Hey all,
Vikings fans, hope you are coming to terms with the fact that The Packers can claim to be the best for the next few months. Packers fans, I hope you are enjoying this time of being on top of the football fan world. TO those of you who don't care about football - I hope you are staying warm!
We finished our unit on making good choices on Sunday with a discussion of what happens if we mess up. A better question would be what happens when we mess up.
We wrote or drew a word or picture that was related to a bad choice that we have made - and then we tried to erase it. There was always something that remained, a smudge, some pencil marks, or an indentation on the paper from what we had written before. The lesson is that we cannot erase our bad choices from happening, once we've made the choice. There will be consequences for our actions and we must face them. But we don't have to face them alone. God always promises to forgive us, and He tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us. That means even when things are hard and uncomfortable because of a choice that we have made, He is there to help us through it, and to teach us how to be better equipped to make good choices in the future.
Here are the verses that we read and the key reason why we looked at these verses with this lesson
Romans 7.15-20 Paul tells us about his tendency to do what he knows he shouldn't and not to do the things he knows he should
Numbers 15.22-31 Tells about the sacrifices that needed to be made for "unintentional sin" - there are still consequences to deal with. And the difference in God's eyes between unintentional sin, and choosing to do what you know is wrong
Luke 22.55-62 Jesus is arrested and taken to the authorities. Peter follows at a distance. People ask if he knows Jesus and he denies it 3 times.
1 John 1.7-9 Jesus promises to forgive and cleanse from our mess ups, anyone who asks, but anyone who thinks they are not sinful is lying to themselves.
Our memory verse is 1 John 1.8-9. It is worth 5 points for each person who memorizes it.
check out the pulse here to see what else is happening and find the memory verse/homework questions.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Reminder of Club 56 Saturday Night
This is a quick note to remind you that Club 56 will be meeting Saturday night at 6:30 at church. We will have some games, snacks and fun. Hope you can join us.
And here is another bonus point opportunity for you.
I will give you 1 point if you can tell me something that is different about the look of the blog this week.
OK - See you tomorrow night!
Chris
And here is another bonus point opportunity for you.
I will give you 1 point if you can tell me something that is different about the look of the blog this week.
OK - See you tomorrow night!
Chris
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Review from January 30
Well another week is underway. I hope that you are remembering our challenge for the week - to seek God's wisdom, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our life. He will help us to learn from the Bible verses we are reading each day, and will be the check in our conscience if we are making a bad choice.
In case you missed it on Sunday, or forgot what we discussed, here is a summary.
We talked about how some decisions are clear cut as to which is the right choice and which is not but others are not as easy to discern. The best way to test is to check them against what the Bible says.
We had some scenarios that I read where you had to choose (and be ready to defend your choice) which is the "right" choice and which is not.
Then we opened our Bibles to see what to do if the choices don't seem wrong.
First, we read Romans 14.20-23. Here, Paul is talking about food that is acceptable. Paul is hitting on a deeper issue though - doubt. If you are making a decision and doubt has crept in as to whether you are doing the right thing or not, that may be something worth paying attention to. Maybe the Holy Spirit is trying to get your attention to change your mind about the decision you are making.
Next we read Proverbs 1.1-7.
This passage talks about asking God for wisdom? What are some things we can do to be more wise.
Bonus Point Opportunity What was Solomon's well-known display of wisdom with the 2 women. Hint: it involved a baby. 1 point awarded for the correct answer.
Read Galatians 5.16-17. This passage is about the Holy Spirit guiding us. We need to train ourselves to listen and to obey. If we hear the Holy Spirit speaking and we choose to ignore or disobey, we can find ourselves in a sticky situation.
Finally, we read Proverbs 3.21-26. This is our memory verse this week. (vs 21, 23, 24). Pay close attention to the description about common sense and discernment. God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide our choice making.
Memorize your memory verse (remember it is worth 15 points ) do your homework and when you come to Club 56 this week, our hope is that the time you spend with God, and the more time you spend allowing the Holy Spirit to have control, the stronger your relationship with Him will be. So keep asking for wisdom, trust God to guide your decision and devote yourself to spending time with Him every day.
Bonus point opportunity #2 - As you may know, this Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday. I will give out 2 bonus points (one point each) for anyone who answers these 2 questions for me.
#1 - Who won last year's SuperBowl
#2- The game is between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers this year. Who do you hope wins the game.
Turn in these answers and get more points for your team and remember the best way to get lots of points is to do your homework and memorize your memory verse.
Have a great rest of your week!
CP
In case you missed it on Sunday, or forgot what we discussed, here is a summary.
We talked about how some decisions are clear cut as to which is the right choice and which is not but others are not as easy to discern. The best way to test is to check them against what the Bible says.
We had some scenarios that I read where you had to choose (and be ready to defend your choice) which is the "right" choice and which is not.
Then we opened our Bibles to see what to do if the choices don't seem wrong.
First, we read Romans 14.20-23. Here, Paul is talking about food that is acceptable. Paul is hitting on a deeper issue though - doubt. If you are making a decision and doubt has crept in as to whether you are doing the right thing or not, that may be something worth paying attention to. Maybe the Holy Spirit is trying to get your attention to change your mind about the decision you are making.
Next we read Proverbs 1.1-7.
This passage talks about asking God for wisdom? What are some things we can do to be more wise.
Bonus Point Opportunity What was Solomon's well-known display of wisdom with the 2 women. Hint: it involved a baby. 1 point awarded for the correct answer.
Read Galatians 5.16-17. This passage is about the Holy Spirit guiding us. We need to train ourselves to listen and to obey. If we hear the Holy Spirit speaking and we choose to ignore or disobey, we can find ourselves in a sticky situation.
Finally, we read Proverbs 3.21-26. This is our memory verse this week. (vs 21, 23, 24). Pay close attention to the description about common sense and discernment. God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide our choice making.
Memorize your memory verse (remember it is worth 15 points ) do your homework and when you come to Club 56 this week, our hope is that the time you spend with God, and the more time you spend allowing the Holy Spirit to have control, the stronger your relationship with Him will be. So keep asking for wisdom, trust God to guide your decision and devote yourself to spending time with Him every day.
Bonus point opportunity #2 - As you may know, this Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday. I will give out 2 bonus points (one point each) for anyone who answers these 2 questions for me.
#1 - Who won last year's SuperBowl
#2- The game is between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers this year. Who do you hope wins the game.
Turn in these answers and get more points for your team and remember the best way to get lots of points is to do your homework and memorize your memory verse.
Have a great rest of your week!
CP
Thursday, January 27, 2011
New Pulse and Homework Questions Posted
The new questions are up! Click here to get `em! Also, the new pulse is up, click on the pulse tab to find it.
Review From January 23
Hi friends,
Hope you are having a great week!
We continued our talk on making good choices by discussing the topic "How do I know God's voice"
We started by having everyone take a partner, and then, with eyes closed, find that partner in a room full of other people calling to their own partner. It was chaos. And the lesson is that we have so many different places to turn to in making decisions, how can we identify God's voice in all the noise!
Then we turned to our Bibles and read the story of Gideon. (Judges 6) Gideon was a judge in Israel. He was told by God to deliver Israel from the Midianites. God told him through an angel that He would be with him. To test that the directives were actually coming from God. He put out a fleece - twice - and asked for opposite results - first that it would be wet while the ground around is dry, then that it would be dry and the ground around would be wet.
God answered Gideon's request each time, and so when God asked Gideon to do something crazy (like reduce his army from 32,000 to 300 men to battle) we don't see him questioning God, or testing him again, he simply obeys. The bible tells us not to put the Lord your God to the test, but it also shows many examples of God-loving people testing God and having those tests answered (Peter walking on water, Thomas needing to touch the scars of Christ to name a couple) God is gracious to us, and knows our hearts. He desires our hearts to want the things that He wants.
Next, we read James 1.5-7
This passage gives some good advice, starting by asking for wisdom. It tells us that if people ask for wisdom from God, he will give it to them.
Still in James, we read James 3.17.
This verse shows us the result of asking for Wisdom. Wisdom from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine and sincere. Do you want to see these things happening in your own life? Once God grants us wisdom, we will see these things growing in our lives. But that also means that if the choices we make don't lead us to be all these things, then that probably means that we are not making good choices.
And finally, we read 1 John 4.1-6
John reminds us in this passage, that assuming that other people are giving God's message to us is a little naive. People are human and will allow their advice and words to be swayed by other influences. That means that our part is to test what they say with the Bible and see if it lines up with what He says.
Our memory verse is James 1.5.
Remember that you can earn points for your team by doing your homework question (posted in the Pulse, and on the blog every week - 2 points per answer) and by memorizing the weekly memory verse. (5 points) also, you can look for bonus points posted here on the blog too.
For this week's bonus point, I want you to tell me your favorite bands/or songs. it doesn't have to be Christian music, I just want to know what you are listening to. I will give 3 bonus points for this answer.
Have a great weekend! See you Sunday!
CP
Hope you are having a great week!
We continued our talk on making good choices by discussing the topic "How do I know God's voice"
We started by having everyone take a partner, and then, with eyes closed, find that partner in a room full of other people calling to their own partner. It was chaos. And the lesson is that we have so many different places to turn to in making decisions, how can we identify God's voice in all the noise!
Then we turned to our Bibles and read the story of Gideon. (Judges 6) Gideon was a judge in Israel. He was told by God to deliver Israel from the Midianites. God told him through an angel that He would be with him. To test that the directives were actually coming from God. He put out a fleece - twice - and asked for opposite results - first that it would be wet while the ground around is dry, then that it would be dry and the ground around would be wet.
God answered Gideon's request each time, and so when God asked Gideon to do something crazy (like reduce his army from 32,000 to 300 men to battle) we don't see him questioning God, or testing him again, he simply obeys. The bible tells us not to put the Lord your God to the test, but it also shows many examples of God-loving people testing God and having those tests answered (Peter walking on water, Thomas needing to touch the scars of Christ to name a couple) God is gracious to us, and knows our hearts. He desires our hearts to want the things that He wants.
Next, we read James 1.5-7
This passage gives some good advice, starting by asking for wisdom. It tells us that if people ask for wisdom from God, he will give it to them.
Still in James, we read James 3.17.
This verse shows us the result of asking for Wisdom. Wisdom from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine and sincere. Do you want to see these things happening in your own life? Once God grants us wisdom, we will see these things growing in our lives. But that also means that if the choices we make don't lead us to be all these things, then that probably means that we are not making good choices.
And finally, we read 1 John 4.1-6
John reminds us in this passage, that assuming that other people are giving God's message to us is a little naive. People are human and will allow their advice and words to be swayed by other influences. That means that our part is to test what they say with the Bible and see if it lines up with what He says.
Our memory verse is James 1.5.
Remember that you can earn points for your team by doing your homework question (posted in the Pulse, and on the blog every week - 2 points per answer) and by memorizing the weekly memory verse. (5 points) also, you can look for bonus points posted here on the blog too.
For this week's bonus point, I want you to tell me your favorite bands/or songs. it doesn't have to be Christian music, I just want to know what you are listening to. I will give 3 bonus points for this answer.
Have a great weekend! See you Sunday!
CP
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Review from January 16
Hey all,
Hope you are staying warm this week - it is kinda crazy cold out there. How I long for the days of summer!
We started a new unit in Club 56 last Sunday - a unit on choices and equipping ourselves to make the right ones. Our first week was about seeking advice and who we should seek advice from.
We started off by looking at Psalm 37.30-31. Here we read about the advice of David. He tells us that the advice of "godly" people is wise. So who are the godly people in your life? Who could you turn to for wise advice that lines up with God's word?
Next, we looked at 1 Kings 12.1-15. Here, Rehoboam (the new king of Israel) is looking for advice on how to run the country. He consults the elders who tell him to be a servant to his people. But he rejects their advice and seeks the advice of young men that he grew up with. They tell him to rule more sternly than his father did. He rejects the advice of the older men and follows the advice of the younger and it goes very badly. So the question is, how valuable is the advice of older people? I know that not all advice that comes from older people is good and not all advice that comes from people your own age is bad. But this story is a reminder of two things. Don't reject the advice of people just because they are older, and don't always choose the option that seems easier. I am sure that the idea of being a leader who serves his people was not an exciting thought for Rehoboam. It would be harder to do this than to make others do your will by beating them and threatening them. But in the end, choosing the easier way was his undoing.
Then on to 2 Samuel 16.23- 17.14
In this passage, David's son Absalom trying to kill his father. He seeks advice from a reliable source, Ahithophel and a battle plan is laid out. But Absalom seeks a second opinion, that of Hushai. Hushai devises a different plan and Absalom wants to carry it out instead. In this story, God uses Hushai's bad advice as part of his perfect plan. Absalom following the bad advice given by Hushai allows David to escape this attack, and, at the end of the chapter, Absalom dies without seeing his father killed. Have you ever given anyone bad advice and seen it work out for good in the end?
Finally, we read our MEMORY VERSE, Proverbs 12.26.
This passage tells us that the advice of godly people is helpful to their friends, but the wicked lead people astray. Do you have any friends that you wouldn't ask advice from? if so, why wouldn't you ask them? This verse reminds us to be careful who you are asking for advice. Who do you know that would offer good advice that lines up with the Bible? Can you challenge yourself to seek their advice the next time a tough decision comes your way.
OK, so now in the way of announcements.
GIRLS!!!!! here is your reward announcement. The sleepover will happen on Friday, February 18 at the Page house. Details will come out in the next week, but mark the day on your calendar and get ready to have a great time celebrating your victory over the boys.
BOYS!!!!! If that announcement bugged you, then get to work. Do your homework, memorize your memory verse (it is really short this week). Search for bonus points, and you could be the winner this time around!)
BONUS POINT TIME!!!
I will give a bonus point for each Bible story/passage that you read this week. Write down the book, chapter and verse, and something that you thought was cool in the passage and for EACH ONE, I will give you a bonus point.
See you Saturday!
P.S. We are also up for our turn at Kids at 11 this week. If you want to come and help lead the younger kids during second hour, I can use you. If you are at the park on Saturday, we can talk about games to play and crafts/activities to do. Our theme is the parable of the servant who owes a huge debt to the king and has the debt forgiven, and then goes and has another guy thrown in jail for not repaying a tiny debt he owes him. The story can be found in Matthew 18.
If you are not going to be there on Saturday, but have some ideas, feel free to email them to me.
Have a great end to your week.
CP
Hope you are staying warm this week - it is kinda crazy cold out there. How I long for the days of summer!
We started a new unit in Club 56 last Sunday - a unit on choices and equipping ourselves to make the right ones. Our first week was about seeking advice and who we should seek advice from.
We started off by looking at Psalm 37.30-31. Here we read about the advice of David. He tells us that the advice of "godly" people is wise. So who are the godly people in your life? Who could you turn to for wise advice that lines up with God's word?
Next, we looked at 1 Kings 12.1-15. Here, Rehoboam (the new king of Israel) is looking for advice on how to run the country. He consults the elders who tell him to be a servant to his people. But he rejects their advice and seeks the advice of young men that he grew up with. They tell him to rule more sternly than his father did. He rejects the advice of the older men and follows the advice of the younger and it goes very badly. So the question is, how valuable is the advice of older people? I know that not all advice that comes from older people is good and not all advice that comes from people your own age is bad. But this story is a reminder of two things. Don't reject the advice of people just because they are older, and don't always choose the option that seems easier. I am sure that the idea of being a leader who serves his people was not an exciting thought for Rehoboam. It would be harder to do this than to make others do your will by beating them and threatening them. But in the end, choosing the easier way was his undoing.
Then on to 2 Samuel 16.23- 17.14
In this passage, David's son Absalom trying to kill his father. He seeks advice from a reliable source, Ahithophel and a battle plan is laid out. But Absalom seeks a second opinion, that of Hushai. Hushai devises a different plan and Absalom wants to carry it out instead. In this story, God uses Hushai's bad advice as part of his perfect plan. Absalom following the bad advice given by Hushai allows David to escape this attack, and, at the end of the chapter, Absalom dies without seeing his father killed. Have you ever given anyone bad advice and seen it work out for good in the end?
Finally, we read our MEMORY VERSE, Proverbs 12.26.
This passage tells us that the advice of godly people is helpful to their friends, but the wicked lead people astray. Do you have any friends that you wouldn't ask advice from? if so, why wouldn't you ask them? This verse reminds us to be careful who you are asking for advice. Who do you know that would offer good advice that lines up with the Bible? Can you challenge yourself to seek their advice the next time a tough decision comes your way.
OK, so now in the way of announcements.
GIRLS!!!!! here is your reward announcement. The sleepover will happen on Friday, February 18 at the Page house. Details will come out in the next week, but mark the day on your calendar and get ready to have a great time celebrating your victory over the boys.
BOYS!!!!! If that announcement bugged you, then get to work. Do your homework, memorize your memory verse (it is really short this week). Search for bonus points, and you could be the winner this time around!)
BONUS POINT TIME!!!
I will give a bonus point for each Bible story/passage that you read this week. Write down the book, chapter and verse, and something that you thought was cool in the passage and for EACH ONE, I will give you a bonus point.
See you Saturday!
P.S. We are also up for our turn at Kids at 11 this week. If you want to come and help lead the younger kids during second hour, I can use you. If you are at the park on Saturday, we can talk about games to play and crafts/activities to do. Our theme is the parable of the servant who owes a huge debt to the king and has the debt forgiven, and then goes and has another guy thrown in jail for not repaying a tiny debt he owes him. The story can be found in Matthew 18.
If you are not going to be there on Saturday, but have some ideas, feel free to email them to me.
Have a great end to your week.
CP
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