Joshua’s House

Click here for printable PDF version.

“A farmer went out to sow his seed . . .”

These words are the beginning to one of the most loved of Jesus’ parables.  The story of the sower and the seed is a wonderful illustration of salvation taking root in our hearts.  Why don’t you share the story with your children in a way they won’t soon forget.  All you need is a Bible, crayons or colored pencils, seeds and some paper.

Step #1 - Start by reading the parable of the sower together.  You will find the story in Matthew 13:3-23.

Step #2 - Have each child draw a picture of a path with rocks, good soil and thorns beside it.  They will want the thorns, good soil and rocks to be separate.

Step #3 - Work together to decide what each of those terrains might sound like in our hearts.  For example, people who are like the thorny places might say things like, “what will they think of me?” or “I don’t have enough time to go to church.”  People who are rocky might say something like “Man, this is hard,” or “I thought this would be easy.”  Write the excuses on your drawings.

Step #4 - It’s time for the sower to sow.  Glue seeds to the path, the good soil, the thorny places and the rocky places.  (Don’t forget to draw some birds snatching the seeds along the path, and some plants growing out of the seeds on the good soil.)

Step #5 - Write “Matthew 13:3-23″ on each drawing so your kids can remember where to find the story.  As you are working on these pictures, take time to talk about how we can let Jesus turn our hearts into good soil.  Be prepared to answer lots of questions for younger children.

Modifications

Want something easier for younger children?

With your child, draw a brown circle in the middle of the page.  Glue one seed in the circle and draw a stem coming out of the seed.  Glue a picture of your child as the center of the flower and let him add petals.  Talk with him about the importance of letting God’s seeds grow in his heart.

Want something harder for older children?

Collect soil, rocks, thorns and other items from outside.  Glue these onto the picture rather than drawing them. This gets a bit messy, but it’s loads of fun.

Things have been a bit up in the air for Joshua’s House lately as there was a possibility my husband and I might be moving.  However, we are staying here and there are so many great plans for Joshua’s House.  It’s honestly a bit overwhelming, so I plan on taking extra time to pray for God’s guidance as I move forward.

One of the things I am really interested in doing is surveying and interviewing families with kids 12 and under.  What kinds of supports do parents need?  What are the biggest trials that you face as you strive to work on instilling a strong sense of personals spiritual growth in your children?  What are some of the biggest areas of struggle in your own life?  There are even more general questions to help provide adequate materials like what types of media are most helpful to you?  What kind of support networks do you have, etc. If you would be willing to take the time to participate in this questionnaire, please send me an e-mail and I will e-mail you a form.

Here are some other things we are working on:

• Newsletter
• Keeping the focus small group materials
• Editing phase of study for 10-12 year olds
• More

As you can see, there is a lot going on.  Again, I would appreciate your prayers - that God will guide and direct me as I work and that He will continue to send others to work along beside me.

God bless you!

It’s amazing to me how someone like Horatio Spafford can go through all that he did and come out praising and trusting in God.

As I was reading in 1 Samuel 1-3, I found a character in the Bible who had a similar attitude despite what was going on around him. In chapter 3 of 1 Samuel, God calls Samuel and tells him several things that are about to happen. One of the things God reveals is that He is going to destroy Eli’s wicked sons. Samuel doesn’t like this news and he certainly doesn’t want to be the one to tell Eli. But Eli, understandably, is curious about what the Lord had to say; and Samuel, being the good kid he is, tells Eli.

Now, here’s the part that really caught my attention. Eli’s response to the news of his sons’ pending death was one of total faith and trust. All he said was “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to Him” (1 Samuel 3:18).

I pray that God will continue to work in me so that no matter what happens I will be able to say “It is well with my soul.”

Application

• Read Isaiah 43:1-2.
• Do you find that it’s easier to trust God and depend on Him when everything seems to be going pretty well?
• Has there ever been a rough time in your life when you wondered if God was really there?
• Pray – Thank God for being with you even as you “pass through the waters.” Ask Him to strengthen your faith so that even during the tough times you can have peace as you trust in Him.

“Pray Continually.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

This is such a simple Bible verse but it has such a big meaning (especially in it’s larger context).  It’s important to teach your children how to continue a conversation with God, and it’s fun to look for opportunities to do this. Here are some ideas:

• When you hear sirens, pray for those driving the vehicles and those who are at their destinations.
• When your child is really excited about something, remember to thank Jesus together.
• If your child has had a rough day, pray with him, asking God to comfort him.
• Challenge everyone in the family to pray with one other person outside of the family each week.  Share your experiences.

Do you have any other ideas for ways to teach kids to pray continually?

This post concludes our tour of a sample study from Luke, and we’ve saved the best for last. So jump in as we look at an actual study from Luke 17.

Internal Page

• Just as with the first page, we use lots of images to bring these studies alive. The goal with all of our presentation is to help the kids feel like this is their notebook.
• All four learning styles are incorporated into the activities each week. It’s important for audio, visual, kinesthetic and reading/writing learners to find was to enjoy God’s word.
• One of the best parts about these activities is that the kids can use any of them for studying any part of the Bible. The kids will see similar ideas pop up over and over again. The goal is for these methods to stick with them in such a way that they won’t always be dependent on a Bible study guide.

We hope you enjoyed our sneak peak tour. If you haven’t already, make sure to download this sample lesson and let us know what you think.

To download a printable copy of the lesson for Luke 17 click here.*

*Keep in mind production is still in progress and this is an unfinished sample of the lesson.

Click here for:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

Written by: Mary Hollingsworth
Illustrated by: Rick Incrocci

Do you long to start having worship times with your young child, but find planning time consuming and keeping your child still an impossible task? If so, this is the book for you. Each question comes with an answer, a full color illustration, an activity and a scripture reference.

Here is an example from the book:

Question: Who was the mother of Jesus?
Answer: Mary
To Do: Find a doll, or use a pillow, and wrap it in the blanket like the baby Jesus. Sing a lullaby to the baby.
Scripture: “They saw [Jesus] with Mary His mother.” Matthew 2:11

The activities and the questions are fantastic. They take hardly any planning or preparation. You may need to take a few minutes to look up the scripture reference, however. The snippets provided are quite small and give little context for your youngster. It would be great if you could read your child the story, and then ask him or her the corresponding question.

This book is a fantastic way to begin a tradition of family worship time.

Recommended Ages: 2-5
Great for: Worship

I’ve been having a lot of fun over the past few weeks writing book reviews and Family Fun Ideas.  I have a great many built up waiting for me to post them.  I decided it would be best for me not to post them all at once.  I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed with reading.  I figure a few posts a week is plenty.  Nonetheless, there are some exciting things to look forward too.

I have also been praying about and considering how to get the word out to more people.  I realzie that the internet is not the best medium for many parents in today’s busy society.  I’m praying about and trying to figure out what the next step should be.  Magazines? Books? Something entirely different I haven’t thought of before?  I know most people who read the blog are totally fine with the internet medium, but if you guys have any ideas on what is most convenient for many people, that would be fantastic!  In November I hope to meet with some local parents who have kids in all stages and ages to see what would be best for them.

Last week I started entering the world of CSS and web code.  My husband is helping me modify a theme to give the Joshua’s House site a new look and feel.  There isn’t really anything wrong with the current theme, we’re just hoping the new one will make it easier for you to keep up with the content you want without having to wade through the stuff you’re not as interested in.  I’m not sure how long this process will take, but, as with most things, I’m eager to get it done.

Well I think that’s pretty much it for this week.

May God bless You!

We’ve all heard this song and it has become a favorite of many children.  But the song leaves out a lot of the story - in fact, it leaves out the best part.  Whatever happened when Jesus went to Zaccheus’ house?  Why not read Luke 19:1-10 with your kids and let them write a second verse.  You can help them, they can work independently, or they can work as a team.  You could even record them singing the song with their added second verse and post it here.  Have fun!

For this sneak peak will will continue to explore the first page of a lesson, plus you will get a hint of what lies beyond that starting page.

Lesson Introduction Image

Often when kids see the images on the front page of a lesson they ask, “What’s that?” My reply is simple, “You’ll have to read the chapter to find out.” These simple illustrations are there as a way to help the kids become interested in what they are about to read and to give them a visual preview.

Other images throughout the book use this same principle of simplicity or they are photos that are “taped” into the book. We have worked hard to make things are realistic as possible.

To download a printable copy of the lesson for Luke 17 click here.*

*Keep in mind production is still in progress and this is an unfinished sample of the lesson.

Click here for:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

By Judie Port

Take yourself back to your childhood and recall your favorite memories. Smell baking cookies, watch a football game, feel the warm fire as you smell roasting marshmallows, taste hot chocolate and listen to Christmas carols, watch colorful fireworks. If these images bring back a flood of memories, they probably center around family rituals such as vacations, holidays, or visits to relatives.

What is a family ritual?

Family rituals are activities which are repeated, coordinated and have meaning or significance to family members. They form a foundation to maintain a cohesive family when there are so many factors vying to weaken the family.

There are different kinds of family rituals. Some connect or bond family members, others show love to individual family members, and rituals that bind the family to the larger community.

Connection rituals offer opportunities for bonding such as family meals, bedtime rituals, shopping excursions, story time, or worship time.

Love rituals develop one-to-one intimacy and make individual family members feel special. These are couple rituals such as “dates” and anniversaries. Special-person rituals are included in the celebration of Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and birthdays.

Community rituals include religious activities, funerals, and weddings. Other community rituals may include families involved in community service activities or regular gatherings with other outside the family unit.

Why are rituals and traditions important?

Family Rituals provide predictability, connection, identity, and a way to enact values. Dr. Bill Doherty, a professor in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota, found that being intentional about family life through family rituals was an antidote to the drift of contemporary family life away from closeness, meaning, and community (199)*. Family rituals have meaning to the family and build memories. In order for them to survive however, they must be flexible and change as the family changes.

What do rituals and traditions look like?

Meals are routines for all families but one meal a week may become a ritual with the addition of candles, special foods served, inclusion of all family members and conversation limited topics of interest to all. Household chores must be taken care of, however, by adding a few simple touches this task becomes a ritual. Sing songs together as you work, add a timer and race against each other or the clock. It is not difficult to be intentional about rituals, just to stay intentional.

Traditions and rituals are essential for building family ties throughout the lifespan. When my boys were growing up at home, they couldn’t wait for our Friday evening supper. We would all gather around the table and feast on fruit salad and cinnamon rolls. Now my sons are grown with children of their own. When they are planning a visit home they always let me know that they expect cinnamon rolls and fruit salad for Friday evening supper. This was one of their favorite traditions.

When evaluating, creating, changing or managing your family rituals and traditions, start slowly and record your rituals. Be intentional about your family life, your rituals, and your community, and before long, you will discover the richness they add to your life and the lives of others in your family.

Useful Resources

The following are worksheets to help you as you work to develop and strengthen your own family rituals.

Evaluating Your Family Rituals
Principles for Managing Family Rituals
The Delicate Art of Creating or Changing Family Rituals

*Dohetry, W.J. (1999). The Intentional Family. NY: Avon Books.

Judie Port has been involved in educating and strengthening many families over the years. She is currently working in the Social Work and Family Studies department at Southern Adventist University in Tennessee.