Let your fingers find these books and touch all the pages. These books contain such powerful teachings for us as Christ Followers today. It will be hard to give you just a few reads…but there is a benefit everytime we reach for these words written for us as well. Read: Romans 1:1-6, 10:8-10; 1 Corinthians 16:13,14; 2 Corinthians 5:1, Galations 5:22; Ephesians 3:20,21; Philippians 1:9;Colossians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:11,12; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5. (listen with your ears and your heart)

Breath deep the Words of Living Water that encourage, direct, and guide us on this earth journey till we are fully united with our Father and our Savior.

Unborn and babies: Read out loud to them from these books.
Preschoolers: What is a letter? Show them some letters and your mail box. Talk about the mailman. Show them your address and your email address and explain how the mail gets to you. Paul was writing letters to encourage groups of people who loved Jesus. He was writing letters to churches. Find the books and look for the “To” he was writing and how he said “good-bye”. Read 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18. Write an encouraging note to someone and mail it. Or, place it in the Bible with the letters of Paul.

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Romans. This book is written to the group of Christ Followers in Rome. It was the biggest city in the world at that time. It was the center of the Roman Empire. We do not know who began the church in Rome….but someone was faithful to share the Gospel and a church grew. At the time of this letter, Nero was emperor of Rome. Paul wrote this book from Corinth while he stayed at the home of Gaius (Romans 16:23, 1 Corinthians 1:14).

Corinthians. This book was written to the Christ Followers in Corinth. This was a very important city in Greece where people had wealth and time for pleasure. It was a crossroads for travelers and merchants. The people of this city also built many temples for worshiping idols.

Galatians. This is the only letter of Paul that was addressed to various churches in the area of Galatia. He was ill during this time, and yet he continued to preach the Gospel and new churches were started.

Ephesians. Ephesus was the most important city of the area that is now called Turkey. It was at the crossroads of many trade routes. There was in Ephesus a temple for worshiping the Roman goddess Diana. Paul preached here for about three years and wroteh the letter while he was in prison in Rome. He was close to this church.

Philippians. The city of Philippi was named after King Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great. At the time of Paul, Philippi was a wealthy Roman colony. (There were probably not many Jews in Philippi.) Paul wrote this letter as a thank-you to the Christ Followers in Philippi for the money and ancouragement they had sent him. He also wrote this letter while he was a prisoner.

Colossians. This is also a letter written while he was a prisoner. Several hunderd years before the time of Paul, Colosse had been one of the main cities in the area that is now called Turkey. It was located on a trading route. By the time of Paul, Colosse had become a second-rate market town. Neighboring towns such as Laodicea had become more important than Colosse. The Gospel message was taken to Colosse by Epaphras who had become a Christ Follower through Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. This was a Gentile (non-Jewish) church and Philemon was a part of this gathering. False teachers had come into the church and Paul writes strongly emphasizeing the fact that Jesus is God.

Thessalonians. Paul wrote these letters from Corinth. Thessalonica was a busy seaport city located at the junction of two main roads. It was the largest city in Macedonia. Paul started this church when he stayed there for a few weeks during his second missionary journey. While there, he was accused of turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6 KJV). From Thessalonica Paul went o to Berea, Athens, and Corinth. At Athens Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to see how the new church was doing. He wrote his letter in response to this visit and need for some teaching. The second letter came about 6 months later.

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

So let your fingers do some walking through these 28 chapters, looking at the headings and happenings. There are so many worthy stories to read that it is hard to pick. First read, Acts 1:1-11. How many days did the Lord appear to the disciples? Wow….Jesus could say so much more now that they truly knew who He is. What did the angels say to the disciples looking into the sky? May we remember this. Now read Acts 12:1-17. How many squads of soldiers were guarding Peter? Count the soldiers this would be. What was the church doing? How did the Lord answer their prayers? Did the praying church expect the Lord to answer their prayers so quickly?

Oh Lord, help us understand more and more of your Kingdom, your Father, and the way you would have us live. May we be the church praying for your power to be released and for more and more of us to walk free.

Unborn and babies: Read out loud to them from the book of Acts.
Preschoolers: Go on line and print a paper Jesus, tie a string to him and tell your child the story of Jesus ascending (going up) and what the angels said. You can make a storyboard or simply hang the string over the back of a chair and show him ascending….and coming back. Wow! He is going to come back the same way. Yeah! Talk about the coming of Jesus. What it will be like to get to talk to him and be with him. This always makes me smile….make some happy faces and hang them around your house. Then you can tell your friends….thinking about Jesus makes me smile. As always, find the book of Acts and place your Jesus with a string inside this book.

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

Let your fingers do the walking through the chapters of this book, you will see that it begins and ends different than the other Gospels. Read John 1:1-18. This is worthy of reading several times. These 18 verses speak so plainly about who Jesus is. I love them. Then, take time to also read out loud with your family chapters 14,15,16, 17…if there is not time for that this week, read chapter 17…understanding that in verse 20, we are included in our Savior’s prayer. Through John’s Gospel, we are allowed to have an expanded understanding of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

This is my favorite book in the Bible. I love quoting its beginning verses…“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God from the beginning.” It is a Rock to put your feet on…, it gives such straight forward clarity and truth about the beginning of time. I am so thankful that God allowed John to tell us so much about that which is beyond us.

Unborn and babies: Read out loud to them from the book of John.
Preschoolers: Ask your child what their name is. Ask them if they know your name. With the Bible in your hand, let them know that Jesus has many Names. His many Names…help us know him better. Open up your Bible and show them all the words on the pages…there are words on all the pages. Read John 1:1. Write the word “WORD” in capitals on a 3 by 5 card. John is telling that the Word is Jesus. Put the card in the front of the Bible,…In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. Jesus has been with God from the beginning. One of His Names is Word. (This is a big – deep concept…reach for it.) All of these words come from the one who is the Word. Draw an outline of a person…write word all over it. Jesus is the Word of all words. We can trust all of His Words, because He is the Word. He is faithful and true. Then pray together….asking our heavenly Father to help us understand more about His Word.

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

The key verse for this Gospel is Luke 19:10, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Jesus referred to himself as the “Son of Man” more than any other title. Luke wrote to Theophilis about the humanity of Jesus: his birth and how he grew, when he was 12 and where he would go, and how he was tempted…when he started his ministry. He gave us a very personal view of our savior. Luke carried light to us through his view of our Jesus. On a side note I want to add, we named our first born son this name – Luke – Barrier of Light. He has brought much more of God into our life…he truly has carried light into our family.

When the Lord brings light through His Word to my heart, it brings me such joy to know him “deeper”. May we with our children and friends continue to seek Him so that we may know more of Him. I love that about this book…he was writing it for a friend so that he could know our Jesus better.

Unborn and babies: read out loud to them these scriptures.
Preschoolers: Begin with looking at pictures of fish and fishing poles and boats. You could do this on line. You can also find Lake Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee). Then read Luke 5:1-11. And talk about the fullness of the boat and all that fish….wow, fish meant money for them…they had a good paycheck that day. They could go buy food that day.:) What did they do with the fish? Why? Will Jesus take care of them? (All the fishermen watching them leave that fish had a big day too.) What is it to follow someone? Play Follow the leader. Let the word “follow” be your teaching word for this week. Who did the fishermen follow? Wow…they got to follow Jesus, God’s Son…that is amazing. Let’s follow him too. One way you can learn to follow Jesus – is to learn to follow your Mom and Dad…together we will follow Jesus.

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

Let your fingers do the walking through the book of Mark and its 16 chapters. Read, Mark 1:40-42, 2:6-8, Mark 5:21-43, & 6:47-51. As a family, talk about the word – immediately. What does it mean? And how does it add to the testimony of Jesus and they way he walked among them. What happened “immediately” in these verses? I appreciate the authority that we can see in these stories through Jesus’ actions. He is who He said He is.

Unborn and babies: read out loud to them these scriptures.
Preschoolers: Talk about the word immediately. Do they know what it means? It’s like stop & go. Show me go. Show me stop. Go is not “in a minute” or “wait”, it is this minute – go! Immediately means instantly – right now – go – done. There is no waiting or pausing int the word immediately. Then read them Mark 5:21-23 & 35-43, or read it from their children’s Bible. Jesus can say “stop” to the wind and to sickness and when he speaks – immediately creation responds. He is near – so close – always able to calm our hearts and help us.

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

Now, let your fingers do the walking through this book. I want you to read Matthew 1:1-17. We just finished the Old Testament and reading these names brings the line of Jesus powerfully forward. Count the generations from Abraham to Jesus listed in verse 17. God promised us a savior and He did what He said He would do. Now read, Matthew 3. Who is the prophet in this chapter? Describe him and what was his message. Then finish with, Matthew 4:12-17. “From that time on” – Jesus was closing the distance between our heavenly Father and us.

I love the consistency of the Word of God. I love that a disliked tax collector transformed and became a “Gift” to those around him. I love that Jesus’ cousin (John the Baptist), stood for the truth he knew – Flint Stone. I love our Jesus who walked this earth and helped us understand the Kingdom from which we were called and made. And most of all…, I love our God who loved us enough to move through time to bring us back to himself.

Unborn and babies: read out loud to them these scriptures.
Preschoolers: Let your child see your Bible and show them the Old Testament and now the New Testament. In the Old Testament, men are telling us about a king who is coming and in the New Testament we read about the king who came – Jesus. Read Matthew 1:18-23. You can also find this story in their Bible.

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The Old Testament was shadow. The New Testament is sunshine.

The Old Testament was type and symbol. The New Testament is reality and substance.

The Old Testament was prophecy. The New Testament is fulfillment.

In the Old Testament, we must piece together a complex mosaic of Christ. In the New Testament, Jesus blazes from the page in three dimensional realism.

Though the Old Testament speaks of Him on every page, it speaks of Someone. You cannot read the Old Testament without being aware of that constant promise running through every page: Someone is coming! Some one is coming!

But as we open the Gospels, it becomes clear that the long-awaited moment has come. That promised and prophesied Someone has arrived—and He steps forth in all the astonishing fullness of His glory. As John says, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Adventuring Through the Bible by Stedman (p. 488)

The great message of the Gospel is that God is not out there, way up yonder, somewhere beyond the blue. He is not waiting in some distant judgment hall to impose His condemnation on us. He is ready and waiting to pass right into the center of a hungry, thirsty person’s heart and to pour out His blessing, His character, His being, His life into that life. When the King is enthroned in a human life, the kingdom of God is present on earth. That is the message of Matthew: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heaven is not someplace far out in space; it is here among us, invisible yet utterly real in the life of one where God reigns in the spirit. Where the King is, there is the kingdom. If King Jesus is enthroned in the heart, the kingdom of God has come. Adventuring Through the Bible by Stedman (p. 498)

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

We are now ready for a walk through the New Tesament. The first section is known as the Gospels. The word gospel means good news. The four gospels are the books called Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These books tell the good news that Jesus came to be our Savor. They are written by different men who were all eye witnesses to the life of Jesus here on earth. And yes, the names of the books are once again the names of the men that wrote them. So, why four books about the time Jesus was on earth? If you took a picture of your house, would I be able to see it all in one picture? No. You would have to give me some different angles….these four men, gave us four different views of the same time frame with Jesus. This week we are going to look at all four, then we will do each book individually. I want you do a compare and contrast. Read Matthew 26:17-35, Mark 14:12-31, Luke 22:7-38, John 13. Find what is the same and what is different. Then conclude with 1 Corinthians 11:24-26. We remember Jesus and what he did for us today…through the same “sharing” he did 2000 years ago with these men. Our God is so near.

Unborn and babies: read out loud to them from one of these books.
Preschoolers: Teach them the word “communion” and what it means. It is an “act” of sharing. Have some grape juice and bread. Break apart the bread together…dip into a cup of juice together…and read 1 Corinthians 11:24-26. Emphasize the words “remember me”. Then use their chilren’s Bible or yours and take them to one of the Gospels and show them the story of Jesus having the his last supper with his friends…and talk about what Jesus was getting ready to do – die on the cross. We “remember” always what Jesus did for us.

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

First round of pictures from our day of service this past Sunday, May 29th. Hope House and Three Streams Family Health Center

Through the Bible Family Challenge

I just love reading the hidden nuggets in the O.T. that speak of the revealed events recorded in the Gospels and Revelation. God is so wonderful to let us in on the story that is so much bigger than us. To read of Jesus’ second coming, gives me such hope and courage. It will be so wonderful to be with Him!

Unborn and babies: read out loud to them from these books.
Preschoolers: You will not find these books in most children’s Bibles. Use your Bible and let them look at these books at the end of the OT. Then find Zechariah 9:9. If they are learning their numbers or sizes, you can have them look for the big 9 and then the little 9. Read the verse. Then get their children’s Bible and find a picture of how Mary rode into Bethlehem. What was she riding? Go forward to what is called The Triumphal Entry…what was Jesus riding then? Wow….God knows everything! And sometimes he tells men what is going to happen! Awesome! Write the word donkey and put it into the book of Zechariah. God talked to Zechariah. Did you know that God talks to us? He does….he talks to us through the Bible and through His Spirit. I am so glad He talks to us too!

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Let’s Look at the Time Between the Old Testament & the New Testament(What the Bible is all about, p. 200-203)
The books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther tell us what happened in the last 100 years of the Old Testament history.  Malachi was the last of the Old Testament prophets.   Then there was 400 years of silence.  During this time, no biblical prophet spoke or wrote.  Yet, there were many things happening.

If you look at the a map of Israel, you will see that it is like a bridge of land that connects three continents:  Europe, Asia and Africa.  Because of the important location of this little piece of land, every world empire that came to power wanted to control it.  And so the Holy Land was conquered first by one and then another and then another world power.  Each adding a “something” needed to the area in preparation for the Coming King.

The Stage is SetAt last the stage was set for the coming of the Messiah.  God chose a time when the wonderful message of the Savior could be spread quickly throughout the entire world.  When the Greeks were in power, they had established Greek as a common language for the lands they conquered.  Greek is a great language for communicating clearly.  When the Romans were in power, they built a great network of roads.  The good news about Jesus could be sent throughout the world.

Through the years, God had told His people many things about the promised Savior through the prophets.  He told them the family line he would come through (David), he told many things the Savior would do, he even told where the Savior would be born; but he didn’t say “when”.  After 400 years, another prophet speaks.  He speaks in the first part of the New Testament.  Can you think of his name?  We will be reading about him soon.

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

Time Line: 750-600 BC
Let your fingers do the walking through these books. As a family, list the contrast of words you find in the headings like, weeping and mourning, deliverance and destruction. Then read, Micah 4:1-3, Nahum 1:1-7,Habakkuk 1:1-5, 2:18-20, Zephaniah 3:14-17. As you read from these different prophets, look for the different images and traits you see of our God. He is real and active. He cares about what is good and just. And he allows man to choose and walk a distance in evil and destruction.

The older I get the more I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, our God keeps his promises. He answers when we call. He may make us wait…which we hate to do. But Yahweh is…and we live in His Creation and are created ourselves. We are walking in the pages of His Story and He will bring the story to a beautiful place. Happy endings only exist because He does. Evil will be dealt with and ended. What a beautiful day that will be! If you have been wounded deeply by the evil in this world, you bring it to the Healer and He will heal you. Oh Lord! Help our unbelief…it robs us of the more that can be found in you.

Unborn and babies: read out loud to them from these books.
Preschoolers: You will not find these books in most children’s Bibles. Give your child the picture ofZephaniah 3:17 by words and actions. Take your child to a moment he/she has been hurting or afraid and ask, what do we do when you are hurt or afraid? I hold you and bring you close and take care of you. When I do that to you…, Mommy/Daddy is being like God. God does that for us. He “quiets” our hearts with his love. He sings over us like a parent does their child. Cut out a heart. Add a wrap like a blanket and put it in the pages of Zephaniah.

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Nahum warned that Nineveh would be destroyed because of the people’s wickedness.
Nineveh was captured by the Medes and Babylonians about six hundred years before Jesus was born.  The capture of Nineveh happened exactly as Nahum had described.  A sudden rise of the Tigris River carried away part of the wall, making it easier for the enemy troops to enter the city.  The city was partly destroyed by fire.

The destruction of Nineveh was so complete that all traces of it disappeared.  Then in 1845 archaeologists uncovered the ruins of the great city of Nineveh.  They found ruins of magnificent palaces.  They discovered thousands of inscriptions that tell us the story of Assyria as the Assyrians wrote it themselves!

The city of Nineveh had walls 100 feet high.  These great walls were so thick that four chariots could ride on them side by side.  There were hundreds of towers on the walls.  A moat 140 feet wide and 60 feet deep surrounded the walls.  The people of Nineveh thought nothing could destroy their city.  But their great wealth and strength could not save them.  God destroyed this great city because of the people’s great wickedness.  The city still lies in ruin today. (What the Bible, p.185)

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

Time Line: 815BC-540BC
Let your fingers do the walking and find these books and read the headings. Last year, Jason did an interpretive presentation/teaching on Hosea. You can go into our archives on the website and listen to it…very powerful and clear about what the Lord asked of Hosea in his life given to God (Ownership). In these minor prophets, you see God speaking judgement and holding the line for righteouness and the grace factor: man repents, God relents. The prophets reveal God’s justice with his patience and everlasting love. Read the book of Jonah. It is a good short read and reveals the humanity of one of God’s messengers. Look for all the attitudes of Jonah’s heart, how he responded to God – good and bad, and God’s heart toward people. Some writers refer to Jonah as the “grumpy” prophet.

Unborn and babies: read out loud to them from the book of Jonah.
Preschoolers: Jonah’s book is usually in all Children’s Bible story books…so, you can read it from there or read the basic story from the Bible…it is pretty good. Jonah is a pretty grumpy guy about what God wants him to do. Yet, God and he keep talking. Do you know the Eeyore character in Winnie the Pooh? Jonah is an Eeyore. He doesn’t quit or leave the story. But he just isn’t happy about things. Cut out a picture of Eeyore and stick him in the book of Jonah. Jonah finally obeyed God…but he still wasn’t happy about it.

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Slow to Anger
Three of the minor prophets-Joel, Jonah, and Nahum-refer to God as “slow to anger,” meaning he is patient, forbearing, not eager to punish quickly.  The actual meaning of the Hebrew wording is “long of nose.”  To the Hebrew mind the “hot nose” was the sign of anger – the person breathed heavily, nosily.  To be “long of nose” meant the nose didn’t overheat easily – in other words, a patient person.  Although almost all the prophets speak of God’s righteous anger, they all emphasize how ready God is to forgive- and low long he delays punishing offenders

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

Through the Bible Family Challenge: Daniel. Can you guess the writer of this book? How did you know? Yes, it is Daniel. Daniel was a prophet who brought the Lord’s message mostly to a non-Jewish nation called Babylon. He was taken captive as a teenager and stayed faithful to his heritage. The Lord lifted him up and he became a rock solid man of God. Daniel’s name means “God is my Judge”. Daniel reveals (more than any other prophet) prophecies concerning future times.

Time Line: 650BC – 540BC
Jeremiah in Jerusalem, Ezekiel with the Jews in Babylon, Daniel with the rulers of Babylon
Three prophets were giving God’s Word at the same time. Daniel and Ezekiel were about the same age. Jeremiah was older.

Get your Bible and find the Book of Daniel and let your fingers do the walking through this awesome book. There are two real familiar stories in this book and if you want to read both that’s great: Fiery Furnace & Lion’s Den. I love to read them straight from God’s Word unedited. Children’s Bible story books seem to take away some of the – awesomeness. Read Daniel 3. This is the story of Daniel’s friends who were taken captive with him. Daniel always uses his Hebrew name, but for his friends, you will find their Hebrew names in chapter one: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They are known to us as Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego. Now if you are reading this out loud as a family…you have to use dramatic voices…because this story is sooooooooooooo amazing. These men were so rock solid in their faith…whether God saved them or not from the king…they stood firm.

Fifteen years ago, Greg and I were praying about the name for our third son. I can remember walking down the country gravel road where we were living in Kansas. It was an evening walk after supper and I am very full of child. I remember asking Greg if he had decided yet between the names we were considering for our unborn son. He said he had and he wanted to name him Daniel because of the meaning of the name: God is my judge. God knows the heart of us; He sees us clearly; and He loves us most. Greg wanted our third son to grown up under this banner. Yeah! God so lead us when we ask him. It has been a good name for our Daniel. Greg’s Dad has this name as well….so it was perfect in every way.

Unborn and babies: read out loud to them from the book of Daniel.
Preschoolers: You can read it from a story book if you have all younger children. I would make an idol out of 2 liter bottle or something. Use some dolls or army men to show what the king wanted all his people to do….fall down and worship this “god”. Sometimes it is good to say the word: no.

Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego said no…they didn’t fall down to this “made” god. They chose to worship God…the living God. You can use orange construction paper for your fiery furnace and talk about how God had a message for this king. He protected these men from the heat of the furnace. And this king learned…Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego’s God was and is. They had rock solid faith.

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On the Way to the Future by Ray Stedman
God gave us the books of Daniel and Revelation, as well as the other prophetic books of the Bible, to unfold His program of history.  They are meant not only to inform us about the future, but to instruct us for the present.  God gave us these books so that we would know how to live today with tomorrow in mind.  He gave them to us to sober us and ground us in His eternal perspective on human events and heavenly events.

Daniel and Revelation have not yet been fulfilled.  These two books, one from the old and one from the New Testament, work in harmony.   The book of Revelation explains the book of Daniel.  The book of Daniel lays the basis for the book of Revelation.  God does not unfold the future to us in specific detail.  He uses symbolic and figurative language.   It requires sitting with the Word of God and seeing God’s thread of teaching.  God has taken precautions in the presenation of the future.  In the book of Daniel, the first six chapters are devoted to moral and spirtual instruction.  they are a  history of the prophet Daniel himself and his friends in the land of Babylon.  It is a story of faith lived out in the fiery crucible of a hostile world.

If you find yourself struggling to live the Christian life amid the pressures, hostility, temptation and persecution of a non-Christian world, then the first six chapters of Daniel are a must read for you.  They are valuable to teenagers who must stand against peer pressure and temptation.  Daniel and his teenage friends are perhaps the strongest, most encouraging role models in the Bible.

The future-focused section of Daniel begins in chapter 7 with the vision of the four beasts.  It is interesting that these four beasts cover the same period of time as the four divisions of the image that Nebuchadnezzar had seen in chapter 2.  That image had a head of gold, symbolizing the Babylonian kingdom; shoulders of silver, for Medo-Persia; a trunk of brass , symbolizing the Grecian empire; two legs of iron, representing the two divisions of the Roman empire; and terminating at last in a broken kingdom, characterized by feet of mingled iron and clay.  This great prophetic passage outlines history from Daniel’s day to a future that is still beyond our own day, to the very end of time and the return of Jesus Christ.

In chapter 7, the four beasts represent the same kingdoms – from God’s point of view.  They are not mighty powers in God’s sight.  They are merely beasts growling and quarreling with each other.  Daniel sees these nations struggling against each other, and their struggle culminates in the powerful reign of a single individual over the entire Western world.  (p.351)
Read Chapter Twelve.

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

Through the Bible Family Challenge

Imagine that your are Jeremiah the preacher. You live during the last days of a decaying nation, in the days of evil leaders. You preach to your nation and call your people to repent before God, but no one listens; you are threatened, persecuted, and opposed at every turn. You do not have the comfort of a wife at home to share your hard days with…God told you not to marry. You feel abandoned and alone; all your friends turn away. You wish you could quit and give your job to someone else. But, the Word of God burns in your bones, and you have to speak it regardless of the outcome. You love your people, your country, and you see disaster coming but no one will listen. Instead of listening, your nation turns on you and seeks to destroy the messgenger. (Adventure, Stedman, p.320) Ugh! This is very hard. God asked a something very hard of Jeremiah. And yet with all the hard, he love the Lord more than the hard challenge - so he listened and obeyed.

Let your fingers do the walking through these two books and then read Jeremiah Chapter 1 (the call of Jeremiah) and 6:16. In chaper one, what did the Lord call Jeremiah? There were things in verse 18. Talk about what those are and how this would be a benefit for him. Then talk about a crossroad and what that is – a place to make a choice. What choice was before Judah? What choise is before us? Did Juday listen? Unlike Judah in that day, may we learn to ask where the good way is…and walk in it.

Unborn babies & infants: Read scriptures out loud to them.
Preschoolers & Kindergartners: Get our some toy cars and play “go or drive” with them. You can make a cross roads with construction paper. Ask them which way they want to go…and drive cars that way. Go to the crossroads several times…making a choice of direction. After you have had time to play, get your happy sad face and tell them that Jeremiah is a man in the Bible who reminded God’s people to look for the good way. When we choose the good way, God is happy and so are we. You could put the car in the pages of Jeremiah and drive around. Jeremiah chose the good way…but most of his friends did not. What is the good way?

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The Destruction of Lachish
In 1935, very old letters were found that tell us about the fall of Lachish (Jeremiah 34). The information in these letters, written by people who saw the destruction of  the city, is the same as the information that Jeremiah wrote in the Bible.

New Covenant
Jeremiah wrote about a new covenant. The old covenant with Moses had been written on the stone tablets. The new covenant would be written on people’s hearts. God’s commandments would be “internalized.” (31:31-34)  This is also spoken of in Hebrew 8:8-12.
We are walking in the new covenant.  Jesus in us.

Sue Peniston
Children’s Director

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”…” (Luke 2:49)

Devotional Thought
As a parent, nothing makes me happier then when my child chooses to do the right thing and honors me with his obedience. This simple act of obedience means so much to me, because I also know how dishonoring disobedience feels.

Luke’s gospel tells an interesting story of an experience Jesus has at the temple when He was 12. In this story, Jesus stays behind in the temple while His family leaves for Nazareth. Once they realize Jesus is not with them, they head back to Jerusalem and start a search and rescue operation, and eventually find Him amazing the crowds with His wisdom and understanding. On one hand, Jesus was not with His family where He was supposed to be, but on the other hand, Jesus was right where He belonged – in His father’s house.

Listening and obeying our earthly parents is a vitally important part of our humanity, but, as Jesus shows, so is listening and obeying our heavenly father. Jesus later said, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…” (Matthew 10:37) This is a hard teaching! This certainly does not suggest any disrespect for our earthly parents, but it suggests a zealous devotion and childlike obedience to Jesus that supersedes all other authorities. Sometimes our families, friends, co-workers, etc., don’t understand the journey that we are called to. Take heart, though, Jesus’ family didn’t understand Him either, and when we walk in obedience to His calling we honor Him and make Him a very proud parent.

Take a moment and meditate and pray this prayer provided below:

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my whole will.
All that I am and all that I possess you have given me.
I surrender it all to you to be disposed of according to your will.
Give me only your love and your grace —
with these I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more.”
(Prayer of Ignatius Loyola).

Devotional Thought
Today begins our new theme for the week, “The Way to the Temple.”  The centrality of the temple in Jewish religious and cultural life cannot be understated.  Jesus’ “way to the cross” would not be complete without participation, cleansing, and the re-imagining of the institution of the temple.

Jesus’ final trip to the temple was by no means his first trip there.  In fact, Jesus first went to the temple as an infant, so that He could be consecrated according to the purification rites required by the Law of Moses.  While His family was there, two different people, Simeon and the prophet Anna, came up to them and prophesied about His future as the Messiah.  This must have been strange for Jesus’ family considering that they didn’t know these people and Jesus was not even 3 months old.

I often wonder if we saw Jesus as a baby, would we recognize Him as the light of the world and the source of salvation?  Or, would we have a better chance of recognizing Him as a 33-year-old man teaching, praying, and healing in the temple courts?  I would like to believe that we would recognize Him, but the Jews of His adulthood could recognize Him as a prophet, but not the Messiah.  We must be able to recognize Him, though, because we need His presence to fully walk the journey God has called us to, and also because we need to recognize the things that aren’t Jesus that distract and confuse us.

Take a moment and ask God to reveal Jesus to you in a powerful way.  Ask Him to help you be able to see and fully recognize Jesus as you listen for His voice, read and understand His scriptures, and become His disciple.

“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making all things new’…” (Revelation 21:5)

Devotional Thought
Driving through a tunnel can be an unnerving experience. There is a sense of claustrophobia and being trapped that makes one long for the light that approaches at the other end. A few mornings ago I was driving through one such tunnel, and the other side of the tunnel was particularly bright because there was a light layer of fog that the sun was radiantly shining upon. Coming out of that tunnel into that marvelous light made me reflect on the hope that is widely expressed throughout the Bible of what heaven is going to be like. John in Revelation speaks about a “new heaven,” a “new earth,” and a “new Jerusalem.” This “newness” must have kept Jesus anchored on His journey to Jerusalem and His journey to the cross because he knew that what He was doing was bringing redemption to people certainly, but also to creation itself. Hope led Jesus to Jerusalem and the cross, because He could see the brightness on the other side of the tunnel, and it was worth dying for.

Unlike Jesus, hope is not a trait that we are particularly good at. We either lose hope to overwhelming fear or we drown it out by the busyness of our lives; either way hope is lost to us. Hope was the driving force for the Early Christians and for Jesus himself, and we must regain it. The “way to the cross” is riddled with hardships, joy, and pain, and without hope we will never make it to the end.  Jesus himself has promised us that “He will wipe every tear from [our] eyes.” and “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) Now that is something to be hopeful about!

So, would you describe yourself as a person who is filled with hope? Or have you let fears and busyness crowd out the amazing promises of Jesus in your heart? Take a moment and ask God to breathe hope deep inside you. Then ask God to take that hope and help it transform everything about you: the way you think, the way you act, the way you respond to Him, and the way you respond to others.