Merry Christmas

Matthew 1:18-25 NIV
"This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."

Joseph's decision to obey the angel that day wasn't the easiest one. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Joseph's worries, pride, & insecurities were all put at ease by one name, "Immanuel". God is still with us today. He was born and lived a sinless life only to die a death meant for me and you. This is the reason we celebrate the amazing birth of Jesus. 

What's in a Name?

Get you some water, clear your throat... read fast and with confidence. Ready,
set, Go!! 

Matthew Chapter 1

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the
father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by
Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the
father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father
of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed
by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father
of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,
and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and
Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the
father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of
Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and
Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation
to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,
and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and
Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father
of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and
Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the
father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom
Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and
from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the
deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Did you make it through all those names??  I doubt that any of these names will
be on 2014’s most popular baby names…they probably haven’t made the list for a
few millenniums!  What does each name stand for? And why is this Matthew Chapter
1?  Well, each name represents a generation, a link in the chain.  Each link was
necessary to fulfill what was written in the Old Testament that Jesus, the
Savior, would come through the line of David.  Christmas is upon us and it is oh
so easy to get caught up in the conundrum of all the carols and lights, food and
gifts and skim over the details of our great God.  Take a moment and praise God
for some very specific things that He is doing in your family. How is God’s
favor upon you?  Well, the excitement is building, Jesus is coming…and I can’t
wait to see what happened next week in Chapter 2!! 

Be Blessed, Be Thankful.....Ps. 100

Hey Kids,

 

Did you know we are blessed?    That's right, blessed by God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the Almighty one who knows each one of us and loves us with an everlasting love. 

 

Have you ever felt sad, frustrated maybe even angry?  Sometimes I look around at others and think ..."life isn't fair". You know what, that can be true.  We live in a world that seems to be filled with unloving, selfish people, who are only concerned about themselves and it truly appears that life isn't fair.

 

But, when we believe in Jesus and become a Child of God, we realize we can not put our trust in people or things.  People can disappoint us and things can simply disappear.  Our trust and confidence must be in our relationship with our Lord and Savior.  When we realize God is in control, that He never makes a mistake, and always wants His very best for us, our focus will change from looking at others, and off ourselves, to looking to God, His love and His plans for us.

 

As we refocus and surrender ourselves to Him, we are able to see His blessings.  We have been told to count our blessings and name them one by one.  How about You?  Can you do this? 

 

As you recognize and begin to list or talk about how God blesses you, there will be an over powering desire to be grateful and to share this with others.  Ask God to help you find a spirit of Thankfulness in your heart.  Go ahead and express your thankfulness and gratefulness to Him.

 

Be blessed my friend and remain faithful,

Mrs. Shirley

Who will you serve?

This Tuesday, the people of our country were given the chance to make some important decisions.  Adults were able to vote for people to hold important jobs like Mayor.  We also elected the people that we wanted to represent us jobs at the local and county levels. Those were very important decisions that we made because those who were elected will make decisions that will affect every area of our lives for many years to come.  We hope and pray that we have made wise choices.

As important as these decisions were, there is another decision that we must make each day that is even more important.  The Bible says, "Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  Every day we must make the choice as to whether we will serve the Lord, or whether we will serve someone or something else.  Perhaps we will have to choose whether to serve God, or to serve our own selfish desires.  Maybe we will have to choose between following God, or following our friends.  You boys and girls were too young to be able to vote in the election last Tuesday, but you are not too young to vote to serve the Lord.  I hope you will stand up and say, "As for me, I will serve the Lord!

Scripture:  Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve....But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24: 15

Radiant

Last night was so much fun watching the movie, Charlotte's Web, in the field with all the kiddos!  They looked so cute in their cars!  This week's devotion will highlight the word Radiant that was in the web:

Radiant:  adj. sending out light; shining or glowing brightly.

Radiant has such a wonderful meaning doesn’t it?!  This is my prayer for the kids of Kid City – that they become radiant wherever they are.  That they send out the light of Jesus in everything they say and do.  That they apply what they have learned and share it to everyone they come in contact with.  That they become radiant beams of light for the Kingdom of God!  Sit down with you child/children this week and go over the word radiant and discuss its meaning.  Share with them:

Psalms 34:5 - Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

This verse tells us that if we continually seek God and walk in His ways, we will be radiant!  I desperately want to be radiant and I want my children to be radiant as well.  At the movie last night we gave each family a little activity pack and at the very top was our main verse that gripped my heart when I saw this movie: 

 

Ephesians 4:29- Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Our words are so powerful.  They have the power to build others up or tear them down.  When we are building others up, we are radiant.  When we choose not to, our faces will be covered with shame.  Encourage your child/children to be radiant!  Encourage them to build others up!!  Crank up the volume on your computer and sing and shout praises with your children to this song………play it over and over again so that they sing it as they are in school as a constant reminder to use their words in ways that build everyone up!

Divine Dining and Drive In

November 2nd

Come Join us at 5:30 for

Chili Diner and then at 6:30

the Movie Charlotte's Web will be played.

 

The kids are going to have a drive in with Cardboard Boxes!!!

Bring a box decorated like a car, and the kids will line up their cars and enjoy the movie! 

 

It will be lots of fun and we will have some follow up lessons on our words that we use and how we can build each other up!! 

 

You won't want to miss it!!

Pack of Tissues

We are so glad that you were the special one to receive a pack of tissues while you were out and about in Indian Trail!  Those tissues were packed up by our sweet children of Sardis Baptist Church.  Their purpose?  To spread the love of Jesus.  They are learning what it means to help others - just like Jesus did.  You see, Jesus came to this earth to help those who don't know Him, to be raised to life.  He came to love, encourage, to teach, and to die for each one of us.  We would like to help you in anyway possible.  We are His hands and feet and we want to serve.  Please join us at Sardis Baptist Church for Help for your Journey!

Pride

Pride....how would you define it?  If you know how to define it, do you think
you could identify it?  Pride can be defined as a feeling that you are more
important or better than other people.  Ouch....I can identify with that and
especially in my own heart, pride has reared it's ugly head.  Where do we go for
guidance and direction? We turn to God's word....it is our weapon.  Get out the
child training bible and begin to look at it as your sword of the Spirit, your
weapon of offense! 

Proverbs 21:4 says "haughty eyes and a proud heart! the lamp of the wicked, are
sin!"

Proverbs 16:18 reads like this, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit
before a fall."

This is what King David wrote about The Lord in 1Chronicles 29:11 , "Yours, O
Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the
splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the
kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.


When we know who The Lord is and what Jesus Christ did for our sin, we are ready
to repent and be set free from all things, especially pride. If the Holy Spirit
has convicted you and identified an area of pride in you today, pray something
like this...

I exalt you O Lord!  You are above all, over all and creator of all things. In
you alone can we boast. Thank you for the cross of your son, Jesus Christ. Thank
you for your forgiveness when I fail.  Forgive me of my pride, help me to
identify it in my heart and dig it out from the roots. I need your word. Thank
you Father... Amen

Stumbling Block or Stepping Stone

I was able to go on a wonderful camping vacation last week in the mountains.  It was breathtaking to see all of God's glorious creation in massive forms!  Huge mountains, spectacular waterfalls, enormous boulders were all reminders of the magnificent ways that God spoke everything into existence!  At our campsite, we found a creek that you could travel out to the middle of via a whole bunch of stones. 

At first it was so hard to walk across all those stones.  We all kept falling and slipping and just plain struggled to get across.  These rocks were definitely stumbling blocks for us.  After a while, we realized that there was a more effective way to get across them.  We figured out which type of rocks were slippery, how to test a rock to see if it was wiggly, and how to map out our path so that we would have adequate rocks to get across.  This totally painted a picture in my mind of how we view our paths in life.  We can either view things that happen or circumstances as either a stumbling block or a stepping stone.  When a situation arises, we can look at it as a major pain, a stumbling block, that ruins our day or week and can alter God's plan for us.  Or we can view them as stepping stones.  Things that are placed in front of us that God wants to use to teach us, move us, and direct us onto His path for us.  Jeremiah 29:11 says - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  God's plans include stepping stones.  He does not want to harm us and cause stumbling blocks in our life.  He wants us to be successful.  What are your stumbling blocks in your life?  I asked the 3rd - 5th graders in Awana what some stumbling blocks for them could be.  They told me they have fear, they have bad habits, they talk too much, etc.  We also talked about how they could be a stumbling block for someone else.  We then decided to commemorate the lesson by painting a reminder to turn our stumbling blocks into stepping stones. 

Pride

Think about the last time you disobeyed your parents or were not nice to a friend…..when you put your thoughts and feelings before others and didn’t really care about how the other person felt or if they might be hurt from your actions.  That is pride.  Did you know that God does not like pride.  When we think and act like we are better than others we start to think and act like we don’t need God.  I don’t know about you, but that is NOT how I want to live my life. 

 

The Tower of Babel was a tower that all the people of Babylonia started to build for themselves to reach to the heavens.  Genesis 11:4, “Then they said, come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” 

 

They were so concerned with being famous and wanted everyone to know how great they were.  People were convinced that they would become great if this tower was built to the heavens.  Their pride had taken over and all they were thinking about was gratifying themselves, and that they would be known in all the world.  My question to you is, is this how you are living your life?  Are you only doing things to benefit yourself and make yourself look good?  Do you want to be a part of things purely to say that you were?  Are you putting your feelings and thoughts before others? 

 

If you have your child training bible, turn to the first tab for pride, 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

 

Pride causes destruction, it does not allow us to be humble.  Humility is the opposite of pride and this is how we should live our life.  Each one of us might be good at some things, but you can be for sure that each one of us is special at something that you are not.  Realize that everyone in your presence, poor, rich, disabled, different races, etc are all Gods people and He loves us all the same and expects us to do the same for others.  And as children of God, we need not have a proud heart that produces sin, but live by God’s word, which says in Jeremiah 9:24 to know “ that I am Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the Lord.”

Salt the Oats

I heard a phrase this week that really has stuck out to me:  Salt the Oats.  What does this mean?  Glad you asked.  How do we get our children to come hungry and thirsty for God's word?  Salt the Oats.  When you add salt to oats it makes you thirsty!  Thirsty for some more!  So how do you salt the oats when pertaining to God’s word?  In my family we started a Christmas devotion for a month, a couple of years ago.  Well, we quickly realized how much our children loved that special time each night and we decided to continue that throughout the year.  I was pleasantly surprised when this time quickly turned into my children’s favorite time of the day and they were eager for Bible Time to get started!  It is a special time of pajamas, snuggles, and picking apart scripture and applying it to our lives.  We share struggles, stories, and praises for the day.  The praises (we just added this component) has really helped behavior during the day.  The kids really want to be praised for serving one another or showing kindness, so they make a lot of attempts throughout the day to get the recognition and eventually that just turns into learned behavior!  Where do you start with Bible Time?  Your Child Training Bible is a great start.  Go through those tabs with your kids.  Share where you struggle.  Write key verses on index cards where everyone struggles and stick them by your beds.  The more you read them and reread them, the stickier they will become!  I also bought a Time Line and it walks you through the entire Bible (http://www.gospellight.com/product_details.aspx?id=11887).  The possibilities are endless and The Bible says God’s word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11-so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.)  Make Bible Time fun and suspenseful.  Sometimes, don’t finish a story and leave them craving for the next night so they can hear what happens at the end!  Memorize scripture together as a family – why not start with Romans 12?!!  And don’t leave out the best part……prayer.  Pray together.  Pray for each other.  Take turns.  The more your kids pray, the more comfortable they will be to pray other places and in front of others.  Go ahead…………..Salt the Oats………………I dare you!!!!!

Sunblock

I went to the beach for a few days with my family.  My kids love the beach and the pool.  We were outside playing from 9-5 everyday soaking up all the beautiful ocean air.  It would have been so easy for me to have woken up each day and told my kids to get their suits on and lets go.  But that couldn't happen.  You see, we have such fair skin.  The sun loves to fry us up!  We use that spray can stuff, but when it comes to all day sun rays, we have to go with the good ole' trusty thick white stuff and we can visibly see that the sunblock had been applied.  We also have 5 kids.  This process of sun block application takes exactly 1 hour!  (My husband sunblocks while I do hair and make lunches)  1 hour every morning to PREPARE our kids for all day fun in the sun.  We were able to rest and relax as soon as our kids hit the sand and went their ways for an all day adventure, because we knew they were PREPARED and PROTECTED!!  What if we took the time each day to pray for our children?  What if before we sent them out for the day, we stopped and prayed WITH THEM and asked for protection as they stepped foot into their schools.  What if we asked them before they left, if they were struggling with anything:  wrong friendships, anger, laziness, or fear and then read them a few verses from our Child Training Bibles?  Wouldn’t that be preparing them for the day?  I felt like I did my job, as a parent, preparing and protecting my kids as they ran around in the sun all day.  I want to do the same as they take on each and every day and lather them in prayer for they are His children. 

Listen with Compassion and Speak with Grace

Saturday I was sitting at my son’s football game enjoying the game and yelling “Run, Run” because we had the ball and it looked like we might get a touchdown. In fact, we did get a touchdown but it was called back. Everyone in the stands groaned as we saw the yellow flag hit the ground. Then we sat in silence to see who the flag was thrown on, us or the other team. The referee did his hand signals and the announcement was made that the penalty would be against us for holding  and the touchdown would be called back.  As soon as the head coach heard this, he walked out on the field and proceeded to yell loudly at the referee. You see, the head coach did not like the call that was made by the referee for several reasons. His son was the one that had ran and got the touchdown, the coach had seen the other team horse collar some of our players and we didn’t get points on the scoreboard. Mr. Coach was mad and he was responding harshly.  The coach yelling at the referee was not called for in my opinion. I understood that he was upset and let his emotions get in the way but for the rest of the game the referees did not like our team and called every small penalty they saw while the other team got by with a lot of penalties. I agree it was not a fair ball game, but I wonder if the outcome would have been different if the coach had reacted differently.

   We often have the idea that if we raise our voice, and yell or scream,  we will achieve a greater response but many times it has the exact opposite effect and will worsen the problem rather than resolving it.  The Bible has a wealth of wisdom for those of us who have ears to hear and receive it. It has to do with “A gentle answer” and not “ A harsh word.” Proverbs 15:1 says “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” That verse is telling us we need to listen with compassion and speak with grace. This is not always easy to do, especially when someone makes us mad. We want to yell or speak harsh thinking it will get our point across but really it creates anger. Next time someone makes you mad, respond to them in a whisper and see what happens. Let’s commit to speak with grace, God’s grace. Respond to people using “Gentle Words” and not” Harsh Words.” When we do, it will go a long way toward creating a new life in our family, school, where we work, and everywhere we go.

New School Year.........What's New??

 

Calling all kids!!!
We Want to Welcome you to Kid City - Our new Children's Department that is full of lots of wonderful ways to teach you about Jesus!

Come join us for some exciting things happening in the City

 

DOT - Department of Transformation

Dive into Bible studies with small groups on Sunday mornings at 8:30 and 11:00.  See what God's Word is revealing through an in depth study of the Bible.  (grades k-5th grade)

 

Uptown

Special time of praise, worship, and engaging lessons during the Sunday morning church service at 9:30 (for grades k-2)

 

One Way with AWANA

Bible Club for Ages 2 yr.-5th grade Sunday nights 5:30-7:30

 

Main Street 

Teaching kids the Main Things:  Loving Jesus, Serving others, and Reaching the World through worship time, music, and mission projects.  Wednesday nights at 7 (Grades k-5th)

Gospel

While having lunch with a dear friend the other day I was reminded of the story of how I was saved at the age of twelve.  My salvation experience was a process that began with the Holy Spirit gently tapping on the door of my heart.   At about the age of ten I began having feelings of extreme fear during the night.  Almost every night I would call out for my mom to come in my room to comfort me.  My sweet mom began to write down scripture on index cards.  She would tape these scriptures on the walls around my bed and read them to me at bed time.  2 Timothy 1:7 was my favorite verse on fear, it is tabbed in your Child Training Bible.  A while after that I began to call on my mom in the night again, this time with questions about God and Jesus and Heaven and what happens when we die.  My mom then began to tell me that she felt like the Holy Spirit was working in my life and she began to write more scripture on even more index cards.  She wrote verses like Genesis 1:1 and Romans 6:23.  She wrote down John 3:16 and 1 John 1:9.  By now my wall was covered.  She faithfully came to my room every night and read those scriptures to me and explained them to me and answered all of my questions.   Not long after that, while we were at church one Sunday I went to my mom and told her I was ready to ask Jesus into my heart. She walked down the aisle with me and knelt down at the alter with me and prayed with me to receive Jesus.  It's the biggest miracle of all......a heart transformed from death into life.  

 

As parents we can be instrumental in the spiritual life of our child.  Our homes are our first and most important mission field.  Don't be intimidated to share Jesus. My mom was a fairly new Christian when she was teaching me about who Jesus was and why I needed Him.  All of the verses you need to share the good news of the Gospel are tabbed in your Child Training Bible.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you listen to your child with your spiritual ears.  Be ready when they come to you with spiritual questions.  Don't miss out on the opportunity and the eternal blessings of leading your child to Life in Christ!

Last night of WOFW

Hey parents,

The last night of 

Watts of Fun Wednesday 

will be August 28th! 

7-8pm

Dinner will be provided. 

Don't miss this last night... 

We will light up the city!

Sword of the Spirit

I hope you are really jumping into using your CTB bible.  It has been an amazing tool for my family to see God’s word come to life.   And I know that the more we learn and want to do what is right, the harder it seems to be.  Do you ever feel that way?

Romans 7:21 says “ So, I find this law at work: when

I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”

Paul, the writer of the book of Romans goes on to say that it is like a battle in his body, a war waging against good and evil.  It feels like sometimes we are slaves to sin, all tangled up with no way out. But that’s not where this story ends…. Paul goes on to cry out -  who will rescue me from this mess I’m in???

                         the answer: Thanks to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!

 As you read these devotions and open God’s word , remember that the bible is our weapon of defense, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). The enemy will come to distract you and try to make you a slave to sin, but it is through Jesus that we are clothed in righteousness…covered by His blood because He was delivered over to death on the cross. AMEN…Thank you God for Your amazing gift of Jesus.  Have you received that gift? 

Making Excuses

When we were tabbing these Bibles during VBS with the kids that were attending, we had the opportunity to ask them about the tabs that they thought they would need the most!  It was quite entertaining to hear which ones they thought and WHY!  One of my favorite conversations I had was with a girl who, when asked which one she struggled with the most was, got humongous eyes and said Making Excuses.  She was very straightforward and said that she makes excuses for everything.  She knew that is something that she struggled with desperately and as soon as she saw those words, she felt that tug of conviction.  I could see that she was truly aware of this area of sin in her life and she was so excited to have verses that taught her why it was a sin and that God offers grace to overcome it.  "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."  Proverbs 28:13  God is an understanding Father!  He knows we sin and wants so desperately for us to confess and renounce them so he can pour His mercy all over us.  Try this tonight with your child or just yourself.  Ask them what they have been struggling with.  Read over the verses in that section and you will see them just glow with excitement to know that there is mercy for them if they CONFESS and RENOUNCE them!  What a wonderful feeling to know that you are forgiven when you ask and that there are verses that can remember that will help prevent you from falling into that sin again.  Pick out your child's favorite verse and write it down for them.  Go over it and over it until they remember it and tuck it into their heart.  The more we pour and help them remember God's words, the more they will remember and lean on those words! 

Gospel

Everyone struggles and wants to be accepted.  From the moment we are born we want our mommies to love us as a sign that we are accepted.  As we grow older, we try to be accepted by our loved ones, friends, and socially.  We use hair style, the clothes we wear, the way we talk, the music we listen to, additions, money etc.  The truth is that none of these things can make you happy.  What changed my life was John 3:16 For God so love the world that he give his only son for me.  I went WHAT? God was crazy enough to give his son for me!  He wanted me?  Wow!  So here I am.  Before Christ rejected, after Christ ACCEPTED.!!!!!  Before Christ unloved, after Christ loved to the ends of the earth.  AMAZING!  I live my life full of joy and peace because I don't have to do anything for God to love me.  He loved me before I was born, and all I have to do is love him and others back.... Hug, kiss, and be kind, forgive, and remember nothing can make you more happy than this.
"he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy."  Titus 3:5

Listening

 In school, my teachers would make the same comment on my reports cards, “Talks too much!". I have learned that it’s hard to listen when you’re talking. Before the mission to Africa, my devotion referred to Stephen Curtis Chapman’s song “Be Still and Know.”  The song ends with “Be still. Be speechless.” When I had an urge to speak, I repeated that line. “Be still and know that I am God,” Psalm 46:10.

 Before school daily, my mother would tell me, “When the teacher speaks, then you stop, look, and listen; then do.”  She gave me that mantra to help me pay attention and listen to the teacher. She wanted me to do well in school.  Likewise, the King David of Israel taught his son Solomon to listen so that he can obey God. (I Kings 2:3)

Solomon listened.  Solomon obeyed God. When God asked him what he wanted, Solomon prayed for wisdom to lead the nation. Today, he is known for his wisdom. His writings in Proverbs are known as truth for an abundant life.

In Africa, the school children we visited sat still and listened as we taught Bible lessons. When all the students and teachers gathered to receive gifts from the United States, the sound of their excited voices roared like a lion. A preacher walked about the students with a switch. “Shut your mouths,” he said sternly. When they were still, we presented equipment for sports play, materials for instruction and bandages for wounds. God gives even greater gifts, when we LISTEN and OBEY!

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. ~ Psalms 25:4-5

Complaining

I love Fridays.  On Fridays, it is cleaning day...well, let me rephrase that.  I love the end product of Fridays.  The process isn't so fun.  Lately my son has decided that his process of cleaning is going to be a long and tortuous one.  It starts at the beginning.  He will work painfully slow to clean his room.  When I tell him to speed it up, the complaining begins.  He never makes all the mess, you see, and his body always begins to hurt during cleaning, and if no one helps him then he will not be able to complete the task.  I'm getting aggravated just typing out his complaints!!!  It was getting old!  I didn't like putting time limits on it and if he didn't finish he wouldn't be able to participate in fun family time.  So I decided it was time to address the issue at heart......COMPLAINING!!  I pulled out my Child Training Bible and we had a heart to heart before we even started cleaning.  We went through the complaining section and got to Colossians 3:17 - And whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  We talked about how we should be giving thanks for all the things we are given that we have to clean.  So we started looking around his trashed bedroom and listing things he was thankful for.  Then we talked about how we are given these things that we are thankful for and how we should take care of them to show that we are grateful.  This entire talk got both of us pumped up (because to be honest, cleaning toilets and vacuuming all day doesn't always sound exciting and I can complain that I have to do it all).  We decided the best way was to crank up some Pandora Contemporary Christian music and worship while we worked!  Man did we have a blast!  He cleaned so fast and so efficiently and I was cleaning the other room and we were both belting out the songs as we cleaned.  We all do this more than we want to admit.  Complain!  It is easy to complain when we are inconvenienced, but going to situations with a thankful heart, can change everything!  If you are having problems like me at home with complaining, show them how the Word of God tells us to handle our words and deeds......give thanks!
My son actually came home from church this week with a stop sign that he made in Sunday School.  On one side it said stop and the other is said Give Thanks!  I told him that we would hold onto that as a visual when we would rather complain than give thanks so that we can "make the switch" by turning our sign over and be reminded to give thanks!

Family Devotion on FEAR!

Have you ever been afraid?  I am sure all of us have been afraid of something. I am afraid of heights.  I do not like being very high above the ground.  My fear of heights keeps me from enjoying many things, such as, roller coasters, ferris wheels, and flying in an airplane.

     I was scheduled to go to Kenya, Africa on June 21,2013.  Kenya is 7,189 miles from Charlotte ,North Carolina!   The only way for me to get there was to fly on an airplane!  Yikes!!  What was I going to do?

  When my ticket arrived I realized that I was not flying on one airplane, but three!  Two of my flights were over eight hours long!  I immediately became afraid!  I wanted to sit down and cry,or run and hide under my bed. 

    Suddenly, I remembered my Bible that I received at VBS.  I ran and got it and found the tab for fear. I quickly turned to the verses on fear and began to read;

Isaiah 41:10:  Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Philippians 4:6-7:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ 

Psalm 56:3:  When I am afraid I put my trust in you.

As I read these verses, I began to realize that God was going to take care of me. He was going to be sitting right beside me on every airplane.  God gave me a sense of peace and joy in my heart!

     When June 21st arrived  I boarded the airplane in Charlotte.  I was not afraid! I knew God was right beside me and  I had nothing to fear. I could not wait for the airplane to take off!   I was able to see so many things as I soared, above the clouds. God proved to me that He is not a God of fear, but a God of peace.  One of my favorite songs says, " I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind, the God of angel armies is always by my side!"

 

     Oh yeah, I almost forgot!  God wanted to make sure that I had overcome my fears, so,instead of flying on three airplanes, I had to fly on six!! 

Family devotion

Selfishness.... nobody wants to admit to it, but we all struggle with it.  We are all born slaves to sin  and apart from faith in Christ, we will continue on that highway. But God gave us his Word, so that we can be transformed by the "renewing of our minds" ( remember Romans 12:2). So let's open our child training bible (CTB) and find the selfishness section on the bottom row.  Before you begin, pray this prayer together-

Father, thank you for the honor of reading your word. I now surrender everything to your authority and I trust you to transform my life. Amen

(Read through every verse in the selfishness section. Try taking turns, letting your kids read also.)

1 John 3:16 says " We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." Jesus took on our sin in his perfect body so that we will have forgiveness and freedom from sins like selfishness. When he died on the cross, he paid the penalty, the wage, the payment. Thank you Jesus for being SELFLESS in all things, even death on a cross!

(Pray together through God's word as the Holy Spirit brings conviction and change)

Consider a family project or activity this week by GIVING something to someone you encounter this week.  Here are a few ideas to get you started:
* Cook dinner and take a meal to an elderly couple on your street. Ask if you can pray for them.
* Buy a grocery store gift card and ask your children to find someone to give the gift card to, ask if you can pray for them.
* Ask your kids to make some get well cards and take a trip to a local nursing home or emergency room and let them pass out their cards. Again, ask if you can pray for a specific need!

This past week at Watts of Fun Wednesday, we studied the selfishness tab and the kids made rice neck wraps to give away. Great Job guys!! Don't forget that this Wednesday is our day trip to Sliding Rock. We leave at 8 am. We will not have our regularly scheduled Wednesday night activity this week.....hope to see you on the field trip!!

Watts of Fun Wednesday news

Watts of Fun Wednesday is this Wednesday, July 3rd from 7-8pm!  Don't miss it....

What did you just learn from God's word about fighting?

“What did you just learn from God’s word about FIGHTING?”

If you have a child participating in our Wednesday night summer program, “Watts of Fun Wednesdays”, they would probably have come home and told you we talked about FIGHTING!  They had a blast Wednesday having a food fight, with whip cream and cheeto’s!!  You normally don’t hear the word fun and fight in the same sentence, but they sure did have fun with that food fight!!!

When we sat down with the kids for counsel time, it is just amazing to me how much, even as a child, that they can decipher the word of God.  The leader that night, simply opened up her child training bible (CTB) and started with the first tab for fighting.  She would read the verse, and ask the kids….”What did you just learn from God’s word?”…..you would think silence, but NO….they all would say key words and meanings to the verse that they just heard!!  AMAZING!!!

Fighting can be such a deterrent and a true discouragement to parents, but don’t let that happen to you!!  Use this awesome tool that we have provided you with, that your child made, and show them what God says about fighting and how we should handle ourselves in all situations.

One of the kids favorite verses, was Proverbs 30:32, “If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth!”…..they all practiced clapping their hand over their mouth.  When I got home that night, my niece was getting a little fed up with my son and wanted to snap back, and all of a sudden she just clapped her hand over her mouth.  As much as I wanted to laugh, I didn’t, I just simply said what’s going on?  Her reply, “God didn’t want me to be mean.”  Your children, get it, they completely get it!!  When God’s word is fed into them, they do hear you and the voice of our Lord and Savior.

Continue to promote peace within your family, by choosing to fight back, not with your own tongue, but with GOD’S WORD.

I want to encourage you to challenge your children, to recite to you our theme verse for VBS this year, Romans 12:2…many can already do this!!!  We asked them nightly at VBS and we ask them every Wednesday night!!

THANK YOU FOR VISITING OUR BLOG!!!

Join us this Wednesday night (July 3rd) for Watts of Fun from 7-8pm.

Watts of Fun Wednesday News

We will be going on an all day field trip to Sliding Rock in Brevard, NC on Wednesday, July 10th ( weather permitting) space is limited and it's a first sign up, first go basis. ** If your child is 7 or younger, they will need a chaperone to attend and slide with them.** Cost will be $1.00 per person to enter the sliding rock area (whether you are sliding or not) and each child will need to pack a picnic lunch and bring money for a fast food dinner. Please email me if your child(ren) will be attending.

ctownsend@carolina.rr.com 

Rain date will be the following Wednesday, July 17th. 

Week 2 family devotion

The revealing game:

Gather 10 random items in your house, put them on the floor and cover them with a sheet.  Give each child a sheet of paper and tell them to pay very close attention. They will need to write down or tell you (younger children) all 10 items. Make them think that on the count of three you will take the sheet off and reveal the items but don't actually take the sheet off!  Ask them to name all 10 items and watch their funny responses....  Now do it again and this time take the sheet off for 10 seconds and then replace the sheet and see how many items they can recall.

Devotion   (Have your child training bible out and let them keep their paper)

Let's talk about the game we just played.  I asked you to recall the 10 items under the sheet without actually removing the sheet. That's impossible!  You might have been able to guess a few items correctly but you really needed to see them to recall them.  That is a lot like God's word.  God is revealing himself to us through His word, but we need to open it and uncover God's will, and His ways for us.  Let's start with the yellow Gospel section. Before we begin let's read the prayer in the front of our bible. ( Father, thank you for the honor....)

On the other side of your paper, make 4 columns:
God
Man
Jesus
Now What?
As we read through each section, write down a word or a phrase that reveals something you need to remember. ( for example, the tab on Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Have them write down the word creator under the God column on their paper) 

Read through all verses under these four sections.

Now that we are finished, let's take a look at everything you wrote down. Just by reading His word we have been able to know more about God, read what the bible says about us (man), discover God's plan of salvation by sending Jesus to die for our sins and what His word is telling us to do now.... Repent, confess, believe, turn...  Let's put your paper on the fridge so we can see it all week. We discovered some things through opening the bible, now lets open our hearts to what God is speaking to us. Lets pray together!

(Give each child the opportunity to pray over something that God has revealed to them through His word, giving thanks.) 

Child Training Bible - Week 1

Well, I must say, I was blown away by the kids this past week tabbing these Bibles!  They all were so involved and really opened up to what areas they knew they needed in their lives.  One little girl told me she would be spending a lot of time in the making excuses category!  So cute!  I loved how they were all listening so well to what each leader was telling them and then their little eyes would just light up and tell us that they couldn't wait to get this Bible home!  I am so happy that each family is going to be able to see the Bible come alive for their kids.  I have been using my CTB for about a year now, and I have loved the lessons that my children and I learn together as we thumb through God's word.  I wanted to share a testimony from a child who came this week and that very night picked up her CTB and was able to read God's word to help her get through something tough:

 

She has been very worried about going back to her summer
camp next week.  Last year when she was there a couple of boys thought it would be funny to call her a boys name and other silly stuff?!?! None of the tricks we tried worked and it was not a fun
time for her.  Last night I said is there a topic that would help you with the boys? She looked them over and picked anger.  She flipped to a verse, read it, and we worked out a way to apply it to her situation!  All this in the first 15 minutes we had it!

 

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger"  Proverbs 15:1

 

How exciting!!  Take time this week to really try to figure this Bible out.  You may need to just do a few runs by yourself at first.  I know I have had to glance at the good ole impatience tab a time or two with my crew lately :)  Remember there are cards in the back that have questions and a prayer to help you.  Dive in this week and get your feet wet! 



VBS Highlights

We had a blast at VBS this week! We had between 80 to 92 kids each night even despite the weather! Every child got to spend quality time in God's word, Learning how to renew their minds! We ended our week with a glow celebration to thank God for the work He is doing here at Sardis! 

The children were able to raise $313 for the House of Pearls, a transition home in Wingate for women that are just getting out of jail and trying to get back on their feet.  They so graciously tabbed over 20 bibles for us and loved reading through God's words as they are in the process of making "The Switch." 

We appreciate all the volunteers and children that came each night and made this year's VBS an amazing experience! 

Don't forget our VBS song this year by Sidewalk Prophets, Live Like That!  Remember.....we want to live like Jesus!!

 

The Switch

 

VBS at Sardis Baptist Church

Indian Trial, NC

Sunday, June 9th @ 5:00 - Family Party
We will be introducing you to VBS and then have a time of fellowship.
Free food and games

 

June 10th - June 13th

Completed Kindergarten through 5th Grade

Preschool is available