March 6 in KidQuest

On March 6, we will begin our walk towards Easter. That walk begins with John the Baptist telling of the Messiah!

Reading through the Old Testament, following the history of God’s people and His relationship with them, we see that the account of John the Baptist and his message was bold. John told the Jewish leaders they could no longer claim to be children of God simply because Abraham was their forefather—John told these Jewish leaders that this heritage no longer applied. Finally, John said to them,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near … He [the One coming] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” 

(Matthew 3:1,11)

John was proclaiming that Christ, the Judge, was coming, and He was bringing His kingdom. Ancient
family ties were no longer the criteria for salvation.

What a mind-blowing message! Imagine these religious leaders, thinking they were doing God’s will (or, maybe, consciously ignoring God’s will), suddenly hearing that God was unfolding a completely new plan. And because of that, God was now requiring them to repent—to turn from the reliance on law and tradition they had held as truth for thousands of years, and turn toward the new covenant God was bringing. However, John’s message was really only another step in the preparation for the new covenant that God had been preparing His people for throughout His story.

God had been promising the Redeemer, the Messiah, since the fall of mankind, and had been slowly and surely revealing what this Messiah would bring. He would not only bring political deliverance at the end of time, but a much more important personal deliverance from sin. He would also bring forgiveness, a transformed heart, and the power to live as God’s child because of a physical indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Messiah would be the answer to all of humanity’s deepest problems. Because of this, God demanded repentance—a heart turned away from sin and turned toward Him.

God prepared the people for the ultimate good news in a way that no one could have imagined. Even today, God invites us to receive this new covenant through a decision to turn from the old and turn toward the new. He desires our repentance to receive the good news of Christ by faith, in order to be grafted into His family
through grace.

New Research Explores the Long-Term Effect of Spiritual Activity among Children and Teens

Here is a great article about the spiritual lives of children and teens.

All parents should read this article!




http://www.barna.org/family-kids-articles/321-new-research-explores-the-long-term-effect-of-spiritual-activity-among-children-and-teens

A Preschooler's Prayer

One of our little girls from FirstLook was praying at bedtime for a set of premature triplets.  This was her prayer.

Jesus,

Thank you for all that you do.  Please make the babies get better.  Use your power like when you walked on water.  Peter was looking at you and he was safe but when he didn’t look he sank and you made him safe.

Amen.

How awesome is the trust that these kids have in Christ!

Expecting the Holy Spirit

This blog is brought to you by Josh Jacobs.  Josh Jacobs has been married to his wife Trisha for over 12 years. He has two beautiful daughters, Eliana and Elisa. On Sundays, he helps teach six-year-olds at Christ Community Church in Leawood, Kansas. During the rest of the week, he is employed as a Juvenile Corrections Officer at the Johnson County Juvenile Detention Center. Though the roles of father, teacher, and officer are different and require varying modes of interaction with children and youth, Josh has experienced God's grace in each setting. He praises God for the chance to invest his life in the next generation.

Several years ago, my wife roped me into helping with her preschool class at church. Having no previous experience with children—either as a parent or a teacher—I was frightened to face a group of three- and four-year-olds. Somehow I mustered up enough courage to go that first night. No amount of courage, however, braced me for my first challenge: helping with bathroom breaks. And my wife failed to tell me that not every child was potty-trained!

The nightmare continued in the classroom, as the kids couldn't do anything on their own. I remember thinking, "Why can't they cut out their own shapes and glue them together by themselves? Why do I have to help?" I had to do everything for them. When it came time for the Bible lesson, I looked around the room and doubted that any of God's Word was sinking in those spastic little minds.

Fast-forward to now. We have two daughters—ages three and four. I've seen firsthand how God can work in the hearts of my little ones when I least expect it. Perhaps God used these moments with my girls to show that His Spirit can move inside my Sunday school classroom of first graders. I don't know why I was so surprised that He would. In John 3:8 (ESV), "Jesus said, 'The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.'"

Do we expect God's Spirit to be working in the lives of the young children we're charged with? Do we anticipate one or more of our kids to trust in Jesus during our time with them? We need to believe that God will be present and working in their lives.

I would challenge you to do three things. First, pray for each and every one of your kids—that they would understand more about who God is and desire to be in a relationship with Him. Second, actively trust God to work in the lives of your kids. This should be the main reason we're in children's ministry. Many times, though, we just try to make it through our lesson quickly and without too many interruptions. This brings up my third challenge: Slow down and allow God's Spirit to move.

No matter what ages our kids are—whether or not they're potty-trained—God can move. Are you willing to let Him?

Another Parent Resource is Coming In March!

PARENTS, we are going to launch another resouce for you in March.  This one is called Family Currents!

This resource will be designed to help you grow in your role as the spiritual leader at your house.

This resource will also be available on the KidQuest table and the KidQuest website.  Stay tuned for more information next week about Family Currents!

This Coming Weekend in KQ and FL (Feb. 27)

Every 6th and 13th lesson, we pause to remember and celebrate, just as God instructed His people to do. This weekend is one of those weekends. For tips on how to talk about this at home, download the HomeFront Weekly that we handed out on Feb. 20.

Old Testament Significance

Several times a year the Israelites gathered together for a feast or festival. In Leviticus 23, “the Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed feasts … which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.’” These seven feasts and festivals are: Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Festival of First Fruits, Feast of Harvest, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). In addition, the Israelites would gather weekly to celebrate the Sabbath. These were times to remember what God had done for His people and to celebrate His goodness. They were a time for the entire faith community to gather together without the burden of work to simply worship and celebrate. During the feasts, the Israelites ate, danced, sang, played instruments, prayed, and offered sacrifices to God.

New Testament Significance

The Feast of Passover was fulfilled by the death of the Messiah, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was fulfilled by His sinless sacrifice, and the Festival of First Fruits was fulfilled by the resurrection of the Messiah. The Feast of Harvest began with a great harvest of three-thousand souls by the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, who continues to harvest souls today. The Feast of Trumpets will announce Christ’s return, the Day of Atonement anticipated the Messiah’s perfect sacrifice, and finally, the Feast of Tabernacles begins the journey to our new home in a new heaven and new earth.

This month, we are highlighting the Feast of Harvest. This feast, also known as the Feast of Pentecost or Weeks, corresponded with the nation’s harvest season. This feast is preceded by the Festival of First Fruits, during which the barley was harvested and ushered in the time when wheat was harvested. During this feast, the Israelites thanked God again for His provision for their physical needs. In addition, they also thanked Him for providing a way into relationship with Him. Pentecost was set in motion as a remembrance of when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. Pentecost means “fifty days.” The 50 days leading up to Pentecost (after Passover) were a season of gladness, abundance, and thanksgiving for God’s provision.

For more information on biblical feasts and festivals,  or visit
http://www.shamar.org/articles/godsplan.php
http://www.maranathalife.com/teaching/jew-hol.htm

February 20 in KidQuest and FirstLook

I want to use this blog to help support you and give you information about what your kids are learning about in KidQuest and FirstLook BEFORE we teach them.  The reason for this is so you can introduce the topic at home before your kids get to church.  This gives your kids the image that you are the primary spiritual leader in their lives.  I pray with the combination of this weekly blog entry and the HomeFront Weekly, you are able to introduce your kids to what we are talking about so we are able to support you by teaching the same things at church that you are trying to teach at home.

KIDQUEST

Perhaps one major stumbling block for Solomon was that his heart was not in the right place. He may have gone through the motions, but at the end of the day he lacked the love and adoration for God that his father, David, had. Solomon might have also not needed God as much. Solomon basically inherited a kingdom at peace, while his father, David, was hunted by Saul, forced to live as a fugitive in his own country, and battled enemies on every side. Prosperity is one of the great enemies of faith.

Both of these stumbling blocks can be true of us. With the chaos of our day-today lives, we can often find ourselves in a place where we perform our “spiritual duties” as mere rituals, to check them off our list. We also might feel that our need for God is small so our heart for Him—our pursuit of Him—is also small. But God does not desire that kind of worship. It is critical that we regularly ask God to search our hearts, to ensure that we’re keeping Him at the center.

This week, meditate on David’s prayer from Psalm 139:23:
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
 

God wants our whole hearts. He wants us to desire relationship with Him enough that we long to be with Him—to love Him so much that we can’t wait to make time for Him in the midst of our busy lives. Ask God to reveal to you what may be standing in the way of you giving Him your whole heart, or where your worship may have become routine. Ask for His guidance and assistance in creating a new heart in you for the things and people God has entrusted to you.
 

Then pray God would show the kids how worthy He is of their whole hearts, and that they would respond to this with wholehearted worship.

FIRSTLOOK

At the time of writing, our world is living in the midst of some very trying times financially, politically, and relationally. These trials are not just global but are reaching each one of us personally. It is so hard to have faith that we will not sink, or be swallowed up by the circumstances of this world and our current situations. Try to remember: What was true of God in the past is true of Him still. He is very present and very near to you. He will not leave you, abandon you, or give you away. You have been chosen, redeemed, and adopted by Jesus—and you are His. He will walk with you through each moment, each day. He will provide a path for you to follow. Trust in Him; He is near.
 

As you prepare for your time with the children this week, pray that your time with God is sweet and fills you up—restoring all that has been depleted. May you feel His presence and hear His voice calling you to “come.” 

May you follow His example. Find a solitary place to be alone with God and let Him pour the peace of His Spirit over you.

 

Online Safety Report

The 2010 Norton Online Family Report is proving helpful for parents as they seek to make the Internet safe for their kids. Though the report shows a 10% increase from 2009 in the amount of time children around the world spend online, it seems that parents are more aware of this than in earlier years. While in general 44% of parents say that they should have control over their children's activities online, 61% of Canadian and US parents say this should be so.

The biggest surprise of the study revealed that 62% of children have had negative experiences online, while only 45% of parents realized this. The negative experiences were outlined as "Someone I didn't know tried to add me as a friend." "I downloaded a virus." "I've seen violent or nude images online." and "Someone I didn't knw tried to get me to meet them in real life."

Thankfully, 87% of the children said they would seek adult support if they felt threatened with physical harm and 84% would tell an adult if they were being threatened or blackmailed online.

Out of the 90% of children who had family computer rules, 9 out of 10 say they follow them, but 48% believe they are actually more careful online than their parents.

Based on this study, what are you doing when your kids are surfing the Internet?

Music Resources

One of the major changes to KidQuest and FirstLook is the music we will be using on a regular basis.  As we transition from some old worship songs into these new ones, I wanted to let you know that you can easily purchase these new songs as well.

The FirstLook (preschool) album is called Songs From the Playhouse

 

The KidQuest (elementary) album is called Radio the World

Here is how you can get your hands and your kids ears on this new music.

• Both are available on iTunes for $9.99
• Both are available in CD form on Amazon.com from $5.80 (plus shipping)
• Both are available as MP3 on Amazon.com for $9.49
• Both are available on the publishers website www.davidccook.com for $9.99 plus shipping

I hope you can get your hands on these and bring the worship home with you.

New Parent Resource is Available

Today was the first day you were able to get the very first edition of HomeFront Monthly.  A monthly resource to give you some great ideas for things to do at home with your family this month that will coincide with what is being taught in FirstLook and KidQuest.

If you didn't receive a copy, or pick one up from the KidQuest Table, no worries, you can download them HERE!

I would love to hear what parents think of this and HomeFront Weekly, so email me to tell me what you think.