April 2011
^ŽƵƚŚ ƌĞƐƚ ŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͛Ɛ DŝŶŝƐƚƌLJ
ŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͛Ɛ DŝŶŝƐƚƌLJ ĚŝƚŝŽŶ
,ĞůƉ ŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͛Ɛ &ĂŝƚŚ 'ƌŽǁ KŶ ĂƐƚĞƌ͕ ǁĞ ƌĞŵĞŵďĞƌ ƚŚĞ ƉŝŶŶĂĐůĞ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ŚƌŝƐƚŝĂŶ ĨĂŝƚŚ͗ :ĞƐƵƐ͛ ƌĞƐƵƌƌĞĐƚŝŽŶ from the dead. His victory assures us of forgiveness and eternal lifeͶtwo things worth celebrating! You can use the Easter message as a springboard to share 'ŽĚ͛Ɛ ŐŽŽĚ ŶĞǁƐ ǁŝƚŚ your kids all year long. Let kids know that Jesus is their friend and lets them live forever in heaven with him. Follow these tips: ͻ ZĞĂůŝnjĞ ƚŚĂƚ ŬŝĚƐ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚ 'ŽĚͶand EasterͶin vivid, literal images. ŽŶ͛ƚ dismiss tough questions. Instead, read the Bible together.
POWERSOURCE ASK GOD: 1.
ͻ dǁĞĂŬ LJŽƵƌ ƚƌĂĚŝƚŝŽŶƐ͘ dƵƌŶ LJŽƵƌ ƵƐƵĂů ĂƐƚĞƌ ĐĞůĞďƌĂƚŝŽŶƐ ŝŶƚŽ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚŝĞƐ to learn more about God and his Word. For your egg hunt, for example, fill plastic eggs with Scripture verses as well as candy.
To nurture your children spiritually as they grow up physically.
2.
To help your children know that Jesus is their personal Savior and best friend.
ͻ <ŶŽǁ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ŶĞǀĞƌ ƚŽŽ ĞĂƌůLJ ƚŽ ƐŚĂƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŐŽŽĚ ŶĞǁƐ͘ ŽŶ͛ƚ ǁĂŝƚ ƵŶƚŝů LJŽƵƌ kids can communicate to tell them about Jesus. Remember that children can discover God from infancy (see 2 Timothy 3:14-‐15).
FAITH INSIGHTS ͻ
In a 2010 survey, two-‐thirds of Americans said they knew that Easter is a ƌĞůŝŐŝŽƵƐ ŚŽůŝĚĂLJ͘ Ƶƚ ŽŶůLJ ϰϮй ĐŽŶŶĞĐƚĞĚ ŝƚƐ ŵĞĂŶŝŶŐ ƚŽ :ĞƐƵƐ͛ ƌĞƐƵƌƌĞĐƚŝŽŶ͘ ŶĚ ŽŶůLJ Ϯй ƐĂŝĚ ƚŚĞLJ͛Ě ĚĞƐĐƌŝďĞ ĂƐƚĞƌ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ŵost important holiday of their faith (Barna Group)
ͻ
Another Barna Group study found that children are most likely to become ŚƌŝƐƚŝĂŶƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ůŝĨĞƚŝŵĞ ĨƌŽŵ ĂŐĞƐ ϱ ƚŽ ϭϯ͘ /Ŷ ĂĚĚŝƚŝŽŶ͕ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͛Ɛ ŵŽƌĂů development is largely complete by age 9.
3.
To help you make Easter all about JesusͶand about sharing Jesus with others.
͞tĞ ŚĂǀe been born again because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a ƉƌŝĐĞůĞƐƐ ŝŶŚĞƌŝƚĂŶĐĞ͘͟ (1 Peter 1:3) Because Jesus rose from the grave on Easter, everyone who believes in him has hope, peace, and the promise of life forever in heaven.
Teachable Moments
Begin a conversation with your children about Easter, using these discussion questions as a launching point:
1. Faith in MotionͶWhile telling children about the first Easter, stand ƵƉ ĂŶĚ ĂĐƚ ŽƵƚ ǁŚĂƚ͛Ɛ ŚĂƉƉĞŶŝŶŐ͘ For example, run in place, peer into a tomb, act surprised or scared, jump for joy, and gently shake a ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌ͛Ɛ ƐŚŽƵůĚĞƌ ƚŽ ƐŚĂƌĞ ƚŚĞ good news.
1.
Why do we have such big celebrations at Easter? How can we celebrate ĂƐƚĞƌ͛Ɛ ŐŽŽĚ ŶĞǁƐ ĞǀĞƌLJ ĚĂLJ͍
2.
What gifts did Jesus give us on the first Easter? How can we share those gifts with other people?
3.
,Žǁ ĂƌĞ LJŽƵ ͞ŐƌŽǁŝŶŐ ƵƉ͟ ŝŶ 'ŽĚ ĂŶĚ ŚŝƐ tŽƌĚ͍ tŚĂƚ ŚĂƐ ĐŚĂŶŐĞĚ ĂďŽƵƚ LJŽƵƌ faith since you were younger?
4.
How can you keep growing closer to God, day by day and year by year?
2. Easter PartyͶThrow a party to ĐĞůĞďƌĂƚĞ :ĞƐƵƐ͛ ƌĞƐƵƌƌĞĐƚŝŽŶ ĨƌŽŵ the deadͶand to remind children that Easter morning is about more than baskets of candy. Play praise music while you enjoy a special breakfast. Then wave streamers, make confetti, and play homemade musical instruments.
3. Special MessageͶHide hollow chocolate eggs, rather than plastic or real eggs. Tell children to hunt for the eggs, which contain a special message. As kids discover their eggs ĂƌĞ ŚŽůůŽǁ͕ ƚĂůŬ ĂďŽƵƚ :ĞƐƵƐ͛ ĞŵƉƚLJ tomb on Easter morning. Then have them share what the resurrection means to them.
FAMILY EXPERIENCE Celebrate the good news of Easter with these activities: ͻ Sheep MuffinsͶzŽƵ͛ůů ŶĞĞĚ ƉƌĞĐŽŽŬĞĚ ĐŚŽĐŽůĂƚĞ ŵƵĨĨŝŶƐ͕ ǀĂŶŝůůĂ ŝĐŝŶŐ͕ shredded coconut, Fruit Roll-‐Ups, scissors, plastic knives, and paper plates. Peel the papers off the muffins. Have family members each place their muffin upside down on a paper plate and ice the muffin, leaving the sheep's "face" on the side and the bottom plain. Sprinkle a layer of shredded coconut over the icing for wool. Remove the Fruit Roll-‐Ups from the cellophane and cut two quarter-‐inch-‐tall ears. Stick the ears into the icing on the sides of the ƐŚĞĞƉ͛Ɛ ŚĞĂĚ͘ dŝŐŚƚůLJ ƌŽůů ƚŚĞ ZŽůů-‐Ups and cut into four equal sections for legs. ZĞĂĚ ĂůŽƵĚ :ŽŚŶ ϭϬ͗ϭϭ͘ ^ĂLJ͗ ͞:ĞƐƵƐ͕ ƚŚĞ good shepherd, gave up his life for us, his sheep. But the good news is that he ƌŽƐĞ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ĚĞĂĚ ŽŶ ĂƐƚĞƌ ŵŽƌŶŝŶŐ͊͟ Enjoy your snack together. ͻ Rock-‐Solid RemindersͶSet out some rocks and markers. Have each family ŵĞŵďĞƌ ĐŚŽŽƐĞ Ă ƌŽĐŬ ĂŶĚ ǁƌŝƚĞ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌĚ ͞ĂůŝǀĞ͟ ŽŶ ŝƚ͘ ;,ĞůƉ LJŽƵŶŐĞƌ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͘Ϳ Read aloud Mark 16:1-‐ϲ͘ ^ĂLJ͗ ͞ ĨƚĞƌ :ĞƐƵƐ ĚŝĞĚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĐƌŽƐƐ ĂŶĚ ǁĂƐ ďƵƌŝĞĚ͕ Ă ůĂƌŐĞ rock sealed his tomb. But on Easter, the rock was rolled away, and the tomb was ĞŵƉƚLJ͊͟ ĞĐŝĚĞ ŽŶ Ă ƉůĂĐĞ ƚŽ ŬĞĞƉ LJŽƵƌ ƌŽĐŬƐ ƚŽ ƌĞŵŝŶĚ LJŽƵ ĂďŽƵƚ ǁŚĂƚ ŚĂƉƉĞŶĞĚ on Easter. Close in prayer, thanking God for being our reliable, solid rockͶand for raising Jesus from the dead.
MEDIA MADNESS
MOVIES
MUSIC
Movie: Rio
Artist: Rebecca St. James
Genre: Animated comedy, adventure
Album: I Will Praise You
Rating: to be determined Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez Synopsis: This film from the creators of Ice Age features Blu, a rare macaw ǁŚŽ͛Ɛ ƐĂĨĞ ŝŶ ŚŝƐ ĐĂŐĞ ŝŶ DŝŶŶĞƐŽƚĂ͘ When he finds out about a female like him, he sets off for Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian rainforest. But iƚ͛Ɛ ĨĂƌ from love at first sight between Blu and Jewel. Our Take: This movie presents a fun opportunity to teach children about geography. For a family outing, see if ƚŚĞƌĞ͛Ɛ Ă ZĂŝŶĨŽƌĞƐƚ ĂĨĠ ƌĞstaurant near you. Enjoy dinner or dessert as a post-‐movie treat.
Artist Info: Australian-‐born St. James, 33, released her first Christian pop album 20 years ĂŐŽ͘ ^ŚĞ͛Ɛ ǁƌŝƚƚĞŶ ŬƐ ĂŶĚ devotionals and especially encourages teenage girls to live pure lives for God. St. James is getting married in April.
Summary: In her second studio worship album, St. James has a more mature feel. Her signature soft vocals really ƐƚĂŶĚ ŽƵƚ͘ /Ŷ ͞^ŚŝŶĞ zŽƵƌ 'ůŽƌLJ ŽǁŶ͕͟ St. James sings of the joy of walking in 'ŽĚ͛Ɛ ůŝŐŚƚ͘ Our Take: St. James offers praise-‐filled songs that will appeal to older elementary kids and preteens. Her lyrics explore the many ways that God is good, loving, and always faithful.
GAMES Title The Toy Maker
Kideos
de Blob 2
Content
Rating & Platform
At this free, fun site, kids can print out dozens of patterns and then assemble a wide variety of toys and puppets
thetoymaker.com
This site serves as a kid-‐friendly YouTube. Prescreened videos are available for children ages birth to 10.
kideos.com
An evil faction led by Comrade Black has sucked the color out of Prisma City. The ŚĞƌŽŝĐ ůŽď ĂŶĚ ŚŝƐ ďƵĚĚŝĞƐ ŵƵƐƚ ͞ƉĂŝŶƚ͟ the whole place back to normal.
E10+; Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PS3
This page is designed to help educate paren ǯ ǡ ǡ Ǥ ǯ what your children watch, listen to, and wear. www.family.org is another great resource for movie reviews and is focused on safe viewing for your family.
CULTURE & TRENDS ͻ DƵůƚŝŐĞŶĞƌĂƚŝŽŶĂů ŚŽƵƐĞŚŽůĚƐ ĂƌĞ ŽŶ the rise. Nearly 50 million Americans now reside with numerous generations. (Pew Research Center)
ͻ ,ŽŵĞ ĞŶƚĞƌƚĂŝŶŵĞŶƚ ŝƐ ŐŽŝŶŐ olfactory! A $70 contraption called
ScentScape will waft 20 different smells into video games. With a ScentEditor app, users can even create and share scents of their own.
QUICK STATS ͻ KŶůLJ ϭϰй ŽĨ Ăůů ƉĂƌĞŶƚƐ ƐĂLJ ƚŚĞLJ͛ƌĞ very familiar with what the Bible has to say about parenting, even though 77% identify themselves as Christians. (Lifeway Christian Resources)
ͻ tŚĞŶ ŵĞĞƚŝŶŐ ŶĞǁ ƉĞŽƉůĞ͕ Ϯϴй ŽĨ preteens and teenagers are most likely to turn to a social networking website rather than another mode of communication. (Harris Interactive)
Mealtime Moments -‐ APRIL Children's Ministry wants to partner with families equipping parents to develop a home that is Christ centered. We are providing 52 devotionals throughout the year from Mealtime Moments so you can try one every week. They are grouped into 7 categories: Wisdom from the Bible, Faith and Trust, Family, Salvation and Witnessing, Love, Following Jesus, Building Character.
WEEK 1: Better Than Homemade Mealtime Prayer: Appetizer: Main Course:
Table Talk: Vitamins and Minerals:
Thank God for the many ways He provides for you. Thank Him for being the Bread of Life. Name all the different kinds of bread that you can think of. What is your favorite? Have everyone at the table eat a piece of bread. How does it taste? What do you like with it (butter, cheese, liver, ketchup, etc.)? Breads of various forms are eaten all over the world by almost everyone. Why do so many people eat bread? What are some of the different ways people use bread? (For example, in Ethiopia they use it as a plate!) How is ŝƚ ŐŽŽĚ ĨŽƌ ƵƐ͍ dŚĞ ŝďůĞ ƐĂLJƐ ƚŚĂƚ :ĞƐƵƐ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĂĚ ŽĨ >ŝĨĞ͘ tŚĂƚ ĚŽ LJŽƵ ƚŚŝŶŬ ƚŚĂƚ ŵĞĂŶƐ͍ ,Žǁ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ͞ ƌĞĂĚ ŽĨ >ŝĨĞ͟ different from regular bread? Where can we find the bread that Jesus has to offer? How do we fill ourselves with the Bread of Life? How is this bread good for us? How can we offer the Bread of Life to others? ͞/ ƚĞůů LJŽƵ ƚŚĞ ƚƌƵƚŚ͕ ŚĞ ǁŚŽ ďĞůŝĞǀĞƐ ŚĂƐ ĞǀĞƌůĂƐƚŝŶŐ ůŝĨĞ͘ / Ăŵ ƚŚĞ ďƌĞĂĚ ŽĨ ůŝĨĞ͟ ;:ŽŚŶ ϲ͗ϰϳʹ48).
WEEK 2: Caterpillar or Butterfly? Mealtime Prayer: Appetizer:
Thank God for His salvation and that He changes lives. The caterpillar spins its cocoon with silk. What other creature spins with silk? (Answer: The spider spins its web with silk.) Main Course: A caterpillar is not always a caterpillar. It eats and eats until it is full. Then it spins a silky cocoon around itself and goes to sleep. When it wakes up and comes out of its cocoon, it is a new creatureͶa butterfly. If you could go to sleep and wake up different, what would you be? Why? How is Saul in the New Testament like a caterpillar? Read Acts 9:1ʹ22 to find out. Table Talk: Are you a caterpillar or a butterfly? Why? How do people change when they become Christians? When you meet someone, how can you tell if he or she is a Christian? How can people tell that you are a Christian? Vitamins and Minerals: ͞/Ĩ ĂŶLJŽŶĞ ŝƐ ŝŶ ŚƌŝƐƚ͕ ŚĞ ŝƐ Ă ŶĞǁ ĐƌĞĂƚŝŽŶ͖ ƚŚĞ ŽůĚ ŚĂƐ ŐŽŶĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ ŚĂƐ ĐŽŵĞ͊͟ ;Ϯ ŽƌŝŶƚŚŝĂŶƐ ϱ͗ϭϳͿ͘
WEEK 3: Eggs-‐actly Like Jesus!
Mealtime Prayer: Appetizer:
:ĞƐƵƐ ƚŚĂŶŬĞĚ ,ŝƐ &ĂƚŚĞƌ ĨŽƌ ,ŝƐ ĨŽŽĚ͘ tĞ ĐĂŶ ĨŽůůŽǁ ,ŝƐ ĞdžĂŵƉůĞ ďLJ ƐŝŶŐŝŶŐ ƚŚŝƐ ƐŽŶŐ͗ ;dƵŶĞ͗ ͞>ŽŶĚŽŶ ƌŝĚŐĞ͟Ϳ ͞'ŽĚ ŝƐ ŐƌĞĂƚ ĂŶĚ 'ŽĚ ŝƐ ŐŽŽĚ͕ 'ŽĚ ŝƐ ŐŽŽĚ͕ 'ŽĚ ŝƐ ŐŽŽĚ͘ >Ğƚ ƵƐ ƚŚĂŶŬ ,ŝŵ ĨŽƌ ƚŚŝƐ ĨŽŽĚ͘ ůůĞůƵŝĂ͊͟ How long does it take a hen to produce an egg? (Answer: twenty-‐four to twenty-‐six hours.) What kinds of hens produce white-‐shelled eggs? Brown-‐shelled eggs? (Answer: White-‐shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and white ear lobes, and brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. Really.) Main Course: Play an eggs-‐citing game of charades: 4. Each family member takes a turn drawing a name to 1. Write the names of family members on separate pieces role-‐play. of paper. 5. dŚĞ ƉĞƌƐŽŶ ǁŚŽ ŐƵĞƐƐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ĂŶƐǁĞƌ ŐĞƚƐ ͞ŶĞdžƚ ƵƉƐ͘͟ 2. Put names into a bowl (or plastic eggs, if you have them). 6. Pay special attention to how people portray Jesus. 3. ĚĚ ŚĂůĨ ĚŽnjĞŶ ƐůŝƉƐ ǁŝƚŚ ͞:ĞƐƵƐ͟ ŽŶ ƚŚĞŵ͘ 7. Give everyone a high five for doing an egg-‐cellent job! Table Talk: ,Žǁ ĚŽ ǁĞ ďĞŚĂǀĞ ǁŚĞŶ ǁĞ͛ƌĞ ĂĐƚŝŶŐ ůŝŬĞ :ĞƐƵƐ͍ Is it possible to mimic His actions throughout the day? How? Why should you copy Jesus? Vitamins and Minerals: ͞tŚŽĞǀĞƌ ƐĞƌǀĞƐ ŵĞ ŵƵƐƚ ĨŽůůŽǁ ŵĞ͟ ;:ŽŚŶ ϭϮ͗ϮϲͿ͘
WEEK 4: Eating It Up Mealtime Prayer: Appetizer:
Thank God for the many meals around the world. ŝĚ LJŽƵ ŬŶŽǁ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ :ĞǁƐ ŝŶ :ĞƐƵƐ͛ ĚĂLJ ŽďĞLJĞĚ ƐƚƌŝĐƚ ůĂǁƐ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƚŽůĚ ƚŚĞŵ what to eat and how to dress? But Jesus ĚŝĚŶ͛ƚ ůŽŽŬ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ŽƵƚƐŝĚĞ͖ ,Ğ ůŽŽŬĞĚ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ŚĞĂƌƚ͘ Peter was willing to break the laws of the Jews to share Jesus. When would you have to break a law to share Jesus? Main Course: WĞƚĞƌ ǁĂƐ ŽŶĞ ŽĨ :ĞƐƵƐ͛ ĚŝƐĐŝƉůĞƐ͘ Ɛ Ă :Ğǁ͕ WĞƚĞƌ ĐŽƵůĚŶ͛ƚ ĞĂƚ ĐĞƌƚĂŝŶ ĂŶŝŵĂůƐ͕ such as pigs . . . until he had a vision. Read Acts 10:11ʹ15. What did this vision tell Peter? Later, Peter realized that God was talking about different people as well as different food. Before Jesus came to earth, God mainly worked through His chosen people, the Jews. After the vision, Peter knew ƚŚĂƚ 'ŽĚ ǁĂŶƚĞĚ Ăůů ƉĞŽƉůĞ ƚŽ ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞ ƚŚĞ ŐŽŽĚ ŶĞǁƐ ƚŚĂƚ :ĞƐƵƐ͛ death was for everyone! Why was this so important? Table Talk: Why does God care about all people, not just those of a certain faith? tŚĂƚ ͞ůĂǁƐ͟ ;ƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ͕ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ĞĂƚ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ unpopular kid) might need to be broken? Why? Name three people in your neighborhood or school whom God loves just as much as He loves you. How can you share Jesus with them? Vitamins and Minerals: ͞'ŽĚ ĚŽĞƐ ŶŽƚ ƐŚŽǁ ĨĂǀŽƌŝƚŝƐŵ ďƵƚ ĂĐĐĞƉƚƐ ŵĞŶ ĨƌŽŵ ĞǀĞƌLJ ŶĂƚŝŽŶ͟ (Acts 10:34ʹ35).