The Story of Esther

Hi Parents!

This week your children learned about the Story of Esther and how God used her to show His sovereignty over His people. They covered a lot of material in Sunday School this week, the whole book of Esther, so we wanted to provide you with some recourses to help them understand that crash course lesson. We encourage you to continue discussing this lesson with your children. Remind them that God has the ultimate power over everything. When we trust God, we can trust that everything will work out for His Will to be done. That doesn't mean it will make the situation easier or work out exactly how you desire for it to work out. It does mean that the best plan, God's plan, will prevail. It might be terrifying at first but trust God to work through you because God will use you just as He used Esther, Mordecai, Haman, and the King.

Click here for a link to a video explaining the theology of the Purim Holiday.

Click here for a link to a video retelling the story of Esther.

We pray you are able to encourage your children through this lesson and that great discussions develop as a result.

May God bless you this week!
Lydia

Teacher Devotions, Homework, Theme Posters For Spring 2015 (Y2Q3)

Dear Parents:

We just wrapped up the last quarter in the Answers Bible Curriculum.  The theme of last quarter was God's Justice and Mercy (Year 2, Quarter 3), chronicling the times of the Kings of Israel and Judah, and focusing on some major and minor prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah and Nahum), who particularly prophesized about the Messiah to come

The Teacher's Devotions can be found here

The Homework and Theme Posters for each lesson can be found here

The Teaching Schedule by Lesson with Scripture links can be found here

I would encourage you all to look through these materials when you get a chance and reinforce some of the key themes that we went over in class this last quarter with your little ones.

Cheers,

Brian

Catching Up...Lessons 3 and 4

Hi Parents:

My apologies, as the holiday season has made it harder to post.  But here are the Teacher's devotions, for Lessons 3 and 4, in case you want to go over any of these lessons with your kids. The Parent's Corner has also been updated, which includes the lesson take home sheets and theme posters.

Lesson 3: David Disobeys God Teacher's Devotion
Scripture: 2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51
Key Theme: God provides salvation from sin through Jesus Christ

• David gave into temptation and sinned when he tok Uriah's wife and then tried to cover up his sin by having Uriah killed
• God revealed David's sin to him through a parable, and He forgave David when David cried out to Him in repentance

Lesson 4: Praises to God Teacher's Devotion
Scripture: Psalm 150 (Praise); Psalm 136 (Thanksgiving); Psalm 43 (Lament)
Key Theme: God is worthy of our praise

• The Book of Psalms is a collection of prayer and songs.  It includes 3 types of psalms, Praise, Thanksgiving and Lament.

Blessings! Brian

Bill Hybels on David and Goliath

Hi Parents:

Here is a re-enactment of the battle between David and Goliath from the Bible mini-series, with commentary from Bill Hybels, Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church.

Thought you might enjoy this...

Bill Hybels on David and Goliath

Brian

Lesson #1: David and Goliath

Hi Parents:

We started the 2nd Quarter curriculum this Sunday.  Here is the Teaching Schedule for the next 13 weeks.  Basically we will be covering the period of the Kings of Israel from the time of David (United Kingdom) to when Israel divided into the Northern (Israel) and Southern (Judah) Kingdoms. Along the way the kids will also be studying the Prophets of Jonah, Elijah, and Elisha.   Here is a handy Timeline of the History of Israel that puts it all into perspective.

Today's lesson was the timeless story of David and Goliath, found in 1 Samuel 17.  Here is the Teacher Devotion, while the student take home sheets and theme poster for Lesson #1 can be found in the Parents Corner, in case your kids misplaced the copy provided today.

One of the main points we shared today was the distinctiveness of the courage displayed by David. David's courage was more than male bravado.  While everyone in Israel and even their own King Saul feared the Giant Philistine, David saw the mockery of Goliath as an insult against God, and he was willing to do what no one else in Israel was willing to do, namely, stand up against Goliath for the Lord's name and honor. And in doing so, he showed his fellow Israelites that the Lord would deliver him and display His greatness for all to see.

I just wanted to share that I asked the kids, "what are some of the "Goliath's" [their greatest fears] that they face in life.  There were some very honest answers.  Some shared that they feared being made fun of, not fitting in, having to wear nice clothes so that they are part of the "cool crowd." Another shared they were afraid that others would find out that they were a Christian.  I found it very refreshing to hear this and told them that the fears they face now are not any different than the fears we face as adults.   But that we as Christians, like David, have the God of Angel Armies on our side.  Like David, if we know and believe He is with us, we can overcome our greatest fears.   I would encourage you all to talk about the "Goliath's" we face in life this week with your little ones.

Blessings!  Brian