Trinity KidsThoughts on kids, family, faith and home.

Hey guys and gals,

Just read a few resources from Mark Holmen, great stuff, check it out here…

 Here’s another blog post from ‘What’s in the Bible?’ – this time explaning what Lent is… a great post worth reading.

The different seasons in the church year really allow us to explore the different ways we can nurture faith in our homes. I hope this Lent will afford your family that opportunity.

What’s Lent and why do I care?

Over the past few years we’ve worked to provide resources to families to use the church year as a way to nurture faith at home.  This year we have some great devotionals available at the information desk that are age appropriate.    Today I came across a great blog posting from ‘What’s in the Bible?’ on Practicing Lent as a Family.  Here’s the link:

http://whatsinthebible.com/2011/03/09/practicing-lent-as-a-family/

A Look at the Advent Wreath

At church each Advent we set up a wreath with 5 candles – 3 purple, 1 pink, and 1 white.   Each Sunday over Advent a candle is lit to remind us of the expectation of Christ.   There are different themes that can be used to follow in lighting the advent candles.   Here are two general sets of themes for each of the candles.  The two themes are traditional themes that are connected to each other.  Some families make the advent wreath a part of their devotions at home.

Week 1                Hope                     the Prophets      

Christ is our Hope, the prophesied Messiah

Read Isaiah 60:2-3

Week 2                Peace                    Bethlehem

The Prince of Peace was born in Bethlehem

 Read Matthew 2:1-6

Week 3                                Joy                         Shepherd

Celebrate, like the Shepherds, the good tidings of Great Joy for all the people.  This is the Pink Candle.

Read Isaiah 35:10

Week 4                                Love                      Angel   

Celebrate the Love of God shown through us and the message of Good news proclaimed by  the  angels.

Read Isaiah 9:6-7

Christmas            Christ                    Christ

This is the white candle representing that through Christ’s forgiveness our sins are washed away.  Celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

Read Luke 1:68-79; Luke 2:1-20

Great Expectations

Christmas comes with a lot of expectations.   Things we expect to do, expect to receive and people we expect to see.  Each Christmas I expect to set up a tree, drink eggnog, exchange gifts, be a part of Advent and Christmas services, and eat large amounts of food over a short time span.   I expect to have time with family and friends, and I expect to spend time reflecting on the gift of Christ which we celebrate. 

With all our expectations, some things haven’t changed.   Christmas has always been about expectations – yes the expectation of a baby, but even more, the expectation for the people of God who were awaiting a Messiah foretold in scripture.  The expectation that God was going to do something unique and new. 

Children come to Christmas with a sense of anticipation and expectation.   They know something special is happening – it’s one of the things we treasure and value seeing in our homes.  As adults we sometimes have a sense of routine to Christmas –  parties, shopping, hosting, visiting, meals and gifts are all things we’ve experienced before.   Even the Christmas story is something we’ve read, heard and seen numerous times.   What do we really have left to expect?   Do you sometimes feel like the Christmas story is anti-climactic – we already know how it ends?   If only we could experience the wonder and expectation of that first Christmas.   Living a life of anticipation wondering when the promised Messiah will come.  Wondering when the Advent of the Christ will happen.  Wondering in the midst of a broken world how God will make himself known to all.

Sometimes we get caught up remembering what happened in scripture, we forget what we’re called to expect.  Just as individuals were waiting for the Messiah two thousand years ago, we too are waiting for the Messiah in faith. Perhaps we have something in common with those who lived to see Christ’s birth.  We’re waiting for the return of Christ – just as they awaited His birth.  We live a life of faith and anticipation in the same way they did.  In the same way God’s people have done throughout history, we seek to honor God with our lives as we live imperfect lives in a broken world.

 Advent more than a time of remembering a story as it – Advent is living a life of expectation that God is still at work and that our hope is not just rooted in the past, but fully realized in the future.

I hope this Christmas you will able to imagine the possibilities of what God has in store for you.  I pray that for each of our families we will be awaiting and expecting God to work in and through each of us.

As always, thank you for the privilege as a church to walk along side you and your family on your faith journey.  May you have a truly blessed time over the seasons of Advent and Christmas.

Over the past number of years we have continued to try and raise the value of nurturing faith within the family.   There are some obvious attempts to do this including Take it Home events where we provide resources to families and special events where families can connect.   

There are a number of subtle ways we also seek to support families in nurturing the faith of their children.  The BOok Patch upstairs provides resources families can borrow, Family Faith Worship time between services,  allowing parents into our children’s programming spaces so theycan watch their children, and providing updates on what and why we’re doing things.  We feel the more information parents have, the more access to our programs, and the more resources – the better equipped each parent can be.  

At Trinity we want to see each person, belong , serve, and grow.   We hope to continue to provide opportunities that equip you as a family to thrive in each of those areas so you can grow in your relationship with God.

As a new fall is upon us we hope you will be intentional in taking advantage of the resources, and also in letting us know what God is doing in your life, and how we can walk with you in the journey of faith.

I must confess – I’ve never enjoyed the ten plagues so much in my entire life!  I’m not sure that’s entirely something to be proud of, but it is a reflection of the quality of story telling done in VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer’s new series, ‘What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver’.  This is a review of the first two DVD’s in the series (we’re told there will be 13 all together).  If you read through to the end, I’ll even give you a chance to win a copy of one of the first two DVD’s (I’ve got one of each to give away courtesy of “What’s in the Bible”).  Also, at the bottom of this post is a ‘trailer’ for the series – if you think it might help watch it first.

I was thrilled to get a preview copy of the first two DVD’s so I could help review it as a participant of the “What’s In the Bible” DVD blog tour for Tyndale Blog Network.  However after I started watching I was  even more thrilled with what I saw.   I need to also admit that  I’m a bit disturbed that after watching the first two episodes, my daughters keep suggesting that I look just like  one of the main characters who just happens to be a puppet named Pastor Paul.   I’m not sure what to think  when I’m told that I  resemble a puppet, particularly one that shares the same profession as me.  But this is a review, and not the place for me to be dealing with personal issues of resembling  a puppet.  :)

So on with the review!   In this series, I’m not sure what I appreciate more –  the depth of content, or the level of presentation and entertainment.   Perhaps the fact both of these facets are interwoven into each episode is what I appreciate.    Aside from an onslaught of character introductions in the first episode each episode seems to flow smoothly as each character interacts.

Here are some specific thoughts on the series that I appreciate:

1)      We see Phil!  Having a human face help with teaching – Phil Vischer plays an active roles facilitating the interactions between the characters.   His teaching brings a human context that helps bridge the entertainment/learning gap.    I also appreciate that Phil does some teaching himself – this series seems to flow from his passion and his faith and I appreciate seeing that reflected in the episodes.

2)      It’s not all Phil.   The materials used in the series are not all Phil Vischer – other talent is present.  Timbuktoons, Salty Graphics contribute to the overall storytelling as laid out and planned by Phil.   I’m impressed by a content provider that turns to peers and colleagues to provide content and substance to a project.

3)      It’s not the Phil-harmonic – but it is the fabulous Bentley Brothers.   Song content – great ,  stage presence – great, voices – good, but the hair… you’ve got to love the hair.  Seriously this duo was one of the highlights for me in the quality of their teaching through song.  Check them out at  www.jellytelly.com/bentley-brothers .

4)      It’s not ‘Philled’ with answers -  I won’t spoil the stories in this series, but I will say they address significant theological issues  where they explain various points of view, provide a perspective for approaching the issues, but they don’t provide a ‘right/wrong’ answer.   In fact they create a foundation where kids can start asking more questions and explore scripture from.

5)      It’s ‘Philled’ with laughter – my kids laughed, my wife laughed, I laughed.   You know what…  this is funny stuff.  Yet in the midst of the laughter, we drop our guard, and we encounter the truth of scripture.  Very cool.

6)      I’m out of ‘Phil’ comments – but there are multiple levels of teaching in this series.  There are facts and information clearly communicated, but the dialogue,the songs, the backgrounds all amplify the content and provide additional teaching.  This series leverages the reality that children watch videos they like multiple times and provides content that will continue to present itself each time the video is watched.   This is a series for children, but any adult who watches it will benefit from the content.   It provides a cohesive overview of scripture showing the big picture of who God is and what God has worked to accomplish throughout scripture.

I have one more thought  – and I don’t want to ‘read’ too much into this series, but I find the choice of main characters interesting.   I’m curious if they were picked as they reflect the different places we look for answers in the world around us.  Each of these characters seem to at some point provide some laughter, but also contribute to understanding ‘What’s in the Bible’.    We have Sunday school lady (with magical flannel graph),  Dr. Schniffenhousen who’s a science guy, Pastor Paul, Buck Denver the news broadcaster, and adventurers Clive and Ian to name a few.  Each reflects a different authority figure, but also a different perspective of scripture and life – what a great way to break down the stereotypes and show that scripture is for everyone.  They each make us laugh, but they each have something to say – it’s almost like in a family, or in a church that we each have something to contribute.

So  in the words of Brother Louie, “Hallelujah, look what God can do” – I’m excited to see a project like this that seeks to deepen the understanding of scripture in children and families, to have it at a high quality level, not avoiding big issues, and most of all seeking to  help proclaim truth into a broken world.   I really am excited to look at what God can, and will do, with this series.

To have a chance to win one of the DVD’s, leave a comment below and I’ll pick two people on March 17, 2010.   I’ll notify winners by email – and it doesn’t matter where you live!   You can learn more about “What’s in the Bible” by going to www.whatsinthebible.com or www.tyndale.com .  Since we’ve got you curious… why don’t you take a look at the preview below:

Thanks for reading – and don’t forget to leave a comment!

Many of you have seen and heard VeggieTales – it’s always hard to forget talking vegetables (and fruit!).   VeggieTales impacted the Christian culture driving scripture based teaching for kids into mainstream media.    Well a lot has changed since that first encounter with the talking tomato.    VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer went on an incredible journey of life and faced some significant challenges.

What hasn’t changed is Phil Vischer’s desire to use high quality media to impact God’s word onto the hearts and minds of children and families.   So March 1, 2010 we have the opportunity to begin encountering a new series from Phil called ‘What’s in the Bible’ that over 13 DVD’s will walk kids and families through the entire Bible.   While we haven’t seen the DVD’s yet, you can see some of Phil’s latest work integrating storytelling and faith at his site called www.jellytelly.com.   There’s some great content for children there to explore faith.  

No I don’t get a commission, but I do value those who use their gifts and skills to bring God’s Word into the lives of others – so I’m excited to see what God is going to do through this new series in the lives of children and families.   You can find out more at www.whatsinthebible.com.

I wanted to take a minute and share with you a music group that that has some wonderful  songs for kids.   They have various worship songs done in a fun high energy way.  They also do songs that help teach scripture and get kids to learn about the Bible.  Check out the Go Fish Guys on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/gfguys 

In particular check out the ‘Bible Book Bop’ and the ‘Ten Commandment Boogie’.  They also have a great version of ‘Jesus Loves Me’.   You can also check out their website at www.gofishguys.com.  

We’re going to see if we can get a hold of some of their CD’s and DVD’s  for the church library.  In the meantime check them out on You Tube!