Feeding The People, Children's Ministry Lesson

With the holidays upon us, we are very into the giving spirit! But then again, we do that year round.

We love to give and serve. By doing this we really show each other what love is.

I feel, you're never too young to start.

I thought this lesson was really fun! We used the story of Jesus Feds 5,000 people.
We used Matthew 14:13-21 (NLT)

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
That evening the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves."
But Jesus said, "That isn't necessary - you feed them."
"But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!" they answered.
"Bring them here, he said.
Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples who distributed it to the people.
They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelves baskets of leftovers.
About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!

I had baked a whole bunch of sugar cookies to bring to class to be decorated and handed out. (A few to be eaten as a snack as well!)

Each of the children decorated about 3-5 cookies each.

After each cookie was decorated, we prayed over the cookies and blessed them.

Then, just as the disciples started to hand out the food that Jesus had given, the children had to pick people to hand the cookies out too, after class.

They couldn't all be handed out to one family member, but each child choose a few different people in the church to pass out their goodies too!

Everyone was blessed by the kind outreach of the children! Like I said, never too early to start!

If you've enjoyed this lesson, like we did, check out some of my other children's lessons!

Lamb of God Craft

Pin It

Breaking the Chains in Jesus' Name: Children's Ministry Lesson/Craft

I've really started to get involved with my local church and I absolutely love it. I've never felt better, and more secure about who I am and what I am supposed to be doing.

As David once said, "One day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I'd rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God, than live the good life in the homes of the wicked." (Psalm 84:10 NLT)

Serving in the Children's Ministry, just helps me to keep my focus and priority on God. I love him, and this is how I can show him that I do. I can serve his people with gladness.

Ok, so with that, I was blessed with this idea about using Jesus Name to Break the Chains in our lives.

Have you ever heard that song Break Every Chain, by Jesus Culture? You should. Click on the title for the YouTube link. For me, I find it to be a very powerful song.

Lyrics to the Song

There is power in the name of Jesus, to break every chain! Powerful, isn't it! Praise the Lord for that ability! Can you ever learn that soon enough?

I wanted to teach the children about being able to use the power and authority of Jesus name. How we, as believers, are more than over comers.

There are so many bible verses to look at where it talks about using Jesus name for power and authority. I chose these two as an example, and yes, there are more and probably better ones to use, but I chose these two.

I have really started to enjoy looking at the meanings of words. Especially in how they apply to the bible. I looked up the the English and Greek words for power and defined them.

Each kid, got a copy of all three of these items. We read them aloud and discussed them as a class. I wanted them to understand how to apply this to them. I remember when I was younger, that I would read something and sometimes I never really took the time to understand what it was I actually read. Then other times, I just kind of sat puzzled at what I had just read and then dismissed looking into it further.

After we had talked about the verse and what it means to have the power to use Jesus name, we then applied it to breaking the chains!

We made up 20 paper chains before hand (we used craft glue to hold them together, because we thought staples might pose a cut risk).

We handed all the kids a few strands of chains, and had them name something they wanted broken off of their life. For example, one was afraid of the dark.

With his chain in hand we said together with him, "I break the chain of fear in the name of Jesus," and then he pulled apart the chain.

Of course, with kids, just pulling it apart isn't enough, they had to completely rip the chain to shreds. Which was completely fine by me!!!

BTW-If you LOVE the shirt, check out Sweet Pea ala Mode's shop!!!!

After all the chains had been broken we took all the remnants and threw them up in the air like party confetti! We just celebrated the fact that we had destroyed the chains and burdens in our lives. What an awesome day!

We all had such a wonderful time, and I hope that if you can use this activity and event for your church, that you enjoy it as much as we did!

Let me know if you enjoyed this, or have ideas to make them better! I love being able to share with all of you!

Do you follow me on Facebook?

Do you follow me on Pinterest?

You should!

Need other Children's Ministry Ideas? See Below!

Lamb of God Craft

Pin It

Children's Ministry: Jesus Gets Excited When We Pray!

Looking for some fun lessons for teaching children (and getting them excited!) about Jesus, can kind of be difficult. Especially when you have children in your classroom that can range in age from three months to almost 6th grade.

I found this on Pinterest- Fizzy Forgiveness Prayer Station.

What I really loved about this was the fact that you can take something relatively easy to find (fizzy tablets) and turned it into something really cool!

Kids LOVE fizz. Even I as an adult, feel child like exuberance when I see fizz. There is something just so awesome about effervescence. 

I took this fizz idea and made it my own. Sometimes to come up with a cool idea, we just need a little help from above-and others!

My lesson was to teach children about prayer. I don't think you can stress enough, the importance of building a strong relationship with our Lord. Prayer does this along with reading His word.

Welcome to the lesson of:
 "Jesus Gets Excited When You Pray!"

I used 1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NLT). I wanted to stress that Jesus hears all prayers, not just prayers that come from adults, and we should pray for everyone!

Also, I wanted the children to understand what praying actually means. I looked up and printed out the definition, and some easier words, to help describe what it means to pray.

After we took turns reading and discussion what prayer means and how it applies to the verse I showed the kids what happens when we pray.

I used two glasses and filled them with some regular tap water and for extra "fizz" some sparkling water.

I went to our local City Market and bought these Alka Seltzer generic tablets. We got 30 tables for roughly $2. I wanted to make sure we had enough for two child, at the very least.

I allowed the children to pick what color we would make the water-they chose green, purple. My children at home chose orange.

I had them gather around and I said, "Tell me how this makes you feel." I dropped a tablet into the water and it immediately began to fizz.

The excitement on their faces was extremely evident and also, they said it was pretty cool.

I asked them if it was exciting to watch the fizz, and they all said, "Yes!"

I told them, that every time we pray to Jesus, that's how he feels. He feels excited, because we're building a relationship with him. We're talking to him, we're including him in our lives. Jesus loves us so much and he wants to be a part of our lives.

I handed each kid two tablets (there are two in each pack) and said that each one of us could pray together for someone or about something in their lives. I also gave them personal discretion that if they didn't feel comfortable praying out loud, we would just pray in agreement silently with them.

To watch the kids pray with excitement was just amazing! I know it partly had to do with the fizzy tablets they got to play with, but we also got to watch them gain understanding that praying is a good thing. Praying can be fun!

If it's fun to go to the movies, shouldn't it be fun to spend time praying to God too? I think so!

Also, I told the kids, after we had gotten into a few prayers, that we needed to be quiet and listen. They could hear the fizzing noise in action. I said sometimes that's how God works. He answers our prayers, but sometimes we have to be quiet and listen. God is a gentleman and he never forces us to do anything.

At the end of the class, I allowed the kids to save up their fizzes and they all dropped their remaining ones in together to see if they could over flow the water (which of course they managed to do! I'm pretty sure that was the one silent prayer we had!!).

We finished up the lesson with another coloring page from TwistyNoodle! I mentioned them before in our Lamb of God lesson we did over Resurrection Sunday.

I hope you found this fun and can some how use it to teach your kids about how awesome and amazing Jesus Christ is!

Just an FYI-I have a few left over tablets and I kept the orange glass out for our kids, and when they pray I let them drop a fizz into the water. 

Make sure to monitor your kids too! If you use the alka seltzer tablets, make sure they don't eat them or drink the water that you use. I'm not sure what exactly could happen, but we don't need to try to imagine it either!

Have fun sharing and learning about God! I'd love to hear your ideas or how you've incorporated this into your own lessons and teaching!

Do you follow me on Facebook?
Do you follow me on Pinterest?
You should!

Stick around and check out some of my other blog posts! Leave a comment, too!
Pin It

Cascade Platinum Review & Contest

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating. There are links within this blog post back to Cascade and to Mom Central Consulting.

I'm a firm believer in not treating my dishwasher like it is a garbage disposal. I do this for the simple fact that it is indeed called a DISH-WASHER, not a garbage disposal.

I've been to homes of people who feel that it is OK to leave that loaf of bread on the plate while it enters their dishwasher. Or that uneaten fat of the steak.

I'm not sure why they think this, but they do. 

I also, have always been a "rinser," when it comes to my dishes. Honestly, I'm not even entirely sure why, but I do. 

I think it stems from the early years of dishwashers and how the detergent and water flow maybe never performed quite the way it does now.

Which leads me to my actual post-I got to try out some of those new Cascade Platinum Pacs!!

I have definitely evolved over time. Starting first with powder when it came out for our dishwasher. Then the cool "gel" appeared on the store shelves and we moved to using that. The latest has been the pac movement. You've seen them for your dishwasher and your laundry, no doubt.

It's quick and simple. No squeezing, eyeballing, overfilling, or dripping of the dishwasher gel anymore. Just pop a pac and go. Pretty simple.

But then, Cascade went and did something even more awesome-they took those pacs and made it clean your dishes and your dishwasher AT THE SAME TIME!! (If you're not applauding right now, then you've never smelt a nasty dishwasher before.....)

What are some of the benefits of using the Cascade Platinum Pacs you ask?? Let me tell you!

• Scrubs away 24-hour stuck on food
• Eliminates the need to pre-rinse dishes
• Helps maintain the new look of machines
• Helps prevent additional hard water build up
• Delivers exceptional dishware shine
• Uses Dawn Dish Soap power

How did it perform for me? Let me show you.

After

Before

Before

After

OK, the top photo doesn't really do it justice, but I resolved to NOT pre-rinse these dishes. Doing this was a little difficult for me. I had to "break out of the mold," so to speak.

The True Love plate had peanut butter on it. While the peanut butter was reduced, it wasn't eliminated. The Cascade Platinum Pacs worked well on just about everything else. But, as always, peanut butter seems to be the exception to every rule! So, pre-rinse peanut butter, unless it is a light layer.

How did my dishwasher look? Amazing!!

My dishwasher is over 5 years old, and it was really gross. The dishwasher had a lot of hard water stains. But, after a few uses, you could see the difference in a cleaner machine!

I like to use an item a lot before I give an honest review of it. What are my thoughts-these little guys are great! I've always been a user of Cascade. It has a been a brand, for me, that has proven itself over and over again. I believe, with the except of peanut butter, that I didn't have to scrub rinse my dishes, and they turned out sparkling clean. That will be saving me all the extra water and time I used to spend before loading the dishwasher. If you're wondering if they are a good product, they have my vote! I plan to purchase these after, they are all gone.

How much are these awesome little guys?
A 14-pac (the one I got) runs around $4.29, in cost. Roughly around $0.30 a load. Not too bad, and remember-it cleans your machine too! Doing double duty for the same price! No need to buy a separate cleaner for the machine. This is a money saver!!

Speaking of money, did you also know that Cascade is running a giveaway?!

Click on the link below to win one of their awesome prizes! Or check out their Facebook Page, by clicking on the link here.

The Cascade #MyPlatinum contest is a four-week Instagram contest encouraging fans to upload photos related to the weekly contest themes. Show off how sparkly Cascade makes all your pots, pans and plates!

#Myplatinum Instagram Contest!

Show Us YOUR Sparkle & Win!

So show us how sparkly Cascade^® makes all YOUR pots, pans, plates, glassware and silverware!

Enter^† Cascade's #MyPlatinum Instagram Contest for a chance to win a KitchenAid^® Kitchen Makeover and a 1-year supply of Cascade^®! Weekly entries have a chance to win aKitchenAid^® Dishwasher and six-month supply of Cascade^®too!

I enjoy instagramming some of our meals. By using Cascade Platinum and some of Top Chef judge and editor of Food+Wine magazine, Gail Simmons suggestions, showing off our delicious dishes are made even more appealing! To see what else Gail has to offer about food and tips, visit Cascade's Facebook page. Watch a few videos and learn how to apply some simple tips to your every day dishes!

Hope you've enjoyed my review and I also hope you're signed up for the contest! Enjoy!

Pin It

Sensitivity Issues...We're Not Talking Feelings, but Clothing

When we had our first child, our son, who is now three and half, we were so blessed with all these really fun outfits!

Who doesn't enjoy dressing up their little children in handsome attire? I think it's one of the best perks to being a mom. (Why is it, little girls clothes are way cuter than anything I can find for myself?!)

Around the time he turned one, we started to notice that he seemed to strongly dislike a lot of things about clothing. In fact, pretty much the minute he figured out how to take his clothes off, they were ALWAYS OFF!

Getting him to wear pants...FORGET IT! Long  sleeved shirts were nothing short of a full blow tantrum of elephantine proportions.

I honestly, started to worry if there was something wrong. 

When he started to finally speak words, we started to find out a little bit more as to what was bothering him, or HOW it was bothering him.

Hats were a joke. A coat would only be worn if he actually found out it was cold outside, but couldn't be combined with a long sleeve shirt. AND it had to be a specific kind of coat and was only allowed with a T-Shirt. Socks, forget about it. They were too tight, to high, to turned, to something.

Every time we went to have photos taken, it was nothing short of a battle royal. I wanted a cute Christmas Photo with a sweater, he screamed and cried himself to sleep.

It is just heart breaking and frustrating as a parent to deal with this. Frustrating because you have spent time and money on buying clothes to keep them warm and protected, and heart breaking because you can't seem to make it better or go away.

I spoke with his doctor about it and she said that it is a Sensitivity Issue. She said usually, this is something that stems from one parent. Guess who that parent is.....ME!

He totally takes after me. Although, I'm not sure mine was like his or not, I did do a lot of the same things. (Except maybe cry myself to sleep or scream bloody murder.)

Long sleeved shirts and a winter coat, were a NO GO!

I lived in t-shirts. IF I wore a long sleeve shirt, I HAD to have a t-shirt or tank top under it. 

I despised socks and underwear. My mom and dad used to check me before I left for school to make sure I was wearing both, but shortly after I would get to school (and it was the most uncomfortable walk to school ever!), I would run to the bathroom and quickly remove both!

My cousin still laughs to this day about how I would always stuff my underwear and socks in places. It's pretty funny looking back on it.

While I've out grown my aversion to a few of these things, my sensitivities are still there. Jeans-have to fit specifically. Shirts, need to be long and kind of thin. I do wear a lot of tank tops under long sleeves. Socks, unless I'm working in snow, need only be ankle socks (but NOT go above them!).

Now as an adult, it is a lot easier for me, because I can control my clothing and style. I don't throw a tantrum or cry. I'm not sure when or why the change came about.

With my son, I realize, that I need patience. That things will eventually get better. I definitely PICK my battles with him...like we absolutely HAVE to wear pants to leave the house.

But, I'm ok with the no socks and no underwear. I'm ok with the t-shirts and tank tops, and I'm ok with having to buy the same coat over and over and over again every year in a bigger size (as long as they are still making them at GAP).

I'm ok with hunting for stretchy pants and not jeans. You pick your battles, and realize that some day, they won't be there.

Did I mention hair cuts are awful?! We just did our last one at home, last night. He has spots that aren't quite right and honestly, after the crying and fighting, I'm ok with paying someone else to do it. Mom can only do so much on her own.

I know we aren't the only ones that deal with these types of sensitivities and I'm thankful that its my son and not my daughter, that has these. 

She is his opposite. She loves shoes, clothes and accessories. She likes being a princess and wearing fun stuff! At least one of my children will let me dress them.

For all you other parents out there who are struggling with this you're not alone. I pray that it will get better for you as well as your children get older. Mine seemed to get less severe as I got older. Kind of like how I would NEVER eat broccoli, then one day when I was in my tweens, I tried it and discovered I LOVED it! 

Do what you can to make it comfortable for them. 

I've started giving him options of clothes. We let him pick out his clothes and put them in his own drawer, so he can control the combination of them. He has a few different pairs of shoes, and again, he controls and picks out which ones he wears. It's not always easy. In fact, when the seasonal change from summer to winter happens, it's just a struggle to switch to bigger, more covering clothes. 

When you find something that works, like a pair of pants, BUY LOTS! In bigger sizes! Same thing with shoes. They grow so fast and hunting for the same stuff, once it's out of season is a nightmare!

We have already seen a lot of improvements with him, but we know that by the Grace of God, we will all get through this. He is, his creator after all, and He doesn't make anything that isn't perfect in his eyes.

I know there are a lot of people that give me strange looks when I try to explain to them that he doesn't like to wear socks. Or, that long sleeves are a hard sell. I've even had people tell me that you just have to force them to do it. They clearly have no idea how big a struggle this is, or how traumatizing it can be. I just get the general idea, that they really have no clue as to what they're talking about.

I just smile and kind of pretend I didn't hear them. Sometimes it's just a little easier that way.

I'm not sure how many of you understand what I'm talking about, but I know there will be some of you who do.

So, I'll settle for t-shirts in family photos and stretchy pants. It's really what captures who he is anyway. My son. I wouldn't want him any other way. He is Perfect!

How have you coped with this? Know anyone else who struggles with kids with sensitivity issues? Ideas? I'd love to hear input.

Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest!

"You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you."
Song of Solomon 4:7 (ESV)

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my souls knows it very well."
Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV)






Visit my other posts:

Friendship, the New Dating Game

Domestic Play Passport for KIDS! 

Keeping your Mouth in Check with Your Heart

Pin It

My Love Language...

I'm alive. I've been busy. Isn't that our life story? Sometimes, I can't even remember what we've done that keeps us so busy. Oh well.

I do have one thing that I can share with you that has kept me busy. I have been reading lately. (I really do enjoy it!)

I've heard this book title whispered around a little bit, and then I heard it used directly around Valentine's Day. 

The book is called The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts. 

Have you heard of it? You might have.

Now, before you go thinking this is just a book for someone in a relationship like marriage, you're wrong. This book, has several different spin offs, but will basically apply to EVERY relationship you have. Friendships, co-workers, moms/dads, siblings, and children. Basically, if you have a relationship with ANYONE, you can use this!

What really sparked me into reading the book, was a men's discussion panel for Valentine's Day. Several women/mom's asked a panel of men what they would really value or treasure as a gift. While, each one had their own answer, one man's in particular was very interesting to me. He said, "You need to know your husband's love language. Mine for instance is spending quality time, which means sitting on the couch watching TV, not saying anything."

This, sounds like my husband. Then I got to thinking, is it really that EASY? Maybe this would be the one step that could really help take our relationship, and all my relationships, to the next level.

Let me just tell you, it's a small book. But, it packs quite the punch. There are Five Love Languages. 

Words of Affirmation
Quality Time
Gifts
Acts of Service
Physical Touch

Essentially, we all fall into one of these categories. 

I've always seen these pictures or posts or comments about how sexy women find men that vacuum the house and do laundry or wash dishes are. I never understood that. The reason I don't get that, is because that isn't my love language. That would be considered Acts of Service. While I think that stuff is great, I also think it's part of just being a couple.

After taking the quiz, I found out that I scored really high in Words of Affirmation and Gifts. Which, is really, two of the things I probably request and ask more than anything.

It made me also realize that the Gifts one is huge to me. I spend a lot of time thinking about giving people gifts, looking for gifts, finding surprise gifts, and what would make a just for fun gift, for anyone. Could I say the word gift anymore?

But, I also realize I scrutinize gifts that I/my children, get just as much! For me, gifts speak a lot of love. When I open a gift, I realize at that moment, how much that person really thought about me. How much that person really showed they loved me. Now, that's NOT to be confused with being expensive or having to have a lot of money spent on me. 

Just knowing that someone took the time to get to know me, my personality, my likes, life, and then created/found a gift that fits me, is just incredible! 

This fills my love tank.

My husband, was a little bit of a surprise. The book talks about how the things one often complains or nags about, tend to show you what their love language is. Even how someone tends to just act towards you. We tend to mirror the love language we are expecting.

I thought about my husband a lot, and before he took the quiz I had pretty much figured out what his love language was. Or thought I had them both figured out. I was almost 100% correct.

His major love language is Acts of Service. Having dinner ready for him, washing his clothes, running errands, washing his truck, cleaning the house-these all showed him love. Made him feel secure. He always does this stuff for me, so I could tell this was going to be one of his big ones.

He will make me breakfast, he will clean my car, he will change the oil and rotate the tires, and he will even clean the house.

His second one, was actually a surprise. He likes gifts and quality time. The quality time one, wasn't the surprise. He tends to be the kind of man that just wants me to hang out in the garage with him while he works on his dirt bike, or shows me his new welds. He always likes to show me stuff he's doing and complains that I'm online too much when we are watching TV together. Yep, quality time is one that didn't come as a surprise to me.

Gifts and my husband. Two things I NEVER thought would go together. He's never really one for giving me gifts, but also, when I give him gifts (even the ones he will specifically ASK me to get for him) he just never seems to be to excited about it. I guess that just goes to show you, there are always new things to learn about the loved ones in our life!

We've been applying these things to our life on a daily basis now. I have to say, it takes a lot of the guessing out of what will work and what doesn't. It's actually been quite a relief! I now know, what I can do to show him, I love him. He's been doing mine as well. It's been so amazing!

We finally speak, the SAME LANGUAGE!!!!

After we took our quizzes, I actually have asked several friends and family members to do the same. 

My mom, turns out, is an Acts of Service person. My sister is just like me. There is no better way to show people you love them by speaking their language.


If you don't want to buy the book, and I do encourage it, then go to this link and take your profile quiz! Find out what your language is! You might be surprised.

The 5 Love Languages Profile Quiz


*Contains affiliate links in post.


Do you follow me on Facebook?
Do you follow me on Pinterest?
You should!

I'd love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below!


"You obeyed the truth and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with all your heart."
1 Peter 1:22 (CEV)

Check out some of my other posts!

Getting out of the routine to build a healthier marriage!

Kids Domestic Play Passports! Get Real Stamps!

Surprise others with your kindness! Watch it spread!

Pin It