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For Leaders

Modeling

Read 

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age 5 and Ryan, age 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.” 1 

Reflect 

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’ s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and–day difference he made for you. (1 Peter 2:9 Msg.) 

Respond 

A preschooler was getting in the car after church when she spotted her teacher walking across the parking lot.
“Look, mom,” she said excitedly. “There goes Jesus!” 2
Leading children is an incredible privilege as you represent to them what Jesus is like. What character trait does the Lord want you to work on this week to help you be more like Him? 

Your thoughts? 

Remember 

You have been chosen for God’s work serving in children’s ministry. Be Jesus this week! “I will model Jesus this week to the students in my class by _______________ (fill in the blank)

Fun Stories

The Girl who Liked to Talk

Once there lived a girl,

Who really like to talk.

She’d talk real soft,

She’d talk real loud,

She talk to herself,

She’d talk in a crowd.

She’d talk in the morning,

She’d talk when it was late,

She’d talk every minute,

Even while she ate.

She couldn’t go a second,

Without making a peep.

She talked all the time,

Even in her sleep.

Then she lost her voice,

And there was no talking or yelling.

There was no screaming, no chatting,

And no fun, story telling.

She was quiet at last,

But she learned a ton.

She listened and found,

That listening was fun.

Now she talks,

But she always listens too.

Her talking-all-the-time days,

Are finally through.

Quietness

Some people never take time to stop, be quiet and listen for God’s voice. Sometimes God speaks to you through the Bible. Sometimes God speaks to you through someone else. And sometimes God speaks to you through His Holy Spirit. This is like a voice inside the stillness of your heart and what He says will always line up with His Word. So… shhhhhhhh… take time to be quiet and pray and think about God.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 7, “For everything there is a season… A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.”

Family Devotions, Family Fun

Casting Cares

You Will Need: 

  • Something you can throw.
  • A Bible marked at 1 Peter 5:7

TELL your child that you are going to throw an item to them and you want them to catch it and throw it back. Do this several times.

ASK—What does it mean to “cast” something? (“Casting” is another way of saying “throwing.”)

SAY—We are going to read about something that God wants us to throw His way.

Read 1 Peter 5:7 from your Bible.

ASK—What does God want you to “cast” on Him? (Your cares.) 

ASK—Some of your cares or all of your cares? (All your cares.) 

ASK—Why can you cast all your cares on God? (Because He cares for you.)

TOSS the item back and forth but each time you throw it, say a care or worry that someone might have.

ASK—What are some cares or worries that you have?

PRAY—Take turns praying and let each member of your family tell God about a care or worry (something that concerns them)—something they are throwing God’s way and trusting Him with. For example, “Dear Lord, Grandma is sick. Please help her to get better. I give this to you. In Jesus’ Name—Amen.”

Jokes-Pumpkin

PUMPKIN JOKE #15

What did the Doctor say after the pumpkin had an accident?

It looks like he’ll be a vegetable the rest of his life.

The Bible talks about a Doctor too: The Great Physician. But unlike an earthly doctor, Jesus can not only heal our physical illnesses, He can forgive our sins too.

The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Learn more about how you can have eternal life – Click HERE.

Jokes-Pumpkin

PUMPKIN JOKE #14

When is a pumpkin not a pumpkin?

When you drop it. Then it’s squash! 

Drop a pumpkin and the result is: A mess.

All actions come with consequences and there’s a consequence for our sin too.

The  Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Learn more about how you can have the Free Gift of eternal life – Click HERE.

For Leaders

Caught, Not Taught

Read

A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, “Would you like to say the blessing?” “I wouldn’t know what to say,” the girl replied. “Just say what you hear Mommy say,” the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, “Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”1 

Reflect 

Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. (Proverbs 4:23-24) 

Respond 

I was in a small church on a Sunday evening and one of the youth said to me, “Do you know why they ask the youth to take up the offering on Sunday nights?” 

“What do you mean?” I replied.

She answered, “It’s because none of the deacons are here.”

As I looked around I realized there was a great amount of truth in what she said. Only two out of ten or more deacons were present that night. 

It’s amazing how students can pick up on just about everything we say or do. They know when we’re in worship service and when we’re not and if we’re absent they wonder why. They watch from a distance and soak in all that happens with us. They listen as we talk with other adults and many of them are watching to see if what we have is “real.” Consider the best teachers you ever had: What do you remember about them? Probably not a single lesson they taught, but you remember their passion, how they treated you, your relationship with them, how you felt important when you approached them with a question, etc. Life’s best lessons are not taught—They are caught. 

What are your students catching from you? What do you want them to catch from you? 

Your thoughts?

Remember 

You are a living testimony to those around you—Make sure yours is a life worth catching. 

Fun Stories

Little John Mark

Little John Mark ,

Was scared of the dark,

And every night,

He’d need a light,

Sitting by his bed.

“Mommy, Mommy,”

He would call.

I heard a noise,

In the hall,

And saw a shadow,

On the wall.

Can I please sleep in your bed?

“Mommy, Mommy,”

I saw something scary.

It was a monster,

Who was very hairy.

Or it could’ve been,

A mean tooth fairy.

Can you please stay with me?

Little John Mark,

Dreaded the night,

And was never all right,

Without his light.

“Mommy, Mommy,”

He would say,

I’m real scared,

Can you stay?

Please check my closet for monsters.

Little John Mark,

Was full of fear,

Until someone told him,

Jesus was near.

“He’ll never leave you,

He’ll never go away.

You can trust Him by night,

You can trust Him by day.”

Now if you see,

Little John Mark,

You’ll find a boy,

Whose no longer scared of the dark.

And if he get frightened,

And fears a monster he’ll see,

You’ll hear him say,

“When I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.”

Psalm 56:3

Peace

God doesn’t want us to live in fear. He wants us to have peace, and not just any peace, but the peace that comes from knowing God and trusting Him. So the next time you’re afraid, remember what the Bible says in Psalm 56:3: “When I am afraid I will put my trust in You.” Or, if you want to make it rhyme, you can say, “When I am afraid, I will trust in Thee—Psalm 56:3.” “Thee” is an old-time way of saying “You.” Let’s practice once: “When I am afraid, I will trust in Thee—Psalm 56:3.”

Family Devotions, Family Fun

Make Them Disappear

You Will Need: 

  • Coffee Filter 
  • Lemon Juice 
  • A highlighter 
  • A Bible marked at 1 John 1:9 

If you don’t have these items: You can do the following activity to make the same point: Use food items or shaving cream to make a beard and mustache on your child—it’ll make a mess on them, just like sin makes a mess out of our lives. Then see how fast they can clean up their faces. Read 1 John 1:9 and continue with the DISCUSSION below.

STEP 1

Use a highlighter to write different sins on a coffee filter.

STEP 2

Put a few drops of lemon juice on the filter and watch your sins disappear.

DISCUSSION

Read 1 John 1:9 from your Bible.

SAY—Sin always makes a mess in our lives but if we confess our sins and tell God we’re sorry for the wrong things we’ve done, He’ll forgive us. We can’t clean up ourselves. We can’t forgive our own sins—we need a Savior. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have to deal with the consequences of the wrong things we’ve done, but when God forgives a sin, it’s gone for good.

SAY—That’s great news…and news like this ought to be shared with others. Jesus doesn’t want us to keep this a secret but to share it with the whole world.

ASK—This week with whom can you share about how Jesus can forgive sins?

PRAY—Give thanks that God has made a way to clean up the mess of our sins.

BREAKFAST BITES

ASK—What do you think the world would be like if there was no sin? (We would be perfect. No one would lie or steal or cheat. You could trust everyone, etc.)

ASK—In what ways do you think sin hurts people?

Read Galatians 6:7-8

 (The point of this verse is simply: what you plant in your life is what will grow in your life. If you plant the things of God, you will grow things that last forever. If you give in to sin, however, the hurt of that sin will destroy the life that God intends for you to have.)

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 10:1-16 – Commissioning of the 70

• DAY 2 – Luke 10:17-24 – Return of the 70

• DAY 3 – Luke 10:25-37 – Parable of the Good Samaritan

• DAY 4 – Luke 10:38-42 – Martha and Mary

• DAY 5 – Luke 11:1-4 – Lord, teach us to pray

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?