Preview Videos for the Month of May

In May, your Reign Forest child will be learning how important is it to make right choices and do what is right.

FL Preview : Do What's Right (May 2012) from Orange on Vimeo.

The Land of Promise kids will be learning all about RESPONSIBILITY: showing that you can be trusted with what has been given to you.

Preview: Great Expectations (May 2012) from Orange on Vimeo.

What We Learned - April 29th

This Sunday, April 29th, your Reign Forest child (ages 2-5) learned that Jesus wants to be with us forever! (John 14:1-4)  He told his friends, the disciples, that He had to go away, but that He was getting a place ready for them so they could come and live with Him forever.  He's getting a place ready for us, too, so we can live with Him forever!

To help reinforce this lesson at home, read John 14:1-4 to your child, and imagine with them what those mansions Jesus is working on must look like.  Then you can draw a picture of those mansions together, or you could try to build a mansion out of blocks or Legos or whatever you have on hand.

Our Bible verse for this month is Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times."  Your child should be able to recite this verse to you since we've been working on memorizing it all month. 


Your Land of Promise child (kindergarten through fifth grade) learned that no matter what happens, she needs to spread the good news about what God has done for her.  (Acts 4:1-21, I Peter 3:15)  After Jesus went back to heaven, Peter and John - two of his disciples - healed a man who could not walk.  The man began telling everyone what had happened, and Peter and John got into trouble with the authorities. - the same people who had killed Jesus earlier.  Peter and John were told never to talk about Jesus again.  But they didn't obey.  They kept right on telling everyone all about how great and wonderful God is!

To help your child internalize this lesson, at Meal Time enjoy an interactive role play with your child.  Pretend to be a person they met at school who has some questions about church and God, and play out a possible conversation with that person.  Help your child come up with some great hope and joy to share with the person.  Then, switch roles with your child.  Let your child pretend to be someone you met at work or someone you met at a store who has questions for you about life or God. 

Our memory verse for the month is John 16:33b "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."

April 15th - What We Learned

This Sunday, April 15th, your Reign Forest child (ages 2-5) learned how important it is to spend time with Jesus and listen to Him. (Luke 10:38-42)  When Jesus went to visit His friends Mary and Martha, Martha worked all through His visit and stayed very busy, but Mary sat with Jesus and listened to everything He said.  Jesus said that Mary had made the best choice.

Our memory verse for this month is Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times."  And your child is learning that Jesus wants to be her friend forever!

To help your child realize how active God is in her daily life, cuddle up with your child and pray with her. “Dear God, thank You for giving us our good friend, Jesus. He’s the best friend ever! Thank You for all the ways He shows us love every day. We love You, God. Amen.”  Spend the rest of the week pointing out His active love in her life.  When you see the sunshine, exclaim, "Look how much God loves us!  He gave us sunshine to enjoy!"  When you see rain (or snow), exclaim, "Look how much God loves us!  He gave us rain (or snow) to water our plants!"  When I was in sixth grade, I had a Sunday School teacher who encouraged us to be "Blessing Detectives."  Try it!  It's a lot of fun!  :-)

Your Land of Promise child (kindergarten through fifth grade) learned to remember that no matter what happens, God always has a bigger picture. (Luke 24:13-35, Romans 15:4)  Two friends were walking on the Road to Emmaus.  They had been friends of Jesus, and they were so sad after His death.  They just couldn't figure it out - if Jesus had been the Messiah like they had believed He was, He couldn't possibly have died.  But...He did die.  It just didn't make any sense.  They were discussing these things when another man came up behind them and started walking with them.  The three of them continued their journey while talking it all over, and the man with them reminded them of certain Scriptures that said Jesus would be put to death, AND after three days, He would rise again!  Hmm, the men saw a glimmer of hope.  Could there be a bigger picture than what they could currently see, after all?  After a while, the three men stopped to eat supper together.  Suddenly, the two friends looked at the third man and realized Who He was!  Jesus!  Alive!  God DID have a bigger picture!

Our memory verse for this month is John 16:33b “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

To encourage your child to have hope in his present circumstances, during Meal Time ask each other, "What is something in your life that seems hard right now?"  Then every day this week, take time to pray with each other, and ask God to help you have hope.

April 8th - What We Learned

This Sunday, April 8th, your Reign Forest child (ages 2-5) reenacted the Last Supper that Jesus had with His disciples and learned about how Jesus came back from the dead (Matthew 26:20-30; 28:1-7). The class ate bits of a piece of bread and drank grape juice just like Jesus did with His friends before He left them. But Jesus is our Friend forever, so He did not stay dead! He came back to life!

Our memory verse for the month of April is "A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17

As you drive around this week, talk to your child about how Jesus is a good friend and He loves us ALL the time, even when your child is disobedient or unkind! Practice this month’s memory verse together: “A friend loves at all times,” Proverbs 17:17. Maybe surprise your child by driving to their favorite park once they’ve memorized the verse.

Your Land of Promise child (kindergarten through fifth grade) learned that whatever happens, God is stronger than ANYTHING -- even death! (John 20:1-18) In today's lesson, a fake news anchor interviews Mary Magdalene and John and Peter after Jesus rises from the dead.

After the silliness of the story, the teacher explained to the class, “When Jesus died on the cross, He made it possible for our sins to be forgiven and for us to have a friendship with God -- the way God wanted it from the beginning of time. Sins are the wrong things we do. Talking back to your parents, lying to a friend, and even eating a cookie before dinner when it’s against the rules -- these are all sins. Each time we sin, we grow further and further from God. God doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want there to be anything between you and Him.

“So, in order to erase these sin -- the sins of the whole world -- God did something amazing. He sent Jesus, His own Son, to pay for all of our sins when He died on the cross. When you or I believe in our hearts that Jesus is who He said He was, and we put all our trust in what He did for us on the cross, then we receive the gift of eternal life -- heaven, with God, forever!

Photo credited to www.brokenbelievers.com

“That’s a decision you need to make yourself -- to trust Jesus to forgive you for all of your sins. When you believe that Jesus died on the cross to take away your sins, and He rose again, then you have the HOPE of eternal life. The Bible says, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ Easter: the BEST news the world has ever known, the BEST news that anyone will ever hear. Easter means one thing: Jesus is alive!

“That’s the true meaning of Easter. You might think it was the final piece of the puzzle, but you’d be wrong. This was just the beginning of something new and HUGE that God was doing. Proof that Jesus is who He said He was and that whatever happens, God is stronger!"

The best way to follow this lesson up at home is to ask God to give your child a soft heart towards Him and a complete understanding of what God has done for her. Then take time this week to ask your child if her sins have been forgiven? Have they been paid for?

We will be praying with you as you pray for your child.

April 1st - What We Learned

No foolin', here's what your Reign Forest child (ages 2-5) learned on Sunday, April 1st:  ANYONE can praise Jesus, because He wants to everyone's Friend forever! (Matthew 21:1-16)  The children waved palm branches and cheered loudly for Jesus, acting out the scene as He rode into Jerusalem on His donkey.

We also began learning a new Bible verse for the month of April - "A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17.

To help your child remember this lesson at home, go outside and have a praise parade with your child. Grab a small leaf or branch from a tree or bush, and do like the people did when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey. They waved their branches in the air and shouted “Hosanna!” Cheer for Jesus as you march around your yard. Shout out, “Hosanna! Yay Jesus!”

Your Land of Promise child (kindergarten through fifth grade) learned that when bad things happen in life, it is important to remember God's promises (John 14:1-14, 18-19, 27-29).  The children reviewed Jesus' miracles from the disciples point of view.  They watched as Jesus did the impossible: feeding 5,000 people with very little food, healing a blind man, raising Lazarus from the dead.  So when they saw Jesus die on the cross, they needed to remember His promises that He would come back to life, that God could make something good come out of this something bad just like they had seen Him do over and over in the past.

Our new Bible verse for the month of April is "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33b, NIV

To help your child digest this lesson into their life, have a discussion at your dinner table this week.  Ask them what things they can remember that seemed very bad at the time, but God made something good come out of it.  Then share a few times like that that you can remember.  Help your child see, this is not just something their teachers at church are saying, it is something that you and they have proof of in real life.  It is truth!

April's New Preview Videos!

What will your children be learning at church during the month of April?  Check out these preview videos below to find out!

After watching this video, I treasured the fact that the entire Easter story is being boiled down to one completely amazing truth:  Jesus wants to be our Forever Friend!  Think about it.  Why else would God have gone to such great lengths to rescue us from our own sin?  This is what your Reign Forest child will be learning this month.



FL Preview : A Friend Forever (Apri 2012) from Orange on Vimeo.


In the Land of Promise, your child will be learning all about HOPE and what the bigger picture might look like to God when life just doesn't make sense to us.  Oh my goodness, I cannot tell you how stoked I am about this month of lessons!  THIS is the reality that has been missing from many children's church teachings.  We pump our kids full of the miracles God does and tell them how all-powerful He is, but we often neglect to teach that sometimes life doesn't turn out "right" to our minds and that God doesn't always swoop in to be The Hero in our little worlds.  That "where's God now?" feeling sets in and can easily derail disillusioned young people who begin to think "Either He's not all-powerful, like I'd been taught, or He's not all good like I've been taught."  This video is something that everyone needs to watch, not just parents of kids at our church.  This truth can change the hearts of all people everywhere.



Preview: Puzzled (April 2012) from Orange on Vimeo.

March 25th - What We Learned

This Sunday, March 25th, your Reign Forest child (ages 2-5) learned that Jesus wants us to tell EVERYONE that He loves them! (Matthew 4:18-22, 28:16-20; John 1:35-45)  Jesus picked 12 friends called disciples to help Him spread the good news that Jesus loves EVERYONE!  We can also help spread the good news to the people around us.

Our memory verse for this month is John 15:12  "Love each other as I have loved you."

Encourage your child to spread the good news to others you come in contact with.  Some of your children were able to make hearts at church with the words "Jesus loves EVERYONE" on them.  Other children did not get to do that at church.  Regardless, your child can decorate a heart at home, and you can write a Bible verse or the words "Jesus loves YOU" on the heart.  Then your child can hand the hearts out to people who need to know that God loves them.  Together with your child, ask God to lead the two of you to the right person - maybe a stranger at the grocery store, maybe an uncle or aunt, or maybe a next door neighbor - and ask God to soften that person's heart towards Him as a result of your child's action.


Your Land of Promise child (kindergarten through fifth grade) learned that it is important to be IN THE HABIT of standing for what is right. (Daniel 6)  Daniel had spent his entire life choosing to do right no matter what the people around him were doing.  Even his enemies knew that he could be counted on not to waver from the right course of action, and they decided to use that against him.  They tricked the king (who was Daniel's friend) into passing a law that said it was wrong to pray to anyone besides the king.  If anyone prayed to someone besides the king, that person would be thrown into a den of lions.  Daniel's enemies knew ahead of time what Daniel would choose to do.  They knew he would choose to die rather than disobey God, and they were right.  When Daniel heard about the new law, what do you think he did?  Immediately, right away, he went to his room and prayed to God about the new law.  He didn't even stop to think about it or put off praying as long as he could.  No, he prayed right away, because he was in the habit of talking to God about everything that happened, and because he was in the habit of doing right even if it would cost him his life.

Daniel was caught praying by his enemies who already knew what to expect from him, and he was thrown into the lion's den, but God rescued him!  God shut the lion's mouths.  The next morning, the king pulled Daniel out and threw the enemies into the den instead.

Our memory verse for this month is 2 Thessalonians 3:13 - Never tire of doing what is right.

How can you help your child begin a foundation now so that at the end of his life, he can look back and say, "I formed the habit of choosing what was right"?  Developing a deep relationship with God is the key, and spending time with God every day develops that relationship.  This week, help your child focus on spending time with God every day.  Depending on your child's age, he may or may not be able to read a portion of Scripture himself, but he can certainly pray himself.  Take time before bed each night to read from the Bible to your child or encourage him to read it himself before bed each night or when he gets up in the morning (assuming you aren't late for the bus!)  Then, practice praying together as a family whenever you are in the car this week.  Let everyone in the family take a turn talking to God and deepening that relationship.

And don't forget to pray for your child during your own prayer times with God as well as during your together prayer times.

March 18th - What We Learned

This Sunday, March 18th, your Reign Forest child (ages 2-5) learned that just like Jesus loves everyone, we should also show our love for everyone (Luke 10:25-37).  Jesus told the story of how the Good Samaritan showed his love by helping a man lying by the side of the road who had been beaten.  The man lying there was actually the Samaritan's enemy. 

Our memory verse for this month is John 15:12  "Love each other as I have loved you."

During PLAY TIME, talk with your child about ways to show love to others.  For example: show Mommy you love her by helping her put the spoons on the table.  Show Grandpa you love him by making a card for him.  Show your brother you love him by sharing your special treat with him.  See what ideas your child can come up with on his own, and help him put his ideas into action.

Your Land of Promise child (kindergarten through fifth grade) learned how important it is to tell the truth and to stand for what is right even when it is not popular to do so (Daniel 5).  Daniel was a grown man, and a new king, Belshazzar, was now in charge in Babylon, where Daniel had been kidnapped to many years ago.  King Belshazzar was in the middle of a party with all of the officials of his kingdom when a giant hand appeared and wrote on the wall in a foreign language.  Daniel was called in to interpret, and the king offered him several rewards if he would tell the crowd what the words meant.  Daniel looked at the words and knew the king could get very angry at Daniel and possibly even kill him if Daniel told the truth about the meaning, but he still chose to do right.  He told the truth - that the words spelled out the end of Belshazzar's reign - even when he could have made up a more pleasant meaning and no one but God would have known what Daniel had done.  That night, King Belshazzar was murdered, and a new king took over the land.

Our memory verse for this month is 2 Thessalonians 3:13 "Never tire of doing what is right."

 To help your child remember to do right even if it's not popular, put a note in her lunch box each day, or send her a text message a few times this week with these simple words:  "STAND for what is right."     "Don't blend in!"     "Are you ROOTED?"    "I dare you to be like Daniel!"

March 11th - What We Learned

This Sunday, March 11th, your Reign Forest child (ages 2-5) learned that Jesus loves EVERYONE, even people who do bad things, even people whom no one else likes. (Luke 19:1-8)    A man named Zacchaeus used to steal other people's money, and the people he stole from didn't like him because of it.  When they saw him coming down the street, they would move away from him.  If he said hi to them, they would not talk to him.  They were very mad.  One day, Jesus came into the town where Zacchaeus lived.  Zac was very sad and lonely, and he wanted to see Jesus very badly.  He had heard about how wonderful Jesus was.  But the crowds around Jesus were so big and so tall, and Zac was very short.  Whenever he asked the people in front of him to move so that he could see, they ignored him.  Zac knew if he didn't hurry, Jesus would leave before he would get a chance to see him, so he climbed a tree.  From up there, he could see everything, even Jesus.

Jesus saw him, too.  He walked over to the tree, and he looked up into the branches.  "Zacchaeus, come on down from there.  I'm coming over to your house for supper today!"  Can you imagine how Zacchaeus must have felt?  How did Jesus know his name?  And why would Jesus want to be friends with him?  No one wanted to be friends with him!  He scrambled down from that tree as fast as his short legs could climb.

At Zacchaeus' house, Jesus had a long talk with him.  He told him all about how God wanted to forgive him for all the bad stealing he had done.  Zacchaeus did a lot of listening.  Oh, how badly he wanted a clean heart and a guilt-free life!  "YES!"  He told Jesus, "I want to be forgiven and made new again!"  Jesus wiped all of Zacchaeus' sins away, simply because Zacchaeus asked Him to.

Zacchaeus was so happy!  He wanted to make things right with everyone in his town!  He decided to pay everyone back four times more than he had ever stolen from them!  When Jesus becomes your Forever Friend, He makes a BIG difference in your life.

Our memory verse for March is John 15:12 - Love each other as I have loved you.

To reinforce this lesson during CAR TIME, as you drive down the road, call out the people you see and ask your child if Jesus loves them.  Some examples would be, “Does Jesus love the man in the red car?  Does Jesus love the woman in the blue dress?  Does Jesus love the little girl who’s crying?  Does Jesus love the man who bagged our groceries?”  Prompt your child each time to say, “Yes! Jesus loves everyone!”  As you get out of the car, tell your child to look in the review mirror.  Ask her, “Does Jesus love (name of child)?”  Yes! Jesus loves everyone!

Your Land of Promise child (kindergarten through fifth grade) learned that when you stand for what is right, others can see God. (Daniel 3)  Three young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, had a decision to make:  they could bow down in front of a statue of the king, or they could burn to death in a furnace.  They chose to burn to death.  I absolutely LOVE the statement they made when given a second chance to bow before the statue, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

They wouldn't even pretend to.

The king, of course, was infuriated and ordered that the furnace temperature be raised seven times hotter.  The guards who tossed the three tied men into the furnace were killed from the radiating heat, but when King Neb looked into the furnace to see the remains of the three, he saw four men walking around in the blaze completely unharmed, and he thought the fourth guy looked like a god.  When the three men came out of the furnace there was not a mark on them; they didn't even smell like fire.  The king was amazed!  He said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."

These three guys chose to stand firm, and their choice revealed GOD to many, many people.

Our memory verse for March is 2 Thessalonians 3:13 - Never tire of doing what is right.

Choosing to stand is a scary thing, but sometimes practicing ahead can make it easier.  Role play with your child various situations and talk your way through them together.  "What would you say if someone at school said this to you...?"  "How would you act if a teacher said this...?"  "What would you do if you saw someone take something that didn't belong to him?"  "What would you say if your friend said God is not real?"  Be creative in your scenarios and give your child a chance to turn the tables on you, asking questions like "What would you do if your boss asked you to...?"

March Preview Videos are Here!

In this three minute video Amber explains March's theme for our Reign Forest children - Jesus Loves EVERYONE. It is pretty convicting when she says that the best way our children learn is by watching us love EVERYONE around us including "...that woman who we don't know, but who we think we know by the way she talks..."

FL Preview : Everyone (March 2012) from Orange on Vimeo.

Reggie unpacks the Land of Promise theme for the month of March - Rooted Conviction - in this seven minute video. He explains that conviction not rooted in Scripture and not fueled by the Spirit of Christ can be dangerous and awful (suicide bombers are full of conviction, for example, so are abortion clinic bombers). We want our children to learn the type of conviction that is not simply "standing for something," and not even "standing for the right thing," but "standing for the right thing in the right way." It is well worth your time to watch this video!

Preview: Rooted (March 2012) from Orange on Vimeo.