THIS SUNDAY! Doctrine #4: Jesus the Bridge!

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they put all the world and every person who would be born after them on a path that leads to destruction – a path caused by sin.  They were then expelled from the Garden of Eden, separated from God.  Since then, all men have disobeyed God (Romans 3:23).  Every person is separated from God by a great chasm of sin.  People have tried to bridge that chasm in ways of their own invention, but nothing succeeded.

Yet God loved people so much that He provided the way for them.  He sent His Son, the Perfect Man, to take the punishment of sin for us.  Because Jesus was both God and Man, only He could bridge the gap between God and mankind.  Now, through Jesus, we can cross over into a right relationship with God.

NOTICE:

This last Sunday was our BGMC week and not a single one of our kids brought in a buddy barrel with missions giving!

Our goal for this school year is only $1000 compared to $2000+ in previous years but we’ve got to motivate our kids to step up or we won’t even reach that!  Starting this coming Sunday we will be challenging the kids to collect aluminum cans for missions but the success of any fundraiser is you their parents encouraging them at home.  I hope you’ll consider joining us.  I challenge parents to double whatever your child earns in aluminum.  A whole bag of crushed cans is only worth $5 or $6 so that isn’t much, but every little bit helps.  What do you say, parents?

ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL AWANA CLUBS BEGIN!!

Tomorrow night is our Awana Leaders Meeting starting at 6:30pm here at the church!

If you are a Director or Handbook leader for any of the age-groups, please join us as we plan for another exciting year!

Kids Love Heroes

Isn’t it interesting how kids are drawn to heroes? We think kids love heroes for a good reason. Heroes are characterized by four things: they do what’s right, deal with wrongs, are honest, and they care about others. Kids love heroes because God has placed a conscience inside each child that prompts them in the same four ways: to do what’s right, deal with wrongs, be honest, and care about others.

We believe that kids are heroes in training right now in your family. God uses ordinary people to accomplish his will and it starts in the small things of life.

We read in the Bible about David. David was a hero when he fought Goliath. But his hero training started much earlier. David was a hero in the small stuff. He took care of sheep and learned responsibility. He fought off a bear and a lion and learned courage. He worked hard to practice his harp so that he could get a job working in the palace.

Right now, your child can be a hero in the small things at home. Heroes practice in daily life by taking initiative. You might try this. Ask your child to see something around the house that needs to be “fixed” or made right. It might be that dishes are left in the living room, a sad baby needs to be cheered up, or the laundry needs to be folded.

Once your child identifies something, then tell the child that this is the first sign of a hero. Heroes can see problems. The second sign of a hero is doing something about it. Challenge your child to take action to solve the problem and then praise the growing hero qualities. Heroes can see what needs to be done and then take initiative to solve the problem.

This parenting tip comes from the children’s program curriculum Hero Training Camp. It’s the conscience development course for kids. The parent’s component to this curriculum is called Everyday Parents Can Raise Extraordinary Kids. You can want to consider that series on CD or MP3. Make this summer a growing experience for everyone in the family.

BGMC SUNDAY!! BRING YOUR BARRELS!

THIS SUNDAY IN THE C.W. PLAYHOUSE! DOCTRINE #3 - Creation & the Fall: "A Wrong Turn!"

Your kids have likely heard the creation account several times.  It is a basic doctrine, though it is not officially identified as such in the A.G. 16 Fundamental Truths.  We believe God created the universe.  Genesis 1 & 2 tell us how life and the world began.  It is important to include this teaching in our system of beliefs because others will teach the children that life arose by chance from non-life rather than by the Word of God.  It is also very important that our kids understand the biblical account of creation lest they pick up the false notion that God created a world of death and disease and is thus somehow responsible for evil.

The story of the creation of the world is also a story about man’s falling from God’s will.  Adam and Eve (two literal people) took a wrong turn at the beginning of their journey, thus putting all people on a route leading to destruction and by their free will brought evil into God’s perfect creation.  Only God in His great love could provide a plan to lead people back to the right road.

Identify the Cues of Anger

Helping children deal with anger is an important task of parenting. Many parents report that there is no time between the trigger and the response in their children. Before we can teach children anger management, we must first help them see anger coming on. James 1:19 says that we should be slow to anger. Here are some ways to help children slow down the process.

Talk about the physical indicators that anger is approaching. These cues are different for each person. You may even use yourself as an example. How can you tell when you're starting to get angry? Maybe it's furrowed eyebrows, tightened facial muscles, rapid breathing, raised shoulders, hollow feeling in the chest, clenched teeth, tightened fists, pursed lips, wide eyes, or a change in tone or pitch of your voice. Identifying these early warning signs of anger can help children feel it coming on before they react.

Point out these early warning signs in others. Virtually all children's animated movies contain exaggerated facial features to depict emotions. Watch a segment and point out the times when someone gets angry. How could you tell? This exercise is helpful for identifying one's own cues but also helps children see anger coming on in others. If you teach children how to respond to the anger of others, they can learn to be peacemakers instead of troublemakers.

Take action earlier. Once you see the cues, stop the escalation before it starts. "Bill, it looks like you’re getting upset, come over here and settle down before things get out of hand." Earlier intervention will eventually help your children make those same choices for themselves and teach them how to manage anger in healthy ways.

This parenting tip comes from the book Home Improvement, the Parenting Book You Can Read to Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

This Week's Playhouse Players Route 66 Episode: Who's in Charge?

Last Week's Playhouse Players Route 66 Episode: Read the Map

ROUTE 66 THIS SUNDAY!

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).  God has not kept himself a secret from His creation.  From the beginning to the end of His Word, the Bible, He tells us who He is.  For those who do not have His Word, He reveals himself through His creation – the sun, moon, and stars are His handiwork.  The heavens declare His glory.  There is no place where they do not shout His greatness to every person. 

Our God is awesome, yet He loves and knows us individually.  He wants to direct each of us onto the road that leads to Him.  Because He created us, we should let Him be in control of our lives and direct the paths that we take.  God should not be our “co-pilot,” but our “pilot.”  If we give him the driver’s seat (obey His Word), He will bring us safely to our destination, heaven.  So bring your kids to church this Sunday morning at 10:30am so they can join us in singing, “Jesus, Take the Wheel!!”  (JK, JK… but the sentiment fits!)  J

Anger is Good

Parents get angry, but anger isn’t always bad. In fact, parents often get angry when children are doing something wrong. It’s best to view anger as a flag, created by God, that says, “Something is wrong here.” The something wrong may be an unrealistic expectation on the parent’s part, but it’s often a problem in the child that needs attention. Disobedience, selfishness, arguing, and bickering are just a few of the things that make parents angry. Anger can be a tool to point out problems in life.

The danger comes when parents use anger to solve problems. That’s when people get hurt, relationships become strained, and distance is the inevitable result. It’s one thing to see those muddy shoes on the floor. It’s yet another thing to start yelling at your son.

We say that anger is good for identifying problems but not good for solving them. That’s the conclusion we’ve come to after looking at several Bible passages related to anger. James 1:19-20 and Ephesians 4:26-31, for example, show two sides of anger. On the one hand they warn strongly against it, but on the other hand, anger isn’t prohibited but is limited.

So the next time you feel angry, stop for a moment, thank the Lord for revealing a problem, try to figure out what it is, and then go back into the situation with a constructive plan for solving it. This will take practice but children provide many opportunities to develop more Godly patterns in anger management.

This parenting tip comes from the book "Good and Angry, Exchanging Frustration for Character In You and Your Kids" by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

OUR ROAD MAP: Doctrine #1 - The Bible is Inspired

The Bible is the top best-seller of all time!  It is good literature, but most importantly it is God’s Word.  The Bible has proven itself to man through its one theme (although it is 66 different books written by 40 men over a 1,600 year period), its relevance in every age, its fulfilled prophecies, its preservation, and its outstanding influence on man.  God’s Word will last forever!

This week, as we travel through our first state on our way from Chicago to Los Angeles along Route 66, we will help kids understand that God has revealed himself in the Bible 66 (books).  There He tells us how we can know Him, how we can have eternal life, and how we can be happy.

Of the millions of books written, no other book is as popular, as true, as lasting, or as influential with men as the Bible has been for thousands of years.  It is our guide – OUR ROAD MAP – to eternity with God.  We must follow its directions for spiritual growth, and most importantly, to find peace with God.

Stop Anger When it Starts

The child who is getting frustrated with a puzzle or struggling with a friend needs to learn how to deal with the building energy inside before exploding. We encourage children and parents to learn to stop. The size of the “stop” depends on the intensity of the anger. Sometimes the stop means engaging in another activity or leaving the situation. Other times it just means pausing for a moment and taking a deep breath. The child needs to recognize that frustration is present and anger is building.

Stopping is helpful whether the child is just becoming frustrated, or is already quite angry. This step is especially important for the child who is enraged. Rage is anger that controls you no matter how well you conceal it. The primary way to tell that children are enraged is that they can no longer think rationally and their anger is now controlling them. They have lost control.

The solution to rage is always to stop. When a child is enraged you might say, “You are too angry to talk about this right now. Spend some time alone. Come back when you can tell me in a calm voice why you're angry and we’ll continue to talk about it.” One sign that the child is ready to address the issue again is that he or she will be able to put anger into words and talk about the problem rationally.

Whatever you do, don't jump into the battle with your kids. When they are angry, children look for ways to draw you into a fight. Avoid it. It's not productive and often escalates the problem. Rather learn how to stop and teach your kids to do the same. By slowing down the process you'll see a greater ability to interact with your kids without the complications that anger brings.

This parenting tip comes from the book "Home Improvement" by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

Get your Bible Basics on Route 66! Lessons on Bible Doctrines begin this Sunday!

Everyone is on a road – a road of life.  His road begins at his birth and ends with death and what lies beyond.  The choices he makes throughout his life determine where his road will lead.  Eventually, every person’s road will lead to one of two places, heave (eternal life) or hell (eternal suffering).  How do you find the directions to keep on the road that leads to heaven and eternal life?

Following the teachings of the Bible – Bible Doctrine – is a sure way to keep on the road that leads to eternal life.  This world will offer many “off ramps” of temptation and false doctrine, but the 66 books of the Bible provide all the direction you need to stay on track.  Just as you would follow the signs for Route 66 if you wish to stay on that historical road, so you need to follow the directions in the Bible to stay on the heavenly road.

Route 66 is known as “America’s Main Street.”  So the Bible is “God’s Main Street” that leads all who follow it on the right path of life.  And like the right path, Route 66 is an old and narrow road compared to the fast-moving, broad expressways that criss-cross this country.  Teach your children to follow Bible doctrine as they strive to find and ride the narrow road to heaven with us this fall!

Honor Defined in Practical Terms

Children need to know what Godly character looks like in practical terms. We love the character quality of honor, not just because God commands it, but also because it has so much rich meaning for parents and children. It can give direction in many of the frustrating moments we experience in family life. In fact, every form of selfishness has an honor-based solution.

Honor means…
Treating people as special,
Doing more than what's expected,
And having a good attitude.

Use our honor definition or make up your own. The point is that honor changes people. It changes the way that parents relate to their children, the way children relate to each other, and the way children relate to their parents. We all need it.

You can use the concept of honor in correction or when things are going well. You can use it when you teach your children about money, time, and other resources, and you can teach it when conflict comes around. One fun way to teach it is on special occasions when someone wins a contest or earns a certificate. You may show honor by giving that person a fancy place at the table or by decorating his or her bedroom door.

Honor is fun. It's like oil in a machine. It gets work done with less friction and less heat. Every family needs honor. It's great when things are going well and essential when family relationships are strained. You can work on honor whether your kids are preschoolers or teens. It will change the way your family relates.

This parenting tip comes from the book "Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids" by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.