Family Faith Companion

How to love God

Posted on February 6, 2014July 28, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

Let’s review the Ten Commandments. What was the first one?

A sign says 'Rule #1: Don't pick up the goats'

Well, the Ten Commandments can be hard to remember. I guess it’s a good thing that this month we are learning about how Jesus shortened them for us by giving us what is called the Greatest Commandment.

Someone once asked Jesus which of God’s rules was the most important. Jesus’ reply recorded in Matthew 22:34-40, actually had two parts. He essentially told us to

Love God, and love your neighbor.

What a minute; I don’t remember either of those as one of the Ten C. What gives?

Jesus didn’t pick from the ten; he summarized all of the commandments into two. In fact we see that this nicely divides the Ten Commandments! The first four of the ten, show us how to love God (Exodus 20:3-11). The last six show us how to love others (Exodus 20:12-17).

Love God	Love Others
1. Do not worship any god except me.	5. Respect your father and mother.
2. Do not make statues of gods (idols).	6. Do not murder.
3. Do not misuse my name.	7. Do not commit adultery.
4. Remember the Sabbath day.	8. Do not steal.
	9. Do not tell lies about others.
	10. Do not long for what belongs to someone else.

Here is a discussion outline for your family to take a closer look at following the first portion of the Greatest Commandment: How to love God.

(For a discussion guide on talking about how to love others, look here.)

Spend time as a family (at the family dinner table perhaps) with everyone sharing one glad and one sad for the day. (Don’t try to fix anything, just listen and celebrate / commiserate.)

Tell kids that you are going to play a game. Have everyone think of something they love (a person, a place or a thing). Also have everyone think of something that they don’t love. Then go around the table and have everyone say “I love ____” filling in the blank with something that they love or don’t love. Have everyone decide if they really do love that item. Play a few rounds. Who can stump everyone with their choices?

Ask: What clues tell us that you love something?
How do you suppose people know that we love God?
How do we show that we love God?
Make a list and post it on the fridge! Are you doing these things every day?

A list of ways to love God

Not to detract from following the Ten Commandments but if we focus on loving God, in a sense we will be living the first four of the Ten Commandments and won’t have to worry about the details. By loving God we will be automatically obeying the first four commandments!

Photo credits:
For the love of goats (a sign at a petting zoo) by Gord McKenna, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

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A month about love: February 2014 Schedule

Posted on January 29, 2014January 29, 2014 by Carol Hulbert

Jesus was often peppered with questions. The toughest, trickiest one was probably:

Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?
Matthew 22:36

In February, we’ll be studying the answer Jesus gave. His response is so important it’s even named! Appropriately enough it’s called: The Greatest Commandment.

Jesus’ positive prescription?

It’s about love.

Read our story of Jesus’ Greatest Commandment in Matthew 22:34-40. Check out our schedule of Rotation workshops below!

To see a growing list of opportunities to foster faith learning at home for our stories on the Ten Commandments and the Greatest Commandment (because they are interrelated) click here.

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule…

Date	Workshop	Activity
2/1	Cooking Workshop	Prepare snack mix to share with the L.O.V.E. Thy Neighbor program.
2/8	Art Workshop	Create a decorative hanging container out of clay, to store a copy of the Greatest Commandment. This case will be modeled after a Jewish mezuzah.
2/15	Worship with your family
2/22	Games Workshop	Play a game called “Titanic Challenge.” Learn about how to treat your neighbor.

And on Sundays, at the downtown location…

Date	Our workshops…
2/2	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family
	Cooking	Games	Art
	Pine Room	Social Hall	Room 212
2/9	5th & 6th grade	3rd & 4th grade	1st & 2nd grade
2/16	1st & 2nd grade	5th & 6th grade	3rd & 4th grade
2/23	3rd & 4th grade	1st & 2nd grade	5th & 6th grade

Note: In February we are doubling up the classes due to winter vacations and a predicted (unfortunate) increase in illness which can keep kids, and workshop leaders, at home!

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Art Workshop students will create a decorative hanging container out of clay, to store a copy of the Greatest Commandment. This case will be modeled after a Jewish mezuzah. This one will be a keeper!
In the Cooking Workshop students will mix up and bag snack mix, to share with the L.O.V.E. Thy Neighbor program. What other ways will your kids help their neighbors?
In the Games Workshop students will participate in a game requiring cooperation (and treating your neighbor nicely!). Come join in a fun game of “Titanic Challenge.”

What is this all about? On Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC our Cool Disciples experience Rotation Model Christian education, as they learn about Bible stories and concepts through kid-friendly multimedia workshops. If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI.

Learn about nurturing your child’s spirituality by subscribing to receive future posts (usually just one a week). Enter your e-mail address up above on the right, to have posts sent directly to your inbox. Or click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe in a reader. Thanks for visiting. Commenting is encouraged! Share what works in your family! Ask questions!

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

Why make commandments? Especially when you know people can’t keep them

Posted on January 23, 2014July 28, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

Why did God make laws? Especially when his commandments are really tough to keep. No work on the Sabbath? When was the last time that one got followed? Why make laws when you know that people will end up breaking the rules?

I’ll give you a hint of the answer:

To make us realize our need for God’s grace.
And because God loves us.

(Okay. That was two hints.)

The next time you are driving in the car with the kids, ask them why you should have to stop whenever you see a red sign of a certain-shape?

Steer them to realizing the purpose of laws: They keep people safe.

Next, ask them why they think your family has rules? (Such as: no playing in the street when there is traffic.)

Direct them to realizing that you have rules to keep them safe and because you love them!

God had the same reason for giving us the Ten Commandments: he loves us!

Wait a minute (you may say)… laws can be restricting. They make life no fun!

And this is for love?

A bit of backstory is needed. When God first handed out his laws, the intent may have seemed as though it was to bring order to an unruly bunch. The newly freed Israelites were at a point where they needed:

To recognize who God was,
To remember God’s past provision,
To recall God’s covenant with their forefathers (and foremothers),
To learn how to honor God, (How to stay in love with God!)
To establish a new life together learning how to live (and how to act) as God’s people.

Hmm. Those reasons for laws still apply to us today!

It’s time for a bit of discussion at the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) If needed, cover this over several days.

This family discussion guide can be printed! Click here.

Bring out a toaster, or a hair dryer, or other small electrical appliance that has a cautioning label on the cord. Have your family read the warning tag. Ask them why do you suppose the manufacturer placed it there?

Recall your earlier conversations in the car (or ask those questions now).

Why did God want to give his people laws? (Accept all replies.)
Then perhaps offer some answers:

A. Because they were misbehaving left and right! They needed laws! (Nope.)

B. Because God felt like being in charge! (Nope.)

C. Because God loved them and wanted his people to be safe!

Read together Exodus 19:3-6.

What does this passage tell you about how God feels for his people?

Pay close attention to verse 6:

Now obey me completely. Keep my covenant. If you do, then out of all of the nations you will be my special treasure.

God continually seeks a connection with humanity!
God looks on all of us as his treasured people!

Let that sink in. (I’m awed.)

When you are ready for more…

Re-read Exodus 19:3-6. And then read 1 Peter 2:9.

What does God mean that we are to be his “kingdom of priests?”

In Bible times only priests could have close access to God. (A priest would
be similar to Rev. Doug or Rev. Nancy.) To be a “royal priesthood” means that everyone can have a loving relationship with God!

Ask: If God really loves us & gave us laws to keep us safe & guide us, why are his laws so hard (okay, impossible) to keep? (allow all replies)

What do you feel like doing when something seems hopeless?
(You might want help, right!?)

God’s laws make us aware of the seriousness of sin.

(Sin is whatever we do, or don’t do, that pushes God, or other people away.)

God is pained by our sin but is always willing to forgive us when we ask.
Our inability to keep God’s laws helps us to see how much we need God!

Ask: Do you suppose that if you could perfectly follow the Ten Commandments that you’d win extra special points with God? (nope!)

God sent his son, Jesus, to take the punishment for our sin and to establish a new way for us to enter into a relationship with God.

A relationship based on love!

Photo credits:
Kids crossing by jeweledlion. Exodus 19 by thekmochs. (All photos licensed on Flickr under a Creative Commons License and found via photopin.)
Toaster and other clip art from the public domain via WPClipart.com.

The backstory to the Ten Commandments

Posted on January 16, 2014November 22, 2014 by Carol Hulbert

I am thankful that you seek for your family a means to connect all of your living to faith!

Last week I’d said that our Rotation on the Ten Commandments was likely to be difficult for your kids to grasp. Why did I say that? Do you suppose it was because…

(A) I spent weeks studying this story. How could I expect a child to grasp it?

+++OR

(B) It is an Old Testament story, and you know, the Old Testament can be tough…

+++OR

(C) The Bible is an unfolding narrative and for the Ten Commandments, there is a lot of important backstory. How could we possibly cover all of the story in Sunday’s Cool!

Answer: All of the above, but mostly the last one.

But I can relax! You are here to learn about that backstory and to help extend the learning at home.

So let’s address the backstory!

We’ll answer the questions:

How Moses and the Ten Commandments connects back to Abraham and Sarah? And Isaac and Rebekah. And Jacob & Rachel. And Joseph and all of his brothers. (They were all related weren’t they?)
How did the Israelites end up in Egypt?

Remember Abraham? He was living somewhere in current day Iraq and God called him. Over time God revealed his purpose to Abraham: “I want you to be a new tribe; a people that blesses others. You’ll show the world I care!” (Genesis 12:1-3; I’m paraphrasing here.)

The take-away point is that this was a radical new thought. Consider how other tribes at that time thought of their gods: distant and uncaring. Ponder the prospect of blessing your neighbors when what you’d been trained to do was to wipe them out!

Seriously different!

a speech bubble
Question to ponder: Did this new way of thinking stick?

So God is starting something big. He makes a Covenant with Abraham which included the promise of lots of descendants. And sure enough, God sticks to his promise! We met some of Abraham’s extended family when we covered the stories of Abraham’s son Isaac and his grandsons Jacob and Esau, and his numerous great-grandchildren (Jacob’s kids), including Joseph (with the multi-colored coat).

It was Joseph who caused the family (known as Hebrews or Israelites) to move to Egypt (Genesis 27:28, 42:3, 46:27). In fact, for a review on that story, let’s watch a video! (One that stars our kids!)

Can’t see the video? View it here on Vimeo.

Very entertaining!

Okay. We’ve still got some ground to cover to bring us to our story of Moses and the Ten C… So all of Jacob and his sons and their families (the stars in the video!) moved to Egypt; there were about 70 of them (of course in those days they only counted the men). Four hundred years later Abraham’s progeny have grown to include 600,000 — you guessed it — men! (Exodus 12:37).

However, life is not rosy for these descendants of Abraham. They are living in slavery in Egypt under a cruel pharaoh. Yet, God has not forgotten his covenant with these people. (Oh, yes – God had added to his promises: an enduring relationship with Abraham’s extended family, and as Genesis 17:7 reminds us: “I will be their God.”)

So God calls Moses (through a burning bush) to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to freedom. Many plagues later, they are on their way “home” to God’s promised land!

Mt. Sinai

There is much drama in the tales which follow: their escape complete with a dramatic water crossing, journeying through the desert, manna from heaven, water from rocks, and finally, vivid events on Mount Sinai, where the story of the Ten Commandments takes place.

Whew! The backstory is complete!
Now read our current story: Exodus 19:1-11, 16-19; 20:1-17; 24:1-2, 12-18; 31:18-32:24. I’m sure that it will be the backstory to yet another story!

Credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Abram counts stars by Stjepan Mokatelo, via Christian Clip Art.
I created the family tree.
The video starred kids in 1st-6th grade at FUMC in Ann Arbor, MI. (Many, many thanks to Tom Gardner as photographer and video creator!)
Mt. Sinai by YoHandy, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

The Ten Commandments: January schedule

Posted on January 9, 2014January 16, 2014 by Carol Hulbert

A good idea for a New Year’s resolution: include faith conversation with your family. Receive help in this endeavor by subscribing over on the right. Enter your e-mail address to have posts (usually one a week) sent directly to your inbox. Or click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe in a reader.  
What could be more important than working on your faith journey together!

To see a growing list of opportunities to foster faith learning at home for our current Rotation story :: click here.

A quizzical-looking boy holds what appears to be ten commandment tablets

In January we are studying the Ten Commandments.

I hate to admit this, but… this may be a Rotation that your kids have trouble grasping.

But there is a way to combat this problem!

+++++Continue the learning at home!

Here is a place to start.

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule…

Date	Workshop	Activity
1/11	Drama Workshop	Students will act out modern-day scenarios of the 10 commandments, challenging listeners to determine which commandment is involved.
1/18	Music Workshop	Watch two music videos. Sing and dance along to learn about the Ten Commandments!
1/25	Art Workshop	Create a keepsake copy of the Ten Commandment tablets.

And on Sundays, at the downtown location…

Date	Our workshops…
1/5	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family
	Art 1	Art 2	Drama 1	Drama 2	Music
	Pine Room	Social Hall	Room 204	Room 215	Room 211
1/12	(closed)	4th grade	5th & 6th grades	3rd grade	1st & 2nd grades
1/19	1st grade	5th & 6th grades	(closed)	2nd grade	3rd & 4th grades
1/26	2nd grade	3rd grade	4th grade	1st grade	5th & 6th grades

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Art Workshop students will create a keepsake copy of the Ten Commandment tablets. (Both Art 1 and Art 2 will do the same project.)
In the Drama 1 Workshop students will enact the story as it is told by the leader; making use of props & music. Rumor says a golden calf will be there?
In the Drama 2 Workshop students will participate in acting out modern day scenarios of the Ten Commandments in action. Which commandment is represented in each scenario?
In the Music Workshop students visit the Bible mural timeline (and learn what the peachy-orange color signifies). Then they’ll watch a couple of music videos to learn about the Ten Commandments. (Dancing is optional.) Preview the videos here and here.

We do a different sort of Christian education for kids. We are a Workshop Rotation Model church. If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
The “what is going on” child remixed by Carol Hulbert from an original photo by woodleywonderworks.
Golden calf by allspice1, all via photopin under a Creative Commons License on Flickr.
Tablets photo from my archives.

In this new year, I have a wish for you

Posted on January 2, 2014January 17, 2014 by Carol Hulbert

Happy New Year!

I hope that your new year will be filled with peace, and prosperity,
and encounters with the presence of God.

Oh shucks, that’s not my real wish.

I mean, yes, I really do desire all of that for you,
but here’s what I’m honestly hoping for…

That your family spends time together
incorporating stories from the Bible into your everyday life.

I’m hoping that when your child invites a friend over for dinner and this friend hears your family making sacred connections with the secular, and they question your child about this behavior, your kid proudly says, “this is what we do.”

How can you get to this point?

Read together the Bible. (Use a story Bible if your kids are young – here’s a good one: The Jesus Storybook Bible.)
Ask a question that start with the words “I wonder…”
Listen carefully to everyone’s replies.
Repeat.

For example, to prepare for our upcoming Rotation on the Ten Commandments, review the story of Abraham and Sarah. Read Genesis 12:1-4, and 15:1-5, and 17:1-9.
Then ask:

I wonder if God’s promises to Abraham ever came true?
I wonder what an everlasting covenant is?
I wonder how this story ties to the Ten Commandments?

Refer to this post if you’d like more discussion questions.

What can you do today, to practice what you hope to achieve in the coming year?

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
New Year’s greeting from 1910, by Puzzler4879 under a Creative Commons License on Flickr.

Christmas Blessings!

Posted on December 24, 2013August 29, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

{A Christmas blessing for you.}

This Christmas, may you catch a glimpse of this truth…

Love came among us on Christmas.

Yes, to us all!
The heart-sick,
the weary,
the lost,
the down-troddened.

To give us hope.
To show us how much God cares.

May you bring this gift to others.
May you be an image-bearer of Christ,
an agent of change,
a light for the world!

May you have a blessed Christmas!

–Love, Carol

Nativity scene with Christmas tree background

Photo credits:
Nativity by Jeff Weese, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License. Altered images here and here, by Carol Hulbert, at Flickr.

How goes your journey?

Posted on December 18, 2013January 6, 2017 by Carol Hulbert

This entry was originally posted when our kids were talking about the wise men, however it applies to all year ’round! What are you doing to further your faith growth?

I find it amazing that the wise men made such a long, arduous journey to worship Jesus. Previously I had pondered questions that the wise men may have asked as they prepared for their trip. Such as…

Where would the star lead them?
What would they find?
How would they be received?
And, are we there yet?

Wait a minute! This sounds like an adventure someone else (whom we’ve recently studied about) made to an unknown destination. In fact, it may well be that they both came from the same area!

Both were Gentiles (not Jewish) at the time God summoned them. Neither knew exactly where they were going when they left their homeland. Both obeyed God and were instructed by the stars. (Abraham: Genesis 15:5, the magi: Matthew 2:2). (Did you figure out that I was thinking of Abraham & Sarah?)

Both parties chose to venture into the unfamiliar.

Speaking of an uncharted odyssey…

How goes your family faith journey?

Does it feel like you don’t know where your faith walk will lead you, or what you’ll find along the way, or even if you are on the right path? Join the wise men! Here are some hints about how to stay the course on your family faith journey.

a star Participate in rituals.
Celebrating family rituals is a great way to grow in faith together. Rituals and traditions are repeated activities that help family members develop a sense of belonging. Make time for rituals that connect us to God: Saying table grace, bedtime prayers, daily Bible reading… Add a new ritual! What occasions can you make special (besides the usual holidays and birthdays)? It’s not too late to start an Advent ritual.

a child holds a newly created Advent wreath Mom with two girls look at a Bible

a star Worship together.
If kids don’t experience worship as a child, what will cause them to want to participate as an adult?

A family worships together Children have a time with the pastor at church

a star Serve others.
The family that serves together, stays together!

Families participate in a service project

10 kids ages 10 and under dug a 30 foot drainage ditch

It’s not too late to consider joining us on our spring Appalachia Mission trip.

a star Watch for a shining “star” (or two or three).
Notice signs that lead us to think of Jesus.

The sun sets over the lake Christmas eve service

a star Cultivate your personal faith.
Don’t you want your kids to “do as you do?” Take time to build your own faith. Set aside a regular time to commune with God in prayer, read the Bible, or join a class at church.

a blue line

As your family traverses its way along your faith journey, know that God is our God and God is always with us!

Photo credits:
Painting of traveling magi by James Tissot, in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Star from the public domain via WPClipart.com.
Other photos from my archives or from from the families of FUMC. Appalachia photo copyright, Richard Rupp Photography; used with permission.