Youth and Children
Weekday Activities and Thoughts for Kids
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well.
Here are some colouring sheet https://www.cbcgb.org/files/public/children/resources/Really%20Big%20Book%20of%20Bible%20Story%20Coloring%20Pages/pp197-198.pdf and https://whatsinthebible.com/activity-library/jesus-calms-the-storm-coloring-page/ Here is some links with lots of activity sheet https://www.pinterest.co.uk/sunschoolzone/jesus-calmed-the-storm-bible-activities/ Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/esl52/jesus-calms-the-storm/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well.
Here are some colouring sheet http://www.supercoloring.com/pages/jesus-heals-the-paralyzed-man and https://sermons4kids.com/jesus-paralytic-colorpg.htm Here is some links with lots of activity sheet https://www.dltk-kids.com/bible/jesus/jesus_heals_the_paralyzed_man-worksheets.htm Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/173670129356974095/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well.
Here are some colouring sheet http://www.supercoloring.com/pages/jesus-feeds-5000-people and https://sermons4kids.com/feed_5000_colorpg.htm Here is some links with lots of activity sheet https://www.dltk-kids.com/bible/jesus/jesus_feeds-activities.htm Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/esl52/jesus-feeds-5000/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 23rd July Test Time Bible Verse Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. 1 Peter 4: 12 - 13 Sum Up, There will be a test. Teachers say this all the time. Parents may say something like “I’m going to come back later and see how you’ve done cleaning up your room.” We all have tests in life. You might face a test in sports when your team faces a really tough team. You may have a test in life when a friend is being bullied or you have to decide whether to go along with the crowd or stand up for what you believe in. tests are unavoidable and while they may not be very fun, they are a great way to find out what we’re made of and where our hearts stand. Sometimes we experience a test and don’t realise it until later. How we react in that moment is a true measure of our character. For instance, if your friend is being bullied, you face a test of whether to stand up to the bully, stand by silently, or join in with the bully. A true test makes us decide what is right and God is our measuring stick. If we follow God then we must follow his commands. Those commands come really handy during tests. That’s because when we know we’re going to follow God says, then a lot of questions about what to do during a test go away. We know that we have to stand up for our friend because it’s what God tells us to do. So, don’t fear tests. God’s rules are clear and for our own good, so following them means we’re assured an A. Do Talk to your friends and family. What kind of tests have they faced? How did they do pass or fail? What test in life have you faced that you’d like to do over on? How can following God’s commands help you in a future test? Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me clear guides to love by. Whenever I face a life test in the future, please remind me to follow your commands and do what’s right. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 22nd July Look for the Light Bible Verse We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8: 28 Sum Up, A couple of times when Jesus faced trouble, he was in the wilderness. First, after John the Baptist baptized him, Jesus went into the wilderness where Satan tempted him. (Spoiler alert: Jesus didn’t cave.) Another time, Jesus knew he was about to be arrested. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed to God. He was in distress. Have you ever faced a problem where you felt like you were lost in a wilderness with no idea how to solve it? Have you been perplexed, confused, upset, with no idea how to fix the situation? If so, here’s something you can do to find your way out of the wilderness: think of God as your flashlight. God, through his presence in our lives and through the Bible, shows us the way. When we feel lost in the wilderness, we can turn to him and he will light way. There’s no problem too big or too confusing for him. So, the next time you’re in the wilderness grappling with a big problem, reach out to God and ask him to show you the right direction. Do What’s a normal task you do every day? Maybe it’s brushing your teeth or walking your dog. Whatever it is, try to do it while walking backwards. How did it go? Was the task easy, hard, confusing? How is this like what happens when we face a big problem and don’t know how to solve it? How can God turn us the right way and give us direction? Pray Dear God Thank you for lighting my path and giving me direction when I face problems. Please remind me to turn to you and ask you for help when I feel like I’m lost in the wilderness. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 21st July King of the World Bible Verse Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 1 Chronicles 29: 11 Sum Up, If you were King or Queen of the world, what’s the first thing you’d do? Imagine having total power over everything the skies, the seasons, your ability to walk or fly, reading people’s minds. What would you do? With all that power at your fingertips, would you care about what the ants were doing each day? Why or why not? Would you want to know the ants’ names or the things they were worried about? Would you even care if they were worried, or would you be busy doing other superpower things? God already has this power. He’s our creator, the mastermind of this universe. He has every power we can imagine and even more. Yet we’re a lot like the ants. Compared to God we’re tiny. We’re insignificant. So why does he care about us? The Bible tells us that God likes us and calls us his friends, so we’re more than ants to him; we’re his creation, created in his image. Even though God has all the power in the universe, we still matter to him. That’s how amazing he is! And we can feel pretty great about the fact that the Creator of the universe has an interest in us and wants to be friends. Do Listen to a song or two that you like. How do you feel inside when you listen to those songs? Now consider this: Why do you think we sing songs to God in church? What do you think it might sound like to God on Sunday mornings when churches all over the world are singing praises to him? Pretty awesome! How do you praise God? Pray Dear God Your power is hard for us humans to understand. Thank you for being a kind and loving God who, despite having superpowers, cares about me as a person. Remind me of your power and glory every day. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 20th July Mum & Dad Bible Verse Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honour your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: if you honour you father and mother, things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth. Ephesians 6: 1 - 3 Sum Up, Parents are the best, aren’t they? What would we do without them and the other amazing grownups who make our lives so much better? But a lot of times parents don’t hear how awesome they are – they hear just the opposite. They have a lot of pressure on them, from doing their jobs to keeping the house up and running to making your family work. It’s easy to not see everything they do because we’re so used to things just happening. God set up families to have parents be in charge because he knew we’d need wise people to help us as we face the challenges that come with growing up. He carefully picked the adults who are in our lives. So, it’s kind of like a match made in heaven! That’s why it’s important for us to show our parents how much they mean to us. We can do this by honouring and respecting them. We can jump in and help around the house without being asked. We can say “I love you.” We can make a point of thanking our parents and pointing out specific things they do that we appreciate, like making a delicious dinner or coming to every sports event. Parents are precious; take every chance you have to tell them so! Do Draw a picture of your family with your parents at the centre. Give the picture to them and as you do, say what you love most about them. Pray Dear God Thank you for the gift of my parents. Thank you for matching me with them. Please help me show my love for them each day. Remind me to honour and respect them and remember all the things they do for me. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well.
Here are some colouring sheet https://coloringhome.com/jesus-raises-lazarus-coloring-page and https://www.cbcgb.org/files/public/children/resources/Really%20Big%20Book%20of%20Bible%20Story%20Coloring%20Pages/pp241-242.pdf Here is some links with lots of activity sheet https://sermons4kids.com/jesus_raises_lazarus_crossword.htm Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/244883298470976546/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 17th July Hope Spreads Bible Verse Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying Romans 12: 12 Sum Up, Don’t give up. You’ve probably heard these words before. People encourage us to not quit, to keep at it, to stay strong, to not lose hope. We have hope, so we don’t give up and where does our hope come from? God, of course! Hope is one of the great characteristics of the Christian faith. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross brought hope to the entire world where there was none before. Thanks to Jesus we get to experience the hope of eternal life with God. And that great hope, which is big enough to fill the world, also fills our lives in smaller ways too. God wants us to be hopeful. He wants us to push ahead, believing the best will happen. He wants us to stay strong in whatever we’re doing because we have hope for a good outcome. He wants us to keep going. To not give up. So, whether we’re facing tests at school or practicing sports or working on a challenging project. God hopes that his hope will take over and fill every nook and cranny of our lives. He hopes we’ll expect the best and work hard to make it happen. He hopes we’ll look toward the future with a positive attitude. The hope he shares with the world is more than enough to invade all our lives. So, don’t give up! Keep hoping! Do Think about some challenges you have in your life right now. What are ways you can focus on staying more hopeful in those situations? Maybe you can pray about a situation every day before breakfast or spend a few minutes talking with your parents about it. Create a list of hope building ideas and post it where you’ll see it each day. Pray Dear God Thank you for filling the world with your hope. Thank you for bringing hope into my life in the places I need it most. Please remind me to not give up and to stay hopeful instead. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 16th July Good Grief Bible Verse The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken! Psalm 34: 17 - 20 Sum Up, When we think of grief, we mostly think about death. The loss of a loved one leaves a deep hole within us. We mourn that person, the future we may have had with them, and all the experiences we shared. The loss of a person leaves a profound mark on our lives. But there are also times in life when we experience deep loss that doesn’t involve death, and we grieve those losses terribly. For instance, when parents divorce, we feel incredible loss and sadness. We also feel uncertain about the future; we feel like we’re losing the life we knew. When we face other big changes, like moving away from our hometown or changing schools, grief is also part of that change. We mourn the things we’re losing. We mourn the future things we thought we were assured. Loss is always going to be part of life because life is filled with change. Hopefully most of that change pushes us forward and helps us grow. But it’s still normal to mourn what we lose. God understands our sense of loss. He understands when we feel confused by what’s happening around us and he knows what’s in our hearts. We can tell him how we feel and what we mourn. He knows loss too and he’s ready to help. Do Think about something you lost. Maybe it was a pet or your parents got a divorce. On a bit of paper write or draw that thing. Then cover the page with both your hands and talk to God. Ask him to help you as you deal with that loss. Pray Dear God I know you understand grief and loss. Please help me when I face losing things I love or count on. Hear my sad heart and help me find the strength to get through my grief. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 15th July Betrayed Bible Verse While they were eating, (Jesus) said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” Matthew 26: 21 Sum Up, Imaging how Jesus felt knowing that one of the men whom he’d befriended and trusted would betray him. Have you ever been in a situation where someone you trusted and liked turned on you? What was that like for you? How were you able to handle the situation? Sometimes in friendships we realise that someone has betrayed us, perhaps by saying bad things about us, lying to us, or lying about us. We trust our friends and believe they’re on our side. When we find out they’re not, it’s painful. Unfortunately, there’ll be times when friends betray us. Sometimes the person apologies and sometimes they won’t. either way, you’ll have to figure out how to handle your feelings about the situation. Sometimes those feelings are strong and the anger is slow to fade. Sometimes you’re able to move on though you may not view the person in the same way as before. Whether you get an apology or not to keep you own heart healthy, it’s good to work with God on forgiving that the person. Forgiveness isn’t really about you and that person it’s about you and God. You’ll feel better and not worry as much about the situation if you forgive that person. We’ll all face betrayals in life; it’s up to us how we move forward and God is ready to help. Do Ask a few friends or family members to tell you about a time when they were betrayed. What happened? How did each person get through it? How are things now between them and the person who did the betraying? What advice would the person give you about betrayal? Pray Dear God Its hard to imagine how Jesus must’ve felt when he was betrayed in such a terrible way. Please help me when I face betrayal and remind me to never betray my friends and loved ones. Remind me to love and honour them as I love and honour you. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 14th July God’s Instruction Book Bible Verse All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3: 16 - 17 Sum Up, People like to say that new babies don’t come with instruction manual. Its true babies are a handful and at first most people don’t exactly know what to do with them and as we make our way through life and deal with complex and confusing situations, we too often wish we had an instruction manual that told us how to deal with problems. But there’s good news. We’re lucky enough that God decided to give us instructions for this life in the form of the Bible. When we’re dealing with a hard situation or we’re unsure of what the path forward should look like, it’s easy to forget that God covered many situations in the Bible. We just have to be willing to look. God gives us big instructions for big things and lots of lessons we can apply to our lives right now through Jesus’ teachings. But he also has specific plan for each of us that he tells us individually. Our part is to learn to listen to God when we pray and when we experience life. There’ll be times when he’s talking to us and we simply must open our ears and hearts. God’s instructions are the keys to understand his plan for us. Do Find a pair of tie up shoes. The challenge; do this activity completely backwards. So, tie your shoes backwards. Can’t do it? Try again. Try three times. How successful were you? Why? What was so difficult about it? How is this like or unlike what happens when we try to do life without God’s help and instructions. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving us your instruction book. Please help me remember to read the Bible, talk to you and listen for your instructions every day. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 13th July Give it to God Bible Verse He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” Matthew 26: 39 Sum Up, When we get in the habit of giving our worries over to God, we start to breathe a little easier. We enjoy life a little more. Our hearts and minds grow more peaceful. Jesus is a great example of this. Think about the incredible moment in Matthew 26 in the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus knew he was about to be arrested and crucified. He was carrying a huge load of worry and he cried out to God. He was facing the end of his life and it would be terribly painful. He knew it all. And he was distressed and sad, he asked God for help. We have moments in life when we drop to our knees in distress and worry. We’ll feel like our lives are coming to a screeching halt and we don’t know how we’ll face the future. We can make a habit of talking to God about our concerns, knowing he will listen to us. Every word we speak, he hears. Like Jesus, we can cry out and know that God is right there with us. He’ll take the burdens and carry the load if we let him and our hearts and minds will grow more peaceful. Do There’s a song called “Trust Jesus, Trust God” by Hilltop City Life that says: It’s good to take care and be safe, but when you’ve done what you can do. The rest is up to God and he’ll take care of you. How can you hear these words and live them the next time you’re worried? Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me everything I need. Thank you for working for my good. Please help me remember to go to you first when I am overcome by worry and distress. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well.
Here are some colouring sheet http://www.bible-printables.com/Coloring-Pages/Jesus-Parables/P-31-The-Great-Banquet-01.htm and https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/496662665150133068/ and then here is some links with lots of activity sheet https://www.pinterest.co.uk/normacook/parable-of-great-banquet/ Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/504262489512756805/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 10th July Follow God Bible Verse An angel of the Lord appeared to (Joseph) in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1: 20 - 21 Sum Up, Joseph was I a weird spot. The woman he was supposed to marry was pregnant. Back in those days, this was considered a really, really bad thing. It just didn’t happen. In fact, many would have shunned Mary or even stoned her to death. But an angel came to Joseph and told him not to worry. The angel explained that Mary was going to have Jesus the Son of God. Now Joseph had two choices. He could either ditch Mary and leave her on her own to deal with a crazy situation or he could do what God said. Of course, he did what God said. Then after the baby was born, it happened again. An angel told him to take Mary and the new baby and flee to Egypt, Joseph could have said “whatever, I don’t feel like going.” But of course, he did what God said and saved his family. Joseph is a great example of following what God is telling us, even when we don’t understand or it makes our lives harder. He was faithful to God. We can follow his example every day. There’ll be times when following God’s word makes our lives more difficult. But when we’re faithful, of course we do what God says Do Look outside. Whether it’s night-time or daytime, what do you see? What do you think would happen if there weren’t any difference between day or night? God created the universe. He spoke and everything came into being. He created the sun and the stars and figured out how it would all work together so we could live here. Our world works because God designed it. How is that a great reminder that things work the way they’re supposed to when we follow God? Pray Dear God Thank you for Joseph’s example of following you even when it’s hard. Please help me listen for your voice and make decisions that honour you every day. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 9th July Sharing Is Caring Bible Verse John replied, “if you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” Luke 3: 11 Sum Up, Sharing is caring. That’s saying from a long time ago and it’s still very true today. Look around you. There’s no doubt you can easily spot several things you could share with someone else. When we share with others, it shows people that we see their needs and want to help. It also shows that we understand we have many blessings and that we can give away some of those blessings. Sharing is part of what Jesus taught us early on. Just think about the boy who shared his lunch in John 6. Jesus multiplied that simple lunch into food to feed more than 5000 people. Sharing has an impact that’s far greater than what we see or feel. Sharing can be super easy like when we have two candy bars and we give one away No problem. But it can also be hard. Sometimes sharing is tough to do and we may not even want to do it at all but we know it’s the right thing. For instance, imagine you worked hard all summer mowing lawns to earn money so you could buy a new gaming console. But when you go to buy it, you come across a fundraiser for a family whose house burned down. They’ve lost everything. What would you do? God sees it when we share. He loves it when we share and especially loves it when we share when it’s hard to do. He knows that’s true sacrifice. Do Plan one way you can share that’s easy to do what will you do? What makes it easy? Now plan one way you can share that’s hard for you. What will you do? What makes it hard? Share now, if you’re brave enough! Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me blessings I can share with others. Please help me find ways, big and small, to share with others. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 8th July Love/Hate Bible Verse Hatred stirs up quarrels but love makes up for all offenses. Proverbs 10: 12 Sum Up, “I Hate” Those words are some of the strongest words we can ever use. Hate is a powerful word – so powerful it can tear down friendships, hurt hearts and wound people in ways we can’t see. When we say we hate things or people, we’re saying we despise, loathe and have no use for them. Think carefully before you say you hate something or someone. It’s becomes cool to say certain people are “haters” or that there’s “a lot of hate” going around. But there’s a difference between dislike and hate. Hate is far more extreme. It means total separation. God doesn’t want us to hate and that’s very challenging. He doesn’t want us to take the easy way out and hate others. He doesn’t want us to tell people we hate them or to label other people as haters. Hate has no place in a Christian’s heart. God wants to fill our hearts with his love so we can share it with others. We don’t have to like everything or everyone but we do have to love them. Think about that. Do On a bit of paper write three ways you can show love to someone you don’t like very much, like saying hello, writing a note, or smiling at the person. Practise these things. Pray Dear God Thank you for showing me your great love when I don’t deserve it. Remind me to follow your example and choose to love others and not hate them. Even when it’s really hard. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 7th July Pressure Cooked Bible Verse I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering. Isaiah 48: 10 Sum Up, Pressure can come from anywhere from friends, parents, even yourself. If you know what it’s like to feel tense, frustrated, confused and trapped then you know what it’s like to feel pressure. Friends can pressure us to do things we don’t want to do. They can also pressure us to be better. Parents may pressure us to do sports or get better grades or clean up more and we may pressure ourselves to achieve certain goals. A little pressure can be good thing. If we don’t feel a need to improve or change, we can get stuck in a rut. Too much pressure, thought, can be overwhelming. God has a plan for our lives and part of that plan will be growing, changing and learning lots of new things. Sometimes those things can be hard and uncomfortable. We may fear failing. We may feel pressure. But when we understand that God is holding us up, supporting us and loving us no matter what, tackling those challenges will be easier. Pressure can be a good thing but if you’re starting to panic or feeling miserable, it’s time to talk to an adult. You can find healthy ways to handle the pressure you face and you can also find ways to let off some of the pressure. Do Talk to people in your family or a group of friends. Discuss these questions
Pray Dear God Thank you for pushing me to learn, grow and change. Please help me find healthy ways to handle the pressure I feel and also to know when the pressure is too much. Remind me there are people who can help me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 6th July Living In A Sad World Bible Verse The Lord is close to the broken hearted, he rescues those whose spirits are crushed Psalm 34: 18 Sum Up, The world around us can be scary and sad at times. There may be things happening that we don’t understand. Our parents may be worried. We may see news stories and hear about unhappy events that are happening around us. We may not even understand why people are upset; we just know something isn’t right. When life doesn’t seem to be going the right way or everything around us feels out of control, sadness can take over. We don’t know how to feel about what’s happening. But God sees everything that happens. He knows when we feel out of control and out of place. He also knows our world is broken and that bad things happen. God is always the same, though. He can take the broken pieces of the world and our hearts and mend them. So, when life seems overwhelming and sad, we can depend on God to always be right there, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He never falters or gives up on us and he can help us feel better when the world is scary or sad. Do Wrap your arms around yourself in a hug. Now think about one or two things happening in the world that make you sad. For each thing you think of, squeeze tight, giving yourself a hug. Remember that God is like this – he’s always right here, ready to give you a comforting hug. Pray Dear God Thank you for understanding that our world can be scary and sad. Please remind me to come to you when things around me seem out of control. I know you will make me feel better. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well.
Here are some colouring sheet https://www.mylittlehouse.org/coloring-pages-the-parable-of-the-rich-fool.html and then here is some links with lots of activity sheet https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/681239881110410211/ Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/83949980530031291/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 3rd July Can Do Attitude Bible Verse Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7: 7 Sum Up, What do you think it means to be assertive? It’s something that happens when we are confident in ourselves. What gives you confidence? Maybe you know you’re really good at football, so you’ve got confidence to answer questions when people ask you how to play. Or maybe you know you’ve got good leadership skills, so you don’t hesitate when people ask you what to do. We get confident when we have expertise or a natural ability. We get confidence when other people tell us we’re good at something and we sense it too. We get confidence when we try something, risk something, and it works. You have all kinds of abilities and strengths. You probably already know some of them. You may be the best kicker on your football team. Or maybe you’re really good at spelling and you also have some abilities and strengths you don’t know about yet. They’ll show up as you get older. God wants us to act on our strengths and use them to honour him. He wants us to be assertive, to go after things we feel confident about. He wants us to be unwilling to give up on ourselves and our abilities. So be confident! God has put all kinds of great abilities and talents in you, just waiting to come out. You are able with God’s help to be successful. Do What are five things you know you’re good at? Why do you think you’re good at those things? Brainstorm ways you can use your skills and strengths in those areas to honour God. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me strength and skills. Please help me be confident in my abilities and use them to honour you. Remind me to believe in myself and not give up. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 2nd July Let’s Fight Bible Verse Don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach and be patient with difficult people. 2 Timothy 2: 23 - 24 Sum Up, Didn’t get what you wanted? Why not fight about it! After all, if you scream loudest or tell a parent faster, you might get your way in the end. Right? Often, we turn to fighting with others because, simply put, we want our way. That’s one of the most common reasons fights happen. Squabbling with a sibling over which TV show to watch? It’s probably because you’re fighting for your way. Arguing with a friend about where to hang out? It’s a tug of war over who’ll prevail. We also fight when we get on each other’s nerves, when we mistreat each other, when we don’t want to obey, and when groups of people just can’t seem to get along. People have been fighting with each other as long as there have been people on earth. God thinks this approach to solving problems is pretty pointless. The Bible tells us not to quarrel but to instead be kind. That’s because we can solve a lot more problems when we respectfully talk through them rather than fight about them. So whether it’s with your sibling and their love of drag racing shows that you can’t stand or your friend who always wants to decide what your group of friends will do, an honest conversation will go further than yelling and screaming. Do Take a walk outside. What things in nature fight? Maybe you’ve heard two birds bickering with each other or two cats yowling. How is the way humans fight different? What do we fight about that creatures in nature never will? What’s one way you can focus on not fighting with a friend or family member this week Pray Dear God Thank you for helping me find ways to talk through problems with others instead of fighting. Remind me that it’s good to stand up for myself. Help me stay respectful and kind even when I really disagree with someone. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 1st July He Is Gentle Bible Verse Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4: 2 - 3 Sum Up, What does it mean to be gentle? When has someone been gentle with you, rather than harsh or unkind? Maybe it was when you fell and got hurt or when you found out bad news. God is gentle. Yes, he’s the most powerful presence in the universe. He’s greater than any superhero. He spoke, and his words made heaven and earth. But with us, he’s very gentle. That’s not to say he doesn’t get mad. There have been times in history when humans disobeyed God so much that he got really fed up. Before Noah’s flood, God had decided that creating the human race was a mistake. Ouch. But after that. God said he still loved us, even though he knew we were going to be far from perfect. He knew we couldn’t save ourselves, so he sent Jesus to save us. He loves us and he wants us to be with him forever. So, he made a way for that to happen and more than just saving us as humans, he loves us as people. He knows the details of our lives, and he knows what makes our hearts beat. He cares about our cares. He loves us for who we are, because he created us. It’s hard to understand how the greatest power in the universe could care so much about what happens in our day to day lives, but it’s true. Our God is gentle and caring and he wants the best for us. Do Compare two surfaces in your house or garden. One that feels gentle and one that feels hard. Spend time feeling the two surfaces. When you touch them, what’s the difference? What’s the same, if anything? What do the two surfaces have in common with God? Pray Dear God Thank you for being gentle, even when we’ve disobeyed you and let you down. Please remind me to be gentle to others as you are gentle with me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 30th June Friend Me Bible Verse Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which blinds us all together in perfect harmony and let the peace that comes from Christs rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace and always be thankful. Colossians 3: 14 - 15 Sum Up, Have you ever been around someone you really, really wanted to be friends with? That person was probably kind, funny, happy, inviting, reliable, honest – all the great qualities you love to have in a friend, right? Guess what? All those qualities are in you, too! God planted every one of the qualities we love about other people right inside us. That’s because one benefit of getting to know God and following him is picking up some of his traits and he’s packed full of great traits. You have a lot of wonderful qualities to offer your friends and family. Just think of a few because as a prized child of God, you definitely inherited some of his good genes: for instance, your kind, forgiving, patient, generous, honest and more and even if you’re not all those things perfectly just yet, you’re working on it. The more you learn about God and the more you hang out with him, the more you’ll become like him and he’s a friend to everyone. So, don’t be shy extend your hand in friendship to others. There’s so much to like about you. God already knows this; why not let others get a chance to find out too? Do On a bit of paper write three good characteristics you have. Maybe you’re honest, fair and friendly. When you’ve got three characteristics put your hand on the page and cover them. Pray for God to help you develop all your great qualities even more. Pray Dear God Thank you for being such a great example of a friend. Please help me grow in the qualities that make me more like you. Remind me to extend the hand of friendship to others. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 29th June Who Am I? Bible Verse There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise. Proverbs 26: 12 Sum Up, Who are you? We’re not talking about your name and address here. Who are you inside? Do you know? How would you identify yourself to someone else if you couldn’t say your name or where you’re from? Would you say, “I’m the kid who likes to play the violin and hopes to be a scientist when I grow up”? So, who are you? You might not even know right now, but you are working on finding out who you really are. You learn about yourself when you take classes. Do you not like English but love maths? That tells you something about yourself. Do you love to listen to the birds call outside but dislike country music? That tells you something about yourself. As you grow and learn more and more about who you are and what you believe, there’s one thing that’s really important to remember your value comes from God, not from the things you do or people around you. God has said you’re precious to him. He wants to be your friend (because he think’s you’re cool like that). He values you more than gold. So, know for starters, that you’re pretty awesome. Do Interview your family or friends with these three questions.
Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me value and for loving me so much. Please help me see myself through your eyes and remember that my value comes from you. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well.
Here are some colouring sheets http://clipart-library.com/coloring-pages-of-the-lost-sheep.html and https://coloringhome.com/parable-of-lost-sheep-coloring-pages and then here is some links with lots of activity sheets http://www.dltk-bible.com/jesus/lost_sheep-activities.htm and https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/225672631312673008/ Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/117164027786147469/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 26th June Happy Days Bible Verse Yes, joyful are those who live like this! Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord. Psalm 144: 15 Sum Up, What makes you happy? What kinds of things do you celebrate with your family and friends? What are some of your happiest memories? If you had to choose one day as the happiest day of your life, what would you choose and why? Happiness is an awesome thing. We’d all like to have nothing but happy days where everything’s going right and we get to have a nonstop party. Lots of times, it’s the events and people around us that bring happiness. Maybe we get to celebrate a friend’s birthday or go to the park and play games. Maybe it’s a summer block party and other times, the happiness we have comes from our own happy selves. Maybe you scored in a carnival game and won a new fish. Or maybe you feel great that you’ve graduated to the next level in swimming. In the midst of all our happiness, it’s easy to forget one totally awesome fact: we don’t have to wait for this or that cool event in order to be happy. We get to be happy because we know God loves and forgives us and we’ll get to be with him in heaven one day. That’s an overflowing fountain of happiness that never dries up and never gets old. So, get happy there’s more than enough to celebrate. Do Draw a picture that represents the five things that make you happiest. Look at the picture and consider how you can trace each item back to God. Pretty amazing! God is at the core of all our joy and happiness. Pray Dear God Thank you for bringing everyday joy into my life. Thank you for a million reasons to be happy. Please help me find ways to bring joy and happiness to all those around me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 25th June Perfect Timing Bible Verse You yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Titus 2: 7 Sum Up, Have you ever had to wait on someone? Remember what that’s like. . . waiting . . . waiting . . . wondering how much longer . . . sighing . . . waiting . . . It’s kind of awful, isn’t it? When other people are late, we end up wasting time and feeling frustrated. But what about you? Do people have to wait for you? Can people depend on you to be on time and show up? Is your family always standing by the door, ready to go, as the minutes tick by? Are you unprepared, causing you (and maybe your siblings) to be late to school or practise? Hopefully not. Hopefully you take the needed steps to be on time and ready to go. But maybe you do have the habit of not being exactly on time. This verse tells us to let everything we do reflect the “integrity and seriousness” of our teaching. The Bible tells us to respect and love others. That means we respect their time and are reliable. We show up. We do what it takes to be on time. And we come with a ready heart, too. That means our attitude is good, we’re prepared and organised and we want to be there. God shows up for us, so don’t get sloppy when it comes to showing up for others. If you need to change your habits, talk to your family about how to do that. Do Ask yourself these questions;
If you’re awesome about showing up and being on time, great job! Keep up the good work. If not, keep working at it. You can do it! Pray Dear God Thank you for always showing up for me. Please help me get better ad better at being reliable and timely, showing up and having a good attitude. Remind me to be patient with people I have to wait on. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 24th June Give Till It Helps Bible Verse Don’t forget to do good and share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. Hebrews 13: 16 Sum Up, If you had only two pairs of shoes to your name and you saw someone who had none, would you give up your second pair of shoes? Why or why not? In Mark 12:43 Jesus talks about a woman who gave only two coins to the offering plate. He says, “This poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions.” But wait lots of other people gave much more money, so how could that be? She only gave a tiny amount. The woman had almost nothing the money she gave was the last she had. She gave it all. So, while other people who had more gave more, they only gave a small amount of all they had. To give it all is an amazing thing indeed. God calls us to be generous and share with people in need. We can be generous and share with friends and family, but it’s also important to him that we give what we can to help the church and others. You may not have to give up your only other pair of shoes, but you can give in many other ways. And you can give in a way that follows the widow’s example because by giving all we have; we also gain everything. Jesus did it for us when he gave up his life on the cross. It’s our honour and privilege to be able to help other people and the church with our funds, time, words and efforts. Do Animals are important part of God’s Kingdom. What is one way you can help an animal? Maybe you could visit a shelter and deliver dog treats or spend some time playing with a friendly dog you know. Find ways to give – not just to people, but also to our friends in the animal kingdom. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me the ability to help others and the church. Please remind me often of the widow who gave everything. Show me ways to be more like her. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 23rd June It’s Not Me, It’s You Bible Verse Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. Matthew 7: 5 Sum Up, Have you ever told someone not to lie but then turned around and done it yourself? Or let someone know how mad you were that he cut in line and then took cuts from a friend? When we tell others not to do something because it’s bad and then we do that very things ourselves, it’s called hypocrisy. And hypocrisy is kind of like poison. When we say we love God but then act in hypocritical ways, other people see that and wonder what God must be like for us to do those things. So, we have the opportunity to “walk the talk,” as the saying goes. That means we actually do what the Bible says. We don’t preach to others about what they’re doing wrong and then do those wrong things ourselves. God doesn’t want us to be the police. He wants us to love and serve others. It’s not our job to be on the lookout for mistakes we can point out in other’s lives. Our job is to be honest and true to God’s commands and spread his love like wildfire. As this verse tells us, we should start with making sure we are following God and doing what’s right. Then we’ll be ready to help our friends do the same. Do On a bit of paper, list three things other people do that bug you. Maybe it’s cheating on tests, talking about other people, or texting too much. Look hard at those things and be honest with yourself: have you done these same things? How will you stop doing them? Pray Dear God Wow! Hypocrisy is a hard thing. Please help me resist the urge to focus on what others are doing wrong and instead focus on how I can love and serve others and follow your commands better myself. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 22nd June Summer Splash Bible Verse When the leaves come out, you know without being told summer is near. Luke 21: 30 Sum Up, Summer is awesome! It’s the time when we think of being outside more, relaxing, not going to school, taking family vacations, enjoying lazy days, eating ice cream and watermelon and just having a blast overall. Summer is the best. How can you make the most of your summer? Maybe you plan to play outside more, learn to swim, read new books, go camping, hang out with friends, grow a garden. Whatever your plans, summer is a great time to really soak in God’s wonder and amazing creativity. Whether it’s strolling through fields of flowers, hiking up a hillside, hanging out at the lake, or enjoying the warmth of the sun, God’s handiwork is everywhere. As you set about enjoying the summer months ahead, make a point to have a grateful heart every day. God created this world for us for you and he wants us to savour it. Part of that is appreciating it. So enjoy! Soak in the warm summer rays and God’s incredible gifts, too! Do Get together with your friends (socially distancing) and do something outside, like having a picnic in the grass, playing football. Enjoy each other’s company and the warmth of summer. Pray Dear God Thank you for creating all the seasons and for your awesome creativity. Thank you especially for summertime, when we can relax and recharge. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well.
Here are some colouring sheets https://coloringhome.com/prodigal-son-coloring-pages-preschool and https://www.bestcoloringpagesforkids.com/prodigal-son-coloring-pages.html and then here is some links with lots of activity sheets http://www.dltk-bible.com/jesus/prodigal_activities.htm and https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/283304632785992267/ Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/489625790719293466/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 19th June Let’s Hear it for Dad Bible Verse Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old. Get truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline and good judgment. The father of godly children has caused joy. What pleasure to have children who are wise. So, give your father and mother joy! May she who gave you birth be happy. Proverbs 23: 22 - 25 Sum Up, Dads rule! Dads and other important men in our lives are some of the greatest blessings we’ll get to have during this life on earth. Dads do so much – they teach us everything from fishing to sports to how to love and respect others. Our earthly dads have a lot in common with our Dad in heaven, too. Like God, dads take care of us, listen to us, give us wisdom, and help us grow. They want the best for us, and they correct us when we go off track. They work hard and make sure we have what we need. How do you show your dad and other great men in your life that you love and appreciate them? We can do things like pray them, tell them “I love you” often, spend time together with them, and help out. When a special day like Father’s Day (hint this Sunday 21st) or their birthday rolls around, we can celebrate them! Spend time letting your dad and other important men in your life know how much you love and appreciate them and thank God for putting them in your life. Take time to honour your father and celebrate how amazing he is. Do GO outside with your dad, whether it’s just for a moment or for the rest of the day, and take a walk, play a game, or just hang out. Enjoy the world our heavenly Farther made for us together. Pray Dear God Thank you for fathers everywhere, and thank you especially for mine and the other great men in my life. Please remind me every day how special dads are. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 18th June Get a Grip Bible Verse No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening- it’s painful! But afterwards there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who trained in this way. Hebrews 12: 11 Sum Up, HMM. I’M HUNGRY. Let’s see – oh, a bag of crisps! I’ll finish that off. Crumpled bag? I’ll pick it up later. There’s one can of coke left; I’ll drink it and throw the can by the crisp packet. Ah, that’s better. But now my feet are hot. I’ll kick of my shoes and socks and throw them by the sofa. What’s that dinging noise? Oh, did I forget to close the fridge door when I was looking for a snack? Whoops. I’ll turn up the tv so I can hear it better and worry about the fridge later. Does any of this sound familiar? Hopefully not, but chances are you recognise some of the sloppy behaviour as something you’ve done at least once. This scenario shows a clear lack of self-discipline or control. When we act like slobs and leave a mess for everyone around us, we’re out of control. Why does it matter? Because we live with other people! Good habits take practise and they’re an important way we can show respect to the people in our lives. That’s because when we have terrible habits, others pay the price. Our family might have to live with cockroaches dining on leftover food, sky high electric bills and the odour of rotten socks. That’s not fair. So, God’s lead and have the discipline to pick up after yourself and leave a place cleaner than you found it. Be a shining example of self-control and others will thank you for it! Do Play some music about five notches above a volume you enjoy listening to. Listen to the entire song at this loud setting. What’s it like to have the volume too high? Do you still enjoy the music? Our self-control has a volume setting too. It’s either just right pleasing and everyone enjoys it or it’s too loud and out of control. You’re in charge of you; what will you choose? Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me the ability to learn discipline and good habits. Please help me work to respect the people around me by building good habits and having self-control. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 17th June Money Bags Bible Verse Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. Proverbs 23: 4 - 5 Sum Up, Who doesn’t love to get money? We think of what we could buy with it, all the ways we could spend it and how much fun we might have. Money is one of the few things in the world that most people see as a necessity. We must have money to buy food and utilities and shelter. When people lack money, their lives are often more difficult and our culture tends to look on people with lots of money as somehow better. But the Bible says something very different about money. It offers many cautions, including not to focus on piling up treasures here on earth, because they’ll only rot or be stolen. Tells us to focus on storing up treasures in heaven, which we can do by serving others now. The Bible says money is gone as quickly as we get it. That’s true, isn’t it? We often spend our money as soon as we get it. God also tells us to give generously and to help others not to hoard money and things for ourselves. God says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil and that no one can love money and God, because that would mean serving two masters. Yes, we need money in this life and getting money for chores or pocket money is pretty cool! But the Bible gives us so many warnings about loving and seeking money instead of God and we must pay attention. When used the right way, money can do a lot of good. But when we become greedy, selfish, and self-centred because of our love of money, we’re in trouble, God’s word is the best source for learning how to value money and make good choices with it. Do With a parent, find images that depict a person with little money and someone with a lot of money. What’s different about these two people? What do they have in common? explain whether you think these two people are different or equal in God’s sight and why. Pray Dear God Thank you for guiding my choices when it comes to money. Please help me make the best choices when it comes to money I earn or receive. Please remind me to never value money above you or another person. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 16th June Do-Gooders Unite! Bible Verse Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12: 21 Sum Up, Are you a do-gooder? Let’s hope so! When we’re part of God’s family, it’s natural to want to do good in the world. Doing good makes us feel happy and it builds up the people around us. There are lots of bad things that happen every day and God wants us to be the light others can see. We’re his representatives, made to demonstrate his love and goodness. And when we work at doing good every day, like an entire army of do-gooders, the world begins to change. What kind of things could you do? Maybe hold the door open foe someone, tie a friend’s shoe, or set up a lemonade stand and donate your proceeds to a homeless shelter. Doing good shows up in all kind of ways, but perhaps the most important way is in our personal relationships. When we’re kind, generous, loving, forgiving, and friendly, that goodness spreads out to the people around us. God tells us to not tire of doing good and that includes when we feel worn out or frustrated. Despite everything, we can still be kind and do the right thing. And remember God is good. He made us in his image and he wants us to be good too. So, focus on putting goodness in your heart and mind, then go forward to be a light in a dark world. Do Think about areas in your life where you could do more god. Maybe you could volunteer to tutor a student you know needs helps. Or maybe you could teach your younger sibling to tie their shoes. Or maybe you could focus on smiling and waving at the lady on the corner every morning as you drive past. Doing good doesn’t have to be a big deal; sometimes the most powerful good we can do is in the seemingly small things. Pray Dear God Thank you for being good and for guiding me to be good too. Please help me see opportunities to do good for others around me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 15th June Guilty as Sin Bible Verse My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 1 John 2: 1 Sum Up, You did it. It was you, all you. There’s no way to get around it, cover it up, or deny it. You’re guilty! The thing is, everyone’s guilty sometimes. We all mess up and make bad choices and say things we wish we hadn’t. we all give in to temptation and tell a little lie and behave in ways we regret. We know it and that’s about all there is to say. Except “Sorry.” The good news is God knows we are sinners, and he loves us anyway. We often don’t think of ourselves as sinners because, well, that’s someone else who does really bad things, right? But the truth is we all do things that are wrong – even if we don’t see it that way at the time. But God had a plan. He knew we couldn’t be perfect and save ourselves, so he sent Jesus to save us. But we still have to do our part. When we’ve sinned, we need to recognise it, when we’re guilty, it’s up to us to talk to God about it. We have to own our mistakes and ask for forgiveness. God’s willing; he promises us that he’ll give us forgiveness and grace beyond what we could ever deserve. He wants us to be with him in heaven and that takes admitting when we’re guilty. It means learning from our mistakes and trying to do better in the future and it means making choices that are based on honouring God, because he changes our hearts for the good. Do Try to count up all the times you’ve been guilty in the past day, week, month and year. How many did you come up with? Here’s the point: God doesn’t keep count and neither should we. Ask God’s forgiveness and he will forgive you. He doesn’t keep a scorecard. He just loves you. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me the chance to say I am sorry and for forgiving my sin when I ask. Thank you for still loving me, even though I’m guilty of making wrong choices at times. Please help me make choices that honour you. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. Please only do colourings and activity sheets relating to this week’s video We also have a song that you can learn over the next few weeks as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAE0tjDSHqg Here are some colouring sheets https://coloringhome.com/joseph-forgives-his-brothers-coloring-pages and http://clipart-library.com/coloring-pages-joseph-forgives-his-brothers.html and then here is a link with lots of activity sheets http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/chapter37-worksheets.htm Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/495255290255462669/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 12th June Just Believe Bible Verse Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Mark 5: 36 Sum Up, “Just have faith.” That’s what Jesus said in Mark 5:36 just have faith. What does that mean to you? Having faith means believing in something. We believe in Jesus. We believe Jesus is God. We have faith God is who he says he is and will do what he says he’ll do. We put our trust in him. Jesus scolded his disciples more than once because their faith faltered and they doubted. He’d already shown them miracles, including raising people from the dead and healing people, he’d had Peter walk on water – until Peter’s faith faltered and he began to sink. He let Thomas touch his wounds after he’d risen from the dead. Over and over he gave people evidence they could see and touch. Still, did they believe? God provides evidence all around us of his existence. He created a world for us to live in. he knew us before we were born and every day, he’s part of our lives, near us, listening to our hearts. He loves us very much. So, what does it mean to just have faith? Maybe it means to look around us take in the widespread evidence of God, and to say “Yes I have faith.” Maybe it means to read the Bible, gain a deeper understanding of how God cares for us, and to say, “Yes I have faith.” Maybe it means to listen to the wisdom of our hearts, feel that God is close and to say “Yes I have faith.” Do Lie on the floor, facing the sky or ceiling. Focus on making every part of your body totally still and try to feel your heart beat in your body. If you can’t put your hand on your chest and feel it. Do you notice your heartbeat in daily life? Can you live without your heartbeat? How is your heartbeat in your body like God in your life? Pray Dear God Thank you for creating me. Thank you for giving us the gift of your Son, Jesus. Please help me strengthen my faith and just believe. Please let my faith in you be as natural as my heartbeat. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 11th June Leaky Love Bible Verse If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gang or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others. I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 Sum Up, Have you ever heard someone say they love God but then seen that person act in a really unloving, heartless way? If so, what did you think about the situation? Why do you think it matters that our actions line up with our faith? These verses from 1 Corinthians 13 say it well. If we say and do all the right things when it comes to knowledge, faith, understanding and giving, but we fail to do them in love, then we’ve really done nothing at all. Jesus said it in Matthew 22: love is the most important thing. It’s true; we’ll all make mistakes by doing unloving things. As long as we recognise those things and ask for forgiveness, God will see the truth in our hearts. When we get in the habit of saying all the right things for our faith, but in our hearts, we don’t feel love or don’t act in ways that demonstrate the love in our hearts, there’s a problem. Loving God means that love invades our hearts. Being faithful to God means our love for others spills out through our words, actions and thoughts. Do Remember this song? I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy Down in my heart
This song does a great job of reminding us that God’s love brings us joy. When we love others, we want to share that joy with them! Spread a little love and joy today. Pray Dear God Thank you for reminding me that my words and actions don’t mean much unless I have love for others in my heart. Please help me find ways to love everyone around me and spread the joy you bring me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 10th June Worrywart Bible Verse Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7 Sum Up, What if you should’ve worn flip-flops instead of tennis shoes? What if the ice-cream melts before you can eat it all? What if a bear breaks into your house at night? What if you can’t go swimming because crocodiles have invaded the swimming pool because the whole town flooded because someone forgets to turn off the water in the front garden? What if….? Have you ever known or been someone who worried about everything? That’s called being a worrywart. A worrywart is someone who finds things to worry and fret about even when everything is fine. A worrywart imagines the possible hazards and disasters in even the smallest, most harmless things. We all have times when we really do feel anxious or worried, but sometimes we create our own stress. Do you tend to overthink what’s happening and find reasons to worry? If so, think again. God doesn’t want us to spend our day’s worrying and fretting over stuff that hasn’t happened, especially when it is unlikely to happen, like crocodiles in the swimming pool and yes there will be times when our worries are important and real. But in those times, God tells us not to worry but to cast our worries on him instead. He promises he’ll take care of us. Worrying won’t change anything and it doesn’t give us power over a situation but prayer does. We can tell God what we’re thinking about and he’ll help guaranteed. Do On a bit of paper draw an image that represents a worry you have. Then cover the image with your hand and imagine God covering your worry. Ask God to take the worry from you. Pray Dear God Thank you for taking my worries and for having a good plan for my life. Please remind me that instead of worrying about something. I can talk to you about it. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 9th June Wise or Foolish? Bible Verse Walk with the wise and become wiser; associate with fools and get in trouble. Proverbs 13: 20 Sum Up, Are you a leader or a follower? What do you think it means to be a leader? Have you ever followed someone else and regretted it? Having friends is awesome. Having friends who make good choices is even better. But what happens if you have friends who make bad choices? Do you follow because they say so, or do you become a leader and say no? God warns us in the Bible about the people wo chose to hang out with. This verse says if you hang out with kids who are always in trouble, you’re going to get into trouble too. But if you hang out with kids who make good choices, so will you. That seems like an easy choice. But there are times when our friends are really convincing and maybe what they want to do sounds like a lot of fun and you might wonder, what if we don’t get caught? Or, maybe I wouldn’t be in that much trouble. But the truth is, when we hang out with people who are making unwise choices, soon we won’t see anything wrong with the choices. We’ll think it’s okay and then we become one of the fools the Bible is talking about. So be a leader! Help your friends make good choices and don’t go along for the ride when they’re making bad choices it will get bumpy. Do Think about a time you went along with friends when you didn’t want to or knew you shouldn’t. what happened? What did you learn from the situation? Practice saying these words, then you’ll have a way out if friends try to get you to go along with a bad choice.
Pray Dear God Thank you for sending me friends to be in my life and thank you for giving me a good thinking brain. Please guide me when my friends want to do something, I know is wrong. Help me be a leader, not a follower. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 8th June Spread the Love Bible Verse Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. Luke 6: 38 Sum Up, When has someone unexpectedly given you a gift? What was your first thought? Maybe, wow that was nice! I didn’t do anything to deserve this! Part of our faith as Christians is to give generously to others, especially to people in need. Jesus didn’t want us to be tied to our possessions and money. In fact, he told the people who wanted to be his followers to give up all they had and come with him. Some did but others couldn’t, so they just walked away. It’s easy to get attached to things our favourite toys, money, special clothes. But material things aren’t what matter; in the end God’s love is all that matters and we get to experience that love and share it with others when we have generous hearts. Giving often doesn’t require much from us, but the gift we give may make a huge difference to the person who receives it. Best of all, when we’re generous towards our friends and neighbours, we’re sharing God’s love with them and our gifts may be in many forms clothes we’ve outgrown, money for a local shelter, or friendship for the lonely. Everyone of us has something to give. By following Jesus’ command to love our neighbours, we can learn to let go of our need for things and give generously from the heart. Do Go outside and stand facing one direction. What do you see that’s a gift from God? Now turn slowly in a circle, looking around you as you move. What other gifts from God do you see? We’re literally surrounded by God’s gifts. He gives us a great example to follow as we consider ways, we can be generous with others. Pray Dear God Thank you for being generous and kind to me. Please help me as I learn to be generous and kind to others through my thoughts, actions and words. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. Please only do colourings and activity sheets relating to this week’s video We also have a song that you can learn over the next few weeks as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAE0tjDSHqg Here are some colouring sheets http://clipart-library.com/joseph-in-egypt-coloring-pages.html and https://coloringhome.com/joseph-and-pharaoh-coloring-page and then here is two links with lots of activity sheets https://sundayschoolzone.com/bible-story/god-was-with-joseph-in-egypt/ and http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/chapter37-worksheets.htm Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/494833077793140281/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on our facebook page
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 5th June Chin Up Bible Verse Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a scared day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength! Nehemiah 8: 10 Sum Up, Have you ever been told, “chin up”? What do you think that means? If you think about it in a real sense, it must mean your head is hanging down if someone tells you to put your chin up and why would you head hang down? If you’re feeling sad, defeated, lonely, or upset, you might put your head down. To put your chin up means to raise your head and to face life head on- no matter what’s happening. The Bible tells us to “always be full of joy in the Lord” (Philippians 4:4) in any situation. Imagine if your house just got flooded or you found out your best friend was moving away. How would you keep your chin up in those situations? The key, God says, is to look for the good in the situation because believe it or not, there’s always good to be found. For instance, your home may be flooded, but your family is okay and no one was hurt. That’s a good thing to be glad about and while your friend may be moving, you’ll be able to stay in touch using video calls whenever you want to. That’s a good thing to be glad about. We can always be glad for the good things, thanks to God. We can count our blessings in the middle of crummy things happening because that helps us get through the bad times. So always look for good things to be glad about and keep your chin up! Do Ask your family or friends about a time they went through a bad situation. What good things happened during those hard times? What good happened as a result of a bad situation? Pray Dear God Thank you for making sure that we can always find good things during bad times. Please help me remember to be glad about those good things and keep my chin up even when it’s hard. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 4th June Do the Impossible Bible Verse David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone foe hr had no sword. 1 Samuel 17: 50 Sum Up, Life is full of challenges and sometimes those challenges can seem overwhelming. Think of a major obstacle you had to overcome, like learning how to do multiplication or mastering gymnastics move or getting a hit in cricket. We make goals because we want to overcome challenges and that takes work. But sometimes we need help. What do you do when you’re facing a challenge that seems impossible? First, we can ask God for help. Then, we can think about the story of David when he beat Goliath. David was a young boy and Goliath was a warrior giant that experienced soldiers wouldn’t dare fight. David asked God for help and then with a simple stone and slingshot he took down Goliath. David might have been a little scared, a little anxious and a little worried that he wouldn’t beat the great warrior. But with God’s help he did. He did something so amazing that it was written about in the Bible son we could learn about it thousands of years later. So, don’t be afraid of the challenges you face. Don’t give up before you get a chance to bear your giants. Ask God for help and you will triumph! Do Stand up. Now squat down until your legs are bent like you’re sitting in a chair without the chair. Stay like this for one minute longer if you can do it. What does this feel like? Now do the same thing but sitting in a chair this time. What’s the difference? How is this like what happens when we face challenges on our own versus when we ask for God’s help? Pray Dear God Thank you for helping me face my challenges and overcome them. Please help me remember to go to you first when I have an obstacle. I know you’ll always help me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 3rd June Grumpy Pants Bible Verse Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander as well as all types of evil behaviour. Ephesians 4: 31 Sum Up, Have you ever had a day when you wanted everyone to leave you alone? Or you felt so grumpy that you wanted to go back to bed and hide under the covers? Maybe you snapped at your friends, griped at your parents, slammed a few doors and kicked the dog bowl over. Or maybe you just thought about doing those things. We all get grouchy now and then. We get grouchy for all kinds of reasons. We feel grumpy when we didn’t get enough sleep, or when we’re hungry, sick or just having a bad day. Grouchy feelings will pass. But if we lash out at others when we’re grouchy, we may have a bigger mess to clean up. If you’ve been a grump and hurt someone’s feelings because you were in a crummy mood it’s important to say sorry. Usually a grumpy mood has more to do with what we’re feeling inside rather than what someone else is doing. God tells us not to insult people or call them names and not to be harsh tempered. So, apologise and avoid putting someone in a bad mood! Do What kind of music puts you in a good mood? Take a few minutes and listen to a song or two. The next time you’re feeling grumpy, remember how music can make you feel better and listen in. Pray Dear God Thank you for understanding my grumpy moods. Please help me remember not to take a bad mood out on the people around me. Remind me to apologise when I hurt other people’s feelings. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 2nd June The Price of Respect Bible Verse Don’t copy the behaviour of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12: 2 Sum Up, Who’s someone you really respect? What are the reasons you respect that person so much? What causes you to lose respect for someone? When we follow God, he wants us to be the kind of people who others respect in the same way that you respect the person you thought of. Earning that kind of respect from others means we’re honest, kind, caring, reliable and all the other characteristics you named as reasons you have respect for that person. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are. You can earn others respect and esteem. One important way to earn respect is to be honest and admit it when we’re wrong or when we’ve done wrong. God loves us no matter what, but he expects us to ask for his forgiveness when we make wrong choices. People are like that too. When we’ve hurt someone or made a bad choice, it’s important to own up to it and apologise. It’s the ability to admit when we’re wrong and to be honest and kind that makes others respect us and that’s something we never want to love. Do On a bit of paper draw a picture of the person you respect so much. Then list a few characteristics on the picture that make you respect that person. Fold up your picture and keep it. Pray Dear God Thank you for putting people I can respect in my life. Please help me work on being honest, kind, reliable and caring as I earn the respect of others. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 1st June Yearning for learning Bible Verse Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open to knowledge. Proverbs 18: 15 Sum Up, Summer’s great no school, right? We all love a break! But learning is one of the most wonderful blessings God sends our way and learning doesn’t relate to school as much as we might think. We begin learning from the time we’re still in our mum’s belly learning to recognise the sound of her voice, learning to swallow and if we’re wise and we follow what the Bible advises, we keep learning until we’re old and facing the end of life. God wants us to seek knowledge always because he knows it makes us wiser and that doesn’t mean spending ever spare moment studying maths or science or a language. Learning comes from all the experiences we have in life, including getting along with others, understanding life in deeper ways, and getting to know who we are individually. Yes learning does happen in school. But some of the greatest lessons we’ll ever learn don’t happen in a classroom they happen when we open ourselves to new experiences and ask God for the wisdom and guidance. There’s an entire world of things out there for us to learn about so don’t miss the chance! Do What’s something you’d like to learn more about? Maybe your interested in time travel or wish you knew more about trains. Whatever it is, spend some time today learning about the topic Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me a brain designed to learn. Please remind me of all the ways I can learn outside of a classroom. Help me find ways to know more every day. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. Please only do colourings and activity sheets relating to this week’s video We also have a song that you can learn over the next few weeks as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAE0tjDSHqg Here are some colouring sheets http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/christianity-bible/joseph-son-of-jacob and https://coloringhome.com/joseph-dream-coloring-page and then here is two links with lots of activity sheets http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/chapter37-index.htm and https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/136796907408915164/ Also here is a link to some crafts that you can also try out https://www.pinterest.co.uk/wrayann49/joseph-crafts/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 29th May Too Proud? Bible Verse Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall. Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud. Proverbs 16: 18 - 19 Sum Up, Do you think it’s good to be proud of yourself? Why or why not? Can we ever be too proud? When have you felt good about something you accomplished? Through our lives, we’ll have moments when we achieve goals and do well at things. We can feel good about those things! It usually takes effort and dedication to achieve a goal. But what about having more money or a nicer house or a bigger garden than others? Do you think those things are something to be proud of? Why or why not? Sometimes we get a little proud of what we have that others don’t and that’s not good. The Bible specifically warns us not to be proud or boastful. When we are fortunate to have nice things or a fun toy or the newest video game, it’s wrong to think that we’re better than someone else because of it. That includes bragging, showing off, or saying negative things about what the other person has. God wants us to be humble. In James 4:6, the Bible says God gives grace to the humble. All we have and are is from God and not because we’re super special or his favourite. Because of this, we can humbly share with others and resist the urge to be proud. Do On a bit of paper write one thing you have that you feel good about. Then write one way you can remember to be humble. Pray Dear God Thank you for helping me achieve goals and for providing for my needs. Please help me remember to not become proud, because all my blessings come from you. Remind me to stay humble. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 28th May The Disappointments Bible Verse We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8: 28 Sum Up, Disappointment stings. Think about a time you were disappointed either in a person or in something that didn’t go the way you thought it would. It’s a crummy feeling to know things aren’t going to work out the way you wanted them to and it’s a feeling that can be hard to let go of and move on from. Here’s a hard truth: sometimes God lets us be disappointed because he has something better in store for us. We may not know it for a long time, either. We may feel a temporary, disappointment that actually helps us in the long run. For instance, if your bike has a flat tyre that can’t be fixed on the day of the big race, you’re disappointed. But if missing the race meant you got to help a friend who needed you in a crisis, then maybe the disappointment is worth it. That’s an extreme example, but there’s truth to it. Our disappointments are most often temporary, although we may have some bigger disappointments in life. But only God sees the big picture of our lives. He knows the entire plan; we only see what’s happening from day to day. It’s hard for us to imagine that a let-down today can make way for something great in six months, but it can. We’ll get through disappointments. We may feel sad for a while. We may feel let down but we can take comfort knowing that God is working for the good in our lives. Do Ask your family members to talk about something that disappointed them and why. How did they get through it? Did anything good come from the disappointment? Pray Dear God Thank you for working for the good in my life. Please comfort me when I’m disappointed and remind me that you have a good plan for my life. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 27th May A Friend Indeed Bible Verse Be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forging one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4: 32 Sum Up, Have you ever known anyone who was just really hard to get along with? Maybe the person was moody, grouchy, mad, selfish, pouty, or unfriendly. How long did you try before giving up on becoming that person’s friend? Most of the time when someone is hard to get along with, we give up pretty quickly on becoming or staying friends. After all, who wants to be friends with someone who’s always hard to have fun with? But what about you? Are you easy-going? Do you make it easy for people to be your friend? If so, how? Why does it matter that we stay friendly and open people? God’s love is like a seed that grows in our hearts. His love grows and blooms in us and creates joy, peace, patience, kindness and gentleness in us. That means we ought to be pretty easy to approach and befriend. God wants us to be a friend to others, especially those who need friends. His love for us translates into love for others. So, when we’re easy going rather than grumpy and moody people are more likely to want to befriend us. That’s another cool way to get to reflect God to others and don’t give up on the person who is hard to befriend. If nothing else, pray for that person and see what happens! Do Check you body language to see how friendly you seem. How would you stand if someone were approaching you that you didn’t want to talk to? You might turn your back, how yourself rigid manner and not make eye contact. Now practise how you stand if a good friend is approaching. You probably face the person, smile, wave and hold yourself in a relaxed manner. Remember, your body talks to people too! Pray Dear God Thank you for all the people who want and need friends. Please help me be welcoming and friendly so I can reflect your love to everyone around me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 26th May My Thankful Me Bible Verse Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will of you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 - 18 Sum Up, We tend to get really thankful around the holidays (Easter, Personal Holidays and Christmas) but what about now? And the rest of the year? How often do we stop and express nothing but our thankfulness to God? Probably not often enough. (That’s why almost every prayer on these daily activities start by thanking God: we can’t say thank you enough to him!) Most of the time when we talk to God, we go to him with our problems and concerns. We ask him for help and guidance. But we may forget to simply be thankful. There are many ways to show we’re grateful to God – in our actions by following his commands, in our words by praising him and telling others about him, and in our thoughts and prayers by expressing what we’re grateful for. One of the most important times we can be thankful is when things get hard. That may seem strange but truth is, when we look for things to be grateful for when we’re going through hard times, it actually makes things better. We grow a thankful heart when we don’t expect things, but instead we appreciate things and that’s a great way to honour God. Do What’s something in your house or garden that you’re thankful for? Maybe it’s a pet or food or new carpet. Go to it and sit. Then tell God why you’re thankful for that thing. Pray Dear God There aren’t enough ways to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me. But thank you! I’m grateful for all the many blessings you’ve given me. I’m working on being grateful every day. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 25th May My Temper is Lava Bible Verse Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So, get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has power to save your souls James 1: 20 - 21 Sum Up, So, your younger sibling finally did it! They spilled your drink and then laughed about it and that’s the final, final, final straw! You feel your temper flaring, igniting and then spewing like a volcano, blowing up the kitchen and throwing molten lava all over the living room! AAAAHHHHHH! Have you ever completely lost your temper or gotten so angry that all you could do was yell and scream? When you get mad, do you punish other people by not talking to them or by yelling at them so they know how mad you are? Anger is an emotion we all feel. It may be a small thing that ignites our anger, or it may be something pretty big. It’s normal for humans to get angry and there are times when we should get angry. The key though, is in how we handle that anger. If we blow up like an erupting volcano and burn the people around us. . . we haven’t handled our anger very well. If we instead talk to the person who’s at the centre of our anger in a respectful and honest way without calling names or throwing things then we’ve handled our anger pretty well. God knows we’re going to get mad. But he tells us to honour him no matter how mad we are. He wants us to focus on solving the problem, not punishing others in our rage. Do Go outside and think of a time you got very angry. Stomp your foot as hard as you can, like you’re trying to stomp out the anger. Stomp again! Harder! Now consider this. Stomping kind of hurts your foot. You can feel the stomp all the way up your leg and into your hip. You didn’t hurt the ground, though, did you? That’s how anger works. Most of the time, our anger hurts us more than the thing we’re angry at. So, while it’s okay to feel angry from time to time, what’s most important is how we handle that anger. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me all kinds of feelings and for understanding that sometimes I feel angry. Please help me remember to deal with my angry feelings in a way that honours you and solves the problem. Amen.
MAY CAMP 2020 LIVE Please follow the links below to access everything but also below is the first main stage event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4EWE0L4h7k&feature=youtu.be The Full Set List and Links
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. Please only do colourings and activity sheets relating to baby Moses We also have a song that you can learn over the next few weeks as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB_zYT76Og8 Here are some colouring sheets http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/christianity-bible/moses and https://www.momjunction.com/articles/moses-coloring-pages-for-your-little-ones_0091897/ and then here is a link with lots of activity sheets http://www.dltk-bible.com/exodus/exodus_puzzles.htm Also here is a link to some Moses crafts that you can also try out. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/nscottsdaleumc/moses-crafts/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 22nd May Incredible Delight Bible Verse Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you your hearts desires. Psalm 27: 3 - 4 Sum Up, Usually when we think about God, we think of him almost like a parent or a boss. But God is so much more than that. He’s our creator and he also calls us his children and friends. He provides everything for us from life to what we need to live. But he also gives us great joy because of his promise of eternal life, he gives us forgiveness and grace, and he gives us his Word with guidance on how we can live good loves and the Bibles tells us that he wants us to rejoice in him – to be glad, thankful, happy, joyful, and delighted. What does it mean to be delighted in God? It means every day can be a celebration. We can have the attitude that we’re eternally blessed by God and be grateful and joyful in all situations, even the not so happy ones. God gives us so many reasons to be happy that we can’t count them all! And he wants us to focus not on what’s going wrong or what could be better but on what is wonderful and worth celebrating. When we do that, everything seems better. God wants us to celebrate him and to delight in him and fill our lives with more and more things to be delighted about. When we tell others about the joy God puts in our lives, others begin to delight in him too. Delight produces delight. Good produces good. So, celebrate our incredible God every day. Do Go on a treasure hunt and find three things in your life that are only possible thanks to God. Maybe you’ll find your parents, a special connection to a teacher, or some other amazing gift in your life. Then celebrate those things by telling your family about them. Pray Dear God Thank you for filling my life with blessings and so many things to celebrate. Thank you for being the most awesome God imaginable. Thank you for providing for me and my family in so many ways. I celebrate you! Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 21st May Stay Brave Bible Verse Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance it what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10: 35 - 36 Sum Up, Are you a chicken? A scaredy cat? If you thought, why, yes, I am! Then fear not. We all have times and situations when we don’t feel very brave. Maybe we’re scared of thunderstorms or spiders or talking in front of the class. Whatever the situation just about every person you know can tell you about something that makes them feel a little cowardly. In this verse God is telling us that no matter what we’re facing we can be confident in him. We can be brave because God is always with us. We just need to keep going and keep being faithful and God will stick with us. The next time you feel a little cowardly or scared keep in mind that God has all the strength in the universe. He’s the most incredible superhero ever no one and nothing can compare and because we’re his followers, we get to borrow a little of his strength. God will make you feel braver and stronger just call on him. Do On a bit of paper write one thing that makes you feel cowardly or scared. What about that thing worries you? Close your eyes and ask God to take your worries about this thing away. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me the strength to be brave when I feel scared. You know all the things that worry me. Please give me some of your strength to stay brave the next time I face something that scares me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 20th May Unseen Bible Verse Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, give you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well – watered garden like an ever-flowing spring. Isaiah 58: 10 - 11 Sum Up, Have you ever felt overlooked maybe you didn’t get invited to a birthday party everyone else was going to. Or maybe you got chosen last for the team. Or maybe nobody talked to you at school or everyone at home seemed too busy to hear about your day. Feeling forgotten or overlooked is a sad feeling. We all want to be noticed and wanted. In moments when people seem to forget about us, we hurt. We all need friends and relationships where we feel seen – not forgotten. If you feel overlooked, it’s important to talk to an adult about it. Sometimes this is just a passing experience that foes away on its own. Other times, it’s something that happens a lot and for that we can get help from an adult and never forget that even when the people around us don’t see us, God always sees us. He’s always with us and he knows when we feel overlooked. He will never overlook us. Another great way to feel better when it seems like no one sees us is to look for someone else who’s feeling the same way. Reach out to that person and let him or her know you see. Help that person feel special, wanted and seen and there’s a 1,000% chance you’ll feel much better too. Do Think about someone you know who might feel overlooked. What could you do today or tomorrow to show that person you see him or her? Maybe it’s stopping to say hi when you don’t normally. Or maybe it’s making the person a card or asking them to join you for a chat. Whatever you choose, do it! Pray Dear God Thank you for always seeing me and for knowing when I feel overlooked. Remind me that you never leave me and that I can always count on you. Thank you. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 19th May Feel the Burn
Bible Verse Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6 - 7 Sum Up, The pizza your parents brought home had onions on it and you hate onions! Your sibling keeps putting their stuff on your bed and it drives you crazy! Your friend told you they would sit by you at lunch and then they didn’t! There are times when we feel like screaming, crying, pouting and telling others exactly what we think. Our emotions get bigger and bigger until they burst out like a balloon that pops. Sometimes it feels better to just let our emotions take over and when emotions are in the driver’s seat, we may act in ways we later regret. Screaming at your parents and slamming your door because they got the pizza order wrong isn’t the best way to handle your emotions. Telling your friend, you never want to speak to them again because of the one day they ditch you may wreck a perfectly good friendship – for good. That doesn’t mean we’re not supposed to feel emotions though. When we’re sad, mad, happy or glad, it’s good to feel those emotions. Sometimes we need to talk about them – like explaining to your friend that when he didn’t sit by you, you felt very sad inside. While God wants us to feel our emotions and not block them out, he also wants us to remember that he’s in control. We don’t need to let our emotions get out of control when we get upset. As we grow up, it’s easier to control our behaviour and learn what a good response is to a strong emotion. The Bible tells us to pray when we feel strong emotions. God will help us know the best way to react. Do Time yourself holding your breath. How’d you do? Now try again, but do your best to beat your first time. What does it feel like to hold your breath for a long time? How is the feeling of holding your breath like or unlike what happens when your emotions get out of control? Pray Dear God Thank you for reminding me to talk to you when I get really emotional. Please help me remember that it’s good to feel things and talk about them – but not to good to let my emotions rule my behaviour. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 18th May Even When It’s Hard
Bible Verse Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time and he walked in close fellowship with God. Genesis 6: 9 Sum Up, When has it been hard for you to follow God’s commands? How have you handled those times? Is there anything you’d change about those times? You’ve probably heard the story of Noah. He’s the guy who built the ark the guy who saved the animals and the guy who obeyed God even when it wasn’t easy. We all think we know Noah’s story from when we were little kids but have you ever really thought about how difficult what Noah did really was? Aside from the incredible amount of physical work he did to build the ark. Noah probably had a lot of people wondering if he’d lost his mind. The Bible tells us everyone was disobeying God and that’s why he sent the flood. Everyone but Noah that is Noah walked closely with God. So, when God told Noah to build the ark in the middle of the desert and gather the animals and his family his neighbours and friends probably though he was crazy. They probably asked him what he was doing and challenged him about what God had told him to do. But Noah stuck with it and obeyed God. The next time you face a situation where you’re struggling to obey God think of Noah. He endured, he obeyed and in the end what he did was right and good. Do Find a picture of something that represents an area you struggle to obey God in. Maybe it’s a picture of a gaming station, because you spend too much time on it, or a picture of people sharing. What is it that’s hard to obey? How can you be more like Noah by obeying God, even when it’s not easy? Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me the example of Noah, a man who obeyed you even when it was hard. Please help me remember him when I struggle to obey your command. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. Please only do colourings and activity sheets relating to baby Moses We also have a song that you can learn over the next few weeks as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB_zYT76Og8 Here are some colouring sheets https://coloringhome.com/free-printable-coloring-pages-ten-plagues and http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/christianity-bible/plagues-of-egypt and then here are two link with lots of activity sheets https://biblepathwayadventures.com/activities/escape-egypt-2/ and https://biblepathwayadventures.com/activities/plagues/ Also here is a link to some Moses and the 10 plagues crafts that you can also try out. https://www.pinterest.ca/mdc19756031/moses-plagues/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 15th May You Are Loved
Bible Verse I am giving you a new commandment: love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13: 34 - 35 Sum Up, Showing love to others should be easy, but it isn’t always. There may be reasons why it is hard to show love to someone, like maybe you’re actually really mad at that person. Or maybe you don’t feel confident. But showing love isn’t always about giving hugs or saying “I love you.” It can be in small things, like comforting a sibling or sharing your lunch with a friend. God showed us the greatest love imaginable when he sent Jesus to die for our sins. There truly is no greater love than that and he expects us, as his followers to show that same love to the people around us even the ones it’s hard to love. So, how do we do that? Sometimes in big ways; sometimes in small ways. Sometimes it’s just a smile or a kind word, sometimes it’s using your pocket money to buy a new pair of shoes for someone in need. God cares for us every day in the way he provides for us, puts people in our lives to love us and in how he’s there for us all day, every day. We can reflect that same care to others Do Go outside. Look for one thing you could collect or photograph and give to another person that shows you care for them. Maybe your sibling likes awesome rocks or your mum likes wildflowers. Find a way to express through nature that you care for the person. Pray Dear God Thank you for caring for me. Thank you for putting people in my life who also care for me. Please help me find big ways and small ways to show everyone around me that I care. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 14th May Don’t Quit Now
Bible Verse Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t give up. Galatians 6: 9 Sum Up, Sometimes working hard and doing the right things get kind of, well . . . old. Sometimes we get tired and discouraged, especially when we don’t see results from our hard work. But God tells us not to give up. When we’re doing good things and working hard, it’s important to never give up – even during those times when we get really tired. That’s because when we get the most tired, the most discouraged and the most sick of it, that’s often when the work is the most important. Think of it this way. Say you practiced basketball with your team every day for the past three months, giving up your afternoons and weekends to play games. Now your you’re sick and tired of basketball. You want your free time back. You want your feet to stop hurting. So, you think of giving up and handing your jersey over to your coach. But the thing is, it’s the end of the season. It’s the playoffs and your team are ready to take the championship! Now are you really going to give up and let your team and yourself down? That’s how life is too. Often when we’re at our most tired is when our effort is most important. So, take heart. God tells us not to get tired of doing good. Rest when you can rest but don’t give up your good work. Do Sometimes we get tired when we have too much going on. What are the most important things you have going on in your life right now? How can you get those things done and still have time to rest? Maybe you can commit to one week of no screen time. Giving yourself small breaks when you’re tired and fed up is a great way to regain your energy. Pray Dear God Thank you for helping me not give up when I get discouraged. Please help me find ways to stay strong when I’m tired and to step up when I want to quit. Show me ways to take little breaks so I can stay energised. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 13th May No Fear
Bible Verse God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1: 7 Sum Up, Our world can be a scary place. A lot of bad things happen out there that we hear about on the news or from family and friends. Governments fight with each other, big storms, earthquakes, people get sick and lots of other things. The world can be full of uncertainty which is scary. It’s easy to begin focusing only on the bad stuff and that makes it seem like more and more bad stuff happens. But the reality is good stuff happens all the time it just doesn’t usually make the news. God doesn’t want us to live in fear even when bad stuff seems to be everywhere. He gives us life and each other to enjoy. He tells us in the Bible that he didn’t build us for fear; he built us to be powerful, self-disciplined and loving. Those are all the great ways to be when something seems scary. It’s okay to feel afraid and God wants you to talk to him about that. It’s also helps to let your parents or other adults know when something is scaring you. They’ll help you through it. But remember; God put power and love in you and around you no fear can stand up to that! Do On a bit of paper make a list of five fears you have. Then place your hand on the list like you’re holding it down on the page. Pray to God to help you overcome each of these fears while you hold your hand in place. Then draw a circle around the list and draw a line through the middle of the circle to make the no symbol. Pray Dear God Thank you for making me mighty with your power and love. Thank you for helping me face my fears. Please remind me that you made me to overcome - not cover to - my fears. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 12th May Lead On
Bible Verse Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity. 1 Timothy 4: 12 Sum Up, Are you a leader? Why or why not? Chances are you’ve been chosen by a teacher or other adult to lead at some point or perhaps you’re a natural leader. Maybe automatically step into the role and take charge. You instinctively know what to do and how to do it or maybe not. Maybe you feel uncertain and assume no one will listen to you. We’re all leaders in different ways, we may not end up being the big boss, we can lead in other ways. We lead younger siblings when we take care of them, we lead classmates when we don’t participate in bad behaviour or when we show kindness to the new kid. We even lead by praying for others. Leading doesn’t always mean being up front and calling the shots. God wants us to be leaders in our everyday lives. He sent Jesus to be our leader and Jesus showed his disciples something unexpected. Yes, he led them by showing them what to do but he also knelt down and served them by washing their feet. In God’s view a leader is there to serve people he or she leads. So lead others in the way you act and honour God through your choices and serve people you’d like to lead. Be a leader by being a servant first. Do Think of your regular group of friends. Pray for each of them individually every day this week, ask God to help them with the problems they face. Pray Dear God Thank you for making me a leader in my own way. Remind me to make good choices and be a good example to others and remind me that Jesus shows us that to lead means to serve. Show me ways to serve the people I lead. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 11th May Counting Differences
Bible Verse There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3: 28 Sum Up, Do you ever look around at your friends and feel different or out of place? What is it that makes you feel this way? Maybe your hair is a different colour or you feel like your feet are to big. Maybe it’s not something physical but something inside that makes you feel different. Feeling different is part of growing up and learning more about who you are. Sometimes our differences are obvious. Maybe everyone likes a certain band you can’t stand or you’re diabetic and have to take insulin shots before you eat lunch. Sometimes the differences are not so obvious. Maybe you have dyslexia and struggle with reading or you have a secret fear of shoelaces. Our differences are all part of the package God created us to be. He made us different on purpose. It’s true there would be nothing more boring than a world where everyone looked, dressed, acted, learned and thought the same. Our differences are what make us stronger together. The bible reminds us that while God created us to be different, we are al the same as his children. He says we are all one. There will be times you feel different and it might feel uncomfortable. It’s okay. Take heart knowing that maybe not today but one day you’ll feel good about what makes you different. Do Look at yourself in the mirror. What aspects of your face or body do you feel make you different? Maybe you have freckles or a scar on your knee. What is something you like about that difference? Pray Dear God Thank you for making me different from others. Please help me remember that being different is a good thing. Remind me that my differences are what make me special and unique and even with all my differences. I am made in your image. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. We also have a song that you can learn over the next few weeks as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB_zYT76Og8 Here are some colouring sheets https://www.coloring.ws/moses.htm and https://whatsinthebible.com/activity-library/moses-and-the-burning-bush/ and then here are two link with lots of activity sheets https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/438467713691529837/ and https://sermons4kids.com/moses_and_the_burning_bush.htm (links to activities are at the bottom of the page) Also here is a link to some Moses and the burning bush crafts that you can also try out. https://biblecraftsandactivities.com/crafts-for-moses-and-the-burning-bush/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 8th May God Made It All
Bible Verse By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen Hebrews 11: 3 Sum Up, Our world, our universe, our bodies everything we know and see are all the result of God’s handy work. God made us in his image. God created the world and everything in it for us. He gave us everything we would need, like food and water and then threw in amazing things like mountains and valleys and waterfalls and oceans. God is the artist who created the stars and universe. Everything you see when you look around is thanks to Gods creativity. Why do you think God went to all the trouble to make the world and us? Genesis 1 tells us that God spoke the whole world into existence and that he called it “good” We may not know exactly why God created the universe but we know that he takes delight in it. We are blessed to get to live in this big beautiful world. Every time we look around us or love our pets or eat a delicious meal, we can be grateful to God for creating it all. Do Take off your shoes and look at your toes. Wiggle them. How do they work to hold your body up and stay balanced? What would your life be like without toes? It might be pretty difficult to walk. But God knew we’d need toes and so he made us toes. This is just one teeny tiny example of the way God knows and thinks of everything. Pray Dear God Thank you for creating a beautiful world and universe for us. Thank you for giving us plants and animals. Thank you for all the beauty in the world. Remind me every day as I look around and go through life that you created it all. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 7th May God’s Great Big Love
Bible Verse We know how much God loves us and we have put our trust in his love. God love and all who live in love live in God and God lives in them. 1 John 4: 16 Sum Up, As kids, we learn early on that God loves us. As we grow, we begin to understand better just how deep that love is. God’s love for us never ends and never changes. He loves us because he created us and we’re his children. Think of the people who love you the very most. You probably know that even on your worst days, those people still love you, right? Even when you spill the milk on the floor or you throw a fit and act mean. God loves us, too, in the good times and bad times. His love is so powerful that, when we let it, it spills out of us and onto other people. That’s because we just can’t help but love others when we feel so loved. Love is contagious it spreads and grows and God is love. One of the best things about God’s love is that it stays the same forever. He never loves us more or less his love is always at full power. So, whatever is happening in our lives we can know that God’s right there with us, loving us the same yesterday and today. That’s something to celebrate and tell other’s about! Do Take a walk outside. Look at the enormous sky. Now find the tiniest object in nature that you can. These are like God’s love the same in the really big things and in the tiniest things. God’s love completely surrounds us. Pray Dear God Wow your love is so amazing! Thank you for loving me every second of every day. Thank you for being my best friend. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 6th May Don’t Do It
Bible Verse The temptation in your life are no different from what others experience and God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10: 13 Sum Up, Have you ever been tempted! To take an extra cookie? To lie to a teacher? To talk to someone online who you don’t know? To hang out with someone who you know makes bad choices? Temptations are all around us, every day. Some temptations are pretty small. Other temptations are bigger problems that can cause issues in your life and the thing about temptations is that all around us, voices are whispering. “Go ahead! Take the cookie. No one will know” and “Go ahead! Message them back. They seem nice, they probably just want to talk” and “it’s okay, as long as I’m not doing anything wrong. It won’t matter if my friend is.” Jesus knows all about temptations. After he was baptised, Jesus went into the wilderness where Satan tempted him to show his power before it was the right time. But Jesus understood what Satan was doing and wouldn’t give in. The thing about temptation is once we give in to the small things, it gets easier and easier to give in to the big things. God knows this. He knows we’ll face temptations every single day to break the rules just a little or to do something no one will know about. But God wants us to do what’s right at all times, not what feels good in that moment. So, the next time you feel tempted, remember Jesus in the wilderness. He stayed strong and so can you. Do On a bit of paper draw one thing that always tempts you. Maybe it’s choosing a video game over homework or eating all the lollies before anyone else can., Whatever it is, draw it and make a commitment that the next tine you’re tempted you’ll resist. Pray Dear God Thank you for showing me the example of Jesus not giving in to temptation. Please help me stay strong during the times I’m tempted, whether in big things or small. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 5th May Helping Heart
Bible Verse A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things Proverbs 18: 9 Sum Up, Can you help me? Many of us sigh when we hear that question. Then we slowly say, “Yeah sure.” But do we want to help? Maybe so, if the question is “Can you help me lick the icing bowl?” or “Can you help me build a snow fort?” But when the question is “Can you help me clean the bathroom?” or “Can you help me fix dinner?” Well let’s just say “yeah sure” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily. One of God’s commands to us is to serve one another and to do so with a willing heart. There are times when we need help too. (Does “Can you help me with my homework?” sound familiar?) And God especially wants us to help others who can’t repay us. So, the next time someone asks, “Can you help me?” remember God’s command. Put a smile in your heart and know you’re doing something much bigger than just the task at hand you’re helping someone and loving that person when you pitch in. Do On a bit of paper list two things you can do to help someone who can’t repay you then do those things. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me the ability to help other. Please help me to have a cheerful, willing heart when someone asks me for my help and remind me to serve others who can’t repay me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Monday 4th May Brave Enough?
Bible Verse This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1: 9 Sum Up, Have you ever faced a situation where you weren’t sure things would work out okay? Maybe you went white-water rafting or you were up to bat for the first time or you went on a roller coaster that looked terrifying. Maybe you had to get a medical treatment or go to a funeral. Being brave can be hard. Sometimes we think we just don’t have what it takes. We worry about failure, embarrassment, pain and even worse things happening. We wonder. What if I can’t do it? Bravery happens when we try. Even if we’re not convinced, we can do something, the act of trying is what makes us brave. We may not always be successful be success doesn’t make us brave and God sticks with us whether we’re successful or not because he gives us strength to try. So, guess what? When the Bible talks about being strong it’s talking about you! You’re on God’s team and when you rely on him for the strength to be brave, you’ll come out on top. Do Ask the people in your house or friends to tell you about a time when they were brave. What happened? What were they afraid would happen? Then tell them about a time you were brave with God’s help. Pray Dear God Jesus is the bravest of all. Thank you for sending him to bravely face the punishment for all our sins. Please help me remember that I am brave when I try and you’ll always be with me to make me stronger. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. Over the next few weeks we are going to look at Moses and this week is Baby Moses please only do colouring's and activity sheets relating to baby Moses Here is the video for this weekend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf-4x4iefQE&t=6s We also have a song that you can learn over the next few weeks as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB_zYT76Og8
Here are some colouring sheets https://www.coloring.ws/moses.htm and then here are two link with lots of activity sheets https://ministry-to-children.com/bible-puzzle-baby-moses-dot-to-dot/ and https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/67554063141160232/
Also here is a link to some baby Moses crafts that you can also try out. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/vickie72003/baby-moses-crafts/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 1st May Gotta have Faith
Bible Verse Jesus said to his disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” Mark 11: 22 - 23 Sum Up, If a friend asked you what faith is, what would you say? Faith is something that can be hard to explain. When we follow Jesus, we have faith in him. That means we believe he’s real, we believe his teachings and we trust what he said in John 14:6 “I am the way the truth and the life, No one can come to the father except through me.” Faith isn’t something you can wrap in a box and give to someone else. It’s something we’re called to have when we follow God. People may ask how we can believe in something we don’t see. That’s a tough one. But we believe in love, and we can’t see that either. We do see the results of love people caring about each other and showing how they feel. We also see the results of God. Look around at the earth, sky, and people all around you. God knows faith can be hard to explain. He tells us in Hebrews 11: 1 “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Our faith in God is part of our relationship with him. When we talk to him, listen to him, feel his presence and see his work in our lives, it’s easy to have faith in God. We can tell others that our faith simply means that we trust God and believe his word the bible Do On a bit of paper draw a simple picture of how you show love to someone in your family. Now draw a picture of how you show faith in God. Pray Dear God Thank you for being my friend and for creating me. Thank you for listening to me and helping me when I need it. I know I can trust you. You give me so many reasons to have faith in you. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Thursday 30th April Less is More
Bible Verse Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13: 5 Sum Up, Do you ever wish you had more stuff? What if you had all the cool things in the world? What if you could have as much money as you wanted? Or eery video game, toy, or vacation you ever wished for? We live in a world packed with things and it seems everything around us id focused on gaining more, weather it’s getting a gadget, wishing for wealth or a lifestyle we can only dream of or wanting a world that’s different from our reality. We’re surrounded by a culture that wants more, more, more. But when do we finally have it all? When will our every wish be satisfied? Imagine if everything you had was suddenly taken away- your house, clothes, toys. What if you lost it all? Could you be happy? God wants us to be content. That means being happy with what we have and not being unsatisfied. It means counting our blessings – our families, our health, the love of others and God. The Bible even tells us that the more we have, the more we’ll want. Second Corinthians 8: 15 says, “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gather only a little had enough.” It’s important to God that we’re content with the blessings he’s given us and that we see those blessings every day. Having more isn’t going to fill our wants- it will only increase the sense the we don’t have enough, So, be content and thankful and remember: less is definitely more. Do Hold up your hands, fingers spread. Now list off 10 blessings in your life that aren’t material things, like toys, clothes, or games. This may be challenging! But those blessings are definitely there> Pray Dear God Thank you for filling my life with more than enough. Thank you for the many many blessings you’ve given me. Please help me remember that wanting more is the path to feeling discontent, but being happy with what I have leads to happiness. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Wednesday 29th April Friend or Foe?
Bible Verse Get rid of all evil behaviour. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy and all unkind speech. 1 Peter 2: 1 Sum Up, Have you ever experienced betrayal? Maybe a person didn’t overthrow your rule and steal your kingdom and your betrothed, but instead the betrayal was something smaller. Betrayal is when someone appears to be your friend but then goes behind your back and double crosses you. It makes for interesting T.V. but in real life discovering your friend is fake is very painful. It’s important to understand the difference between a true friend and fake friends. A true friend is o your side and always wants the best for you. A true friend won’t talk badly about you to others. A fake friend usually is on whatever side works best for them at the time and isn’t concerned with what’s best for you and a fake friend will talk badly about you to others. What kind of friend are you? God expects us to be true friends to others because he’s a true friend to us. He is loyal, honest and always there. We can be the same way but there will be times when someone we thought was a friend will betray us. We can forgive that person but it’s important to not forget what happened and fall back into the same situation. So be a true friend and expect your friends to be true to you. Do Go outside and find a leaf, flower or blade of grass. Come back inside and see if you can find an artificial plant or leaf. Compare the two. What’s different? What’s the same? How can you tell the difference? How is this like or unlike the differences between fake friends and true friends? Pray Dear God Thank you for being a true friend. Thank you for having my back and wanting the best for me. Please help me forgive the people who haven’t been true friends. Guide me to find true friends and to be a true friend. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Tuesday 28th April You can too
Bible Verse Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord I’m not very good with words. I never been and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied and my words get tangled. Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak and I will instruct you in what to say” Exodus 4: 10 - 12 Sum Up, Moses was a man who doubted himself he said he wasn’t a good speaker and feared that people wouldn’t believe him and he ended up chosen by God to be one of the Bible’s most important leaders. He led God’s people, the Israelites out of Egypt and to the promised land. So, with God pushing him, he went through a big transformation. Have you ever felt like this way while taking a test or getting ready to play in you first sports game or maybe your teacher chose you to lead a group. If you’ve ever felt like you were going to fail you know how Moses felt. God gave Moses a bit of a scolding. He reminded him that God not Moses determines who has abilities and talents and he gave Moses the tools he needed to be successful and then he pushed him and guess what? Moses was able to lead God’s people for 40 years. So, when you face a challenge you really don’t feel equipped for, remember Moses. God will give you the tools you need and maybe a little push too. You can do it! Do Let’s test your math skills. Look at these numbers closely: 66, 22, 99, 33, 44, 55. What number greater than 1 can be divided into all the numbers without any remainders? Can you solve it? Maybe this problem felt too hard or confusing. Maybe you thought you weren’t up to the task. But even if you couldn’t solve it yet soon, you’ll be able to. Just like Moses, you will learn and grown and soon be able to do things that seem too hard or even impossible now. Pray Dear God Thank you for pushing me to learn and grow, even when I think I can’t do it. Remind me of Moses’ story and how he grew into a great leader for even when he had doubts. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Bible Verse Sum Up, Do Pray
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. Here are some colouring sheets http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/christianity-bible/prophet-jonah and https://www.momjunction.com/articles/jonah-and-the-whale-coloring-pages_00358881/ and then here are two link with lots of activity sheets http://www.dltk-bible.com/jesus/jonah-worksheets.htm and https://sundayschoolzone.com/bible-story/jonah-and-the-fish/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands-on bible Friday 24th April Stay Cool
Bible Verse God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1: 7 Sum Up, When the world and people around you re going bonkers, how do you keep calm? Or do you give in and go nuts with everybody else? How can we stay cool when it seems easier to freak out? And what makes you freak out? Think of it this way. A bee buzzes around you, circling like a little shark with fuzzy behind. Adults tell you to be still and stay calm but every inch of your body wants to jump around, swat at the bee and scream. What do you do? If you give in and freak out, you’re a lot more likely to get stung. If you chill out and stay calm the bee will likely check you out realise, you’re not a flower and move along. How is this like the storms we face in life? If we react to a tense or upsetting situation by getting upset and frantic, we’re more likely to make things worse. If we stay calm, think, pray and be still we’re better able to handle tricky situations that come our way. Part of staying level headed is remembering that God is with us. He made us to be strong and fearless because no matter the situation he’s in control. He doesn’t want us to panic or freak out. Things may seem out of control to us but we can be certain that God’s got this and he’s got our back. That means we can take a deep breath give our worries to God and calm down. Do With your family and possibly using other communication tools to ask other people. Ask them what really makes them freak out and why. Is it spiders? Heights? Fights with other people? Now share what upsets you and why. Together brainstorm ways to stay calm during these situations Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me your strength to remain calm during crazy situations. Help me remember to stop, think and pray before I react and get upset. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Thursday 23rd April Good Luck
Bible Verse We may throw the dice but the Lord determines how they fall Proverbs 16 : 33 Sum Up, Do you ever wish for good luck? What do you think good luck is? When you get lucky and find money on the ground? Or when you luck out and don’t have to take a test? Or when your sibling gives you their phone because they got a new one? We spend time wishing for good luck hoping that great things will happen or that we’ll get an unexpected boost. But as it says in proverbs God determines how things fall in our lives. That may mean we have to stretch of bad luck when life kind of kicks us around. Maybe you fall and break a bone or your house floods or your bike gets stolen. These are crummy things and God doesn’t necessarily cause them but he may allow them to happen. It’s the same with good luck. God lets things into our lives that may seem like surprising or sudden things good or bad but they all have a role in the larger plan he has for our lives and that’s a plan we often can’t see. What we can do is look for the lesson or teaching in what does happen. If your sibling gives you their phone, what can we learn from that? To give to others when you have too much? So rather than waiting and hoping for good luck to strike just remember there are lessons for us in everyday life if we look no matter what our luck is. Do On a bit of paper draw a four-leaf clover then write one word in each leaf that represents something unexpectedly good in your life such as Dad for the extra high five he gave you before your game or maybe God for the gifts he gives you every day. You could do this more than once if you have lots of things you can right down. Pray Dear God Thank you for letting good things happen to me every day. Help me remember that I can learn from everything that happens in my life good or bad. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Wednesday 22nd April God’s Great Earth
Bible Verse In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Genesis 1 : 1 Sum Up, Today is earth day. What does that mean to you? What does it mean to you that the Bible, God’s word, begins with a sentence about the earth? Earth is our home. It’s our source for life- food, water, air, land. Everything we need, God put here for us in abundance! He gave us millions of animals and plants to live with every fruit and vegetable to eat, water from many sources to drink and play in. Earth has it all! There are so many people on earth now that we’re making a lot more waste and using up a lot of resources. Tons of rubbish ends up in the oceans and hurts wildlife. We’re chopping down forests and taking away the oxygen they create. We’re polluting the air. Poor earth she needs to heal! Earth day is a great way to celebrate the home God created for us and also think of ways we can take good care of it. What are ways your family can help earth? Maybe by using towels for a day or two longer than you do now or taking Saturday morning once a month to pick up trash in your local park? God gave us the gift of an amazing, plentiful earth that’s more beautiful than any of us could dream of. It’s up to us to keep it healthy and do our part! Do What’s one habit you have that you could change to help the earth? Maybe you leave the water on while you brush your teeth or you skip the recycle bin at school because it’s easier to. Think of one simple habit you could change to make a difference for the Earth and do it. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving us this amazing beautiful Earth. You are an artist and your love for us shows through the beauty of the skies, mountains, lakes and valleys. Your love for us shows through the variety of food the earth makes for us. Thank you. Please help me remember to care about the earth every day not just on Earth Day. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Tuesday 21st April Spread the Word
Bible Verse Jesus came and told his disciples; I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. Matthew 28 : 18 - 20 Sum Up, One of the instructions Jesus left his followers with was to go and tell other people about him. Jesus wanted the people who loved him to spread the Good news so that one day all corners of the earth would know about Jesus. Why do you think it’s so important to tell other people about Jesus? Who told you about him? In what ways has knowing Jesus changed your life? Jesus makes our lives better and he wants everyone to have a chance to know him, we get to show and tell when it comes to Jesus. We get to show people how he’s made our lives better through our actions and behaviour. We get to tell people how he’s made our lives better through our stories and words. When others see and hear about Jesus’ powerful love, they want to know more about him. We get to be part of that. Do Take a brief walk outside. Find one grain of dirt. Choose a small rock. Pluck out one of your hairs if you can. (just one) Pick a leaf or blade of grass. Now look at these things and hold them. Remember God created each of these and he knows them all every grain of sand, every hair on your head. You can share this with a friend who doesn’t know Jesus and start an amazing conversation about God. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me the best message in the world to spread. Help me be brave and find ways to show and tell you to my friends. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Monday 20th April Jump for Joy
Bible Verse I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit Romans 15: 13 Sum Up, Where does joy come from? Sometimes we’re happy because good things are happening around us like birthday parties, vacations or just hanging around with friends. We have lots of fun with friends and family and get to do exciting things. All these things bring us happiness. But joy is even more powerful than happiness. Joy comes from a deeper place and it isn’t usually based on what’s happening around us. Joy comes from within us and it comes from God. God’s amazing promise of forgiveness for our sins and eternal life with him in heaven is such a beautiful thing that it can bring us a never-ending supply of joy. We don’t have to let life problems and worries take away our joy either, plus joy feels wonderful! It’s a sensation you can actually feel in your heart, your fingers and your toes. It’s such a good feeling that it kind of oozes out when you talk to others. So, savour the joy God brings into your life and share it with your family and friends. Do Gather a stack of heavy books as many as you can hold without dropping them, Now try to jump as high as you can while holding them. Now set the books aside. Jump as high as you possible can. Reach for the ceiling. That’s the difference in what happens when we’re filled with God’s joy Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me joy! Thank you for giving me so many things to be happy about and your eternal promise that I can jump for joy about. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. Here are some colouring sheets https://www.coloring.ws/noah.htm and http://www.free-for-kids.com/noahs-ark-colouring-pictures.shtml and then here are two link with lots of activity sheets http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/noah-worksheets.htm and https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/524528687829098710/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Thursday 16th April
Bible Verse Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God but anyone who does not love does not know God for God is love. 1 John 4: 7 - 8 Sum Up, It feels pretty good when someone loves you and you know it. We are God’s beloved children. He’s crazy about us. He loves us “to the moon and back.” Many times, in the Bible, God tells us he loves us and that he wants us to love others in the same way. Today’s verse from 1 John tell us the “God is love” God is love and we are his beloved, we have such value to God that he gave up his own Son for us. God made us unique and special and he planned every part of our lives. He knows our thoughts, dreams and desires and he wants the best for us. That’s what it means to be beloved. It’s easy to forget how important we are to God. It’s easy to move through days, dealing with regular life and forgetting that we’re part of God’s story. But we are part of God’s plan. When we think ourselves in those ways and understanding that our value comes from God and not other things, we begin to understand how we are his beloved. Do What’s a song that you think communicates a deep love? Listen to it. As you do consider why the lyrics, music and even the way the person sings tells you that it’s about love Pray Dear God Your love is amazing, thank you for making me part of your story. Thank you for loving me so much that I am your beloved. Help me remember how special you think I am always. Amen.
To all our Bumps, Babies & Toddlers families, We hope you are all keeping safe and well. We miss our Thursday afternoons together, and look forward to the day we can meet again. Meanwhile, as a kind of 'virtual BBT,' here are a couple of recipes for play dough: 2 cups plain flour This should keep for a couple of months! Non cooked dough 1 cup plain flour This dough will only last for a few weeks if stored as before. Any creations could also be baked in a low heated oven for three hours and then painted. Have fun! If you are in need of help, or just want a chat, please email us at claytonkeymer@gmail.com and we will get in touch. With love from us all at St Francis
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Wednesday 15th April Confident in Christ
Bible Verse If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. Luke 9: 26 Sum Up, Have you been tempted to tell someone about your faith in God, then stopped because you felt embarrassed? Maybe you didn’t know how the person would react. Maybe you were worried they might laugh at you or get angry. Talking about our faith with others can be a little scary. We take a risk but we never have to feel embarrassed about our faith in Jesus. Jesus gave up everything for us he expects us as his followers to take risks for him. He especially wants us to tell people about him. This doesn’t mean you need to make a speech to every person you meet; that isn’t what Jesus is asking us to do. Instead of trying to list off all the facts we know about Jesus, he wants us to follow his example and be their friend. Jesus was our friend first, when people see our kindness, integrity and joy they want to know more about us they want to hear what our secret is. That’s the perfect time to confidently explain our faith in Jesus. Do Draw a picture of a time you talked to someone about your faith. How can you be even more confident the next time you talk about Jesus. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving up everything for me. Thank you for not being embarrassed by me, even though I make mistakes. Remind me to never feel ashamed of my faith in you and please help me confidently share Jesus with others. Amen.
Happy Weekend and a Happy Easter to everyone this week we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. Part one the last supper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SigoALSS1R8 Here are some colouring sheets for Palm Sunday https://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/holidays/easter-coloring-pages/ and http://www.freefuneaster.com/easter-coloring-pages/ and then here are two link with lots of activity sheets https://ministry-to-children.com/childrens-ministry-links-for-easter/ and https://www.dltk-holidays.com/easter/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole group, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Friday 10th April Good Friday
Bible Verse “Listen “he said, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip and kill him but after three days he will rise again. Mark 10: 33 - 34 Sum Up, After the cheers of Palm Sunday faded, Jesus began to prepare for his death. He had always known his life on earth would end in a terrible way. He had prepared his disciples during the Last Supper for what was about to happen. Even so, when the governor Pontius Pilate gave the order for Jesus to be crucified, it’s hard to imagine how horrible that moment must have been. Jesus, a man who was completely innocent, was mocked, stripped, beaten and bloodied. He was tortured horribly. Then he was nailed to a cross and left to die a terrible death and he did this for us. He didn’t have to take this abuse and wrongful death sentence. But he did it because he knew he was taking the punishment for the wrongs all humans do. He was saving us because we can’t save ourselves and he could’ve freed himself or said, “you know what? This stinks. never mind.” But he didn’t he loves us so much that he suffered that terrible experience so we could live with God. Good Friday is the day we acknowledge Jesus’ crucifixion and death. It’s a very sad day but it’s also a day when Jesus did the good and totally undeserved work of saving us. Do Get two ice cubes and a paper towel to clean up. Hold one ice cube in each hand, squeezing tightly, for one minute. As you do this think of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday and what he experienced. Know that he did this for you because he loves you. What was it like to hold those ice cubes? How does this make you think differently about Jesus experienced? Pray Dear God There really are no words to say thank you for what Jesus did on Good Friday but I know you love me and value me. Thank you for sending Jesus to save me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Thursday 9th April Aim for the Goal
Bible Verse Don’t you realise that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win 1 Corinthians 9: 24 Sum Up, You can do anything you put your mind to. Someone had probably said this very thing to you, hoping to encourage you. There’s some truth to it when you set a goal and work towards it, your effort and determination get you closer to the goal. You may meet it or you may not, but trying is always worth it. As Christians, we have a special calling to work toward important goals. They may be goals we set ourselves, or they may be goals like following God’s commands or spreading the word about his love. A goal, though is something we determine for ourselves. Others can want us to achieve something but a goal comes within. It’s a challenge to yourself. What goals have you set yourself? Maybe it’s getting a higher grade, jumping a certain distance, or scoring a number of points. Goals are great things because they drive us forward. We want to achieve the goal, so we’re willing to do the work it takes. God wants us to achieve our goals too. He will give us strength when we feel weak and encourage us when we want to quit. We can remember Jesus’ goal of saving us from our sins just imagine what he went through to achieve that goal! And while it’s great to have goals in our lives, it’s very important to make some of our goals ways to strengthen our faith. Ask God what kinds of goals he wants you to set. You can do it! Do Ask a few people what kinds of goals they have for themselves. Discuss the goals you have and why you want to achieve those things, and if you don’t have specific goals, ask someone to help you set two. Pray Dear God Thank you for encouraging me to set goals in my life and in my faith. Please help me stay strong and not give up. Let me stay focused on my goals and be disciplined enough to achieve them. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Wednesday 8th April Fighting Words
Bible Verse Never pay back evil with more evil, Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Romans 12: 17 - 18 Sum Up, When was the last time you had a fight with someone? Maybe it was your brother or sister or your parents. Maybe you fought with a friend over something that seems silly now or maybe your still angry. Fighting takes effort and energy and it makes us feel bad inside. God wants us to get along with others, but there will be times when we get irritated and angry. Sometimes those emotions spill out into fights, which is sad for everyone involved. Often when we fight, we say things we don’t really mean. We act in hurtful ways and maybe we even do things to hurt people physically. We might get into trouble when we fight. Fighting isn’t how God wants us to handle any situating. He wants us to pause and think about how we want to be treated. Even when we’re right to be angry and even to confront the other person, fighting with words or fists definitely isn’t going to fix the problems. The next time you feel your emotions bubbling over or you see that someone is really angry with you, take a pause. Silently say a prayer for God to guide your actions. Then either take a break from the person or do your best to talk through the problem in a calm way, you can use words like “I feel. . .” and “I don’t like. . .” Then let the other person have a chance to talk too. Go slow, be kind and do your best to work through the problems together rather than fighting and be willing to apologise and forgive. Do Find a picture in your house of someone you have fought with. Think about that fight and how it ended. Do you owe the person an apology? Do you need to forgive the person? Put your hand on his or her picture and say a prayer for that person and situation. Pray Dear God I know you don’t like it when I fight with others. Please help me find ways other than fighting to express when I’m angry, upset or disappointed. Thank you for always loving me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Tuesday 7th April Lazy Daze
Bible Verse Those too lazy to plough in the right season will have no food at the harvest Proverbs 20: 4 Sum Up, Being lazy is a habit that is easy to fall into. Sometimes we all have moments of being lazy, if its cleaning our rooms, spending our weekend watching tv. But sometimes laziness is a habit that can creep into our lives and begin to take over. So we put off doing home work every day, or we don’t really pick up after ourselves, or we slack off helping around the house, or we only do chores partway. Laziness is like a pothole in our characters it drops us down and it creates a bump for everyone riding along in life with us. When we’re lazy other people have to pick up where we fall short. Things that need to be done don’t get done, chores have to be redone so they’re done right. God doesn’t want us to be lazy he wants us to work hard and be an example to others about how to get things done the right way. As Jesus’ followers our actions represent our faith and part of that is doing our best, being known for being reliable and doing a good job and having a happy heart. From time to time we all need a break but when being lazy becomes a habit it’s time to change. Do Spend a few minutes thinking about your room, school work, chores and other areas of your life. In what area could you work harder or do a better job? During the next week do your very best in that area. Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me the ability to work hard and do my best in all areas of my life. Please remind me not to fall into laziness but to remember that I reflect you, Help me be a great example of hard work. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Monday 6th April Palm Sunday (A day late but I think it’s a good one)
Bible Verse The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted Praise God Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel. John 12: 12 - 13 Sum Up, Easter can fall either in March or April depending on the Passover but no matter when it comes it’s really important for us as followers of Jesus to understand the events surrounding Easter. Easter is the most holy of days because it’s the day Jesus‘ resurrection. But one week before that was Palm Sunday it was also a day of great celebration like you see in the verses above. People were celebrating by waving palm branches and laying them on the road where Jesus would be. People had heard about Jesus’ miracles like healing people, turning water into wine, raising his friend Lazarus from the dead, and much more. They’d heard about his teaching revolutionary ideas about loving everyone, serving people, accepting people, helping people and they were crazy about him. Imagine a football stadium filled with people chanting Jesus Jesus and you have an idea of what it might have been like. So, it is hard to believe that within one short week these same people would be cheering for his torture and death. Even so, on Palm Sunday we celebrate and rejoice in Jesus, a humble servant king, who represents a new way of thinking and a new chance for all of us to have new life. Do What song makes you want to dance a celebrate? Play it! Get up and dance if you feel like it. Or just close your eyes and listen. Now imagine if you had been there to celebrate on Palm Sunday. Would you grab Jesus’ hands and spin around? Jump up and down? It’s a celebration so why not! Pray Dear God With Palm Sunday being yesterday let me remember to celebrate like I’m at the biggest party in the world. Remind me how exciting that moment was and how I can join in the celebration even now. Jesus is definitely worth celebrating. Amen.
Happy Weekend everyone without our normal services we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home. We hope you are all keeping well. Here are some colouring sheets for Palm Sunday http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/holidays/palm-sunday and https://sermons4kids.com/palm-sunday-colorpg.htm and then here is a link with lots of activity sheets http://www.dltk-bible.com/crafts/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole church family, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Friday 3rd April Talk it up
Bible Verse Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4: 6 Sum Up, Why do we pray to God? It’s how we talk to him; it’s how we tell him about the good things and bad things that are happening. It’s how we say we’re sorry for things we’ve done and how we ask for forgiveness. Prayer is like having God’s phone number. He hears our words, knows our hearts and responds to us. Prayer doesn’t have lots of rules either. You can pray with your eyes open or closed. You can pray out loud or silently. You can pray with your hands together or with them by your sides. Prayer is a conversation between you and God it is a time to tell him what’s on your mind, how your feeling, ask him for help or forgiveness or just to tell him how awesome he is. Prayer is a time to focus your mind and your heart it’s a time to bring you closer to God. One way to help you pray is to get into a habit of praying so pick a time of day and do then each day but you can pray at anytime, anywhere, any day. Do On a bit of paper write a simple prayer to God Pray Dear God Thank you for wanting to hear from me. Thank you for listening to my prayers. Remind me that I can pray to you anytime, anywhere. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Thursday 2nd April Our Amazing God
Bible Verse Christ is the visible imagine of the invisible God, He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him Colossians 1: 15-16 Sum Up, God truly is the master of the universe. To understand what that means is difficult for our human minds and hearts. But God is our creator the creator of all the universe, the creator of the heaven, the creator of all of us. He is worthy of our praise and worship! Here’s an interesting thing to think about, what kind of God is able to say the words and then the universe forms but also cares about us individually? A pretty amazing God. When we think of God, we can think of him like a friend not like some distant harsh judgmental God who is never happy with us. Because we mess up and sin and do things, he doesn’t want us to, it’s easy to start believing that he can’t possibly love us anymore but he does. He’s a very personal God. He knows you and all your fears and flaws and gifts. He’s the almighty God of the universe, the maker of heaven and earth but he also says that you and I are his friends. There is no doubt about it God is almighty he has always been here and always will be. He has all the power and authority but he’s also our friend and supporter so praise him! Worship him and be grateful every day to him. Do Find one or two other people. Together fill in these blanks God is amazing to me because ………………………………………………….. Here’s what I wonder most about God………………………………………. Pray Dear God You are amazing, you are incredible. I am in awe of you and I love you Thank you for creating me, my family, my friends, our world and the universe Thank you for loving me. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Wednesday 1st April April Fool’s
Bible Verse A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength Proverbs 17 : 22 Sum Up, Laughter is a good medicine and what’s better than playing harmless practical jokes on your friends and family? Just about everyone loves April Fool’s Day because it’s a day for pranks, laughter and jokes. God probably likes April Fool’s too. After all we know he has a great sense of humour. Just think, he created animals like the pink fairy armadillo, the dumbo octopus, and the naked mole-rat, (look those up when you get a chance) and haven’t you had moments when something happens that can only be a God thing and you laugh out loud? Laughter and joy make our lives better. It’s good for us to enjoy life and help make others lives enjoyable too. Have a blast on April Fool’s Day. In fact maybe you can think of a fun prank to play on everyone in your family. Do Plan a harmless prank you can play on a family member. Gather what you need and set up your prank. Then write the persons reaction down or share it with us. Pray Dear God Thank you for having a sense of humour and for giving me one. Help me remember all the ways you make me laugh and all the ways we can see your humour in the world around us. Remind me to try to bring laughter and joy into my own life and others lives. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Tuesday 31st March Get Smart
Bible Verse King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given to him. 1 Kings 10 : 23 - 24
Sum Up, King Solomon was a wise man. He was the son of King David, who God loved. Solomon made wrong choices later in his life, but when he was younger, he was close to God and asked him for wisdom. God favoured Solomon and made him very knowledgeable and wise. God gave each of us a good working brain and he wants us to use it! Part of using our bodies wisely is growing in knowledge and wisdom. It pleases God to see us studying and using our brains. Oure bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit as it says in 1 Corinthians 6:19. It’s up to us to gain knowledge and be faithful to God. Studying isn’t always fun but it’s not always boring either. There are lots of interesting things we can learn about. Maybe history isn’t your thing, but math is awesome. Or maybe you don’t care a lot about science but reading is your favourite. Enjoy the subjects you love. Get smarter and smarter and remember knowledge and wisdom are blessings from God. Do Listen to a song you like. Imagine what that same song might sound like if the people creating the music didn’t learn how. Or what the lyrics would sound like if the person didn’t learn how to sing? Why is knowledge a great thing? Pray Dear God Thank you for giving me a good brain to learn and think with. Remind me that growing in knowledge and wisdom is good, even when I get tired of learning. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Bible Verse Sum Up, Do Pray
Happy Weekend everyone without our normal services we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home Here are some colouring sheets for the Adam and Eve https://www.coloring.ws/adamandeve.htm For older children http://www.free-for-kids.com/adam-eve-colouring-pages.shtml and then here are two link with lots of activity sheets http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/eden-worksheets.htm and https://sundayschoolzone.com/special-emphasis/old-testament/genesis-2/ We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole church family, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Friday 27th March So Long, Stuck Up Bible Verse Live in peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with those who seem unimportant. Do not think how clever you are Romans 12: 16 NCV Sum Up, What makes a person conceited or stuck up? The bible tells us it’s being proud, bragging and feeling like we’re better then other people. We’ve all been around people who seem this way, and it can be irritating! But the truth is, we’ve all been this way at some time or another. Maybe we have bragged about getting a new gadget or how great life is. Maybe we have felt proud of how smart we are and told our friends about it. Maybe we’ve seen someone else as not good enough. No one wants to be called stuck up or conceited. It’s not a good thing and its something God warns us about. God tells us to be humble and not to be proud in our thoughts, words and actions. We need to look at Jesus as the example of humility. Jesus could have bragged and stuck up being the son of God but instead he befriended people whom others wouldn’t, he served people and so has taught us how to be a better person. We can’t change how other people act but we can change our own thoughts and actions. Do Think of three ways you can be more humble in the following areas, and list them on a bit of paper. Bragging, Pridefulness and Ignoring others. Pray Dear God Thank you for the incredible example of Jesus humbleness. Help me avoid being conceited or stuck up by not bragging, being prideful, or ignoring others. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Thursday 26th March Esther the Brave Bible Verse Once again Esther spoke to the King. She fell at the King’s feet and cried and begged him to stop the evil plan that Haman the Agagite had planned against the Jews. Esther 8: 3 NCV Sum Up, Do you know Esters story? She was a Jewish orphan who became a Queen. When she learned of a plot to kill all the Jewish people, she decided to fast and pray and then go to the king and ask him to save her people. The key was that the king didn’t know Esther was a Jew, and she didn’t know how he would react. He could have decided to kill her as well as her people. Esther’s story is one of bravery. She knew she was risking her life, but she did it anyway. But why not keep quiet and save her own life? Because she knew she had to do something. She also knew she needed God’s help to do it. When have you had to be brave? There are times in life when we all must look inside ourselves and ask weather, we have the guts to do what needs to be done. Those can be hard times. But like Esther, we can confidently trust that God will help us. Talk to God about all these situations then do what you know is right. You may still feel afraid as Esther did, but brave is never the wrong thing. Do On a bit of paper write “I am brave when (situation)” Then write “With God’s help, I can be brave when (situation)” Pray Dear God Thank you for giving Ester the strength to be brave and save her people, please remind me of her story when I’m not sure I can be brave, and help me take my strength from you. Amen.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Bible Verse Sum Up,
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Love the Lord your God and always obey his orders, rules, laws and commands Sum Up, Do Pray
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Two people are better than, one, because they get more done by working together. If one falls down, the other can help him up, But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help. Sum Up, Do Pray
Happy Weekend everyone without our normal services we want to send you some links so you can have a mini junior church session at home We would love to see all the things the young people have done and we hope that they can share with the whole church family, so please post a picture on this post.
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Look, the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Blossoms appear through all the land. The time has come to sing; the cooing doves is heard in our land. Sum Up, Do Pray
Children's daily thought and activity adapted from the hands on bible Thursday 19th March God's Children The father has loved us so much that we are called children of God, And we really are his children. The reason the people in the world do not know us is that they have not known him. 1 John 3:1 NCV
Sum Up, So God loves us like a parent, so think about how much your parents love you and think about all those amazing things they do for you each day. If our earthly parents do all these things for us imagine what our Heavenly father does for us. He loves you as a parent and always wants to be there for you no matter what.
Do Find the things that mean the most to you the things that you wouldn't give away or forget and put them in front of you. Think about the joy and happiness they bring you. Are they more important then the love your parents show to you? Would you trade them for your parent? No? Now think about how much God must love you - he loves you!
Pray Loving Lord Jesus, We thank you for loving us so much, we may not always understand or know how much you really do love us but we thank you for loving and providing for us Amen
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