Everyone needs to be rescued, even me.

Next Sunday we are going to start a three week series on the prodigal son in our elementary area and in our Wednesday evening programming.  To prepare for this time of learning some of our parents got together yesterday evening to consider the questions, "Why do people need to be rescued?" and "What did God do about it?"  One of the things the adults talked about, is what some of the messages are that our kids receive from others that counteract what we are trying to teach them.

Those concerning messages are:
You know everything
Rescue yourself
Nobody is there to rescue you
I don't need to be rescued
Do the right thing and you won't need to be rescued
Don't discuss religion outside of church
There is no God

As we prepare for this time of learning about how God rescued us, what is your response to the above statements, and how do you demonstrate the fact that "everyone needs to be rescued, even you" within your family?

Top reasons to read the Bible

If you missed Firm Foundation tonight, the adult small group wanted to help you stay connected! Tonight in preparation for what the kids will be learning Sunday, the adults discussed what some of the top reasons to read the Bible are. Below are the top reasons they shared. Join the conversation and let us know your top reason.

Alone time with God; get away from the world and listen to God (and even without explaining that, children will see your example and understand that it is important)

Increases our understanding of God and us

Help to understand what's happening in your life

Other people have survived so we can too - great examples of perseverance and faith

Prepares us for the future as well as we learn to trust

'cause God said so!

Speaks to me as a person; i'm not anonymous to God; I matter to God

See who God is and that God is consistent

You're not alone

May be feeling same things that others have, yet they trusted God and survived (God is good)

Read daily, so our children see that reading scripture is a part of our lives that feels normal.

Perseverance- Not Giving Up When Life Gets Hard

During the month of July our theme has been perseverance...we've learned about how people in the Bible persevered, how Jesus persevered, and how God can teach us through times of perseverance.  Tonight at Firm Foundation (our intergenerational family program) we experienced a power outage that tested our ability to persevere.  Instead of our expensive sound system, we just sang a cappella, instead of microphones, we talked a little bit louder, and instead of air conditioning...well we sweated.  Since our lesson today was "when life gets hard, we can remember what God wants to do in us," we can remember that we can worship God and enjoy the company of our church family with or without electricity.

Firm Foundation

At Firm Foundation (our mid-week family program) we study a new virtue each month.  The virtue we study, lines up with what the elementary age kids are learning on Sunday morning.  In July we are studying perseverance, and are defining it as "refusing to give up when life gets hard."  On July 11th you can post a picture on our Facebook page  of your family showing perseverance.  We will select a winner on June 12 who will receive a gift card to Menchies frozen yogurt in Lexington.  The winner will be announced at the June 13 Firm Foundation.  Start planning now!  Let's see your perseverance!

VBS

A few days out from VBS, and stories have been rolling in about the way God was at work in the lives of the kids who attended VBS 2011.  Some decided that reading their Bible was important, at least one accepted Jesus as her savior, and all the kids were able to pray with their parents on family night (which I personally think is awesome).  It was an incredible week of learning and growing closer to God by both the adults and the children.  We had an absolutely amazing team of volunteers who showed every child that they were valued and made it possible for us to allow all 20 pre-k cuties that wanted to be at VBS to attend.

Now we must move on to evaluating VBS.  We want our programs to be the best that they can be.  So help us out as we evaluate VBS 2011!  So leave us a comment and tell us what should we continue doing, stop doing, and start doing?

VBS Sneak Peak

WOOOHOOO!  Look at what Patricia Walsh has been working hard on all afternoon!  We are super excited for VBS 2011.  A big thank you to Patricia and all of our other amazing VBS volunteers.  It's going to be a great year!  See you at NUMC for VBS 2011, June 13-17 from 6:00-8:00pm.

Guest post by Jeff Rudy

This guest post was written by Jeff Rudy.  Jeff is a PH. D. student at Asbury Theological Seminary, adjunct professor at Asbury University, husband to Carrie, father of Sam and Julianne, and one of the amazing Pre-K volunteers at NUMC.  Enjoy!

I’ve been teaching Sam the Lord’s Prayer. In addition to using the formal words that are recited at Church and evidenced in the King James Version of the Bible (see Matthew 6:9-13), I’ve been adapting some of the terms to be more kid-friendly to help him grasp the meaning of the words until he can enunciate and more fruitfully understand the KJV, yet I still wanted him to learn the rhythm of formality and repetition of a prayer that has guided the Church through the centuries.

The way I teach him to pray is to say one line and pause so that he can repeat it. (Sam’s actually been wanting to pray the King James version recently). Here are the two juxtaposed:

KJV:                                                                            Kid version:

Our Father                                                                  Our Father
Which art in heaven                                                    Who is in heaven
Hallowed by Thy name                                              Your name is holy
Thy kingdom come                                                     Come and be our king
Thy will be done                                                         Help us do what you want
In earth as it is in heaven                                            On earth as in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread                                 Give us today the things we need
And forgive us our trespasses                                                Forgive us when we have hurt you
As we forgive those who trespass against us             As we forgive others who hurt us
Lead us not into temptation                                       Help us stay out of trouble
But deliver us from evil                                              When trouble comes our way, rescue us
For thine is the kingdom, the power,                          Everything is yours, I worship you.

And the glory forever, Amen.                                     In Jesus' name, Amen.

Most of it is rather straightforward, but I’ll elaborate a little bit on why I chose certain phrases:

·      Your name is holy – a child may or may not grasp what “holiness” means but it’s easier to say than “hallowed,” which is why I chose it. You can pretty easily teach your child what “holy” means – special, set apart, worthy of our honor/love/praise. Think about the special nature of God’s name in the commandments, not to take it in vain. In the ancient world, one’s name was his/her character and nature. God is special, set apart, worthy of our honor, love, and praise, etc.

·      Come and be our king – though we have no ‘king’ as a political figure in the US, children are generally well accustomed to the notion of a king or kingdom through stories and fairy tales. It is about God’s special reign in our lives so that we make God’s reign known “on earth as it is in heaven.”

·      Give us today the things we need – Dr. Mulholland (Asbury Seminary prof.) put it this way one time: “Nurture us today for kingdom living.” In other words, give us whatever we need to live for you.

·      Forgive…hurt – “trespass” may be a difficult word to grasp, but children know well the language of hurt (physical, emotional/hurt feelings, etc.) This is key. We forgive because we are forgiven and because we are forgivers.

·      Help us stay out of trouble, When trouble comes our way, rescue us – You’ll notice I use trouble in different ways here…I think this can be helpful in distinguishing different types of trouble/trials/temptations. The ones of the former (help us stay out of trouble) is the trouble we can avoid. We often put ourselves in situations where we are tempted to dishonor, disobey God and “not do what he wants us to do” so we ask for help to do what he wants and “stay out of trouble.” I’m thinking of the description of temptation that James operates with in his letter. The latter kind is the type of trouble that we have no control over. Temptation that just pops up out of nowhere. It comes from the fact of living in a fallen world that is still influenced by ‘the prince of the power of the air,’ that is, the enemy. Children, if they’ve heard any stories, know what it means to be rescued. They should. It’s ok to be rescued and need help. I think this can assist in developing discernment…knowing what situations we can stay away from and when to ask for help.