Paul's 2nd Missionary Journey

Our class began discussing Paul's 2nd Missionary Journey last Sunday (May9th).  We began back in Jerusalem where Paul and Barnabas part ways due to a disagreement concerning Mark.  Paul takes up a new partner to make the journey and his name was Silas.  We tracked their progress on a map.  In Lystra, a new member joins the Team.  Timothy joins Paul and Silas on their journey to five more towns before reaching Philipi.  Our story was about Paul meeting the group of woman along the water who were praying. Paul tells them about Jesus and how he was the fulfillment of the scriptures.  Lydia invites the men to stay at her home.  This was a wonderful moment in his journey because we see Paul breaking down the barriers in times past between men and women. The book of Philippians is one of my favorite books of the Bible.  Paul developed close relationships with the people at Philipi.

Paul and Barnabas

This Sunday, we continued our discussion about Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey together.  Our topic was the town of Lystra where Paul and Barnabas begin preaching about Jesus.  Paul spots a man with withered feet.  Paul looked directly at the man and told him to stand up.  The man jumped up.  However, the people did not know and most of understand about Jesus and God.  They were more familiar with their own gods such as Zeus and Hermes.  Paul began speaking to correct the people.  I love this story because it shows us that we must be taught about God to understand God.

More to follow as we continue to track Paul and Barnabas on their journey.

Blessings,

Linda

Jesus heals!

We just concluded three weeks of discussing Jesus and God's power over nature and healings.

Lesson One ~ Jesus  calms the storms

Lesson Two ~ Jesus heals the deaf man who was unable to speak.

Lesson Three ~ Jesus heals the man born blind.

I love all three of these stories about Jesus.  Jesus had such a unique way of dealing with people especially one-on-one.  The deaf man, Jesus took him away from the crowds.  I love how Jesus didn't need a crowd around to do something wonderful for someone. I wanted to encourage the children in my class to do something good for someone even if no one's around.  God sees all things and will see their good deeds.

I am looking forward to discussing Easter and the sacrifice that Jesus paid for our sins.

The children have been reciting this verse for two weeks now:

Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.

Matthew 28: 5 & 6

Linda

The Samaritan Woman meets the Master!

Last year, our ladies were discussing the Bad Girls of the Bible.  The "woman at the well" was one of the topics.  I really had the desire to know more about this story.  There is something about our Lord and how he connected with people in a very personal way.  The woman at the well was no different.  Jesus knew her story. The Samaritan woman had some issues.  She had 5 husbands BUT when Jesus stepped into her life his love affected her in such a way that she affected her community in a new way and many believed in Jesus.  Every week, I try to convey to the children that Jesus is with them and hears their prayers.  I hope you are encouraged each day to draw closer to Him and grow in grace.

Blessings from the Sprout Room!


Linda

Jesus Brings Lazarus Back to Life & He Heals 10 Men from Leprosy

Greetings from the Sprout Room ~

We covered two lessons this week and they are two moving portrayals of Jesus.

We started out our lessons discussing, What are some kinds of power that make things work?  Some of the examples are:  electricity, battery, wind, solar power and gasoline.   The kids love drawing their items on a white board and the other kids try to guess the drawing.

The bible story of Martha, Mary, Lazarus and Jesus is a moving one.  All three siblings were close friends with Jesus so when Lazarus passes away, Jesus was moved by their empathy and grief.  Jesus loved them.  How much more does he sense our struggles and trials.  Never doubt that God is with you.

Our second Bible story was about the 10 lepers and how one of the men returned to thank Jesus and his faith was restored.  I hope these bible stories make an impact on the children in my class.  I enjoy teaching so much.  It has been a growth experience for me.

Well, that's it from the Sprout Room.  Hope you have a wonderful day and that you know how much God cares about you and is looking out for you.

Blessings overflowing,

Linda

Jesus and the Children

This week, our lesson was about Jesus and the children.  Parents wanted Jesus to bless their children but His followers said No.  Our lesson started with things that make us stop and go.  Can you think of anything that makes you stop?  I had the children draw a picture from either category on the white board.  The children had to guess what they were drawing.  The kids love doing this sort of thing.  At the end of my lesson, I had several items in both categories

In my class, I have been trying to show the importance of prayer and how much God cares about the children.  We have a prayer board with a asked area and an answered area so this was a wonderful moment for me to drive home the point about how much the Lord wants to know them and how much he cares about them (even at their age).  Wouldn't it be wonderful if children grasped the concept that God cares for them and hears them?  What a powerful thing to know especially when they become teenagers and adults.

I enjoy teaching very much and look forward to posting more from the Sprout Room.

Blessings overflowing,

Linda

Do you remember when you were 12 years old?

I was having a difficult time remembering when I was 12.  Our lesson this Sunday was about Jesus as a young boy.

I started out with an exercise.  The children drew tasks that either an adult or child would do.  Some examples were mowing the lawn, getting married, playing at the playground or playing video games.  We organized these tasks into two categories:  Adult and Child.  The children were able to see that there are some things that adults can do that children are not permitted to do.  The goal was to have them determine what is appropriate and what is not.

Mary, Joseph and Jesus were traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Passover.  After the feast, Mary and Joseph started traveling back to Nazareth.  After one day of traveling, Mary and Joseph realized that Jesus was not with them.  I can only imagine the steams of emotions that must have flooded their hearts.  After searching and searching for Jesus, they finally found him in the temple listening to the teachers of the Law.  The teachers were fascinated by his ability to grasp concepts concerning the Law and God.

Even though Jesus was about his Father’s business, he still needed to be obedient to his parents.  Jesus returned to Nazareth with his family and lived an obedient life to them and God.

Hope this new year brings you many blessings from the Lord!

Linda