Heartprints
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How old do children need to be to learn about God?
If you were given your choice of classes to teach which age group, would you choose? Our last Sunday before leaving for our mission work in Japan we asked for the two-year-old class. Seriously? Teach toddlers about God? If you’re a missionary going for the purpose of raising money this might not be the best class to choose. If you’re going to make an impression though, this class may just be the most impressionable. We had a wonderful time telling them how God had asked our family to go to a country far away in Japan to teach the people about Jesus. We explained that we would be in the…
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Practically Perfect in Every Way
Sunday School Chronicles Me: Y’all are gonna judge me but I’m standing on this! I love Mary Poppins. Kids: Mary Poppins? What? Are you serious?? Me too!!! Me: Yeah. That’s right. I said it. I love Mary Poppins. The songs slap. The outfits eat. And the movie is almost perfect. Kid 1: Almost perfect? Me: Yup. Almost perfect. In fact, Mary Poppins measures herself and instead of a height, the tape measure says she’s, “Practically perfect in every way.” So, even though she’s 99% is basically an A it’s not better than an A+. Kid 2: So she’s almost perfect but not there yet? Me: Exactly! But you know who…
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Raising Kids in Today’s Culture
by Lucille Williams The pastor said, “I feel bad for teenagers today. When I was in High School I only had to compare myself to other teenagers at my school, but now teens have the world to compare themselves to.” Think about this for a minute… If your child is being bullied—it doesn’t stop when they leave school—it continues into their social media accounts. If your child is struggling with body image—it doesn’t stop once they put down the magazine or are alone in their room—no, it can get worse as they scroll through Instagram. If your child feels as though they are not accomplishing as much as other kids…
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Rest Is For the Weary
Sunday School Chronicles Me: Since y’all know me so well. What do I do after I’m done teaching y’all? Kid 1: Oh! You get your cheat meal! Me: You know it! And what is it? Kid 2: You go to Sonic! And you get a double cheeseburger with no pickles, a Sprite with no ice, and cheesy tots! Kid 3: But sometimes you swap the tots for French toast sticks! Me: Um. Wow! Y’all really know me. But there’s something else I do after all that. Kids: What? Me: I nap! Kids: Nap? Me too! Naps are life. Me: Look, y’all wear me out! Plus this isn’t my only job.…
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More Than We Can Imagine
He knows us and loves us more than we can imagine.
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Afraid Is Okay
Me: Here’s a fun fact about Ms. Janay. Halloween is my favorite holiday but I don’t like being scared. Kids: Seriously? What? How? That makes no sense! Me: First of all, Ms. Janay is complicated. I’m more of a Hocus Pocus, cute costume, and eating candy Halloween lover. Kid 1: I can see it! Me: Thank you! So here’s the thing, being scared might be a big part of Halloween but it’s something we experience all the time. What does the Bible tell us about fear? Kid 2: To not be afraid? Me: Yes! Why? Kids: … Me: I get it. Let me break it down. Fear is a very…
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The Two Greatest Commandments Are to Love!
Wanting to test Jesus, an expert teacher of the law asked Jesus a question.“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40 February has young people in many cultures thinking about love, valentines, candy, and other gifts of affection. A Christian doesn’t need February to roll around to think about love. God’s Word is filled with verses about love. Because God so loved the world, He…
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February is a good month to “just show up!”
The Power of Showing UpMy five-year-old granddaughter was getting her first award at school. My husband and Ileft early in the morning to be there when she was awarded her prized “Knowledgeable”award. As the kids walked in their lines very orderly she noticed us and her smile andexcitement were clearly felt. I knew I had made the right decision to get up early andmake the drive through traffic to be there.I could see her while in her seat pointing and telling her friends, “That’s my grandma!That’s my grandma!” We waited through the hoopla of a school assembly and listenedto many of the other grades student awards, and then her name…
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Love Is In The Air
Me: Next month is February. What is the big thing everybody celebrates? Kids: Valentine’s Day! Me: Yes! Valentine’s Day! It’s not my favorite holiday but it does give me an excuse to eat all the chocolate. You definitely don’t need a Valentine to get one of those hearts filled with chocolate. Kid 1: Yeah you do! Me: Um. No. Ms. Janay is her own Valentine cause there’s two people who love me more than me. Jesus and my mom. But guess what? Kids: What? Me: Valentine’s isn’t in the Bible but the Bible is almost like a love story to people who follow Jesus. Kid 2: Wait. How? Me: Well,…
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Resolve or Renew? That is the question!
If it didn’t work last year, then it most likely won’t work this year either. Last year I resolved to overcome at least this one weakness. I failed. Every year we work on the same old bad habits hoping this will be the year that we can become resolute enough to really conquer that stubborn habit, sin, or physical flaw. I could be the poster child for setting New Year Resolutions. I’ve been making them for the last 50 years. As teachers we know that practice makes perfect, right? So you can imagine that after 50 years of attacking the same problem with the same solution of self will and…
