Family Time – Questions – Page 8 – Family Faith Companion

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.

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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.

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!

Helping kids get more out of worship

Posted on June 28, 2012June 28, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

This weekend the children will join us in worship. Help them prepare for this time, not by packing up a few books or an iPhone to keep them happy/distract them, but by spending a few minutes talking about the Bible passage they’ll hear. Reading those verses would be a good way to go about this task. But make it more fun by using this idea at the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) It’s a knock-off of the card game “Spoons.”

Gather enough spoons for everyone. (Unlike the real game of Spoons, everyone should have a chance to grab a spoon.) To avoid arguments, make sure everyone is equidistant from the pile!

Get out a Bible. (If you’ve got readers, one for everyone to follow along is an even better idea!) Set the stage by saying that this weekend is family worship and you’d like to read the Bible passage that will heard. But you won’t just be reading the story; you’d like to involve everyone. Point out the spoons and tell everyone to grab a spoon when they know the answer to a question. (Note: To print out these questions, click here.)

The first question is:

In what Testament in the Bible do we find stories about Jesus?

(I’ll bet someone blurt out the answer without grabbing a spoon!) Allow the first spoon-grabber with the correct answer (the New Testament) the privilege of finding the gospel of Mark in the Bible. Or make it another question as to how to quickly find the New Testament. (Kids in 3rd grade and up should know the answer.)

Announce the next spoon-grab:

Whenever you hear the number “twelve” in the story.

Start reading Mark 5:21-43. “Twelve” is mentioned in verse 25. Ask the first spoon grabber to tell you where this story takes place.
Answer: Verse 21, on a beach. (Ask someone else if the first one to grab doesn’t know the answer.)

Continue in this pattern — announcing the next spoon grabbing opportunity — before picking up where you left off reading. Here are a few more chances at the mad dash. (You may wish to reduce the number of questions asked for younger children)…

What the woman who had suffered for 12 years, did to receive healing from Jesus.
Answer: verse 27, touched Jesus’ robe.
Additional question to ask the “winner” (or just to ask everyone): What does this tell you about this woman? (Accept all reasonable answers. One possibility: she had great faith.)
What Jesus does in response to the woman’s healing.
Answer: verse 30, asked “who touched my robe?”
Additional question: Given the crowded situation (read verses 31-32), making it hard to figure out who had touched him, why do you suppose Jesus wanted to know? (Accept all reasonable answers. A couple of possibilities: Jesus cares about people; Jesus wanted to teach others about having faith.)
What the messengers said.
Answer: verse 35, the news that the daughter of Jairus was dead.
Additional question: Jesus had been on his way to heal this girl (may need to re-read verses 22-24), do you suppose the interruption with the woman who was bleeding, caused Jesus to miss the opportunity to save this girl? (Accept all replies.) How do you suppose that made Jairus feel?
What Jesus told Jairus when he heard the news.
Answer: verse 36, “Don’t be afraid. Have faith.”
Additional question: When have you been afraid?
What happened at Jairus’ house.
Answer: verse 42, Jesus raised the girl from the dead!
Additional question: Jesus had heard the news that the girl had died. Why do you suppose he went to Jairus’ house anyway? (Accept all responses.)
What lessons can this story teach us? (A possibility: We can trust God no matter what happens).
I wonder what lesson Pastor Doug will focus on this weekend?

Report back on how this went with your family. Do share!

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
A rousing game of spoons by woodleywonderworks, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

A birthday party! With red cake!

Posted on May 26, 2012August 22, 2022 by Carol Hulbert

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. It is also time for a birthday party—with red cake!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Who’s birthday is it? And why red cake?

It is the birthday of the church! The church is another year older. (But who is counting after close to 2,000 years.) We also call this day “Pentecost” because the event that marked the start of the Christian church coincided with the Jewish festival of Pentecost.

What was this church-starting event, and why red cake?

The “event” was the coming of God’s promised helper or advocate, the Holy Spirit. Fifty days had passed since Jesus had been resurrected after the first Easter. Jesus’ followers were gathered together in Jerusalem, in the “Upper Room”—allegedly the same spot where the Last Supper had occurred. Jesus had told them, prior to his ascension to heaven, to wait in the city for the Holy Spirit. (Read about it in Acts 1:4).

Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. Acts 2:2-4

Fiery tongues? That sounds scary! Is that why the red cake?

Yep, the color red is associated with Pentecost as it illustrates the “fiery” nature of this event. As frightening as it sounds, it likely was not scary for the original participants. Strange and mysterious? Yes!

The writer of Acts says that the Spirit looked like tongues of fire and sounded like wind. I’ll bet it was hard to describe! Regardless of how it looked or sounded, the early followers of Jesus were lit “on-fire” as they felt empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the good news about Jesus.

So what does this mean for us today, besides some red cake?

Celebrations serve as reminders. God offers us the Holy Spirit. We may not sport flames but we can rest assurcd in the knowledge that God is with us, helping us to become disciples of Jesus and to do his work in the world.

Enjoy some red cake while you discuss Pentecost with your family!

Photo credits…
Red Velvet Cupcakes by vmiramontes, licensed on flickr under CC BY 2.0.

Games at the dinner table

Posted on May 10, 2012June 8, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

Who likes to play games? How about playing a game around the family dinner table? (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) After all, dinner table games can lead everyone into dialogue. And what could be better than a family talking!

Want to know how to bring up Biblical topics in your family time?

A game is a great way to have your conversation include faith stories. How about a game of Concentration? Only preparation necessary is to print out the these cards. (Have your kids cut them apart as part of their dinner-prep duties.) At an appropriate time, spread out the cards picture-side down. Everyone takes a turn to see if they can turn over two cards that match. Who ever finds a match, says something about the image on the cards.

Did you know that playing this game sometime this week can help your child to prepare for the big Cool Disciples review game this coming weekend? On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, we’ll be playing a large-group game to review the Bible stories we’ve covered since September. It will be sort of like the old TV game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” This game is always loads of fun.

A group of kids works together to determine an answer

A shot of last years 3rd graders formulating their answer.

Here are the stories we’ve covered since September 2011:

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15, Luke 11:1-4)
Psalm 23 (Psalm 23:1-6)
Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42)
The Story of Jesus’ Birth (Matthew 1:18-23, Luke 1:26-38 and 2:1-20, Matthew 2:1-15)
Moses: Bulrushes to Burning Bush (Exodus 1:1 – 4:17)
Moses: Plagues and Passover (Exodus 5:1-6:13, 7:1-12:42)
The Last Supper (Luke 22:7-20)
Nicodemus (John 3:1-17)

Regardless of whether your child can take part this weekend, add an occasional game to your family dinner. Need another suggestion? Check out last years review game idea.

a blue line

Photo credits:
Concentration card images from WPClipart and Open Clip Art Library. (Images are in the Public Domain.)
Photo of playing the “big game” is from my archives.

Breaking down the Moses, Plagues to Passover story

Posted on February 9, 2012February 11, 2018 by Carol Hulbert

Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh

We are about to embark on a follow-up Rotation on Moses. Last month we covered Moses from his birth to his encounter with God in a burning bush.

That was a lot of ground to cover in the Bible, as is part two: Plagues and Passover. But have no fear! Here is a reading plan for your family group to use, to break down this month’s story into manageable chunks. (For the part one reading plan click here.)

Might I suggest covering our story over several days? Start off with a review of God’s call to Moses. (The Burning Bush!) The next day, read about Moses and Aaron’s first encounter with Pharaoh. (See picture above.) On subsequent days you can read about each plague, as God displays his power to Egypt. Eventually you’ll read about the first Passover and about how a lamb’s blood saved the Israelites.

As an added bonus there are questions for discussion at the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.)

If you’d like to print out this reading plan/discussion guide (I’ve tried to squeeze it into a one-page document!) click here.

Read	Discussion question
Exodus 3:1-6	Why take off your sandals? What sort of relationship to God does this imply?
Exodus 3:7-15	What does God want Moses to do? How many different ways does God identify himself?
Exodus 4:1-17	Does Moses sound like he is whining? When was the last time you whined? Reread verse 11. Which of your perceived limitations needs this sort of talking to?
Exodus 5:1-18	How did you expect Pharaoh would react to Moses’ request? Tell about a time you asked for something and were turned down. What can help you to keep in mind that God is with you in times of stress?
Exodus 5:22-6:8	Do you suppose Moses is ready to give up? So soon? When have you felt this way?
Exodus 7:1-7	Why do you suppose God “hardened” Pharaoh’s heart? Or did Pharaoh harden his own heart? What do you hope to be able to accomplish at age 80?
Exodus 7:8-13	How do you suppose Moses and Aaron felt when Pharaoh’s magicians made their staffs into snakes? Who (in your opinion) “won” this round?
Exodus 7:14-24	To the Egyptians the Nile River was a god. What does this say about God’s power? Do you see “magicians” in society who try to mimic God’s power?
Exodus 8:1-15	How do you suppose it would feel to find frogs in your oven and in your mixing bowls? Why do you suppose the magicians didn’t try to stop the frogs?
Exodus 8:16-19	Starting with this plague, the magicians were no longer able to reproduce a plague. Why do you suppose this didn’t have an affect on Pharaoh?
Exodus 8:20-32	What sort of pattern of behavior is happening? Starting with this plague, the Hebrews were unaffected. What sort of message did this send to Pharaoh? To the Hebrews?
Exodus 9:1-7	How do you suppose Pharaoh planned to recover Egypt from these plagues?
Exodus 9:8-12	God didn’t tell Moses how many plagues would happen. How is Moses likely feeling?
Exodus 9:13-35	What does the warning in verse 19 say about God? How about verse 32?
Exodus 10:3-20	If God knows that Pharaoh will change his mind, why does he keep stopping a plague when Pharaoh says he will let them go? Why does Pharaoh ignore his officials advice?
Exodus 10:21-29	The sun was a god to the Egyptians. What does this story teach you about your allegiance to the “gods” of today’s society?
Exodus 11:1, 12:1-13	Why do you suppose there are such explicit directions for a Passover feast? How does Jesus’ Last Supper relate to this story? How about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross?
Exodus 12:21-30	In the manner of verse 26, discuss your family traditions.
Exodus 12:31-42	What sort of blessing do you suppose Moses gave Pharaoh? Have you ever received a blessing? How do you suppose the Hebrews felt as they left town in a hurry?

Photo credits:
Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh by Benjamin West (1738-1820) in the Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.