EastLake Kids!

Fetch week 4

2009-03-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

This past week we uncovered the letter "C" in our Fetch series and it stands for caring. Life doesn't seem fair sometimes. God is concerned with how we respond when life hands us disappointments.

When friends don't treat us well, it's natural to want to treat them badly too, but God says if we are Christians, He can help us treat people with care, even when they don't treat us well.

We can reflect God's love to others by how we care and share with them. It is especially important to be a caring example to someone who does not know Jesus yet.

Compass Point: Caring means sharing!

Memory Verse: "Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you do not demand it back." Luke 6:30

Q's for the Fam:
1. List four things that are important to you.
2. List four ways to show someone you care MORE about them than your possessions.
3. When someone hurts you, how does that make you feel?
4. List three ways you could respond to someone who is mean to you.

Fetch week 3

2009-03-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

This week we talked about being trustworthy. The more we prove to be trustworthy, the more trust we will earn from others. When we are not trustworthy, we set a bad example for others who know that we are Christians.

We have to choose to earn trust. If we promise to do something and don't do it, we've failed to follow through. But when we follow through with our promises we show others that we are trustworthy.

Read Luke 19:12-26

Compass Point: "When you know what to do-- follow through!"

Memory Verse: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much..." Luke 16:10a

Q's for the Fam:
1. After reading Luke 19:12-26, why do you think the servant was considered untrustworthy?
2. List some of the things that you are trusted to do...

Fetch week 2

2009-02-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

We all need good examples in our lives. Jesus understood the importance of having a sample example and thats why he came to earth. Jesus lived his life as an example of God's love to people who didn't believe in him. When we fetch people for God, we do it through our friendships and through our example too.

You and I set an example to others by the way we live. There are good examples and bad examples. What kind of example do you think Jesus was?

Some of our friends have heard about Jesus, but they need to see him. They need somoene to live like Jesus, to be an example of a life lived like Jesus.

God wants you to be a sample example to your friends who don't know Jesus. You see, Jesus lived his life differently than everyone else. He was more kind, more forgiving and more caring to those who were lost. If you call yourself a christian that means you live your life differently than your friends who don't know Jesus.

Read Luke 19:1-10

Compass Point: Every friend needs a sample example

Memory Max: This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other." John 13:35

[Challenge]
1. After you read the story of Zacchaeus, write down two reasons you think people didn't like him

2. What are two ways we can be a good example?

3. What are two ways we can be a bad example

Fetch week 1

2009-02-11T15:23:00.000-08:00

This week we started a brand new video series called FETCH. Fetch is all about learning how we can Fetch our friends for God.

Jesus knew how to fetch, but he didn't fetch newspapers or boomerangs, he fetched people. Jesus came to earth to find lost people and bring them back to God.

Each of us has friends. Some of our friends don't know who Jesus is. When you don't know Jesus you are lost! God chooses to use me and you to fetch lost people, just like Jesus did.

God cares very much about lost people. The Bible says in Luke 19:10 that Jesus came to find and save lost people. If lost people mattered so much to Jesus, don't you think they should matter to us too?

Read Luke 15:3-7

Compass Point: When you prepare with prayer, God will help you when you share!

Memory Verse: "For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost." Luke 19:10

[Challenge]
God has given each one of us friends or kids we know who don't know Jesus.

1. Write down how you found Jesus. It doesn't have to be long, just write out in a few sentences how you became a Christian.

2. Second, write down a few names of people you know who do not know Jesus.

3. Pray that God would give you an opportunity to share how you became a Christian with a lost friend.

Well that's all we've got for this week. Don't forget that we are having elementary services during ALL service times! Come check em out!

In the Beginning part 5

2009-02-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it to our final week of our series on creation and today we talked about the sixth day of creation! On the sixth day God said:

“'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so. So he made them and God saw that it was good."

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground…' God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning—the sixth day!"

The Bible says that we were made in God’s image, which means that he wants us to be like him!

In the bible God used a man named Saul to do some awesome things! Saul started off as a mean guy who travelled around just to find Christians so that he could kill them or put them in jail.

One time, Saul had an encounter with Jesus while he was on his way to put some Christians in jail. After he had this encounter his life was never the same. He started to tell people about Jesus and everyone that heard him speak were amazed!

You see, When Saul’s life was changed, he changed others around him. God created us in his image and he wants us to be more like him. When we strive to be more like Him He can use us to change the lives of others around you and me!

Memory Verse: "You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14

Q's for the Fam:
1. What do you think it means that we were made in God’s image?
2. After Saul’s life was transformed by his encounter with Jesus, he went out and transformed other lives. What can you do to transform others?
3. How has your life been transformed? Do you read your Bible? Do you pray? How are you using the way that God has transformed you, to transform others?

In the Beginning part 4

2009-02-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

Four weeks into our series we've uncovered the first five days of creation. Let's recap... On the the first day God created the heavens, the earth, and the light. On the second day he separated the water below from the water above by creating the sky. The next day he caused land to appear and plants and trees started to grow on the dry ground. On the fourth day God created the Sun, moon, and stars, and set them in the sky to help govern over day and night, and the seasons of the year...Phewww!

Now that we got through all of that, let's check out what God created on the fifth day:

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing that lives in the water, and every winged bird. And God saw that it was good.

God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

Our Jesus factor was the story found in Mark 6:6b-13. It says this:

Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the twelve [disciples] to him, he sent them out two by two…

These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not any extra clothes. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave…”

They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many evil things and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

We discovered how God created the sea creatures and the birds on the fifth day. Not only did he create them but he told them to spread out over all the earth. He told the creatures to fill the entire sea and he told the birds to fill the sky.

God wants his message to spread in the same way! He wants his message to spread across the earth and he wants everyone to hear it! In today’s story Jesus demonstrated how that happens. He sent out the twelve disciples to go out and spread the word! He told them to go into the villages and tell them to repent and turn their hearts back to God.

You see, God doesn’t want anyone to not know about him… so it is up to us to tell everyone about Jesus and what he did for us!

Memory Verse: "You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14

Q's for the Fam:
1. Have you ever told someone about Jesus? What happened? Were you scared?
2. Besides telling others, what are some other ways that we can show people we believe in Jesus?

In the Beginning part 3

2009-01-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

This last week we talked about the fourth day of Creation. On the fourth day God created the sun moon and stars. let's check out what the Bible says about it:

And God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from night, and let them serve as signs to mark the seasons, days, and years, and let them be lights in the sky to give light to the earth.” And it was so.

God made two great lights—the sun to give light during the day and the moon to give light during the night.

God also made the stars. He set them in the sky, also to give light to the earth! And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Genesis 1:14-19

Read John 6:1-13

Just as God created the sun and the moon to be signs of day and night… He created us to be signs of his love! The boy was showing his love for God by being willing to give up everything he had so that Jesus could feed the crowd of people. The people saw the faith that the boy had in Jesus, and because of his act of faith, they were all fed and were able to stay and listen to Jesus teach.

God wants to use us in the same way. He wants the way we act to be a sign of light to the world. He wants the words we say to show others that we love him!

Memory Verse: "You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14

Q's for the Fam:
1. The boy’s attitude was a sign that he loved Jesus. He was willing to give everything he had and let Jesus do something amazing with it! What do you, or can you, do to show others that you love God? Do you share with others? Do you make fun of other kids? Do you tell people about Jesus?

2. Just as God placed the sun and moon in the sky to be signs that would mark the seasons, days, and years, he placed you in this world to be a sign of his love. What is something that you can do this week to be a sign of God’s love to someone?

In the Beginning part 2

2009-01-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

In week 2 of our series we talked about the third day of creation. But let's get you up to speed first:

Day 1- God created the heavens and the earth; and he created the light

Day 2- God created the sky; he separated the water from above from the water below

Now that we've got that settled let's check out day 3:

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in It, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

Genesis 1:9-13

How many of you have ever had something happen to you that was SOOOOO exciting that you just had to tell someone?

That is how we should treat God’s message! The story of Jesus and how he died so that we could live forever with him in heaven is the most important message….EVER! And it is really exciting!

God wants us to share that story with others. He wants us to be a light to the world and bear fruit by spreading his Word!

Bible Reference: Matthew 18:10-14; Luke 15:4-7

Memory Verse: "You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14

Q's for the Fam:

1. What does Jesus mean when he says he does not want anyone to be lost?

2. How can we help lost people find Jesus?

[Challenge]

Share God's story with one person this week!

In the Beginning part 1

2009-01-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! Happy New Year!

With the start of a new year, we kicked off a brand new series called In the Beginning! We will be unpacking the story of creation in Genesis chapter 1.

Yesterday, we talked about the first two days of creation:

In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty… it had no shape. Darkness covered the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.

God said, “Let there be light,” and there was! He saw that the light was good, so He separated the light from darkness. He called the light “day,” and he called the darkness “night.” There came evening… there came morning… and so it was… The first day!

On the Second day God said, “Let’s put an expanse to separate the waters. So God did… and he called it the ‘sky.’ There came evening… there came morning… and so it was… the second day!

Genesis 1:1-8 (my paraphrase)

Just as God created the light, he also created us to be a light in the world! He wants us to be different from the rest of the world so that people can see the light that we have... the message of Jesus!

Bible reference: Matthew 5:14-16

Memory Verse: "You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14

Q's for the Family:
1. What does it mean to be a light?

2. How can we be a light?

3. Why should we be a light

4. What is one thing that you can do this week to “let your light shine?”

The Grinch part 3

2009-01-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

Last week we finished up our Grinch series as we also conlcuded 2008! We talked about "The Search" that 3 men went on to find Jesus. Here is that story:

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…. Oh wait, wrong story! Scratch that, let’s start over!

After Jesus was born, there were some wise men that lived in a far away country. They watched the stars every night to see if they noticed anything different. One night a bright, new star appeared in the sky.

They knew it had special meaning and that it was a sign that a great king had been born. They wanted to take him gifts and worship him, so they decided to follow the star until they found him.

But this wasn’t just any ordinary road trip. They lived about 500 miles away, and they didn’t have a car to just hop in and drive there. Wise men were always important people to the King of the country they lived in… so the King probably sent some of his own army to travel with the wise men and keep them safe.

They travelled for a long time and finally arrived in Jerusalem. They asked everyone, “Where is the new King of the Jews? We have been following his star, because we want to worship him.”

King Herod heard about the questions that the Wise Men were asking and it worried him. Was some new king going to take away his throne? Could these Wise Men be talking about the Savior of the world?

King Herod called for the men who knew the most about the prophets and he asked them, “Do your books tell where the Savior will be born?”

They told him, “Yes, the prophet Micah said that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem.”

King Herod called for the Wise Men to come to his royal courts. He asked them when they had first seen this star. They told him, and then he asked them to go ahead and find the baby, then come back and tell him so that he could go and worship him, too!

Do you guys really think that King Herod wanted to go worship Baby Jesus? No, he didn’t because he was afraid that Jesus would take away his royal throne. As a matter of fact, King Herod wanted to do the opposite. He wanted to get rid of baby Jesus.

Well, the star led the Wise Men right to the house where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were staying. The men bowed down to Baby Jesus and gave him valuable gifts—of gold, frankincense, which is something that you light on fire and it smells sweet…and myrrh, which was an expensive perfume!

Then they had a dream where God warned them not to go back to King Herod. So they travelled another route home.

Can you imagine that, looking for something for two years and travelling over 500 miles on a camel’s back, to get it… talk about having a sore bottom!

God wants us to search and find Jesus! Not literally, he’s not hiding in your house somewhere and you have to go find him. But we have to know who he is, and that if we accept him into our hearts, then he can change us and be our Savior, so that we can get into heaven.

Bible reference: Matthew 2:1-12

Q's for the family:
1. Could you imagine looking for something for two years? What’s the longest you’ve ever had to look for something?

2. How can you search for Jesus?

3. Have you accepted Jesus into your heart?
If not, would like to accept him now?
If yes, how can you live your life differently from the people who don’t know Jesus yet?

[Challenge]
This week go home and read Matthew 2:1-12 with your mom or dad. Come back next week and tell me one way that you “go another route” or show others that you love Jesus by your actions.

The Grinch part 2

2008-12-17T12:49:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! We continued our Grinch series talking about "The Arrival" of Jesus.

Joseph and Mary got married, but they didn’t live as husband and wife until after the baby was born.

Shortly before the baby came, the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, said everyone must return to their hometown for a census. That is how they counted the people that lived in the region.

Joseph and Mary both came from the family of King David, so they had to travel to the town of Bethlehem, even though she was pregnant.

Bethlehem was super-crowded with people, and all the inns were full. The only place they could find was a shed with some animals.

That night Jesus was born. Mary took him and wrapped him in warm clothes and put him to bed in a manger, which is where the animals usually ate from.

There were also some shepherds in a nearby field. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and said, “Glory to God! Peace on earth! A Savior has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David. You will know this is true when you find him, warmly wrapped and lying in a manger!”

After the angels left, the shepherds went to go find Jesus. They went into town and searched until they found Jesus with Mary and Joseph.

After the shepherds had gone and visited Jesus in the manger, they went out and told everyone about the good news!

God sent Jesus to the earth and that is the true meaning of Christmas!

Bible Reference: Luke 2:1-20

Memory Verse: “…they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him…” Matthew 1:11

Q's for the family:
1. Why did God have to send Jesus to the earth?
2. How does it make you feel that Jesus actually came down to the earth as a baby, so that he could experience life just like us? Why does it make you feel that way? What does it make you think about?

The Grinch part 1

2008-12-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

We kicked off our new series where we will spend 3 weeks looking at the true meaning of Christmas.

This week we talked about "The Promise" that was made to Mary:

God sent Gabriel, one of his angels, to a town called Nazareth, in Galilee, to give a message to a woman named Mary. Mary was not married, but she was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph.

When Gabriel went to Mary he said to her, “I’ve come to congratulate you, Mary. You have been chosen for a great honor…” Mary had no idea what the angel was talking about!

He told her, “Don’t be afraid. This is a great blessing. You will soon become pregnant, and when your baby boy is born, you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will have the throne of his ancestor David. His kingdom will never end.”

Mary was confused because there was absolutely no possible way that she could be pregnant

Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and that her child would be a holy child—the Son of God. Nothing that God promises is impossible!

Mary told the angel, “I’m God’s servant, and I’m glad to do whatever he wants me to do. I’m ready for this to happen!”

Then the angel left her.

Just as Mary was promised this amazing gift, that she would give birth to the Savior of the world, we get to benefit from that gift. Jesus didn’t just come to this earth to save certain people… he came to give everyone an opportunity to go to heaven. Jesus is the gift that Christmas is all about!

Memory Verse: "...they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him..." Matthew 1:11

Q's for the Family:
1. What is the coolest present you've ever received for Christmas?
2. What are some things that take our focus off of what Christmas is all about?
3. How do we benefit from the gift that God promised Mary?

STUFFed part 4

2008-12-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope you guys all had an awesome Thanksgiving! This week we finished up our STUFFed series talking about selfishness and jealousy!

In Matthew 20:1-15 Jesus tells a story about the kingdom of heaven. He said that the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire some people to work in his field. He found some men, told them that he would pay them about $20 for the day and sent them to go work in his field.

Three hours later the landowner went back to the marketplace and saw more men that were looking for work. He told them to go work in his field, too, and he would pay them whatever was right. So they went.

He did this every three hours, finding more men to go work his field. About the eleventh hour of the day, he went out one last time and found more people looking for work, so he sent them to work in his field as well!

When evening came the landowner told the man who ran his field to call all of the workers together and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired, going on down to the first ones hired.

When they all came together, the man who ran the fields paid all of the men the same amount of money. This really upset the men who had been there the whole day because they had worked longer and harder, so they expected to receive more than the men who had only worked an hour!

When they received their pay they began to complain to the landowner.

The landowner said, “Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for the pay that you received? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same amount that I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you jealous because I am generous?”

Wow! Isn’t it amazing how the man’s jealousy of others took his focus off of what he had right in his own hands? He received the money that he agreed to work for but he was so mad, because of jealousy, that he wanted more than the others.

Jealousy will completely destroy a thankful attitude!

Memory Verse: "Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tune in next week for our brand new series The Grinch!

STUFFed part 3

2008-11-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

We hit up part 3 of our STUFFed series yesterday dealing with the issue of selfishness. This series has been about thankfulness and selfishness can be the enemy of a thankful attitude!

After Joshua had led the camp of Israelites into the Promised Land, the first city that they came to was a place called Jericho. Jericho was a large fortified city, which meant it had huge walls built around it to keep invaders out!

Well Joshua had specific instructions on how to take over the city, and as he followed through with those instructions, the walls came tumbling down and the Israelites quickly seized the city.

That wasn’t all! God wanted the Israelites to stay focused on the one who was providing the land… Him! So he gave them one more thing to do! He had Joshua tell the Israelites, “The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord.” No big deal, right?

The conquest of Jericho went as planned, but someone didn’t follow through with all the instructions that God had given!

The next city that the Israelites had planned to take over was a small city called Ai (pronounced just as it is spelled… A-i.) Joshua had a few men go spy out the city and they came back with a positive report. They told Joshua that he would not have to send many men, because the city was so small.

Hearing this, Joshua sent about 3,000 men up to capture the city of Ai. When they got there they were routed by the men of Ai and they had to retreat, but the men of Ai defeated the men of Israel.

This upset Joshua, so he tore his clothes and he cried out to God, “… why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan River to deliver us into the hands of the enemy so they could destroy us?” After Joshua prayed some more God let him in on a little secret!

God told Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I have commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies…”

After this God told Joshua to get the whole camp of Israelites ready for a meeting the next day, where God would show him who committed the sin. The whole camp came together and family by family God showed Joshua who had committed the sin…but it was only one man, named Achan!

The selfishness of one man had a negative effect on so many others besides himself. Achan probably didn’t realize it at the time, but he took his eyes off of what God had commanded the Israelites to do. When he let his selfishness get the best of him, it cost others their lives!

Selfishness… the opposite of thankfulness can lead you down the wrong path quicker than you think!

Memeory Verse: "Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Q's for the Family:
1. Have you ever displayed the same kind of attitude that Achan did? Maybe you didn’t steal anything, or people weren’t killed, but when was a time that you were selfish in your decisions? What were the negative consequences?

2. I don’t know about you guys but I want God to bless my life! What are some practical steps that we can take towards having a more thankful attitude? Practice having a thankful attitude, pray and ask God to help you to have a more thankful atiitude, pray and thank God for the things that he has already blessed you with!

That's all I've got for you this week, but tune in next week for part 4! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

STUFFed part 2

2008-11-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

We knocked out part 2 of our series this week, talking about the ten lepers found in Luke 17:11-19:

One day, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when he was met by ten people who had a skin disease called leprosy. They couldn’t come close to him because there was a law against it. Everyone thought that leprosy was contagious.

The lepers called out to Jesus and asked him to take pity on them. Jesus always felt sorry for sick and hurting people, so he told them to go show themselves to the priest. That is what the law said lepers had to do when they thought their disease was cured. The priest had to agree that they were better before they could go home and live normally!

As the ten men obeyed Jesus and walked toward the Temple to see the priest, their skin became clear and healthy.

One of the ten turned around and ran back to where Jesus was standing. He was so sure he was well that he came right up to Jesus and fell at his feet. He began to praise God because he was totally healed.

Jesus said, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Isn’t it strange that only one man came back to say thank you!” Then he told the man, “Because you have faith, you have been healed.”

As illustrated in this passage, thankfulness is important to Jesus! Having a thankful attitude is a part of being more like Jesus, and that is our ultimate goal as Christ followers.

Memory Verse: "Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (Contemporary English Version)

Q's for the Family:
1. Can you think of a time that you didn't have a thankful attitude? What happened?

2. How can you have a thankful attitude next time?

3. What will God do if we have thankful attitudes?

[Challenge]
Sometimes we take our health for granted. Go home this week and spend some time in prayer thanking God for making you a healthy person!

STUFFed part 1

2008-11-11T11:23:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving coming up here pretty soon, what a better series to do than a series on being thankful. The elementary students are doing a series called STUFFed that we kicked off this last weekend.

We talked about a group of people that the Bible calls The fellowship of the Believers. This group of people is found in Acts 2:42-47.

Not long after Jesus had risen from the dead and gone up to heaven, the people who believed in Jesus became really close friends.

They all ate together and prayed together. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They would even sell their own possessions and goods, so that they could give to anyone who was in need!

Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They also broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying all the people.

Because of this, the Bible says, “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47.)”

What was the key this group of people? They were thankful for the things that they had, but they were also thankful for the friendships that they had! When they would sell their stuff to help others, they did it with glad and sincere hearts!

They were very aware of the things that God had blessed them with, but they were willing to use those things to bless others!

Memory Verse: "Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (Contemporary English Version)

Q's for the Family:
1. What is something that you are thankful for?

2. Why is it important that we have a thankful attitude?

3. How can we be thankful for the things we have?

[Challenge]

This week, go home and write a note to someone you are thankful for, or someone who gave you something that you are thankful for.

iWorship part 4

2008-11-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

We wrapped up our iWorship series yesterday, talking about yielding our lives to God!

Over the past 4 weeks we've been uncovering different aspects to worship.

Worship involves prayer, reading God's Word, the way we act toward God and toward others, and all of that is encompassed as we yield our lives to God's control!

We talked about a man named Zacchaeus found in Luke 19:1-10.

Zacchaeus was a Jewish tax collector for the Roman Government. Zacchaeus lived a sinful lifestyle because he would cheat the people out of their money. He would secretly raise the taxes and then keep a lot of the money for himself.

Well, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so he climbed up into a tree so that he could see over the crowd as Jesus passed by. When Jesus was getting close he looked at Zacchaeus and told him to come down out of the tree be cause he was going to eat dinner at Zacchaeus' house that night.

Zacchaeus was a very rich man and had a lot of possessions... so he gladly had Jesus in his home. But when Zacchaeus came in contact with Jesus his life was completely changed.

He told Jesus, "I want to give half of my wealth to the poor and I will give back 4 times as much as I stole from the people."

Jesus saw that Zacchaeus' heart had changed. Zacchaeus wanted to accept Jesus into his life and change the bad things he was doing... and he did! Zacchaeus yielded his life to Jesus!

Bible Story: Luke 19:1-10

Memory Verse: "Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.'" Matthew 22:37-38

Q's for the family:
1. Zacchaeus's life was completely changed when he yielded himself to Jesus! What is something that keeps you from completely yielding your life to Jesus? Video games, friends, the ineternet, money, having the coolest clothes or toys, porpularity, etc.

2. How can those things get in the way of knowing God?

3. What steps can you take to make sure that you are spending time worshipping Jesus?

[Challenge]
This week I want you to take a break from something that takes up a lot of your time. Whether it is video games, the internet, or just watching TV; take a break from it and focus that time on God. Have a parent sign a sheet of paper explaining what you gave up and you can get a prize!

iWorship part 3

2008-10-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well, this past week we finished part 3 of our iWorship series. We talked about why its important to worship God through our actions.

Jesus said that the world will know that we are his followers by our love... and love is an action! How else can we show the world that we love Jesus if our actions don't match up with our words?

This week we talked about Paul and Silas, and how they were put in prison in the city of Philippi. The Bible says that around midnight, Paul and Silas started praying and singing to God!

When they did this a violent earthquake came that shook the foundations of the jail causing all of the cell doors to fly open and the prisoner's chains to fall off.

When the jailer saw this, he was really upset because he thought that all the prisoners had escaped, but Paul yelled for him and assured the jailer that they were all still there. The jailer was shocked that they were still there and because of their actions, he knew that there was something different about Paul and Silas.

He asked them, "what must I do to be saved?" They told him about Jesus and he believed.

The jailer and his whole family came to know Jesus that night because of Paul and Silas' actions. His life was forever changed!

Actions speak louder than words, and if our actions aren't telling others that we love Jesus, then we are not worshipping God through our actions!

Bible Story: Acts 16:16-34

Memory Verse: "Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.'" Matthew 22:37-38

Q's for the Family:
1. Have you ever been in a situation where you had a poor attitude? What happened as a result? Were there negative consequences? Was the way you acted showing worship to God?

2. Choosing to worship God is an everyday choice and some days it is easier than other! Why is it important that we worship God in the midst of the tough things we go through?

3. What is one thing that you are GOING to do this week, to worship God through your actions?

[Challenge]
Lower Elementary: Go home this week and draw a picture of what today’s story made you think about. If you bring it back to church next week you can get a prize!

Upper Eelementary: I want you to go home this week and think about a specific situation that makes you mad. I want you to pray about it and ask God how he can use you in that situation. Talk to your parents about it and if you bring back a slip of paper, with a parent signature, saying that you talked to them about the situation, you can get a prize!

iWorship part 2

2008-10-20T13:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we continued with part 2 of our iWorship series. We talked about how we worship God when we desire to know more about Him.

It is important, as followers of Jesus, that we build a strong foundation for our lives; and we can do that through learning more about our God.

We talked about the story of the two builders that Jesus shared in Matthew 7:24-27.

Jesus said, "...everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall..." The way that we "hear" his words is by reading what he said in the Bible.

He also told a story of a foolish builder. The foolish builder built his house on the sand and when the rain came and the wind blew against the house it fell down because it was not built on solid ground.

The way that we build that solid foundation is by hearing, and reading what God says.

Bible Story: Matthew 7:24-27

Memory Verse: "Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.'" Matthew 22:37-38

iWorship part 1

2008-10-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

This past week we started a brand new 4 week series called iWorship. During iWorship, we will be uncovering four different aspects of worship: Praying, Reading, Acting, and Yielding.

Last Sunday we discovered prayer and really what it's all about. We talked about the story of the apostles Peter and John. They had been arrested for healing a crippled man outside the temple gates.

After Peter and John had been released from prison the next day, the Bible says that they went home and reported what had happened. Acts 4:24-31 says, "When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God... After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly."

There is definitely power in prayer. Even though we go through tough situations, sometimes, God can still do powerful things when we choose to worship him through prayer!

Bible Story: Acts 4:23-31

Memory Verse: "Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." Matthew 22:37-38

Q's for the Family:
1. How do you worship Jesus through prayer? Do you go by yourself? Do you pray with your parents? Do you pray throughout the day? Do you pray at all?

2. What is something that God can help you do when you pray to him?

[Challenge]
Take some time this week to pray by yourself, or with a parent, for five minutes.

Prayer tips:
Thank God for what he has done for you
Ask him for forgiveness for the things that we do that don’t make him happy
Ask him how he can use you to help other people come to know him

Knockout!

2008-10-06T01:12:00.000-07:00

Well, we just finished up our Knockout! series... a two week study on David and Goliath!

Week 1 we talked about how, even though David wasn't liked by his own family, God told the prophet Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint him as the next King of Jerusalem (1 Samuel 16:1-13.)

The world had one view of David, a small, weak, shepherd boy. But God had great plans for David no matter what the world thought of him.

Week two we talked about the actual battle between David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1-50.)David went to the front lines of the battle between the Israelites and the Philistines. He went only to deliver some food to his brothers.

Well, when he heard Goliath saying bad things about God's army it upset him.

David winds up being the one man who goes to battle this giant, and defeats him with a single stone. Wow... that's unbelievable!!!

It's really cool how God can use us even when we think that we're too small, or too young, or not cool enough. He can use us to do great things in spite of those things. And our Scripture Verse tells us why!

Scripture Verse:
"The Lord does not look at the things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b

Questions for the Family:
1. It didn’t matter that David was just a boy, and it didn’t matter what he looked like on the outside. God still used him to do some awesome things. What are some things we can do so that we have the same attitude that David did?

2. What are some cool things you think God could use you to do?

That's all we've got for you this week, but stay tuned for any new updates or subscribe to this blog so that you will know when new things are posted!

Back 2 School Bash Week 2

2008-09-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

Week two has come and gone as quick as a flash! This week in the 5th and 6th grade room we had a girl dressed in 15 green t-shirts, a green hat and green swimming goggles to rack up a whopping 170 points for her team!! The day was a blast and we are now in crunch mode for next week! Next week is our last week to earn points for our teams. The following Sunday we announce the grand prize winner. Remember, you can still win the Grand Prize all you have to do is bring as many friends in as possible and sport your team color!

This week we talked about humility and putting others first. At the tower of Babel the people had forgotten about what God wanted them to do and the people decided to do what they wanted to do. We learned that God wants us to put others first.

Week 2 Scripture Verse: "Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor." Proverbs 18:12

Power Burst: God wants me to put others before myself.

Bible Story: The Tower of Babel Genesis 11:1-9

*Don't forget to put others first by bringing in your donations for Uganda next week. All your stuff will go to an orphanage in Uganda where children need shoes, blankets, puzzles, non-electronic games, and school supplies.

Back to School Bash Week 1!

2008-09-12T10:30:00.001-07:00

Well we kicked off our Back 2 School Bash last week and it was a blast from start to finish. We had kids and leaders alike dressed from head to toe in their team color. For now the ORANGE team is in the lead with 1570 points and the RED team following with 1510 points. Not trailing far behind is the GREEN team with 1280 and the BLUE team coming in with 880 points.

Now just to remind you here are the ways to earn points for your team:

Bring a Friend: 100
Repeat Visit by Friend: 50
Wearing Team Color: 10 per article
Colored Hair: 20
Recite Memory Verse From Previous Week: 50

That's it for this week! We will see you Sunday and don't forget to sport your team colors!