Serve It Up

 

For your Family Time this week, choose an act of service that you can do together - then do it! 

 

 

Be sure to comment and let us know how your family chose to serve this week.  We can be the hands and feet of Jesus through our love, kindness and service to others.  I can't wait to hear the stories of how you all have blessed others!

 

Many Smiles,

Elisabeth

 

Doing Our Own Thing

It's Devotional Time!

Doing Our Own Thing Pose the question to your kids: Why is it easier to sin than to do what is right? Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, we are all born with a desire to sin. From the time we were little, we wanted our own way. No one had to teach us to be selfish, lie, or disobey. It is easier to sin than to do what is right. We need Jesus’ help to bring us closer to God.   Subscribe to Splink! here.     From Externally Focused Life:     Look up and read the following Scriptures in a Bible:   Matthew 20:26-27 Romans 14:18 Galatians 5:13   What do you learn from these Scriptures?     Have an awesome week!  Come back tomorrow for your weekly family night activity suggestions!  And don't forget - Treehouse & Kids Choir now meet on Sunday evening, from 4:00-6:00pm in Fellowship Hall.  I hope to see some of you there. Many Smiles, Elisabeth

God Still Loves

Happy Wednesday Friends!   This week in Sunday School, we focused on Reconciliation in our D6 Curriculum, and the theme of "It's All About People" and serving others from our series "The Externally Focused Life".    Here are a few conversation starters for your family meal times, car rides, or just little chats you can have with your family, kids, and friends.  I hope you find these little bits helpful!    From Splink (D6 Curriculum):   January 12 - 18 Reconciliation

God Still Loves Read and act out the story of the first sin from Genesis 3:1-6, 22-23. Ask: Did God still love Adam and Eve after they sinned? Adam and Eve chose their own way instead of God’s way. God wanted to be close to them, but their sins separated them from God. Even though they sinned, God still loved them and promised to send His Son to take away their sin.   From Externally Focused Life:   "So be good servants and use your gifts to serve each other." (1 Peter 4:10)   Look up the word "serve" in the dictionary.  What does it mean? Make a list of some ways that you can love and serve others.

Family Fun!

So here's a fun activity for this weekend:

Make a toy water-balloon yo-yo!  Make several of these and deliver them to kids in your neighborhood.

Image & additional directions from: http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Water-Balloon-Yo-yo/2112

 You will need:
small balloons
puffy paint or markers
large rubber bands
water

First, decorate the balloons.  Then, cut the rubber bands in half.  Fill the balloons half full with water.  Parents and older kids can blow up the balloons to the size of a small ball.  Tie the balloons shut.  Tie one end of each rubber band around the knot of the balloon.  Tie a loop on the other end of the rubber band.  Place the loop around your finger and gently throw the balloon and watch it come back to you!

Have fun!!

And...coming up this Sunday in Roots Troop...we will learn that "it's about Jesus."  Jesus set an example for us.  Read how Jesus helped (Luke 7:36-50), healed (Matthew 15:30, 31), fed those who were hungry (John 6:1-14), served (John 13:1-17), and was a friend to others (John 15:12-17).

I can't wait to see all of you on Sunday morning!  

Have an AWESOME weekend with your family and friends!

Many Smiles,

Elisabeth

Activity and scripture suggestions taken from The Externally Focused Life.  Copyright 2009.  

LifeBridge Christian Church.  All rights reserved.

Family Night Activity: God made us and knows us.

Spend time together.
In this week's lesson, we focused on the fact that God made us and knows us.  He made each person special and God's picture, His puzzle, isn't complete without each of our pieces.  Dig out a puzzle from your closet, or buy or borrow a new one, and spend time putting the puzzle together.  As you work, talk about what makes your family special and how your family wouldn't be complete without each family member.

We love puzzles ~ My mom, aunt & son at Thanksgiving!

 

A puzzling way to reinforce scripture.
Another fun way to spend time together, continue on the path of our puzzle activity, AND reinforce our memory verse, is to create your own puzzle.  Find a piece of cardboard, or cardstock.  Write the memory verse and decorate the picture.  Then, have someone cut it all apart in different shapes.  (Make sure the pieces are large enough to handle, but small enough to create a challenge!)  If you'd like, you can even download a puzzle template, just print it out, decorate, then laminate before you cut!  It will last even longer. Once it's all cut up, put it back together again.  You could even repeat this each week and have a set of puzzles to help you remember key verses!

If you participate in any of our activity suggestions - let me know!  

Leave a comment, or post on our Facebook page.  

Or - just tell me how it all goes!

Many Smiles,

Elisabeth

Portions of this blog post were taken from The Externally Focused Life.  Copyright 2009.  
LifeBridge Christian Church.  All rights reserved.

It's About God!

Hi everyone!

First of all, thank you for sharing your children with us at Rolling Hills!  We are blessed to be a small part of their spiritual formation, and absolutely love to see their sweet faces each week.  Over the next several weeks, we will be lining up our Sunday School and Treehouse curriculum with Pastor Gary's sermon series based on the book by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson, The Externally Focused Life from Group Publishing.  Each week while you are hearing the lessons taught during the Sermon, your kids will be hearing a similar message - participating in worship, Bible learning, crafts and activities that center around the fact that God gave us life to serve Him and others!

Image from www.group.com.

Yesterday, we learned that "it's about God" as we studied the life of Joseph - in Genesis.  Just as God had plans for Joseph, God has plans for each of us; and we need to allow ourselves to be a part of His story.  In order to do that, we need to be in a relationship with Him.  The kids decorated a blank canvas (with only the outline of a person), to reflect themselves.  We saw how we each look different - because God created us all to be unique and different.  How special!  We also colored pictures of Joseph and his AMAZING multi-colored coat.  The kids has fun doing this while hearing the story told. Be sure to ask your kids about the story - and what they remember about it.

This week, at home, here are some suggestions for you to engage your kiddo's in conversation:

Review the Bible Memory Verse for this week:  Ephesians 2:10

"God has made us what we are."

Ask these questions:

• Who made us and knows all about us?
• In what ways is each of us the same?
• In what ways is each of us different?
• What good things can we do for others?
• What good things can we do for each other?
• Make a list of some of the good things that you can do as a family to help others, and do them!

I challenged the kids, in class, to do at least one good thing each day - ask them what they've done today?  Or, maybe you've witnessed them doing something good - remind them of their actions, and encourage them to keep up the good work!

Image from http://www.jeremiandamyrichardson.com.

I hope you all have an AWESOME week - and stay warm!  It's cold out there. 

Check back on Wednesday & Friday for some fun 

family activities that will help reinforce these ideas!

Many Smiles,

Elisabeth

Study Questions and Devotional taken from Group Publishing, The Externally Focused Life - Children's Edition Study Guide - copyright 2009.  

LifeBridge Christian Church.  All Rights Reserved.

Family Night Activity: The Greatest Exchange

The Greatest Exchange

Items Needed: nice gift that your kids might want (or a $5 bill); box of junk—smelly trash, broken toys, dirty rag or sock, empty cartons or cans

Share an object lesson to talk about the great exchange—our sin for Jesus’ righteousness.

Invite one child to receive the box of junk and ask him or her to open it. 

This box represents us and the wrong things we do. The Bible even says that the GOOD deeds we do are like filthy, dirty rags compared to God’s righteousness. (Isaiah 64:6)

What are some wrong things kids do? (lying, stealing, disobeying, etc.)

Ask the child, “Would you like to trade that box for this box (with the nice gift or money)?” 

If he/she says yes, make the exchange.

Jesus wants to make a much GREATER exchange with us. We can exchange our sin for His righteousness. When God sees us, He sees not our sinfulness, but Jesus’ completely pure, clean, holy, righteousness! What a great exchange!