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.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Moment of Truth
Parents, this months virtue is Honesty: Moment of Truth you can watch the preview video here: http://vimeo.com/56712116
God told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation of people—he was. God told the Israelites that He would provide for them in the desert—He did. God told Joshua that the wall of Jericho would fall if the people marched around it for seven days—it did. God told Mary that she would have a baby boy—she did.
Jesus said He would die and rise again three days later—He did!
Honesty is important because it builds trust. Honesty is choosing to be truthful in whatever you say and do. What God says is true; He has shown us that time and time again. And that’s one of the reasons we know we can trust God.
But the same should be true in our own lives. If we want other people to trust us, we need to live honest lives. When we tell the truth and we follow through with our promises, other people learn to trust us. But when we cover up who we are, what we’ve done, or we constantly break our promises, then the people around us stop trusting us. They begin to wonder if, in the Moment of Truth, can you be trusted?
The monthly memory verse is: “An honest person has respect for the Lord,” Proverbs 14:2a, NIrV. Living a life of honesty shows that we respect God and the people we care about. We can find a way to be truthful and still careful of the feelings of those we care about.
Living an honest life may sometimes be hard. It might mean admitting when we’ve done something wrong or made an embarrassing mistake. It might mean passing up a chance to sneak an extra turn and win the game while your friend isn’t looking. Or it may be as simple as following through on the things we have promised. Whatever the circumstances, this month look for ways to be honest so that others can trust you.
God told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation of people—he was. God told the Israelites that He would provide for them in the desert—He did. God told Joshua that the wall of Jericho would fall if the people marched around it for seven days—it did. God told Mary that she would have a baby boy—she did.
Jesus said He would die and rise again three days later—He did!
Honesty is important because it builds trust. Honesty is choosing to be truthful in whatever you say and do. What God says is true; He has shown us that time and time again. And that’s one of the reasons we know we can trust God.
But the same should be true in our own lives. If we want other people to trust us, we need to live honest lives. When we tell the truth and we follow through with our promises, other people learn to trust us. But when we cover up who we are, what we’ve done, or we constantly break our promises, then the people around us stop trusting us. They begin to wonder if, in the Moment of Truth, can you be trusted?
The monthly memory verse is: “An honest person has respect for the Lord,” Proverbs 14:2a, NIrV. Living a life of honesty shows that we respect God and the people we care about. We can find a way to be truthful and still careful of the feelings of those we care about.
Living an honest life may sometimes be hard. It might mean admitting when we’ve done something wrong or made an embarrassing mistake. It might mean passing up a chance to sneak an extra turn and win the game while your friend isn’t looking. Or it may be as simple as following through on the things we have promised. Whatever the circumstances, this month look for ways to be honest so that others can trust you.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Camp KidJam
Live Oak Families:
What do you think about this camp? http://www.whatisorange.org/campkidjam/ We're pretty excited about it and would love to attend with your kids. Check it out as well as the two Texas locations and dates and let us know if you're interested!
Email: kimberly@live-oak.org if your interested or would like some more information!
What do you think about this camp? http://www.whatisorange.org/campkidjam/ We're pretty excited about it and would love to attend with your kids. Check it out as well as the two Texas locations and dates and let us know if you're interested!
Email: kimberly@live-oak.org if your interested or would like some more information!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Gettin' in Rhythm
Raise your hand if you feel like the holiday season was a blur of frenzied activity. Yah, me too. Don't we all sometimes worry that, in all of the busyness, we miss connecting with the ones we love the most? So now that we've closed the storage tub to end another holiday season, let's start thinking about reestablishing a family routine.
By creating a rhythm in our families, we have the chance to strategically use the time we already spend together. Most families have certain times of the day that they're together, maybe in the morning before the day gets started, or the quiet of bedtime. Often, with a little effort we can use that time to connect with each other and teach our kids to connect with God.
This month's Parent Link Live podcast on www.OrangeParents.org suggests that we reclaim one ealtime each week. Use the questions on your weekly Parent Cue to start conversation as a family. Or, if you're out at mealtime, download the Parent Cue app on your smart phone for mobile mealtime discussion guides.
For more ideas about strategically creating a thythm in your family, check out www.OrangeParents.org
With you,
The Tree House Club Leaders
By creating a rhythm in our families, we have the chance to strategically use the time we already spend together. Most families have certain times of the day that they're together, maybe in the morning before the day gets started, or the quiet of bedtime. Often, with a little effort we can use that time to connect with each other and teach our kids to connect with God.
This month's Parent Link Live podcast on www.OrangeParents.org suggests that we reclaim one ealtime each week. Use the questions on your weekly Parent Cue to start conversation as a family. Or, if you're out at mealtime, download the Parent Cue app on your smart phone for mobile mealtime discussion guides.
For more ideas about strategically creating a thythm in your family, check out www.OrangeParents.org
With you,
The Tree House Club Leaders
Monday, January 7, 2013
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