God Wants Us To Say Yes To Him (November 20 in FirstLook)

This week in FirstLook we get to talk about one of my family's favorite Bible story! We love this story so much that we named our first cat Gideon.  Its funny the name of this lesson is "God Wants Us to Say Yes to Him" because when we went to pick a cat, Gideon was the only cat that purred when Stephanie picked it up. Gideon wanted us to say yes to him and God wants all of us to say yes to him!

Although we know God wants us to say yes to Him, this was a hard concept for the Israelites to grasp. In Judges 6, the Israelites had once again turned from the one true God and sought fulfillment through the worship of false gods. Because of their disobedience, God permitted neighboring countries to overpower Israel. Each time the people attempted to plant crops, the Midianites and Amalekites would sweep in and destroy what had been planted. After years of stubbornness, the Israelites finally cried out to God.

The Lord heard their petitions and sent a judge to lead them to victory over their enemies. Ironically, God chose to use a simple farmer to redeem Israel. A farmer! Gideon was not trained in the military, and yet the angel of the Lord called him “mighty warrior.” The Hebrew translation of the word gibbowr describes the warrior as strong, mighty, and impetuous (aggressive and fast-moving). A warrior is also described as having hunter-like qualities and capabilities.

There are some interesting parallels between the calling of Gideon (Judges 6) and the calling of Moses (Exodus 3). In Exodus 3, Moses protests his fitness to be the deliverer of God’s chosen people. He asks the question, “Who am I?” and highlights for God (as if He is unaware) his weaknesses. Gideon responds in a similar way, pointing out to God that not only is he from the weakest tribe in Israel, but he is the least of the weakest. God’s response to both Moses and Gideon is the same—“I will be with you.”

It was not Gideon’s skill and experience that made him fit to be a warrior; it was the Lord God. A simple farmer became a strategic warrior. Gideon was used by the Lord of Israel to redeem and save her from her enemies when he said yes to God.

God wants us to say yes to Him.

God is Almighty (November 20 in KidQuest)

This week in KidQuest, we are going to fast forward a little to the life of Samuel. Samuel is an amazing figure in the Old Testament from his birth all the way to his death! This year we are going to spend some time looking at his life in KidQuest and discover how god used him.


God is mighty to save, mighty to heal, and mighty to love! Hannah called God the “Lord Almighty.” This was the first time this name for God was used in Scripture, though it was used many times afterward. “Lord Almighty” is translated Jehovah Tsaba, which means “Lord of Hosts.” The mood of this word in the Hebrew language describes a person who would go first or “before” into battle and fight for you—someone who is mighty and you would want to follow. It is interesting that this name—Lord of Hosts—first appears when Hannah cries out to God during her vow to dedicate her unborn child back to Him.

At the time of her prayer, Hannah had no idea God would answer her anguished cries and not only give her the child she prayed for, but also give her a child who would eventually lead Israel into a new era in which godly leaders modeled obedience to God for the people. Her son’s name was Samuel. It was Samuel who would anoint David, God’s choice for a king, the lineage from whom Jesus Christ would someday ascend.

In this way, God was not only mighty to answer Hannah’s prayers and give her a child, but also mighty to accomplish His purposes as a Sovereign ruler who went before His people into new life. Here, God’s plan for Israel’s future redemption met with Hannah’s anguished and righteous cry for a son.

So in this pivotal moment of Israel’s history, between the time of the judges and the monarchy, God granted Hannah’s request and brought forth the next step in His plan for His people—in which Samuel led the people as an obedient servant of God. God was mighty to use Samuel to usher in a new era for His people, and did so by answering the prayer of a barren woman of faith.

Gideon aka Mr. Nobody

When God called Gideon to lead an army, he was hiding in a winepress -- not a very bold move for someone God was about to use as a great military leader and someone my wife would name her cat after.

After the angel appeared to Gideon, he made excuses just like we do. "I'm not good enough;" "That's not in my comfort zone;" "What if they say no;" "What if...." You can just fill in the blank for whatever your excuse is when God calls you to do something. The funny thing is, why do we say no like Gideon, when we know that God always succeeds? Why did Gideon say no to God when God promised victory? Why did Barak say no when Deborah told him he would have victory in Judges 4? Why do we so no when God us to do something as simple as help the homeless of STL? Why? Why? Why?

However we and our kids can learn something here. God never gives up on us.  He kept coming back to Gideon because Gideon was the perfect man for the job.  He never gave up on Gideon.  God has a perfect job for you too.  I am not sure what that job is for you, but why do you keep saying no? You are the perfect person for God's plan, so just listen to him. Just like in Gideon's life, he will walk you through every single step.

Now those steps may seem crazy, like fighting a battle with only 300 men. You see God had a plan, these 300 men would not even have to yield their own swords the enemy army would defeat itself! Wow, God definitely does some crazy things in our eyes. However, it reminds us who is in control.  You better believe that 300 men always remember what GOD did on that day rather than the amazing and heroic fight they put up.

We have to remember as Christians that our life is not our own. We are to use it to worship God, so let's stop telling him no and start letting him lead the way.

So when you go to talk to your kids about Uniqueness this week and the story of Gideon, why don't you talk about these things.

• Do you think Gideon was scared?
• What might have happened if Gideon refused to believe God wanted him to lead the Israelite army?
• Help your child think of other stories of “nobodies” that were able to make a difference. Talk together about how God created everyone to be a somebody.

Child Dedication Day

I have been working on stuff for Child Dedication Day today.  This is now the 3rd year I have been able to plan this event for our families and it is really one of my favorite "special" weekends of the year to plan and be a part of and today's blog post is about why I love it so much.

I love to plan for this event because I get to see all the new kids little ones we have at the church.  We open up CDD to families who have had a baby in the past year, have started coming to church here in the last year and have a child under the age of 3, and any children that have been adopted in the past year. Because I do not have much contact with the kids in our nursery, it gives me a chance to begin to be a part of their live, meet their parents, and most importantly a time to pray over them while I prepare for this special day. It is so fun to talk to parents as they talk about their little child, to see their face and the smile these little ones bring to them is priceless.
I also love to plan this event because it reminds me of three extremely important responsibilities.

• It reminds me of my responsibility to my son and continuing to show him who Christ is in my own life and also his.  Deuteronomy 6 is so clear that I have a responsibility to give him every chance I have to model who Christ is as our Father and give him every chance to make his own life long commitment to Christ. What a huge responsibility and I think that is my greatest responsibility of all.

• I have a responsibility, as the children's minister to help grow these kids to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. There is just something special about having an opportunity week in and week out to invest in the spiritual lives of all these kids that walk through the doors of Wentzville Christian Church.  What an honor that is to have parents bring their kids to me and my team so we can help teach them about Christ.

• Ephesians 4:10-12 says this and I know I am called by God to teach, so God has given me the gifts to the body of Christ can be built up

• He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

• I remember my responsibility to help parents train up their child in the ways of the Lord.  I strive to help you as parents have tools and resources that make teaching your kids about Christ's love.  If there is any way I can help you teach the ways of the Lord to your kids, please let me know so I can help.

I also love to be a part of this day because I have a chance to again see the joy on the faces of these parents who are having their children dedicated to the Lord.  I also love my opportunity to share with the church their obligation to partner with me and the parents to help train these kids up in the ways of Christ.  I also love to see the church's faces as they see these beautiful kids being brought to them.

Thank you so much for this opportunity!

November Overview

Nursery and FirstLook

God made you, and He will take care of you. Could there be anything more comforting than that? Knowing that the Creator of the universe made little old me, and that He wants to take care of me. Wow! How amazing! That's what we're teaching our preschoolers this month. We want them to know that God made them, and that He cares about them - each and every one of them.

We want our preschoolers to finish this month knowing without a doubt that "My God will meet all your needs," (Philippians 4:19, NIrV). We want them to know that God cares about them even more than the birds of the air or the flowers of the field. We want them to know that He will provide for them when they are hungry and thirsty. He will provide people to care for them. God has a plan for their lives and will always, always, be there for them.

The Challenge -- November Bible Reading and Memory Verse Plan

Here is The Challenge November Bible Reading and Memory Verse Plan.  

In case you didn't get it at The Challenge, missed The Challenge, or lost it, here it is for you again.