Creation and Trust

Hard to believe, but this Sunday is the first Sunday of June! Here's what's going on this month in kidSPACE:

Preschool:

Teaching our children about the wonder of creation is one of the most important things we do in preschool world. Understanding that the God of the universe created not only the world, but them. That the same God who put those beautiful colors on the butterflies also chose the color of their hair. Learning about creation is always a magical time, and this month will be no different.

Verse: "You made the world and everything in it." Psalm 89:11 NCV

Elementary:

The God who created the oceans, the stars, and the planets calls us His children. Then, because we sinned and were separated from Him, that same God—the Creator of all things—stepped onto our planet and lived among us as one of us. He taught us how to live. And then as an act of indescribable love, He died for us. And in a moment of unimaginable triumph, He defeated death, rose again, and ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us for eternity.

1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” And wow, how He loves us. It makes sense that we love God back. Who wouldn’t love this God who created us and said we were good, who came to redeem us when we had lost our way? But here’s the tricky part. If you love God, you will trust God because trust and love go together.

That’s why, when you first encountered His love, you made an initial step to trust Him with your life. But that’s not the end. As believers, we have to put our trust in God again every day. Every moment of our lives we have choices, and in those moments we can choose to put our confidence in God or to put our confidence somewhere else.

This month kids are going to take a look at what it means to trust God—both for the very first time and each day in the face of new circumstances.

Verse: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." Matthew 22:37-38 NIV

Why Less is More

Michael and I recently had a conversation about the busyness in our lives. Now that it's springtime it seems like there is so much going on, from sports practices and games to school activities. How many nights a week does your family spend at an activity?
Here's a challenging blog post written by another blogger that he passed on to me. It's a great challenge so I now pass it along to you!

http://www.kpoealexander.com/2012/running-around-like-a-crazy-woman-why-less-is-more/

Movie Review: The Avengers

I'm a little late getting this one out, but better late than never!

Release Date: May 4, 2012 (3D/2D theaters and IMAX 3D)
Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference)
Genre: Action, Adventure
Run Time: 142 min.
Director: Joss Whedon
Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Clark Gregg, Stellan Skarsgard, Gwyneth Paltrow

Good versus evil. Heroes versus villains. Moral clarity versus muddy postmodernism. Such storytelling might seem old fashioned, but every now and then a movie reminds us that “old-fashioned” ideas have a potency that’s lacking in much modern storytelling.

Marvel’s The Avengers—a group of superheroes brought together by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D., to fight forces threatening humanity’s continued existence— remind us that some story themes never go out of style. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner/the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff/the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) are assembled by Fury to take on Thor’s brother Loki and his armies from Asgard unleashed on Earth.
Sound silly? Sure, but The Avengers often has a playful spirit, unlike some of the films dedicated to the individual characters who comprise the group. The Avengers’ script, cowritten by director Joss Whedon (The Cabin in the Woods), steers clear of the ponderous seriousness that has weighed down some of the earlier Marvel films, giving arrogant playboy Stark a few moments of self-deprecation and even using the moody Hulk for comic relief. The end result is entertaining and mostly enjoyable, if overlong.
The Avengers’ story centers on the Tesseract, a glowing energy cube that opens a vortex between Earth and Asgard. That’s where Loki (Tom Hiddleston), still licking his wounds from Thor, comes from with an army of fighters eager to enslave humankind to Loki’s evil rule. People need to bow down to someone, and he’s ready to receive their obeisance. “Freedom is life’s great lie,” he intones. “You were made to be ruled.”
The focus on Loki is the first thing The Avengers gets right. A vaguely remembered adversary from the passable but forgettable Thor, Loki dominates the early part of The Avengers thanks to Hiddleston’s fiendishly fun portrayal of the power-mad figure. Like a malevolent spiritual subjugator, he seems unstoppable and undefeatable—until he meets his match in the Avengers.
Each Avenger is used to saving humanity on their own, but it will take the whole group working together to confront the diabolical Loki—especially after he turns Hawkeye and scientist Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) into his willing servants. Much of the movie’s pleasures come in watching the Avengers learn to work together to confront a foe who’s more than they can handle individually. Wise-cracking Stark grates on the completely unironic Rogers, while Banner worries about anger-management issues and Thor struggles to explain why his brother has gone bad.

With so many major characters, Whedon has to pack a lot into The Avengers, and he does so without giving short shrift to any of the major characters. So, what’s lacking? Romance, for one thing. A whispered come-on to Stark by Pepper Potts, (Gwyneth Paltrow) followed by Stark’s reaction, is as steamy as things get, but the film is so busy trying to give equal time to its multiple characters that a love absence is easy to overlook. Whedon instead concentrates on the characters and on delivering thrills, orchestrating a few spectacular scenes of rampaging alien forces.

Although the initial thrill of these sequences wears off as the editing grows more chaotic and the film draws toward its conclusion, Marvel fans who have been eagerly anticipating The Avengers won’t care. This is the long-awaited payoff, and Whedon makes it count. And yet, as the destruction and mayhem extend to the two-and-a-quarter-hour mark, many viewers who weren’t already among the most devoted Avengers fans will be ready for this Marvel chapter to wrap up. (We know, of course, that the end credits will include some sort of teaser for yet another entry in the Marvel franchise, and on that score, The Avengers doesn’t disappoint.)

Could the film have stood a little trimming in the editing room? Sure. But the length isn’t a big impediment to enjoyment of The Avengers. When Fury, sizing up the Avengers’ challenge from Loki and his armies, says, “I still believe in heroes,” you’ll be reminded of another line from the film: “People just might need a little old-fashioned.” Count The Avengers as a reminder that summer movies—even overstuffed, overlong ones—can still provide a heavy dose of good old-fashioned fun.

CAUTIONS:

• Language/Profanity: “Hell”; “da-n”; “oh my G-d”; “buck-a-s nude”; “son of a bi-ch”; “bas-ards.”
• Alcohol/Smoking/Drugs: Champagne is poured; reference to a “bag of weed”; Stark offers Loki a drink.
• Sex/Nudity: Pepper whispers in Stark’s ear, and he has a shocked expression; Banner is shown nude, but his nether region is blocked.
• Violence/Crime: A deadly scepter; gunshot to the head; car crash; helicopter crash; gunfire; superpowers wielded in a destructive manner; a facial disfigurement; Banner says he put a bullet in his mouth, “but the other guy spit it out”; explosions; a man is stabbed in the back; Hulk smashes objects and people.
• Marriage/Religion: Loki commands people to bow down to him; Captain America says, “There’s only one God”; a reference to the story of Jonah.

Christian Hamaker-crosswalk.com

Exploring Discipline: Part 2

In the first part of exploring discipline I introduced an alternative to spankings and time-outs called logical consequences. You may use other forms of discipline that work for you as well. But sometimes you make regular requests of your child that you KNOW will be met with resistance. Maybe they're playing with something and it's time to leave or eat dinner. Or maybe it's soon time to clean up and get ready for bed. These can be frustrating times if you don't have a plan for dealing with them!

Some parents use counting, and I have used that fairly consistently. The nice thing about counting is it makes you follow through with what you're saying, because when the countdown is done action needs to happen! But some parents don't like that method. So here's another option that uses a four step approach, taken from the same book I mentioned before, Just Tell Me What to Say by Betsy Brown Braun.

1) Forewarning: It can be hard for a child to stop what they are doing, especially if it is something they love. So before you are ready to leave, have dinner, go to bed, etc. give them a warning. And walk over to them and get on their level to deliver the warning. Yelling doesn't always work. :) Give them a specific time frame i.e. "In five minutes, we are going to eat dinner so it will be time to stop playing with your Legos."

2) It's Time: When the time is up, go over to your child and tell them it's time. Give them a few moments to transition. Most kids won't jump up immediately.

3) Deliver the Threat, Just Once: Clearly state the consequence that will follow if action is not taken. For example " If you stop now and come to the table you will eat with the family. If you do not, you will eat by yourself in your room." or "You will eat by yourself in the kitchen when we are done." Just name your consequence. If you have never done this before, your child will probably not make a move. If that happens, then...

4) Lower the Boom: Follow through with your threat. If your child wanders into the kitchen five minutes later, it's too late. Be prepared, this usually results in a major tantrum that will ruin everyone's dinner. The good news? It most likely won't happen more than one more time if you're consistent.

5) Revisit: I think this is the most important step, so don't skip it! After all of the previous events are over and your child is calm once again, take some time to sit down with him or her and talk about what happened. Review what choices were made and what could have been done differently. This is a powerful tool for future behavior!

So there you have it, another approach to everyday requests you may have for your child that could be met with resistance. If you have any other techniques that work well for your family, please share them with all of us!

Wider Perspective for Mother's Day

Mother's Day can be bittersweet for a lot of women. For some it's a joyous occassion full of warmth and love, but for others it's a reminder of hurts, both past and present. So as we approach Sunday, here is something unique I found on the web that acknowledges mothering in general. No matter your perspective on Mother's Day, be encouraged! 

To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you
To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss this year through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.

kidSPACE in May!

Here's what's happening in kidSPACE this month!

Preschool:

Do what’s right! How often have we heard that in our lives? We are constantly being told by people to do what’s right. And, if we’re honest, we’re constantly telling the little people in our lives to do what’s right. What we need to remember is that they are just learning what is right. We need to help them. We need to teach them.
In the month of May, we will be guiding our preschoolers to the Bible where they can “Learn to do what is right,” (Isaiah 1:17, NIrV). They will be introduced to two amazing Bible heroes who knew they should do the right thing even when it is hard. Their stories are great examples for our littlest friends.
First, we will meet Daniel. Daniel did not have an easy life. He was taken from his home and asked to do some pretty incredible things. Through it all, Daniel looked to God for guidance and continued to follow His commands even when it meant almost certain death. However, we learn that God is more powerful than our enemies and even lions.
Then, we meet Joseph. Poor Joseph. First, his brothers sell him to slavery. Then, he ends up in jail for something he didn’t do. If anyone had a reason to be bitter, it was Joseph. In contrast, Joseph continued to do what he knew was right; what God wanted him to do. And, God used his obedience to save a nation.
Our prayer is that our preschoolers will hear the stories this month and know that God will teach them to do what is right through His Word. And, by doing what is right, by showing obedience to God, they will glorify Him every day.


Elementary:

Think about all you saw when you stepped outside this morning. Was the sun shining? Did you hear birds or see squirrels making the most of their morning? Did you take a deep breath?
Without our thinking about it, life happens.
From the beginning, when God created the world, He set systems in motion. If He decided to ignore those, our world would quickly turn chaotic. God takes responsibility for what He creates. Even when we failed Him, He promised a way of escape through Jesus. He made good on this promise, and after we take our last breath we can trust that we’ll be with Him forever. God has proven that you can trust Him with every moment of your life.
But God doesn’t want for us to move through our life simply trusting Him. He wants us to become more like Him by showing others that we can be trusted as well. Every day, you have opportunities to take what God has given to you: your stuff, your words, your relationships and use them wisely. When you respond to God with the abilities that He has given to you, you are responsible.
And when you are responsible with a little, the Bible says you will be given more: more opportunities, more relationships, more ways that you can use what God has given you to reflect His character to the world around you. Our monthly memory verse says it this way, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,” (Luke 16:10, NIV).
Our series is called, “Great Expectations—will you win Trust?” It plays out like this: God has proven He can be trusted. When we trust Him and we respond to Him with our abilities, then we are responsible. And when we are responsible, we live a good story. We are a light to others. They will see our good works and glorify God because of how they see Him at work in us.

Week One, we start with the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and focus on responding to God by giving Him our stuff—our money and our abilities. Everyone’s been given something and we can choose to invest what we’ve been given to make a difference in the world around us. The worst thing is to just sit on it, bury it and save it for later. Bottom Line: I can be trusted when I make the most of what God has given me.
Week Two, we discover our words matter (Ephesians 4:29). We’ll talk about how we can become trusted people by the way we build others up based on what they need. When we show responsibility with our words, we create trust between us. So, one of the best things we can do for our relationships is to learn to choose our words carefully. We might even get more opportunities to impact even more people. Bottom Line: I can be trusted when I choose the right words.
Week Three, we unpack the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). In this powerful narrative, we see how the people we most expect to be responsible aren’t. We’re challenged to be more like the Samaritan because he could be trusted to act and do the right thing, even if he was busy and it cost him something. We don’t want to be people that say the right things, but then don’t act on them when they have the chance. Bottom Line: I can be trusted when I choose to help others in need.
Week Four, we review with the Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:34-37). Our greatest responsibility is something very good: loving Someone who loved us first and loves us most—so much He willingly sacrificed for us. When we choose to love God more than anything else, our other responsibilities (like using our stuff, choosing our words and acting to help others) are much easier to live out. When we get the relationship part right, being responsible is a natural expression of our love. Bottom Line: I can be trusted when I put God first.

It’s important to remember that we can’t do any of this on our own. But God isn’t asking us to! God is the One who’s proven He’s responsible and trustworthy since the very beginning. Our responsibility is really a reflection of God and His character showing up in us. We can be responsible because of God’s power at work in us to help us respond to Him with everything we have—our ability, our stuff, our words, our time and our actions. Imagine how the world might change if we lived out these “great expectations” and became even more trustworthy people!

By Cara Martens. ©2012 Orange. All rights reserved. www.WhatIsOrange.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.