Rock Solid! What Your Child Learned in Church Today (Feb 8)

VALENTINE PARTY THIS WEDNESDAY, FEB 11

6:00 p.m. Dinner in room 1

6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Valentine Party in room 2

TODAY'S PRE-K LESSON - Unit: Yippee Ti Yi Yo - Jesus can do anything!
Bible Lesson: Jesus Stops the Wind and the Waves (Matthew 8:23-37; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25)
Main Point: Jesus can do anything! I can trust Him when I'm afraid.
Bible Verse: "Don not be afraid, for I am with you." Genesis 26:24b

TODAY'S ELEMENTARY LESSON (KG through 4th grades)
Unit: To the Depths: An In-Depth Study of James

Bible Lesson: Today's lesson was about King Asa, (2 Chronicles 14, 15, & 16)

Main Point: I will pray to God about everything!

Memory Verse: "Never stop praying." 2 Thessalonians 5:17

Bible Readings at Home: Please read through the Book of James with your child through the months of January and February. James is so rich with messages from God on how to live the Christian Life. Today's lesson focused on James 5:13-18, The Power of Prayer.

Children learned that prayer is very important. Not only should we pray EVERYDAY, but we should pray throughout the day. To pray doesn't mean that we have to get down on our knees with our hands folded and our eyes closed. We can pray to God anytime, anywhere, and in any way that we can. Our God is so wonderful that we can simply talk to Him about ANYTHING! To pray without ceasing means to speak to Him throughout our day. Our prayers may be full-fledged, down on our knees kind of prayers, they may be quiet prayers we say silently in our thoughts, or they can be one liners that send up praise for something good. The bottom line is that God loves for us to talk with Him! He makes Himself available for us to do so.

We can go to God in prayer in good times and in bad. He promises to hear us and answer our prayers. We talked about how sometimes people don't have time to hear us, like when our teachers or parents are busy or at work. However, God is never too busy to hear our prayers. He hears each and every single one of them. What's more, he answers every single one of them, as well! He may not always answer our prayers according to our desires, but like a good parent who knows what is best, He answers them according to His Great Plan!

The children also learned about 5 things we can pray - to give thanks, for forgiveness, for others, for protection, and to ask (petition) for needs to be met. We drew our hands on paper and labeled each of our fingers with these five types of prayer. The children gave wonderful examples of each kind of prayer. We also saw what could happen if we don't pray. We studied the story of King Asa, who started out following God in the early years of his reign, to turning away from God at the end of his reign.

Encourage your child to pray and to pray often. Pray often yourself, living out your faith in front of your child. God has all the time in eternity to hear us...if only we would pray.

TRAINING UP A CHILD HOMEWORK:
1. Help your child memorize 2 Thessalonians 5:17 and be able to recite it to me next Sunday.
2. Keep reading through the Book of James with your child for the months of January and February.
3. Encourage your child to 'pray without ceasing' throughout their day.

In His Love, Cathy