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This will be my last post to this site so please look to the new blog for all future lesson plans, announcements, articles, book reviews, testimonies and other posts.

Trust

There is a major connection between TRUST and WILL. Jesus demonstrates for us the ultimate trust relationship when He says that He only does what He sees the Father doing. He even says that His food is to do the will of the Father (John 4). It is impossible for us to show trust in God if we are not willing to do what He asks us to do. And as hard as it is to actually follow through with, our trust in God is not complete until we lay down our wills without picking them back up.

Think about the wise and the foolish builders, (Matt. 7:24, Luke 6:48). They both heard God's instruction, they both built up their household, they both had storms in their lives, but only the first man was spared because he heard and did, or submitted his will to what was instructed of him. When we're willing to lay down our ideas and wisdom for God's, then we find our foundations in the Rock.

This week we are going to be learning about the parable of the builders and Express Truth #2: "I CAN TRUST GOD NO MATTER WHAT." We show trust in God by listening and doing what He asks of us, by submitting our wills to His.

Express Truths

Last year while I was doing some prayer, planning and creating some goals for the grade school ministry I felt like the Lord gave me a strategy. When it all comes down to it, once the kids in our KidsMin graduate up to OutBreak, or move out of the area, or leave for one reason or another, what did they learn from me and our team? After doing a lot of research into other children's ministries and seeking the Lord, I came up with 6 truths that, if they remember nothing else, will help set this young generation up with a good foundation in Christ.

Our 6 Express Truths are:

1. I am a child of God the King.
2. I can trust God no matter what.
3. God speaks to me through His Word and by His Spirit.
4. I can make the right choice.
5. Just as God treats me with love, I treat others with love. 
6. Jesus loves me and with Him, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

Over the next 6 weeks, we are going to relearn these 6 Express Truths by diving into a truth each week and applying it into our lives. Starting at #1, this week we will be discussing what other people say about us and how the truth of our REAL identity as sons and daughters of God outweighs anything that can be said to or about us. 



Images by Doyle Partners and Cizon Sauceda

Camp Judah Recap

Barna did a survey recently that stated that on average, kids learned more about God and the Bible in one week of Christian camp than in an entire year of Sunday School. Now, I don't believe that Kidz Express was involved in that study because we may have swayed that statistic the other direction. However, after seeing what God did among the young people at Camp Judah last week, I wouldn't be too surprised by this finding.

After doing some math I discovered that as a staff, we spend around 575 total hours teaching and ministering to the campers. And when you look at the camp as a whole, we spent nearly 3,300 total hours learning about or spending time in the presence of God! Not to mention numerous salvations and first time baptisms in the Holy Spirit.

As you can see there is a major reason why we believe in camp so much and why we spend a significant amount of time, promoting, fundraising, and preparing for this one week.

Beatitudes

Continuing our series on Blessed, we will be looking at the 8 beatitudes that Jesus teaches us about in Matthew 5:1-12.

Rob's paraphrase:
1. Verse 3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit... You could say it like this, you're blessed when you are ready to give up, because you are so tired and frustrated that it is easy to ask God for help - and God loves it when we ask for His help.
2. Verse 4 - Blessed are those who mourn... God is better at comforting us than our moms, grandma's, dads, whoever. The Holy Spirit is even called "The Comforter."
3. Verse 5 - Blessed are the meek... Meekness is kind of like being happy with who God made you and not being out of control.
4. Verse 6 - Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness... You could say it like this, Blessed are those who really love God, spend time with Him, pray, sing worshipful songs, and want more and more of God.
5. Verse 7 - Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy... If you plant corn seed what do you get? If you plant forgiveness, or love what do you get?
6. Verse 8 - Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God...You have a pure heart by doing 2 things, first ask Jesus into your life because when you do He promises to give you a new, clean heart. And then by making right choices and fighting temptation.
7. Verse 9 - Blessed are those who don't start fights, who help others get along, who forgive others even if they don't ask for forgiveness, who are nice even when they want to be mean.
8. Verse 10 - Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness... You could say it like this, Blessed are those who are made fun of, teased, hit or left out because they do the right thing by following Jesus.

Blessed

According to Warren Wiersbe the word blessed comes from the latin beatus, hence beatitudes. Which means divine joy and perfect happiness, even despite circumstances. At the time the word was only used for those already in heaven. However, since we now can experience heaven on earth... "You Are Blessed"

This month we are going to be looking at the Beatitudes, how they apply to our lives and what it means to be BLESSED even if our circumstances, moods, health, etc. say differently.

Specifically this week we will be talking about the meaning of the word blessed and that Jesus was talking about our righteousness throughout Matthew chapter 5 and the sermon on the mount. The Pharisees thought that cleaning the outside of the cup was what made the difference, but Jesus teaches us that it is the inside that counts.

No Kidz Quest Sunday Night

Camp Judah coming soon...

One of the greatest opportunities that we have for your 8-12 year old is Camp Judah's Jr. Camp. Studies say that a camper will learn more about who God is and having a relationship with Him in one week of camp than they will in an entire year of Sunday school. So it's easy to see why we value sending our older grade schoolers to camp every year.

If you are interested in more information, we currently have brochures and registrations available in the Kidz Lobby at EGC as you walk into the grade school room. A couple things to remember when registering your child:

• To register we need you to fill out a registration form and a health form which includes a physician's signature. 
• Both of these forms are due by June 3 and need to be turned in at EGC. We will have a table in the kids lobby May 27 & June 3. If they are turned in after June 3, there is a $20 late fee (charged by Camp Judah) 
• The cost of camp is $169 before/on June 3 and $189 after June 3. 
•  All families will receive a discount for each camper through the EGC Open Golf Tournament. (You can plan about $25) 
• We are also still looking for camp counselors and staff, there is an application at the same table. Camp counselors/staff get a $40 one time discount off of their child's registration. 

Sweet & Sour

Our Blank Masterpiece

So far in our series "Mirror Mirror," we have learned that In Christ I am a NEW CREATION, in Christ I am a Masterpiece. Not only do we find our identity in Christ, but we have also learned that God created us unique from everyone else, we each have a specific mission for our lives, and that we can control the thoughts that come into our minds.

This week as we continue to learn about being a new creation and God's masterpiece, we will be talking about the difference between sweet and sour fruit - physical fruit and the type that comes out of our lives. The Bible instructs us to guard our hearts because what we allow in, is what comes out.

Our Masterpiece in Progress

Just like putting fruit into a juicer, sweet fruit = sweet juice, and sour fruit = sour juice. If we are putting sweet fruit into our hearts - helping others, spending time with friends that encourage us, praying and reading our Bible - sweet juices like love, joy and peace will come out of our lives. However if we are allowing sour fruit into our hearts - disobedience, friends that get us into trouble, lying - sour juice will come out of our lives.

Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love... But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith, 23 being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. (Gal. 5:13, 22-23)

Preschool Lessons:
3s: This week’s lesson is about Jesus healing a man lowered from the ceiling by his friends.
4s: This week’s lesson is  about Noah and the rainbow in the sky.
5s: This week’s lesson is about God sending ravens with food for Elijah.

No Kidz Quest

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.) 

Sunday March 25, 2012

Kidz Express is a place where we are dedicated to doing 2 things; helping volunteers explore their giftings through practical ministry and helping the children experience the love of God in a powerful, authentic and personal way. Right now we are currently looking for 12 people to join our team and help see these goals accomplished. If you are interested in Test Driving or for more information about raising up the youngest generation, please contact me at robhagstrom@elimgospel.org.

In the grade school class this Sunday we are going to be discussing Palm Sunday and the triumphal entry.
1s and 2s: This month’s lesson is about the story of Easter and how much God loves us
3s: This week’s lesson is about the birth of God’s Son Jesus
4s: This week’s lesson is about God creating the plants of the earth
5s: This week’s lesson is about Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep

April & May

Parentz-
Here's a heads up on some dates you want to put in your calendar for the next several weeks!

Summer Participation:

1. We are currently looking for 12 adults to Test Drive in the nursery or preschool rooms on Sunday mornings from now until October. No training necessary, we will train and equip you to successfully minister to the youngest generation and help them experience Christ's transforming LOVE.
2. If you are interested in Test Driving or serving in this or another capacity, contact me, Pastor Rob at 585-624-5560 or robhagstrom@elimgospel.org. 

Pancake Breakfast:

1. Pancake Breakfast sales are currently under way. For every ticket your child sells, $3.50 will go towards their cost of Camp Judah. Pick up information and a packet at the table in the Kid's Lobby Sunday mornings now until April 29, or call the church office for more information. 
2. The Pancake Breakfast event is Saturday, May 5 from 9-10:30am at the EBI cafeteria. 

Kidz Quest:

1. No KQ Sunday April 8 for Easter.
2. Pajama Party Invite Night. Your grade schoolers are challenged to invite a friend (or several) to join us at Kidz Quest Sunday, April 29. We are going to have an awesome night of fun, games, and a special treat.
3. No KQ Sunday May 13 for Mother's Day.

Camp Judah:
Registrations and camp info will be available April 22 in the Kid's Lobby.
Camp Judah is $169 and is June 24-29 for ages 8-12

Prophecy???

As we close out our series on Jonah, we are going to be talking about what it means to be a prophet of God and what prophecy is. After church today ask your grade schoolers what are the 3 things that 1 Cor. 14:3 says about prophecy (it is to strengthen, encourage, and comfort others). After we talk about what prophecy is, how God speaks to us, and who is allowed to prophecy (all should desire the gift of prophecy), then we will take some time to get with a partner and ask God for a word for them.

Take some time with your kids this week and pray for each member of your family, asking God, "What is Your favorite thing about [this person]?" Then write it down and share it with them.

3s Lesson: Will learn how God helped David to defeat the giant Goliath.

4s Lesson:  Will learn about Joseph forgiving his brothers when they came to him in Egypt.

5s Lesson: Will learn how God used a talking donkey to get Balaam’s attention.

Kidz Express

This week your elementary age children are invited to hear our special guest speaker, David Clark. Mr. Clark is going to be sharing with us out of the life of Jonah and how God is "The God of Another Chance."

Understanding Your 2nd & 3rd Graders

(This is the seventh of an 8 part series on Understanding Your Youngster. Check back each week for helpful, age specific information on how to help your child's spiritual development and creating a godly foundation.)

"In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings." Ann Landers

I'm a second or third grader. Welcome to my world. I'm gaining confidence and competence. I want life to be fair and rules are important. I enjoy doing real-life tasks. Walk with me and see what I'm learning and what I like to do.

• I ask increasing questions about the Bible and God and heaven. How can God be everywhere and see everything? How does God answer everyone's prayer?
• I enjoy hearing and learning Bible stories.
• I am beginning to reason logically in a concrete matter. 
• I accept that God made everything.
• I am learning: God wants me to grow and become like Jesus. I can trust God no matter what. God wants me to develop my talents. God is all powerful. I can pray anytime, anywhere and about anything. 
• I experience God's love through friends, teachers and leaders in my community at church.
• I like to work for an immediate reward. 
• I have an increased ability to solve problems. 
• I understand more deeply what it means to be in a relationship with Jesus.
• I understand cause and effect.
• Listen to my questions, give honest answers and assure me of God's love.
• I am beginning to inconsistencies between people's words and their actions. 
• I am beginning to understand symbols and their meanings. 

"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children." Charles Swindoll

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