Followers

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Faith - Hebrews 11:1

Hello and welcome!

Describing Faith


Now faith is substance of things hoped for, 
the evidence of things not seen. 

Faith is not always the easiest thing to describe 
and even more complex with youth.

I want to share a method that seemed to help 
bring the idea across. 

On this poster I used different versions of Hebrews 11:1 so my students could compare versions showing how the same words are translated differently. I also thought it may be easier for them to understand the verse by adding a couple definitions of faith. 



First off faith is based on things we know. 
Things our brain logs in from our senses.


Here are a few visual aids that helped me explain what faith is to my students.
I began by placing the word "faith" on the board. 

Faith is NOT wishful thinking. 
(Add - NOT wishful thinking!)

Faith is substance, assurance or confidence, 
(Add - substance, assurance, confidence.)

It's what we hope for/believe in but cannot see.
(Add - of what we hope for/believe in but cannot see,) 

What we hope for/believe in is something REAL/something that is GOING to happen.  
What did Noah hope for?
(Add - Safety in the ark.)

Noah's faith was built on a foundation.
(Add - the foundation)
(I drew little blocks all around the outside of the paper to make a foundation, with no lines in the middle so I could write in what Noah's faith was built upon.)*

This is a foundation of evidence. 
Add - green page under the foundation
(It says - Evidence/proof of, what we hope for/have confidence in, but cannot see.)

Evidence of what we know and understand, 
making what we cannot see, REAL.

Noah had faith/assurance that what he hoped for (safety in the ark) was real.

The foundation or evidence, Noah had confidence in or based his faith/belief on were the words God told him.
(Write  - The words God spoke to Noah - on the foundation paper.)

The words God told Noah, were the evidence or proof that what God was talking about 
(even though Noah couldn't see it) WAS REAL! 

Noah believed God would keep His word and send a flood because of the wickedness of the world. 
He believed God would save him if he obeyed what God was asking him to do. 
"Build the ark."

Noah and his family would have safety in the ark!
How do we know Noah had faith in what God said?

⭐Noah showed his faith by what he did!! ⭐
He built the ark!! 

This is called living faith!! 

Challenges!!
(Add -  the boxing picture.) 
Talk about different challenges that may have weakened Noah's faith. 
(Hard work, hot sun, not much help, not any encouragement from those who were not following God, etc..)

What made Noah want to obey God? 
#1 Noah's love for God! (Noah was a righteous man who walked faithfully with God.)
#2 The consequences of NOT obeying/building the ark. 

* If you laminate this foundation paper you will be able to wipe it off with finger nail polish remover and use it again and again with different Bible people even on a personal note with ourselves. 
What do we have confidence in/hope for that we cannot see? 
A home in heaven?
What is the foundation of our faith/hope?
What is it built on? 
What God says in His word? 
How do we show our faith? 

What challenges do we have? 
How can God help us with these challenges? 


  A "Gold Star" Just for you! 
Find a power point lesson defining faith by clicking the gold star.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0JVwiZJ0ZA9NHNLbTk3WXFyU0E?usp=sharing
Click on the singing girl to listen!

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment!


Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Tip of The Day - Tracing!


Hello! And welcome!

Today’s tip has to do with 

TRACING!

I am somewhat of a paper saver. It comes in pretty handy when I am in project mode.
White, tissue gift paper is something that I have grabbed up many times for pattern making.

While working on a Bible verse puzzle poster at the churches building, I realized, that in order to make this poster  available to other teachers, I was going to need a pattern.

I had no tracing paper on hand, my supply of tissue paper was lacking and my poster board was too dark to just put up to a window to trace the picture onto an overlaid poster.

So what to do?

Have you ever noticed how, 
when it’s time to change the film on a laminator, 
there is always a little laminating film left on the roll?

Necessity is the mother of invention,
so I looked around the room 
searching for something transparent enough to use for tracing,
my eyes fell upon a small stash of leftover laminating film! 

PERFECT! 

It was certainly clear enough and won’t rip like tissue paper.

I was ever so thankful to the person who decided to save this stuff!!

I laid it out over my poster, got my black marker, and began to trace. 
It worked perfectly! 
So think again before throwing out that leftover laminate!!

Sorry, there was a bit of a glare. 
There you have it, a perfect pattern! 
Tape pattern to a window 
and lay white or light colored poster board 
over pattern to trace!

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment!


Monday, May 4, 2020

Joseph - His Coat and Dreams!

Hello and Welcome!

Today I am sharing the first of 5 lessons about Joseph!




Love/Jealousy



Our lesson is found in the Bible book of Genesis! (Show book, chapter, and verse.)
Genesis is the first book in the Bible. It took place during the Patriarchal age when God talked to the father's of the family. 






How many of you have Grandparents? 
Have you ever heard of a Bible man named Abraham? He had a son named Isaac, a grandson named Jacob, and Jacob had 12 sons and one was named Joseph. 
We will be learning more about Joseph in our lesson today. 





Jacob's family was very large. In many ways they were just like families of today, 
They worked, played, ate, slept, and they didn't always get along. 
Jacob was a very blessed father, he not only had 12 sons but also 1 daughter named Dinah. 
Jacob's children were the great grandchildren of Abraham.
Let's begin learning about Jacob and his 12 sons.






- The Mothers -
Jacob had 2 wives and his wives had 2 maids or servants. 
Children by Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, (and Dinah - Genesis 30:19-21).
Children by Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
Children by Bilhah Rachel's servant: Dan and Naphtali
Children by Zilpah Leah's servant: Gad and Asher. 
12 sons by 4 different mothers!
Genesis 35:23-26




Jacob loved Rachel the mother Joseph very much! 
Genesis 29:18
(Rachel died after she had her son Benjamin who was Joseph's brother.)
Genesis 35:16-20




This family lived in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 37:1




Today, this land is also known as the Holy Land. 
People from the United States have actually gone to visit this land.






 Joseph was 17 years old and was in the pasture feeding the sheep with 4 of his brothers, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, (the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah). 




Joseph ran home and brought back a bad report about them to their father, Jacob. 
(They must have been doing something that wasn't good or right for Joseph to tell on them,)

(The scripture does not say when Joseph was given his coat just that he had been given a coat from Jacob, so Joseph very well could have been in possession of his new coat before he had been in the pasture with his 4 brothers.)




Now Jacob/Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age. Jacob had made Joseph a many colored/highly decorated tunic/coat. *
(Show a multi colored/fancy robe.)
When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms. 



Joseph's brothers were not happy and were jealous of him because 
their father gave him a very special coat. 
(Other words for jealous - resentful, spiteful, or envious.)





How many of you have ever had a dream? 
Joseph had a dream and he wanted his brothers to hear about it. 
He said, "Please listen to this dream I had."
"We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.





The brothers hated him and said, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?"





And they hated him all the more because of his dream and his words. 




Then Joseph had another dream. 
He said,
"This time the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me." 





This dream made his brothers even more jealous of him! 




Joseph also shared the dream with his father and he scolded Joseph and said, 
"What is this dream you had? 
Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" 





So Joseph's brothers were very jealous of Joseph and hated him,
 but his father Jacob thought about what Joseph had said and what it might mean, 
keeping the matter in mind.  





Instead of being jealous and hating Joseph because he was honored and they were not, Joseph’s brothers should have been happy for Joseph, showing him love and acceptance. 
It was not Joseph's fault he had been favored over his brothers, nor did he have anything to do with having the dreams, but his brothers still did not love him because of these things. 


If Joseph’s brothers would have loved him, 
what are some ways they could have shown that love?
They could have rejoiced with him! 





The Bible says:
Romans 12:15 - Rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that weep. 

Philippians 4:8 - Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, 
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute/reputation, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 

Matthew 7:12a - In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you. 

1 Corinthians 13:4 - (This chapter defines love and condemns being jealous.)

1 John 3:11 - For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.


I’d  like to believe that Jacob saw his son Joseph's good character and that is why Joseph was favored, but the Bible tells us he was favored because he was the son of Jacob old age. 

As far as Joseph’s character goes, he was an honest young man! 

As families let us try to love one another. 





12 Sons of Jacob 
To Listen to this song click on the girl singing below!
Listen!!


* Aram.
pas, n.c., part, portion; pieces of colored metal, decorative needlework, reaching to the wrists and ankles? 2×
(2017). The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.


Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment!