Preschool (2yrs-PreK)

Once again this week, Jesus calms the storm and our preschoolers see that

“With God, all things are possible!”

This story is a little different from last week.  Last week, Jesus walked on water and calmed the raging storm.  This week, Jesus is in the same boat as the disciples.  In Matthew 8:23-27, we see that all of a sudden a violent storm arises and once again, the disciples are afraid.  But do you know what Jesus was doing?  SLEEPING!!!!  He only woke up because the disciples were asking Him for help.

Why was Jesus able to sleep through the storm?  Because He rested in the peace of God…He IS the peace of God!  He spent so much time in fellowship with the Father, that the storm did not affect Him.  In fact, He SPOKE to the storm and it obeyed.  He wants us to respond to the storms in our own lives this way.

Create a Rhythm this week by asking your preschooler to list all the things that happen in a storm (thunder, lightning, hail, rain, wind etc.).  Remind them that as scary as a storm or other things in life might be, we can know that Jesus will help us any time we need Him.  All we have to do is ask.

Elementary (K-3^rd Grade)

Self-Control is choosing to do what you should do, not what you want to do.

Do you know what can really get us in trouble? It’s not just our temper or our words or our choices like

we’ve talked about these other weeks. It’s what comes before all that and can happen so fast that it’s hard to catch. Our thoughts lead to all our actions.

That’s why we’re finishing this month on self-control by talking through the biblical principle in Philippians4:8 of watching what you think about. Whatever we focus on most will take over and fill our minds.  Sometimes one or two negative things might even stand out and stick more than all the other positive things going on.  Matthew 12:34 tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Bottom Line, we need to use the Bible to guide our thoughts and teach our kids to do the same.  Make It Personal this week by helping your kids find scripture that speaks to a challenging area of their life.  Help change the way they think about something using the Word.  Help fill their hearts with “God thoughts” and watch them be transformed!

Club 45 (4-5^th grade)

Rely on God, not yourself!

Peter never thought he would deny Jesus. He believed he had enough strength to follow him to the death. But history proves otherwise.  In fact, he denied knowing Jesus three times just as Jesus predicted.  But then in Acts, we see Peter speak to three thousand and they all became Christ followers!

Notice the difference in Peter at these two events. First, he vowed to be a super star Christian and vowed never to deny Jesus. He relied on his own power and failed miserably (Matthew 26:31-35). Second, full of the Holy Spirit, he led three thousand people to be followers of Christ (Acts 2:41-45). He relied on God’s power, now living inside of him, and succeeded!

Your student is learning this week that they have that same power available to them if they stay PLUGGED IN to Jesus!  Help Create A Rhythm with your student by praying daily with them and asking the Holy Spirit to guide them and empower them to make the right choice.  Help your student learn to rely on God, not themselves!