Fall Festival Needs 2014

Table Designs and Leaders:

We still need people to sign up to decorate a table and hand out candy. You provide your own theme and candy! 

The Following Themes are Already being done: (Reminder: NO SCARY/DEMONIC DECORATIONS!!)

1. Fall
2. Wizard of Oz
3. Awana
4. Farm
5. Let your Light Shine
6. Twister the Game
7. Cowboys
8. Friend Day
9. David and Goliath
10. Face Painting 
11. Fruit of the Spirit

Please sign up to have a table as soon as possible with Elizabeth Horne, Elizabeth@BBCLife.org or 502-222-9165

Games Supervisors: Candy is supplied for games. People are needed to supervise games

• Basketball Game
• Ring Toss
• Corn Hole -2 people needed
• Golf Game

Popcorn-Someone is needed to work the popcorn machine and distribute popcorn throughout the night.

Inflatable Supervision- At least 4 people are needed to supervise inflatables! 

Photo Booth: Need your own camera to take pictures to be placed online. Contact Elizabeth for more information! 

Ideas for the 2014 BBC Fall Festival

Are you needing some awesome ideas one what to do for Fall Festival at BBC this year? Due to weather, our "Trunk or Treat" has become a "Table or Treat." But all you have to do is take these ideas and add them to your table! 

Tape Candy to a Twister Game and have the kids spin for their treat!

What about a Peanuts Fall Festival Table?

How about a Candy Land Theme Table? What could be sweeter?

How about the Armor of God for your table? You can even borrow the pieces from Mrs. Elizabeth!

See if you can borrow some of our Veggie Tales Characters and create a Very Veggie Table! 

How about "Jesus is our Lifesaver?" And hand out Lifesaver Candy?

Christmas in October? 

You know you have sports stuff all over! Why not bring it in and have the kids shoot a basket for their candy? We will even provide you with the goal and ball!

There are

There are so many ways you can make your table the talk of Fall Festival. Consider including a game for the kids to play as they pass. (Don't forget, NO SCARY, DEMONIC, OR CREEPY DECOR.)

Not sure you want to do a Table this year? 

No problem:

We need:

Inflatable Supervisors

Registration Leaders

Candy Donations

Want some help coming up with your Fall Festival Table idea? See Elizabeth Horne, Children's Minister!

MAKE SURE YOU SIGN UP IN YOUR SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES OR AT THE WELCOME CENTER TO PARTICIPATE! 

Bring in your candy to Awana!

Bring in your candy to your Awana Club!

Cubbies, Sparks, and T&T are all competing to see who can bring in the most candy by October 15. 

The winning club will get a sweet treat!

So bring in your candy or drop them off in the Welcome Center. Be sure to mark which club your candy should go to! 

Contact Elizabeth Horne, Children's Minister, for more information at 502-222-9165 or Elizabeth@BBCLife.org

And don't forget our Fall Festival is October 26 at 6:00 pm in the Family Life Center! 

Fall Festival Candy Competition

The annual BBC Fall Festival is coming up on

October 26.

Our Awana Clubs will be competing to see who can bring in the most candy by October 15!

Bring your bags of candy to your club leaders! The club with the most candy will get a special treat!

Let the Fall Festival Candy Competition Begin!

Contact Elizabeth Horne for more information at Elizabeth@BBCLife.org or 502-222-9165.

Awana Sunday is This Weekend!

Don’t forget that this Sunday is Awana Sunday!

Join us for Sunday School at 9:30 am.

And Awana Sunday at 10:45 am where we will celebrate everything our clubbers are doing this year.

Make sure your clubber comes in their Awana gear!

And mark your calendar for Bring a Friend Night on October 1. Every student who brings a friend will receive $5 Awana bucks!

Contact the church at 502-222-9165 with any questions. 

What is T&T Adventure and Challenge in Awana?

This year, BBC Awana is excited to announce the expansion and exciting change to our T&T Awana Clubs!

Truth and Training (T&T) is for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders which offers incredible age appropriate Bible Study, Games, and opportunity for great relationships.

We know that preteens are in a unique time in their lives so BBC Awana is changing our Awana Clubs to accommodate growth and better serve our preteens. 

Beginning in the 2014/2015 Awana year, our T&T clubs will be going through a two year transition to new books, new uniforms, and new awards. 

So what does that mean for your 3rd-5th grader?

On August 20, T&T will be divided into 3 clubs, meeting separately for handbook time and council time.    

3rd grade T&T Adventure 
4th grade T&T Adventure
5th grade T&T Challenge

This year, 3rd, and 4th grade T&T Adventure students will continue wearing their green uniforms, continue with their T&T Adventure Books, and continue with dog bone awards. 

What about Challenge?

T&T 5th graders will have their very own club, T&T Challenge. 

Challenge students will meet in their very own club room with Bible Studies geared towards 5th graders. Every 5th grader will start with the Challenge Start Zone. No matter where they left of in their T&T Adventure Books, everything starts over in T&T Challenge!

Once their Start Zone is completed, T&T Challenge gets their own Challenge uniform and the Challenge Awana book. 

These cool, 5th grade only, T&T uniforms can be customized with patches students earn by studying their books. Each students' goal is to collect all 8 T&T Challenge patches. 

All T&T Adventure and Challenge students will meet together for Game Time. 

Have questions about how T&T Adventure works? Contact Elizabeth Horne, Children's Minister, Elizabeth@BBCLife.org or 502-222-9165. 

Register for the SuperStart! Conference!

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." - Ephesians 2:8

This year at SuperStart! – with the help of the Real Encounter BMX stunt team – preteens will explore Ephesians 2:8 and unravel what it means that God’s grace is an undeserved gift, freely given. SuperStart! will help preteens define grace and learn how to identify ways in which God lets us know we have been given the gift of grace. Students will begin to discover that God’s grace through Jesus is a gift that can propel them into a life of Kingdom work. They’ll know – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that this gift called Grace is something amazing.

WHEN: SuperStart! Weekend is November 14-15 at Northside Christian Church in New Albany.

WHO: 4^th, 5^th, & 6^th graders

COST: $50 includes conference ticket, meals, lodging, and plug-n-play.

Deadline to register and pay your $25 deposit is

September 14, 2014.

Final Payment and Final Registration information is due

October 19, 2014.

Turn in your form and $25 to either Chuck Sumner or Elizabeth Horne.

Questions? Contact Elizabeth Horne, Elizabeth@BBCLife.org or 502-222-9165. 

Why Should I Go to VBS Training This Weekend?

Why should I go to a second VBS Training?

You may be thinking that you’ve done VBS for years, and you already spent time at VBS training just a few weeks ago. Why should you come for another meeting on a Sunday Afternoon?

Did you know we have 67 volunteer staff for VBS 2014? Did you know that we have 71 kids preregistered so far? By the way, have you registered your kids for VBS? Preregistration is going to close on Friday, July 18. (BBCLife.org/VBS).

What can you expect from Sunday’s Meeting?

>If you missed our first meeting, you can get all the information on schedules, tshirts, and room assignments.

>We are going over the extensive list of allergies, medical needs, and special needs of our kiddos.

>We will be reiterating a few VBS protocols.

>You can pick up and pay for your VBS Truth Force or ISA tshirts.

But the most important part of Sunday is prayer. We are going to pray together. We are going to pray for our team leaders, drama team, media team, rotation leaders, and especially our kids. We can prepare lessons, dress up in silly costumes, decorate in absurd themes, work registration like a well-oiled machine, but without the Holy Spirit’s anointing, we are just playing church and playing VBS.

 Join us this Sunday at 4:30 as we bathe VBS 2014 in extensive prayer. We will have some special things for you tomorrow, and you won’t want to miss what is the most important part of VBS!

So no matter your role, from sound booth to drama actor, to craft assistant, let’s join together as a staff to pray for God to move at VBS 2014!

Will you be there?

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."-Matthew 18:20

The Gospel Project Family Devotions-Week of June 1-7, 2014

DID YOU GET YOUR CHILD'S GOSPEL PROJECT CARDS THIS WEEK? IF NOT, SEE ELIZABETH HORNE!

Volume 8 Adult/Kids Connections (SUM 2014) 

Unit 22, Session 1: Nehemiah Heard News of Jerusalem 
Nehemiah 1–2 

Christ Connection: 
Preschool: God promised to keep His people safe and give them a home. God always keeps His promises. Jesus died on the cross for our sin so we can have a home in heaven. When we trust in Jesus, we will be with God forever. 

Kids: Nehemiah trusted that God would keep His promise to protect His people and give them a home. When we trust in Jesus, we have a home in heaven with God. Jesus obeyed God perfectly. He died on the cross and rose again so we can have a home with Him forever in heaven. 

Adult Connection Point: See Rom. 13:8-14. 
One of the main reasons we are to live holy lives today is because of what time it is. We are God’s people. We live in light of salvation. Since the resurrection of Jesus, the new day has dawned. Because Jesus obeyed God perfectly and died on the cross for our sins in order to give us an eternal home with God, we should obey God’s law. Jesus saves us from sin so that we will no longer live in sin but as those who will live with God forever. If we continue to live in unrighteousness and sin, we are going back to the dark, living as if we do not belong to God. We are closing the shades around the window, keeping out the sunlight that comes from Christ’s finished work for us. And looking to God’s law—properly understood in view of Jesus’ perfect obedience and sacrificial death—keeps us in the light. 

Hence, Paul’s Letter to the Romans urges us to fulfill the law of love by living in the light and putting aside the deeds of darkness. 

Family Devotion: 

Materials: chairs, sheets, clothespins 

Build a “home” using the chairs, sheets, and clothespins. If it is nice outside, \consider making the home there. When your family is finished, gather them inside for the devotional. 

Review Nehemiah 1--2 with your kids. Ask: “What was the news reported to Nehemiah?” Recall how the nation of Israel was no longer in exile. Even though many had returned to Jerusalem, the city was no longer glorious or even safe to live in. The walls were broken and the gates burned down providing no protection. 

Ask: “What did Nehemiah do each time he was faced with a challenging problem?” Nehemiah prayed to God, confessing the sins of Israel and reminding God of His promise to gather the Israelites back in Jerusalem. He also prayed before he answered the king. (See Nehemiah 1:8-9; 2:4-5.) Remind your kids that God answered Nehemiah’s prayer and remembered His promise to give the Israelites a home and protection from their enemies. When we trust in Jesus, He promises to give us a home in heaven where we can live forever with Him. 

Think of ways your real home provides protection for your family compared to your created “home.” 

Pray, thanking God for His protection here on earth and for keeping a home in heaven for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus. 

The Gospel Project Family Devotion-May 25-31, 2014

Volume 7 Adult/Kids Connections (SPR 2014) 

Unit 21, Session 6: Esther Saved Her People 
Esther 1–10 

Christ Connection: God was in control over Haman’s evil plan to destroy the Jews. Like Haman, Satan wants to destroy believers. He thought he had won when Jesus died on the cross, but God raised Jesus from the dead and defeated Satan once and for all. 

Adult Connection Point: 
God is gathering people from all nations, tribes, and tongues to be the beneficiaries of His Son’s redemptive and atoning work. This is the foundation of our hope. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world will establish a kingdom without end, and all who believe are certain to receive the blessings that have been promised by our loving Heavenly Father. And so we say, “Come, Lord Jesus.” 

Ours is a mission of invitation, a mission to compel those who find themselves on the outside of the kingdom to be reconciled to God through Christ, to have their robes washed in His blood, and to have their guilt removed. This is the condition of entry, for no evil will be tolerated in the perfect kingdom of God. 

So what does this mean for you? If you are not a believer, then you are invited to come. You do not have to find yourself on the outside, for Jesus calls you to repent of sin and enter His kingdom. 

If you are a believer in Christ, then you have a responsibility to call out for whosoever will to “come,” receive the Living Water, and be born again. You should plead with others to be saved through the blood of the Lamb. You are a member of the priestly kingdom, and you represent the Savior to everyone you encounter. The thought of people being on the outside should create an urgency that shakes us from complacency and apathy and motivates us to share the hope that we have in Him. Won’t you share the Living Water today? 
See Revelation 7:9-17. 

Family Devotion: 
Materials: finger food, tablecloth or blanket, napkins, paper plates 

Plan your own family feast and include your kids in setting up the “table.” Keep it simple by providing finger foods. Gather your family around the “table” (a blanket on the floor with your feast of foods). Continue to enjoy your feast as you recall the Bible story. 

Ask, “What was the problem in today’s Bible story?” Remind your children of the evil plan hatched by Haman to kill all the Jews. It was up to Esther to approach the king and expose evil Haman’s plan. The king received Esther and after two feasts she finally had the courage to tell the king the truth and put a stop to Haman’s plan. 

Recall how Mordecai and the Jewish people fasted and prayed for Esther before she approached the king to invite him to her feasts. Because of their prayers and Esther’s courage, Satan’s plans were foiled and the Jewish people were saved.  

Conclude your time by reassuring your kids that God knew of Haman’s evil plan all the time. Today you have an enemy that wants to plan evil for your lives, too, but when Jesus died on the cross and rose again he defeated Satan once and for all. Satan still prowls around wanting to defeat us, but remember He has no rule over us! 

Pray, thanking God for sending Jesus to defeat Satan. Ask God to help you be strong when the enemy attacks. 

Not Cookies and Kool-Aid...From your Children's Minister

A friend of mine contacted me because she had decided to throw her hat in and try Children's Ministry. She accepted a full-time CM position, and she very quickly because frustrated. "Do people see you and run because you might ask them to help?" She asked. She left children's ministry not too long there after.

What my friend very quickly realized is that Children's Ministry isn't anything like daycare. And the comparison to being a glorified childcare work or "events coordinator" is something that sends every CM I know into rant mode. Why? Because we aren't babysitting your children. And not everyone can do this. It is a calling to lead children deeper into the Word of God through age appropriate Bible Accounts, Apologetics, theology, and interactive activities that lead the focus back to Christ and the Word.

If you think it is a show up, sing a song, eat a cookie, and make a craft (EEEK Crafts!), you don't know BBC Kids!

Every week, our leaders study, pray, train, read, prepare, and pour over the Word, our lesson books, and mountains of materials to walk in and take our kids deeper.

And we are growing! 

 We averaged 97 in the Children's Ministry on Wednesday Night and 50-60 on Sunday Morning. Discovery Club has 10-15 preschoolers and Kid'z Zone has 30-34 kids! 

But those numbers mean nothing if real life discipleship isn't happening!

This past week, the 50th child in 4 years accepted Christ as their Savior. That is a number that will last eternity. 

So Elizabeth, what is your point?

In Savannah, there is a radio station that does "share-a-thon" where they spend a week barely playing music and begging for funds to make it. It was known on the side as "beg-a-thon."

I don't want our Children's Ministry to be in beg-a-thon! The summer slump is already hitting BBC Kids. Oh the family is coming in, the lake is calling, and while the kids are still pouring in, our leadership is fading. 

I find myself begging for someone to please just stand in the gap. But I don't want someone to just fill a position in Discovery Club on Kid'z Zone. I want someone who is on fire when they walk in that room, ready  and believing that what they are teaching makes an eternity difference...Not just someone to is in a holding pattern with kids. 

Childcare says throw a movie on and eat an Oreo. Children's Ministry pours time, effort, and energy into every lesson.

So here is my challenge to you this summer...

1. Pray for BBC Kids, the leaders, the children, the camps, VBS, and special events.
2. Pray for yourself. Maybe the reason why we are short on leaders is because God is calling you to step up to the plate.
3. Pray for your staff. It is discouraging when we struggle to fill classes with the right teachers. And it is discouraging when we take on too many kids alone. 
4. Step in:

Discovery Club needs teachers who work just one Sunday every two months. And you don't even miss your Sunday School Class or the Worship! Just 45 minutes is all you give out of your Sunday plus prep with The Gospel Project. 

I don't teach, Elizabeth. I'm telling you! It is scary!

That is okay!  But can you hang with kids? Maybe take them from class to class or help a lead teacher in Kid'z Zone? Willing to assist? This past weekend, I was alone with 27 kids. I needed an assistant! Can you be that assistant on a rotational basis? 

Why don't you make every parent serve?

As my friend learned, Children's Ministry is a calling. If you put me in a room full of senior adults, I choke unless I'm talking about Children's Ministry. Why? Because I'm called to kids. 

1 Peter 4:10: "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."

Just because you have a preschooler doesn't mean you can teach a class of 6 preschoolers. And I get that! Just because I am an adult doesn't mean I can teach a room of 20.

I believe God is a big God. He says in His Word many times that we are all gifted by His Spirit. 

"A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church."-1 Corinthians 12:7 (NLT)

God does not give us children to not provide us the leaders to lead them. So pray, seek, and volunteer! 

Join us! You'll learn, we aren't cookies and Kool-aid. 

Elizabeth

To volunteer or get more information about BBC Kids' ministries, contact Elizabeth Horne, Minister to Children, Elizabeth@BBCLife.org. 

CentriKid Updates for all Parents and Campers

Camp is quickly approaching! And we have a great group of students and leaders joining us as CentriKid this year. Remember that camp is June 16-20.

We are having a special CentriKid "Hangout" on June 1 after church. Lunch will be provided. At this hangout, we will eat, talk about camp, watch a few camp videos, and your students will fill out some paperwork for camp.

Each student will decorate their own special CentriKid Door Hanger with their name to go on the door of our rooms. They will pick their top choices for tracks. They will turn in roommate requests. And they will sign their Discipline Policy Agreement.

This hangout is going to be a great time of bonding for our campers. Please be ready

to pick them up at 2:00 on June 1 from BBC.

Our parent meeting is June 4 at 6. A notary will be here to sign all the forms. Please bring your child's insurance card!

At the Parent Meeting, we will do the following:

Sign and fill out all official camp paperwork

Go over the camp's parent packet

Go over discipline policies and transportation

Packing needs

Answer any questions you might have

Also, if you have a child that may need special attention, IE: has a special need, medication, physical needs, etc, please let me know. You will also need to fill out a special attention card at the Parent's Meeting.

Campers are welcome at the Parent's Meeting. There will be a few childcare folks for them to hang with and watch a movie, "Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs."

I am excited about camp. If you have any questions, concerns, or anything you would like to discuss, please don't hesitate to give me a call at 502-222-9165 or email at Elizabeth@BBCLife.org.

Elizabeth J. Horne

Minister to Children

Ballardsville Baptist Church

Numbers 6:24-26

The Gospel Project Family Devotion: Week of May 18-24, 2014

Volume 7 Adult/Kids Connections (SPR 2014) 

Unit 21, Session 5: The Temple Was Completed 
Ezra 4:24–6:22 

Christ Connection: God's people rebuilt the temple so they would have a place to worship God. Years later, God sent His Son, Jesus, to be with His people. Now God dwells not in the temple, but directly with His people. Because of Jesus, we don't need a temple anymore. 

Adult Connection Point: 
In the most holy place of the temple was the ark of the covenant, the top of which served as the mercy seat, where the blood of the sin offering was to be sprinkled. The ark signified the presence of God. A great curtain separated the most holy place from the rest of the temple and all those outside to observe the offering. Only when the high priest returned could they know that God had accepted the sacrifice. 

According to the author of Hebrews, the death of Jesus ushered in a new era. At the moment Jesus died, the curtain separating the most holy place from God’s people was split from top to bottom. This signified that God Himself was giving open access to His presence (Matt. 27:50-51). 

The author of Hebrews points back to the events of the cross as the “new and living way” by which God made this possible. Jesus the High Priest offered Himself as the full and final sacrifice, and the symbol that served as a constant reminder that more sacrifices were needed—the curtain—was removed. 

 Voices from Church History 
“Christians approach God confidently, completely at home in the situation created by Christ’s saving work. They enter ‘the Most Holy Place,’ which, of course, is no physical sanctuary but is, in truth, the presence of God. And they entered it by ‘the blood of Jesus,’ i.e., on the basis of his saving death.”  –Leon Morris (1914-2006) [Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in Hebrews Through Revelation, vol. 12 in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 103.] 

Family Devotion: 
Materials: interlocking blocks, wooden blocks, or other building material; Bible; computer (optional) 

Recall the Bible story about the Israelites building only a foundation and an altar (Ezra 1-3) upon their return to Jerusalem. Fifteen years had passed and only now were they finally completing the temple. Work together as a family and create your own temple. 

Use pictures from your Bible or online to help get started. 

 Ask, “What was governor Tattenai’s concern about the rebuilding of the temple, and how was it resolved?” Reiterate that although a new king now resided over Judah, God’s plan for the Israelites to rebuild the temple remained. God once again wanted to reside with His people. God not only sent prophets to encourage the people but provided for the supplies from a foreign nation!  

Summarize the Christ Connection by reminding your family that God wants to reside with His people. When He sent Jesus, He did just that. He walked and talked with people. 

Today, we don’t need to go to a temple to spend time with God, but rather we can have a direct relationship with Him through Jesus. 

Sing along with one of the songs from Unit 21, celebrating that God wants to relate directly with each of you. 

Pray, thanking God for sending His Son, Jesus, so you can have a relationship with Him.

Summer Spectacular Schedule 2014-ALL EVENTS ARE FREE!

·    June 19: The Kingsmen Quartet in Concert

·    June 25: US Olympian Dallas Robinson

·    July 2: Animal Tales Live Animal Show

·    July 9: Movie Night-“Frozen”

·    July 16: Christian Illusionist David Garrard

·    July 23: Vacation Bible School

·    July 30: Mission’s Night

All of our Summer Spectacular Events start at

6:00 pm.

The Gospel Project Family Devotions-Week of May 11-May 17, 2014

Volume 7 Adult/Kids Connections (SPR 2014) 

Unit 21, Session 4: Zechariah, Prophet to Judah 
Zechariah 1–14 

Christ Connection: God was going to help His people and give them a different kind of king. Jesus is the King who came and rode humbly on a donkey, just as Zechariah said. Because Zechariah's prophecy came true in Jesus, we can have hope and forgiveness of sins when we trust in Jesus. 

Adult Connection Point: 
Jesus is the true manna, the miracle provision of food from heaven. Because we need life, we go to Him in faith. Because we delight in Him, we continue to believe in Him. We return to this food again and again. We work at believing, knowing that God’s will is for us to be sustained and satisfied by Jesus—the Bread of life. 

Left to ourselves, we are hopeless. If the weight of salvation were upon our shoulders, then no one would be saved. It is indeed impossible with man. But Jesus answered with some of the most comforting words in the Scriptures: “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). The reason our plight is so utterly hopeless outside of the Father’s initiative to draw us to Christ is because of our passion for self-preservation. 

We don’t want to die. We don’t want to give up the things we believe give us life. Even when the Israelites were given the provision of the manna in the wilderness, they grumbled and longed for the days when they ate pots full of meat, leeks, and garlic. They forgot those hearty meals came at the price of slavery. Our problem, like theirs, is that even when we have been delivered from the things that once ruled over us and 
enslaved us, we can still wish we were back in chains. 

Family Devotion: 
Materials: paper, pencil, timer 

Gather your family and instruct them on how to play a game of “Shout it Out!” Allow them one minute to shout and guess 10 things associated with a king. Use the list of 10 things below or create your own. Start the timer and go! 

Things associated with a king: crown, palace, queen, servants, scepter, throne, army, 
banquet, horses, robe 

Recall the Bible story. Ask, “What did God command His people to do at the beginning of the Bible story?” God was angry with His people. The Israelites parents, grandparents and great grandparents had not listened to God. God sent prophet after prophet, but they still kept sinning. God told this generation of people to “Return to Me, and I will return to you.” 

Challenge your kids to recall some of the visions God gave to Zechariah about the future 
of Israel. 

Read Zechariah 9:9 from the Bible. Ask, “What were some words God used to describe this new king to Zechariah?” Remind your kids of God’s promise to bring a special king. 

This king would bring peace to everyone. He would arrive riding a donkey. One day everyone will worship Him. Only Jesus fits this role and position of King! 

Pray, thanking God for sending Jesus so you can have hope and forgiveness of sins through Him. 

Register for BBC's Vacation Bible School 2014

Are you ready to go undercover and join the Truth Force at the International Spy Academy? 

You kids will train to be super secret spies at the ISA at BBC!

Join us July 20-24 from 6:00-8:30 pm.

Ages 4-5th grade!

Contact Elizabeth Horne, Elizabeth@BBCLife.org, for more information.

Register Your Child Here for VBS 2014!

The Gospel Project Family Devotion-Week of May 4-10, 2014

Volume 7 Adult/Kids Connections (SPR 2014) 

Unit 21, Session 3: Haggai, Prophet to Judah 
Haggai 1–2 

Christ Connection: God’s people struggled to do what God wanted them to do. God chose Zerubbabel to help the people finish the temple. Many years later, God sent His Son, Jesus, to do God’s will. Jesus died and rose again to free us from sin so that we can do His will. 

Adult Connection Point: 
 Voices from the Church “Our job is not to transform people into Christians nor to convict them of their sin. It is not our responsibility to make people do what they ought to do. Our task is to bring them to Jesus, and He will perform His divine work in their lives.”  –Henry Blackaby [Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God Day by Day (Nashville: B&H, 1998), 295.] 

One of the most beautiful truths of salvation is that God has done everything necessary to remove the sin barrier to a relationship with Him. He doesn't simply hide our sins; when we repent and believe, He forgives our sins and removes our guilt through Jesus. We are made pure, and our broken relationship with God is restored the moment we trust in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. 

Disciples of Jesus must be committed to the mission of their Savior and Lord. Jesus said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). When we enter into a relationship with God through Jesus, we are committing to become like Jesus. His way of life becomes our way of life. His love becomes our love. His mission becomes our mission. The presence of the Holy Spirit in God’s people empowers us to fulfill the mission of God, thus giving us a purpose beyond our own salvation. Through the saving power of the gospel and the filling of our hearts with God’s Spirit, we are empowered to join God’s rescue mission—one person at a time. 

Family Devotion: 
Materials: puzzle 

Direct your family to the puzzle pieces on the floor. Inform them you are going to put the puzzle together while the rest of the family tries to prevent you from completing it. (Note: Give in a few times especially if you have preschoolers.) Feel free to whine and complain. 

Recall or re-read the Bible story and then ask, “What were some problems the Israelites ran into while building the temple?” God’s people were discouraged for several reasons. The neighbors continued to interrupt the people’s progress so the Israelites gave up. Some of the blame went to the Israelites themselves, though. They were not honoring God by putting themselves first instead of God. 

Ask, “How did God encourage the people in his message to Haggai?” Remind your kids 
that God encouraged the people and gave them the strength and resources to do His will—rebuild the temple. Jesus always did God’s will, and you, too, can do God’s will when you ask for His help. 

Share a hard situation you are struggling in with your family. Challenge your kids to think of anything they are having a hard time doing that they know God wants them to do. 

Pray, asking God to give you the strength to do His will. 

The Gospel Project Family Devotion-April 27-March 3, 2014

Volume 7 Adult/Kids Connections (SPR 2014) 

Unit 20, Session 3: Jesus Appeared to the Disciples 
Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-29; Acts 1:3,9-11 

Christ Connection: God made Jesus alive again! For 40 days, Jesus presented Himself to at least 500 people and proved that He is alive. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) Jesus is still alive today. 

Adult Connection Point: 

Jesus is the only human who “did not know sin.” He never sinned, and both He and His closest followers, Peter and John, explicitly attested to this (John 8:46; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5). God made Him “to be sin.” He identified 100 percent with the sin of the world when He died on the cross (John 1:29). When Jesus arose from the dead, He gave us the opportunity to be reconciled to God. 

Because of the resurrection, those who have been united with Christ are necessarily joined with His mission. We can share that Jesus is alive with others as God’s ambassadors: “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’ He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:20-21). 

Family Devotion: 
Materials: paper, pencils 

Play a game called “Prove it!” Before your family time, print on slips of paper these actions: I can roll my tongue. I can stand on one leg for 15 seconds. I can whistle “Jesus Loves Me.” I can wiggle my ears. I can lift my dog/cat. I can hold my breath for 10 seconds. Add other activities your family could do. Allow your family members to choose a slip of paper. 

Recall the story then ask: “What are some actions Jesus performed to prove He was alive and not a ghost?” Besides appearing to the disciples, he showed them his wounds, ate food, and allowed Thomas to touch him. At least 500 other witnesses had contact with Jesus before He went back up to heaven! 

Ask: “What did Jesus tell His disciples to do after He ate with them?” Jesus told his disciples He was sending them to be His witnesses and to tell others He was alive. 

Emphasize that Jesus is still alive today. 

Print on slips of paper names of people you know who do not believe Jesus is alive. Be intentional about praying for your list and asking God to give you opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with them in the days and weeks ahead. 

Pray, asking God to give you courage and opportunities to share Jesus with others. 

The Gospel Project Family Devotion-Week of 4/20-4/26

Volume 7 Adult/Kids Connections (SPR 2014) 

Unit 20, Session 2: Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection 
Matthew 26:36–28:10; John 18:1–20:18 

Christ Connection: The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the center of the gospel. We deserve to die because of our sin, but Jesus died in our place. He was the blood sacrifice made once and for all for the forgiveness of sin. God was pleased with Jesus’ sacrifice and raised Jesus from the dead to reign as King over all creation. We are forgiven only through Jesus. (Acts 4:12) 

Adult Connection Point: 
The ultimate point of the story about Moses striking the rock was to anticipate Jesus—the struck Rock, the Savior by whose death the living water of eternal life has been abundantly provided. Surely those of us who have come to Jesus are now called to point others to Him. 

“Had the Lord remained on His throne in glory, He would never have been our Savior. That exalted head could not save apart from the pierced throne-crowned brow. That hand that held the scepter and that holds the seven stars could never save us were it not nailed to the Cross. And that glorious body, clothed in the clouds of heaven, the shekinah glory of God could never have been our Savior had it not been submitted to the ignominious shame of being naked and broken and nailed to the tree. We are saved by the smitten rock. We are saved by the sufferings of the Son of God.”  
–W. A. Criswell (1909-2002) [W. A. Criswell, “And That Rock Was Christ,” W. A. 
Criswell Sermon Library [online], 23 October 1955 [cited 16 May 2013]. Available from 
the Internet: www.wacriswell.com.] 

Family Devotion: 

Materials: paper, pencil, basket or bowl 

Direct your family to pray silently asking God to reveal a sin in each one’s life. Family members should then print this sin on a piece of paper, fold it and place it in a basket. (Preschoolers could whisper this in a parent’s ear, and the parent could print.) Keep these in the bowl until the end of the devotional. 

Recall the death and resurrection of Jesus by asking your children to remember parts of the story. Ask, “Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?” Challenge your kids to think of several reasons. Some answers could be: Because God loves us. So our sins can be forgiven. So we can have a relationship with God. So we can have eternal life. 

Remind your kids that God’s plan was coming to pass. He planned to bring us back into relationship with Him after the fall of Adam and Eve. After all these years, king after king, sacrifice after sacrifice, only Jesus’ death and resurrection could satisfy God’s dealing with sin and death. 

Read Matthew 28:5-6. Ask, “What is the good news of this Bible story?” The good news is that Jesus died and then rose from the dead! He now rules as King over all creation. 

Lead your family in a time of prayer, asking for forgiveness for each of the sins written down earlier. Thank God for sending Jesus to die for your sins so you can have a relationship with Him.