Jesus' Birthday Party

Every year at church I have a birthday party for Jesus with the kids.  Here is my outline for the party this year:

Jesus' Birthday Party

Tonight we are going to celebrate by having a birthday party for Jesus.  So many times it seems like people forget that the whole reason we celebrate Christmas is because it is Jesus' birthday.


Show video of   Where's the Line to See Jesus


Now we are going to talk about our cake.

The first thing you may notice is the cake is round which reminds us of God's never ending love for us   (We are all going to make mistakes, we're not perfect.  But we know that all we have to do is ask God to forgive us and if we are really sincere He will forgive us.)

The border of hearts around the cake sides represents each one of us standing as witnesses for Jesus. (How can we witness for Jesus)

The gold star in the middle of the cake reminds us of the star of Bethlehem which led the wise men to Jesus.

The yellow hearts around the star is the grace of God.

The red candle we have over to the side represents Jesus.  (Light red candle)

Read Christmas story.

Give everyone a candle and let them stick it in the cake and then light each of their candles.  When we have Jesus in our heart we are a light to the world for Jesus.  So many people won't read the Bible for themselves to learn more about Jesus so we need to be able to let them see Jesus in our life and our lifestyle.

Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blow out candles.

When we cut the cake you will notice three layers.

• The first layer is brown for our sins.  
• The second layer is red for Jesus' blood that He shed for our sins when He died on the cross.
• The third layer is green which stands for new life -- which is something we have in our heart after we accept Jesus and ask for forgiveness of our sins.
• The frosting is white and it stands for Jesus' purity and righteousness.

Trunk or Treat 2010

We had so much fun this year at the Trunk or Treat at our church.  Here are a few pictures:

A Very Special Day

October 17, 2010 was a very special day.  Our youngest daughter, Abbie, was baptized.  She had asked Jesus into her heart a few years back but for one reason or another had waited to join the church.  On Sunday, October 10th she walked down the aisle to make her public profession of faith. 
She is such a special girl and I am so thankful that God put her into our life.  I know God must have big plans for her and I can't wait to see what He has in store.  My world completely changed 12 years ago when I found out I was pregnant and it has been wonderful! 

Rite-Aid Savings

I ran into Rite-Aid today before work and picked up some candy for Trunk or Treat. 

I bought all of this candy for only $2.26, a savings of $24.00.  I also received $10.00 in UP rewards to use the next time I shop at Rite-Aid.

My coupon system

I have a rolling file folder cart that I have labeled with 12 hanging files for each month. In each hanging file I put in two file folders (one labeled Red Plum and the other one labeled Smart Source) When I buy the Sunday paper I use a marker to write the date on the front and then I file the entire coupon supplement in the correct folder. At this point I have not had to cut any coupons yet. Every week I go to the southernsavers.com website and I look at the stores I will be shopping at. This site will tell me what is on sale, what coupons are available and where I can find them. Then I can pull my coupons out of the file and cut the ones I will be using. I use a small envelope and write down on the envelope the name of the store and what I will be buying with my coupons listed. I then put all of the coupons in the envelope so they are handy for the store.


My rolling file cart that I use to store my coupons:

A close up of my files:

A picture of how I label my coupon papers by date:

Church Bulletin Board

Here's the new bulletin board Abbie and I made for the adult Sunday school class.

Walgreens shopping Trip

This is what I bought today at Walgreens for only $3.41! 

Jesus Healing the Blind Man

Today we are looking at John 9: 1-11. 
How many times are we blind to what God wants us to do?   How different do you think your life would be if you had eyes of faith?  A lot of times we can't even see what is right in front of us. 

All of us have a "blind spot"  In the back of our eyeballs is a part called the retina.  The retina is made of light-sensitive materal that sends information it sees to the brain.  Every retina has a "blind spot" or a place that doesn't have that light sensitive material.

Blind spot experiment:

Draw a smiley face on the left part of a sheet of paper and on the right side place the number one and count up to nine, writing right to left.  Close your right eye and look at the number one with your left eye.  See the smiley face with your peripheral vision!  Without moving your head or the paper look at the other numbers (the 2, then the 3, then 4 etc.)  You will notice that the smiley face disappears around the number four and will reappear around number 7.

Blackberry

We have had our little guinea pig, Abbie named Blackberry, since April 27th.  She was just a little baby when we got her then and she has grown so much!   Here's a new picture of her:

Today's coupons

I had another good shopping trip today with coupons today.  Before coupons and bonus card savings at Bi-Lo my total was:  $46.98.  I only spent $26.24 so that is a savings of $20.74.  I also went to Wal-Mart and was able to get a free bottle of Gain dish detergent! 

Coupon Savings

I started a few months ago saving money by using coupons.  All I can say is it has become really fun for me to see how much money I can save at the stores by using my coupons.  I think it will be fun, at least for me, to start keeping track of what I am saving here on my blog.
Today I went to Rite-Aid before work and I bought four packages of cough drops, one bottle of pantene shampoo, one bottle of 130 count Bufferin and a pack of allergy tablets for only $13.01.  I also received a $2.00 UPS reward to use the next time I shop at Rite-Aid and I will also be receiving $6.99 refund in the mail for the Bufferin. 

1.29 cough drops
1.29 cough drops
1.79 cough drops
1.79 cough drops
6.29 pantene shampoo
4.49 allergy tablets
9.99 Bayer asprin
26.93

So after coupons I saved 13.92.  When I get my refund then my savings will go to 20.91 and then the next time I go in I will be able to use my $2.00 UP rewards!

Websites I Like

Here's just a few websites that I like:

http://www.chelc.net/

http://www.mtpleasantoflaurens.org/

Our lesson today focuses on another great even that changed our world.  We first learned about Adam and Eve and how they sinned by doing the one thing God told them not to do.  And how easy it is to be tempted by Satan to do things that God does not want us to do.  Our next lesson was on Noah and the flood and how Noah must of had a lot of faith to build the ark.  Even though Noah had never seen rain he had faith to do what God was asking him to do.  How many of us have that same amount of faith?  We also talked about ways that we can build our faith. 
Today we are going to be learning about the Tower of Babel.  We find this event in Genesis 11: 1-9.

After the flood the people began to think that they wanted to be like God.  So they decided to build a tower that would reach to heaven. In the tower they would be able to study the stars and figure out how to get to heaven without God's help.   I guess they thought this would make them equal to God.  There are still people today that are trying to get into heaven on their own.  How do some people do this?   Can we save ourselves?  I'm sure there will be so called good people in hell because God is the only way to heaven. 

God also wants us to build our lives the way He wants us to.  How can we know what God wants for us?  Let's read I Corinthians 3: 10-11.  This is Paul talking.  What type of building is Paul talking about?
He is not talking about a real building, he is talking about our life.  When you are building a house the first thing you work on is the foundation.  What did Paul say should be our foundation for our life?   All buildings need a solid foundation or they will fall.   This means that Jesus is the only one we can trust to save us from our sins and help us to live our life the way that He wants us to live our life.   What is a bad foundation for our life?  (thinking that we don't need Jesus and we can just be good and that will get us into Heaven.  This will only get us into Hell.)  We need to remember to trust Jesus to lead us in our life.
Our Bible verse that I would like for all of us to remember is:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3: 5-6.






In our lesson today we learn that God wants us to be humble.  What does humble mean?  (not having selfish pride -- being obedient to God and letting Him rule our lives)


Game Card Questions:

1)  At the beginning of the story how many languages were on the earth?  (1)

2)  Why do you think they wanted to build the Tower?  (to make a name for themselves and to reach God on their own)

3)  Do you think God was pleased with them for building the Tower?  (no, he wasn't unhappy with them because they were building a tall building.  It was because they were trying to be better than God)

4)  What did God do to them that showed that he was not happy?  (He showed them His power by having them speak different languages)

5) What should be the foundation for our life?

6) What is a bad foundation for our life?

7)  What is our Bible verse for tonight? 

For our study tonight we will be learning about Noah. 

Noah was a God fearing man who lived during a time of a lot of sin.  People were worshipping other gods and idols.  Do we see that today?  Can you think of some idols or gods that people have?  We can see that the prayers of only one faithful man kept God from wiping out all humans. 

Read Genesis 6:  9 - 22

Why do you think that God saved Noah and his family?
(in verse 9 we read that Noah walked with God)

Noah had faith in God.  Even though Noah had never seen rain God told him to build an ark and he did it.  How many times do we feel like God is telling us to do something and we may doubt that he really wants us to do that.  Do you ever feel like God is telling you to do something?


God also told him starting with verse 14 how God wanted him to build the ark.  Isn't it great that God will be there for us even in the smallest details.  Nothing is too small for God. 

The ark was huge.  300 cubits would be equal to 450 feet long.   I think a football field is around 360 feet so you can see that the ark was bigger than a football field. 

It only mentions the ark having one door. (Verse 16)  I think this is interesting because God is the only way.  It says in John 14:6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

In verse 19 it mentions that Noah was to bring two of all living animals.  Do you think it was hard for Noah to get the animals? 

I have mentioned already that Noah was a man of faith.    Being faithful leads to obedience and obedience will bring blessings from God.  
Read Proverbs 28:20

But you know, being faithful is not always easy.  Temptations come along and sometimes it is hard to be faithful when we are tempted.  Can you think of some things that tempt you?  It's easy to be tempted by many things and unfortunately that will not change the older you get, it will just be different temptations.

Being faithful means making conscious choices to follow God.  It means standing up for our faith when people make fun of us for our faith.  It's easy to become distracted by other things and not following God as closely as we could.    What are some things that distract us?  Everybody is different in what tempts them. It is important for us to learn what tempts us so we can become proactive about our temptation. 
How can we become proactive about our temptations:
1) Recognize what tempts us
2)  Pray about the temptation
3) avoid the temptation
4) Read our Bible (the Bible is there for us to use for our guidance)  One verse I can think of that will help us is 1 Corinthians 10:13.  While you're reading your Bible daily look for verses that will help you in the areas you are tempted in. 
5)  Use the buddy system.  If you have a good friend or teacher that you can talk to, let them know your temptation so you can be accountable to them.  Tell them to ask you how you're doing in that area of your life.
6)  You need to really  believe that God is there for you and will help you in your temptation.  If you normally say "That's too hard"  or "I'll never be able to do that."  Remember that God can do ANYTHING.  Start saying things like, " God can help me overcome this" or "It's not too hard for God."
7)  Know your alternatives.  In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we learned that God can show us how to escape from our temptations.  If you have identified your temptations then learn your alternatives so you don't fall to your temptation. 
8)  Know it's not the end of the world if you do allow yourself to be tempted.  We all make mistakes and God has offered us His forgiveness if we only ask for it.  Read 1 John 1: 8-9.

You know, I bet Noah had lots of problems with people making fun of him for his faith.  He was out there building this boat bigger than a football field and warning people of a flood.  They had never seen it rain before so they could not comprehend how it could flood.  I'm sure they were laughing at him but Noah remained faithful to God.   How hard do you think that was for Noah?


Game Card Questions:

1)  What book of the Bible can we find the story of Noah?   (Genesis)

2)  Why do you think God saved Noah and his family?  (Because he walked with God)

3)  Who was suppose to go on the ark with Noah?

4)   How big was the ark?

5)  Name one way we can try to avoid temptations.

What does the word deceive mean?

Read Matthew 7: 13-14
Are most people NOT DECEIVED or DECEIVED?

Let's read II Timothy 3: 12-17
Where can we find the truth?

Read II John 7
How many deceivers should we expect?

Now we are going to start our study on the first person that was deceived. (Not including the angels that were deceived by Satan, even prior to the creation of man.)

Read II Corinthians 11:3
           Who was deceived?
            Who deceived her?
If Eve could be deceived, can we be deceived too?

If we go back to Genesis Chapter 1 we see "GOD SAID... AND IT WAS SO"  Everything God said came to pass.

If we continue on to Chapter 2, we learn that God said something that was very important.. Read Genesis 2:17. 

God told us that sin brings certain death.

Read Genesis 3:1  What are the first words the deceiver said?   The devil wanted Eve to doubt God's word.  Does he ever do that to us?

But not only does Satan want us to doubt God's word he also wants us to deny God's word.  Read Genesis 3:4.

Who did Eve believe?

Read Genesis 3:6   So, first Eve doubted God, then she denied God and then she got Adam to join her.

Let's read I Timothy 2:14.
Was Eve deceived?
Was Adam deceived?
Eve was tricked into doing somthing by Satan but not Adam.  He knew what he was doing was wrong but he followed her anyway.  Do you think it is easier to not follow along with someone or to follow someone?

When Satan tricked Eve he told her that she would be like God.  I don't think that people want to be God as much as they don't want God to be God.  They don't want God to have the final authority over them. 

Read I Samuel 8: 5.  It is not that the people wanted to be kings, but the real issue was that they did not want God to "R_____________O______________T_________________ (Samuel 8:7)

During Tribulation men and women will elect a man to be God (II Thessalonians 2: 3-4)  This will be Satan's man.  He will set himself up as God and will demand worshipo from everyone.  Instead of believing the truth, men will be deceived into believing the live.
II Thessalonians 2: 10  What will men not receive?
II Thessalonians 2:12   What will men not believe?
II Thessalonians 2:11  What will men believe?
II Thessalonians 2:10  Will they be deceived?

So the lie is that a creature can take the place of God.  And the truth is "no one can take God's place.  He alone is the creator.

How can I keep from being deceived?
God does not deceive.  He always tells the truth.  We need to stay in His word.

One person I will mention that was in the Bible that was not deceived was Mary.  When God spoke to her she believed His word (Luke 1: 30-38)  She did not understand what God said, but she believed it and she said, "Let it be unto me according to _______________ _________________ (Lukie 1:38)

Don't forget about National Day of Prayer. 

Daniel 5    Surprise Party

King Nebuchadnezzar died in 563 B.C.  Chapter 5 takes place about 25 years after his death.  There was a succession of kings in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar died.  Nebuchadnezzar's only son succeeded him and he was murdered by a brother in law.  That brother in law became king and then his son who only reigned a few months became king.  He was killed by another of King Nebuchadnezzar's sons in law.  Nabonidus, the last rular of the Babylonian empire spent much of his time away from the kingdom probably in the battle with the Persians that they are in and so his son Belshazzar was the acting king.   The Persians, led by King Cyrus attack the Babylonian army and then head toward Babylon. 
Bablyon had a big wall around it, the wall was 300 hundred feet high and wide enough for four chariots to travel around the city walls.  They had enough food and water to last for around 20 years inside the city, so they were basically self sufficient and would not have to go out and fight the Persians.l

Read Daniel 5:1  What was King Belshazzar thinking?  The city is surrounded with enemy troops and he throws a party?   It says that the party began with a big cocktail party.  So many people talk about our drug problem that our nation has today but how many discount alcohol as a big drug problem?   Billions of dollars are spent every year on alcohol and so many people don't see the damage that it is doing.  

Read Daniel 5: 2-4  Here he is called "father" because it was the custom to call an ancestor "father"  He was the best the grandfather of Belshazzar.   When we last saw Nebuchadnezzar he had been worshipping God.  What does Belxhazzar show is his attitude toward the true God of Heaven?   Belshazzar, being the evil and arrogant man that he is decides to show God what he thinks of him by having all of the guests drink out of the goblets from God's temple while praising other gods.   This was very stupid and arrogant.   Look at their list of gods:  gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone.  Do you think that people today have other gods?

Read Daniel 5:  5-6  Can you imagine seeing this?  Think how they must have felt.   

Read Daniel 5:  7-9  Why would Belshazzar make the person who decrypted the message the third highest? (Because his father was actually the king and then Belshazzar was under him and the second in control)
* How many do you think wanted a shot at winning this reward? (verse 8 says "all" the wise men showed up)

*God obviously wrote the message in a way that was difficult for the people to understand.  Why do you think he did that?  (I think it was to show the inadequacy of the king and his "wise" men.)

* It says in verse 8 that all of the wise men came in.   Had Daniel been demoted?  ( Yes, sometime after Nebuchadnezzar died he had been demoted)  

Read Daniel 5: 10-12  This queen that is referred to here was probably King Nebuchadnezzar's wife.

Read Daniel 5:13 - 17
What was the first thing Belshazzar asks Daniel?  (Were you a slave)  I would have thought that the first thing he would have said to Daniel was:  were you for many years the number one wise man in the kingdom?

This shows me that Belshazzar is arrogant and obnoxious.

In verses 14-16 we learn this could be Daniel's ticket back to fame and fortune.  But we see in verse 17 that he turns it down.  He says he will read the writing on the wall but he told Belshazzar that he had nothing to give that he values.  Can you imagine how Belshazzar felt when Daniel said this?

Read Daniel 5: 18-23   Daniel basically told Belshazzar that God had blessed Nebuchadnezzar.    And he also told Belshazzar that he had not humbled himself to God and that instead he had set himself up against God. 
Could this have gotten Daniel killed?  (Yes, and I really don't think that he cared.  He was a messenger for God and he was going to tell Belshazzar the truth.) 

Read Daniel 5:  24-28  Daniel liked Nebuchadnezzar and had always softend what he was telling him.  He would always give the good news first.  But when he starts talking to Belshazzar he does not soften it at all.  I thnk this is probably because he does not have any respect for Belshazzar.  The king is arrogant and obnoxious.   Nebuchadnezzar had been a world conqueror but Belshazzar had done nothing except get drunk and insult God. 

Read Daniel 5: 29  Belshazzar kept his word.  Why?

Read Daniel 5: 30  Judgement is executed aganist Belshazzar.  In the book of Isaiah chapter 21 it is prophesied about the destruction of Babylon.  Darius is now the rular of this area.

Daniel 4 Nebuchadnezzar's Judgment

This morning we are going to continue our study in Daniel. 

Let's start off by reading Daniel 4: 1-3
Do you think this is the way that King Nebuchadnezzar began all of his proclamations?

Read Daniel 4: 4-5

Nebuchadnezzar's prior dream in Daniel 2 troubled him so that he could not sleep but this dream terrified him.  Have you ever had a dream where you were just scared? 


Did you notice how many times he used the personal pronouns:  my, I and mine?  He seems to be very self centered.

Read Daniel 4: 6-7
This is the same group of wise men that could not interpret his dream before.  Why do you think he ask them first instead of Daniel?    Again, the wise men could not interpret the dream.

Read Daniel 4: 8-9
What does this suggest about the reason Daniel was not consulted first?  (It seems that Daniel took his time coming before the king.)
* Why do you think he delayed?  (It allowed the power of God to be shown after the others had failed.  And maybe Daniel was annoyed for not being specifically called in first by the king)

Read Daniel 4: 10-17

Does this sound like a dream that would terrify you?   What do you think this tree represented?  (since Nebuchadnezzar was the worldly star in the dream mentioned in Daniel 2 it would be easy to see that this great tree represented him)
*Do you think the wisemen really couldn't interpret the dream or did they want Daniel to be the one to bring the bad news?
* I think that Nebuchadnezar knew this dream was about him because I don't see where this would have scared him unless he thought it was about him.


Read Daniel 4: 19
Daniel is now terrified by the dream.  Nebuchadnezzar has become a friend to Daniel and I'm sure it was hard for Daniel to tell him what this dream meant.  I think Daniel is reluctant to tell Nebuchadnezzar what the dream means but he decides that is the best way.

Read Daniel 4: 20-26
Daniel knows that this dream has both good and bad news.  Why does he start with the good news first?
* Does this dream give Nebuchadnezzar hope?  (Yes, in verse 26 he is told that his kingdom will be restored when he acknowledges God.)

Read Daniel 4:27
Daniel gave some unsolicted advice in this verse -- repent.What does Daniel's advice teach us about God? (God does not desire to hurt us, He wants us to willingly obey him.)
* Nebuchadnezzar had previously acknowledged God of Heaven in Daniel 2: 47 and Daniel 3:28-29.  Why hasn't the lking already made the statemnts that God requires? (this really gets to the heart of the matter -- God is not looking for us to say the right things, He is looking for us to do the right things) 

Read Daniel 4: 28-31
How long did God give Nebuchadnezzar to repent?  (one year)  Nebuchadnezzar needed to understand that life is not about us but about God.  And when we follow His rules about being kind to others that brings glory to God.

Read Daniel 4:32-37
All that was prophesied happened to King Nebuchadnezzar.  (I'll read verse 36 again)  Do you think that King Nebuchadnezzar learned his lesson?   Why do you think that God keeps sending these dreams to Nebuchuchadnezzar that end up honoring him and glorifying him?  Nebuchadnezzar was a very successful man and in the end he did do what he needed to do.  He did finally acknowledge God as the source of his success. 

How do you handle the success in your life?  Do you claim responsibility for it or do you get proud?  Or do you give God the glory?

Our New Addition

Abbie convinced Roger and I to let her get a guinea pig as a pet.   After a lot of research Abbie decided a little girl guinea pig would be the best match for her.  She also read about making a cage and so we set about to make our own guinea pig cage.   Here's a few pictures of  little Blackberry.  I hope to soon post pictures and directions on how we made the cage.

Tonight we are still looking at Daniel and his life.  Last Wednesday we talked about reputation and how easy it is to get a good or bad reputation.  Daniel and his friends got a reputation for doing good things by standing firm in their belief and eating  what they knew would make them strong and not eating the king's food.  Sunday we talked about how we can discern the truth and we studied in the Bible Daniel chapter 2.   Daniel was able to tell King Nebuchadnezzar his dream and what it meant.  Tonight we are studying Daniel chapter 3.  About 20 years have passed between Daniel chapter 2 and Daniel chapter 3.  In this chapter we are dealing with temptation. 
*What are some things you can be tempted by?
*Are we only tempted in the big things or can we also be tempted by the small things that no one will ever really notice?

Let's read Daniel 3:1.
This image that King Nebuchadnezzar had made was 90 feet high.  That is about 10 stories high. 
What do you think made the king commission this statue? (it had to be as a result from the dream that Daniel had interpreted.)  It said that he had the statue put in the plain of Dura  which meant that the statue could be seen a long way off since it was the talles thing around.

Read Daniel 3: 2-3
If you didn't know the rest of the story would you want to be invited?    Everyone who was anyone in the government was there except for Daniel.  Daniel was out of town on a business trip. This was definately the place to be if you were important or wanted to be important and I'm sure everyone had heard about this statue and they wanted to be a part of the dedication ceremony.

Read Daniel 3: 4-6
Do you think the people that came knew that this was not a normal dedication ceremony?  That is was actually a religious ceremony to worship King Nebuchadnezzar?   People were being forced to worship the king.  But since worship is really something we do in our heart they may have only been going through the motions.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a terrible punishment for anyone that did not bow down and worship his statue. 
*What do you think was the reason for the fiery furnance?  (I think it may have been a loyalty issue in the kingdom)  Maybe Daniel and his friends were winning converts for Jesus.
I also think maybe some of the "native" wise men were maybe jealous of Daniel and his friends.  They had been captured slaves and then they were promoted over some of them. 

Alot of times in the Bible we see conflicts between God and satan.  In our lesson Sunday we saw how God had triumphed because Daniel was able to tell the dream and interpret the dream.  The whole point of the dream was that God was in control. 

What was the point of the statue of King Nebuchadnezzar?  (That Nebuchadnezzar was in charge)

What do you think were some of the reasons that you think made everything turn around so badly?
(pride, arrogance)

Do you think this can happen in your life?  (With time we can forget God's lessons in our life and return to trusting in ourselves)

Read Daniel 3:7
Do you see where any of the people had a problem with worshipping the statue? 
I think peer pressure was probably involved here.   Do we ever compromise our beliefs?

Read Daniel 3: 8-12
Obviously the king had people watching to see who would not obey.  They were quick to mention the three friends of   Daniel.  Not only did they mention their names but they also called them Jews and mentioned their authority.   I think the men who turned in Daniel's friends saw that the real issue was not that they were not worshipping the statue but the loyalty they had to God.  I think these men did not like being under the authority of foreigners that worshipped God. 

Read Daniel 3: 13-18
We can see here where the king obviously had a problem with his anger.  We can also see where Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego made it very clear that they were only going to worship God regardless of the outcome.  How often do we pray to God and only want what we want, not God's will.

Read Daniel 3:19
This verse really shows us the king's anger.  He made the fire seven times hotter than usual. 

Read Daniel 3: 20 -23
What the three friends feared the most actually happened.  They were actually thrown into the fiery furnace. How do you think you would have felt if you were one of the friends being thrown into the furnance?  The fire was so hot that the men that threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego into the fire were consumed by the fire.

Read Daniel 3:24-27
Why do you think they saw 4 men walking around in the furnace?  Did you notice where Nebuchadezzar recognized one of them as the Son of God? 
God demonstrated with this that although He did allow them to be thrown in the fire He was with them and He prevented them from being harmed in the fire. 

Read Daniel 3: 28 - 30.


Have someone read Philippians 4:13  "I can do all things through Christ because He gives me strength. 
Show paper towel tube and a piece of typing paper.  Let's imagine that this tube is Jesus and we are the paper.  The paper is not very strong.  We're going to mold our life around Jesus.  (Wrap the paper around the tube and tape the paper together.)
Now I'm going to stand Jesus and us up on the table.  There we are, with our lives wrapped around Jesus.  Watch what happens as I stack these books on top.  You see, Jesus has the strength to stand up under the weight and stress of this life.  (Remove books)
Then Jesus says to us, "It's your turn to stand on your own.  Even when you can't see me, I am with you.  With my help, you can stand under great pressure." 
Remove the paper from the tube and stand it up and stack the books back on top of the paper.  We have strength we don't even know about when our lives are wrapped around Jesus.  It would be good if you all remember the verse "I can do all things through Christ because He gives me strength."  Philippians 4:13.

Sunday School Lesson

Have you ever wondered if someone was telling you the truth?  What did you do to try to find out if they were telling the truth?  Do you ever have doubts about God?  What can you do to overcome those doubts?

Today we are going to look in the book of Daniel.  Wednesday night we talked about Daniel and how he made his reputation.  We also talked about how we could do things to have a good or bad reputation.   Daniel and his friends had a good reputation and that is something we all want to have so we should be able to learn alot from Daniel.

Have someone read Daniel 2: 1-3.  Have you ever had a dream that bothered you?  Has a dream caused you to lose sleep?  Did you think maybe your dream was a message from God?

Why do you think Nebuchadnezzar was so troubled about his dream? 

Would God give Nebuchadnezzar a message through his dream?  (Read Daniel 2:37) God gave him his power so why not give him messages through his dream.

Let's look at Daniel 2:1 again.  How many dreams did Nebuchadnezzar have? (It said dreams so it must have been more than one)   Why do you think this is important to know?  (Well, it leads me to believe that he may have had this dream over and over and maybe that is why he thought it was such an important dream)

What kind of experts did Nebuchadnezzar bring in to fix his problem?  (magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrolegers)

Read Deut. 18: 9-12 to find out God's opinion on these kind of experts.

Let's read Daniel 2: 4-6.  What kind of a boss do you think Nebuchadnezzar was?  Would you like your school teachers to be like that?  Do you think they regretted what they said in verse 4?

Read Daniel 2:7.  Why do you think they said this to the king?  If we compare verse 5 with verse 7 we can see that Nebuchadnezzar had already made up his mind that he wanted them to interpete the dreams.  If he had already told them that he wanted them to tell him not only what his dream meant but also what the dream was.  And most of the time when a king made up his mind about something he did not change it, I think they were just trying to buy some time to think about what they would say to him.  They were probably desperate and scared because of what he said he would do to them if they could not tell him what the dream meant.

Read Daniel 2: 8-9  Why do you think he told them that they had to tell him his dream too?  Because he believed that they had lied to him in the past about things.  This was a test of both their honesty and their ability to correctly interpret the dream.  If they were not going to tell him the truth why keep them around.

Read Daniel 2: 10- 11.  Here we can read where they are trying to argue about why they should not have to tell him the dream too.  They knew that they couldn't so they were trying to convince him to change his mind.

Read Daniel 2:12  How does Nebuchadnezzar react to being told that he is unreasonable?   Can we learn anything from this? 

Read Daniel 2: 13-15.  How would you have reacted if you heard the decree from the king?  It says in verse 14 that Daniel answered with wisdom and tact.  Could you have responded the same way if someone had declared for you to die?

Read Daniel 2:16  Do you think Daniel was scared when he went before the king?

Read Daniel 2: 17-18.  What did Daniel do to prepare to tell the king his dream?"

Read Matthew 18: 19-20.  I think when we ask others to pray that will take out some of our selfish prayers.

Read Daniel 2:19  How did God reveal the dreams to Daniel?  What does Daniel do after God reveals the mystery?  (He praises God)  How often do we pray ernestly for something and then when God answers we never even say thank you to God.

How did Daniel even know that God would know the dream?  Read Daniel 2: 20 - 23.  (He believed that God knows even the deep, dark hidden things)

Bible Lesson on Reputation

Start lesson by showing a picture of  different animals or fruit and get them to name the reputation of each of those by looking at a list of words. (Put these words on board:  cuddly and cute, loyal, slow, stubborn, sloppy, ferocious man-eater and healthy.)

Present Bible memory verse:  Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.  Proverbs 20:11.

Ask if anyone knows what the word "reputation" means.  (What people think of someone because of their attitude, actions or what they say.)

* What would you do if some of your friends at school wanted you try a cigarette?  What would your first reaction be?

* What about something not as harmful to you such as watching a movie or a television show that your parents don't want you to see?  Would you immediately say no. 

What we do during times like these gives us a reputation, either good or bad.  If we give in and do what is wrong, our reputation for doing good is weak.  If we easily say no and stand firm for what is right we build a strong reputation for doing good.

One story in our Bible that I always think of when I think of someone with a reputation for doing good is found in Daniel 1: 1-21.  (Have someone read this out loud)

Discussion Questions:

1)  Why did the servant want Daniel and his companions to eat the king's food?
(So they would be strong and healthy like the others)

2)  Because he didn't want to eat or drink anything unclean, what did Daniel ask to be served instead?
(Vegetables and water)

3)  How did Daniel prove he and his companions didn't need to eat the king's food?
(After a 10 day test, they were stronger and looked better than those who ate the kings food)

4)  How was Daniel rewarded because he had a strong reputation for honoring God?
(He was given knowledge and wisdom and allowed to serve before the king)

5)  In Daniel's time certain foods were considered unclean and forbidden.  What kind of things do we have in our life today that might be considered unclean and forbidden?

Have everyone think of ways that we can build a strong reputation for doing good. 


A reputation is built by doing something over and over.  If you do what is right over and over, you build a reputation for doing good.  If you do what is not right over and over, you build a reputation for doing what is wrong.  The stronger your reputation is for doing what is right, the closer you will feel to God and the easier it will be to continue doing what is right.  Also, others will see you as a strong Christian, someone they can look up to.  Daniel's reputation was obvious that in whatever situation he found himself, he would honor God and let anything evil become a part of his life.  We can all learn a valuable lessonf rom Daniel about building a stong and Godly reputation.

Nature Walk

Today Abbie and I took a walk in the woods.  It is always relaxing when we are able to take time and just wander around in the woods.  We spotted a lot of wild violets and also another flower that right now I don't know the name of it.  I will be checking to see if I can find out what kind of flower this is.

Book Review

I have decided that it might be fun if I start writing a little bit about the books that I read.  Last week I checked out from the library Cast of Characters by Max Lucado.  This is a great book.  Max Lucado is one of my favorite Christian authors and this book, in my opinion, is one of his best.  This book has 23 chapters devoted to different Bible characters and at the end of each chapter it has a section on reflection and discussion which would make this book great to use for a personal Bible study or a group discussion.  Cast of Characters is helping me to reflect on my own Christian walk and how I can draw closer to Jesus.

American Girl Doll Clothes

I just found this website tonight for free online American Girl doll clothes.  I can't wait to check it out and maybe make a few of the clothes.  I'm sure this is something that Abbie would really enjoy!

American Girl Doll Clothes Patterns

Today was such a busy fun day!  We started off with an Easter Egg hunt at church.

After the all of the fun we had at church we went home to celebrate Abbie's birthday.  It's hard to believe that she will be 11 years old Tuesday.  So for the next few days we will be celebrating the wonderful gift that God gave to us when he let us be Abbie's parents.  She is such a great girl and I am so proud to be her mom. I hope she will always let God lead her life.   Here's a few pictures from her party.

Abbie's Birthday

Okay, we actually have a few more days until it is Abbie's 11th birthday but tomorrow we are having a small birthday party at our house for her so today I made her birthday cake.  She loves turtles so this is what I came up with:

Saturday

Today has been a very productive day.  Since it was Saturday we took the trash to the dump, bought a few groceries and dropped a bag off at the Hospice Store.  I have managed to gather things to donate to the Hospice Store for the past four weeks.  Hopefully, soon my house will be completely decluttered!  I've also almost finished with the lesson plans for next week.  I only have to work on our history plans tomorrow and we will be ready for another week.  I hope to post pictures during the week of some of our school work.  It will be so easy to fill up the workboxes every night and then Abbie will be able to complete her school work for the day.   Maybe soon I will post a picture of our workbox system.

At the end of the day you can see a picture of our cat Furball.  She must have worked very hard today too since she is all snuggled in for a nap!

Spring Bulletin Board

Abbie and I just finished working on one of the bulletin boards at church.  The red flowers you see are roses made out of duct tape.  We had fun making these duct tape roses one Wednesday night at church.

Here's a picture of Abbie sewing a pillow for her new little nephew.

Now, she is turning it rightside out .

Stuffing the pillow.

Handsewing it closed.

Finished pillow.  I think she did a great job and I hope Matthew will enjoy using his pillow.

Favorite Homeschool Websites

I am going to list some of my favorite homeschool websites that I continue to go back to for inspiration:

Five in a Row Message Board

Free Homeschool Items

Spelling Tips

Science Experiments

American History Booklists


Free children's learning website
This post is  a work in progress.  I plan to continue to add websites that will help all of us in our homeschooling journey.

Homeschool Time

Abbie and I have had fun, I think, in school lately. We are studying the American Girl Felicity which means we are learning about the time around 1774 in America. Yesterday we attempted to make rock candy but I'm not sure if this is going to work. I plan for us to try again tomorrow to make some more.

Abbie is also zipping along in her math program and doing a great job. I love that we have found a math program that she actually likes and is learning so much. This year we started with Teaching Textbooks and we plan to continue with this next year in 6th grade.

Valentine's Party at Church

This year we planned a Valentine's party at church.  Unfortunately for us the only snow we have received this winter came on the day of our scheduled party.  But that didn't stop us, we just postponed the party to the next Wednesday and had a great time.

Snow Day!

It started snowing yesterday afternoon and today this is how our house looks!  We don't get much snow around here so we have really had a good time building snowmen and having snowball fights.

Wednesday night at church

This is our class on Wednesday night at church.  We just finished making the bulletin board.  Toward the bottom of the picture you can see where we were playing Bible Pictionary.  This is a fun game where we draw pictures of Bible stories and then everyone gets to guess the correct story.

January 31, 2010

So far today has been a very nice day. I have a few new goals for myself so I hope to start blogging more about them to help hold myself accountable.


My first goal is: I want to start keeping tabs on how I spend our money. I saved most of our receipts for January and today I put everything into the computer so I know how much I spent on groceries, gas, gifts, clothes etc. I think this should be interesting to see how much I spend on everything and maybe be able to save a little money. I've also started a price book so I will know how much different foods cost at different grocery stores.


Another goal of mine is to start making more bread and try new recipes for bread. I really enjoy making yeast rolls and this is the recipe I used today:

2 1/2 cups water
2 Tbls. yeast
3 Tbls. sugar
1 Tbl. salt
1/3 cup oil
6 cups flour

Mix yeast and warm water and allow to sit for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients and let your mixer knead the dough until it is a soft dough. Let it rise in mixer. Punch down every 10 minutes by turning on the mixer. Do this 4-5 times. Shape into rolls and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Today we celebrated Jon and Charlotte's birthday at our house and we also had a chance to see our newest little grandson.

Here's just a few pictures of our day: