Due date:  August 31

Luke 2:11

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.”

Due date:  September 7

John 1:29

“John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’”

Due date:  September 14

Psalm 119:11

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Due date:  September 21

Isaiah 48:17

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”

Due date:  September 28

Philippians 4:19

“My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Due date:  October 5

Ephesians 4:1

“Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

Due date:  October 12

Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and light for my path.”

Due date:  October 19

Jeremiah 17:7

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.”

Due date:  October 26

I Timothy 6:18

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”

Due date:  November 2

Psalm 95:6, 7

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God.”

Due date: November 9

Ephesians 4:2

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Due date:  November 16

Psalm 145:8

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.”

Due date:  November 23

Matthew 10:8

“Freely you have received, freely give.”

Due date:  November 30

Psalm 145:3

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.”

Due date:  December 7

John 15:13

“Greater love has on one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Due date:  December 14

Romans 6:4

“Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

Due date:  December 21

Matthew 28:20

“[Jesus said,] ‘Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

Due date:  December 28

Romans 5:5

“God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”

It's so easy to get wrapped up in our own little worlds and to only think "inside the box."  Sometimes life can get crazy!  Yesterday, I was wallowing in my own self pity- things weren't going "my way."  Sometimes I just need a reminder of how much I am blessed. 

Did you know that in Haiti there are still over 400,000 children that are homeless from the earthquake that occurred last year?

If you look up some of the footage (with your parents' permission, of course), you will see that some of these children are left without parents because their parents have died.  But other children are left without parents because their parents have no way of taking care of their kids.  There is not enough  food and water for themselves, let alone their children, so the parents have taken their children and dropped them off at an orphanage where they will have food.

And I think of the devastation that just occurred in Japan...

I am not bringing this stuff up to make you feel sad and hopeless.  I am telling you this, so you will open your eyes to the way God has blessed you so much today.

II Corinthians 9:8-  God takes care of our needs so that we can take care of others.

I have all that I need and more...much, much more! 

Take a moment of your time today to thank Him for blessing your life.  And, now, ask God to bless the life of those who are less fortunate.  Take it a step further, and ask God to start preparing your heart now for what He wants you to do with your blessings in the future.

God loves YOU!

**With your parents' permission, watch the music video "Shaken," by Hawk Nelson.

Alex, Brenlea, Ceiara, and Julia (listed in alphabetical order),

I just want to say thank you to my 5th and 6th grade girls for doing a tremendous job leading Journey Kids last night.  I can really tell that the younger kids look up to you.  And I can definitely see leadership qualities in you girls.  You rock!

"Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve."                    -I Peter 5:2

P.S. You girls are crazy for wanting to do that every Wednesday, but I'm glad you are eager to serve!!!
 

I love snow!  And I am sure you all enjoyed your snow days!

I love waking up early on first day of a good snow, with everything blanketed in white.  I love seeing the beautiful pure white perfection that God has placed on this earth.

There is only one thing that messes up God's perfection- people.

People have this way of taking something so pure as snow and plowing it and bulldozing it until it turns into gray mush and is just plain nasty.  What was something so beautiful, we humans can take it and make it ugly.  We mess it up.

But God- He has this wonderful way of taking our messes and making them disappear.  He not only makes the gray mushy mess we create go away, but He also turns those messes into something beautiful.  All we have to do is be patient and wait. 

After every winter and snow there is a spring!  Spring is when the flowers bloom and new life begins!

In Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, we are reminded that "there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven."  I don't know what you are going through right now.  But I do know that after every rain, even if it takes a couple of days, there is a sunshine.  After every dark night, the sun will always come up.  And after every wintry season, there is a spring.

"Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom."                                                                                         -Isaiah 40:28

Have you spent time with your God today?  (James 4:8)

Journey Kids on Wednesday nights is off to a great start!  Right now, we are taking a "journey" through the Bible, while dissecting different peoples' lives that God strategically placed throughout Scripture.  Our mission is to try and figure out what each Bible character did wrong and what they did right.

The key here is that God had a plan for each person's life way back then, just as He has a plan for each of us today.  Our job, as children of God, is to dig into His Word and try to learn from the instruction He gave His people so long ago.  Perhaps, we can learn from their strengths and their weaknesses and apply it to our lives today. 

God's Word is alive (Heb. 4:12) and still applies to us today; for He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8).

Will you join us on this journey?

Wednesdays at 6:15.  Pre-K through 4th Grade.

What the children can expect every Wednesday evening:

Praise and Worship, Prayer and Scripture Reading, Bible Story Dramatization, Accountability through a Small Group setting, Creativity through a Craft and Recreation.

"...I do not discard the law of God.  I obey the law of Christ...I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ."

                                                                                                                                                                -I Corinthians 9:21-22