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.
Please take time to talk through each question with your child during the course of the Gideon unit.
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27
Why do you think your teachers chose this verse to go along with the story of Gideon?
Gideon was not an exceptionally brave or courageous man. In fact, all throughout his story, he doubts God, and over and over asks for proof that God will do what He has promised. When we look at Gideon, we can see that often times, He was foolish in his unbelief and weak in his faith. But God was so patient with Him! God used this weak and foolish man to defeat His enemies.
How can this verse encourage us?
Just like God used Gideon, an average man, to do great things, so too can He use us to accomplish great things for His Kingdom. Even as a child, God can use you to help, serve, encourage and bless others. God can also use you to help others understand the truth of His greatness!
How can this verse challenge us?
When we think we have everything figured out, or when we assume we know what God wants or what is best, we would do well to remember that when we think we are wise, foolish things may shame us. Or when we think we are strong and don’t need God’s help, He may send weak things to humble us and remind us that He is in control, not us.
How does this verse point us to Jesus?
When Jesus came into the world as a baby, people were expecting a King. Christ was the Messiah, the Savior sent to rescue the people, but many didn’t recognize Him as such because He was a humble, quiet, poor teacher. The very smart thought Him foolish and the very strong thought Him weak. And yet this same man was God the Son, who died on the cross to purchase forgiveness for sin.
Memory Verse Activities:
Put the verse to the tune of a favorite song.
Choose a picture to represent each word and illustrate the verse. Make your illustration into a placemat or book cover.
Write your memory verse on the bathroom mirror in erasable marker and read it each morning and evening as you get ready.
Create real-life scenarios where you can see this verse in action and act them out for the family.
Your child began learning the story of Gideon today. Gideon’s story is found in Judges 6-8. Here are some discussion topics and activity ideas to go along with this week’s lesson.
Talking Points
What are our “other gods”? At the beginning of our story, God is punishing the Israelite people because they turned from Him to worship other Gods. They turned from Him because they lived in a place where people worshipped many different gods – gods of money or health or business. The Israelite people worshipped these other gods because they hoped they could get something from them. These days, we probably won’t decide to worship the god of rain, but we do chose to love things more than God. What are some things we may be tempted by our culture to love more? (money, success, people, fame, comfort, etc)
How do we respond when God chooses us for big things? God chose Gideon to lead the army of Israel into battle against the Midianites. Gideon didn’t believe that God would really want to use him in such a big way. Gideon was afraid and doubted that he was the right man for the job. He lacked confidence his ability to do what God wanted him to do. Essentially, Gideon kept asking, “Really, God? Me? Are you sure?” Do you ever doubt that God has a big job for you – like telling a friend or family member the message of Jesus, or standing up for someone when you see that they are wronged?
What can we learn about God from this story? God chose a simple man to do a big work. He did that because God doesn’t need our power or strength or intelligence. Everything God does He can do without our help. He chooses to allow us to be a part of His great plans so that He can bless us and bring us joy. Gideon doubted and God showed him grace – over and over again. What does God’s response to Gideon’s reaction tell us about His character?
How does this story point us to Jesus? As we’ll continue to see throughout Gideon’s story, God works through this man to accomplish great things. Gideon goes from being a weak, scared and faithless man to being a man who leads his people to victory. God does a huge work in his life and heart. So too does He do a huge work in our life and heart when we decide to love and trust Christ. We can see how faith changes a person and how God rewards that faith. When we love and trust Jesus, He will begin to make us into the person he wants to be, a person who can go from fearful and ashamed, to courageous and obedient.
Activities • Act out the interactions between the angel of the Lord and Gideon in the first half of Judges 6. • Draw pictures of the miracles God has already accomplished for the Israelite people. • Have your child retell the story of the Israelite people and the first part of Gideon’s story in his own words.
These are available at the check-in desk, too! Please grab one on Sunday!
Preschool Take-home August 2009
This month we are learning all about Creation! We will be talking about God's wonderful act of creating the heavens and the earth, as well as how sin entered the world and touched everything with it’s sickness.
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD from the heavens,
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.
Psalm 145:1-8
Creation
This unit is such a fun one to study. Creation is a part of our everyday life - it's all around us. Take some time to explore this with your family!
Talk about things you are grateful that God has created and, in turn, blessed you with!
How would life be different if God created us differently - what if we had our hands where our feet are? What if we didn't have ears? God is a perfect Creator… there's a reason we don't walk on our hands!
Go for a walk with your child. See how many things your child can point out that God has created. You can even talk about why some of these things exist i.e. trees to provide us oxygen, flowers to provide pollen for insects, etc. These things all provide a purpose but they are beautiful as well. What a wonderful and creative God we serve!
The Fall
The story of Creation and the Fall is such an important part of the story of humanity. It shows that left to our own devices, we will give into our desires, not God's... which in turn shows our desperate need for a Savior in Jesus Christ!
Ask questions about the story of Adam and Eve:
What is sin? Sin is when you disobey God, or do something that is against what God tells us to do.
How do we know what God wants us to do? Easy! Read the Bible! It is overflowing with stories of people who obey and disobey God. We can learn a great deal from the Bible.
Why did Adam & Eve think it was okay to eat from the tree that God told them not to? Adam and Eve fell into the common sin of trying to be bigger and stronger than God. They thought there way was better than God’s way. Their hearts were wrong to not love God most and that sin affected their relationship with God forever, and our relationship with Him too.
**For the 5s, K, 1st grade class - in addition to Creation, we are also learning about Abraham, Jacob and Joseph! Review with this age how God’s promise for a Rescuer passed from Abraham, down to Isaac, to Jacob (renamed Israel), to Joseph and down even to us, revealed through Christ!
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.