Don't Miss This Sunday Morning

This is Sunday at 9:30 we are going to pull out all the stops to try and communicate our virtue of the month.  Our virtue this month is RESPECT.  I am guessing that this virtue is a great one for the church and families to partner with.

Make sure your child is here so that will learn a song written specifically for our kids and this virtue.  See you Sunday!!!!

AT HOMESTUFF September 6

Who’s the Boss?

Bottom Line:  You respect God when you show respect for people in charge

Ask anyone from an older generation, and they’re likely to say that this generation has lost a sense of respect for authority. Is the respect we should have determined by culture, or is it a timeless principle God has defined for us? Boiled down, respect means showing others they are important by what you say and do. Like any other virtue, God created respect and models it for us. In more ways than we can name, God continuously shows us how important we are to Him even when we’ve done nothing to deserve it. This week’s lesson pointed out how God has placed leaders for our good and that there are benefits and consequences of the respect we have for those over us.

At home activities to reinforce our “Who’s the Boss” lesson…

Top Ten- While in the car, or enjoying an evening on the deck, or around the dinner table; come up with a Top Ten list of specific people that God has place in your child’s life that he/she should respect. Talk about specific ways they can show that person respect over the next week.

Chain Reaction- Open ended conversation prompts to help your child understand that they benefit from showing respect for a leader… It can start a chain reaction of respect. Ask them, how might you benefit when you show respect to a parent? (more privileges, better environment because the parents are happier, better relationship with parents) A babysitter? (say nice things about you to your parents. You may get to choose what to do during your time together.) A coach? (Get more playing time, get to lead the team, the coach says nice things about you to your parent)

Interview a Leader- Read Luke 6:31 first. Ask your child these questions before they begin their interview of someone else: Are you a leader? Are you in charge of anything at home, school, or somewhere else? Do other kids ever want to do what you’re doing? If so, you may already be a leader. But even if you don’t think you’re a leader yet, you want to be some day, right? God wants you to treat your leaders like you’d want to be treated.

So, how do you want to be treated as a leader? Interview someone in charge, like a parent or teacher, to get some ideas. Take notes and listen closely to their advice on what makes them a good leader. Here are some questions you could ask as you are interviewing: What do you want people to learn from you as a leader? How did you learn to lead the way you do? What are the three most important ways you want people to treat you as a leader?

Sweet and Simple- For a bedtime devotional, read last Sunday’s Bible story together. Romans 13:1-7

Because God treats us with respect, He wants us to live respectfully, and that involves showing respect for the people in charge. When we do, it can start a chain reaction of respect. Even better, it spotlights our respect for God

At Home Stuff August 29

Are you looking for opportunities to talk with your kids about what they learned at church this past Sunday? Check it out…


-What did they learn? Last week was the fifth week of the month so we had an opportunity to take a break from the norm and focus on something a bit different: a “faith skill”. God wants us to think about true, noble, and right things because what goes in comes out in our words and actions. Junk in…junk out…

-Drawing/ Cartoons; Helping them understand the Bible verse- The Bible verse this week was kind of tricky and hard for kids to understand because of the big words. Philippians 4:8 “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. TRY THIS…Briefly talk about the key words in the verse: noble (to have very good qualities); pure (to be free from everything that might injure or lower the quality) lovely (very pleasing); admirable (highly thought of). Assign a word to each family member and have them draw a picture or cartoon about the word. Share when finished.

-Curl up with them and have some God Time- Read Luke 6:31 together. Use this summary to talk about the verse: Think about what God says and it’ll change your ACTIONS. Sometimes the world doesn’t treat people God’s way. (revenge, hatred, grudges) and it causes nothing but trouble. Don’t think like the world. Together, brainstorm words that reflect how we should treat others (care, love, respect, generous, kind, help, etc…).

-Around the dinner table or in the car… Ask each member in your family to name one thing that their minds were focused on that day. Was it TV, recess, bills to be paid, stress at work, a relationship with a friend or coworker, homework? Your child’s response will give you insight on where your child’s thoughts were for the day and allow you the perfect opportunity to shed the light of Jesus on issues in their life. Meet them where they are. The key principle here is CONVERSATION. Kids need it. Your child will learn more from you if you are a conversation PARTNER rather than just a conversation director.

Let us live so that when our children think of the character traits of Philippians 4:8, they think of us; their parents