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!
...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.
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.
: 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.
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.
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.
