The Parable of the Sower

We took a closer look at the parable of the sower this evening and covered the first two soils, as Pastor Billy taught them on Sunday from Matthew 13:18-23. We discussed who the sower really is, Jesus...that the seed is the Word of God...and that the soils represent the four different kinds of heart conditions. As we discussed the hard path and the rocky soil, we dug deeper into examples of people as represented by each soil.

We also talked about how, knowing there are four different types of human heart conditions, we need to be careful how we present the gospel to people. We can't sugarcoat it and tell people that, once they become Christians, they will have smooth sailing, easy lives and be happy all the time. We need to be truthful about the enemy ever seeking to kill, steal, and destroy and about the testings and trials that always come our way as we grow in our faith. Then, new hearers of the gospel will know what to expect in a Christian life and not be discouraged to the point of walking away from the faith when things get tough.

We began our parable cubes tonight as well. They are six-sided cubes, much like a die, that once we are finished with them will be great visual and tactile reminders of this parable, its elements, and what it all means. Hopefully, they will also serve as great conversation starters, prayerfully with people who need to hear the gospel...maybe even for the first time!

Game Night!

We had our first ever game night tonight. The kids enjoyed Apples to Apples, Guess Who, Tickle Toes, and Bop It just to name a few. We decided a game night every other month or so might be a nice way just to socialize, fellowship with each other, and do some good old fashioned youth group bonding.

It was my birthday as well tonight and the kids made me some of the most awesome cards. They were so sweet. There was also a cake, but let's not talk about the fire alarm going off when I blew the candles out. That's enough to make you feel a tad old!

We gave the kids there second week packet of devotional tonight and encouraged them to keep plugging away at them to stay in God's Word. Please encourage them parents!

WinterJam 2011

We joined the older youth kids for WinterJam 2011 and enjoyed 4 hours of 10 top Christian bands, including Francesca Battistelli, Newsboys, Newsong, Kutlass, David Crowder Band, and more. We had a blast and then enjoyed fellowshiping together at McDonald's afterwards. It was a late night for sure, but no doubt a memorable one too.

Thirsty for God

Pastor Billy spoke about being thirsty for God this past Sunday. Tonight we gave the kids packs of devotionals to last them through the upcoming week. We asked them to work through one each day. There is a required Scripture reading for each day and then text questions, self-examination questions, and often times prayer following their reading.

The kids were asked to bring back their packets next week to remain accountable as having done them. They will then be given a new packet for the next week. Our plan is to get the kids into the habit of being in the Word seven days a week through doing these devotionals for one month. Parents, please encourage them to do their devotional everyday and to bring it back each week.

They say it takes three weeks to make or break a habit. Our prayer for the kids is that they form the habit of spending time in God's Word daily now while they are young so that it remains a habit with them throughout the rest of their lives.

Rabbits, and Chickens, and Guinea Pigs...Oh My!

Just an update to our Christmas mission to give to those in need. The grand total raised for Missionary Ventures to provide to indigenous families in third world countries was $130.00! Last night we voted and today we completed the purchase of:

• 1 Chicken - Provide daily sustenance to an impoverished family through chickens. Not only do eggs satisfy needs for protein, but they can be a source of income for a family through the sale of eggs and chickens.
• 1 Guinea Pig - Did you know that guinea pigs were originally domesticated for meat in South America? Guinea pigs are a more profitable source of food and income than pigs and cows because they require less rooom and reproduce more quickly.
• 2 Packs of Seeds - We would pay six dollars for one value meal. Consider spending six dollars to purchase enough seeds to plant a whole acre of land. This would provide black beans, peanuts, corn, etc. for a hungry community.
• 2 Rabbits - Provide an income for a family by giving a rabbit which can be raised and sold for meat.
• 1 Goat - Goats are useful as a renewable source of milk and fiber, and also can be a source for meat and hide. Because they are easier and cheaper to manage than cattle, they make great gifts for indigenous families.

Freedom In Christ

Is Your House Built on Rock or Sand

A Galaxy? Or maybe an eyeball?

Snake Skin?

Close-Up of Elderly Indian Man's Skin? Or Elephant Skin?

In John 8:31-32, it says, ³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

We played a little game tonight called Fact or Fiction. We started out easy with things like:

• This room is yellow.
• The church address is 9620 Bullard Parkway.
• The chief end of man is to glorify God and praise Him forever.
• Terrace Palms' goals are to know God, live out the gospel, and proclaim His kingdom.
• Kirsten is the youngest in her family.
• Mrs. Tara has been eating too many Twinkies and that's why her stomach is growing.
• Terrace Palms Community Church wasn't always in this building. It used to be next to a bunch of stores and offices.

Then we threw in some trickier, less obvious facts or fiction using some picture cues. For example, we gave the kids a picture of a leaf up extremely close and told them it was a snake's skin (which it really did look like). They had to assess whether that was fact or fiction.

We even tested their Bible knowledge a bit with statements like:

• Abel killed his brother Cain.
• Noah had 4 sons who went into the ark with him and his wife.
• Bathsheba was taking a bath the first time King David saw her.
• Gideon and 200 men defeated the Midianites.
• Job used broken pieces of pottery to scrape his infected sores.
• Stephen was a martyr who was burned at the stake.
• Goliath was a giant in the Ammonite army.
• God fed the Israelites manna in the wilderness.
• Moses raised his staff for God to part the Black Sea.
• Jesus could walk on water.
• A little boy gave his lunch of five fishes and two loaves of bread so Jesus could feed the multitudes.
• After four days, the whale vomited Jonah out of his stomach and onto the shore.
• Proverbs 12:1 says that, whoever hates discipline loves knowledge, but whoever loves correction is stupid.
• God shut the mouths of the lions in the den so they wouldn't kill Daniel.
• Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were consumed in the fiery furnace for not bowing down to the image Nebuchadnezzar made.
• Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt when she turned and looked back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
• As long as you do lots of good works and are a good person, you will surely go to heaven when you die.
• Repentance from our sins means we turn 360 degrees from them.

As you can see, some were more obvious than others. It was also interesting to see where each child was in their knowledge of the Scriptures and truth.

So we gave the first statement to a specific child. If they correctly named it fact or fiction, we moved on to the next child and statement. As soon as a child incorrectly identified a statement, they were asked to stand while their hands were bound behind their backs with a scarf and they were also asked to hold in their hands an 8-pound weight. To say it was uncomfortable for them is an understatement! They then had to wait until two of their friends correctly identified fact or fiction statements before they were "set free" from their predicament.

We then talked about how living in Christ's truth and subsequent freedom prepares for us a solid foundation to stand on when life gets difficult. This we actually demonstrated with two Lego houses, one on sand, and one on a rock. We then poured water into a narrow valley between the two houses and watched as the house on the sand tumbled down (Matthew 7:25-27).

Happy New Year's!!

Sooooo glad to be past the holiday hustle and bustle and back to Zero Gravity and routine!! We missed these guys! We had our belated Christmas gift exchange and New Year's party last night and what a wild evening it was. Hanna was our door greeter in her New Year's getup. We started with pizza for dinner and then our gift exchange. Kirsten was so creative. Ben just asked for $10 and so she sewed that much in quarters into a sock guy she made for him. The kids LOVED the acrostic name pictures John and I made them. It was precious to see how excited and proud they were to have us read their names outloud and then use each letter to describe a quality we love about them.

We went outside for fireworks and then it was time for Michaela's birthday cake and snacks while we settled in a little for a movie (after a wild game of hide and seek, that is). The movie ended right about 11:50 p.m., just in time for the countdown to 2011. Party poppers filled with confetti were the craze, followed by another movie and then FINALLY the talking ended around 4:30 a.m.!! Cailin was out long before midnight of course. How she slept through all the craziness we'll never know. Oh, the pleasure we took in waking all of them at 7 for breakfast and to get dressed!!