Lenten Crown of Thorns

There is no better way to reinforce our trust in who God is, then to review the prophecies God made in the Old Testament and the fulfillment of them in the New Testament as it pertains to Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Great preparation for Easter!  My pastor wrote the devotionals and I drew the pictures.  (He is so gifted at writing in layman’s terms.)  I used the Lenten calendar as the bases for the time table.  The first 40 days (including Sundays) review a prophecy (Bible and Devotional), the last 6 days (Easter Week) include a hands-on object lesson that will help the children have fun while learning, along with the Bible reading.  This is a great way to bring in excitement and learning to our family devotional time(no matter the family size).  I have just completed  the Devotional Book.  If you would like to purchase this great resource for 7.00 (includes shipping),  just press the “Buy Now” below.

Directions for Crown of Thorns Centerpiece: A great interactive center piece!  Using a grapevine wreath, stick 46 toothpicks into it.  Each devotional time of Lent, light the candle and remove one of the toothpicks.  Easter day they will be all gone…He has Risen! (The centerpiece is not included in the price.)

Find Out More About Lent:  What’s in the Bible Website has a great post on the history and practice of Lent.

Holy Spirit Flame

It is important to prepare for the up-and-coming christ-centered holidays.  Here are a few ideas for Valentines, Lent, Passover, Easter, Mother’s Day and Pentecost.

Valentine February 14th – Hand print flowers

Lent starts February 22nd

• Prophecies of Jesus Devotional (40 Ways in 40 Days, plus Easter Week Object Lessons)–coming soon
• Pull out a thorn for every day of Lent, until Easter when all is made right.

Passover April 6th-13th

Passover with Jesus

Moses’ Passover, communion and Jesus’ Passover are under my Sin and Forgiveness lessons one and Sin and Forgiveness two.

Easter April 8th

• Resurrection rolls

• Resurrection Eggs

• Resurrection Eggs Lapbook

Mother’s day May 13 – tea cup with flower or candle

Pentecost May 27th

• Volcano: The Holy Spirit is like a volcano. Ordinarily it seems quiet, but there is much power when the spirit acts.

• Hair Dryer:  Can’t see the Holy Spirit, but you can see the things it does.  You can also float a pingpong ball over the hairdryer.

Holy Spirit Hair Drier

• Holy Spirt Top

Tree King's Day

This weekend, January 6th, is the celebration of Epiphany.  For a long time, I didn’t understand this holiday very well.  I have just more recently begun to appreciate it.  Imagine celebrating the revealing of Jesus’ devine nature to the gentiles…that’s me.  It is just beautiful!  The fact that God would reveal his plan to all the nations while Jesus was still very little.  The fact that how ever many magi there where…they traveled months, if not years, to see the Son of God.  Leaving the comfort and security of their homes to trek to Bethlehem.  I pray I have that type of determination and perseverance as God reveals His plans for me.

Free Magi Sunday School Lesson with craft (click to download)

Happy Epiphany!

*Photo created by Vectorportal.com downloaded from flickr.com

Interactive Puppet Show

 Interactive Puppet Show:  Everyone gets to dress up as shepherds or angels.  They act surprised/joyous when the head angel is speaking.

Christmas Necklace Craft

Christmas Necklace Craft: Easy Christmas necklace with Jesus candy cane and love hearts.  (Oriental Trade)

Baked Some-mores

Shepherd-Campfire Treat:  Baked some-mores.  1 layer of single graham crackers.  2 sections of Hershey chocolate bars, 1 marsh mellow on each graham cracker/chocolate.  Bake on 400 degrees until the marsh mellows are brown and soft.  Take out and add the top single graham cracker onto the marsh mellow.    They are very messy!  But very tasty!

Advent Good Works Chain

We are doing something that is super fun for the kids and the parents love it too! The Good Works Chain for Advent is a traditional paper chain with a twist.  -The kids have to earn the links.  It will be fun to see how many links they can collectively acquire.  I plan to string them across the room.  This is something you will want to be sure the parents know about.  The kids can do it on their own, but parents reminding them always helps.

Instructions for the Good Works Chain:

1.  Print each page of the Good Works Chain in alternating colors of red and green.  (as much as possible, you want the sum of papers to have equal amounts of red and green)
2. Give each child one set of Advent Good Works papers
3.  Each morning of Advent pick out one suggestion and complete it that day.
4. When it is completed, cut it out, staple it together in a loop in order to connect it to the last loop on the chain.  Try to alternate red and green.
5. Have the whole class bring in their chains they created during the week so they can be connected into a massive good works chain.  Hang it up on the wall.  How long can your good works chain get?

Good Works Chain (click to download pdf)

World mission: 

One hen  by Katie Smith milway  (How micro loans and improve the lives of many people and still maintain dignity of seeing their handy work.) Excellent

Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier (Such a sweet story of how a gift of a goat changed the lives of a extremely poor family.  The little girl was able to go to school and have a brighter future.)

Domestic Missions:

With the economic down turn, it would be good to alert the children of the needs of people in their neighborhood.  Often when we prepare them, they don’t over react when they encounter an opportunity.  The opportunity to show the love of Jesus to those in need.

Hunger and Homelessness by Cathryn Berger Kaye,  M.A. (This is a workbook to learn about homelessness.)

Uncle Willie’s Soup Kitchen by Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan (Uncle Willie shows his nephew what a blessing it is to serve in a soup kitchen.)

Fly Away Home by Ronald Himler (Homeless in the airport?  This is a story about a father and son that are homeless and live at the airport as his father continues to look for a job.)

Tight Times by Barbara Shook Hazen  (Tight times addresses the struggles of a small child when his families income decreases.  In the end, there is joy in the journey.)

December by Eve Bunting (Homelessness in the winter may sound desperate.  Even so, sometimes we can entertain angels without knowing it.)

The Lady in the Box by Ann McGovern (A story of how some children learned to be kind to a homeless lady. I know it is a crazy price at Amazon. Use the picture to know that you have the right book when you find it at the library.)

–If you know of books, on missions, you love to read.  Please share!  I would love to read them.

Jesse Tree Advent Devotional Kit

Tis’ the Season to Prepare for the advent of Christ’s birth.  Advent starts November 27th this year.  It is time to order the Jesse Tree Advent Devotional and Lapbook kit.  This is a super fun way to prepare your families’ hearts for Christmas.

What does it look like in our house:  We add Christmas lights in the dinning room along with the candles and often have special desserts (especially on Sundays).  Our kids love advent!  At dinner we turn off the regular lights, light the candles, read the Bible and devotional (included), put an ornament on the tree (included), and sing our favorite Christmas songs.  The kids love to blow-out the candles.  Your kids will love this tradition, and you will love that they are excited about the real advent of Christmas.  They will know that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday and have a lot of fun doing it.

 (Click to buy or get more information about the kit)

**There is a bulk discount for churches**

Some extra ideas to add to the celebration:

• Donate something each night
• Make special meals like red and green dinner (everything is red and green)
• Shepherd’s Night (I’ll explain on a future post.)
• Christmas Cards (decide who, sign and stuff, address…sprinkle it though out the week)
• volunteer at a food bank
• Creative Sundays on Sunday (SOS: make your own ice cream sunday)
• Christmas Cookie decorating
• Make Christmas presents for the animals (i.e. pinecone bird feeder)
• Make cookies for a widow/someone lonely) you know and go visit

Reading the Catechism

What in the World is a Catechism?!?

I started this catechism quest with little or no knowledge of what a catechism really was.  I thought it was just something Catholics did.  How wrong was I? Really wrong!  What is catechism?  The greek word Katecheo really means oral instruction.  So a catechism is an instruction on the foundational truths of our belief in God.  Memorized in a way that you can retain it for your whole life.  Wow, who doesn’t need a catechism?  On a recent Breakpoint podcast, “The Lost Art of Catechesis ” Chuck Colson quotes Packer and Parrett describing catechesis  as “the church’s ministry of grounding and growing God’s people in the Gospel and its implications for doctrine, devotion, duty and delight.”  I’m all for it, but the challenge is to find a version I both completely agree with and completely understand.  These things are old.  That is great, I love antiques.  But not so much when I want the children to really know the foundation of their faith while they are still young.

My goal is to reach the children where they are and show them how it applies to their lives.  Bible size truths in child size chunks…for the auditory, visual and kinetic learner.  I have been very dismayed at the teaching/learning tools available to teach catechism to young children. A group of evangelical ministers, in 1798, were moved to create a baptist catechism for the children in their congregation.  They called the it “A Catechism for Boys and Girls.”  I used this catechism as a starting point.  I also used the The First Catechism of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Westminster Shorter Catechism, Heidelberg Catechism, an open source Small Catechism of Martin Luther and a small Wesleyan Catechism.  None of which seemed well worded and completely right for children of the 21st century.  But the more I delved into the catechisms, the more I recognized the power of the question answer format.  As I spoke to people the answers would pop up into my head and defend my faith.  I was utterly amazed and encouraged to continue.

Language isn’t the only problem with catechisms, through my research I stumbled upon the diverse nature of Calvinism and Wesleyan theories.  What are they?  Among other things, they teeter at opposite ends of the balance between mans free will (Westlyen) and God’s sovereignty in determining who is to be saved.  I have come to the decision that I best fit in the tension between these two views.  Yes, God is sovereign and in His sovereignty He has given man a choice.  Since most catechisms are Calvinistic or Catholic in nature (with old words), I started from scratch.  Gleaning from those who came before and with mentorship from my pastor, we constructed the strong foundation for a 21st Century Catechism for Kids.

In my quest to reach the children, I want to allow God’s people to use my catechism to create material  that will better reach the children.  Use your gifts and add the color, splash and creativity needed to attract little eyes.  Please don’t change the catechism or sell it, but create and share.  (Please ask for permission to sell something amazing that uses the catechism.  I would love to see it!)

21st Century Catechism for Kids (click to download)

Other Resources:

If you don’t like or aren’t sure of this catechism pick another one from the list of Baptist catechisms  I found on the web.  I’m now creating and looking for recourse to help the children to remember these truths for life.  So far I have:

** “The Big Hurry Question,” by Zachary F Carden.  This is a wonderful series of creative songs to help the children remember the Catechism.  He doesn’t have all of the questions, but what he does have is ingenious.

**I also love Big Truths for Little Kids by Susan Hunt.

**Judy Rodgers has a cool CD of Songs to help remember the catechism.

**Every Good Path has a Catechism Widget for your blog or website.

** Songs for Saplings has songs about basic Biblical truths.  (I have a link on the side-bar of my web page.)

I don’t see very many widows in my children’s ministry.  And in our small church there are no “physical” orphans.  But there are several “spiritual” orphans.  “Spiritual Orphans” are people that have no spiritual discipleship within their family.  Some of their families may come to church but don’t live the life Jesus calls us to live, and others don’t bother coming.  I’m not speaking of salvation, per se.  I am talking about a family member in an orphan’s life that is truely walking out Jesus’ calling.  Not someone that is perfect, but someone that is following the perfect one, Jesus, with all their heart.  The practical application of the biblical principles are caught more than taught.  The knowledge can be learned, but how it plays-out in real life is more easily followed when it’s been demonstrated.  Spiritual Orphans are not limited to children; though, adults are more likely to seek out mentors.  Titus 2 calls older men and women to be mentors and help disciple younger men and women.  All ages should follow this call–from top to bottom.  Older women can look for middle aged women, and middle aged women should seek out young women.  Same with the guys.  Also, teens can help younger kids (with supervision of course).

How to Find Spiritual Orphans?

Children: Most of these kids act out in inappropriate ways in class.  Be sure! Not all disorder is from a Spiritual Orphan.  There are very gregarious children that are very well mentored and still in training.  Remember the question for Spiritual Orphans is, “ how do I apply the teachings of Jesus.”  The problem is that they don’t have an example.  They could be quiet or loudly inappropriate; however, the best way to know them is to ask questions, get to know their parents, and pray for discernment.  As you look you will realize that this is a larger problem than you knew.

Adults:  They are usually the people that look completely over stressed and frantic (especially if the have more than 2 children).  Mostly because they are trying to live both for the world and for Christ.  They may not even know that there is a more peaceful path.  They aren’t sure what to give up and what to embrace.

Older Adults:  These are the hardest group to reach.  They have enough time to do both their things and God’s things.  –So they think.  It is so hard to reach them because they look around at all the “retired people” and compare themselves to the wrong mark.  They have forgotten that all time is the Lord’s, and they are comfortable.

How to minister to Spiritual Orphans?

Children:  Have helpers (any older age) in your class that can sit with challenging children and especially children that have no family discipleship.  As much as possible, try to match their personalities and keep them together each Sunday.  This will help them develop a relationship.  In my small church, I can personally greet the children each Sunday and even ask how they are doing.  Craft time is a great time to interact with the children.  I am also friends with a lot of the parents, so I can invite them to a play date.

Adults:  People don’t want to know what you have to say until they first know that you love them.  And quite frankly, I can’t hear what anyone has to say, until they help quit the children.  Talking is a great way to get to know each other, but helping tells them you love them.  You must step into the craziness that is the life of a young mom.  How does it go:

1. Get to know each other
2. Loving help
3. Talk about life and give practical advice on how to live more like Jesus

Older Adults:  Pray and be a light.  And if you are older be an example.  Thank you, to all those who are living God’s call in your life.  You are running the race well, and are an example for me to follow.

I get to share with you the fun loving, biblically sound, easy to implement bible lessons I’m creating.  They are created with the needs of a small church, home church, Homeschool family, or missionary church in mind, but a large or medium sized church would benefit from this type of reproducible curriculum.  Each week the children have a (chronological) bible lesson and do a craft.  The craft is kept in a the child’s Bible Binder.  At the end of the three years, when they are ready to graduate from my class, they will be presented with their very own bible book they have created.

• Strong Bible Based Curriculum:

  i.e. Ascension Day, Beatitudes, Ten Commandments, Pentecost, Twelve Apostles, And Much More…

• Chronologically Journey Through the Bible

• Student Crafts are Assembled into a Book of Bible Artwork and Verses

• Unique Crafts and Object Lessons that Reinforce Learning

• Multi-level Teaching

• Save Money, Reproducible for Your Whole Family or Church

• Colored pictures through out the book.

  

  Bubbles Art

  

  Apostle Popsicle Puppets

  

  Sunday School Pages Bible Curriculum

  

  Kid's Make Their Own Bible Book

  More information…

Buy the spiral bound Bible Curriculum for 39.00 plus 5.00 shipping and enjoy the time with your children.