Wednesday, April 28, 2010
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.
*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, April 25, 2010
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)
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)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
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.
Friday, April 9, 2010
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
American Girl Doll Clothes Patterns
Saturday, April 3, 2010
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.
Friday, April 2, 2010
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:
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