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ENVIRONMENT

FAMILY FOOD TIME p. 4 & 5

GAME TIME p. 5 & 6

GOD’S WORD p. 8

PRAYER p. 11

WORSHIP & CREATE p. 13

BLESSING p. 14

God has a big story and I can be a part of it!

© 2010 David C. Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children’s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.

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It’s as easy as 1 ... 2 ... 3 ...

1 Start by deciding on a day and time that works well for your entire family. It can be an evening, afternoon, or morning. Just

commit to building this time into your family’s natural rhythm. (It’s usually best to build this time around a meal!)

2 Look through the HomeFront Monthly and see what stands out. Choose one or two experiences that you would like to

incorporate into your family times this week. Don’t feel burdened to complete all the activities at once, but carefully select which ones will fit your family best. Each month of curriculum provides more than enough experiences to last you throughout the month.

3 Remember to HAVE FUN! Strive to make each gathering unique to your own family as you enjoy spending time with

God and each other.

How to Use this Resource

Editor’s Note I’ve always been intrigued by other people’s stories. When I was little, I remember asking

my parents to tell me stories about when they were little. I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to hear as many of their stories as I could.

My first dates with my now husband were filled with me asking him for stories about anything and everything. What was his favorite Christmas present when he was little? What did he do at summer camp in fifth grade? What was his first kiss like?

I’m still that way. Meet me and you’ll probably find that I love nothing more than losing track of time over a cup of coffee as I hear pieces of your story.

I think the reason I’m so drawn to stories is that it gives me a sense of connection and intimacy. Even if I wasn’t there, hearing your story makes me feel like I almost was. I can imagine what it was like for you. I can think about what I would have said if I were there with you. I get new glimpses into who you are, and I walk away feeling more deeply connected to your heart.

I’m left wondering, am I this eager to hear God’s story? He’s given me this huge story to find more of Him in. He’s given me an opportunity to get lost

in learning the details of who He is, to hear about so many of His adventures. I don’t let Him tell me these stories often enough. I want to know more of those stories. I want to lose track of time poring over God’s stories of the past, and I want to stand back in awe as He tells me new stories.

Hopefully this month’s activities give your family chances to get to know the heart of God better as you share stories of who He has been throughout history and who He continues to be today. Ask Him to tell you these stories. I’m pretty sure He’d love to share them with you.

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LAURA WEBER | EDITOR

the Tru Team | Costa Mesa, CA

© 2010 David C. Cook. All rights reserved.

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ENVIRONMENT

STORYTELLINGGod has been working throughout history. He is still moving and working today. All of the things that He has done, is doing, and will do in the future are not stand-alone, independent stories.

MICHELLE ANTHONY | FamIlIEs

ROCKHARBOR Church | Costa Mesa, CA

Those things all relate to each other and together they create one amazing story. Here at Tru, we like to call that amazing story The Big God Story.

As we are inspired by The Big God Story, we are called not to keep it to ourselves, but to give it away. We are called to share our experience of encountering a loving and faithful God. We are a faith community that needs to hear how God is moving and creating a unique story in each of our lives. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can inspire and strengthen one another’s faith.

Our hope is that this next generation will get a firsthand, awe-inspiring view of God as you pass down your personal stories of dependence on the Holy Spirit and share about how God has shown Himself to you in unique and tangible ways.

This monTh, as your family begins to tell stories, our prayer is that your faith as a family would be encouraged and compel you to share with others.

VERSE OF THE MONTH Memorizing Scripture can be an incredible practice to engage in as a family. But words in and of themselves will not necessarily transform us; it is God’s Spirit in these words that transforms. We come to know God more when we are willing to open our hearts and receive His Holy Spirit through the words we memorize. Have fun with these verses and think of creative ways to invite your family to open up to God as they commit these verses to memory.

ELEMENTARY VERSE

“Before you created the world and the mountains were made, from the beginning to the end you are God.“ Psalm 90:2 (NIrV)

PRES/KINdER VERSE

“The Lord causes his miracles to be remembered. He is kind and tender.” Psalm 111:4 (NIrV)

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© 2010 David C. Cook. All rights reserved.

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FamILY FOOd TImERecipe

When thinking about storytelling, I was a little torn: Should I include a recipe that takes lots of time so you can chat with your family while preparing it, or should I look for something that is simple to prepare so that you can head out to the patio and start eating and storytelling right away? I decided on the second option, simply because the warm weather won’t be around much longer, so let’s make the most of it and enjoy the outside with our families.

This simple recipe is quick, easy, and can include a couple extra hands while preparing. So take that time, and tell them a great story.

Strawberry-Chicken Club Sandwiches (SERVES 4)

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 15 min

12 ounces apple-wood smoked bacon

1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (seasoned with salt and pepper)

1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup mayonnaise

12 slices toasted sourdough bread

2 cups baby spinach

1 ½ cups hulled and sliced strawberries (about 10 ounces)

1. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towels.

2. Pour off the fat from the skillet and keep the pan over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan, partially cover and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides and just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then thinly slice.

3. Put avocado and lemon juice in a bowl. Mash the mixture with a fork until the avocado is semi-smooth. Stir in mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper.

4. Spread 1 spoonful of the avocado mayonnaise on each toast slice.

5. Divide the chicken among 4 of the toast slices and top each with a quarter of the bacon. Cover each stack with a toast slice, avocado mayonnaise side down. Spread more avocado mayonnaise on top, then layer each stack with some of the spinach, strawberries, and one of the remaining toast slices, avocado mayonnaise side down.

6. Cut into quarters and enjoy!

© 2010 David C. Cook. All rights reserved.

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FamILY FOOd TImEconveRsaTion sTaRTeRs

Growing up, my parents valued our time together around the dinner table. This was our time as family to connect and hear what was going on in each other’s lives. There were two rules: #1, Everyone shares, and #2, No TV.

Look at dinnertime as more than just a time to eat. Use this time to really talk to each other. See this as time to get to know your kids and to give them a chance to know you better. Ask questions, take the time to listen, and make sure you share too.

Below are some suggested questions to get you started. Don’t simply take yes or no as answers, get the whole story.

• What happened today that made you laugh? • Did anything happen today to make you sad? Why? • Did you serve someone today? how? • how did you experience God today? • What did you talk to God about today?

GamE TImEYoUnGeR Games

popcorn storyI’m sure your little ones have great imaginations, so try playing this game with them and put their lively imaginations to good use!

1) Gather your family together and invite one family member to begin telling a made-up story.

2) Once the person who started the story has talked for a few minutes, another family member can yell “popcorn” and take over the story where it left off.

3) Continue allowing family members to “popcorn” in and take over the story until everyone has added to the story at least once.

4) Anyone can tell an ending to the story and finish it after everyone has participated at least once.

For a variation, make some popcorn and put it in the center of the group. Once someone shouts “popcorn,” the person who was just talking can grab a handful of popcorn.

Game Time (oLDeR Games) conTinUeD on neXT paGe …

by A

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© 2010 David C. Cook. All rights reserved.

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GamE TImEoLDeR Games

Telephone pictionary

Whenever I get around a group of people, large or small, I am always excited to see what comes up in conversation. If I haven’t seen the friend or relative for a while, inevitably stories and memories from the past get brought up, and we spend the evening laughing and reminiscing.

In times like these, the game Telephone Pictionary is in order. It’s a game that requires nothing but a group of people, a pencil, and some paper. You will have tons of fun and make some lasting memories together.

here’s how to play:

1) Gather a pencil or pen and a piece of paper for everyone.

2) Everyone takes a piece of paper and writes a sentence at the top. This can be anything a song lyric, a common saying, or part of a nursery rhyme. Then every player passes his sheet to the left.

3) The next person reads the sentence to himself and draws a picture of what he just read on the space right below the sentence. Once he has drawn the picture, he folds over the paper so only his drawing is visible. Now everyone passes the paper to his left again.

4) The next receiving person looks at the picture and writes a sentence describing what he thinks the picture is right below the picture. He then folds over the paper so only his sentence is visible and passes it to his left.

5) This pattern continues until everyone has gotten his original sheet of paper back.

6) Now open the papers up and look at exactly how off course the original sentence has gotten.

Use this night to enjoy simply laughing and having fun together. Laughter can create some long-lasting memories. I still have some of the silly things people drew hanging on my refrigerator, and my family loves to tell stories about those nights.

© 2010 David C. Cook. All rights reserved.

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STORYTELLINGLeaRninG To pRaY

There’s just something about hearing a good story. Stories have the ability to capture us in ways that are almost unexplainable. They draw us in. They inspire us. A good story can actually change a life. God’s story is one of those stories. Unfortunately, it’s not always told that way. In fact, that’s a lot of what my story is about.

i had the typical Christian-kid upbringing. I went to church every Sunday. I went to Christian schools my whole life. I led Bible studies and

was on the leadership and serve teams. I memorized verses for tests and prayed to God every day. I knew A LOT about God. But, I’m not sure that I really knew God. I’d never really experienced Him or understood the true power of His story.

In college, some of that began to change. God began to reveal Himself to me in some pretty tangible ways. For the first time, I could say that I had experienced God. But it was still difficult for me to reconcile this God who I knew a lot about, and this God that I was experiencing. They seemed like two separate Gods. I mean, there was the God of all those stories I’d heard (and memorized) growing up, and He really didn’t have much to do with me. I wasn’t as brave as David or as strong as Paul, and while I could keep trying to be better, it seemed like I just didn’t fit in with that God. In my mind, if I’d lived back in biblical times, I certainly would never have had a chance at being included in the Bible or being used by God. But then there was the God I was experiencing. He was real. He was immediate. He was accessible. He was using me where I was and with what He’d given me. It didn’t seem to add up. It wasn’t until I was 29 years old that I made the connection.

I had just come on staff at my church and heard our families pastor sharing what she called “The Big God Story.” She started in Genesis with the creation of the world and, in about 20 minutes, went all the way through to the New Testament and beyond. She touched on all of the stories that I knew very well. But something was different. Suddenly they weren’t just a bunch of stories about a bunch of biblical superhero types that I couldn’t live up to. They were all part of one big story. They were all parts of God’s big story. And the main character of the story was not Moses or David or Esther or Paul … it was

God. This was a story about how God had a plan to redeem His people and how He used people who weren’t any braver or better than me to be a part of His plan. The God I was experiencing in college (and beyond) was the same as the God of all those stories! At that point, a lightbulb went on in my head. It all made much more sense! This was the God that I’d experienced. He was … He is … so much more than the disjointed stories and information that I’d gathered over the years. He is a God whose great story continues, and who has invited me (and you) to play a part in that story.

I’m not one to have regrets, but there are times that I look back and wonder how differently I would have seen and experienced God as a kid if only I’d been told God’s story as it should be told … as a story about God and who He is. It’s changed the way I tell God’s story and all the pieces of it. I hope you and your family have the opportunity to experience the fullness of God’s big story.

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© 2010 David C. Cook. All rights reserved.