TrendSetters in January!

Hey everybody!

Can't wait to see all of our 5th/6th graders back at TrendSetters NEXT Wednesday, January 4! Read below to learn about the awesome new series we'll be starting! And...get excited, because we've got some CRAZY, exciting events planned for February 1!!!!

New Lesson Series: INSIDE OUT

INSIDE OUT is a four week series about what it means to live like Jesus. The world of a preteen presents many choices. New temptations around every corner. It's easy to follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing, even though it often means making poor choices. You'll learn that following Jesus means living different than everyone else. Yes, it is sometimes tough. It requires serving others and reaching out to those who aren't yet following Jesus. But following Jesus is what we are made for. A relationship with God can be our driving force in life. It's what our soul thirsts and longs for. You'll discover the great rewards of being a Christ follower.

KidStuf in January!

Hi Parents & Leaders!
 

I'm excited to see everyone back at KidStuf (Jan. 4) and Sunday School (Jan. 8)!!! This month we'll be spending lots of time in Proverbs, learning about self-control - check it out....

Self-control means choosing to do what you should do—and not what you want to do. In the moment, that’s hard for a lot of us. The good news is that God doesn’t ask us to do anything all on our own. We’ll share verses like 2 Peter 1:3 that say: “God’s given us everything we need to lead a godly life.” Self-control is a way to display to the world around us that we have God in our lives. And He’s present every hour of every day, ready to help us take control of our thoughts, words and actions.

Each week, we’ll talk specifically about choosing to have self-control in areas where we know kids (and adults) typically struggle, plus we’ll focus on faith skills like navigating the Bible and personalizing Scripture in their everyday lives.

In week one, the Proverbs principle we’re focusing on compares someone without self-control to a city with broken down walls—defenseless (Proverbs 25:28 NIrV). In our monthly memory verse, the very beginning of James 1:19 begs us to pay attention and be quick to listen. Our Bottom Line is: God can give you the power to control yourself.

In week two, we’re studying a young and new king, Solomon, who was smart enough to ask God to make him wise. What he learned is recorded for us in the book of Proverbs. We’ll talk about the biblical principle that it’s better to be patient than to fight (Proverbs 16:32). The Bottom Line is: Pause before you lose your temper. We want to be slow to anger, to make the best choice for the future too, instead of just reacting based on how we feel and what we want right now.

In week three, we’re continuing to see the destruction that happens when we don’t have self-control. We want kids to know that God wants better for us and wants to protect us. So, we’ll focus on the hurt that’s caused when we use our words thoughtlessly like a sharp sword. We need to be slow to speak because wise people’s words can bring healing to a situation (Proverbs 12:8). The Bottom Line is: Select your words carefully.

In week four, we continue to see that sometimes God says things a certain way to grab our attention and hold it long enough to make His point. He’ll use words to create a picture that’s really hard to get out of our mind and show us that it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Proverbs 25:16 clearly says we better be cautious or we’ll end up in a stinky mess. None of us like getting sick (or cleaning up), that’s why our Bottom Line is: Know when to stop.

Maybe that’s why Galatians 5:22-23 says: “But the fruit of God’s spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” The only thing you can’t get too much of is God!

In week five as we wrap up, we really get to the heart of what gets us in trouble most. It’s not really our temper or our words or our choices like we’ve talked earlier this month. No, it’s what comes before all that and can happen so fast that it’s hard to catch. We want kids to understand that our thoughts lead to all our actions.

We’ll finish up by discussing the important principle in Philippians 4:8 about watching carefully what we think about. Whatever we focus on most will take over and fill our minds. That’s why God encourages us to think about only what’s true and right, what’s excellent and worthy of our praise. Bottom Line, we will learn: Use the Bible to guide your thoughts.

We are so excited about this month in Proverbs with a different principle each week addressing real life situations where we need self-control. Isn’t it great to know that God’s given us everything we need to live a godly life and to grow in wisdom? We can’t wait to hear what you think about Self-control: Changing the way you play!

By Cara Martens. ©2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.WhatIsOrange.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.

VBS Reunion!

The songs are starting to play constantly in my head...I can hardly wait! Our PandaMania Reunion is right around the corner! Singing "Wild About Us" and "Watching Over You" will be much more fun with a group of super fun kids and adults!

We had a blast at PandaMania and we can't wait to get everyone together again for our VBS Reunion! Join us Wednesday, August 31st from 5:30-7 for dinner and all things PandaMania! All children preschool - 6th grade are invited to attend with their families (if you weren't able to be at VBS, it's okay - you'll still want to make sure to be here for the PandaMania Reunion!)

See you a week from today!

Register for VBS!

CLICK HERE to learn about VBS and REGISTER TODAY!
Children entering preschool through those entering 6th grade are invited to join us for a wild adventure at PANDAMANIA VBS!

- 5:15-8:30 Monday-Friday
- Dinner will be served for children each evening!
- Parents join us at 8:05 each night for the Rowdy Wrap-Up!

CLICK HERE to learn more and REGISTER for VBS TODAY!

Parenting (Notes from a sermon by John Fuller)

Last week I listened to an incredible sermon on parenting by John Fuller and his wife Kay at Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls. I encourage each of you to click here and listen for yourselves. If you don't have time to listen, take a minute to read some of my notes below. Or, order the book Parenting Beyond your Capacity by: Reggie Joiner and Carey Niehwhof and read it. Many of John's points were pulled from this book.

1. Widen the Circle (2 Timothy 1:3-5)
Be intentional about widening your circle of friends and the circle of adult influences in your child's life. Choose your friends wisely, your children will see them and the way you interact with them and it will impact your children. Pray that God will bring other godly adults into your children's lives when they need them (i.e. when Mom and Dad just aren't cool enough to listen to).

2. Imagine the End (Hebrews 12:1-3)
In order to stay the course in parenting, you need to focus on where you want to be and where you want your children to be (ultimately, the goal would be that they would love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind & strength). Think about what you need to do now to help your children get to the end. In the end, you want your children to love God and love people - don't lose sight of that. If athletics or other activities start to get in the way of that, it's not worth it. Focus on the end, just like Jesus did.

3. Instead of Fighting with Kids, Fight for their Hearts (Eph. 6:4)
The most important thing for your kids is that they see you as trustworthy, it's even more important than them demonstrating trustworthiness. When they are acting in a way that needs correction, don't discipline them by fighting with them (that's all about you wanting to win an argument), instead fight for their hearts, for their attitudes. You can always discipline in anger, but that's not fighting for their hearts and it loses their trust. When you ignore their voice, you lose their trust.

4. Create a Rhythm (Deut. 6:4-9)
Our main goal should not be that we have children who are impressed by us, but who are impressed by God. What they think of God will determine how they live their life. Take advantage of the rhythm in your life to bring in God's rhythm (i.e. when you're driving to school, waiting in the doctors office, sitting down to eat, ask them how they saw God today, engage spiritual conversation). If you say God is your hope and reason for living, but you don't talk about it with your children, it doesn't work.

5. Make it Personal
Real change starts in your heart, then goes to your mind and then affects your actions. For the most part, your children will only go as far as you go spiritually. Time is short, make it personal. Your relationship with the Lord will determine in large part your children's relationships with the Lord.

Recommended Reading: Parenting Beyond Your Capacity, by: Reggie Joiner and Carey Niehwhof

Mother Daughter CHOCOLATE PARTY!

WHO? Girls 6th grade & under and their moms! Feel free to invite friends! If there's a daughter whose Mom can't join her, I know some amazing women who would love to fill in - just let me know!

WHAT? The Chocolate Party! Get ready to eat chocolate, make chocolate, learn about chocolate, and play with chocolate! A delectable dinner will be served (I promise it won't be all chocolate!) We'll hear from an amazing Mother and Daughter on the beauty of this God-given relationship! The cost is $5/family and can be paid at the door.

WHEN & WHERE? Friday, April 15th from 6-8pm at Faith Baptist Church (1220 W. Madison Street, Washington). You can park in the lower level and enter through the double doors. PLEASE RSVP to Cari by email or phone (faithcd@iowatelecom.net/653-4462) by April 8 so we can have chocolate ready for you!

Hope to see you there!

Father Son, ACTION-PACKED Event!

WHO? Sons K-6th grade and their dads. If there’s a son whose Dad can’t join him, I know some amazing guys who’d be happy to fill in—just let me know!

WHAT? An ACTION-PACKED event! Camp Directors from Pine Lake Camps will be here to lead crazy, outdoor games, dinner around a bonfire, and a message to remind us of what a cool relationship God designed between dads and sons. Cost is $5/family and can be paid at the door.

WHERE? Faith Baptist Church—1220 W. Madison Street, Washington. Park in the lower level.

RSVP: Email or Call Cari (faithcd@iowatelecom.net/653-4462) by April 1st to let us know you’re coming!

Hope to see you there!

Let's go Kinda Crazy

This month in KidStuf and Sunday School we'll be talking about Kindness!

Now, I don't know what comes to mind when you think of kindness. If you grew up with rough and tumble siblings, you may have come to the conclusion that nice guys finish last. If you work in a cutthroat environment, you know it doesn't pay to be seen as Mr. or Ms. Milk Toast. If your children watched Barney (of purple dinosaur fame), you may have the desire to pull your hair out if you hear that song one more time. You know which one.

Rest assured, we will not be going there! Kindness is not insipid, limp wristed, or ineffectual. It takes (and makes) some real muscle to be kind. It often requires an iron will. It may insist that we roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. It even necessitates, on occasion, radical action.

Jesus was kind, of course. But He definitely wasn't namby-pamby. The Jesus who took those little kids in His arms and blessed them was the same one who ran off the moneychangers and called out the Pharisees--not the actions of a weak person, which unfortunately is often how kindness is perceived.

We need to paint a truer picture of kindness for our kids, one that sets the bar higher than merely responding to someone else in kind. One that kindles consideration of others, that stirs up empathy for their needs, that ignites a generous rather than a fighting spirit when they do us wrong. In short, one that looks more like Jesus.

So we'll be exploring what Jesus did and said about kindness, which is showing others they are valuable by how you treat them:

Do to others what you want them to do to you. The gold standard of kindness, from Luke 6.

Treat others the way Jesus would treat them. Jesus gave others (including kids!) His time and attention, from Mark 10.

Treat others as if they belong to God. When you do, it's as if you're treating Jesus that way, from Matthew 25.

Do for your enemies what they wouldn't do for you. Give them another chance, from Acts 9.

Here's the challenge to both adults and students: go kinda crazy and surprise the people around you with kindness!

By Melanie Williams. © 2010 The reThink Group * www.rethinkgroup.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission

Pray for KidStuf

I’m really excited to kick-off a new year of KidStuf! Will you join with me in asking God to move in amazing ways this year? Below are a few ideas of things we can be praying for. Let’s pray with confidence, asking God to touch lives through our ministries on Wednesday nights. I’m so excited to see how the Lord will move this year! Thank you for teaming with me in prayer!

1. Salvation. Ask God to bring children into a relationship with Him through KidStuf. Pray that children will understand the Gospel and we will know how to present it well.

2. Vision. Ask God to provide vision for reaching families and vision for the future of this ministry.

3. Families. Ask God to equip parents as spiritual leaders. Ask God to lay it on parents’ hearts to join their children for KidStuf.

4. Curriculum. Ask God to use 252 basics to help children come to know Him, to understand Him more, and be challenged to be more like Him.

5. Leaders. Pray that adults will be filled with the Spirit so they can serve with excellence. Pray that they’ll be inspired and encouraged to build relationships with children and demonstrate God’s love to them. Pray that they will be energized to continue serving and blessed for their service.

Pray for TrendSetters

I’m really looking forward to kicking off a NEW year of ministry to 5^th & 6^th graders. Will you join me in thanking the Lord in advance for what he will do in the lives of preteens at FBC this year? Let’s pray together for our TrendSetters. Here are a few things I’m asking God for in 2011:

1. Salvation! That 5^th & 6^th graders hearts will be softened to God’s Word and they will accept His grace, confess their sins, and surrender their lives to Him. Also that the families of these students will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Let’s pray with faith that students will come to know Jesus this year through TrendSetters.

2. Vision for how to reach the families of the 5th & 6th graders that attend TrendSetters.

3. Teaching that challenges students to come to know Christ and to draw nearer to Him. That the curriculum we use will be effective.

4. Understanding of God’s Word. That these students will recognize the Bible as a source of authority in their lives and allow the Holy Spirit to help them understand and apply it.

5. Servant focus for the Christian students @ TrendSetters. That the students in TrendSetters that have a relationship with Jesus would see TrendSetters as an opportunity to show Christ’s love and grace to the others there. That they would not come merely for themselves, but to be an example and witness to others.

6. Energy, enthusiasm, grace, unity, and vision for our leadership team. Pray that our leaders will be filled with the Spirit and have all it takes to minister to these students with excellence.