Treasuring God's Word

The Commandments in Action!

2008-09-23T21:18:00.001-07:00

This past week we talked about the first 5 books of the Old Testament. We had activities that reinforced our scripture readings from Genesis 1, Exodus 20 and Psalm 19. I hope your kids shared their drawings with you illustrating God's creation!

We talked about the 10 Commandments and I asked the kids to take turns acting out each law...

Can you guess which is which?

.......A........................ B.............................. C.

.......D......................... E................... F.

.......G.......................... H.

............I............................... J.

1. You shall have no other gods before me. (Picture E)

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol. You shall not bow down to them or worship them. (Picture B)

3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. (Picture J)

4. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. (Picture F)

5. Honor your father and your mother. (Picture A)

6. You shall not murder. (Picture C)

7. You shall not commit adultery. (Picture I)

8. You shall not steal. (Picture G)

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Picture H)

10. You shall not covet. (Picture D)

The kids have done great with our first memory verse. Almost everyone can say it!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105a

Learning about God's Word

2008-09-23T05:38:00.000-07:00

The kids asked, "What are we going to be learning about this time?"... I said, "The Bible"... they said, "Duh!... what part?"... I said, "Exactly!"... and so we have begun a study about the Bible!

Some of the concepts that we have talked about in the past few weeks....

* The Bible is God's word to us! It is a special book that tells us about who God is and what He wants for us to be.

* The Bible has 2 major divisions... The Old Testament and the New Testament. We discussed what each part contains and the types of materials found in each. We talked about the different types of writings that are found in the bible: Stories, poetry, songs, "how to's" (laws and instructions), history and prophecy.

We made rainbow bookmarks and have practiced finding different scriptures in the bible and marking them with our bookmark. Did you know that if you open your Bible directly in the middle, you are in the book of Psalms? Did you know that if you find the half-way point between the middle of your bible and the end of your bible you are in the book of Matthew?

The kids did an exercise to illustrate the concept of grouping things together to make a task easier. They each got a handful of skittles and were required to work as a team to count the number of each color of skittles they had. They all quickly discovered it was much easier to separate and group the colors together before counting. We applied that to the way that the Bible is organized and grouped. We discussed the major groupings of both the Old Testament - Law, History, Poetry & Prophecy - and the New Testament - Gospels, History, Letters & Prophecy. We are working to identify each book of the Bible and what group it belongs to.... And, of course, we got to eat skittles in class!

Our Memory Verse is from Psalms 109:105a...

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path"

Week 13: Final Destination! Rome

2008-08-19T21:56:00.000-07:00

Rome was one of the 2 largest cities in the world in the 1st Century with a population of 1 million people. It was the political capital of the Roman Empire. It was surrounded by a wall over 13 miles in circumference. There were many temples to various gods, theatres, forums, palaces, baths, roads and gardens.

Paul arrives in Rome to appear before Caesar and plead his case. He is under house arrest which allows him to find his own place to live, but he was required to be chained to a Roman soldier at all times.

Paul requests a meeting with the Jewish leaders to explain what had happened and tell them his story. The Jewish leaders agreed that they had heard nothing bad about Paul and allowed him to tell the the good news about Jesus. Some believed that Jesus was the Messiah and put their faith in him. Paul remained a prisoner in his house in Rome for 2 years. Many people visited him to hear about Jesus. They were impressed that Paul wasn't depressed and complaining about his situation. He used his time by sharing God's message of love and salvation with everyone he could. He also used this time to write letters to his friends and churches. The journey ends with Paul still under house arrest in Rome. It is believed that Paul was eventually executed in Rome.

The kids finished the time by playing some types of games that would have been played during Paul's time. A dice game called "Seven" was popular as well as games such as Pente and Mancala.

The last week will be a time for the kids to redeem their dollars they have been collecting for attendance, bringing their bible and saying the memory verse.

Week 12: Hello and Goodbye!

2008-08-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

This week, we did not move forward in our journey with Paul. We reviewed the various places that Paul visited. We then discussed how Paul would write letters to the Christians in the various cities. He would send letters of encouragement and instruction to the churchs and individuals. We talked about Ms. Sonya's upcoming trip to the Ukraine and how we could encourage the children at the church in Zhitomir. The kids made cards to send over to the Ukraine to go with the money that had been collected over the past quarter.

We were sad to say goodbye to Taylor and Bailey Matthews. We enjoyed having them with us this summer. They are back in Searcy, Arkansas to get ready for the new school year. We wish the entire family God's blessings as they begin another year of exile in Arkansas! (Just kidding!) We shared cupcakes with them and wished Bailey a Happy Birthday as well!

This week we will be outside for fun and games... Vacation Bible School will keep the hearts and minds focused on Jesus this week.

Week 12: Shipwrecked on Malta

2008-07-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

Malta is a tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea, about 60 miles south of Sicily. The word "Malta" means refuge.

We reviewed the activities from last week and were reminded that Paul was defending himself in front of several different officials. During one of Paul's trials, he was asked to go back to Jerusalem to face the Jewish leadership. Paul knew that he would be killed if he went to Jerusalem, so he appealed to Caesar. The Roman soldiers guarded Paul and arranged for Paul's journey to Rome. Paul and the other prisoners boarded a ship that would carry them across the Mediterranean Sea to Rome.

We read from Acts 27 and listened to the events that happened on the way to Malta. Paul was confident that God would take care of him and that he would arrive safely in Rome. The travel was slow due to the wind blowing against them on the 1st leg of the trip. Paul told the sailors that their voyage would become dangerous on the 2nd leg of the trip due to the fact that they had entered the stormy season. The ship got caught in a terrible storm and everyone gave up hope that they would survive. Paul assured his fellow travelers that not one person would perish and the God had told him he would make it to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. They ran the ship aground and it was broken to pieces. Everyone made it safely to the small island of Malta.

(Hmmmm... looks like Ms. Susie lost her place!)

The islanders showed Paul and his traveling companions great kindness. As they were building a fire, Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake. Everyone expected Paul to die, but he shook off the snake into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people decided that Paul must be some type of god. Paul healed many sick people while staying on the island and he was honored and taken care of by the islanders. Paul had faith that God would provide safe passage to Rome for him. He didn't doubt God's word even when times became difficult and it seemed like he might die.

The kids made snakes to remind them about Paul's faith that God would take care of him in all circumstances.

We've only got a few weeks left in this adventure. Please remind the kids to study the Bible Verse...

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
Philippians 4:4,13

Week 11: Chained in Caesarea

2008-07-22T20:48:00.001-07:00

The city of Caesarea is located on one of the three international north/south roads running through Israel. King Herod built Caesarea on the Roman pattern with an ampitheater, market, harbor, temple to Augustus, fountains, good streets and houses. Roman procurators were based in Caesarea.

We started the class by making chains and pairing the children up to be handcuffed together for the entire class. We reviewed the riot that occurred in Jerusalem last week and how Paul was arrested. We were reminded that the Jewish leaders did not like Paul because he preached the good news about Jesus. Paul was going to be chained and in prison from this time forward. The kids were chained together while they completed their papers, listened to the Bible Story and played a relay game. Several of the kids learned that even going to the restroom would have to be done while chained up!

Paul was taken to Caesarea under the protection of the Roman guards when they learned that there was a plot to kill him in Jerusalem. Paul was held in Caesarea for over two years. During that time he defended himself in front of various officials. He presented his story to these officials and was able to tell his conversion story and God's plan of salvation. His defense was the same each time... Paul told them the following things about himself in his defense:

1) He was born Jewish

2) He studied the scriptures since he was a child

3) He persecuted the followers of Jesus

4) Jesus spoke to him on the road to Damascus and Paul was converted to a believer

5) He was doing God's will by preaching the good news

The officials did not feel that Paul had done anything that deserved punishment. They understood that there were strong disagreements between Paul and the Jewish leaders. Because Paul appealed to Caesar for judgement, he was required to be sent to Rome for a trial.

Don't forget to practice the memory verse!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Philippians 4:4,13

Week 10: Back to Jerusalem

2008-07-15T05:23:00.000-07:00

Jerusalem sits high above the surrounding territory with several hills within the walls of the city including Mt. Zion and the Temple Mount. Jerusalem is less than 11 acres, built on terraces. It was conquered and invaded by various invading armies throughout the years and was already a walled city when David captured it and made it his capital. It was the most important of Solomon's royal cities because the temple of God was there. The city grew under King Herod and he rebuilt the temple, a palace, an ampitheatre ,theatre and a fort. Jerusalem is also known as the City of God, Zion, and the Holy City.

We used pictures to help the children remember the story of Paul's journey back to Jerusalem. We reminded the kids that he spent some time traveling throughout the region where he had spent the last few years encouraging the churches and preaching to the Christians. He left the area of Asia Minor, which is now known as Turkey, and headed toward Jerusalem.

Paul sailed down the coast of Turkey and docked in Tyre. The Christians here begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. There were people in Jerusalem who were not happy that Paul had been preaching the gospel and converting many people to Christ.

Paul explained how he wanted to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost so he could join in the celebration of the beginning of the church in Jerusalem.

In Caesarea, a believer named Agabus predicted Paul's fate. He demonstrated it by taking Paul's belt from him and binding Paul's hands with his belt. He showed that Paul would be bound in chains and be taken prisoner when he reached Jerusalem. The believers in Caesarea loved Paul and they begged him not to go to Jerusalem. He was determined so they had several people that went with him on his journey.

Church leaders in Jerusalem became concerned that Paul was not honoring the Law of Moses because of some lies that were being told about him. They said that Paul had let some Gentiles into the Temple, which was against the Jewish laws. Paul defended himself and spoke to the Jews about his Jewish heritage. When he began to discuss his conversion and the mission God had given him to take the gospel to the Gentiles, a riot broke out.

The Roman soldiers were quick to break up the riot. They put Paul in chains and took him to prison. The commander of the Roman army ordered for Paul to be whipped. When Paul revealed that he was not just a Jew, but also a Roman citizen, the Roman soldiers became afraid. Roman citizens had certain rights and could not be beaten and punished without a fair trial. Paul ended his journey to Jerusalem just as it had been predicted. He was beaten and imprisoned for preaching the gospel of Christ.

I can see that the kids are tiring of the memory work. Some of the children mastered parts of last month's memory verse! Congratulations to Ashley Hartley!

This month's verse relates to the section of Paul's journey that will include his journey to Rome for his trial before Caesar. I am going to shorten the memory work so the kids should be able to get these verses easily...

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!... I can do everything through him who gives me strength" Philippians 4:4,13

Week 9: Macedonian Visit

2008-07-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Macedonia was a region that Paul had visited before and established churches in many towns and cities. The region was filled with poverty and hardship due to prior years of civil war and the reign of the Roman Empire.

Paul left Ephesus after several years of teaching and preaching in that city. He left Ephesus and traveled through Macedonia to strengthen the believers in the different places throughout that region. He traveled down to Southern Greece and stayed there several months. He was going to sail to Syria, but learned that some Jews were planning to harm him. Paul decided to travel back through Macedonia to meet up with his companions that would accompany him back to Jerusalem.

The children enjoyed the story about Eutychus falling asleep in the window. They couldn't imagine listening to preaching for several hours! We imagined what it would be like to sit and listen to a sermon for over six hours... nobody thought that they could stay awake the entire time (sorry Mr. Tommy!). We were reminded of the power that God had given to Paul that he could bring Eutychus back from the dead. Paul had performed many miracles throughout the region in the name of Jesus.

We played a life-sized board game to show the kids the number of places that Paul visited in Macedonia and the types of activities that happened. Paul sailed on ships, he stayed in certain places for weeks or months and took opportunities to preach the Good News every place he went. Paul reminded the believers of the truths that he had taught them and encouraged them to remain faithful to Jesus after he was gone. He knew he would not see them again and wanted them to know how much he cared about them and how he was placing them in God's care.

Leo Kirkpatrick was our high roller and led his team to victory!

Remember to review our memory verse!

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:7,9

Week 8: Uproar in Ephesus

2008-07-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

The city of Ephesus was known as the temple keeper for Artemis. The temple was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Ephesus was a port city on the Agean Sea and an important trading center, connecting the trade routes from the East to the sea route to Rome in the West. It was home to the Guild of Silversmiths, which made a large part of their money by making statues of the Artemis that were sold to people who came from all over Asia to worship this goddess.

We read sections from Acts 19 and discussed the different responses that people had to Paul's message. We saw that their were people in Ephesus that had heard John the Baptist's message, but had never heard about Jesus. Paul explained that John's message was to get the people ready for the Savior and that Jesus was the one that John had been preaching about. These people believed Paul's message and were baptized in the name of Jesus and received the Holy Spirit.

We then learned that Paul went to the synagogue and preached the gospel for 3 months. Some of the Jewish people refused to believe and began to say evil things about Jesus. Paul left the synagogue and began to teach the people outside the synagogue. He spoke to people every day for 2 years and the gospel spread throughout the country of Asia.

While Paul was preaching in Ephesus, God used Paul to do many special miracles. The sick were healed when they just touched clothes or handkerchiefs that had been used by Paul. A group of Jewish men were casting out evil spirits by saying "By the same Jesus that Paul talks about, I order you to come out!". One evil spirit rebuked them by saying "I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?". The man with the evil spirit beat the Jewish men and they ran away. Everyone in Ephesus heard about this and they gave great honor to the Lord Jesus.

Many of the believers began to openly confess about the evil things they had done. They refused to worship Artemis and burned their magic books. The word of the Lord kept spreading and growing.

The trouble in Ephesus got serious when a man named Demetrius met with the silversmiths to share his concerns about Paul and his message. Because many people were turning away from worshipping Artemis, the need for their silver statues was falling and they were losing a lot of money. Demetrius also told them that Paul said the gods were not real, but that there was only one true, living God. The importance of Artemis and the city of Ephesus was threatened by the gospel of Jesus that Paul was preaching. The silversmiths became angry and started shouting. The city was thrown into confusion and Paul and his followers were threatened. The city clerk made the angry crowd be quiet and told them they needed to go home before the city was accused of having a riot. Once the trouble was over, Paul met with the followers of Jesus to encourage them and say goodbye. After 2 1/2 years, Paul was going to leave Ephesus and continue his journey.

The children took some time to make a silver statue to remind them of the events in Ephesus. We were reminded that the gods and goddesses that were worshipped during this time were not real and that their images were made by man. Paul's message to us is the same and it was to the people in his own time - there is one true & living God and Jesus' was God in the flesh that died to save us from our sins.

We continued to practice our new memory verse together... help your kids practice them at home!

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:7,9

Week 7: The Armor of God in Athens

2008-06-24T21:13:00.001-07:00

Athens was the major city of ancient Greece located 5 miles inland. Athens was known as the city of learning. Philosophers and scholars spent much of their time discussing the latest ideas. The children remembered that we discussed Athens earlier and how the city was filled with temples to many gods.

The Aereopagus was a hill named after the god of war, Ares. This was the original meeting place for the city council and court. People would gather at this place to hear new ideas and discuss the latest events.

Since Athens was an important city in the Roman empire, there were many types of people that would gather there. There was a large contingent of Roman soldiers that would be based in Athens to ensure that peace and order were kept in the city. Paul uses the example of the soldier's armor to teach the church in Ephesus about being prepared to share the Gospel and fight the spiritual battle with Satan.

We read from Ephesians 6 and talked about each piece of armor that the soldier would wear and how it applied to the Christian faith:

The Belt of Truth - the soldier's belt protected his stomach and held his tunic in place. In our spiritual battle everything is based upon truth. The belt of truth is the most basic part of our armor.
The Breastplate of Righteousness - a breastplate covers the upper body and protects all the most vital organs, including the heart. Righteousness is our protection against evil so we must guard our heart.

The Gospel of Peace - proper footwear was essential protection for a soldier from all types of natural elements... heat, snow, rocks, thorns, etc. We can stand strong on the Gospel of Peace because the battle has already been won by the sacrifice of Jesus.

The Shield of Faith - a soldier's shield was critical in protecting him from enemy attacks of all kinds. Faith in Jesus is our shield against Satan and temptations. It can be an extremely powerful shield when Christians join together.

The Helmet of Salvation - No soldier was properly equipped without a helmet to protect the head, nose and neck. Our critical battles are fought in our minds, such as temptations, fears, doubt, anger and many others. Salvation is God's promise that He will always give us the power to defeat sin.

The Sword of the Spirit - The sword is the offensive weapon among all the soldier's armor. We need to do more than stand and defend ourselves. We have to be prepared to attack sin. Paul tells us that God's word is the Sword of the Spirit and it has the power to cut down Satan and defeat him.

We practiced our new memory verse together... help your kids practice them at home!

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:7,9

Week 6: Lesson from Corinth

2008-06-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

Corinth was a bustling seaport city situated on the Gulf of Corinth. It was known as the "city of shopkeepers" and had a wide variety of businesses and shops. Corinth was a wealthy city and most of the Corinthians were merchants or businessmen. The temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, overlooked the city from the foothill of Acrocorinth.

We are starting on a new memory verse this week and it was the basis for the discussion from our travel in Corinth. "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6 We discussed the concept of sowing and reaping with sunflower seeds. Throwing out 1 sunflower seed will only produce 1 flower. Planting a whole jar of sunflower seeds would produce a bunch of flowers! We then looked at the scripture to see how Paul used this illustration to teach the Corinthians about how to use their money.

We read from 2 Corinthians 8 & 9 as Paul described the efforts of the Macedonian church to assist the Jerusalem church that was suffering and needed food and money. Paul tells the Corinthians that even though the Macedonians were poor, they wanted to help provide an offering for the Christians in Jerusalem. We were reminded that Jesus gave us the example of how to give when he gave up being with God to come to earth and be a human and die on the cross for our sins.

We talked about our own possessions and how we can give, even when we are young. We agreed that it is O.K. to have nice things (like Nintendo Wiis!) but we emphasized that our possessions cannot become the most important things in our lives. We talked about how it is good to think about what is important and remind each other that loving and serving God should come first (even before video games and ipods!). Paul reminds the Corinthians that God wants us to have the right attitude when we give... he wants us to do it with joy and not be selfish or resentful!

We decorated a plastic tub that the kids can use over the next 6 weeks to collect some money that we can share with the children in Ukraine. Miss Sonya will be traveling to Ukraine in August and we will send our gift to the children in the church in Zhitomir. We will continue to remind the children to be collecting their money and asking for opportunities to earn some money to put in their bank. Please encourage them to participate and look for opportunities to reinforce the right attitude for giving.

Congratulations to all the kids who mastered last month's Memory Verse! From the youngest (Alex Marker!) to the oldest (Luke Ricke) it was shown that it can be done....

Now that school is out, help your children meditate on the word by remembering the verse for the next month! There are 2 verses... start with the first one and once they have that down - add in the second verse! Now is the time to write the words of the Lord on their hearts!

Memory Verse: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. " 2 Corinthians 9:6

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:7,9

Week 5: Thessalonica, Berea & Athens

2008-06-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Thessalonica was located on a Roman road that ran across Macedonia from the Adriatic Sea to the Aegean Sea. It was a coastal, commercial city and an international port. There were many merchants, travelers and soldiers that would pass through the city. Berea was a small town sixty miles from Thessalonica. The people were more open to Paul's message. Athens was home to artisans, philosophers and thinkers. The people of Athens had many gods and they enjoyed discussing new ideas.

The kids broke into groups to read sections of Acts 17. They answered questions about their passages and then shared what happened in each city with each other. We learned that the Jews in Thessalonica were jealous of Paul and did not want to listen to Paul's message. The Jews started a riot and tried to get Paul and his followers arrested.

The brothers sent Paul & Silas to Berea. The Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians and liked to study the scriptures and many believed in the gospel. Some of the Jews from Thessalonica came down to Berea to stir up trouble against Paul & Silas. The brothers sent Paul to the coast and escorted him safely to the city of Athens.

We learned that Paul was very distressed when he saw the number of idols that existed in Athens. He reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and other God-fearing Greeks as well as discussing the gospel in the marketplace. The philosophers were interested to hear Paul's message and so they brought him to the meeting of the Areopagus to learn more about the teachings from Paul. Paul preached the message about Jesus to the people. They laughed when the heard about the resurrection of the dead.

The younger children built altars and we discussed how the people of Athens had many gods. We talked about how Paul & Silas went to the synagogues to teach the message about Jesus and that some people believed and were baptized. Others were jealous and angry and tried to put Paul in prison. No matter where Paul went, he preached the good news about Jesus.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." 1Peter 3:15

Week 4: Philippi - Spreading the Word

2008-06-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

We reviewed where Paul's journey has taken him and saw how he is moving west from Asia into Europe to fulfill the call to spread the Gospel to the whole world. We discussed that the Gospel is the good news about Jesus. We were reminded that Jesus is the savior of the world and his death on the cross can take away our sins so that we can stand in the presence of God. We discussed how most of the Jewish leaders did not believe that this was true and they were angry when Paul and others would teach this to the people.

We learned that Philippi was a Roman colony and that a lot of traffic from Asia would pass through the city as it traveled to Rome. Philippi was a wealthy city due to the many gold and silver mines that were found there. It did not appear that Philippi has a Jewish synagogue since Paul & his companions went outside the city gates to find a place to worship. We picked up the details of Paul's stay in Philippi in Acts 16:11.

The kids noticed immediately that Barnabas is not on this journey and that Paul has a new companion named Silas! They wanted to know where Barnabas went... (a lesson for another time!). We learned that Paul had a vision that led him from Asia to Macedonia and discussed how Paul did not plan to go this way, but listened to God's call and direction.

We saw that Paul met Lydia near the river when they went to worship God. She was a dealer in purple cloth and a worshiper of God. Paul spoke to her and the other women about the gospel and Lydia responded to Paul's message by being baptized. She invited Paul's group to stay at her house. We learned about a slave girl that had a spirit that allowed her to predict the future. She followed Paul around shouting "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." Paul finally became so troubled (annoyed, perhaps?) that he cast the spirit out of the girl. The slave girl's owners became angry at Paul & Silas because they had no way to make money with her anymore. They stirred up the city and had Paul & Silas put in prison. Around midnight, as Paul & Silas were praying and singing, an earthquake shook the prison and opened the doors and broke their chains. The jailer was going to kill himself because he thought they had escaped. Paul assured him they were all still there and the jailer believed the message of Christ and was baptized. When the city officials learned that Paul & Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid because they had been beaten and jailed without proper authority. They begged them to leave the city.

The younger kids did not want to be put in jail during our game! The older kids did a great job answering the review sheet remembering what we discussed and looking up answers in their bibles. We took ribbons of different colors to weave through a section of chain to remind us how the good news of Jesus can save us from the chains of sin. The various colors represented different aspects: Black for our sins, Red for the blood of Christ, White for how Jesus' blood can make us clean, Blue for heaven and Green for how we can continue to grow in Christ.

Great job to Alex Marker, Luke Ricke and Ashley Hartley for quoting the memory verse! We have one more week to focus on 1 Peter 3:15, so encourage your kids to work on it... A bonus buck for saying the entire verse!

Don't forget to bring your bible and work on your memory verse!

Week 3 - A "Fruitful" Journey to Galatia

2008-05-27T08:58:00.001-07:00

We started class feasting on the Fruit of The Spirit while we reviewed the last 2 lessons. We ate apricots, 2 types of apples, oranges, watermelon, tomatoes, kiwi, bananas and pears . Each fruit represented a fruit of the spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. We discussed that we would be talking about Paul and Barnabas working in Galatia and how Paul and Barnabas allowed the Fruit of the Spirit to help them teach others about Jesus.

We talked about Galatia and we looked at where it was on the map. We talked about Galatia being an area of Asia Minor and that it was now part of the country of Turkey. We learned that in Acts 14 Paul and Barnabas were in the last half of their first missionary journey. In Iconium many people listened to Paul and believed in Jesus. Some people who did not believe influenced others to turn against Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas heard about a plot to stone them so they left town and went to Lystra. While in Lystra, Paul and Barnabas healed a lame man and the people started calling them gods. Paul and Barnabas told the people that they were not gods but it was the power of God that gave them the ability to heal this man. Some of the Jews from Antioch and Iconium turned the people against Paul, stoned him and dragged him outside of the city and they thought that they had killed Paul. Paul survived and he and Barnabas went to the city of Derbe where Paul preached and many people believed in Christ.

Paul and Barnabas went back to the Galatian cities and found small groups of people who believed in Christ in each city. Paul and Barnabas appointed Elders for the new churches and encouraged all of the believers. After Paul and Barnabas left and went back to Antioch Paul wrote a letter to the churches in Galatia telling them to stay faithful to Christ and he encouraged them to live a life that honored God.

We talked about how Paul and Barnabas used respect when teaching others about Christ and how they allowed the fruit of the spirit to help them when dealing with others. We talked about in class what each qualitiy was and the children in class all participated in the discussion giving excellent examples of what they thought each quality was.We talked about the passage about the Fruit of The Spirit was found in Galations 5:22-23 and how the Fruit of The Spirit can help us in our actions also.

Don't forget to bring your bible and work on your memory verse!

Week 2: First Stop - Antioch!

2008-05-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

We learned that Barnabas & Saul spent a year in Antioch, preaching and teaching. The Holy Spirit told the church that Saul & Barnabas were chosen to carry the message of Jesus abroad as the first missionaries. We learned that Saul began using the Greek version of his name, Paul. We discussed that a missionary's task is to travel somewhere to tell others about Jesus and help them become Christians. Paul & Barnabas traveled from Antioch to Cyprus, up to Perga and Pamphylia. Where ever they went, they treated everyone with respect, even if they didn't agree with their message.

The kids stamped their passports for their first stop on the journey. They made their wallets to keep their med money in throughout the quarter. They will get money for coming to class, bringing their bible and saying their memory verse. Nathaniel earned an extra buck for listening closely and correcting me when I said that God spoke to Abraham at the burning bush! ("Didn't you mean Moses?")

The children read sections of the story from Acts 13 and drew a picture to describe what was happening. We shared the pictures with each other and learned how Paul & Barnabas traveled around and told the story of how Jesus came to the earth, died on the cross, was buried and raised from the dead. We learned that many people responded to the message by being baptized into Christ and believing the message that was brought to them.

Memory Verse:

Week 1 - Introduction

2008-05-11T19:59:00.001-07:00

The first week we kicked off the journey by talking about the beginning of the church and Saul's conversion from a persecutor of Jesus and His church to a believer and apostle for the Lord. We learned that Saul was a Jew that did not believe that Jesus was God's son and the savior. He was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, when he was blinded by a bright light and Jesus spoke to him. Saul realized that he was wrong about Jesus and was baptized. He began using the Greek form of his name, Paul.

We made a map of the areas that Paul visited and had our pictures taken for our passports.

All Aboard for a Journey With Paul!

2008-05-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

For the next quarter we will be cruising the Mediterranean Sea while we learn about the Journeys of Paul. Each week we will visit a different city and the kids will keep track of where they have been by stamping their passports we will have in class. The kids will have the opportunity to earn Med Money by attending class each week, bringing their bibles to class, saying their memory verse and good participation. At the end of the quarter, they can spend their Med Money at the Souveneir Shop. We hope they will enjoy this journey and learn more about God's word and His will for them.

Each week, we will add to the blog to keep everyone updated about where we've been and what we've learned. We hope you will enjoy this blog and let me know if you have any suggestions!