Family Faith Companion

A Blessing: celebrate God with you

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

God used a burning bush to speak to Moses. I don’t know about you but I’ve never encountered a burning bush; at least not one of the caliper that Moses described. I have, however, encountered God reaching out to me in other ways: Through the Bible, through books, through other people, through nature… God is always waiting for us to notice his intersection into our lives. Isn’t it wonderful? Something to celebrate! Use this blessing with your child(ren).

Say your child’s name and…

May everyday be a celebration of God’s presence with you.

Click on a box if you would like to…
Satisfy your curiosity about why you should bless your child.
View other suggested blessings.

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Into Your Arms by Darrel Birkett, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

What does “God at work” look like?

Posted on January 19, 2012February 11, 2018 by Carol Hulbert

Moses’ story, from his birth to his experience with the burning bush, is rich in content, and opens numerous chances for discussion. One of our targets for this Rotation is to help kids recognize God “at work” in the lives of Moses and other story characters. A second objective is to apply the concept of “God at work” to their own life. Great topics for families to discuss!

What does God at work look like in this portion of our story?

Read the scripture together as a family. Since it’s a long story, use the following chart to read and talk about our story in stages, over the course of several days. (If you’d like to print out this reading plan/discussion guide, click here.)

Read a passage and then ask where you see God making his presence known. I’ve provided some suggestions. Feel free to comment on other ways you notice God taking action.

Read	Discussion points. How is God at work in the lives of story characters?
Exodus 1:1-7	Fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham to have as many descendants as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5).
Exodus 1:8-21	What are two Hebrew midwives able to do?
Exodus 1:22-2:4	Imagine the trust in God necessary to hide your child in a basket in the river!
Exodus 2:5-6	Just at the right time, Pharaoh’s daughter decides to take a bath.
Exodus 2:7-10	Miriam showed some courage. And Moses gets the best of two worlds – being raised as a youngster by his family (and being seeped in Hebrew culture) and life in Pharaoh’s palace.
Exodus 2:11-15	What good ends up coming from this bad? (It does require knowing the rest of the story.)
Exodus 2:16-25	Moses lived in Midian for 40 years. I wonder what sort of “learning” Moses needed to acquire during that long time in the “wilderness.”
Exodus 3:1-4	God is starting his rescue plan! I wonder what would have happened if Moses hadn’t said, “Hmm, that’s unusual. I’d better go and look at that.”
Exodus 3:5-12	This one is obvious: God speaks to Moses!
Exodus 3:13-15	Pagan gods never revealed their name because disclosing a name was like giving away power. But our God is a personal God; he has a name!
Exodus 4:1-9	God gives Moses concrete examples of his power. I wonder how Moses will feel when God doesn’t seem so close at hand?
Exodus 4:10-12	God really wants Moses to do this job. I wonder why Moses is so hesitant?
Exodus 4:13-17	What does God give Moses to remind him that God will be with him?

What are ways that you see God at work in your life?

Photo credits:
Burning bush by the Providence Lithograph Company [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Break down the Moses story into study-able chunks

Posted on January 12, 2012February 11, 2018 by Carol Hulbert

The stories about Moses are sizable! They cover 40 chapters in the Old Testament book of Exodus! How should they be taught?

Using the Workshop Rotation Model, we have chosen to teach Moses in sections, beginning first with a Rotation that covered the early years: Moses’ birth and his float among bulrushes — to his burning bush experience as an adult.

Then we followed up with the sequel — a Rotation about Moses and the plagues on the Egyptians! We had conveniently planned these Rotations so that we could follow up what happened in the last plague (Passover!) with a Rotation on the Last Supper.

Read the first part of our story in Exodus 1:1-4:17. Yep, it’s a big story. Break it down; read a bit of it every night at the dinner table. Hey! That makes me think that I need to post a family reading plan. ~~Stay tuned!~~ Here it is!

For prosperity, here is what we did in each workshop for our Rotation on Moses – Birth through the Burning Bush.

(We used these Workshops in January 2012 and in January 2018 — we repeat stories every six or so years. )

In the Art Workshop (2012 & 2018) students created a variation of the ancient Jewish art form of micrography to create a burning bush scene. (Micrography uses very small writing to create shapes and designs.) Focus on the burning bush portion of the Moses story
In the Cooking Workshop (2012 & 2018) students heard the story about Moses from a portion of a video, What’s in the Bible, Vol. 2 Let My People Go. Then they made something to take home to tell the story of Moses – edible baby Moses baskets.
In the Drama Workshop (2012) students participate in enacting the burning bush portion of the story. (Watch for a possible video clip?)
In the Games Workshop (2012) students will play a review game modeled after Cranium, focusing on events in our story. This game involves using a life-sized game board!
In the Storytelling Workshop (2012) students will hear the story via a “visitor” posing as Moses from Bible times. (I hear he’s been growing his beard to look the part!)
In the Video Workshop (2012 & 2018) students watched portions of the animated video Nest Entertainment: Moses, enjoy popcorn (can’t have a movie without popcorn!) and learned story details.

Why are we doing different workshops for the different times we’ve taught this story?

There are several reasons including:

Our focus for a Rotation has changed (we’ve gained new understanding!)
We know our kids. We know what will, and won’t work with them.
We’ve got a new idea!

Explore more about Rotation Model goodness!

Photo credits:
Illustration from an old story Bible, via Wikimedia Commons, is in the Public Domain.

It’s still looking like Christmas

Posted on January 5, 2012January 6, 2017 by Carol Hulbert

The Christmas decorations are being stored away for another year, but the story of Christmas is still being talked about! And rightly so; we can talk about Christmas every day! (After all, the whole story is about Jesus.) So for this reason, it shouldn’t seem strange that this coming weekend, the Cool Disciples will be reviewing the story of Jesus’ birth.

Continue to reinforce the learning happening at church, by talking about this story at home; how about around the dinner table?

Ready for some family discussion about our story?

Time Out. Talk about… A speech bubble
Jesus described himself as “the light of the world” (John 8:12). Name some ways that your family used light to celebrate this season?

In the Art workshop for this Rotation, kids were creating stained glass candle holders. I would have liked to have seen them all lit up with the light shining through the various colors!


1st graders use colored pieces of felt representing various story elements to tell the story; creating stained glass!	3rd graders use stick-on lead lines and glass paint to create.

Time Out. Talk about… A speech bubble
“The Light of the World” was just one name Jesus had. He had many other names with different meanings; the name we normally use, Jesus, means “God saves.” Jesus was also called “Immanuel.” What does Immanuel mean?


2nd grade enacts visitors to the newborn King.	1st grade enjoys their first visit to the Drama workshop!

Immanuel means “God is with us.” God sent Jesus to be with us! God meant for his son Jesus to live as a person like us, to show us how to live, and ultimately, to die for us so that our sins could be forgiven.

Time Out. Talk about… A speech bubble
How have you experienced God with you?
Do you suppose our interactions with God will be a dramatic experience like a visit from an angel, or could it be in a quieter way?
What are some ways that God connects with us?


4th graders use the game wheel to determine how many points a correct answer was worth.	2nd graders are eager to hear the next question. They’ll ring a bell if they know the answer!

Time Out. Talk about… A speech bubble
The questions asked in the Games Workshops highlighted the difference between what the Bible tells us, and what people think the story says (in a fun way). Here are a few to try out. (Check a Bible if you’d like; the kids were allowed to do so!)

How did Joseph and Mary get to Bethlehem?

Which animals does the Bible say were housed in the stable where Jesus was born?

How many wise men came to see Jesus?


6th graders assemble a bag of snacks to use to retell the story.	Playing with their food! Exactly what I hoped they’d do!

Did you find the answers to the previous questions? In all cases, the answer is: the Bible doesn’t say! Were you surprised?

Finally, I just had to share this picture.
Care to join us in our workshops? You may get drafted to play a role! (But not unless you want to do so.)

Drama Workshop - 1st grade - everyone poses for a picture!

1st graders in the Drama Workshop with their Shepherd and Workshop Leader. Fun!

Photo credits:
Photos by Carol Hulbert and Beth Pascoe. Used by permission.

Is blessing your child awkward? Practice blessing yourself!

Posted on January 1, 2012December 31, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

Perhaps you never heard words like this when you were growing up…

You are very special in God’s eyes. God loves you very much!

Could that be why saying blessings to your child(ren) feels awkward?

Would it help if you first received a blessing for yourself? I’ve written one just for you! It’s a little gift to get you started on blessing your kids.

Sunset through the trees

(Are you ready? Just insert your name in the blanks as you read this to yourself.)

A blessing for caregivers…

_______, may you see every day as a new gift.

A new chance to be guided by God through all the moments,
both the taxing and the tranquil.

God is constantly whispering to you.
Do you hear?

“Hello _______. Today, let me use you to touch the lives of little ones around you.
(And the not so little ones too.)

You are perfect for the job I have for you.
Did you see the way I painted the sky with shades of pink, purple and orange?

You too are one of my limited editions!
I love you just the way you are.”

~~ Love, Carol

Photo credits:
Sunset photo is from my archives.
Stained glass was adapted from a photo offered in the Public Domain (CC0 1.0) at Pixabay..

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363 days until next Christmas!

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Carol Hulbert

Christmas is over for another year; it’s the perfect time to plan for next year!

Really. I’m not kidding.

While everyone is still thinking about Christmas, is an ideal time to pitch a different way of doing gift-giving next year.

Reduce the number of gifts under the tree and change the way we celebrate.

I’ll let this short video from an organization with a radical name – The Advent Conspiracy – explain it…

Can’t see the video? View it here.

It’s about moving away from the shopping, and lines, and lists that go along with Christmas gift-giving, and replacing presents with presence. (It’s what kids really want/need.) You’ll be less frazzled, frustrated, and flat-broke. You’ll have more time to celebrate God with us. And the best part: reduced spending on gifts allows us to give more – to those with real needs.

This Christmas the adults in our family got a small gift and a note about a donation made in their name. I actually enjoyed the “shopping” this year – choosing charities! It made my happiness run wild when I received an email from the Executive Director of Community Action Network (CAN), our gift to my brother and sister-in-law, excerpted below:

I cannot tell you how panicked I was last week Tuesday, December 13, when I discovered 40+ CAN families had not been sponsored for Christmas. I could only imagine how devastated parents would be when we told them we had no presents…But after we put out our plea for help, the response was overwhelming…
Here at Community Action Network, we experienced our own Christmas miracle: you. You made Christmas (for the) families come true this year. You saved Christmas.

The way we celebrate Jesus’ birth can change the world.

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Advent Conspiracy poster and video from here.

Christmas blessings

Posted on December 25, 2011December 25, 2011 by Carol Hulbert

Merry Christmas to all!

Did you unwrap the most important gift?

Jesus!

Every day starts anew and God is with us. Hallelujah!

All is grace,

— Carol

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

Joy to the World?

Posted on December 16, 2011December 7, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

I think it’s appropriate that the theme of the third Sunday of Advent is “Joy.”
Right about now, in the crazy, busy preparations of the season, I need to slow down and remember: Joy.

But joy can be strangely difficult to find.

What joy is there in agonizing over the best gift to select for each person. (Will she like it? Will it be good enough? This is so tiring and I haven’t even headed to the mall.) Where is joy in not having time to bake the prettiest, yummiest cookies. (Will my kids/friends hate me for not producing?) And the Christmas tree? Still.not.up.yet.

Christmas is about joy? Have I have fallen victim to the Christmas blahs?

I’ve allowed a heart-takeover; an unrealistic view of what Christmas should look like. I have forgotten the true “joy” of Christmas.

It is a struggle in today’s world, to keep Advent focused on religious tradition. I need to turn from these nagging, guilty feelings and remember the real reason for joy:

Love came among us.

God must have been so excited on the first Christmas! Finally, the time was here, the time that had been planned for, since the beginning! Finally he would come amidst his people and be the one to teach them all about radical love.

I need that reminder: joy.

Joy banner ”

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room…

Our family together, will be a worthy substitute for plates full of cookies.
The gifts will be mostly radical.
And the tree will be put up, eventually. Maybe.