Home School vs. Public School vs. Christian School

I know that for many different people there are different reasons and methods of getting the same thing done. We all like to do things the way we do them and sometimes it can seem completely foreign to us why, "those people do it that way." But what I am coming to learn is because God has created us all so uniquely, even in the way our brains operate and the way we make decisions and process information, we can come to different conclusion because there is not a black and white answer. And to go a step further, at times our passion and love for doing what we do in the way we want it done, can cause us to contort our faces when others do it differently.

One of those hot topics can be the area of whether or not we home school our kids, send them to public school or to a private school. What's the right answer? Maybe you're saying, "well Pastor Rob, there is no "right" answer..." but privately in your head you're saying, "...but all the brilliant, beautiful parents who really love their children _____________."

Recently I came across a blog where the author has spent a significant amount of time looking into this very dibate. I want to pass along what Pastor Sam Luce has concluded on the matter, and even though all of his ideas and arguments may not be how I would say them, I do feel like he gives us a great starting point, especially if you have ever or will ever try to answer this question for yourself and your family.

Check out his blog Homeschool, Public School, Christian School: Conclusion and if you're interested you can check out these blogs as well:

4 reasons I WOULD send my kid to Public School
4 Reasons NOT to send your kid to Public School
4 reasons I WOULD send my kid to Christian School
4 reasons NOT to send your kids to Christian School
4 Reasons to Homeschool your kids
4 reasons NOT to Homeschool your kids.

Hoogle Boogle Express Test 5/29

Happy Memorial Day weekend-
Hope you all have plans that will be fun and relaxing. Remember to hug a veteran this weekend.

Because of the holiday weekend we will not be having Kidz Quest this Sunday.

Sunday morning is Hoogle Boogle.
Hoogle Boogle is a review game that we play at the end of most months to go over what we have learned in Kidz Express. Below are some review questions you can go over with your grade schoolers to help them get ready.

1. What do you think is the weirdest way for humans to communicate to one another?
2. What would you do if you could not speak to anyone?
3. Do you think you have ever heard God and if so what did He say?
4. What does PASS stand for? (Pray, Ask, Step out, Stop)
5. What do the letters in the ACTSS model of prayer stand for? (Adore, Confess, Thanks, Supply, Silence)
6. When we pray for supply what are we praying for? (what we need and what others need)
7. When you’re praying the Adore part – how can you describe God? (beautiful, mighty, loving, forgiving, etc. etc. etc.)
8. What are the 4 different places that thoughts come from when we’re trying to hear from God? (flesh, friends/family, devil, God)
9. What is one of the best ways of identifying which voice is God’s? (everything He says is out of LOVE)
10. How many people in this room has God spoken to? (everyone)

Hear Ye Hear Ye

Here's a look at some upcoming 'happenings' in Kidz Express:

May 29 - No Kidz Quest due to Memorial Day - feel free to hug a veteran.

May 29 - Camp Judah Registration Table opens Sunday morning. Please make sure you turn in all forms (registration, medical and rock wall - using the rock wall is optional).

Also, every camper is receiving a $25 discount towards camp from the EGC Open. Registration can also be turned in to the main office.

June 5 - Camp Registrations are due. Any turned in after the 5th will be charged a $20 late fee. We cannot accept registrations that are incomplete, do not have a medical form signed by a physician or are not paid in full.

June 12 - Last Kidz Quest of the school year. See you in September!

June 26 thru July 1 - Camp Judah. 

July 3 - Good-bye Ceremony for our 6th graders.

July 10 - Move Up Sunday. Parents of new 1st graders are welcome to join us for the entire service.

Hearing Requires Listening

All month long we have been discussing if it is possible to hear from God and if so, HOW? This Sunday we are going to discover that we have all heard from God but we need to learn how to differentiate between what He is saying, what our flesh, our friends and the enemy is saying to us.

One of the best ways to know which one is God's voice is because everything He says to us is out of LOVE - spell that with me L-O-V-E. God is never going to say anything to us that is mean, will hurt us or lead us to hurt others. God will never say "that person just cheated off of your homework at school, you should go yell at them, call them a bad name and then hit them." However, just because it's out of love doesn't mean it will be easy, but we know that God wont ever harm us and that He loves us more than we can imagine!

Then enough with the talking, we are going to take some time in our service to wait on the Lord with pencils and paper ready and listen to what He is saying.

Verse:
John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

ACTSS

This week we will be getting a visit from another familiar friend to Kids Express who will be helping us to dive into our next lesson. Andrew Danglis will be looking at how we can help get the lines of communication open to God so that we can position ourselves for His Downloads. The ACTSS model of prayer is a great tool for all believers to help them in their prayer life.

A - Adoration, start praying by worshiping God for who He is and what He has done for us.
C - Confess any sins, attitudes, or mindsets that could hinder your relationship with Him.
T - Thanksgiving, express how grateful you are for what God has done for you personally and focus on the ways He has blessed you.
S - Supply, ask Him for the things that you need in your life.
S - Silence, don't hog all the air space, give God a chance to speak back to you and let your prayer times be a 2-way conversation.

Verse:
Luke 11:1-4

Discussion Q's:
1) How did you feel being alone talking to God?
2) What did you tell God that you adored about him?
3) When do you think you can do this at home?

Hearing From God - Is It His Will?

This Sunday we have a special guest speaker coming to discuss our next lesson in Download from.GOD. Karen Lampson, our former Express 56 Director, will be looking into the scriptures with us and helping us to understand if what we're hearing is actually from God or just something we made up.


Mrs. Lampson will be helping us not to let His voice PASS us by.
P - Pray for God's will, not your own. Is. 55:8
A - Ask, is this consistant with the Word of God?
S - Step out in faith.
S - Stop, listen and wait on the Lord.

Verse:
Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

Discussion Q's:
1. What are some things that people might ask God about or “seek His will” about?
2. Tell about a time when you asked God to help you and He did.
3. What does PASS stand for? Is there anything else you can do to help you know what God’s will is?
4. What happens if we think we know what God wants and it ends up being the wrong thing?
5. What is something that you can PASS on this week at school or home?

Happy Mother's Day

No Kidz Quest

Parents,

We Do Not Have Kidz Quest This Sunday, May 8th. Enjoy Your Mother's Day Festivities!

Download from.GOD

This month we are starting a new series where we will be exploring if God still speaks to people like He did in the Bible and how do we become the type of people who can hear and understand what He is saying.

This past Sunday we discussed different ways that God communicates to us and what can hinder us from hearing God, such as sin, the devil, and us choosing not to listen or by being too distracted.

Memory Verse:
Matthew 11:15 “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”

Discussion Q's:
1. What do you think is the weirdest way for humans to communicate to one another?
2. What would you do if you could not speak to anyone?
3. Do you think you have ever heard God and if so what did He say?
4. Would you like to hear God better and more often – it is going to take some hard work but with practice you can start learning what God’s voice sounds like.