Basics

The Perfect Audience

Posted on December 13, 2012November 27, 2013 by Carol Hulbert

Our Rotation this month is about Jesus’ birth with a focus on the shepherds and angels portion of the story. The Message version of the Bible describes these shepherds as “camping in the neighborhood.”

Hmmm… Camping… How about a family camping expedition in the living room? Pitch a “tent” (drape a blanket over some chairs), stuff the backpacks with snacks or maybe even hold a picnic! (Try something simple, like sandwiches.) Use this opportunity to talk about shepherds, ask some questions, and add some spiritual growth memories!

a speech bubble Is it easy to stay clean when you are camping?

If you’ve ever been camping, you know how hard it is to be neat. You can image how hard it was for shepherds in the time of Jesus. They also probably smelled like sheep. And they had another stigma: in those days, shepherds were looked down upon. They were considered as lowly as a tax collector.

Yet these were the people who first heard the good news of Jesus’ birth!

And heard the news in grand style!
Tell the story of the shepherds and angels (from Luke 2:8-18) around your pretend campfire. (What is camping without a campfire!)

a speech bubble Why are shepherds the perfect audience for angels announcing the birth of the Christ child?
Why do you suppose God didn’t chose “important” people to tell first?
Who would you expect God to tell?

There is a momentous message in God’s choice of society’s outcasts as the first visitors he invited to see his baby son!

a speech bubble Have you ever felt not good enough to hear from God?

God’s gift of his son Jesus is for everyone, even you and me.

God sent his son Jesus as a way to bring people back into a relationship with God. Those who are young, old, broken, a mistake-making-mess, tired, forgotten, feeling unworthy… His message of love comes once again, perhaps as quietly as a sleeping baby or as unexpectedly as God’s glory blazing around!

Enjoy this video telling of our story from The Jesus Storybook Bible.

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
A young Bedouin shepherd boy by Ed Brambley from Cambridge, UK, who licensed this photo via Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons License, via Wikimedia Commons.
Campfire also licensed under Creative Commons, by Mike Davis.

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From now on you will be called…

Posted on November 28, 2012May 14, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

Here’s a fresh take on an answering machine message:

Hello. This is not an answering machine, This is a question machine. And there are really only two questions that matter: who are you and what do you want?

Jacob got to answer those questions during his wrestling match with God.

Picture the scene: Jacob is feeling doomed. Twenty years ago he left his home and his family to escape the anger of his brother Esau. Now God has told him to return home, but Jacob is nervous: Does Esau still want to kill him? Jacob has learned that his brother Esau is coming to meet him with an army of 400 men! That doesn’t sound very peaceful.

Jacob has tried every trick in the book including prayer and an attempt to appease his brother with gifts. (Cattle, and camels, and goats, oh my!) Now he finds himself engaged in a full-throttle wrestling match with God! What next?!

Who are you?

Jacob got his name from the way he was born. As the second-born twin he entered the world holding on to the heel of his brother, so they named him “Heel-catcher.” In those days “Heel-catcher” had other not-so-nice meanings: “trickster,” “swindler,” or “scoundrel.” Hmm, Jacob lived up to his name, I’d say?

Now that God has asked him his name, Jacob has to admit it…

a name tag: hello my name is scoundrel

But God has a new name for “The Grabber!”

Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it’s Israel (God-Wrestler); you’ve wrestled with God and you’ve come through.
Genesis 36:28 MSG

In giving Jacob a new name it is like God is saying: You may not think that you are “good enough,” but I love you anyway. I’m giving you a second chance. Here is how I mean for you to be.

Hmmm, this means that I could be…

How would you answer the question: What is your name?
What name would you like to live?

Discuss these questions with your family.

Photo credits:
A slightly altered “Hello, my name is…” originally by kirrilyrobert, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Follow along at home (part 2 of Jacob and Esau)

Posted on November 8, 2012November 7, 2013 by Carol Hulbert

This month our Rotation story is part two of Jacob and Esau. (Last month we covered part one.) A Bible story big enough to be covered over two months calls for your help! It’s too much to cover all of this story in class.

Please read this story a bit each day, using the following family reading plan. As an added bonus there are questions for discussion along with the reading.

Gather together around the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) If you’d like to print out the part two reading plan/discussion guide, click here. (For part one’s reading plan click here.)

* A review from last month

Read in Genesis	Discussion questions
25:19-23*	How does this message from God become significant later in the story? (Hint: This is a review question! Who ends up with the birthright and the family blessing?)
25:24-34*	How would you describe Jacob? Esau? Their parents, Rebekah and Isaac? Do any of their traits describe you? (Are you an outdoorsy-type, a grabber, an opportunist?)
27:1-17*	Have you ever played a trick on someone? What was the outcome? Draw pictures of what you think Jacob looked like in his “disguise.”
27:18-29*	How would you rate Jacob’s trust in God? Why do you suppose God would want such a person to be responsible for his Covenant? (see Genesis 22:17-18)
27:30-38*	Describe how Esau must have felt? Aren’t you glad that in our day, everyone can be blessed! Practice saying a blessing for each family member. Try: “The Lord bless you and keep you.”
27:41-45, 28:1-5*	Tell about a time when you held a grudge against (or were angry with) someone. Did it ever get resolved?
28:10-16	What promises did God make with Jacob? Has God made any promises to you? (Check out 2 Corinthians 12:9 or Romans 8:28.)
28:10-16	As you re-read this passage think about what you use a stairway for. How can a stairway be seen as a way we can “get to” God? As a way God gets to us?
29:1-14	Do you know the story of how your mom and dad first met? Talk about the last gathering of your relatives. Was there lots of hugs and kissing? Telling stories?
29:15-30	Note: For families with young children, it is suggested that you tell this story to your family rather than read it out of the Bible. (Read it for yourself ahead of time.) First, ask your child(ren) what they know about Jacob’s marriages. Tell the story and then ask: How does the trickster get tricked? How do you suppose Leah and Rachel felt?
31:1-3	Jacob was working for Laban for 20 years. Can you imagine working at the same job for 20 years? What do you suppose God has planned for Jacob?
32:3-8	When have you prepared for something, expecting that the worst could happen? Does Jacob remember that God is with him? The next time this happens, how will knowing that God is with you make it different?
32:22-30	Why do you suppose God wrestled with Jacob? Do you suppose that sometimes the only way to learn something is to struggle with it? What is something that you’ve struggled with lately?
32:22-30	Names had great meaning in Bible times. Why do you suppose God asks Jacob what his name is? What new name does God give Jacob? What new name do you suppose God would give you? Bible-reader? Child who prays daily? One who helps others? Share your desired new name from God by adding a comment below!
33:1-4	Did this meeting turn-out how you expected? Is it easier to offer forgiveness or to be forgiven?

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Jacob & Esau is an image from Sunday Software’s the Awesome Bible Stories CD. Used by permission. (This software is a neat way of expanding Bible learning at home. Discover more titles here.)

Yikes. Mistakes! (Yet Grace abounds.)

Posted on October 24, 2012October 24, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

The characters in our current Rotation story on Jacob and Esau, are just like us:

Not perfect.

I am glad that the Bible includes stories of less than stellar personalities and people who flub-up big time. It makes it easier for all of us to relate to them. We can look at these characters and see reflections of ourselves.

And (hopefully) learn something! How about this: Isn’t it great to know that God always loves us, no matter what; even when we screw up!

In spite of our mistakes, God doesn’t turn away.
He continues to seek a presence in our lives.

That’s the point this story makes!
So how do we talk about this with our kids? a speech bubble

Here’s an idea: There are lots of mistakes happening in this story, so use mistakes as a jumping-off point for some discussion at the family dinner table. Or wherever your family is gathered together. (If you’d like to print out this discussion guide, click here.)

Here’s how it could go: Start off by describing a mistake that you made recently.

For me it was a recent spelling mistake that I should have caught, but I hit “Reply” too quickly. Oh, and then there was speaking too quickly, and saying what I shouldn’t have said. Ouch. You get the point.

Now, ask your kids what mistakes they’ve made. (Accept all replies.)

Then ask what mistakes are made in the story of Jacob and Esau?

Pull out a Bible and re-read Genesis 25:29-34. (Or ask older kids- readers, to look for mistakes.) Then, ask some questions…

Do you suppose Esau made a mistake in selling his birthright for a bowl of stew?
What is a birthright?

In Bible times the oldest son received special privileges that were seen as very valuable; this was called a “birthright.” If there were two sons, when it came time to divide up everything, the older son would receive two portions and the second son, one. The oldest would become the “head of household” and the family spiritual leader.

Ask more questions…

Who was born first in our story? (Genesis 25:25, Esau)
But what was it that God had told their mother, Rebekah, about these twins before they were born? (If necessary, read Genesis 25:22-23.)

The younger one will be greater! This is strange because, as the birthright says, usually the firstborn is the greater. But here God is telling Rebekah that her 2nd born son (Jacob) would have the special honor of eventually being head of the family. That’s different!

Do you suppose that Rebekah had told her family this story?

Look for more mistakes in Genesis 27:1-38.

What mistakes have been made?
Jacob and his mom have created a big lie! Why do you suppose they did this?
But didn’t they remember what God had said (in Genesis 25:22-23)?
What do you suppose God thinks of what they’ve done? Does he still like/love Jacob?
What happens next? (If necessary read Genesis 27:41-43 – Jacob runs away from Esau.)
Would you call this a “blessing” for Jacob? (no, he had to leave his family behind!)
But then what happens when Jacob is running away? (If necessary read Genesis 28:10-22 – God shows himself to Jacob and promises to be with him.)
Jacob had made a mess, but God still wanted to work with him! Do you suppose God will do this for us?

God keeps on working in all of our lives despite the messes we cause! God is a loving and forgiving God!

Close with a short prayer. A suggestion: Lord, surely you are in this place; with us always. Help us to be aware of your forgiveness and to remember that you love us. Amen.

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Reflection by Margaret W. Carruthers, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Teaching kids about worship: let them participate!

Posted on October 18, 2012October 19, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

This Sunday at FUMC in Ann Arbor, MI, the kids will be participating in worship. What a great way to teach them about worship – by involving them in the service; by asking them to help lead! If your child is not taking an active part this Sunday, here are some ways to help them to get more out of the service.

The theme for this Sunday is: “Jesus, My Friend.” Spend some time talking about friends. Is being someone’s friend, hard work? What does it take to be a good friend? Does it ever involve doing something you maybe don’t like doing? Relay a story from your past friendships.
Talk about Jesus as being your friend. Is it easy being friends with Jesus? What if someone snubbed you or put you down, because you liked Jesus? Would you still want to be friends with Jesus then?
Read the scripture together that will be used in the service: Mark 10:35-45. To make it easier to understand, read it in The Message.
Talk about the sermon title: “James and John: Let’s ‘Like’ Jesus!” Wonder together about how Pastor Bob will develop his sermon. According to this weeks “Thursday Thoughts, we’ll be asked to speculate on whether being friends with Jesus is as easy as clicking “Like.”
Practice prayer. Include all of those who will be helping lead us in worship, in your prayers.
Practice singing some hymns. We’ll be using “Jesus Loves Me,” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” and “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me.” Below are some videos from YouTube that include the lyrics with the songs.

Ask your kids after the service if your preparation helped them to worship. (Report back okay?)

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
“Like” button by Sean MacEntee, who licensed this photo under a Creative Commons License on Flickr.

A long story requires a reading plan

Posted on October 10, 2012November 7, 2013 by Carol Hulbert

Our Rotation this month is part one from the Old Testament story of Jacob and Esau. (Next month we’ll be covering part two.) A Bible story big enough to be covered over two months warrants a family reading plan! As an added bonus there are questions for discussion at the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.)

Is this required reading?

Yes! Let’s call it that! Actually, I’d hope that you are always reading together as a family, the Bible story being taught at FUMC. But this is especially necessary for a big story; a long story is hard to cover in the short amount of class time on a Saturday night or a Sunday morning.

Besides, this story is intriguing! It’s got interesting characters, twin brothers in conflict, a hasty swap, scheming, disguises, and trickery. Oh, and it ends (for this month) on a cliffhanger. (What will happen to Jacob??) Consider this an excuse to start a faith dialogue in your family!

(If you’d like to print out this reading plan & discussion guide, click here.)

Read	Discussion questions
Genesis 25:19-23	Can your child draw out a family tree with the characters in our story? What sort of questions would you like to ask God?
Genesis 25:24-26	Do you know what your name means? Read the foot notes in the Bible for the twins names. In Bible times names had great meaning. What do you think of Jacob’s name meaning “deceiver?”
Genesis 25:27-28	Do you suppose that Isaac and Rebekah were wrong to have favorites? What sort of trouble did this lead to?
Genesis 25:29-33	Have you ever been so hungry that you would trade something valuable just to be able to eat? Have you ever taken advantage of a family member who was vulnerable in some way? Is forgiveness necessary?
Genesis 25:34	What were the rights of the firstborn son? (Ans: He would inherit a larger amount of property and would be leader of the family.) Why do you suppose Esau didn’t seem to care about his birthright?
Genesis 27:1-4	We typically equate “blessing” with approval (example: I approve of your choice of a university to attend). In Bible times a blessing was very important and held great promise. How do you suppose it would have felt to have been “blessed” in such a manner?
Genesis 27:5-13	What is Rebekah suggesting? What do you think of Jacob’s response? (Doesn’t protest too hardily!) Why do you suppose this story (about deceit!) is in the Bible?
Genesis 27:14-17	Review what God told Rebekah about her sons – Genesis 25:23. Why do you suppose she felt as though she had to act in order for God’s plan to happen? When have you felt it necessary to be in charge?
Genesis 27:18-24	Do you get the feeling that Isaac knows he’s being tricked? Why do you suppose he plays along?
Genesis 27:25-29	Do you suppose that God approves of these actions? What does this story teach us about the power of words? Whom can you bless with your words?
Genesis 27:30-38	How would you feel if you were Esau? What have you learned from this story?
Genesis 27:41-43 and 28:1-5	Why did Jacob run away? What does this imply about what he has done? Have you ever felt like running away?
Genesis 28:10-15	How do you suppose it felt to use a stone as a pillow? What does the dream mean to you?
Genesis 17:1-8 and 28:12-15	Abram was the grandfather of Jacob. What does it mean that God repeats his promise to Jacob? Review the promises God has made with you! (Ephesians 2:8 & Romans 5:2 are a couple.)
Genesis 28:10-17	As you re-read this passage, consider how amazing it is that, in spite of what Jacob has done, God still offers grace! What does this mean for you?
Genesis 28:18-22	Have you ever been surprised by God’s presence? How have you confirmed a meeting with God?

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Jacob and Esau in the womb, is an image from the Awesome Bible Stories CD, used by permission. (This software is a neat way of expanding Bible learning at home. Discover more titles here.)

Beyond Sky: Using Prayer to Build Trust

Posted on July 19, 2012March 17, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

“Sky” Vacation Bible Camp (VBC) is complete. We’ve had the chance to show off our enthusiasm by singing VBC songs in the downtown church service.

Kids sing songs from VBC in church

We sang the VBC theme song “Fly,” and “You, You, You.”

children's moment in church reports on mission collection

We’ve also heard a report from some of the Grad Group members about our “Share a Smile” mission collections.

Ah, we had a great week!

So, are we there yet? Do we fully trust God?

That’s what we heard all week long, right?

No matter who you are… Trust God!

No matter how you feel… Trust God!

No matter what people do… Trust God!

No matter what happens.. Trust God!

No matter where you are… Trust God!

(Did I miss any?)

I’ll admit, it’s hard to trust God. We want to, but it means giving up control. (Yikes, is that scary!)

And then sometimes it seems like God can’t be trusted; we prayed really hard but then God didn’t answer. So how can God be trusted?

How can we teach our kids about building their trust in God,
when we (the adults) aren’t sure how?

First off, be prepared to admit to your kids that you don’t have all of the answers. Living with unanswered questions is an unavoidable aspect of being on a faith journey. If you are like me it will be easy to tell your child(ren) that you all can work together to learn to trust God. Here’s a way to start: How do we come to trust anyone? We take baby steps to build a relationship, right? So how do we work on a relationship with God?

Use prayer.

It’s appropriate that this month in Saturday and Sunday’s Cool kids are learning about prayer. Prayer is talking and listening to God. It helps us to feel closer to God, to build a relationship with God and thus, to build trust in God. There are multiple ways to talk about prayer with your kids. (Here and here are a few). Let’s focus on a technique that is reinforced this month in our workshops: using the acronym “ACTS” to keep our prayer time focused. Each one of the letters represents a different type of prayer.

A: Adoration – A great way to start by saying, “I adore you God!” or “God, you are awesome!”

C: Confession – What we are sorry for, something we did wrong, or something we should have done but didn’t do. (How about feeling like we aren’t totally trusting God?)

T: Thanksgiving – List a few things that make you feel grateful.

S: Supplication – Send in the troops! Listing some of the needs of others or for ourselves.

I’m working on building my trust. How about you?

a blue line

Photo credits:
Photos are from my archives.

Sky VBC: Day 2

Posted on July 10, 2012July 11, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

Welcome back to Sky Vacation Bible Camp (VBC); Where everything is possible with God! Here’s what your kids did today…

At our opening time, Up & Away Sing & Play, we were busy! There were more songs to sing and time for each “Flight Crew” (what we call a group of kids) to get to know each other. We shared our God Sightings: instances where we saw God in our daily life; a smiling face, a pretty sunset, a helping hand… all of these are pictures of God! To remind us of these God Sightings, we created “clouds” that spelled out “GOD.”

Flight crews spent time getting to know each other

The Bible Buddy for day 2: Orville the flying pig
We also met today’s Bible Buddy: Orville, a pig who would rather fly than wallow in the mud. I wonder how a flying pig relates to today’s Bible Point? See if your kids know.

What was today’s Bible Point? (So glad you asked!)

No matter how you feel… trust God!

(Ask your kids what the response is suppose to be when they hear the words: “No matter how you feel…”)

Flash is feeling blue Flash stopped in for a visit. Was she feeling down! She didn’t even want to be seen! We managed to convince her, however, that bad stuff can happen in your life. Yep, we all will experience times of feeling bad. But, no matter what, God has a plan for you and you can… Trust God! Our key Bible verse was: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God”  (John 14:1). Don’t you think it would be a good idea to store this Bible verse in our heart, where we can pull it up just when we need it? Visit here for some hints about “memorizing” Bible verses.

Our Bible story was about how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. (Read it in John 11:1-44). It’s a story loaded with feelings and illustrations of no matter how you feel… For instance, Lazarus had been dead for four days! His sisters Mary and Martha were feeling bad, especially becuase they had asked Jesus to come to heal Lazarus. Yet Jesus didn’t come right away! He waited for four days! We’ll talk more about these sorts of feelings a little later in our stations.

Speaking of stations… The preschoolers did the following:

Games – Today we played parachute games. We used a parachute to pretend like we were running in and out of a tomb, just like Lazarus came out of the tomb. We also had time to just play!
Crafts – Today we heard a story about feelings and we made bookmarks.
Drama/Bible Adventures – In this station we heard and experienced our Bible story using our senses. We felt rocks and gauze bandages. We smelled tuna! Pee-yew!
Bible Buddies – The kids had another visit from Sklyer the puppet. Today Skyler was frustrated because Orly the orangutan was cheating on the rocket building contest! Orly’s dad had college students building his rocket for him. That’s not fair! I wonder what we were doing in that picture on the right?

Meanwhile elementary kids visited the following stations:

All-Star Games – We started off experiencing some frustration. How could we help a blindfolded crew member to find things hidden in the grass!? The game which was the most fun was called “Jet Scream.” Kids were challenged to see how far they could run on one breath, while screaming!
Wild Blue Bible Adventures – In this station kids get to experience the emotions in our Bible stories. Ask them how they came up against Mary and Martha’s feelings. (It had to do with Rock-Paper-Scissors).
Sky High Movie & Missions – Today we watched Chadder deal with some cheating contestants in the “Catch Some Air” contest. I wonder if Chadder will do the right thing?

Imagination Station, day 2

Imagination Station – We certainly get lots of chances to use our imaginations in this station! Ask your kids why they were eating clouds? And ask about that feeling you get, like you are about to burst. (And how this turned into bursting balloons with interesting results.)

Our “older” elementary kids in our Grad Group spent the morning on a field to Chelsea Retirement Home. They had a personal tour and visited with residents, handing out blank note cards and bookmarks with the VBC verses.

Snack Day 2: Miracle Cookies Mid-way through our time this morning we all gathered at Sky Dive Diner. Our snack was “Miracle Cookies.” Hey! They look like a wrapped Lazarus. Thank goodness for the recharging effect of a couple of cookies!

At the end of our morning everyone gathered together again for Fly Away Finale. There was more singing and we got to fly — just pretend — though there were sound effects and clouds that we flew through. We also got to see a visual presentation on how the “clouds” in our life can be dissipated.

Finally, here are some Links of interest (click on the highlighted words):

Slide show of photos from Monday.
Slide show from Tuesday.
A fun site where kids can play games based on Sky Bible Buddies, download coloring pages, and watch for a clue about each day’s segment of Chadder’s adventures.
Community Action Network (CAN), the organization behind the school supply kits (our local mission project).

And, some conversation starters on our global mission project to collect coins to assist children in attending RAWANA Youth Camp, a United Methodist Church camp located in the Rivercess County of Liberia. Day 2 Bible Buddies surrounded by info on Liberia

Tell me about the smiley face sticker you are wearing.
Where is Liberia?
How do the children in Liberia get to camp?
I wonder what other differences there are between our life here in the U.S. and life in Liberia?
For 1st grade and up: I know there is something interesting about the president of Liberia, do you know what I’m thinking of? (The president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is a woman. She is also a member of United Methodist Church and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.)

See you tomorrow!
~~Carol (on behalf of the VBC Team)

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Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Bible Buddy image used by permission of Group Publishing.
Rest of photos courtesy of Griffin, Wendy and Carol!