July in the Tree House Club

We're following our Basecamp theme in July.

Jesus’ followers witnessed so many amazing things while He walked the earth with them. They saw Jesus perform miracles and they heard Him teach a whole new way of thinking. Through it all, God was preparing them to carry Jesus’ ministry into the world. He was teaching them the basics:

Wisdom – I need to make the wise choice.
Faith – I can trust God no matter what.
Friendship – I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

When we focus on these ideas, we can also begin to discover what God is doing in us to change the world around us. We’ll learn from Jesus’ teachings that we, too, can make a difference.

The monthlymemory verse is: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t be hidden,” Matthew 5:14, NIrV. When we choose to love God by loving others, you will help God’s love shine on all people.

In Week One’s Bible story, Jesus loves and forgives Peter for denying Him (John 18-21). Our Bottom Line is: God is doing something in me so I will love the people around me. When we love the way Jesus loves us, we forgive when others wrong us, we serve and help meet others’ needs, and we sacrifice what we want for what’s best for others.

In Week Two’s biblical principle, Jesus is teaching the people how to be kind to others, even people who mistreat you (Matthew 5:41-41). In Jesus’ time, the Roman guards could force people to carry their belongings for a mile. But Jesus taught that, to show God’s kindness to the guards, the people should go an extra mile. Our Bottom Line is: God is doing something in me so I will love people who are hard to love.

In Week Three’s Bible story, Jesus commands His followers to go into all the world and tell about God’s love (Matthew 28:16-20). Our Bottom Line is: God is doing something in me to show the world who He is. Each of Jesus’ followers had a story of when God had shown them love, and they were able to share that story with other people.

In Week Four’s Bible story, Jesus commanded that we should love God with all our hearts and love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40). Our Bottom Line is: God is doing something in you to change the world around you. Often, one of the best ways we can love God is by loving His people. Regardless of who the person is or what they’ve done, God still loves them, and we can too.

By Jessica McKee ©2013 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. www.ThinkOrange.com *Used by permission.

Basecamp!

When we look at the life and teaching of Jesus, we’re reminded how important it is to go back to the basics. Luke gives us some insight into how Jesus grew up. Luke 2:52 notes that Jesus grew in wisdom and in favor with God and others. Throughout our lives, we should also circle back to these ideas as we seek to live like Jesus.

These are the basics: Wisdom—I need to make the wise choice; Faith—I can trust God no matter what; Friendship—I should treat others the way I want to be treated.
When we return to these ideas, we can begin to discover what God is doing in us to change the world around us. This summer we’re heading back to Base Camp where we’ll learn from the life of Jesus, His teachings, and His example.

The monthly memory verse is: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men,” Luke 2:52, NIrV. When we respond to God and follow where He leads, we will see ourselves develop in wisdom, faith, and friendship. Then we will be able to set the example for other people.

In Week One’s biblical principle, Luke tells us how Jesus grew up (Luke 2:52). Jesus grew closer to God by growing in wisdom, faith, and friendship. Our Bottom Line is: God is doing something in you to change the world around you. We can’t change the world until we allow God to change us on the inside and make us more like Jesus.

In Week Two’s Bible story, Jesus heals a blind man (John 9:1–38, NIrV). This miracle causes the Pharisees and other Jews to wonder if Jesus is the Messiah they had been waiting for. And Jesus tells the healed man exactly who He is. Our Bottom Line is: God is doing something to show me who He is. God is continually doing things around us that help us know Him better.

In Week Three’s Bible story, Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, dies (John 11:1-44). At first,Lazarus’ sisters couldn’t understand why Jesus didn’t help, but they soon realized Jesus had everything under control. Our Bottom Line is: God is doing something big to help me trust in Him. God may not fix all our problems, but He’ll give us the strength to get through it.

In Week Four’s Bible story, Jesus calls Matthew to leave his post as tax collector and follow Him (Matthew 9:9–13). Matthew was hated by most of the Jews, but when Jesus accepted him, it showed that anyone could follow Jesus. Our Bottom Line is: God is doing something in me to help me follow Him. No one is too bad or too good to follow Jesus.

And finally, in Week Five’s Bible story, Jesus tells a story about a farmer who sows seeds in different types of soil (Matthew 13:1–23). The seed is like God’s Word, and the soil is like people who hear God’s Word. If we listen to God and do what He says, we will be good soil and see great growth. Our Bottom Line is: God is doing something in me when I do what He says.

By Jessica McKee ©2013 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. www.ThinkOrange.com *Used by permission.

This Weeks' GodTime Card! May Week 3

We've been talking about Patience!  I don't know about you, but we could all use a refresher in how and why to be patient.

This weeks bottom line was: When you think you can't wait, tell God about it.

Parents try this yourself and remind your kids about it too.  Click HERE for some Family Time to practice together.

May: Play It Cool, Patience

From the very beginning, God has shown patience with people. All the way back in the garden, when Adam and Eve first chose their own way instead of God’s, God started His plan to give all of us a chance to come back to Him. And time and again, God is patient with us when we make daily choices that separate us from Him. He waits for us to turn back to Him.
As a fruit of the Spirit, patience is a foundational way that we reflect God’s character. When we show patience, we are less likely to hurt our relationships with others. We are more likely to trust that God has something better for us in the future.

Patience is waiting until later for what you want now. Waiting isn’t always easy. When having patience seems too difficult, the Lord will give us strength to wait. At its core, patience is fueled by faith. We trust that what we’re waiting for is best for us.
But patience is more than just waiting. It’s also about our attitude while we wait. A patient person can wait with joy even when the situation might be stressful or anxious. A patient person avoids searching or settling for a quick fix.

The monthly memory verse is: “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14, NIrV Sometimes it feels too hard to be strong while we wait, but our trust in God gives us the strength to wait well.
In Week One’s Bible story, Esau comes in from hunting and is very hungry (Genesis 25:24-34). Because he can’t wait, Esau ends up trading his entire inheritance for a full stomach. Our Bottom Line is: When you think you can’t wait, think twice. Don’t give up what’s best for something immediate.

In Week Two’s Bible story, the Israelites grew impatient waiting for Moses to finish meeting with God (Exodus 32:1-35) and asked Aaron to build an idol for them. Our Bottom Line is: When you think you can’t wait, don’t forget what’s true. God had put Moses in charge of the Israelites and led them out of slavery. But in a moment of impatience, they forgot everything they’d experienced.

In Week Three’s Bible story, Hannah wants to become a mother but is waiting for a baby (1 Samuel 1:9–2:1). Even through the sadness of her prayers, God gives her the strength to wait until the time is right. Our Bottom Line is: When you think you can’t wait, tell God about it. God wants us to talk to Him when we’re facing a difficult time.

In Week Four’s biblical principle, we learn the wisdom of being patient (Proverbs 14:29). Our Bottom Line is: When you think you can’t wait, don’t lose your cool. We can work hard to keep control of our words, actions, and attitudes while we wait. That way we can avoid doing something we might regret.

For God, it seems as though patience is all about relationships with people. Even after we sinned, He still pursued us. He waited time after time for people to repent and work to make things right. Something He still does today.

 By Jessica McKee ©2013 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. www.ThinkOrange.com *Used by permission.

Stuck Like Glue: Friendship

Our curriculum in the Tree House Club is based on a new attribute or virtue of God every month. This week is: Friendship. One of the main goals of our time with your kids is to let them know that they should treat others like they want to be treated. That's a focus this month!

At Jesus’ final meal, He spoke with His disciples about what it meant to have a lasting friendship with Him. He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, NIV)

Days later, Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross to take the punishment for our sins, setting the example for ultimate friendship. But Jesus demonstrated friendship throughout His life. He walked alongside His friends. He helped their hurts. He never shied away from discussing important topics. He surprised them with acts of service.

Friendship is spending time with someone you trust and enjoy. Just as Jesus spent time with His friends so they could get to know Him better, we can build trust and have fun with our friends as we spend time with them.

But we often take friendship for granted. We have friend requests on Facebook and conversations through email that make us feel hyper-connected with anyone on the other side of the Internet connection. However, real friends are Stuck Like Glue and won’t let go when times get tough.
The monthly memory verse is: “A friend loves at all times. He is there to help when trouble comes.” (Proverbs 17:17 NIrV). Everyone needs encouragement, especially in tough times. A friend will be ready with helpful words and simple actions to strengthen his friends.

In Week One’s Bible story, Paul writes to the believers in Rome teaching them about accepting one another (Romans 14:13; 15:7; Acts 9). Our Bottom Line is: Friends accept one another. Even if someone has different interests than us, has a different background, or makes a bad choice, we can still accept and help them.

Week Two’s biblical principle comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:11a. Paul wrote these words to instruct his friends in Thessalonica to give each other hope, even though they faced persecution for their belief in Jesus. Our Bottom Line is: Friends encourage one another. It’s important for friends to encourage each other with positive words; to cheer each other on when we’re tired or hurt.

In Week Three’s biblical principle, Paul instructs the believers to use their new freedom given by God to care for the poor, widows, orphans, and others in need (Galatians 5:13b). Our Bottom Line is: Friends serve one another. When we get to spend time with our friends, we can serve them by thinking about what they would like to do, eating snacks they would like to eat, and looking for ways to help them.

In Week Four’s biblical principle, we learn that friends worship God together (Hebrews 10:25; Colossians 3:16). The early believers would meet in each other’s homes to worship God. They would sing praise songs, learn of Jesus’ teachings, and look for ways to help each other. Our Bottom Line is: Friends worship with one another. It is important for us to gather with our Small Groups on a regular basis.

Despite a culture that may define friendship differently, we can know what true friendship is all about. God went to the ends of the earth to make our friendship with Him possible. He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, to bridge the gap in our relationship.
 
 By Jessica McKee ©2013 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. www.ThinkOrange.com *Used by permission.