Mirror Mirror, Who Am I?

Have you ever wondered where your identity comes from? From now until the end of May we are going to be looking at our identity according to the Bible, who God created us to be and learning, "In Christ I am a NEW CREATION, in Christ I am a Masterpiece!"

When we start realizing what types of mirrors we use to understand our identity, value and why we were created, we can easily see which ones we want to look into regularly, and which ones we want to avoid. Tomorrow we are going to identify several mirrors and the reflection they give, take a look at a few examples below:

MIRROR  ::  REFLECTION

a piece of glass in the bathroom :: our physical appearance

our mom or dad :: our name and our value

the Bible :: our true identity and how to live

the TV :: good/bad behaviors, beliefs, habits

friends :: good/bad behaviors, belonging

We will also be looking at 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, "Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come!"


Preschool Lessons:
3s: God answers Hannah's prayers for a baby.
4s: Noah listens to God's words and builds an ark.
5s: The serpent tempts Eve in the garden.

Share It!

Being able to celebrate Easter is one of the greatest privileges we have as disciples.  But we can't stop at simply celebrating Easter, one of the greatest messages Jesus gave was just moments before He ascended and is crucial for helping others to see the wonder and magnitude of the Easter holiday;

"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved...teach them to obey everything I have commended you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Mark 16 & Matt. 28)

from the mountain tops

How exactly do we share the Good News with others? It is easy to get intimidated about sharing our relationship with Jesus with others, but what if we were ready before they ever even asked. This week we are going to take time in our class to write out 3 simple sentences so we can be ready to share the gospel with everyone.

1. What was life like before we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior?
2. What happened that caused us to call on His name?
3. What is life like now that we know Jesus?

Preschool Lessons:

3s: God created everything in the world.

4s: God created people to live on the earth.
5s: God created all things.

Troubleshooting Check-In

Hey Parentz-

Thank you so much for your patience while we are working out the bugs and trying new things in our check-in process. I realize there have been a few mornings where the line has been long or it has been frustrating trying to get your children checked in or checked out. We are currently working on a few ways to help quicken the check-in process before we get the computers up and running.

One thing you'll notice this Sunday is that we're separating the 2 tables in the Kidz Lobby to help alleviate the congestion in the center of the lobby. One table will be by the drinking fountain and the other will be just past the coat racks. Remember, you can check in all ages at any station, inducing our station in the nursery area.

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or ideas.

Partnering in Parenthood,
Pastor Rob

The Right Foundation

Many of us have heard the parable of the wise and foolish builders. (Matt. 7:24) The one built on the sand and saw his investment crumble and the other built on the rock and was able to withstand the storms of life. I wonder how much of their success or failure was based on an education of the proper type of foundation? At Kidz Express we believe in helping young sons and daughters of God the King learn and establish a proper foundation for their life, a foundation that is the Rock. But to accomplish our mission, we need many people to help in different areas of the Children's Ministry.

We are currently looking for 11 adults who are willing to Test Drive the KidsMin to see if this is an area where you can move in your giftings and serve the EGC family, not to mention helping the youngest generation get established for life on the right foundation. 

Understanding Your 4th/5th Grader

(This is the last of an 8 part series on Understanding Your Youngster; a series on age specific information on how to help your child's spiritual development and creating a godly foundation.)

"Being listened to is so close to being loved that most people cannot tell the difference." David Oxberg

I'm a fourth/fifth grader. Welcome to my world! I'm developing a sense of who I am and what I am able to achieve. Having friends and being part of groups is important. I know I belong. Join me and see what I'm learning and what I like to do!

• Listen to my questions, give honest answers and assure me of God's love. 
• Hearing personal faith stories helps me to know who God is and respond to Him. 
• I like to participate in discussions and listen to more adult conversations.
• I am beginning to learn that when I pray sometimes God says "yes," "no," "wait."
• I am beginning to understand biblical symbols and sacraments such as communion and baptism.
• I am learning that God wants me to grow, learn and follow. 
• I am starting to understand what it means to worship on my own or in groups.
• I am learning cause and effect for God forgiving us and us forgiving others. 
• I can pray out loud in a safe environment.
• I understand more deeply what it means to have a relationship with Jesus.
• I am learning about giving, saving and spending money from God's point of view.
• I make my own decisions and accept the consequences for those decisions. 

"If you talk to your children, you can help them to keep their lives together. If you talk to them skillfully, you can help them to build future dreams." Jim Rohn

(Information pulled from Willow Creek's "Thought You'd Like to Know" series.)