FAMILY PLUS Children's - October 28

Hey everyone!

It is the last week for our series on the Patriarchs. This month has been an incredible series for our kids. We have had a blast this month with our new changes to the memory verse, prayer for the nations, and parent challenge. I pray that these changes have brought a deepening to your children's hearts and minds.

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Genesis 42-46; 50:15-21 (Joseph and his brothers)
Life Application: I can offer and receive forgiveness.
Memory Verse: Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
Prayer for the Nations: Mexico - Trivia Contest

I pray that the parent challenge for this month (fulfill a promise that you have made to your kids in order to show that God is faithful just like our parents can be) has been encouraging and beneficial. I know that last Friday night was both encouraging and beneficial for me. Being at the football game and then afterwards going back to the house and reading some books with him made the night worth the time and effort put into it. If you haven't had a chance to follow through on this challenge, you won't regret it.

I'm praying for you this week. May God use you to fill your children's lives with things that are worthy of their time and effort.

FAMILY PLUS Children's - October 21

Hey everyone!

I hope you're staying warm in this cold weather. It's a great time for a family movie night!!! Since we are studying Joseph this week, maybe you can watch the animated film "Joseph, King of Dreams". This film was created by Dreamworks, so you know it's quality.

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Genesis 37; 39-41 (Joseph taken to Egypt)
Life Application: I can trust God’s plan for me.
Memory Verse: Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” (Girls vs Boys competition this week...review the memory verse before you come on Sunday)
Prayer for the Nations: Mexico

God has a plan for your family and your kids. This week I'm going to drive this home, and continue to plant seeds in your kids hearts that God is calling them. They could be pastors, missionaries, doctors, teachers, and the list goes on and on. Bottom line...I want our kids searching for God's plan for their life now, not later!

As far as the parent challenge goes, how have you been doing with this month's challenge to fulfill a promise that you made to your kids? I'm really interested to know what kind of promises you needed to fulfill. If you feel comfortable sharing them, I'd love to know. I know I promised you something last week. I have finally figured out what I'm going to do to make up for the promise I broke to that 4yr old. Tomorrow night we are going to Mount Juliet High School football game. You better believe that I will be there rain or shine!

FAMILY PLUS Children's - October 14

Hey Everyone!

This weeks lesson is a lesson for us as parents too. We are accountable to God for the way we treat our family. That's scary for me as a father. It makes me ask the question, "will my son see me as a godly man?" He won't ever see my position or title as pastor...he will see my actions! Don't forget the parent challenge to fulfill a promise you made to your child in order to show them that we can be faithful just like the Heavenly Father is faithful.

Scripture: Genesis 25:24-33; 27:1-45; 32:1-21; 33:1-11 (Jacob and Esau)
Life Application: I am accountable to God for the way I treat my family.
Memory Verse: Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
Prayer for the Nations: Mexico - This week your kids will be learning some Spanish language. Don't forget to quiz them on the words they learned. Here is the Spanish they will be learning:

God - Dios
Father - Padre
Mother - Madre
Jesus Christ - Jesuchristo
glory to God - gloria a Dios

I bet you're still wondering how I'm going to go back and fulfill the promise I broke to that 4yr old, aren't you? Honestly, I don't know exactly what I'm going to do yet. I promise to tell you next week. If I don't feel free to keep me a ccountable. Until then!

FAMILY PLUS Children's - October 7

Hey Everyone!

We have had a great first week of Fall break around here. We have high schoolers in New Orleans and middle schoolers getting ready to go to Rogersville, TN. I love this time of year for these very reasons! I get excited when I see our kids work along people and treat people in God honoring ways! This leads us towards our lesson for this coming Sunday!

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Genes is 26:1-6, 12-33 (The story of Isaac)
Life Application: I am accountable to God for the way I treat people.
Memory Verse: Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
Prayer for the Nations: Mexico - Allergy Alert - This week your kids will be trying a food from Mexico and then praying for the nation. The food they are trying is a marshmallow cookie and pineapple soda.

I have to confess something to each of you this week. As you remember, our parent challenge for this month is to fulfill a promise to our kids that we have made to them in order to show that we can strive to be faithful just like God is always faithful. Well (sigh)...I have to report that I dropped the ball on this one to a kid this week. Last Friday Katie and I made plans with another family in our church. At the last minute our plans changed, but we still went to eat with them and then went our separate ways. Originally, I was going to go with t he other father and his son to the Mount Juliet High School football game, but things got switched up. The son, a 4yr old, was sooooo excited that Jared was coming to the game too! His parents had told us that was all he had been talking about. I had made a promise to him, and our plans changed; therefore, I didn't keep it. After we all ate and went our separate ways we got a text that the son was crying uncontrollably because I didn't fulfill my promise. (For the record, I still feel horrible and the parents didn't text us to make me feel bad either. They were laughing at the situation.)

I need to make this right, but I haven't figured out how I'm going to do that just yet. You'll be the first to know what I'm going to do to make this right.

Bottom Line...promises are an important part of each of our lives, not just our kid's lives. Without promise, we have no hope that Jesus Christ will return. May we be faithful parents, just like our Faithful Father.