He's Here!

If you are an avid reader of the Loop, then you may have seen that I suggested the nativity story from the Jesus Storybook Bible entitled "He's Here!". Well, the Bible was recently recorded into an audio version and they made this clip as well. When I saw this, I was so so excited.. I hope you are just as excited to see this. Enjoy!

Advent activities

Hope you've had a great first week of Advent :) I also hope that you have found a devotional to study with your family during the Christmas season. (If not, let us help you find one!) Here are a few ideas for your family as you continue to celebrate Advent:

• Create your own Advent calendar..it's not too late! You just might have to play catch up. Get small envelopes for each day leading up to Christmas and have your child decorate each envelope. Get little trinkets or stickers to put in each day. As they get their 'present' out of the envelope, have them say one thing they love about Jesus.
• Think of short but fun activities you could do with your children each day. Activities like making Christmas cookies for your neighbors or even donating extra clothing to Samaritan's Inn are great ways to bond with your children. These are easy ways to be able to talk about Jesus being the reason for the season.
• Go to the library and read some Christmas books. There are some suggestions in this month's Loop (hint, hint). Ask your children to retell you the story and take that opportunity to teach them the significance of Jesus' birth.

Any other suggestions for ideas or activities? Feel free to post a comment here or on our Facebook page.

Praying that you have a blessed time with your family and your Heavenly Father!

Why Advent?

Depending on what church you went to growing up, you may have not celebrated Advent during the holiday season. So it begs the question, "Why celebrate Advent?"

Advent means 'coming' or 'arrival'. The spirit of Advent is waiting the arrival of the coming Messiah. Jordan found a wonderful Advent study that you can do with your family. It has references to the Jesus Storybook Bible as well so your children can participate. This is a great way to study the birth of our Savior and create the sense of anticipation for His return.

To download this study, go here. Thanks to Christ the King Presbyterian Church for this great devotional.

Check in and our Facebook page for more ideas as we continue to celebrate Advent!

Did you know....

...that Providence Kids has a Facebook page?! Well you do now!

That, as well as the blog, will be updated with devotional ideas, announcements and the like. Its also a great place to get updates on the new building as we need more wo/manpower and donations to help us move the mission forward! Speaking of which..

Many people have been asking ways they can serve. First of all, thank you! We are blessed to have people in our body that have a heart to serve. There are a few ways to help us out in this awesome but kinda crazy transition. The first way is this:

On Saturday, December 5th, from 4-5:30, we will be doing a donation drive to help outfit the classrooms at our new location. There is a list at our Facebook page of items to donate. Please comment on the discussion board there or email one of us if you have additional items not included on the list.

So while you are wasting time on facebook at work (shame on you), then check out our page! Post some new discussion board topics and get the ball rolling.

Table Talk for Elementary Students

Here are some ways to do "Table Talk" i.e. bring up what they learned that morning to the table over Sunday lunch. Reinforcing what they were just taught will help greatly with retention and comprehension of fundamental truths.

The elementary class are learning about the early church in Acts, more specifically Ananias and Sapphira. To brush up on your church history, go here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%205&version=ESV

Some great questions to ask your children:

: What was the big mistake did Ananias and Sapphira make?

(They deceived the apostles on purpose. They made it look like they gave all their money, just like Barnabas did, so they could look like good people. Instead, they kept part of the money just in case they needed it. They didn't trust the leadership of the apostles to provide for all their needs.)

: Do you think they were forced to sell their land to give away all their money? Maybe that's why they felt they had to keep some of the money for themselves....?

(No because it says in Acts 4:34 that "from time to time" landowners sold their land. It never says that it was a requirement for them to give everything. It was a way to be generous, to bless the church and to worship God. Ananias and Sapphira didn't do these things and were punished for it.)


The verse they studied for this lesson was:

1 Samuel 16:7

"...The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Talk about what that means when it comes to motives, how they treat their friends and family, etc. Get a dry erase marker and write it on their mirror so they can see it every day this week. Hiding, or memorizing, Scripture in their heart is a great way to be restored and renewed. Talk with your child about other ways your family can work on their hearts this week.


See you Sunday!

Table Talk for Preschoolers

The 2's through 1st grade classrooms are learning about Naaman (2 Kings 5). If you need a refresher on that story, it is here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20kings%205&version=ESV

Some great questions to ask your child (and answers for you to give) while sitting around eating lunch or even on your way home from church:


: Who healed Naaman?

(God! Elisha helped because he was obedient to God. He received the blessing of being a part of God's work in Naaman's life.. pretty cool!)

: What can we learn from the story of Naaman and Elisha?

(Naaman didn't trust at first. In fact, he was angry that Elisha didn't just wave his hand and cure him. It was delayed obedience. How much more blessing he could've received [being healed more quickly, joy in God] if he had been obedient in the first place!)

(Remember, it was the idea of a little girl in the beginning to have Elisha help cure Naaman. Our big and mighty God used a child, just like you, to help do His work in Naaman. How exciting! God can use us if we are willing for Him to use us!)

Activities

: Make cookies with gingerbread man cookie cutters. Decorate them with your child, making some of the cookies Naaman before being healed and some after he was healed.

: Get those circular labels and let your child act out being Naaman! After lunch, let them put the stickers all over their face and arms and they can tell your family the story of Naaman. They can even jump behind the couch to "wash in the river" (take off all the stickers) and be cured by God!

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What do you think? Is Table Talk something you'd utilize in your Sunday routine? Let us know! Post a comment or links to additional resources.

See you on Sunday!

Noah's Mugs

When Amanda first told me about this website for Noah's Mugs, I thought it was absolutely precious - mugs with pictures of flowers, castles and bears drawn by a child. How could you not fall in love with these cute mugs? Even better, it is a business "run" by Noah, a 6 year old who wants to send the proceeds over to Africa to help provide families with clean water. To see families in our community making intentional efforts to change the world is incredibly encouraging to me. Think it's too difficult to make a real difference? Think again.

Check out how you can make an impact - go to www.noahsmugs.com.