prelude home social story worship ... - first baptist …...sep 17, 2016 · increasing awesomeness...

J A N U A R Y G R A D E S

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PRELUDE HOME

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Scripture marked “NIV” is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Statement of Faith

ABOUT GODGod is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He’s at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God.

ABOUT THE SCRIPTURESGod reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable, and authoritative.

ABOUT PEOPLEPeople are made in God’s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls short of God’s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants an intimate relationship with each of us.

ABOUT SALVATIONThat’s why Jesus—God’s Son—came and lived on this earth, died, and rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior—the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into God’s family and will live with Him forever in heaven.

Chief Executive OfficerReggie Joiner

Creative TeamKristen IvyMike ClearMolly BellElloa DavisElizabeth HansenJessica McKeeBrandon O’DellGreg PaynePhil PierceDan ScottJon Williams

Contributing WritersBecky JarrettJulie Tiemann

Editors Molly BellElloa Davis

Illustrations & Graphic Design Brian BascleMike DavisJoe Goode

Technical & Web Support Hadley Brandt

Orange SpecialistsAmy GrishamAbbey CarrAmy FentonLeslie GalemaMisty PhillipsStephanie PorterCourtney Templeton

SOCIAL15 MINUTES

GROUPS25 MINUTES

STORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES

B I B L E S T O R Y

B O T T O M L I N E

M E M O R Y V E R S E

L I F E A P P

B A S I C T R U T H

PA G E 2©2016 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com

If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).

Ask Away (John the Baptist in Prison)

Matthew 11

I can trust God no matter what.

Knowledge —learning something new so you can be better at

whatever you do.

“Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me.” Psalm 119:105, NIRVPsalm 119:105, NIrV

When you don’t know what God says, ask.

PRELUDE: Setting the tone for the experienceFor Leaders OnlyCreate the Environment

SOCIAL: Providing time for fun interactionIdeas for Early ArriversCrack the Code

STORY: Communicating God’s truth in engaging waysOpenerWorshipBible StoryPrayerCloser

WORSHIP: Inviting people to respond to God“Know You Better” from Jump“Our God” from Jesus Music Box

GROUPS: Creating a safe place to connectMessage Maze All the Right Answers This is a Lamp Prayer

HOME: Prompting action beyond the experienceGodTimeParent Cue


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PRELUDE HOMESOCIAL15 MINUTES

GROUPS25 MINUTES

STORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES

25 MINUTES

10 MINUTES

25 MINUTES

15 MINUTES



Note: This version of the curriculum is designed especially for churches with fewer leaders and kids. You may want to use it if you have just one or two leaders and if you combine all your kids in both Large and Small Group time.

GETTING READY

SOCIAL: PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION (Choose one or both of these activities.)

Early Arriver• An offering container• “Find the Expert Cards” Activity Pages; one set per small group• Masking tape

Crack the Code• No supplies needed

STORY: COMMUNICATING GOD’S TRUTH IN ENGAGING WAYS

1. Opener/CloserWHAT YOU NEED:• Leader• Bible• Timer (phone or watch will work)• 1 prize that can be divided (such as a bag of candy), or 3 prizes of varying and

increasing awesomeness• Popsicle stick or tongue depressor

Music and Sound Effects (SFX): • Upbeat music to use as kids enter and exit the room

Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website): • Knowledge Slide• Memory Verse Slide• Bottom Line Slide• Rebus Puzzles• Knowledge Break sign


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PRELUDE HOME

B I B L E S T O R Y

B O T T O M L I N E

M E M O R Y V E R S E

L I F E A P P

B A S I C T R U T H

Ask Away (John the Baptist in Prison)

Matthew 11

I can trust God no matter what.

Knowledge —learning something new so you can be better at

whatever you do.

“Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me.” Psalm 119:105, NIRVPsalm 119:105, NIrV

When you don’t know what God says, ask.

SOCIAL15 MINUTES

GROUPS25 MINUTES

STORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES



WHAT YOU DO:• Download the slides and have them ready to use. If you do not have CG capabilities, you have Orange’s permission to

enlarge and print the slides on paper. • Download the “Knowledge Break Sign” and cut into the shape of a stop sign. If you’d like, attach a Popsicle stick or

something larger, like a tongue depressor, to the sign for the Opener. • Download and print the “Rebus Puzzles” and have them ready to use from the Opener.

2. Bible StoryWHAT YOU NEED:• Leader• Bible

Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website): • Bottom Line Slide• Emoji Packet

WHAT YOU DO:• Download the slides and have them ready to use. If you do not have CG capabilities, you have Orange’s permission to

enlarge and print the slides on paper. • Print the “Emoji Packet.” You can enlarge the images as needed so that they’re large enough for all of the kids in the

audience to see well. Make sure they are in order of the script so the Leader has an easy time flipping them during the Story.

3. WorshipWHAT YOU NEED:• Leader(s)

Music and Sound Effects (SFX): • “Know You Better” from Jump* • “Our God” from Jesus Music Box* *Live lyrics video available from https://amberskyrecords.com/

WHAT YOU DO:• Download all songs (available on AmberSkyRecords.com) and have them ready to use.• Download and print this week’s tech sheet for everyone helping with Large Group.


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GROUPS25 MINUTES

STORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES



GROUPS: CREATING A SAFE PLACE TO CONNECT (Choose as many of these activities as you like.)

* If you don’t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #2.

1. Message Maze (application activity / review the Bible story) • Masking Tape

* 2. All the Right Answers (application activity)• For younger kids, “All the Right Answers Cards” Activity Page for younger grades; one set per small group• For older kids, “All the Right Answers Cards” Activity Page for older grades; one set per small group

3. This is a Lamp (memory verse activity)• Bible• 2 random small objects

Prayer• Sticky notes• Pens • Bible

Additional Resources:• Make copies on cardstock or email this week’s GodTime and Parent Cue cards. • Tell parents about our additional family resources: Studio252.tv, CUE Box, and the Parent Cue app. To find out more

about these great resources, go to http://www.Studio252.tv/leaders.


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GROUPS25 MINUTES

STORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES



SOCIAL: PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION (SMALL GROUPS, 15 MINUTES)Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today’s story.

Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Pray that you would be an open source of wisdom and godly knowledge for your few to turn to when they face hard things. Ask God to continually prepare your heart to be open to your kids as they learn more about who He is and how to follow Him.

1. EARLY ARRIVER IDEAWHAT YOU NEED: Offering container, “Find the Expert Cards” Activity Page; one set per small group, masking tape

WHAT YOU DO:• Welcome kids as they arrive and guide them to place their offering in the container. • Chat about making wise choices—did anyone make a really wise choice this week in the face of temptations? • After some time, stick the Find the Expert Cards on everyone’s backs; half the kids will get questions and the others will

get answers. • They have to talk in yes/no questions to figure out what they have on their backs and who has the matching

question/answer. • If you have younger kids, tape the cards to their chests and make sure they know what they have—their game will be

more focused on finding their match. • Talk about the importance of asking the right questions and getting the right answers.

2. CRACK THE CODEWHAT YOU NEED: No supplies needed

WHAT YOU DO:• Divide the group into teams and have each team’s players sit in a line, one behind the other.• Tell the group that one clap means “yes” and two means “no”. • Then, ask the whole group some basic questions. The kid at the back of the line will decide the answer and clap once/

twice. Then, the person in front of her will clap the same, and send the answer up the line. The front kid will hear the clap from behind him, stand, and give the answer.

• After the answer is given, if it’s correct, the front kid will go to the back and everyone moves up a spot. • Some good questions: is the sky blue? Do 3 and 4 make 2? Is a basketball bigger than a softball, etc.

WHAT YOU SAY:“Great answers! You had to know who to listen to in this game. [Transition] Let’s go hear about someone else who needed answers, and who he decided to ask.”

Lead your group to the Large Group area.


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PRELUDE STORY WORSHIP GROUPS HOMESOCIAL15 MINUTES



STORY: COMMUNICATING GOD’S TRUTH IN ENGAGING WAYS (LARGE GROUP, 35 MINUTES)Engage kids’ hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible story, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting.

SFX: Play high-energy music as kids enter.

Leader enters, dressed in fun, colorful, even wacky clothes.

OPENERLEADER: “Hey, everyone! Welcome to [your environment’s name]! It’s been a really fun month playing games together as we learn more about what? (Pause to see if they remember.)

CG: Knowledge Slide

“Yes, knowledge! Knowledge is learning something new so you can be better at whatever you do.

“I need a volunteer to play a game that will require learning something new from everyone in the room. Who thinks they’ve got what it takes to play our final game this month?

Choose an older child and bring her up.

“This is a rebus.

Hold up the ‘green eggs and ham’ example and point to explain the answer.

“I am going to show you three different word puzzles like this, and you’ll have 30 seconds to answer each one. If you can’t figure it out, you can pause the timer by holding up this sign.

Hold up the Knowledge Break sign.

“This will pause the time for five seconds and allow you to ask for help. Your choices for help are to ask the audience or to have me tell you half of the answer. If you ask the audience, they get to shout out what they think the answer is for five seconds, and then play will resume. If you use your Knowledge Break to ask me for help, play will resume as soon as I give you half of the answer. You only get to use each “Knowledge Break” one time, so and there are three puzzles, so you’ll have to solve one completely on your own. And to make things even more interesting, for each puzzle that you answer correctly, you’ll receive a prize, and the prizes will get bigger as we go along. But if you lose a round, you forfeit all prizes.

“Let’s do this. I’m putting 30 seconds on the clock (set your phone timer or use a game timer), and here’s your first puzzle.

Hold up each puzzle one at a time. If your volunteer uses the “Knowledge Break,” respond accordingly. Take a break between each puzzle to recap and re-set your timer and raise the stakes of the prize. If the kid gets the first puzzle right, offer them a piece of candy to quit, or they can play another round for a


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PRELUDE SOCIAL GROUPS HOMESTORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES



handful of candy. If they win the second round, they can quit and get the handful of candy, or they can keep playing for a chance to win the bag of candy.

“Wow—that was exciting! Funny how you were able to do better when you took your Knowledge Breaks so you could learn something new didn’t you? We’re going to talk to someone today who knew something about Jesus and wanted others to know too. I’m going to have some help from modern technology with this story today.

Pull out the stack of emojis. As you tell the story, flip through them. After using each one, drop it on the floor.

SETTING UP THE STORYLEADER: “We talked before about how John the Baptist was a little . . . different. He lived in the wilderness near the Jordan River (river) where he ate bugs (bug) and wild honey (honeypot). He wore scratchy clothes made from camel hair (camel). But even if John didn’t know much about good food or clothes, he knew a LOT about the most important thing (#1): Jesus. Jesus was actually John’s cousin, and John had witnessed God’s Holy Spirit alight on Jesus in the form of a dove (dove). He had even heard God speak (megaphone) from heaven, saying, This is my Son, and I love Him. I am very pleased with Him, (Matthew 3:17, NIrV)

“John himself continued to share about Jesus with everyone (group of faces) he met, but following Jesus didn’t mean that John’s life was without trouble (crying face).

JOHN IN PRISONLEADER: “In fact, speaking the truth got John in trouble with a very powerful man, King Herod (crown). Herod liked to hear John speak, but when John told the king that he had broken God’s laws (‘no’ symbol), Herod was furious (mad face). He ordered that John be thrown in jail (jail bars).

“And just like that, John was locked up behind bars, all alone. Well, mostly alone (mouse).

“Day after day, John huddled in his damp cell wondering if he would ever be freed (distraught face). He was telling people who Jesus was—why would God let this happen to him? (face with hand on chin) After all, in prison, it’s doubtful he got any honey (honeypot) for his moldy bread (bread). I know, ewwwww (face with tongue sticking out).

JOHN’S FOLLOWERSLEADER: “At least John was allowed visitors. Two of his followers rushed in (two running men), breathless with their news.

“They shared about all the things that Jesus was doing. He made a lame man walk (walking man)! He brought a dead girl back to life (dancing lady)! And it wasn’t just Jesus doing the miracles—Jesus was sending His followers out to heal people (stethoscope) through God’s power!

“It must have been really hard for John to believe about all the good things that were happening outside, when he was stuck in prison (jail bars) with the mice (mouse) and the mold. So he asked his friends for a favor. He asked them to go


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WORSHIP10 MINUTES



back to Jesus and ask Him if He was indeed the Savior, the promised One, who they had been waiting for. Here’s exactly what John’s message was.

Set down emojis. Open your Bible to read Matthew 11:3.

‘Are you the one who is supposed to come? Or should we look for someone else?’

Pick up the emoji sheets again.

JESUS’ RESPONSELEADER: “John’s followers traveled swiftly to the town where Jesus was preaching (2 running men). They were amazed by the size of the crowd (flip through these quickly: 1 face; 2 faces; 3 faces; giant crowd of faces) surrounding him.

“John’s followers worked their way through the joyful crowd until they at last reached Jesus. They called out over the crowd (face with hands around mouth) and asked Jesus the questions that John the Baptist had asked them to talk about with Jesus.

“The friends must have wondered what Jesus would say, but I imagine that Jesus studied John’s friends with a clear gaze. He knew that prison was difficult and He was fine with John’s having questions. Let’s read exactly what Jesus said to the men.

Set down emojis. Open your Bible to read Matthew 11:4-6.

Jesus replied, “Go back to John. Report to him what you hear and see. Blind people receive sight. Disabled people walk. Those who have skin diseases are made ‘clean.’ Deaf people hear. Those who are dead are raised to life. And the good news is preached to those who are poor. Blessed is anyone who does not give up their faith because of me.”

“John’s followers nodded and began their journey back to the prison (running men, opposite direction). John had heard many of these things before. But the difficult weeks in prison had given John time to question (face with rolling eyes). Jesus knew John needed a reminder of His goodness, so John could trust Jesus’ heart (yellow heart)—even though he didn’t understand His ways.

Pick up the Bible again.

WRAPPING UP THE STORYLEADER: “Even if you’ve never questioned God’s ways before like John did, I can pretty much guarantee you that one day, you will. We don’t always understand what God is doing in the world and in our lives. But just like John knew Jesus intimately, and therefore knew that he could trust Jesus even when he didn’t understand, you and I can know Jesus that way too. One way we can learn more about Jesus is by reading God’s word (hold up your Bible). Like our memory verse for this month says:

CG: Memory Verse Slide


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PA G E 1 0©2016 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com


Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me. Psalm 119:105 (NIrV)

“But even though we can read God’s word, sometimes there are some things that we still don’t understand. So just like John asked Jesus for help when he didn’t understand, we can do that too! That’s what I really want you all to take away from today.

CG: Bottom Line Slide

[Bottom Line] When you don’t know what God says, ask.

“Let’s start right now, in fact!

PRAYLEADER: “Dear God, thank You for giving us Your Word so that we can know what we should do and how to [Basic Truth] make the wise choice. But sometimes we still get confused, because we don’t understand what Your plan is, or the timing seems different than what we would choose. Please help us trust You even when we don’t understand Your plan. We know that You love us, and we love You and trust You no matter what. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.”

WORSHIPLEADER: “Alright, everyone. Let’s switch gears and sing praises and worship God together. Stand to your feet. This month has been all about knowing God’s Word and what He says. We’re going to sing about that again right now. Let’s have some fun singing God’s praises.

SFX: “Know You Better” / track 7 from Jump

“That was super. Great job, everybody. In John 14:14, Jesus says: “You may ask me for anything in my name. I will do it” (NIrV). We serve a miracle-working God. We can run to Him about anything going on in our lives and ask for His help. We can ask for His knowledge and He will help us. Our God is powerful and He can do amazing things. Let’s celebrate the greatness of God as we worship Him with this song. Sing it with me.”

SFX: “Our God” / track 6 from Jesus Music Box

CLOSERLEADER: “John the Baptist had plenty of reasons to know who Jesus was. But when tough times came, he started to have questions. Instead of keeping them in, he chose to ask Jesus directly. And here’s the awesome thing: Jesus didn’t get mad at John for asking. In fact, He was quick to give an answer.

“The same thing can be true for you, too! I’m guessing you’ve got questions all the time. Like, what do I do when I get picked on at school? Or, why did my dog run away? Or, what can I do to help my friend know God loves her?


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“It’s ALWAYS okay to ask what God says about the things you’re wondering. There’s a verse in the Book of James that puts it this way: (Open your Bible and read James 1:5.) If any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone and doesn’t find fault.

“To start with, you can pray and ask God directly. Then read His Word and find out what He says. Or you can ask your small group leader or someone else who knows God, like a parent or teacher. They can help you listen to what God says, too.

“You probably won’t see the sky open up and hear God’s voice from heaven! But when you ask God your questions, He will help you find the answers—even if it’s not what you expect or takes a long time. That’s why this is the most important thing to remember today:

CG: Bottom Line Slide

"[Bottom Line] When you don’t know what God says, ask. Say that with me.

LEADER and KIDS: “[Bottom Line] When you don’t know what God says, ask.”

LEADER: “We’ve learned a lot of cool stuff about Knowledge this month. But I think this might be the coolest thing of all, because it means when we don’t know what to do or say or how to respond to any situation in our lives, all we have to do is ask! I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s a big relief!

“And you guys are going to keep learning more awesome stuff about our amazing God in your Small Groups, so let’s get to it!”

Dismiss children to their small groups.

Play high-energy music as kids exit.


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GROUPS: CREATING A SAFE PLACE TO CONNECT (SMALL GROUPS, 25 MINUTES)Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions.

1. MESSAGE MAZE (application activity / review the Bible story)WHAT YOU NEED: Masking tape

WHAT YOU DO:• Beforehand, use the tape to make a large maze or labyrinth on your floor that kids can crawl along. • Gather the group on one side of the maze and then have the kids crawl one by one along the maze to where you are

standing on the other side. Each kid must ask, “What’s the Message?” • Give each kid a portion of Jesus’ message to John, as their age can handle it: “Blind people receive sight. Disabled

people walk. Those who have skin diseases are made ‘clean.’ Deaf people hear. Those who are dead are raised to life. And the good news is preached to those who are poor.”

• Kids must each take their portion of the message back through the maze to the group. When the whole message has been transmitted, let kids sit in the maze for discussion.

WHAT YOU SAY: “John sent messengers to ask Jesus some important questions. He didn’t feel sad or scared that he didn’t know the answers, and he wasn’t afraid to ask Jesus right out if He was the One sent by God. John knew he could trust Jesus to answer and Jesus answered John in just the right way. Jesus showed John that He was truly sent by God because of what was being done through Him. John knew that [Bottom Line] when you don’t know what God says, ask. There are a lot of things that you may be not quite sure what God says about—how much screen time on the iPad you really should have, or how to know if this superhero movie is okay to watch or if you should skip it. The Bible doesn’t say “screen time”, or “Spider-man” anywhere, so how can you find out what God says about any of that? (Allow for answers) Yes! You can ask God to give you wisdom and show you what to do, or you can ask a trusted grown up what they think God says, and you can even look up what the Bible has to say about things like how to spend your time or what to let into your eyes and heart. ”

* 2. ALL THE RIGHT ANSWERS (application activity)WHAT YOU NEED: “All the Right Answers Cards” Activity Page for younger grades; one set per small group, “All the Right Answers Cards” Activity Page for older grades; one set per small group

WHAT YOU DO:• Decide which set of cards you will use, older or younger. Then, place all the blue cards in one place, face up. Put the red

cards face down on the opposite side of your small group area. • Gather the group around the red cards. On “Go”, kids must all grab a red card, read it (or look at the picture for younger

kids), and then rush over to the blue cards. • Each kid must select a blue card that they think tells most clearly what God says about their red card. (For younger kids,

the cards have matching dots to make this easier.)• Then, gather the group into a circle and let kids show their red cards and explain why they chose that blue card. For

younger kids, this is the end of the game because their cards are matched.


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PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOMEGROUPS25 MINUTES



• For older kids, if anyone in the group thinks they have a better answer to that red card, they can offer to trade with the person talking. The game ends when all the kids think they have all the right answers.

WHAT YOU SAY:“That was a lot of work and sometimes you weren’t quite sure about your answers. But everyone worked together to figure out what God had to say about a lot of things. We’re all learning and growing together, even me! [Make It Personal] (Share an age-appropriate time when you weren’t sure what God said about something, like a movie you wanted to watch, or an activity you were involved in, and you asked trusted friends to guide you.) I’m glad I had trusted friends so that I could learn [Bottom Line] when you don’t know what God says, ask. They had a lot of wisdom for me. Different people in your life have different views on what God says about things. If you wanted to know what God says about soccer practice, who would be good to ask, your coach who prays before the game, or your grandma who hosts a Bible study? That’s right, the coach would probably be a good person to ask because he’s thought about that a lot. How about if you wanted to know what God says about respecting your parents even if you disagree? I’d have to go with grandma—she’s had a lot of experience being a parent and a grandparent, and even a kid once upon a time, and knows firsthand what God says about relationships. Of course, you can always ask your parents and small group leaders what God says, and if we don’t know, we will definitely find out for you! How do you think we’ll do that? (Allow for answers) Yep, by praying and asking God for wisdom, by looking in the Bible, and by asking people that we trust.”

3. THIS IS A LAMP (memory verse activity)WHAT YOU NEED: Bible, 2 small random objects

WHAT YOU DO:• Gather the kids in a circle and read Psalm 119:105 out loud together. Then, help them learn this dialogue for the game. Person A: This is a lamp. Person B: A what? Person A: A lamp. • Then, turn to the kid on your right and hand them the first random object. Say, “This is a lamp.” to which they should

reply, “A what?,” and you say, “A lamp.” • They should turn to the person on their right, hand them the object, and go through the dialogue again. • Anyone who laughs, forgets their lines, or says what the object really is, must stand up, say the whole verse, and run

around the circle before taking their seat and resuming the game. • Encourage kids to do this as fast as possible to get the object all the way around the circle quickly. • If you have older kids, while the first object is being passed to the right, turn to the kid on your left, hand them the

second object and say, “This is a light”, starting another round of dialogue and sending the second object around the circle. At some point, the two objects will converge and the game will get really silly!

WHAT YOU SAY:“Great job keeping track of our lamp and light! When you first got the “lamp,” you had to ask what it was and then you got the answer again. It’s a funny game, but it reminds us that [Bottom Line] when you don’t know what God says, ask. Whether you want to know what God says about losing your best friend, or how much of your allowance you should spend on LEGO minifigs, you know that you can ask God for wisdom, look in the Bible for answers, and check with trusted friends to understand God’s heart.”


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If you lead mostly older kids, consider asking these discussion questions:• Have you ever thought you might know what God says about something, but you really don’t want to do it? Like you’re

pretty sure God would want you to rake your neighbor’s yard, but your favorite movie just came on TV; or you know you should turn off that violent video game when your little cousin comes over, but maybe you can just send him to another room with a box of cookies. Look up James 4:17 and see what you think.

• Who can you talk to when you’re nervous to hear what God says? What if you’ve done something wrong, or you’ve made some unwise choices—do you have someone you can talk to who will tell you what God says and help you make things right?

PRAY AND DISMISSWHAT YOU NEED: Sticky notes, pens, Bible

WHAT YOU DO: • Gather the group and help them get quiet and thoughtful. • Pass out the sticky notes and pens.• Let the kids brainstorm with each other things they would like to ask God, one situation where they want to know what He says that they don’t know yet.

• If you have younger kids, they can draw pictures of these things on their sticky note. • As you pray, pass around the Bible and let kids slip their sticky notes inside.

WHAT YOU SAY:“Dear God, thank You that You will give us wisdom if we ask. Thank You that we can learn what You say about so many things, and that You care about our lives and our thoughts. Please help us to learn more about You so we can follow You with all our hearts. Amen.”

Tell the kids that their questions won’t go unanswered and remind them [Bottom Line] when you don’t know what God says, ask.”

Invite parents to check out the maze and hear [Bottom Line] when you don’t know what God says, ask.

Be sure this week to find answers for the questions your kids have left; if you’re stumped or they are of a sensitive nature, ask your coach or pastor to help you. Write a note to each kid with Scripture references and a small explanation of how to understand them.


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prelude home social story worship ... - first baptist …...sep 17, 2016 · increasing awesomeness...

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