Pass it on
Memory Verse Challenge:
Are you memorizing God’s word? It’s not something we are supposed to grow out of. Challenge your kids, you pick the verse and if you both memorize it send me a video and I’ll send you a Redbox rental ticket! Pick a verse none of you have memorized!
Just a friendly reminder, God is good and He is faithful! If you are having a hard time believing that right now-reach out! Our church family is really a family, we love each other and we take care of each other. If you are struggling financially, emotionally, mentally, please let someone help you. Pride is ugly and it makes us miserable, don’t let it win!
Stuck at home in need of something to do: Check out Moulton Falls, I took my kids recently-nice drive, several difficulty options including a very easy hike, beautiful scenery!
Not home enough: Skip making dinner one night, get a couple medium two topping pizza’s from Domino’s for just $5.99 and play board games! From my experience, everyone’s attitudes will improve.
Hope
adult memory verse
You don’t outgrow memory verses! Ps 119:11 says “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” God uses His Word to challenge and change us to become more like Him. Write verses on 3x5 cards and put them where you will see them. Stick a note on the bathroom mirror and repeat it while you brush your teeth. This month our adult memory verse is Eph 6:4. Look it up and learn it!
Just a friendly reminder, God is good and He is faithful! If you are having a hard time believing that right now-reach out! Our church family is really a family, we love each other and we take care of each other. If you are struggling financially, emotionally, mentally, please let someone help you. Pride is ugly and it makes us miserable, don’t let it win!
Family fun idea of the week
It looks like more hot weather is headed our way! Bring a bucket or large pan of water and a measuring cup for each player outside. Take turns asking each other questions like “what is my favorite animal?” and if the person answers wrong you get to throw a cup of water at them.
Pay attention to the right thing
Paying attention to what we teach
Hi families-
I was thinking recently about my own experience with "disruptions" in my life: My mom's cancer and passing, my call to ministry, 9/11, etc., and how my community helped me process those events. Some of the lessons I learned were good, and some were not. The good ones have set me up for greater success the next time a disruption comes along. The lessons I shouldn't have learned have simply caused more pain the next time I applied them.
Then I look at my own children, in this time of disruption, and reflect on what I am teaching them during this time. More than what I'm teaching them on purpose, I'm curious: What lessons are they learning just from observing how I handle this? What are my words, reactions, and attitude teaching them about how we process things that don't go the way we want them to?
Am I teaching them about gratitude? Do my words teach gratitude or complaining as our first response? That's step one. But the truth is, I can tell my kids that gratitude is important, but kids know to look beyond the words. Are they hearing it in my prayers? Are they seeing it in my attitude?
Am I teaching them to be resilient or to blame? Am I teaching them to take ownership of what I can control, or blame others for the things going wrong in my life? In my experience, focusing on what I can control and giving God the rest does far more to draw me closer to Christ than focusing on the "sins" I see in others.
What am I teaching them about laying down my "privileges" as Christ did? Philippians 2 teaches us that Christ "gave up his divine privileges" to express His love to the world lost in sin, and that we are to "have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." Are they watching me do this, or hold tight to what I believe is mine to hold?
What am I teaching them about priorities and living them out? When they grow up, our children will unconsciously form their priorities based on what they grew up with - either copying what they saw, or rejecting it. What do I rush to take care of first - people or an email? I know I tell them they're my top priority, but do I live in a way that they believe me
I'm sure there are many other things I could focus on teaching them. Blind spots I'm not aware of. What are the things you're teaching your children? How do your actions back that up?
Blessings,
Josh
Everyone needs a hero
Hebrews 11 is full of great examples of great faith! The people mentioned there are often called the “Heroes of the Faith”. Everyone has a hero, who is yours? Who is your child’s? Chances are you are one of your child’s heroes! Let that motivate you to be the parent God created you to be.
Kids page content this week:
Talk about Joseph
Joseph themed worksheets
Memory verse video
Worship videos
Link to life.church kids video lessons
Enjoy being a parent!
Things to know about your kids and online church!
We have monthly memory verse challenges! This month our memory verse is . After your child sends me a video of themselves saying this verse I will send them a new one to learn for an additional challenge and reward!
If your child fills out the sermon notes page and you send me a picture of it, I enter them in a bi-weekly drawing to win a family game-delivered to your doorstep!
There are links to video lessons for all ages on the kids page-they are fun and they give you awesome conversation starters!
Tim Hawkins is a funny guy…this was put out before quarantine & it’s called “Give Mom a Break”.
have fun as a family!
Get outside! If you don’t have any good trails around you or you need some fresh ideas - check these out!
Too much on your plate?
Things to know about your kids and online church!
We have monthly memory verse challenges! (If your child memorizes Eph 2:10 and sends me a video by May 5th-their name goes on an egg and that egg will be splatted over Blake or Micah’s head). Motivation! New verse, new challenge - next week!
If your child fills out the sermon notes page and you send me a picture of it, I enter them in a bi-weekly drawing to win a family game-delivered to your doorstep!
There are links to video lessons on the kids page-they are fun and they give you awesome conversation starters!
A laugh just for fun!!
Things to do as a family
Puzzles are a fun brain exercise and doing a puzzle together gives you lots of time to talk! When you are done you can use mod podge to keep it together, hang it on their wall and they have a memory and a decoration all in one!
Have you ever tried geocaching? Most cell phone GPS systems are good enough! It’s fun and gets you out of the house.
Making Lemonade
We have heard the saying about making lemonade a thousand times and because of that, if we pay any attention to it-we usually just roll our eyes. As a lemon lover, I struggled to grasp the meaning of this simple, yet profound idea until I pictured the face of a child who had just tasted a lemon and compared it to one who had just sipped lemonade. A glass of lemonade is a sweet, refreshing treat. A lemon makes most people pucker. The difference is the sugar. Sugar doesn’t take the sour out of lemonade; it just draws the attention of our taste buds to focus on something else.
Use this resource! Lot’s of helpful parenting tips and you can search by age or topic!
Contest information for your kids =)
Right now, you may feel like you are carrying a bucket of lemons. If you are an essential worker, you may be envious of those collecting padded unemployment checks and getting extra time at home. If you are collecting unemployment you may wish you still had stable employment and be worried about how this will affect you long term. If you are working from home and unexpectedly homeschooling your kids, you may wish you could either go to work or just be laid off. There are no perfect situations here.
The good news is we have an unlimited supply of something sweeter than sugar, God’s word. It takes the negative situations and overpowers them by drawing our attention to something better. Reading the Bible will not make your problems disappear, but it will draw your focus to the things that matter. Spend time soaking in it. No matter how busy you are or how many people are competing for your time, start your day in God’s word. Let God be the one your focus is drawn to. We all have a lemon right now, the question is, do you want to start the day with a pucker or a refreshing drink. Invite your kids to join you. You can read together alternating who reads either each verse or each chapter. Talk about what you are learning. Voice your questions and look for the answers together. If you are looking for a starting point. Read the book of John.
How can I be helpful to you during this time? Please either email me joleen@easthillsalliance.org or comment below.
Embrace change
At this point, I think all of us are aware that life has changed. At first the idea was to survive this until life returned to normal, but is that what we actually want? Everyone I have talked to has enjoyed slowing down, maybe not every part of it, but there are definitely some benefits to staying home more! As this time of “stay home, stay safe” has a possible end in sight we need to think about the changes we have made because of this, and decide if we want to keep any of these changes, and if so, what needs to change going forward.
What steps can you take this week to set up a better future for you and your family? Start having conversations about that now. Include your spouse and your kids in these conversations. Ask things like, what have you enjoyed about this past week? What do you miss about life pre-covid? What is your favorite thing we have ever done as a family? Invite God into these conversations. Proverbs 3:5-6 says that God will direct our path if we seek His will.
Join our facebook page to stay connected. Social distancing doesn’t mean we can’t still support each other! Parenting is an awesome responsibility and, let’s be honest, it is often a challenging one! Let’s share our struggles, successes and have some fun!
Looking for good reads?
If Jesus were a Parent by Hal Perkins
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Looking for something to do?
Try the game Taco cat goat cheese pizza. It is a blast and everyone can play!!
How can I be helpful to you during this time? Please either email me joleen@easthillsalliance.org or comment below.
A Fresh Start
Easter literally represents a clean slate, a fresh start. Life has been different for several weeks now but it seems like we are just settling in so why not call today a fresh start? Let’s “begin” with the end in mind. What do we want this time to have counted for as when we look back? I want to remember this time as a time when I deepened my relationship with my husband and my kids. A time when we grew in our faith together. Those things won’t happen accidentally. What are your hopes for this time? What are you doing to make those things happen? How can I help? I would love to be a supportive resource for you during this time so please reach out if you need anything.
Happy Easter! Keep your eyes on the prize and don’t sweat the small stuff!
Join our facebook group. We are doing our best to experience socially distanced community!
Each week different links are posted so see previous blogs for more ideas.
Looking to challenge your child academically? Here are a few resources. These are non-Christian sites but they have great academic lessons!
Free 4 week subscription to the Adventures in Odyssey Club! Awesome, entertaining, wholesome content!
How can I be helpful to you during this time? Please either email me joleen@easthillsalliance.org or comment below.
Holy Week - at home
This week is commonly called Holy Week. This week we celebrate and remember Jesus last week on earth as a man. What an awesome opportunity to remember why Jesus came, celebrate what Jesus did, and talk about who He is.
Ideas to celebrate as a family:
Holy Week - - - Spirit Week. Dress up and talk about why you are! Post pictures to the Parents facebook page!
Make the Resurrection cookies. Such an awesome way to talk through Jesus death with kids!
Join our facebook group (click below). We are doing our best to experience socially distanced community!
Looking to challenge your child academically? Here are a few resources. These are non-Christian sites but they have great academic lessons!
Each week different links are posted so see previous blogs for more ideas.
Free 4 week subscription to the Adventures in Odyssey Club! Awesome, entertaining, wholesome content!
How can I be helpful to you during this time? Please either email me joleen@easthillsalliance.org or comment below.
Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Sane
Hello fellow parents. Whether you guys participate in church on line together or not, talk through the message with your kids this week. Click the link below for some conversation starters and suggestions. Life is only perfect in heaven, well, and in sitcoms but they aren’t real…doing church at home with your kids probably doesn’t look like all of you sitting around enjoying a long, deep discussion. Don’t feel like you need to make it a perfect moment and don’t be discouraged if a structured conversation isn’t successful! It’s the little moments that matter, so make them count.
Email Joleen: joleen@easthillsalliance.org
Looking for something to read? Try one of these books, they have some awesome tips and encouragement to help you lead your kids into a lifelong relationship with Jesus.
52 CREATIVE family time EXPERIENCES by Timothy Smith
Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side by Natasha Crain
Looking to challenge your child academically? Here are a few resources. These are non-Christian sites but they have great academic lessons!
Free 4 week subscription to the Adventures in Odyssey Club! Awesome, entertaining, wholesome content!
It's not all bad!
Reality check.
There are many negative things happening in our world right now, and they aren’t all related to the coronavirus. Whether you are scared or annoyed, life is very different for most of us right now! You may find yourself off work, getting a paycheck and enjoying extra time with the kids. You may be trying to work from home with limited space and some noisy new co-workers. Maybe you are finding yourself out of work, with no money and you have no idea what to do about that, but it is certainly impacting your mental state and ability to parent well. No matter where you are right now, just stop and take a deep breath.
It’s not all bad!
There is a lot of good happening. For starters, the church has left the building, and it is alive and well! God has called us to be a family and to meet each other’s needs. He has called us to bear one another’s burdens. If you need help-reach out!
What now?
Change is hard but it often leads to growth! God has called every parent to lead their child to Him. What an awesome privilege, what an awesome responsibility. If taking the kids to church has been your way to lead them to Him, you may be wondering what to do now. The truth is, church is great! It is a fun way for all of us worship, be encouraged, encourage others and grow in our faith together. The reality is the church was never meant to take the place as the spiritual leader in your home. That is you. During this time, when we cannot gather, I want to encourage you to take that role to a new level.
I will be updating this page each week with conversation starters to get you and your kids talking about our weekly sermons. I’m also going to be posting links to helpful things online.
Make sure you check out our new facebook group and play along as much as you can! If you have any fun ideas to keep us connected or any content requests, please comment below. Feel free to reach out to me at joleen@easthillsalliance.org or 360-200-3238.