1. Noah (5 years old) shared from his children Bible the story about Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3:1 to 14).
2. Josh (14 years old) shared the last superhero from his superhero Bible. (He has been sharing one each week for over a year now.) This last superhero is.... YOU! You can be a superhero for God when you are willing to let God use you. He will equip you for the task he wants you to do... no worries. Philippians 4:13 - "I can everything through Him who gives me strength."
3. The kids watched a Veggie Tales movie -- Veggie Tales: Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving. (Synopsis - Kids can learn the true origins of Santa Claus and the real meaning of Christmas in this animated adventure starring Junior Asparagus, Laura Carrot, and Bob the Tomato. It's Christmastime for Junior Asparagus, but Laura Carrot may not get any presents since her father just lost his job. To show all the young vegetables the definition of generosity, Bob the Tomato takes the crisp creatures back to ancient Greece where they encounter Saint Nicholas, who teaches the veggies how to give. ~ All Movie Guide ) http://www.amazon.ca/Veggie-Tales-Nicholas-Joyful-Giving/dp/B002FOFX6U
4. The kids shared what they learned from the movie which led us into a discussion about the topic of JOY and how it differs from happiness.
JOY is a gladness of heart.
JOY is a calm delight. (I love this definition! ♥)
We learned that happiness is an emotion that is dependent on our surroundings, our happenings. When things go wrong we lose our happy feeling but we can still experience joy (a calm delight) because we are in Christ.
To learn about JOY... Philippians is the book to read. You will read about joy in suffering, joy in serving, joy in believing, and joy in giving.
"Rejoice in the always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Philippians 4:4
5. We looked in a concordance and looked up some verses with joy in them -- 2 Cor. 8:2; John 15:11; John 16:20; Gal. 5:22; Phil. 2:2; 1 Thess. 5:16; Phil. 1:4; Isaiah 58:14; Isaiah 51:11;
Prov. 10:1
6. One of the kids asked what "Zion" was.
7. Another asked what a concubine was.
8. I don't remember how we got on the topic but started to discuss what the Body of Christ was. The kids shared their thoughts. One mentioned that it was all the people in the world that made up the Body of Christ. We then questioned the kids if it was really ALL the people in the world? One boy shared that all those who believe in God which led to a discussion about how other people groups have what they call god but is it the same as the God. So we looked up some verses on that topic (the only one I wrote down was 1 Samuel 5:1-6, but I know there was more). We then looked up verses that mention the Body of Christ -- Ephesians 1:23 and 4:25 and 5:30; Colossians 1:24.
9. I shared a quote from Frank Viola -- "There is a mutual dependence between Christ and His Body. The Body needs the Head to give it life, nourishment and direction. The Head needs the Body to give it expressions. The two cannot be separated." -- I really like the word picture of the Body is for expression... or action.
10. Jordan shared a portion from the book he is reading right now by Wayne Jacobsen.
11. After supper, while the kids were cleaning up their activities, a discussion started about the idea of Sabbath... especially the portions meaning to REST and to set aside a time for God. What does that look like in today's world? The "rest" part is very countercultural in North America. How we do we make it a priority for own families, make it a reality for our own families? What does the setting aside the time for God look like? How we do get the two ideas married together?
I was discussing this with my mom yesterday... setting apart time for God. I think I finally got to the point of what I am working through right now. When I set apart time to spend with God, what should that look like? For example: If I set apart time to be with my friend, but then spend my time watching TV and ignoring her... have I truly set time apart for her... am I spending time with her? I feel like this is what I am needing to address for our family, for myself. Johanna mentioned a few weeks ago about what should and should not be done on "God's day" and it has been in my mind being worked on ever since. And the idea of Sabbath has been a reoccurring topic that God brings to my mind a lot. The day we discussed with Johanna we talked about one day not being holier than another but since then we have discussed what holy means. I think this may be tweaking my understanding and thoughts on the topic. It is still a work in process.
How do you honor/practice the idea Sabbath... to rest and set time apart for God?
~Pam~
I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write. (Augustine)
