Dear families,
It can happen to any of us: We look at our circumstances, forecast a coming trial or opportunity, and act accordingly—only to find out that the situation doesn’t play out quite like we expected. This is precisely what happened in 1 Samuel 8–10. The people of Israel, while assessing their circumstances, discerned that Samuel’s days were numbered. They recognized that his sons, Joel and Abijah, had turned to dishonesty and against the ways of their father. So, they predicted that they would soon have no one to lead them and that something must be done. The elders of Israel believed they knew what was best and demanded that Samuel appoint a new king who would lead them “the same as all the other nations” (1 Sam 8:5). We can do the same. With the best of intentions, we can hastily seek what we believe is best without consideration of the Lord’s plans, desires, or wisdom. This may happen in search of a new job, in response to conflict, in making family decisions, or even in determining how to best minister to people in our church or community. How do we know that our decisions, desires, and actions align with what God wants? Be encouraged to do three things as you seek the Lord’s wisdom in these moments of decision: Pray, read God’s Word, and seek counsel. When we pray, we humble ourselves before the Almighty God and submit our desires to Him. When we read God’s Word, we discover His desires, plans, and will in the most clearly revealed way so that we might walk in them. And when we seek counsel, we open ourselves to the community of believers to be shaped, formed, sharpened, and corrected. Proverbs 3:5-6 remind us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.” Taking the time to pray, read the Bible, and seek the counsel of brothers and sisters in Christ is an act of refusal to rely on our own understanding, instead submitting ourselves to God’s authority and ensuring that we don’t get ahead of Him. FAMILY TALKING POINTS CHRIST CONNECTION This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit. ●Younger Preschool: Why does sin separate us from God? Because God is holy. KEY PASSAGE This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit.
** Next week: God Made Saul King (1 Samuel 11)
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Dear families,
What comes to mind when you think about sin? Consider your emotions—does the thought of sin make you sad? Angry? Indifferent? To fully understand the beauty of salvation and the power of grace, you must take sin seriously. Consider what our sin says about God. Sin says God may be powerful, but not enough to deserve ultimate authority in our lives. Sin exploits God’s mercy and disrespects His patience. Sin says God is not worthy of our obedience. Sin isn’t just a mistake; it is serious. Why? Our sins are first and foremost against an infinitely holy God. In Ephesians 2, Paul describes our state apart from Christ not merely as broken or flawed; he says we are dead in our sin. We are not simply wrong people who need to do better; rather, we are dead people who need to be made alive. God confronts this bad news with a surprising response. Look at Ephesians 2:4-5: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses.” The good news of the gospel increases in its gravity as our awareness and hatred of sin increases. If sin seems like no big deal, the cross is not very impressive. When we have a right understanding of the seriousness of our sin, the gospel is good news—the revelation that we who are dead in our sin can have true life as a free gift in Christ. Take a moment to reflect on your sin and to thank God for His mercy. Pray that God would graciously reveal to us and to our little ones their sinful nature and desperate need for salvation as well as His holiness and provision of Jesus as the Savior they need. FAMILY TALKING POINTS CHRIST CONNECTION This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit.
KEY PASSAGE This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit.
** Next week: Israel Demanded a King (1 Samuel 8–10) Thankful for God's amazing plan and the awesome things He is doing in GHC NPM! Thankful for getting to see and be with our little ones each week to share Jesus! Thankful for getting to serve and grow with the NPM Team that God has placed here at GHC! Thankful for getting to care for and share JESUS with our little ones, our NPM Team, and NPM Families! Praising God for who He is and what He has done in Jesus, His Son! I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30 THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PACKED A BOX and SHARED JESUS this year! Continue to pray these Boxes will all get to where they need to go. Continue to pray for the children who will be receiving the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes. Continue to pray for the Good News of Jesus to be heard by all the children!
Dear families,
The ark of the covenant was a physical reminder of God's tangible presence with his people. Rather than treat the ark with reverence, they treated the ark as a sort of good luck charm. In our Bible story today, we see what happened when the ark was taken from the people of Israel. Except in times of war or when the people of Israel were on the move, the ark was kept in the holy of holies in the tabernacle. Once a year, a priest would approach the ark and sprinkle blood on the mercy seat on the ark's top for the forgiveness of the people's sins. The ark and what it represented was temporal and pointed forward to the substantial reality of God who would come and live among His people. When we realize that Jesus lived a perfect life and then died in our place, we see that Jesus is better than the ark because He is always with us. We are filled with thankfulness. Jesus is better than the bulls and goats whose blood was sprinkled on the ark because His sacrifice is once, for all time (Heb. 10:10). This should move us to worship. Finally, we should be humbled and filled with confidence when we realize that Jesus, who lived perfectly in human flesh, died and then was resurrected and ascended into heaven where He, in His glorified human body, prays for us. This should give you confidence in this life that no matter what we face, God's Holy Spirit is with us. The Son is interceding for us. Because Jesus stands between the Father and us, we can "approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time” (Heb. 4:16). We can go before God daily because of Jesus. FAMILY TALKING POINTS CHRIST CONNECTION This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit.
KEY PASSAGE This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit.
To our GHC Family and Friends Thank you for showering me with so much love and encouragement! I so appreciate all the kind words, words of encouragement, and the precious gifts of love that I received. Grateful for the wonderful cards, the amazing food, the lovely flowers, the hugs, and thoughtful gifts. Blessed to be able to follow God, grow in Him, and serv Him with you all! Thank you for refreshing my heart! You all are a wonderful reflection of God’s heart! God is so good! FOREVER THANKFUL & ALWAYS GRATEFUL & ABUNDANTLY BLESSED Love Ann, GHC NPM DON'T MISS OUT!! LAST WEEK TO PACK & BRING THOSE BOXES IN - LAST DAY TO DROP OFF BOXES IS NEXT SUNDAY - NOV 13TH! Dear families,
When was the last time you prayed fervently to God? What did you need? Did He answer in a way you expected? When Hannah wanted a baby, she cried out to God with great earnestness so much that the priest Eli thought she was drunk. Hannah had confidence that God heard her prayer. She understood that one of the evidences of the understanding and the belief that God hears and answers prayer is persistence in prayer. Hannah prayed with a passion and bitterness of heart that looked to God at first and fixed her gaze upon the Lord only. She didn't even notice Eli watching her. She believed that God heard and God acted as a result of our small prayers. She prayed with passion because she believed God heard her. But what if our prayers seem not to be heard? Hannah is a great example for us of what C. H. Spurgeon observed about prayer in his book Illustrations and Meditations: "Frequently the richest answers are not the speediest … A prayer may be all the longer on its voyage because it is bringing us a heavier freight of blessing. Delayed answers are not only trials of faith, but they give us an opportunity of honoring God by our steadfast confidence in Him under apparent repulses.” Finally, Hannah's persistence in prayer showed that she understood she could not fix her situation but the all-powerful God who hears and acts could. The next year, Hannah came with a baby in her arms. A baby she named Samuel, which means “God heard.” Samuel’s life was a constant reminder to Hannah and all of Israel that God lives, hears, and acts. As you prepare to serve kids through teaching, remember that even prayers that seem to be delayed are meant to strengthen our resolve to pray and to honor God with a confidence that can't be shaken. We serve a God who hears us, and because He hears us, no prayer is too small or too big that we can't bring Him. Check out The Gospel Project At Home for resources designed to help you lead a family worship experience as well as suggestions for morning and evening prayer times and family activities. FAMILY TALKING POINTS CHRIST CONNECTION This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit.
This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit.
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GHC NPMPARTNERING WITH PARENTS Archives
August 2023
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