Are we good enough?

Posted on by Carol Hulbert
Buck Denver and Chester Whigget's Popsicle Stick Theater

Where has summer gone!? There is one week left to join us on our movie adventure. In the meantime, continue the learning at home!

Last week we learned about Esther. Our video included a presentation by Chester Whigget’s famous Popsicle Stick Theater. Watch the start of Esther’s story in this video. (If you are reading this in an email click here to view the video).

Yep. King Xerxes definitely had too much coffee. Here are some questions to talk about at the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) You can ask these questions even if you missed the video showing last weekend! For other sets of discussion questions view here. If desired, print out this family discussion guide here. (Spread this out over several days.)

HAVE SOME FAMILY DISCUSSION…

  • Pass around a Bible. The person holding the Bible gets to be the one who shares their glads and sads for the day. (Or perhaps you call them peaks and pits?)
  • Just as a library has different types of books, so does the Bible! Did you know that there are books we call “History books” in the Bible? What sort of history do you suppose those books tell?
  • The books of History tell of the interaction of God with people in history. Why do you suppose that learning about God’s past interaction with people is important?
  • Esther is a book of History. What can you tell me about Esther?
  • Esther is good storytime reading. Read it together with feeling! (You may wish to paraphrase parts for the younger set.)
  • Did you know that in the book of Esther, God is never mentioned!?! Why do you suppose that is? (Scholars continue to debate this question!) Do you suppose it is for us to see that God is always with us even though he doesn’t get talked about?
  • Puppet Brother Louie from What's in the Bible? DVD

    God is always with us, but are we good enough for God? I mean, as humans we mess up all the time! (And we forget to ask God for help.) How can we be good enough for God? (Brother Louie asked this question in our video.)

  • Do we need God in our lives or can we do it on our own?
  • We are humans. We fail. We do things that separate us from God and from other people (we call that sin). What we learn from the historical books of the Old Testament is that people throughout history have tried and tried to be good enough for God. What usually ends up happening? (That’s right – they fail. Just like we do. But rather than being depressing, it points out our need for Jesus as our Savior!)
  • God used an ordinary woman named Esther to save his people. Do you suppose that God could use you to do something special? How does it change your life to know that God has something special planned for you to do?


Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Other photos from the producer of our video What’s in the Bible, under a fair usage category.

Are you seeing ads? They are not from me! They are placed by WordPress, who otherwise offers a free platform from which to share lots of good-ness. If you see an inappropriate ad, please report it to support@wordpress.com. Include the URL, the date/time the ad appeared, and a screenshot of the ad.

Being impressive or obedient – which one are you?

Posted on by Carol Hulbert

A collage representing parental involvement with their kidsAdults! Join your 1st – 6th graders on our movie adventure. It gives you an “easy in” for continuing the learning at home! Asking questions such as the one in this post’s title!

 
Here are some questions for the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) You can ask these questions even if you missed the video showings. (For other sets of discussion questions on our summer movie series, view here.)

If desired, print out this family discussion guide here. (Spread this out over several days.)

Have some family discussion…
  • Pass around a Bible. The person holding the Bible gets to be the one who shares their glads and sads. (Or perhaps you call them peaks and pits?)
  • Take a look at the Table of Contents of your Bible. Find 1st Samuel. Does your Bible have a topical index – perhaps a Concordance – at the back? Look up Samuel and do some research!
  • Let’s see if we can quickly figure out the important characters in the book of 1st Samuel. What would be a way to do that? How about checking out the headings! (if your Bible has them.) Look at the heading at chapter 1; it probably mentions Samuel! It’s expected that a book by the name of “Samuel” means that he is an important character! Headings at chapters 9 and 16 give us other clues of who is in here.
    • Puppet 8 year old Michael-the boy in the car seat
  • Samuel was a prophet. Michael, the boy in his car seat who introduces every video, says some funny things; I wonder what he would have to say about prophets? (He would probably think they were a type of candy bar! Isn’t it good to know it’s okay to get confused about words?) What do you know about prophets?
  • A prophet is someone that God uses to deliver messages; a prophet is God’s messenger. What message was God trying to tell King Saul? Here is a short video to see the answer:

    (If you are reading this in an email click here to view the video).

  • Read together 1 Samuel 13:13-14. God was trying to tell King Saul that he should serve only God. But Saul served God “halfway.” King Saul wasn’t always good at doing what God wanted him to do… when it came to following God, he was a failure! How good are we today at hearing God’s messages? Do we pay attention to God all the time? (To be honest, I’d say no!) How can we take better care at paying attention to God?
  • Read 1 Samuel 13:13-14. Samuel was telling Saul that because he hadn’t obeyed God he would be replaced… with someone who was a “man after God’s own heart.” What do you suppose it means to be a “person after God’s own heart?” (Lots of possible answers but I’ll bet that one of them includes someone who wholeheartedly serves God!)
  • In the video we watched above, Sunday school Lady says, “God doesn’t want us to be impressive, he wants us to be obedient.” What do you suppose she meant by that? How are we sometimes guilty of trying to be “impressive” rather than obedient to God?
  • God does replace King Saul with King David. What stories do you know about David? Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13b, about God sending Samuel out to find and “anoint” David. [Note: We’ll be studying this story in September 2014!] What does “anoint” mean? (Anointing is the process of pouring oil on someone, or something, as part of a ceremony that marks that person, or thing. for a special task.)

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Photo credits:
Collage was created by moi.
Michael photo is from the producer of our video What’s in the Bible, under a fair usage category.

More Big Questions (about Genesis and Psalms)

Posted on by Carol Hulbert
Captain Pete's cannon

It seems appropriate that Pirate Pete would introduce us to a new word: “Canon.” But wait Captain Pete, I think that your cannon has two many n’s. What’s a canon (with just one n) and what does it have to do with the Bible?

Ask this sort of question at your family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) Ask these questions even if you missed our video showing last weekend. Join us for another movie adventure on August 10th!

Note: To print out this particular family discussion guide, click here.
For other sets of discussion questions view here.
In the meantime…

HAVE SOME FAMILY DISCUSSION!

  • The word “canon” comes from a Hebrew word which means “measuring rod.” Over time, the word canon came to refer to a norm or a standard. “Later it came to mean a rule of faith, and eventually a catalogue or list. In present usage it signifies a collection of religious writings.” [1] We came to talk about canons (not cannons!) because our big question with Buck Denver was:

    Who picked the books to be in the Bible?

    Big Questions with Buck Denver

    We got a little bit of church history in our video when we heard about how the church leaders in the 4th century picked or canonized, the books to be in the New Testament of the Bible.

  • All of the books in the Bible tell us one big story. What would you say is that one big story? (Lots of answers, but the one we are focused on is that the Bible is the story of God and what he’s done for us.)
  • What do you suppose God has done for us? (Lots of answers, including promising to always love us, to have a special relationship with us, and to give us second chances – i.e., grace – when we mess up.)
  • Abraham has a son

    God has made promises to people in the Bible. Who remembers the promises God made to Abraham? (many off-spring, & land to live on, & to be a blessing to the whole world.)

  • Why do you suppose we can trust God’s promises to us? (It’s okay if we’re not sure why! It is hard, but it takes having what we call faith — believing that God will do what he says he’ll do.)
  • Do: Play a rhyming game (start with “after a while crocodile… In a blizzard little lizard…”) After a bit tell everyone that in a sense, what you’ve been doing is creating poetry – a way of expressing ideas in rhyme. Did you know that the Bible has poetry in it? (Though not the rhyming type of poetry.) There is a whole book of poems; do you know which book it is? (Psalms!)
  • Psalms are poems written by people expressing their feelings to God. Go on a Psalm Hunt! Open the Bible to Psalms. (Ask your 3rd grade and up child to tell you the quick way to find Psalms.) Read each Psalm and see if you can figure out which category it belongs in. (Read one a night?)
Psalm Possible Categories
Psalm 8 Thanksgiving
Psalm 9:1-2 A complaint!
Psalm 22:1-5 Praise
Psalm 37:1-4 Words of Wisdom
Psalm 38:6-11 Journey Psalms – sung while traveling to Jerusalem
Psalm 100
Psalm 122:1-4
Psalm 133:1
Psalm 136

How did you do on this quiz? Check out some answers here.
It’s amazing to realize that we can tell God exactly how we are feeling!

[1] From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.


Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Other photos from the producer of our video What’s in the Bible, under a fair usage category.

Are you seeing ads? They are not from me! They are placed by WordPress, who otherwise offers a free platform from which to share lots of good-ness. If you see an inappropriate ad, please report it to support@wordpress.com. Include the URL, the date/time the ad appeared, and a screenshot of the ad.

Big Questions with Nancy Lynn

Posted on by Carol Hulbert
This summer we’ve been delving into the movie series What’s in the Bible? with our star, Buck Denver. An exciting moment is always when they announce it’s time for…

Big Questions with Buck Denver

I love questions! (Well, okay. I didn’t always love them. Especially when my kids were two and asked why, why, why… over and over and over…) Questions were at the core of day three at our recent Vacation Bible Camp. You heard it lots of times that day…

Even when you don’t understand…Jesus loves you!

But let’s admit, even though we know that’s true… it doesn’t erase the nagging thoughts that come with all of that mystery! We still have questions!

Kids have lots of questions!

To acknowledge this quandary, in the “Imagination Station” the elementary kids thought up questions they would like to ask God. (Because it’s okay to ask!) They wrote their queries down inside big question marks.

They asked such great questions! In fact, their questions were so thought-provoking that for the next three weekends this summer, Pastor Nancy is going to do a sermon series on three of their most common questions!

  • What does God look like?
  • Why do people do mean things?
  • What happens when we die?

It sounds like it’s time for…

Big Questions with Nancy Lynn

Since your kids asked the questions, we want to extend a special invitation to attend worship on July 26/27, August 2/3, and August 9/10! You can come to Green Wood on Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. or to the downtown church on Sundays mornings at 9:30.

Hey! How about doing this…

A suggestion on what to do as a family on the weekends.

I cant wait to hear some possible answers to some tough questions whether it’s with Buck Denver or Nancy Lynn!


Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Other photos from the producer of our video What’s in the Bible, under a fair usage category. I’ve altered the one about Pastor Nancy.

Are you seeing ads? They are not from me! They are placed by WordPress, who otherwise offers a free platform from which to share lots of good-ness. If you see an inappropriate ad, please report it to support@wordpress.com. Include the URL, the date/time the ad appeared, and a screenshot of the ad.

Ten Questions You Should Ask

Posted on by Carol Hulbert
Chuck Waggin from What's in the Bible? DVD series
Chuck Waggin says:  Yep. There are at least ten questions every family should be talkin ’bout. Come on down and join us at our weekly movie adventure. Y’all, it’s the purrrfect excuse to bring up topics for discussion at home – on account of y’all watched the video. See ya there?

Last week we watched a video about the Gospels. Here is a short bit from our video… (if you are reading this in an email click here to view the video).
 
 

Here are some questions to talk about at the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.)

You can ask these questions even if you missed the video showing last weekend! For other sets of discussion questions view here. If desired, print out this family discussion guide here. (You can spread this out over several days.)

HAVE SOME FAMILY DISCUSSION…

  • Pass around a Bible. The person holding the Bible gets to be the one who shares their glads and sads for the day. (Or perhaps you call them peaks and pits?)
  • Open up the Bible and point out (or ask your child to find) the Gospels.
  • What does the word “gospel” mean? (good news) Talk about what is this “good news.” How has it made a difference in your life?
  • What are the names of the four gospels? Who wrote each one? (Watch the video above to find some answers). Why do you suppose that there are different gospels?
    • Chuck Waggin
  • Chuck Waggin is a country western, singing member of the What’s in the Bible? movie. See if your family can come up with a country western tune that teaches the names of the four gospels. ♩♫  (Bonus: Add the rest of the books of the New Testament!)
  • Find the first book of the New Testament – Matthew. Note how chapter one starts off — with the genealogy of Jesus. What is a genealogy? What do you know about your family genealogy? (Draw a family tree!) Why do you suppose Matthew included a genealogy? (it connects the OT to the NT)
  • What important things did Jesus do? (review some of Jesus’ miracles & teachings) If someone asked you to summarize the gospels, what would you say?
  • Make a list of words that summarize what the gospels teach. Play a game of “How Few Can You Do.” In this game you take the list you created and try to reduce it to as few key words as possible. How did you do? Share your words with the community!


Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Other photos from the producer of our video What’s in the Bible, under a fair usage category.

Are you seeing ads? They are not from me! They are placed by WordPress, who otherwise offers a free platform from which to share lots of good-ness. If you see an inappropriate ad, please report it to support@wordpress.com. Include the URL, the date/time the ad appeared, and a screenshot of the ad.

Here comes July & August…

Posted on by Beth Pascoe

What’s happening in Christian Education for kids and their caregivers in July and August at FUMC?

Worship and movies !

You can do both together as a family! Our summer film series features selections from What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver. (Yes, these videos are appropriate for adults and kids! Think of the family discussions this will open up!)

Watch a short preview of this series… (if you are reading this in an email click here to view the video).

This summer we are encouraging families to attend worship together at Green Wood and to come to our video lessons on Sunday mornings… YES, as a family… in the air conditioned Chapel. Afterwards there’s Lemonade on the Lawn for some fellowship time.

Join us!

Here is the schedule for July and August downtown on Sunday mornings…

Date To learn about…
July 6 Attend worship & Communion as a family.
July 13 Watch the story of Jesus in the Gospels; all in one viewing! Can it be done? Big Question: Jesus doesn’t “make” us follow him. He invites us. Why would anyone refuse that?
July 20 Back to the Old Testament. Genesis means beginning! Big Question: Who picked the books to be in the Bible and what does a cannon have to do with it?
July 27 Jumping ahead to songs and poetry books in the Old Testament; the Book of Psalms is the people talking back to God! We can talk back to God?! (Sure! Let him know how you feel.)
August 3 Attend worship & Communion as a family.
August 10 Next stop: History books in the Old Testament. Some history of King Saul and David. King Saul is messing things up, so God sends Samuel out to “anoint” a new king. I wonder who that will be?
August 17 The book of Esther. I wonder if we’ll be casting “purs” and yelling “Boo Haman”?
August 24
Moving on to the book of Acts. Big Learning: Jesus knew that if he left, the Holy Spirit could be everywhere and the message could explode into the world!
August 31 Attend worship/Communion as a family.

 

Or if you can’t make Sunday morning then catch the action for kids at Green Wood on Saturday evenings…

Date To learn about…
July 5 Watch part one of video (#10) that starts the New Testament. The “Big Question” is: How could one man, Jesus, solve the huge problems of our sinful world?
July 12 Watch the story of Jesus in the Gospels; all in one viewing! Can it be done?
July 19 Jumping back to History books in the Old Testament: King Saul and David. King Saul is messing things up, so God sends Samuel out to “anoint” a new king. I wonder who that will be?
July 26 Attend worship with your family.
August 2 The Old Testament book of Esther. I wonder if we’ll be casting “purs” and yelling “Boo Haman”?
August 9 Moving back to the New Testament and the book of Acts. Big Learning: Jesus knew that if he left, the Holy Spirit could be everywhere and the message could explode into the world!
August 16 Back to the first book of the Old Testament. Genesis means beginning! Big Question: Who picked the books to be in the Bible and what does a cannon have to do with it?
August 23 Jumping ahead to songs and poetry books in the Old Testament; the Book of Psalms is the people talking back to God! We can talk back to God?! (Sure! Let him know how you feel.)
August 30 Attend worship with your family.

 

 

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Photos of kids are from my archives (some were taken by other church members).

Are you seeing ads? They are not from me! They are placed by WordPress, who otherwise offers a free platform from which to share lots of good-ness. If you see an inappropriate ad, please report it to support@wordpress.com. Include the URL, the date/time the ad appeared, and a screenshot of the ad.

The summer learning continues

Posted on by Carol Hulbert
A collage representing parental involvement with our programmingAdults! Join your 1st – 6th graders on our movie adventure. (It gives you an “easy in” for continuing the learning at home!)

Here are some questions for the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) You can ask these questions even if you missed the video showings. (For other sets of discussion questions on our summer movie series, view here.)

If desired, print out this family discussion guide here. (Spread this out over several days.)

HAVE SOME FAMILY DISCUSSION…

  • Pass around a Bible. The person holding the Bible gets to be the one who shares their glads and sads for the day. (Or perhaps you call them peaks and pits?)
  • Usually when you open a book one of the first things you notice is the author. Does it say anywhere, who is the author of the Bible?
    • Buck Denver, Man of News!
  • Our most recent “BIG QUESTION with Buck Denver” was: Who wrote the books of the Bible?
    Does anyone know the answer?
    Is this one of those questions where it’s important that we know the absolute answer? OR is it more critical that we trust these writings because they are in the Bible, not because of who wrote them?
    [Read here for more info on the Methodist view of the Bible.]
  • Let’s dig into the Bible! What is the name of the first book of the Bible? Why is it appropriately named? (Watch a short video of a song about the meaning of the word “Genesis.”)
  • Read together Genesis 1:1-31. Do we know for sure when all this happened? Some say 6000 years ago, others say 4.5 billion years ago? Who is right?
    Phil Vischer (the producer of our video series) tells us: Not all Christians agree about everything. Some believe the 
word day in the Bible means a “24 hour period” and some believe “God days” can cover 
millions of years.
    How does living with mystery often define our faith?
  • Read together Genesis 3:1-21.

    • Chester Whigget's Popsicle Stick Theater show of Adam & EveBetween Popsicle Stick theater and Chuck Waggin’s singing we were introduced to the concept of sin and God’s rescue plan.

    What is sin?

    Why do we need rescuing?

    Note: These are heady concepts! Work at them slowly. Ask questions.

    A simple definition of sin: anything we do that separates us from God.

    Why do we need a rescue plan from God? Watch this short video…

    Stay tuned for more each week. See you in church.


    Photo credits:
    Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
    Other photos from the producer of our video What’s in the Bible, under a fair usage category.

Are you seeing ads? They are not from me! They are placed by WordPress, who otherwise offers a free platform from which to share lots of good-ness. If you see an inappropriate ad, please report it to support@wordpress.com. Include the URL, the date/time the ad appeared, and a screenshot of the ad.

Don’t think of it as summer school

Posted on by Carol Hulbert
We’re off to the movies! This summer, we hope you’ll join us on our movie adventure and also, continue the learning at home.

Summer school! (But don’t tell the kids!) Really! This is to help you pass along your faith to your child(ren)! Here are some questions to talk about at the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.)

You can ask these questions even if you missed the first video showing last weekend!

Parents and caregivers: want to get a feel for the video? Click below to watch the first five minutes of our first video. (Or click here if you are reading this in an email.)

Don’t you agree that this is for adults and their kids? Join us!

You’ll both be learning together at the movies!

And, by using the questions below, you’ll both be learning together at home!

If desired, print out this family discussion guide here. (You can spread this out over several days.)

HAVE SOME FAMILY DISCUSSION…

  • What is a favorite book that you have recently read?
  • What if a friend told you that the Bible was their favorite book, what would you say?
  • Why do you suppose we should read the Bible? (No right or wrong answers!)
    • Buck Denver, Man of News!
  • Buck Denver, one of the main characters in our video series, asks a BIG question in the first video: What is the Bible? How would you answer that question? (To watch a one minute video of some kids with their answers to this question, view here.)

  • Tell your kids that you’ve learned how to carry 66 books with one hand! Then show them how you do it, by picking up a Bible! Yep, the Bible is like a library; there are 66 books in the Protestant Bible! [1]
  • All of the books in the Bible tell us one big story. What would you say is that one big story? (Lots of answers, but the one we are focused on is that the Bible is the story of God and what he’s done for us; something that we like to call “God’s Rescue Plan”).
  • Take turns remembering stories in the Bible. Then take turns naming what that story tells us about God and what he’s done for us. (For example, our last Rotation, the Walk to Emmaus: Jesus is always with us.)
    • Sunday School Lady

  • Sunday School Lady (a professional Sunday school teacher) tells us about the Old and the New Testament, and their different sections. [You can watch this part on-line in a new window.] [2].
  • First off, what is a “testament? (The word “testament” comes from the Latin word testamentum, which means “oath” or “covenant.” A covenant and an oath are promises with conditions, so the word testament essentially means a “promise.”)
  • Promises! More about what God has done for us! (His Rescue Plan!) Why do you suppose God made promises? (Hint: it has something to do with love!)

Stay tuned for more each week. See you in church.

[1] For older kids, add in discussion about how the number of books in the Bible is different in Catholic and Protestant Bibles. Do some research starting here and here.

[2] If your child asks about the “end of the world” (mentioned in Sunday school lady’s description of the book of Revelation), admittedly the end of the world sounds kind of scary! Some people use the words “the end of the world” to describe the time when all people will love and care for each other and obey God. (That doesn’t sound bad!) In the early days of the church some followers of Jesus (for example, Paul) thought that this would happen soon! Some even stopped working because they figured, why bother! (Read about it here.) Of course it hasn’t happened yet, so nothing to worry about! Besides it gives us plenty of time to, as John Wesley says, go on to perfection.” (Which means we’re working on Matthew 22:37-39).


Photo credits:
Photos from the producer of our video What’s in the Bible, under a fair usage category.

Are you seeing ads? They are not from me! They are placed by WordPress, who otherwise offers a free platform from which to share lots of good-ness. If you see an inappropriate ad, please report it to support@wordpress.com. Include the URL, the date/time the ad appeared, and a screenshot of the ad.