Jesus Shows His Power

Bible Point: Jesus forgives us.
Bible Exploration: Mark 2:1-12

Add Extra Impact to the "Weaving Faith Into Life" activity by giving kids a powerful visual representation of God’s forgiveness.

Have members of the family write down a letter of confession and forgiveness on pieces of paper. One at a time, either cut up the letters and throw them in the trash or put their letters through a paper shredder.

When they’re all done, SAY Jesus completely forgives us of our sins. He doesn’t hang on to them and hold them against us. They’re forgiven, over, done with, kaput. Isaiah 43:25 tells us that when God forgives our sins, he remembers them no more. Let’s praise God for his awesome forgiveness in our lives!

Jesus Calms a Storm

Bible Point: We should turn to Jesus when we're afraid.

Bible Exploration: Mark 4:35-41

For this "I’m Not So Afraid" activity, you’ll need to bring a stuffed animal to class. You may determine the stuffed animal’s name beforehand or you may decide to let the children name it. Hold the stuffed animal as if he is sitting in your lap, facing the children.

SAY [Animal’s name] is my special little friend. He is very shy about new places. Move the animal as if he is hiding his face from the children. Look at the stuffed animal. It’s OK, little buddy. There’s no reason to be afraid. Turn the stuffed animal back around to face the children again.

Can you think of ways we can make [animal’s name] feel better? Can we pat him on the back? Let children pat the stuffed animal. Guide them in making other suggestions such as singing to the stuffed animal, praying for him, shaking his hand, or hugging him. Let the children act these out.

I think [animal’s name] is feeling better now. You helped him to not be so afraid. Jesus helps us when we’re afraid, too.

Jesus Heals, Prays, and Preaches

Bible Point: Jesus cares for us.

Bible Exploration: Mark 1:29-39

When someone does something to take care of you in a very significant way, it isn't easily forgotten. Think of a time when you've had when someone deeply cared for you and showed it through an action.

Jesus' entire life on earth was about caring for others. And he continues to care and love for us today. Let's consider how much Jesus does for us and let a new appreciation grow for how Jesus cherishes us and takes care of us.

Family Worship Challenge:
Play this "Who Is the Helper?" game with the children to remind them that there are people who help us every day, but Jesus is our greatest helper because he cares for us.

Provide pictures or write the names of people on cards that help us such as: "mother," "father," "policeman," "pastor," "fireman," "doctor," "Sunday school teacher," "grandparent," "neighbor," "Jesus," etc. Place the cards or pictures in a paper bag. Let the children come up one at a time and draw out a person. Then have them give clues about the helper while the other children try to guess the identity. You may have to assist with clues. Emphasize that Jesus gives us these people to help us everyday because he cares for us.

ASK:
• How does Jesus show us that he cares for us?
• Who could you be a helper to?
• How can we help others and show them that we care just like Jesus?

Jesus Demonstrates His Authority

Bible Point:  Jesus Can do Anything

Bible Exploration: Mark 1:21-28

Everybody wants power in this world.  As a family, make a list of the 5 most powerful people you can think of.  Your list could include the president, teachers, TV personalities, maybe even mom and dad!   The world's perspective on power is upside-down in relation to God's perspective.  According to God, the weak and humble are the most powerful, and those who surrender to God are used by him, backed with is power and authority. 

Now cut apart your list and put them in a new order, reflecting the authority they might have when backed by God's power. 

Discuss:  

Why are these people not necessarily powerful in God's estimation?

How can weak and humble people be powerful? 

Memory Verse for February:  "Come to me, all of you who are tired and carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28

Use this link to connect to an American Sign Language Dictionary to help your kids learn the memory verse this month:  

Disciples Follow Jesus

Link: http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/games/followtheleaderrelay.html
Link: http://www.primarygames.com/arcade/wonka/nrfollow/start.htm

Play the Follow-the-Leader game at the PBS Kids website. Then try your hand at the NERDS version of the game offered at the Primary Games website.

Discuss the following questions as a family:
• What character traits make a person a good leader?
• What character traits make someone a good follower?
• How do you think the disciples felt about following Jesus? Did they trust him? How do you know?
• Why should we follow Jesus today? Can we trust Jesus to be a good leader?

Jesus Surprises Nathanial

Link: http://www.ask.com/
Link: http://www.ajkids.com/

Go to the Ask Jeeves website and allow each family member to enter a question, word, or phrase. Click “ask” and then wait to see if the all-knowing Jeeves will have an answer. Allow children to use the Ask Jeeves for Kids URL. Consider that while Jeeves may have expansive knowledge, he doesn’t know anything about you. Only an all-knowing God can look inside hearts. Let each family member offer suggestions for what God might find when he examines hearts.

To think about and discuss:
How does the fact that God knows you so well make you feel?

How does God’s knowledge of hearts make him the perfect one to take care of you?

John Baptizes Jesus

Link: http://www.terragalleria.com/mountain/

Take a “virtual” hike via the photos at the terragalleria site. Pay particular attention to the equipment worn by the climbers for scaling those gorgeous, but extremely high, mountains.

Link: http://www.dropzone.com/photos/index.html

Imagine a family vacation learning to skydive! Picture yourself dressed in a suit like the ones you see in these photos. Better than that, picture yourself in the sky!

Discuss the following questions as a family:
• Why would it be important for the mountain climber to have faith in his equipment?
• In what would the skydiving instructor hope that his students placed their trust? Why?
• Why would God want us to trust and believe in Jesus? What does it mean to have faith in Jesus?Let each member say one sentence of a family prayer in which you thank God for giving us his Son.

Wise Men Find Jesus

http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/358.asp
http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v20/i1/scientist.asp

At these links, you will find accounts of Sir Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal’s lives. These men were famous scientists; in fact, they were considered the wisest of the wise. Both were Christians.

Think of other scientists that are familiar to you because of their discoveries and write them down. Use the following links to do a search on one or two of the scientists that you listed:
http://www.google.com/
http://www.yahoo.com/
Use the information that you discovered in doing your on-line search to answer the following questions as a family:

• Did the scientists that were Christians find that science gave affirmation to God or did they feel science disproved the existence of God? Why?

• What do the lives of these prominent scientists make you think about the wisdom of humankind?Take a few moments to meditate on why the wise man ultimately finds Jesus. Then close with a family prayer in which you ask God to help you look for wisdom by always turning to Christ Jesus.

Wise Men Find Jesus

Memory Verse: A Savior has been born to you, He is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

Key Point: Jesus deserves our worship.

Faithful People Thank God for JesusLink:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/cards/brownpaper/

Follow the directions at the Enchanted Learning site to create a thank-you card for God. Write “Thank you, God, for sending Jesus” on the front of the card. Then think of ways you can each thank God and list those on the back of the card. Display your family card in a prominent spot so that you can remember to thank God daily for his greatest gift, Jesus.Link:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thankyougifts/thankyou.shtml

Have fun trying to pronounce “thank you” in all the different languages given at this website. Let each member of the family choose two languages and practice saying “thank you.” Close with a prayer time in which each family member thanks God in the two languages he or she has learned.

Jesus is Born!

Memory Verse: A Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11



Link: http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/index.html



Enjoy learning about Canadian missionary St. Jean de Brebeuf, who composed The First Canadian Christmas Carol. Be sure to click on the graphic at the Lesson Tutor site to hear the musical presentation of the song. As you read about Brebeuf’s life, take into account how events in history contributed to his feeling toward the Christ-child and no doubt influenced his choice of words for this hymn. Find the home page of the Kididdles site and surf down the page. Check out Mojo’s Musical Mouseum. As a family, select a traditional melody that you all know. Collaborate in writing Christmas lyrics that fit the tune of the melody you select.



Sing the song and then discuss the following questions:



• What part does music play in the celebration of Christmas?

• What are other things that we can do to celebrate Christ’s birth?

Faithful People Thank God for Jesus

Parents: Ask your children why Jesus’ birth is something to really
celebrate. Encourage each person in your family to name a different
reason to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Then talk about ways your family
celebrates Jesus’ birth at Christmas, and evaluate whether or not
you’re doing a good job of celebrating Jesus’ birth in your Christmas
traditions. Come up with some new ideas you might want to carry out
to make your Christmas traditions even more about Jesus.

Pray: Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to be born. Remind us during this
busy Christmas season to remember why we celebrate Christmas and
to focus our hearts and thoughts on you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Family Discussion:
In this Christmas season, our family thanks God for. . .
If Jesus were born today, what gift would we bring to Him?

God Dwells With Us

Memory Verse: "A Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

Key Point: Jesus is God

Abraham's Visitors/ Sodom and Gomorrah

Bible Point: God makes miracles happen.

Key Verse: "For I know the plans I have for you, " declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29:11

Bible Exploration: Genesis 18:1-19:29

When God made it clear that his intent was to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham was horrified. He had likely done business with people there, and his nephew, Lot, lived there with his family. So Abraham pleaded with God to spare the few who were still faithful. Notice that God’s response was not to spare just the righteous; God said the whole city would
be saved if only 50 righteous people lived there. It’s helpful to remember here God’s definition of righteous. Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith, not because of a righteous lifestyle. As Abraham voiced his pleas ever more carefully, God promised to spare the city if only 10 righteous people could be found there. However, there weren’t even 10 faithful people there.
Lot’s position at the gate to the city indicated that he was a man of influence there, perhaps even a judge. His insistence that the visitors stay at his home was almost a requirement of
the culture. The moral degradation of this city is obvious in the text, so no further comment is needed here. Lot apparently was at least somewhat involved in what was happening in the
culture, as evidenced by his offering of his daughters to the men who were seeking sex with the visitors.
God did an amazing thing in sparing the lives of Lot and his family. Lot didn’t appear to deserve it, just as we don’t deserve the grace God gives to us. But we can be thankful that God is
wonderfully merciful and still does amazing things for us.

To think about and discuss:
• Why do we so easily accept God’s miracles in history, but have such a hard time accepting his actions in our lives today?
• What kind of actions would God have to take to convince you of his miraculous power?
• What miracle have you experienced that surprised you?
• Why do miracles happen?
• Why does God use miracles in some situations, but not others?

Family Worship Challenge:
• Help your family members write a song celebrating God’s miracles. Choose a tune familiar to your children, and have them help you replace the words with words that describe God’s miracles in the Bible and in their own lives. Then sing the song together each morning to start the day with praise for God’s great power.

Abram Follows God's Direction

Bible Point: We can always trust God.

Key Verse: "We obey God rather than man." Acts 5:29

Bible Exploration: Genesis 12:1-8

“Sell everything you can’t carry with you, leave all your friends and extended family, get your wife and belongings in the car, and start driving. You’ll probably never come back here again, but don’t worry about that—I’ll show you where to go.” If God were speaking to Abram today, that might be what he’d say. What trust in God it took for Abram to leave his home, his country, and everything familiar and comfortable and set out for an unknown destination, having only God’s
command to go on!

Get a piece of paper. Draw a horizontal line in the center of the page with one dot at the left end labeled “Birth” and one on the right end labeled “Death.” Place another dot on the line to serve as a marker for the beginning of your faith. Take a look at your life. What promises has God made to you? What might he be calling you to do? When you’ve thought about that, place at least two additional dots on your line with dates and write a short explanation of what you believe God has indicated in the past and what he wants you to do today.


Ask God to help you try something new that you’d be afraid to try on your own—something where you’d have to trust God in order to do it.

People Build a Tower at Babel

Bible Point: We all need God

Key Verse: "We obey God rather than man." Acts 5:29

Bible Exploration: Genesis 11:1-9

Just a few generations and only 150 to 200 years after the miraculous saving of Noah’s family
in the ark, the descendants of those ark-dwellers turned away from God. The people’s intent in building a tower was not to reach heaven, as some have suggested. They wanted to build something showy that would bring them recognition. People from all around would see the tall tower that seemed to reach into the heavens. Others would marvel at what they had done, and they would be proud. These people weren’t interested in serving God; rather they wanted to elevate their own standing before others. In essence, they tried to make themselves look
more important than God.
In the past century the human race has made dramatic technological advancements. Many people believe that as we share information and build upon what we have learned, our progresswill eventually allow the human race to solve all of its problems. The belief that the human race is self-sufficient isn’t new.

To think about and discuss:
1. Do you feel the advances we have made are positive and helpful to
mankind? Why or why not?
2. Are there areas where science and technology can go too far?
3. How do you think God feels about the advances we’ve made in the
last century?
4. If you were asked “Why do we need God?” what would your answer
be?

Family Worship Challenge:
• Teach your family to speak pig Latin. (Begin each word with its first vowel, move the initial consonant to the end of the word, and follow with an “ay” sound. For example, “cat” becomes “atcay” and “dog” becomes “ogday.”) Have everyone come up with a few sentences in pig Latin while others try to decipher them. Then talk about the story in Genesis 11 and what it would be like to wake up one morning and speak a completely different language than
your friends and neighbors!

• Play the popular Jenga table game with your family. As each person removes a piece from the “tower,” ask them to state an area of their life where people might say they do not need God. For example, “I do not need God to give me air; the trees make it.” When the tower finally falls down, talk about how foolish it is to not give God his rightful place in our lives.

God Floods the Earth

Bible Point: God's promises are always reliable.

Key Verse: "We must obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29

Bible Exploration: Genesis 7:1-8:22, 9:8-16


Adults struggle to keep commitments and promises. Campaign promises, marriage vows, and even simple promises to remember a phone call or lunch date. As we juggle commitments to family, job, spouse, and friends, we often find these commitments in conflict. And to add to the challenge, we live in a world where faithfulness is not highly valued. How many times have you said, "I'll call you," and never followed up? What we say, what we are intending to do, and what we are expected to do are often different things.

1. How do you feel about promises?
2. Can you keep a promise?
3. Can you trust a friend who makes a promise to you?

When God makes a promise, its worth is priceless and its strength unmatched. As we strive to be like Him, we should also take our word and our commitments seriously. As we model faithfulness and promise-keeping to our families and friends, we are painting a picture of a faithful God to our children.

Family Worship Challenge:

• To illustrate how difficult it is when you can’t trust what others say, ask family members to participate in the following activity. Choose a meal when the whole family is together.
  Instruct everyone that they are to intentionally say the opposite of what they mean. For example, if someone wants the potatoes they might say, “Don’t pass me any potatoes.”
  Ask family members to share how they felt about saying the opposite of what they meant.

Memory Verse Update

On order to streamline Sabbath Schools and Kid's church and help our kids learn their memory verses, we have decided to focus on one memory verse each month.
For the month of October: "We must obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29
This verse goes along with all of our stories/themes for October. Practice with your kids each night, or at least weekly, to help them learn the memory verse for the month!

Noah Builds the Ark

Bible Point: God wants us to obey.

Key verse: “Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!’ ”
(Acts 5:29).

Bible Exploration: Genesis 6:5-22


Obedience is no easier for adults than it is for children. But adults can better understand God’s call to obedience and how the answer to that call reflects the depth of our relationship to God.
We don’t know how often Noah was discouraged. We don’t know if his neighbors ridiculed him, but we assume they must have. We don’t know if Noah’s family thought he had lost his mind. But we do know that “he did everything just as God commanded him.” And that’s a great example of faithful obedience for all of us.

To think about and discuss:
1. How does popular culture affect your sense of right and wrong?
2. How is it possible to know what God wants when society and the media tell us that all truth is relative?
3. Give examples of what obeying God might look like in the faceof an “anything goes” society? What obstacles might you have to overcome?

Family Worship Challenge:

• Play a game of Simon Says with your children. Allow each person to have a turn being Simon. Then have familymembers discuss how following the leader in the game is like and unlike following God.
• Have each family member come up with one question they’d like to ask God about the reason for one of his rules or commands. Then have other family members tell how
  they think God might answer that question.

Cain Kills Abel

Bible Point: God wants us to love and honor our families

Key Verse: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor
one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10).

Bible Exploration: Genesis 4:1-16

“Family” has a wider range of meaning to adults than to children. To adults the concept
of “family” might include their own parents and siblings, or their own spouses and
children, or their spouses’ parents and siblings. Adults have more family to love—and
more potential for family conflicts. Unresolved issues from one part of the family can
spill over into relationships in another. The story of Cain and Abel shows us that the first family had many more problems than most of us have had. Yet God still loved them,
even knowing how sinful they were. He will never abandon us because of our sinful ways.

To think about and discuss:

1. How does God want us to treat our families?
2. When God already knew what had happened to Abel, why did he ask Cain where his brother was?
3. Does God expect us to be our "brother's keeper?"

Family Worship Challenge:

• Make a list of things that make you glad you’re a family. Clap for each family member as you list special qualities they each bring to your family.
• Pick a family that you see on a TV show, discuss the things about that family that God would like/dislike.

Adam and Eve Sin

Bible Point: We all sin

Key Verse: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

Bible Exploration: Genesis 3:1-24

To think about and discuss:
Sin is a problem for every human, but we sometimes allowourselves to be more open to temptation and sin than at othertimes. The Bible tells us that sin results in death. By accepting Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin and believing in him, we receive eternal life. However, that doesn’t mean we automatically stop all sinning. We sin because we are weak and tempted by too many pleasures of the world, including material things, sexual sin, power, and money.

1. How does God provide a way out of temptation so we can withstand it?
2. Is temptation a sin?
3. How does God want us to deal with sin?

Family Worship Challenge:

• Is there a sin that you have committed this recently that you are feeling guilty of? After confessing the sin and asking for forgiveness from God and others who may be affected, bury your guilt. Write your sin down, pray to God to give you the ability to sin no more, and then bury the paper in the ground. Thank God for your his forgiveness, grace and power, but let it die so your future can live.