April 16-23 (Q2, L3) Caught in a Cave

Memory verse: “Let us not become weary in doing good.” GALATIANS 6:9, NIV
Lesson 3: Caught in a Cave (PDF)
Scriptures: 1 Samuel 18:5-9; 19:1-2, 11-12; 24:1-22 
Commentary: Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 649-659, 660-663

• When have you felt like hurting someone this week? Today? Right now?
• Instead of hurting Saul, David did something to show Saul that he loved him too much to hurt him. What will you do to show that person (the one you felt like hurting) that you love them too much to hurt them? 

April 9-16 (Q2, L2) Best Friends

Memory verse: “Jonathan...loved [David] as himself.” 1 SAMUEL 18:3, NIV
Lesson 2: Best Friends (PDF)
Scripture: 1 Samuel 18:1-5; 20:1-42
Commentary: Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 649-655

• How do I show my friends how much I love them?
• Who is someone who doesn't have many friends that I can be a friend to? What will I do to build a friendship with him or her?

April 2-9 (Q2, L1) Just a Shepherd Boy?

Memory verse: “People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart” 1 SAMUEL 16:7, ICB
Lesson: Just a Shepherd Boy? (PDF)
Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Commentary: Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 637-642

• What other Bible stories tell about God finding big hopes in small people or things?
• This week, how can I help someone smaller than me know that she or he is important in God's eyes? What will I say or do to show that it's true?

If you have a sense of humor and a taste for the blues, here's a tune by Kevin Brusett called God Don't Care that reinforces this week's memory verse.

March 26-April 2 (Q1, L13) Coming in the Clouds

Memory verse: “We are looking forward to a new heaven.” 2 PETER 3:13, NIV
Lesson: Coming in the Clouds (PDF)
Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; Revelation 21, 22; Isaiah 65:17-25
Commentary: The Great Controversy, chapter 40

• What are some of the things I'm most looking forward to when Jesus comes again?
• What are some ways that we can make our home, our class, our planet, our neighborhood or our workplace be a little more like heaven this week? Today? Right now?

(For a handy review of all 13 memory verses from 1st quarter of 2011, click here. Or here.)

March 19-26 (Q1, L12) He's Alive!

Memory Verse: “We believe that Jesus died and rose again.” 1 THESSALONIANS 4:14, NIV
Lesson: He's Alive (PDF)
Scriptures: Luke 23:26 - 24:12
Commentary: Desire of Ages Chapters 78, 79, 80, 81, 82

• As we read and tell this story again, what is God saying to us through His dying and rising?
• How can I share the truth of this story this week? Through what I say?  Through what I do?

March 12-19 (Q1, L11) Jesus Loves Me

Memory verse: "You are worthy...God, to receive glory and honor and power." REVELATION 4:11, NIV.
Lesson 11: Jesus Loves Me (PDF)
Scriptures: Luke 22:39 - 23:25
Commentary: Desire of Ages, Chapters 74, 75 and 77

• What were some mean things that people did to me this week? What did I do back? What kinds of things might Jesus have done in response to those same mean things?
• What is something hard that I have to do? Can my Father God help me do that hard thing the same way He helped Jesus do the hard things He had to do in this week's lesson?

March 5-12 (Q1, L10) A Special Supper

Memory verse: "He now showed them...his love." JOHN 13:1, NIV
Lesson 10: A Special Supper (PDF)
Scriptures: John 13:1-17; Luke 22:15-19
Commentary: Desire of Ages pp. 642-651; 652-661

• How would I feel if someone really important--the president, my school principal, my boss, our pastor--came and washed my feet, or cleaned up a yucky mess I made?
• What is a yucky job I can do for someone else just to show her or him my love? For my spouse? For my parent? For my child?

Feb. 26-March 5 (Q1, L9) A Praise Parade

Memory verse: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the LORD!" LUKE 19:38, NIV
Lesson 9: A Praise Parade (PDF)
Scripture: Luke 19:28-40
Commentary: Desire of Ages pp. 569-579

• What are some creative ways we will praise Jesus when we notice Him and His work this week--voice, hands, feet, hugs, smiles, eyes, or some modern version of a palm branch?
• What are some praise songs that we adults enjoy that we could share with our kids so we can praise Jesus together?

Feb. 19-26 (Q1, L8) Lazarus, Come Out

Memory verse: "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." JOHN 11:5, NIV
Lesson 8: Lazarus, Come Out (PDF)
Scripture: John 11:1-44
Commentary: Desire of Ages pp. 524-536

• What is something sad or hard for us right now? What would we like to say to Jesus about our feelings about this sad, hard thing?
• Jesus cried big tears when he saw how sad Mary and Martha were about losing their brother. How do you think Jesus feels about the sad, hard thing in our life?

Feb. 12-19 (Q1, L7) Who Is Your Neighbor?

Memory verse: "Love your neighbor as yourself." LUKE 10:27, NIV
Lesson 7: Who Is Your Neighbor (PDF)
Scripture: Luke 10:25-37
Commentary: Desire of Ages pp. 497-505

• When have other people been neighbors to us when we were hurting or in need? How did that feel?
• This week, I wonder who God will send our way to be a neighbor to.... It'll be fun to watch what He does!

Feb. 5-12 (Q1, L6) Too Short to See

Memory verse: "[Jesus] came to seek and to save what was lost." LUKE 19:10 (NIV)
Lesson 6: Too Short to See (PDF)
Scripture: Luke 19:1-10
Commentary: Desire of Ages pp. 552-556

• Who in my child's life--or mine--might be "Zacchaeus" this week? Unliked, undeserving of being liked, and yet the one to whom Jesus wants to bring love. How might I be Jesus to her/him?
• When has my child or I felt like Zacchaeus--undeserving, but forgiven and freed by Jesus?

Jan. 29-Feb. 5 (Q1, L5) Let Them Come!

Memory verse: "Let the little children come to me." LUKE 18:16 (NIV)
Lesson 5: Let Them Come! (PDF)
Scripture: Luke 18:15-17
Commentary: Desire of Ages pp. 511-517

• When might I surprise my kids this week by prioritizing them over something or someone more serious?
• How is Jesus using my children to teach me about the Kingdom and how it is received?

Jan 22-29 (Q1, L4) Friend to All

Memory verse: "Be kind...to one another." EPHESIANS 4:32, NIV
Lesson 4: Friend to All PDF
Scripture:  Luke 2:40-52
Commentary: Desire of Ages pp. 70,74; 82,83 

How many times can I catch my kids being like Jesus this week? 

Jan 15-22 (Q1, L3)

Memory verse: "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature." LUKE 2:52, NIV
Lesson 3: Lost and Found PDF
Scripture: Luke 2:39-52

Isn't it interesting how even at age 12, Jesus is challenging his parents' spiritual life?

How have your kids challenged your spiritual life? What have they said or done that maybe frustrated you at the time, but since then, you've "treasured all these things in your heart"?

Jan. 8-15 (Q1, L2)

Memory verse: "Even a child is known by his actions." PROVERBS 20:11 NIV
Lesson 2: Daddy's Helper (PDF)
Scripture: Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3
Commentary: Desire of Ages pp. 72-74

A great song for this week's memory verse is Steve Green's "Even a Child" from the album "Hide 'Em in Your Heart, Vol. 1"

I struggle sometimes trying to articulate how yes, we are known by our actions like the verse says, yet even when we choose bad actions, God sees who we REALLY are, sees the God-image us that is even more true than our actions.


Any good ways you 've found to explain or show that to your kids?

Jan. 1-8 (Q1, L1)

Memory verse: “Then he went down to Nazareth . . . and was obedient.” LUKE 2:51, NIV.

Lesson 1: A Child Like Me (PDF)

Scripture: Luke 2:39-52

Welcome!

Possibility:
I want to create consistent, good times of God-centered study and conversation with my kids that connect to what my church community is focusing on.

Problem:
I am a disaster at keeping track of physical objects such as a quarterly lesson book, weekly Our Little Friend magazines, and even those awesome refrigerator magnets that our church just started sending home.

But I don't lose my phone or computer.

Proposal: To keep me conscious of playing with my kids around the lesson and helping them marinate (as Pastor Jon Ciccarelli likes to say) in the memory verse, I am setting up a weekly blog that will email both to me on my computer and phone.

Pipe dream:
This thing will

• help a few other parents talk and play through the lesson and practice the memory verse with their kids weekly
• give us a place to share stories, questions, brilliant (and other) ideas about our interactions with our children and life...which will work if you comment on the blog

Here's to a year marinating with our kids in God's words of life!