Joshua’s House

As you’ve read the Bible throughout the years, I’m sure you’ve noticed that different people often react differently to the same situation.

Turn your paper upside down and draw a big “T” on it. (This will make two columns on the top part of the page, and one column on the bottom.) Draw a box at the top of the two columns on the top half of the page. Draw yourself in one of the boxes and one of the people you read about this week the other.  Below each picture box write how the person responded to his/her situation and how you would respond differently to the same circumstances. At the bottom of the page, where there is just one column, write the ways you would respond the same.

Are there any lessons you can learn?

Modifications

Want something easier for younger children?

Draw lines on a piece of paper to separate it into four quadrants.  Let your child draw one thing a character from the story did in each box.  For example, if you just read about Daniel in the Lions Den, they may draw Daniel praying in his room, Daniel being thrown in the lion’s den, Daniel praying in the lion’s den, and Daniel coming out of the lion’s den alive.  For each picture they draw, have your child draw a happy face for the ways she would like to act and a frowning face for the ways she wants Jesus to help her not to act.

Did you run into any questions while you were reading?  Maybe there were some puzzling words, or you want to know what else the Bible says about something you read.

Let’s find out what the Bible has to say!  Look around your house for a concordance.  You may even have one in the back of your Bible.  If you can’t find one, you can go to biblegateway.com.

When you find a concordance, look up a word that relates to your question.  Read at least five of the verses that are
mentioned.

What did you learn?  Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper to make to columns.  Write “Verses I Looked Up” on the top of one column and “What I Learned” on the other column.  Record your discoveries.

Modifications

Want something that will work for family worship?

Choose a topic that you want to look up together.  Let each family member look up different passages, recording their answers on a piece of paper.  When everyone has looked up the assigned verses, come together as a family and share what you’ve found.  What can you learn from all of the verses collectively?

Want something easier for younger children?

Younger children will have more basic questions, and may need help looking up answers.  They can also get used to using a concordance by helping you look things up.  For example, if you are looking up the word “Dove,” you can have your daughter help you by saying the alphabet.  You may ask questions like “What letter does D come after?”

Want something harder for older children?

If you have a child who is especially interested in this type of Bible study, challenge him to fully research a topic using his concordance.  You can also combine this activity with the exploring the margins activity for some really in-depth Bible study.

I have some good news and some bad news.  I’ll start with the bad news first.  Joshua’s House is no longer a non-profit organization or an official incorporation of any kind.  Due to my new teaching job, I am unable to keep up with the demands of the paperwork and logistics connected with running an organization, and there is no one to take that job on.  However, the good news is that the board of directors has strongly encouraged me to keep the ministry moving forward, and that’s just what I intend to do.  The hope is that some day we can pick up again and keep right on plugging away.

What does all of this mean for you?  Have no fear!  God is still working.  The only difference for you is a financial one.  Donations and purchases are no longer tax deductable.  While this is a bit of a bummer, it is certainly not something that should get in the way of anything here at Joshua’s House.  There will be a few changes to the website over the next few months to update everything with the organizational change.

Thank you for continuing to visit our website.  It is my prayer that you continue to find a blessing as you and your family strive to grow closer to God.

Think of all of the people you heard about as you studied the Bible this week (or even just today).  Choose one - any one - but once you pick a character you can’t change your mind.  Write that person’s name down on the top of a piece of paper.  On that same paper, answer all 20 questions about the person you chose.

1. Why did you choose this character?
2. Where is this person mentioned in the Bible (what verses)?
3. Is this a major character or a minor character?
4. Is this person a man or a woman?
5. Was this person rich or poor?
6. Was the person young or old in the story?
7. What role did this person play in the story?
8. How are you like this person?
9. How are you different?
10. What do you think he/she did right or wrong?
11. Was he/she faithful to God?
12. Would you have acted the same or differently than this person?
13. How?
14. How did this person respond to those around him/her?
15. Why do you think this person was included in the Bible?
16. Did this person allow the Holy Spirit to work through him/her?
17. What questions do you have about this person?
18. What questions do you have about what this person did?
19. What lessons did this person learn or teach someone else?
20. What can you learn from this person?

Modifications

Want something easier for younger children?

Choose just a few of the questions that are appropriate for your child’s age.

Want something harder for older children?

For a bigger challenge, have your child write a book about the character they choose for 20 questions.  He can make a story book and illustrate it, using one page for each question.  (This activity might work nicely for a pre-writing exercise).

This is a memory trick you’ve probably already heard of before, but it provides a lot of fun and is a huge booster to memorizing scripture.

Set your memory verse to music .  Maybe there is a tune you already know that fits well with your verse, or maybe you can make up your own tune.

You can also do a rhythm instead, like in a nursery rhyme.  Even if there is no tune, having a rhythm will make a huge difference—think of Humpty Dumpty.

Modifications

Want something easier for younger children?

Provide younger children with memory verse songs that are already written.  You can find some great resources in our online store.  If you’re working on a particular verse and you can’t seem to find a song that is already written, sing along to a familiar tune your chlid already knows like “The Farmer in the Dell” or “Jesus Loves Me.”  You may even have fun making up hand motions for the song.

Sometimes when we read the Bible, we come across passages that seem totally relevant to us.  Maybe a Bible character is going through circumstances similar to ours, or maybe there is a Psalm that seems to say just what we are feeling.  If you come across a Bible passage like that, you can pray it as your own prayer.  As you read over the verses again, repeat them to God and add things that apply to you specifically.

Modifications

Want something easier for younger children?

Praying in relation to things happening in the Bible can be a difficult concept for young children to grasp.  One way to start them on this journey is to pray with them every time after reading the Bible.  For example, if you are reading about creation you might have a prayer like this with your little one:

“Dear Jesus, thank you for creating the earth.  Thank you for the trees and the birds and the food you gave us to eat like yummy strawberries.  Help us to take good care of the things you made, just like you asked us to.”

Then, give your little one a chance to thank Jesus about some of her favorite things from creation or to ask God questions about some of the things He made.

Want something harder for older children?

Psalms are simply records of some of the prayers of David and other men of God.  One of the great things about taking the time to craft a Pslam is that it requires you to slow down and really think about what your writing.  Challange your child to write a psalm about lessons he’s learning as he studies the Bible.