A Picture Perfect Sunday Sermon

So, a friend of mine gave me an idea to get kids more involved in "Big" church and the Sunday sermon/message and...

We *love* it!

What you do is...

Outfit each person (yes, even the parents) with some paper and something to write with. We went with a notebook and pencil for each person. Younger kiddos may choose to have a few crayons. 

While the pastor is preaching, the kids try to draw a picture (or pictures) of what they think he is talking about or the main points of the sermon. They are not limited to just pictures...they can write words, phrases, key points, etc...

Here's the catch though...the parents are in on it as well :) Along with our written notes, we also jot down a picture or two. I think the lady sitting next to me probably thought I was a little kooky, but whatever ;)

After lunch, or dinner, or just anytime later that day, we all bring out our pictures. We talk about what each person drew and the main ideas we took from the sermon. 

It is an excellent time to talk and discuss the sermon, answer any questions, and to reinforcement the message and the key points.

What is wonderful is our kiddos paid more attention to the sermon and listened more intently when drawing their pictures than in the past when they just sat there or worked in some sort of activity book. And you know what? I think I did too :)




To get a 'picture' of what I am talking about...see below :)


Genesis 12:1-3


The message was about Abram listening to God, receiving direction from Him, and following His will  even if that means he has to step out of his comfort zone. The same goes for us. God is more interested in our trust and faith in Him than He is in our comfort levels. 

Bro. Mark also talked about God blessing you for following His will. This is what A picked up on. She drew a picture of her listening/talking to God. She then started to think of the ways God blesses her (and here's where her imagination takes over)...like creating squirrels that are fun to watch scurry through the trees and drop acorns down on people's heads or watermelons that she likes to eat and whatever is left over a fruit bat comes to munch on. LOL!

J also keyed in on the blessings part. He said greedy people who don't really have a relationship with God want Him to bless them with material things only to satisfy themselves. But Christians thank God for blessing them (in whatever way that may be) and share with others .

As you can tell, my husband prefers the writing part, but he managed to draw a little picture ;) It is about God giving us, as a family, direction and even bursting our protective bubble, if needed, to get us out of our comfort zone and into His will.

And here's mine...The first few pictures are of Abram listening to God and setting out on the path He has for him and his family. The last picture is of me peering over my protective wall of comfort.




Anyway, I hope you get the idea. And if your kiddos need a little motivation during "big" church, then definitely give it a try :)

Just the way they are...

Have you ever just set back and watched your kiddos? Yesterday morning, while doing the dishes, I took a little break to do just that. And you know what? I like my kiddos just the way they are :)

I like their little mannerisms, their quirks, their eccentricities. Yes, sometimes, some of those things do get on my nerves from time to time, but God made them just the way they are. Who knows what God has planned for them? They may need those all those traits one day for HIS special purpose in their lives. (Now, I'm not talking about bad habits, bad behavior, or anything like that. Those things I could definitely do without!) 

I almost started to cry yesterday morning as I watched them sing those cute little Bible songs during the Bible part of school. And I thought to myself, "They are growing up so fast. Before long, they won't want to be singing these songs anymore."

Here are a few thoughts I had about my kiddos... You know us mommies can go on and on! But, I'll stick with the first few that popped into my head :)

My daughter...

She's the artsy fartsy one. The drama queen. The one with her own fashion and style.

My son...

He's the loving compassionate one. The analytical thinker. The one with no sense of fashion or style.   

Here's one of the songs they were singing this morning. Enjoy the video!

"Little by little, inch by inch
by the yard - it's hard, by the inch - what a cinch
never stare up the stairs, just step up the steps
little by little, inch by inch"

Hamburger Finale

It is finally here...the end results to our hamburger experiment. Technically, the hamburger has been long gone for quite some time, but I am just now getting around to posting all the happenings.

Day 14 of the hamburger didn't really look all that different from Day 10. The only thing we noticed was both buns had cracked all the way though and were very brittle. Still no mold...

Now, what the kiddos had been waiting for...the hamburger finale. They destroyed the "fake hamburger" (as A calls it) with hammers and PVC pipe. They were suprised at how much force it took to crack the rock-hard patty.



Just pretend you saw a video here. Apparently, the video file was corrupted. Gonna see if my husband can take a look at it and fix it.



We had a fun time with this experiment, but we are glad it is over. It was rather boring. We have not been able to eat a McDonald's hamburger (or any other pre-frozen hamburger from any other fast food place for that matter) since completing this experiment. We did enjoy a Fudrucker's hambuger a few days ago though and it was delicious... It may not not be that good for you, but at least they use fresh beef.





A Beautiful Smile

I often see an old man walking up and down Main Street in our town... mainly in the mornings, bundled up in his coat, head down, umbrella in hand ....just walking....sometimes with a small grocery bag in hand, sometimes without.  All sorts of questions flood my mind: Does he have enough food to get him through the day? Does he have any family? Why is he alone? Is he alone by his own choosing? Is he alone due to circumstance and hardships in his life? Is he outcast from society due to something horrible he had done in his past?

Then another thought pops into my head: he reminds me of my grandfather.

My grandfather was a loner of sorts...mostly by his own choosing, the rest from circumstance and hardships in life. He was also a proud man...never wanting to take anything from anyone...even family. Still...we went to visit him often and brought groceries over even though we had to force him to take them. He lived in a very bad part of town...one of the worst you could live in. I remember as a child and teenager, being very nervous (and sometimes even scared) of the area he lived in and never strayed too far from the front porch. Even though he acted as if he didn't really want us to come visit or bring over groceries, I know he enjoyed it. I always saw tears in his eyes when it was time for us to go no matter how hard he tried to hide them... His face and hands weathered from life, but beautiful eyes of blue that glistened with held back tears and a mostly toothless smile that would light up the room, and goofy non-sense jokes that would make his grandkids laugh.

Was this man like my grandfather?

We got a chance to meet that old man today. He was setting outside of the grocery store...resting from his walking I guess. The kids and I passed by, smiled, and asked him how he was doing. Perfect, he said...perfect. Then he smiled, a big, mostly toothless smile that shone from ear to ear brightening the dreary outdoors.  He was like my granfather...worn and old clothing, weathered face and hands, a mostly toothless smile, and eyes that cried out silently for someone to notice him. 

I got the impression that he had a lot of trouble hearing and past the 'how are you part', I don't think he really undertstood what I was saying. So before leaving the grocery store, the kids and I picked up a Thanksgiving card titled 'To Someone Special'. On the way out, we all signed it and I wrote him a little note about his beautiful smile and of how he reminded me of my grandfather. On the outside of the envelope, I wrote 'To Someone Special'.

 The kids walked up to him, gave him the card, and his smile grew even larger. He  read the front of the envelope then looked at me as if he wanted to say something, but refrained. We each smiled and I waved and told him to have a great day. He tucked the card into his pocket and we all went our separate ways.

I hope he reads the card and knows how much his smile has brightened my day and how much it reminded me of my grandfather.

My Grandpa R and J

 

Life...

This blog is all about life... mainly our home school life. I think the music group Revive sums 'life' up the best - "It happens in a blink, it happens in a flash, it happens in the time it took to look back, I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time, what is it I've done with my life?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvuxFdM3S58&feature=related

Life really does happen in a flash. Before I know it, my kids will be grown and out of the house...no more time for teaching, no more time for training.

I started this blog mainly to keep a record (for myself, my husband, and my family) of what is going on in my kids lives and in their home school adventures. One day, when they are grown, I'd like to go back and reread it all...bringing back all the memories of what happened, what they did, what they learned, etc..., but most importantly, memories about what God has done in their lives.

God gives each parent the same command and promise, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" Proverbs 22:6. For me personally, this 'training' involves home school. I didn't start out homeschooling for this reason, but God, in His infinite wisdom, knew what I needed to be doing for my children and guided me in that direction long before I truly knew the reason for doing it.

On a side note, if any of you reading this blog have not read the book Kingdom Education,  I highly recommend it. It is a great book and really helped me put things into perspective.

***Now, if you do not homeschool your children, please do not get offended with what I have posted above. This is about my life and what God has shown me that I needed to be doing. I am in no way trying to tell you what you should or should not be doing with your own children, only God can do that. He has a plan for each of our lives and His plans are not always the same for each person.***

So, with that being said - here is what we are doing...