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For Leaders

Teamwork

Read 

Two men were riding a bicycle built for two when they came to a steep hill. It took a great deal of struggle for the men to complete what proved to be a very steep climb. When they got to the top the man in front said to the other, “Man, that was a hard climb!” The guy in back said, “Yes, it was. And if I hadn’t kept the brakes on all the way we would have rolled down backwards.”1 

Reflect 

Two people are better than one. They get more done by working together. (12b) A rope that has three parts wrapped together is hard to break. (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12 ICB) 

Respond 

Have you ever felt like that guy on the front of the bike? Pedaling your way to the top, huffing and puffing, exerting energy and giving it your all to later learn that the person behind you was keeping the brakes on the entire time? What do you think about the above verse that says “Two people are better than one?” What are the benefits of serving on a team? What are some ways you can encourage those who serve alongside you? 

Your thoughts?

Remember 

God has given us each other for a purpose. 

Fun Stories

My Own Stockings

There’s no Christmas tree,

But a real tree for me,

Straight out of the ground,

Is how it’s got to be.

And no fake stockings,

Do I use.

I use my own socks,

That’s what I choose.

They come right off my feet,

Right out of my shoe,

One for me,

And one for you.

So I hung them up,

And went to bed,

But when I woke up,

I saw instead,

That my socks smelled bad,

I shook my head,

Because I had,

A tree that was dead.

Thinking Things Through

Like in the story, sometimes we do things without considering the results of our actions. But a godly person will not only consider whether what he is doing is right or wrong, but also how it will affect others. Will it help and encourage them in their walk with Jesus or could it trip them up? Will it bring glory to God? Listen to what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Family Devotions, Family Fun

Taste Testers

You will need: 

  • A Blindfold
  • Two drinks or food items that you know your child likes. One drink or food item that you figure your child will dislike. 
  • Your Bible marked at Philippians 4:4.

Get Started
Send your children to another room while you find three drinks or food items, two that you know they like and at least one that you figure they won’t like. For example, you might use chocolate milk, Pepsi, and prune or pickle juice. Then blindfold your children and bring them in one at a time to be a “Taste Tester.” Ask them to identify each drink. Give them the item they won’t like last.

ASK—Did you get what you expected?

SAY—Sometimes in life we get what we expect, sometimes we don’t. Bad things can even happen to good people, but listen to what the Bible says about what we should do when bad things happen.

Read Philippians 4:4 from your Bible.

ASK—When “bad” things happen, what can you do? (Make the choice to rejoice.)

ASK–Why do you think you can always rejoice? (Because God is faithful. He’ll never let you down. He’ll always keep His Word. You can trust Him, etc.)

ASK—What are some things our family can rejoice about? (Don’t just list good things. Also list things that they might consider to be “bad.” For example, we can rejoice even though daddy lost his job. Why? Because we trust God and we know He won’t let us down…In 1 Thess. 5:17 the Bible says to “Give thanks in everything…”)

ASK—What does rejoicing have to do with Christmas?

SAY—On the night that Jesus was born, the angels told the shepherds about the baby Jesus. They hurried to go see Him and when they left the Bible says that they went away “glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). When people meet Jesus and put their faith in Him, they can rejoice always, no matter what, because God is real, because He loves you and me, and because God sent His Son to be the Savior of the World.

PRAY—And thank God that no matter what happens in our lives, we can always rejoice if we know and follow Jesus Christ.

NOTE: If your children want a further answer about why they can rejoice in the middle of difficult times, explain that sometimes we do wrong things and these bad choices bring “bad” things into our lives. But sometimes we do everything right and someone else does something wrong and we get hurt because of it. Even so, there’s nothing your children will ever do that is so bad that God can’t forgive them and there’s nothing so bad that can happen to them that God can’t turn it around to their good if they love Him and are walking with Him. (See Romans 8:28 for a great promise.)

Read the Bible

D.I.V.E. Devotions 

Dig In
Dig in and enjoy God’s Word. What should I read in the Bible today?

• DAY 1 – Luke 17:20-37 – The end of the age

• DAY 2 – Luke 18:1-8 – Parable of the unjust judge

• DAY 3 – Luke 18:9-14 – Parable of the Pharisee and tax collector

• DAY 4 – Luke 18:15-17 – Receiving the Kingdom as a child

• DAY 5 – Luke 18:18-30 – The rich ruler

Answer these questions each day…

Insight
What did you see? What did you hear?

Value
What did you learn? What should you do?

Examine
Examine yourself as you pray. What will you pray?

For Leaders

Opportunities

Read 

Sometimes an idea has to slap you in the face; it’s the only way providence can get your undivided attention. “It was a beautiful Lake Michigan day–puffy white clouds, light breeze, not too hot,” recalls 23-year-old Joanne Marlowe. “I was pretty depressed about my business, and decided to walk across the street to the beach, something I had never had time for. I laid out my towel. To pamper myself, I spent a lot of time putting on suntan oil. Just as I stretched out, a gust of wind picked up the towel and covered me in sand. I hit the roof. A friend said, ‘Joanne, instead of getting angry, why don’t you figure out a fix?’ So instead of relaxing on the beach, I spent the day coming up with prototypes in my mind.” Eight weeks later she introduced a line of weighted beach towels and sold 4.5 million dollars worth of them, out of her house, within the first year.1 

Reflect 

Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. (James 1:2 NLT) 

Respond 

What do you do when life throws you a lemon? Why not make lemonade? What do you do when winds of trouble blow your towel away? Make a weighted towel. Have you had any wind or lemons in your life lately? How can this week’s verse make a difference in your life? When discipline problems arise in your class, how do you view them? Is it a burden or is it an opportunity? Discipline problems are never just “problems” to be overcome or set aside but opportunities to meet a child’s need individually and to make a difference in his life. 

Your thoughts?

Remember 

When the ice cream melts, make a malt. 

Fun Stories

My Gift to You

Do you want to know,

My gift for you?

Then close your eyes,

That’s what you must do.

What do you see?

Now tell me true,

“Nothing,” you say,

Well, that’s my gift to you.

Every Good Gift

The Bible says in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…”

Family Devotions, Family Fun

Toothpaste Squeeze

You will need:

Get Started
Gather your family around. Then squeeze out a good amount of toothpaste on a plate.

ASK—Do you think you can get it all back inside the tube?

Give each family member a chance to try.

(Some may try scooping it back in; Some may ask for scissors to cut it open and put it back. Just tell them no if you don’t want them to ruin the toothpaste tube; still others may want to lick all the toothpaste off the plate and use their mouth to put it back in. This is actually quite funny although if they push too hard, toothpaste will begin to come out of their nose—This really happened once!)

ASK—Is it possible to get all the toothpaste back inside? (No.)

SAY—The toothpaste is kind of like your words. Once something comes out of your mouth you can’t take it back. So if you don’t mean it, or you don’t plan to follow through with it, don’t say it. Every word you say should be as trustworthy as a promise.

ASK—Did God ever make promises? (Yes, the Bible is full of promises for you and me.)

ASK—Can you name a promise that God made? (Nothing can separate you from His love; He will never leave you; That you’re going to heaven once you’ve given your life to Jesus; etc.)

SAY—God also promised that a Savior would be born.

Read Isaiah 9:6 from your Bible.

SAY—This is a promise God made about 700 years before Jesus was born. God always does what He says, and we should do the same. Then, in the right time, God sent His only Son, Jesus, who was born in a stable in Bethlehem. He came to save us from our sins. This is the true Christmas story. 

Read 1 John 4:14 from your Bible.

SAY—As we get closer to Christmas you’re going to hear a lot of people talking about gifts and family and Christmas movies and Christmas stories but Jesus is the real meaning of Christmas. Christmas is all about the fact that God sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. 

PRAY—Thank God for Jesus and how wonderful He is. Thank God for always keeping His promises.

Read the Bible

D.I.V.E. Devotions 

Dig In
Dig in and enjoy God’s Word. What should I read in the Bible today?

• DAY 1 – Luke 16:1-9 – Parable of the dishonest manager

• DAY 2 – Luke 16:10-18 – Faithful in little

• DAY 3 – Luke 16:19-31 – The rich man and Lazarus

• DAY 4 – Luke 17:1-10 – Disciples and relationships within community

• DAY 5 – Luke 17:11-19 – Ten lepers cleansed

Answer these questions each day…

Insight
What did you see? What did you hear?

Value
What did you learn? What should you do?

Examine
Examine yourself as you pray. What will you pray?

For Leaders

Prepared

Read 

There was a blurb in the Los Angeles Times several years ago which related a story about a guy who returned to the house where he grew up as a young man. He had been away for 20 years before returning to his former home. He found his way up into the attic and found a jacket that had not gone with him in the move. It had been had left there for 20 years. He put it on and put his hands in the pockets. He felt a piece of paper and he pulled it out. It was a receipt for a pair of shoes that he had taken in to be repaired some 20 years ago and had forgotten to pick up. So on a whim he went to the shoe repair shop that used to be in his neighborhood and sure enough, it was still there with the same guy still working behind the counter that worked there 20 years ago. So he reached into his jacket, pulled out the receipt and handed it to the man behind the counter. The man went back to the work area, returned to the counter and said to the guy in the jacket, they’ll be ready Friday.1 

Reflect 

Always be ready to defend your confidence in God when anyone asks you to explain it. However, make your defense with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15 GWT) 

Respond 

How important is it to be prepared? It’s not that critical in the eternity of things if your shoes aren’t done on time, but it is essential that you are prepared spiritually for the kids and parents to whom you minister each week. What steps can you take this week to be better prepared spiritually for those to whom you minister? 

Your thoughts?

Remember 

Everything that has happened in your life thus far works in you to prepare you to share Christ with those who surround you. 

Fun Stories

Flying in Circles

I’ve been on a plane,

All daylong.

But we couldn’t land,

Cause something went wrong.

There’s a blizzard on the airport,

And we couldn’t land.

I’ve been on a plane,

All through the night

I thought we might land,

Cause the city looked bright.

But then came the fog,

And we couldn’t land.

I’m getting kind of hungry,

Cause I’m still on the plane.

We couldn’t land again.

This time it’s rain.

I need more than pretzels.

Why can’t we land?

We’re flying around in circles,

Inside a big cloud.

The engines are quiet now.

They used to be loud.

It can’t get worse than this!

Can’t we just land?

We landed in the ocean.

Now I’m floating on my seat.

I don’t like it here,

Cause sharks are nibbling at my feet.

I want on a plane.

Can’t we please go back up?

Thankful Hearts

Sometimes when we don’t get our way we want to gripe and complain, but God wants us to have thankful hearts. So the next time you don’t get what you want or things don’t go your way, don’t grumble about it. Instead, count your blessings and give God thanks.

Listen to what the Bible says in Philippians 2:14-15, “Do all things without murmurings and disputes, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world.”