New Website Up

Hello All!

I have a new site up at www.iheartchildren.com  and that will be the blog that is updated. Please change any bookmarks to the new site! I know you will love it over there :)

Peace,

Brittany Sky

Seasons of Faith Book Review

Last Thursday I wrote a post about Symbols of Faith by Marcia Joslin Stoner and this week I would like to talk about the counterpart of that book Seasons of Faith. This book is a great resource for teaching the Christian Church Year. I use it a lot when I am planning my Children's Church lessons so I can add Christian Traditions and History components to each lesson. It is a great resources for all ages and was written for intergeneration use. The information is not written on a young child's comprehension level but it is easy to take and make it something for that age level, as well as other age levels. It's a wonderful resource and I definitely recommend it for any Christian Education worker.   

Web Wednesday

I have been looking for other children's ministry blogs the last few days and this one is a must see. The Scripture Lady  is a blog devoted to "get the kids you minister to excited about the Word of God!" She has lots of fun games that help kids learn about the stories in the Bible and how to use their Bibles. It's a great resource to turn to for a Bible retreat after Bible Sunday. Go check the Scripture Lady out!

And then Jesus Changed Water into Gatorade: A Children's Sermon

Hold up a pitcher of water, and ask the children if they think it is good to drink water after they have been running hard in a game such as basketball. Yes! Then ask them if there is something even better than water after they have been playing hard. Explain that some people recommend a sports drink such as Gatorade, because it helps the body to recover from the stress of exercise. Pour a packet of powdered Gatorade into the pitcher of water, and stir it up so that the water changes color. Tell the children the story of Jesus at the wedding of Cana, and how he felt that the people needed more than water in order to have a good celebration. Ask the children if Jesus turned the water into Gatorade ... then tell them, “No, he turned the water into wine!” Point out that Jesus always wants to make everything better — including us! Stress that Jesus doesn’t want any of us to stay the same, but he wants to change us and transform us so that we can do God’s work in the world. Suggest that Jesus has the power to make us more loving, more forgiving and more faithful to God, and he uses this power to change anyone who follows him. Pour each child a cup of Gatorade, and let them know that the changes they can experience are much more amazing than simply changing water into a sports drink.  


Dear Loving God, thank you for wanting the best for us all. Amen. 

Lent: Lesson 4

Lent: Lesson 4

Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)

Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,

With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,

Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns. 

Sharing
Say: Does anyone remember anything about what we learned Lent last Sunday? (It’s 40 days, we grow closer to God, we have symbols that teach us, etc.)

Listening
  Say: Last week we learned that Lent is a forty day period before Easter when we prepare ourselves. During that time we remember Christ and the changes that he made in our world, and we try to better ourselves as followers of Christ. Many people follow the custom of giving up something during lent to remind them of Christ’s suffering. Some people decide to make some sort of change in their lives during this time in order to be a better follower of Christ. Lent gives us time to learn about prayer, sacrifice and showing kindness to others. During Lent we grow closer to God and better understand the Love that God has for everyone. We then use the Love God gives us to love others.

This week we will use our senses to learn more about Jesus and his experiences.

Exploring

Favorite Hymn	Mark 14:26 They sang a hymn and then went directly to Mount Olives.	They sang a song and went out. Remember familiar Lenten and Easter Songs. Ashes to Ashes Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust- This flesh is not forever. Spirit to Spirit, Life to Life- All that You are Is all I will be; Soon, Lord, in You forever. Survey the Wondrous Cross When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died; my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God; all the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood. See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown. Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
Strip of Leather	John 18:12-14 Then the Roman soldiers under their commander, joined by the Jewish police, seized Jesus and tied him up. They took him first to Annas, father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the Chief Priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.	Wrap leather around wrists and imagine how it must have felt.
Rough wood	Luke 23:26 As they led him off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus.	Feel the bark and remember the man who carried the cross for Jesus, Simon of Cyrene. Consider how he felt with that responsibility.
Small bag of spices	Mark 16: 1-8 The Resurrection  1-3 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?"  4-5Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.  6-7He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said."  8They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.	As you smell the spices remember how the women took spices to the tomb to cover the smell of the decaying body they expected to find.
Candle	2 Corinthians 4:4 If our Message is obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding back in any way. No, it's because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won't have to bother believing a Truth they can't see. They're stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we'll ever get.	The candle brings light to darkness, as Christ brought eternal light into a dark world.

 

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More Exploring
Have the children draw about one of the things they learned. 

Site Under Construction

I am in the process of redesigning my website (yay!) so my site will be done for the next few days. I will be leaving up my blog at www.aheartafterchildren.blogspot.com if you need access to it for resources. I will not be posting anything new for the next week so if you need help with something please email me: Brittany Sky.

It's Been One Year

Happy Anniversary! Yesterday marked the very first blog post of this blog. It has been a great experience thus far for me and I hope that it has been a helpful tool for many.

I remember telling Andrew (my fiancé at the time) that I wanted to start a blog. I had a Professor who had been talking lots about integrating our life's calling into the tech savvy lives we already led. With a blog I could put up anything I wanted: curriculum, thoughts, children sermons, class notes, etc, and people could use that information in their own ministries.

Andrew said ok, and here we are. One year later and I have my own web domain, my own website, and I'm reaching people in 67 different countries. It's amazing to me. It's amazing how God is working through this random thought I had about a blog. God is so amazing.

The upcoming year should be a great one too! I am fixing to redesign my blog and website and I am so excited! I hope everyone is having a great winter! Happy Anniversary!

Symbols of Faith Book Review

Check out this great book any time you want to include more Christian history and tradition. If you are talking about Easter, for example,  this book can add more to your lesson. It has lots of reproducibles as visuals and for crafts. It has explanations for each symbol and where the symbol came from. It is written on level with children but an adult can learn just as much from this book. It is a great resource for added components of history and tradition.

Web Wednesday

I have another website for you all to check out! Go to http://www.childrensministry.net/ for a directory of Children Ministries websites. It has quite a few to check out and will give you a base of online resources to check for ideas on programming, spiritual development, Sunday School, leadership training and so on.

We're Like a Puzzle: Children's Semon

Say: (Hold up a puzzle) How many of you like to play with puzzles? (yes, or raise their hands) I love puzzles too!  (Take two or three pieces out of the picture) Is this how a puzzle is supposed to look? (No!) Are you sure? Is it supposed to have holes? (No, it's supposed to be put together!) Oh they are supposed to all be there and put together? (Yes!) (Put the puzzle back together.) We are all like puzzle pieces. If we look at puzzle pieces they are all connected to each other. If one piece is gone the puzzle isn't complete. Without one of us, the world would not be complete. If one of you weren't here at church, the church would not be complete. We are are so important to God and to our church and to our world. The next time you play with a puzzle, remember how we are like puzzle pieces and say thank you for all of the people in God's world. 

Let's pray. Dear God, thank you so much for all of Your people. Amen.

Lent: Lesson 3

Lent: Lesson 3

Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)

Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,

With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,

Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns. 

Sharing
Say: Does anyone remember anything about what we learned Lent last Sunday? (It’s 40 days, we grow closer to God, we have symbols that teach us, etc.)

Listening
  Say: Last week we learned that Lent is a forty day period before Easter when we prepare ourselves. During that time we remember Christ and the changes that he made in our world, and we try to better ourselves as followers of Christ. Many people follow the custom of giving up something during lent to remind them of Christ’s suffering. Some people decide to make some sort of change in their lives during this time in order to be a better follower of Christ. Lent gives us time to learn about prayer, sacrifice and showing kindness to others. During Lent we grow closer to God and better understand the Love that God has for everyone. We then use the Love God gives us to love others.

This week we will use our sense of taste to learn the color of Lent! Can anyone guess what color we use to remind us of Lent? The color is PURPLE! We use the color purple to remind us that Christ is the King of Kings. It also reminds us to repent and turn to God to be closer to God.

Exploring
Have the children sit down at the table and pass out plates and napkins. They will be eating grapes, purple jello, and drinking grape soda. While they are eating ask what symbols they remember from last week, or how their Lent Pledges and Calendars are going.

The Bread and Cup Symbol: Helps us remember the meal that Jesus shared with his friends. We have this same meal with Him when we share Communion.

The Butterfly: When the butterfly is in its cocoon it is like Jesus in the tomb, and when the butterfly emerges it is like Jesus being resurrected.

The Cross: Represents the resurrection of Jesus on Easter

The Donkey: The donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

The Easter Lily: the bulb of this flower looks dead but then it comes to life and blooms a beautiful flower. This reminds us of the new life that we have when we are renewed in God.

The Fish: This reminds us of Jesus and he asking us to make fishermen of all people.

The Lamb: Lambs were used for sacrifices and Jesus sacrificed his life for us.

Light: Jesus’ triumph over the dark of death

Palms: Remind us of Palm Sunday and the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem for his last week.

The Stone: The stone that was placed in front of Jesus’ tomb that was moved when the women discovered Jesus was missing and had been resurrected.

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More Exploring
Using the labyrinth page have the children use their fingers to “walk” around the labyrinth and say silent prayers and meditations.

Web Wednesday

I would love to recommend Ministry-To-Children today as a great resource. Tony Kummer's blog has a plethora of information ranging from free curriculum to video reviews to leader resources. He has done a great job providing lots of information for anyone interested in Children's Ministry. Whether you are conservative or liberal, you will find lots of helpful information and ideas that you can use. Check out his list of recommended blogs while you are there! :)

Lent: Lesson 2

Lent: Lesson 2

Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)

Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,

With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,

Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns. 

Sharing
Say: Does anyone remember anything about what we learned Lent last Sunday? (It’s 40 days, we grow closer to God, etc.)

Listening
  Say: Last week we learned that Lent is a forty day period before Easter when we prepare ourselves. During that time we remember Christ and the changes that he made in our world, and we try to better ourselves as followers of Christ. Many people follow the custom of giving up something during lent to remind them of Christ’s suffering. Some people decide to make some sort of change in their lives during this time in order to be a better follower of Christ. Lent gives us time to learn about prayer, sacrifice and showing kindness to others. During Lent we grow closer to God and better understand the Love that God has for everyone. We then use the Love God gives us to love others.

This week I want us to look at some of the symbols of Lent. Does anyone know what a symbol is? It is something we use to help us learn about God. We have a symbol of ashes. The ashes help us to remember to repent and be close to God. There are other symbols that we learn during Lent to help us prepare for Easter.

The Bread and Cup Symbol: Helps us remember the meal that Jesus shared with his friends. We have this same meal with Him when we share Communion.

The Butterfly: When the butterfly is in its cocoon it is like Jesus in the tomb, and when the butterfly emerges it is like Jesus being resurrected.

The Cross: Represents the resurrection of Jesus on Easter

The Donkey: The donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

The Easter Lily: the bulb of this flower looks dead but then it comes to life and blooms a beautiful flower. This reminds us of the new life that we have when we are renewed in God.

The Fish: This reminds us of Jesus and he asking us to make fishermen of all people.

The Lamb: Lambs were used for sacrifices and Jesus sacrificed his life for us.

Light: Jesus’ triumph over the dark of death

Palms: Remind us of Palm Sunday and the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem for his last week.

The Stone: The stone that was placed in front of Jesus’ tomb that was moved when the women discovered Jesus was missing and had been resurrected.

Exploring
Today we will color one of the symbols that remind us of God’s stories.

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More Exploring
Symbols crossword from Children’s Activities for the Christian Year.

Lent: Lesson 1

Lent: Lesson 1

Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)

Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,

With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,

Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns. 

Sharing
Say: Do any of you remember a few months ago when we learned about the church seasons? (Yes we ate grapes, we learned about colors, etc.) Today we are in a new church season. We had Advent, Christmas time, and ordinary time. Can anyone tell me what we are in now? We are in the season of Lent. Does anyone remember anything about lent? I will tell you!

Listening
  Say:  Lent is a forty day period before Easter when we prepare ourselves. During that time we remember Christ and the changes that he made in our world, and we try to better ourselves as followers of Christ. Many people follow the custom of giving up something during lent to remind them of Christ’s suffering. Some people decide to make some sort of change in their lives during this time in order to be a better follower of Christ. Lent gives us time to learn about prayer, sacrifice and showing kindness to others. During Lent we grow closer to God and better understand the Love that God has for everyone. We then use the Love God gives us to love others.

Exploring
Today we will be handing out the Lenten Pledge papers. They are just going to put their names on these and take them home. Read the top of the sheets and explain what they will be doing with them.

Next take the painters tape and make a pathway around the room. It doesn’t have to be a circle or a line, it can be anything. Have the children follow you on the makeshift labyrinth. Explain to them that a labyrinth is a tool for meditation and prayer. There were first placed on the floors of the medieval churches in Europe, and people walked the path focusing on God. Since Lent is a time when we prayer and renew our faith, invite the children to walk the path with you and say silent prayers and then say the following closing prayer together on the path.

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.