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November 13, 2012 -- Issue #37 - Volume 13






Today's articles are listed, below. When replying, highlight the text that is pertinent to your response, then hit reply. Title your message to reflect the content. 1) Thanksgiving Ideas 2) Martin Luther Fall Festival *Yearly Holiday FUN-Raiser. . .Find it below!*** 3) Gospel in a Box 4) Kids Matter to God 5) Five Doors of the Heart 6) Thanksgiving Chain



1) Thanksgiving Ideas We made a bare tree out of a large cardboard carton and painted it brown. We had the ladies in our group write things they were thankful for on the different fall colored leaves. We then attached them to the tree. We then displayed them in our entrance hall. We encouraged other church members throughout the month to add their own leaves to the tree. It was fully filled by the end of the month. In my sister's Wed night class she brought in a plain white table cloth. She gave each of her students a permanent marker. She asked each child to write something they were thankful for. She brings it in each year and has her new class add to it. Phil 4:13 I can do all things though Christ . . . --from SSTN: thanks for sharing! For the rest of SSTN, please share your Thanksgiving ideas with the rest of the network.



2) Martin Luther Fall Festival Since Halloween is traditionally a Pagan holiday I focused on the life of Martin Luther and how the Lutheran church was born. What I did was told the story about how Martin really wanted to debate with the church elders regarding his 95 thesis and he wanted to Change the Catholic Church not create a new religion. The points I stressed the most were how you cannot buy forgiveness that it is with the grace of God that we are forgiven, and that we as Lutheran’s do not pray to saints but only to God. As well as how Martin wanted everyone to have a Bible in a language that they could read so that everyone would be able to read God’s word and not just the Priests. I brought in pretzels and pickles and root beer for the kids to snack on while I told them the story. We have in the past had a rotation Sunday school day where similar to a Vacation Bible school format… the kids rotate from a story room (Story told by a dressed up Martin and Katie Luther) then went to a craft room, snack room with ginger snaps, root beer, pretzels and pickles. And finally a game room with a game activity in line with either the story or time period. My 3rd and 4th grade students like the idea that as a child Martin often got into trouble with both his parents and his teachers it makes Martin seem more like a real person to them to learn about his childhood and that like them he was often not the model child or student. They were also impressed by the fact that he learned Latin at age 4 and liked the idea that Martin loved to sing and that we still sing his songs in church so many years later. I am hoping that they learned a little more about how we came to be Lutherans and that Martin did not intend to create a new religion. My own children studied different religions in High school and I feel that the only thing that they were taught in school was the bloody battle that resulted in Martin’s 95 theses. I want my younger students to have a little better understanding. I am sorry that I did not answer your e-mail sooner…we are just getting back on line after Hurricane Sandy. Sincerely Mary Fjellstad --from SSTN: we're praying for all the storm victims. May God give you endurance, patience, peace of mind. . .and ELECTRICITY!



Holiday FUN-RAISER Our yearly holiday fundraiser has just gotten better. Now with fewer books required to purchase in advance, a flat shipping fee, and a new brochure to distribute to your potential customers, it makes it easier than ever to distribute them. Check it out at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/fundraiser.html



3) Gospel in a Box SaFaRI Treasure/Great Adventure Club, had their 5th out of 6 meetings on Thursday, November 8th. The "Hunters" were very excited to receive their very own DVD copy of "SAVED," a movie by Cornerstone Church (the gospel in a box). Later when they were getting ready to leave for the day, I asked if they were going to watch it again - and again and again! (It was a unanimous YES!) Then I asked if they thought they would show it to anyone else. Their response was beautiful. They all were yelling: my family, my mom, my dad...brothers and sisters and cousins.....some shouting out names of specific people! One little girl said she wanted to show it to her class at school. I had to explain to her that she would have to get permission, that the school has different rules - and not to get her feelings hurt if the answer was no, but she could show it pretty much anywhere else - even loan it to friends! I did encourage to ask for permission to show it in their Sunday School classes! OH, that we would be so bold and creative and willing to share the gospel ---- even through a 4 minute movie. We eguipped and sent a bunch of young missionaries out into our community! To God be the Glory and lots of fruit come from these DVDs. A very special thank you to Brian Butler, Adam Philpot, Levi and Joel Butler and their work on this project over 5 years ago. It was shown a few times at different church events and is on YouTube --- but now, 100 copies will make it into homes that probably would not open the door to speak to an adult if we walked up to share the Good News with the home. Although the video was made 5 years ago, God was truly waiting..."for such a time as this!" Thanks Cornerstone - for making this possible! Here is the link to the "SAVED" video the kids received: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rffMCcys1ag&feature=BFa&list=UUwS6Vqgh8-QDGuxqJ0fZhUQ Emmalea



4) Kids Matter to God Do you ever feel like it’s taking forever to grow up? What are some things you want to do when you are an adult? (Let the kids interact.) I remember when I was a kid, I thought I couldn’t really do anything important until I was all grown up. But my Mom kept telling me to just do the best I could in school and at church and I would grow up to do anything GOD wanted me to do. I was very young (11) when my Dad died from being very sick. I thought, “How can I ever even grow up? Who is going to take care of me and the rest of my family?” When I would be discouraged, my Mom would tell me that God was going to take care of us – and that was why it was important to pay attention in Sunday School and Church and learn what the Bible says. The Bible is how God talks to us. She continued to encourage me to do the best I could in school, too. As you can see, her advice was good! I really did make it to be a grown up! And, I have been so blessed to do many fun things in my life, even though my Daddy was not with me. God takes care of me. Sometimes, though, I felt like I was alone. . . GET the rest of today's lesson in our Anytime Bible Talks & Lessons page at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/lessons-Bible.html



5) Five Doors of the Heart Jennie Bishop is a good friend of OneByOne. Her ministry, PurityWorks, promotes a lifestyle of purity of heart for all children, leading to a new generation of men and women that value virtue, honor and service. Jennie writes, "We've got to face the facts. We're waiting too long to deal with our kids' sexuality, and our silence is being filled by the voices of others who are only too willing to guide our children into sexual activity of all kinds." Does this mean that we have to spew the facts of life at age 6? No! But it does mean that our kids are being bombarded with sexual messages from their earliest years, and we should be intentional. Modern culture and media give us plenty of opportunities to answer simple questions and start an age-appropriate conversation. (Example: "Should that lady let someone take her picture with her underwear on? Nope!") Even more than sexual issues, it's vital that we train the hearts of our child. Before they ever show an interest in the opposite sex, they need to be in the process of becoming people with good hearts. Someone who knows the importance of serving, caring, honor and respect is less likely to err later on when it comes to sexual behavior. So how do we help shape the heart of a young child? By using the Five Doors of the Heart. At a young age, if you are a parent or Sunday School teacher introduce your child to the five senses and talk about what it means to use those senses as doors to the heart. The doors can be opened to let good things in and closed to keep bad things out. For example, the door of the eyes: We use sunglasses to shield our eyes from the sun, but to protect our hearts, we are careful about what we look at. What's exciting about this approach is that you can use it as a child grows. Guarding the door of the eyes means that a young man turns his head away when he sees an immodest woman, or a young girl learns not to tease boys with her eyes. Guarding the ears means choosing what song lyrics to listen to with care, etc. Discussions about the Five Doors lead eventually to discussions about sexuality. And that's the point. Heart attitudes prepare the way for the practice of sexual purity later on. Not that the Five Doors are a magic bullet. The hard work comes as we intentionally engage with our children, being constantly available for conversation and questions from the earliest years on. Don't be one of the parents or Sunday School teachers who says, "We can get to that later." Children need us now, even if you're are a parent still planning their birth. As you understand purity you can plan a strategy for preparing a child early to live a life of honor, sexual integrity and wholeness. Planned Purity is a complete purity training method (including the Five Doors) for families, focused on starting with the heart, working into the life and actions, and pursuing purity for a lifetime. If you're looking for a plan for your family, this may be the book for you. Not only a good read and terribly practical, the back third of the book is loaded with object lessons, scripts, family contracts and other resources. Planned Purity and the best-selling children's books The Princess and the Kiss and The Squire and the Scroll (Planned Purity children's resources) are available at: http://www.SundaySchoolNetwork.com/bookstore.html.

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6) Thanksgiving Chain This idea can be used in classrooms or around the dinner table. Check it out at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/craft_thanksgiving.html


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