A Prayer for Our Students

Can you believe it's time to be sending our students back to school? Where has the summer gone? Here's a prayer for our students as they head back to classrooms, whether those classrooms are in our homes or in a building down the street or across town:

Father, thank You for the gift of education. So many in the world don't have this gift. Thank You that we can learn about this amazing world You've created and the amazing people You've placed in it. As our children head back to the classroom, focus their minds and give them a passion for learning. For our children who have not yet accepted the gift of salvation, open their eyes to see You through the study of this world You have created, even when Your name is not mentioned. For those that have accepted Your gift of salvation, give them the boldness to be salt and light in their classrooms, especially when they learn things contrary to Your word. Teach them to speak truth in love with grace and mercy. Lord, use every lesson to show our precious children that You are real and You alone are the creator of life. Allow science and history to scream Your name as they see the amazing animals You've created and the amazing way You've created the human body. Let Your hand be seen clearly as they look at all the events that have taken place in this world. Lord, like in the book of Esther, though Your name may not be mentioned, let Your hand be seen as sovereign in the events they study. Father, let every lesson be one that is preparing our children for sharing You in whatever calling You give them. May the learn to read and write so they can write Your truth. May they learn science so they can show the world that nothing is here by accident. May they learn history so they can see the way You move and direct the world. Lord, use these days of education to prepare them to serve You in their jobs, in their hobbies, and with every skill and talent You have given them. Do mighty things in and through our children this school year, Lord!

A Prayer for Our Teachers

Has your family prayed for their teachers? Here is a sample prayer you could pray as a family or as parents as the school year starts:

Heavenly Father, thank You for teachers who love learning and love children. Lord, thank You for teachers who love You. Give rest to them each night that they may wake up each morning ready for the day ahead. Give them wisdom as they teach each day. Give those who know You a boldness to share You in word and deed each day, with their students and with their co-workers. When others look at them, let them see You. Father, give them Your eyes to see the needs of each student and Your energy to meet those needs each day. Fill their classrooms with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control as You pour these out on Your teachers. Father, enable these teachers to let Your light shine in creative ways so the students in their classrooms will come to know and love You. Lord, as we've seen in the book of Esther, You are in control and You do mighty things, even when Your name is not mentioned! Do this is our schools through the lives of teachers who are saved. Enable them to be salt and light through their words, their actions, and the way they love others as You love them, even when they may not be able to mention Your name. Draw many to You through them.

School Starts Soon!

Can you believe it's almost time for school to start? Where did the summer go? We are joining you this week in praying for your schools, teachers, and children as they get back into the routine of school. 

What are some fun things you are doing with your last days before school starts? How do you encourage your kids as the year begins? Here are a few ideas for getting off on the right foot as the year begins:

Get everything needed set and ready to go the night before. When everything is set out and ready to go it just makes life smoother the next morning. The kids will know where everything is and there's no mad dash to find things when you should be getting out the door.

Read God's word together. If at all possible, have breakfast together and read a short passage of scripture together as you eat. It can be as simple as reading a Psalm or Proverb a day or you can get a family devotional and go through that. Starting your day focused on the right thing (God) will always be a help.

Pray together before leaving for the day. This one can be hard, especially on those crazy, hectic mornings. But, if you'll stop, take just a few moments to focus on God, all of your days will go better. Not perfect, but better. 

Make the most of the trip to and from school. Deuteronomy tells us we are to be teaching our kids about Christ no matter what we are doing. You can use your time on the way to school to pray over your children's day or something they are specifically worried about. It's a great time to listen to some Christian music and explain anything they don't understand. 

Talk the day over before bed. Ask your kiddos how their day went. Seems easy, but sometimes life gets busy and we forget. Maybe it's over dinner or at bedtime, but find out how their day was, what upset them, what made them smile, what worried them. Take time to pray and thank God for the good moments and ask for His help with those that weren't so great.

Make a prayer and thanksgiving wall. Find a place in your home where your family can list what they are praying for and what they are thankful for each day (or however frequently works best for your family.) As you see a prayer answered, move it over to the thankful column. This will help all of you to see where God is moving.

May the Lord grant each of your families a year of growth, knowing Him more, and ah hunger and thirst for the Lord and His Word!

PS--Don't forget that The Amazing FamilyQuest Race is Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. We'll be starting with lessons Aug. 31. We can't wait to see everyone!

PSS--Here's a Family Fun Event challenge: Create your own version of carpool karaoke. You can do it on the way to school, on the way to church, or just sitting in your driveway. Choose your family's favorite song and bust out your best moves. When you post it, tag it with #cbcfamilyquest (that'll be our tag all year) so we can all enjoy them. Here's a little something to inspire you to make yours!

A Little Hope by Bart Millard Carpool Karaoke

It's Almost Time!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!!!

FamilyQuest will be back with the Amazing FamilyQuest Race on Wednesday, August 24 at 6:00 p.m. Dinner will be served at 5. Come join in the fun and see who and what we will be learning about this year! To sign up for supper, please contact the church office. 

God is Building a Place for Us: Heaven, Week 5

Our theme for the year is Built to Obey. We'll be looking at lots of different people in the Bible who were given seemingly impossible tasks, but they chose obedience and God did amazing things through them!  We'll be learning this year that obedience is hard, obedience is specific, obedience is a choice, obedience is a witness, and obedience brings blessings.

During this unit, we will be learning about heaven, the place that God is building for His children. This unit may bring up a lot of questions for your children, but our staff is always willing to help answer any questions and point you to resources you can use to study this precious topic alongside your children.

Heaven Lesson for Younger Children

Teaching Children About Heaven: Some FAQ's From Children

God is Building a Place for Us: Heaven, Week 4

Our theme for the year is Built to Obey. We'll be looking at lots of different people in the Bible who were given seemingly impossible tasks, but they chose obedience and God did amazing things through them!  We'll be learning this year that obedience is hard, obedience is specific, obedience is a choice, obedience is a witness, and obedience brings blessings.

During this unit, we will be learning about heaven, the place that God is building for His children. This unit may bring up a lot of questions for your children, but our staff is always willing to help answer any questions and point you to resources you can use to study this precious topic alongside your children.

Here is an article with some great ideas on how to talk about Heaven with your children:

         Teaching Kids About Heaven from Thriving Family

God is Building a Place for Us: Heaven, Week 3

Our theme for the year is Built to Obey. We'll be looking at lots of different people in the Bible who were given seemingly impossible tasks, but they chose obedience and God did amazing things through them!  We'll be learning this year that obedience is hard, obedience is specific, obedience is a choice, obedience is a witness, and obedience brings blessings.

During this unit, we will be learning about heaven, the place that God is building for His children. This unit may bring up a lot of questions for your children, but our staff is always willing to help answer any questions and point you to resources you can use to study this precious topic alongside your children.

Here is a fun idea that our education minister, Ron Haye, suggests for your family:

THE PRICE IS RIGHT

Children guess the price of several items and discover the real price for Heaven. 

TOPICS: Heaven, Salvation MATERIALS: 8 small items (see below) 1 Bible, 10 large index cards 1 heaven poster [PDF] Click here Tally sheet for each team or child [PDF] Click here Treats (optional) DURATION: Approximately 15 minutes

PREPARATION:

Purchase 8 items, or find inexpensive items from around the house, like a bottle of lotion, mirror, sponge, candy bar, box of soap, etc. Give each item a value (price) close to the actual cost and write it down in black ink on one side of a large index card. On the other side in red ink, write down an estimated amount that is either slightly higher or slightly lower than the actual price. Try to have about half of the estimated amounts higher, and half lower. Fold the index cards into tents so the red estimated amounts are showing.

Make a card for the Bible also, with the actual value being what the Bible may have actually cost, and the estimated amount slightly higher. Then make a card for the heaven poster, with the actual value being $0 and the estimated amount $10,000.

Display all 10 items in a row on a table with the Bible in the 9th spot and Heaven in the 10th spot as shown in the following example:

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

Pair up the kids, or make small teams and give each team a tally sheet. (You can also do this individually, but the kids will have more fun working together) As you point to the first item, have the kids decide if the price shown is higher or lower than the actual price. Have them check the box accordingly on their tally sheet. Once they have made their choice, turn over the card to show the actual price and see if they got it right. Do the same for the rest of the items, one by one, as the kids keep score. Ham it up as a game show host might do, describing each item, etc.

Have the kids guess if the actual price of the Bible is higher or lower, but before revealing the actual price, stop to see how well the kids are doing so far. Ask if any team got eight correct, seven, six, etc. Then turn over the Bible price. Whether the kids said the actual price is higher or lower doesn’t really matter. Explain that even a Bible has a price, and can be bought.

Last, have them guess if the actual price for Heaven is higher or lower than $10,000. The price of Heaven is important. Tell the children not to consider only the poster, but Heaven being the real thing. Most likely, some of the teams will guess that the price of heaven is higher, much higher than $10,000. Some adults may too. As you turn over the card to reveal the actual price of $0, explain how Heaven is absolutely free. Not even one hundred thousand million dollars can buy Heaven. Did anyone get that right? Give a special treat to anyone who did.

Here are some resources that may help you talk to your children about this subject:

Heaven for Kids by Randy Alcorn

Tell Me About Heaven by Randy Alcorn

Heaven: God's Promise for Me by Anne Graham Lotz