to keep God’s commands and wanted the people to keep them, too. The people gave offerings to God. Solomon and all the people held a festival for 14 days. Then they went home full of joy.

LIVE IT OUT: Help your child plan a family worship time. Discuss songs you might sing and Bible verses you might read. If your church allows children to participate in leading worship or has a children’s choir, encourage your child to take part.

Students

Matthew 6:9-15

THE POINT: Prayer is grounded in a desire to honor God. What do you find most difficult about praying? How would you explain Jesus’ prayer to someone who has never heard it? Discuss the following quote:

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” 1 —Oswald Chambers

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

If he or she plans to complete Prayer in the Real World:
• Talk with your student about how to pray this week. Begin each prayer session with a thankful heart that desires to complete God’s work.

If he or she plans to complete the Daily Reading:
• Take time to discuss your student’s scripture readings from this week.

1. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/17304-prayer-does-not-fit-us-for-the-greater-work-prayer


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