Archive for the ‘Bible’ Category

Abraham and Isaac in LEGO

Friday, October 2nd, 2015

Abraham-and-Isaac-LEGOWhen studying the patriarchs from Scripture, you can have your kids create a scene of Abraham and Isaac in LEGO. One of the most poignant scenes in Scripture is when Abraham is commanded by God to be willing to sacrifice his son. He loved his son so much because Isaac was a miracle baby. Sarah and Abraham were beyond childbearing years, being 90 and 100 years old, so the fact that God did a miracle to enable Sarah to conceive made the pregnancy even more intensely precious.

We are told in Hebrews 11:17-19 that Abraham knew that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead because he was certain that God had promised that from Isaac would come a nation as vast as the sand on the seashore. Because Abraham trusted God, he followed through on the command, and an angel held back his hand. God provided a ram in the thicket. Abraham had previously told his son that God would provide the sacrifice.

ram-in-the-thicket

Often we accidentally put relationships with people higher than our love for God. When this happens, we make that person an idol. This happened to me when my only daughter almost drowned at age 1. I was so close to rage at God that He would dare to take her away from me. In that moment I realized I loved my daughter more than God. I was shocked, but most parents have the same sin. God worked in my heart to build my love and trust for Him.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  – Matthew 10:37 ESV

abraham-and-isaac

The other beautiful blessing that Abraham received was to understand what it was like for God the Father to sacrifice His Son, Jesus Christ, to save people from their sins. The agony of God the Father was experienced by Abraham, and understanding God is always a deep, incredible blessing!

Colossians Activities for Kids

Monday, June 15th, 2015

put-on-Christ

Here are some fun Colossians activities you can do with your kids to internalize this book of the Bible. You will need card stock paper in various colors, string, a hole punch, scissors, and glue. You will also need a computer with a printer so that you can print out various words.

Are you ready?

Colossians Activity #1: Blindfold

Put a blindfold on a child and have him walk around in darkness. How did it feel? Ask: Did you bump into things? Were you disoriented? This is what happens when we walk in sin. It leads us astray and ends up hurting us. When you take off the blindfold, your eyes are full of light, and you can see where you are going. There is safety and peace when you walk in the light.

Colossians Activity #2: Deeds of the Flesh

Print out the deeds of the flesh, which include anger, malice, slander, abusive speech, and lying. Print them in bold letters from your computer, leaving plenty of space around each word so that you can cut them out and paste them to a piece of black card stock paper.

Punch two holes in the top of the paper, and tie string through each hole, making sure to leave enough space for a child’s head. The child can now wear the deeds of the flesh around his neck (see above illustration).

Now you can make another card stock sign of love. Cut out a heart from red card stock paper, and print out “love” from your computer. Glue the label to the heart. Hole punch two holes on the top of the heart, and the child can put off the deeds of the flesh and put on love.

love

You can also put on Christ after taking off the deeds of the flesh. Use your creativity to make a sign representing Christ. We used a yellow cross glued to black card stock paper. Once again, you will need to punch two holes and tie string to the holes so that the child can “put on Christ.”

Explain what it means to put on Christ. This means we are to yield to Christ and manifest the fruit of the Spirit in our lives rather than the deeds of the flesh.

Colossians Activity #3: Sing Hymns

We are to encourage each other with Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, so go ahead and obey the verse by taking out some hymn books and singing your favorite hymns.

Colossians Activity #4: Cancelled Debt

Print out a sheet of paper with the title “Debt.” You can show negative money numbers listed on the paper. With a pen, mark “Cancelled” over the debt. You could also print the word “Cancelled” on another sheet of paper and glue it over the debt. I outlined the word “Cancelled” with black marker.

debt-cancelled

Talk about how our debts (our sins against God) have been nailed to the cross and cancelled because of what Christ did for us. You could have kids mention specific sins, and write “Cancelled” in another colored marker over those sins to represent that the sins are now gone because they have been forgiven if we have repented of them.

If you enjoyed these Colossians Activities for Kids, you will love the huge Bible section inside the Unit Study Treasure Vault!

3-D Jerusalem Model

Monday, February 23rd, 2015

Jerusalem-modelWhen my children made a 3-D Jerusalem model out of paper, they learned a lot about the layout of Jerusalem while constructing the city. I decided to use card stock paper instead of construction paper because it’s stiffer. I also decided to use hot glue instead of white school glue because the walls instantly stood up. You can also use white school glue like I did with my Bible class at the Christian school where I taught years ago. It will just take longer for the glue to dry, and meanwhile, the walls might fall down if you don’t hold them up for a few minutes. It’s definitely easier with hot glue.

3-D-Jerusalem-modelStart with a piece of white card stock paper. Look up a map of Jerusalem, either from a book on your shelf, the back of your Bible, or the internet. Grab a pencil and sketch the outer outline of the city. Then  fill in the major parts of the city, especially the wall that divides the city and the wall around the Temple.

Jerusalem-model-2You can cut out pieces of card stock paper to represent the Temple, Herod’s palace, and two pools of water. Then cut strips of card stock paper, making turrets for the walls.

Plug in your hot glue gun, and make a line of hot glue along the pencil line where the wall should be. Grab one of your walls and set it inside the hot glue. It instantly stands up. (I filmed this process, and you can watch it under the Lamentations Unit Study inside the Unit Study Treasure Vault.)

jerusalemThe leftover pieces from the wall were used for the buildings and houses inside the city of Jerusalem. Now your 3-D Jerusalem model is complete. You can use it to tell Bible stories from the time of David all the way through the ministry of Jesus. We constructed this city while studying the book of Lamentations, and we set fire to the city by using red, orange, and yellow tissue paper. We then lamented the fall of Jerusalem before going into exile to Babylon.

If you enjoyed this activity, you will love the Unit Study Treasure Vault. Why not join the Vault today and bring life to your Bible lessons?

Romans Road to Salvation Cake

Monday, January 19th, 2015

romans-road-to-salvation-cakeI decided to make a Romans Road to Salvation cake because I wanted to illustrate the road to salvation visually in a way that would illustrate the sweetness of coming to Christ. I put sign posts along the way, with the steps on how to be saved.

How to Make a Romans Road to Salvation Cake

Step 1: Start by baking a rectangular chocolate cake. Frost it with chocolate frosting.

chocolate-cakeStep 2: Smash some graham crackers in a plastic bag. This will be the dirt. (I used the same technique to illustrate the desert in my Egypt cookies.)

graham-crackersStep 3: Sprinkle the cookie crumbs evenly over the top of the cake.

crumb-cakeStep 4: Snap some Hersheys chocolate for the bricks to lay down the road.

cake-with-pathStep 5: Assemble the signs and stab them into the road at regular intervals. Make sure the verses are in order. I printed the verses from the printer of my computer, glued them to black card stock paper, and taped toothpicks on the back.

romans-road-cakeThese are the verses I used for the signs (KJV). I purposely spaced them out so you could copy and paste these verses on a separate sheet of paper and print them out:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved.

romans-road-to-salvationTo see the complete Romans Unit study, join the Unit Study Treasure Vault!