KidzBlast

New Blog Site!

2010-01-06T17:52:00.003-05:00

Hello Faithful Blog Followers!

We have created a new blog site for KidzBlast at: pastorcarrie.wordpress.com

Please be sure to note the change and follow us there!

Blessings,
Pastor Carrie

Christmas Break... It's time to Ice Skate!

2009-12-22T16:02:00.004-05:00

Hey Kids!

It's that time... Ice Skating is just around the corner! As a reward for our winning offering team (A) and of course, the open inviation to team B - I invite you to join me on:

Wednesday, December 30th at the Mentor Civic Ice Arena
When: 2:30pm-4:30pm
Cost for Team B: $7
Cost for Team A: FREE

We will meet up at the arena at 2:15pm. Please have your parents drop you off and pick you up.

Questions? Contact Pastor Carrie by Phone: 440.354.6805, ext. 15, Text: 440.251.0698, Email: pagevangelism@ameritech.net

See you there!
Pastor Carrie

FOCUSING ON THE TARGET (December 15, 2009)

2009-12-15T18:38:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday we ventured into new territory as we talked about friendships and jealousy. I must say the best part was when all of our "volunteers" attempted to braid three cords together, ha! I think the student who finally did it should receive an Olympic Gold Medal for that!

Anywho... the world we live in teaches that we shouldn't celebrate the success of others, rather we should compete to out-do them and be better. However, God teaches us to "rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn." We see this happening in the friendship of Jonathan and David (the celebrating of success), but we see the jealousy from Saul towards David. Let's break it down and recap:

Saul overheard of the great success David had when he killed the giant named "Goliath" and wanted to meet this young man,
They were introduced and Saul was so fond of what he was hearing he wanted David to work for him and live in his palace,
While living in the palace David met the king's son: Jonathan and they agreed to become best friends and remain loyal to each other no matter what,
One day, as they returned from war where they had gained victory over the Philistines, the women who traditionally sang to celebrate started to sing a song that went like this: "Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands!"
Saul heard this and completely took it the wrong way, he began to be jealous of David which led to anger which led to him wanting to kill David because he feared the people would make him king instead of his own son,
However, little did Saul know that Jonathan, when he took off his robe and handed it to David, symbolized him handing over the nation of Isreal...in other words, Jonathan knew that David was going to be the next king and he was ok with that and was happy for David,
Satan tried to use this situation with Jonathan to make him jealous towards David but Jonathan refused to give in and become jealous...he stayed focused on the target and did whatever it took to protect and warn David from danger (from his dad) so that he could one day make it to the throne and become king...

For us, we may not be running for our lives to escape death like David did, but we face situations like Saul and Jonathan where we can choose to become jealous of other's success or not. Who are you more like? Do you get jealous like Saul or do you rejoice with others like Jonathan? It's hard to keep our focus on God and the right thing when there's so many distractions around us, but when we are doing that which pleases God, we value others and see the gifts and talents God has personally given to us, we are actually living a successful life in God! When this happens, all of Satan's efforts will fail and not work...and that's exactly what we want to happen.

So remember... "Rejoice with those who Rejoice and Mourn with those who Mourn" (Romans 12.15) and you will be living a life that God is pleased with and His face will be smiling over you!

See you Sunday for a great musical,
Pastor Carrie

Christmas Musical Practice

2009-12-15T18:34:00.003-05:00

Hey Kids and Parents!

Just a quick reminder, all KidzBlast kids (k-6) will be meeting for their dress rehearsal this Saturday, December 19 at 10am.

All KB Jr kids (3-4 yr olds), will be meeting for their dress rehearsal at 11:30am.

This will all culminate with a pizza party at noon!

See you there!
Pastor Carrie

Lifting Weights (December 1, 2009)

2009-12-01T15:26:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago we learned how prayer is like weight lifting and it will build our spiritual muscles.

Olympic weightlifting began a long time ago in the year 1896. The 1896 Olympics is known as the first modern day Olympic Games. Olympic weightlifters train for many years lifting weights everyday. They start out with lower weights and work their way up to really heavy weights. If a weightlifter were to try to lift the really heavy stuff at first, he would have a hard time and probably get injured in the process.

As lifting smaller weights builds physical strength, we learned that prayer builds spiritual strength. The bible says that we should be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. You can't be strong in the Lord without prayer. And Jesus, our Olympic Coach, gave us a good example on how to pray.

First, Jesus prayed alone. It is important to spend time alone in prayer to Jesus each day. It is so great to be able to spend time alone with Jesus, Himself. Wow!!!

Second, Jesus prayed with His friends. It is also good to get with others including your friends to pray. That is one reason we pray together in KidzBlast. We are a family of God with needs and requests. We can offer prayer for each other for the strength to obey God.

Third, Jesus taught us how to pray. That is so cool. We can learn how to pray from Jesus. He gave us the Lord's Prayer. It teaches us to be holy and respectful before the Lord. We call that reverence. He teaches us the importance of doing God's will and that we can participate in bringing God's Kingdom to earth. The Lord's Prayer encourages us to trust God for everything. And it teaches us not only to forgive others who hurt us, but also sometimes we need others to forgive us for hurting them. Finally, with the Lord's Prayer we can believe that God will protect us from all temptation to do wrong.

Finally, we learned that God desires that we pray all the time. Just like a weightlifter who trains everyday to build his physical strength, we must pray everyday to build our spiritual strength and get closer to Jesus. You can start by praying a short time and then build up to a longer time.

Remember, boys and girls, we made a commitment to pray when we wake up in the morning and right before you go to bed. We also learned that God sees your new day starting when you go to sleep at night. So you can trust that Jesus is hearing your prayers and is ready to answer them. Even while you sleep. Praise the Lord!!!

Prayer is how we get our strength to say, "NO" to sin. It is not always easy to live as we know God wants us to. To receive the strength we need, we must be faithful to pray each day.

The Lord is my strength and we can all become stronger in the Lord through prayer.

Guest Blogger,
Mr. George

Superhero!

2009-11-20T17:56:00.002-05:00

Just a quick reminder to everyone - please have your student(s) at the church this Sunday night at 5pm to rehearse the worship song they will be singing in the family service this week!

Thanks! See you then,
Pastor Carrie

COMMITTING WITH CEREMONY (November 8, 2009)

2009-11-12T16:00:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone! Just a quick recap of what we discussed this past Sunday in KidzBlast...and parents, this one is especially important for you! We journeyed together through the doctrine of Water Baptism and how this was actually the "true mark" of a New Testament disciple. During the days of the apostles, they went so far as to believe that if you weren't baptized in water, you weren't a true follower of Jesus Christ. Why did they think this "extreme?" Basically because they couldn't imagine a true follower or disciple not "obeying" their Lord's command. Disobedience pretty much communicated you weren't serious about your commitment. The same is true in our day... If God has commanded us to follow His example in water baptism and we disobey and neglect this area of our Christian walk, how serious are we about following God? The Bible is clear in our memory verse for the week which stated: "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you." Acts 2.38 The very first thing we should do following salvation is the ceremony of water baptism; where we publicly say: "I belong to Jesus, and I'm going to follow Him no matter what. I want everyone to know about my commitment to Him."

Kids, you will remember we talked about how water baptism is actually viewed through Christ's death and resurrection. When we are placed under the water, we are leaving our sin and old way of thinking behind (it's dead and buried), and when we come up out of the water we are being raised like Jesus in new life! We are living a new life of obedience to God and what He demands of us!

Water Baptism is so amazing! I loved my experience as a 12 year old. I felt so new...so alive in God! It was definitely one of the greatest moment as a Christian. I want to give you the same opportunity that I had... So on November 29th during the morning service, we are holding a water baptism service. If you have committed to living your life for Jesus and you want the world to know, then talk with your parents and let them know what you're feeling inside. Then talk to me and we will be sure to have you take part in this awesome ceremony with us!

Raising Obedient Christians,
Pastor Carrie

CARRYING THE TORCH (November 1, 2009)

2009-11-03T17:33:00.002-05:00

First of all - I think it's totally cool that we're doing this "Olympic Training" series with the 2010 Winter Olympics just around the corner! What great timing!

This week we talked about the extreme excitement that surrounds the opening ceremony and the lighting of the torch. Not only that, but how 12,000 athletes will have the privilege of being a torch carrier for the 2010 winter games. To be a torch carrier is a position of honor because the Olympic torch represents peace, unity, friendship and honesty. When you are chosen to carry this torch you are representing all these good attitudes that came as a result of the very first Olympic games that were held in Greece. This country was in complete turmoil and war, but they decided to set aside their disagreements and come together to compete in the games and bring about world friendship. If you've ever seen the Olympic torch lit you will remember the mass cheering from the crowd as the games had officially begun and people were stirring with excitement, not only for the games, but for their country. Think about it, if we can get this excited about an Olympic torch, how much more excited should we be when we realize the face that we are torch carriers for Jesus, taking His light to a world who doesn't know Him? WOW! What an honor! We carry the very flame of Jesus that can ignite others for God! Kids, we are a torch for God! I'm so excited just writing this!

As we go throughout our week, let's remember what we talked about Sunday...

You are the Light of the World - who's "You?" Only followers of Jesus and no one else.
You're like a city on a Hill that can't be hidden - don't hide your light ever, rather let it shine for all those around you to see, for it could be in that moment, someone sees Jesus in you and asks Him into their very own heart and life.
Let your light shine before men so they will see your good works and glorify God who is in Heaven - to live for Jesus is more than just the words you say about Him, it's how you live. Just like the Olympic torch represents all those different attitudes, your life should show Christlike actions that would be worthy of others respect and of being imitated.

*Remember, don't ever hide your light to fit in with a certain group of kids, don't hide your light so you can avoid being made fun of, don't hide your light for any reason, because it could be at the moment we choose to hide our light, someone was ready to come to Christ and we missed an opportunity.

"No one lights a lamp and then puts a bucket over it, that would extinguish its purpose. A light is to shine for the good of all those around it. So SHINE!"

Have a great week! See you Sunday as we talk about Water Baptism!
Pastor Carrie

JOINING THE TEAM (October 21, 2009)

2009-10-21T13:09:00.004-04:00

This week we learned that any Olympian must be a citizen of the country they are competing for, but importantly, we learned that we can be a part of God's team by becoming a citizen of Heaven. We talked about a guy named Saul and how he's much like the average church kid that comes to learn about God from week to week. We know the scriptures, we have a foundation of faith, and we are determined to follow what we believe...in our heads. You see, Saul had all of this and still did not know Jesus or have a personal relationship with Him. How many of us know about God, even memorize His word but don't have a relationship or friendship with His Son, Jesus? We must be very careful that we don't become like Saul but instead allow what we learn about Jesus to get into our hearts and actually change the way we live and think about life!

It's easy for us to get so used to God that we are no longer moved by Him. Remember the Olympian at the Victory Ceremony? If they won the gold medal for their country and they heard their national anthem being played, how would they often respond? They would cry. Their love and commitment to their country was so strong that just the sound of the anthem would cause them to become emotional. Yet, how often do we hear the sounds of worship and are unmoved by our citizenship in Heaven? We get so used to "church" that hearing about God causes no reaction or response within us at all.

I pray this week that God would develop in you a hunger for Him! I pray that you would make a renewed commitment to your country - Heaven! As well as a renewed commitment to Jesus, who died so you can have that citizenship to Heaven. I pray that the next time you hear about God, you would be so moved by His words that it would cause you to respond by changing your life so that it pleases Jesus. Never get tired of Jesus! He never wears out and He never gets old. Everyday there's something new to learn about the most amazing person in your life! God is simply the best!

See you Sunday as we celebrate Buddy's 60th Birthday!
Pastor Carrie

Posting...

2009-09-22T18:07:00.000-04:00

Hey just to let you know we will start posting again once our new series begins on October 18th!

IMM (BGMC Sunday, August 30, 2009)

2009-09-01T19:48:00.002-04:00

How many love TV, Movies, CD's, Computers, and the Internet? I think most all of us enjoy some, if not all of these forms of media. IMM (International Media Ministries) is all about using these tools of the trade to reach people all over the world with the message of what Jesus Christ has done for them. Even though IMM is located in Madrid, Spain, they actually go into every country, even where missionaries aren't allowed to go, because of TV, radio and more!

IMM helps to train our missionaries and churches around the world and they use the word TEAM to do it! Let's recap what each letter stands for and how it's used to help:

Train: for 27 years IMM missionaries have traveled to other countries to train people to make their own programs for radio and TV. They train radio announcers, TV hosts and cameramen! They even train teams to run their own media ministries.
Empower: IMM empowers people - both kids and adults, to make a choice to live for Jesus. Half of the people in the world have not yet learned how to read or write, but they can watch TV, listen to radio, and listen to cassette tapes. IMM has produced tapes with Bible stories, bible lessons, scripture verses and dramas. All of these tools are used to help non-readers learn of Christ.
Assist: As they help other countries set up their own radio and TV stations they also help them buy the equipment that's needed, set it up and then learn how to run it. They also help put all these different programs into the language of the country.
Motivate: IMM loves to help motivate people and get them excited about new ideas! When IMM's director went to Sarajevo, Bosnia, to meet with church leaders, he learned they had been given a chance to put a show on TV...but there was no one who knew who to produce it. When one pastor saw IMM's short Bible story programs, the Parables of Jesus, he realized that these could work by replacing the story-teller's voice with a Bosnian speaking voice!

So as you go through this week, remember to pray for our IMM missionaries and the awesome work they are doing...pray for their safety as they travel around the world. Pray for more funds to help provide the equipment they need to set up TV and radio stations and all the programs they run. Finally, pray for God to give IMM missionaries and all missionaries creative ideas to keep spreading the gospel around the world!

GO 360! See ya Sunday!
Pastor Carrie

SAMSON'S TURN AROUND (August 23, 2009)

2009-08-25T14:32:00.005-04:00

Hey Parents & Kids!

I wanted to quickly recap what we discovered Sunday as we concluded the story of Samson. Wow! Did Samson ever embarrass those Philistines! When it was him and a donkey's jawbone against 1,000 Philistine soldiers, who do you think won? That's right! Samson did because he had God's power with him. Now here were some interesting facts leading up to Samson's final battle... Remember there were three rules included in the Nazarite vow (promise):

Don't cut your hair,
Don't drink wine, alcohol of any kind, don't even eat the fruit off the vine (grapes),
Don't go near a corpse (dead things)

Well, leading up to our story in Judges 16, Samson had already broken two of these rules. When he took the honey from the lion and the jawbone from the donkey, he didn't just go near a corpse, but he actually had to touch it! (No wonder Samson didn't tell his parents where he got the honey from!) Not only that, in Judges 14.5 it says that Samson was near the vineyards of Timnah when the lion attacked him. What is a vineyard? A big garden of grapes! Now comes the last part of the promise...Samson finally gives in to this woman named Delilah and tells her the secret of his strength...the fact that he was a Nazarite unto God and no razor had ever touched his head. Well, when she finds this out she of course tells the Philistine enemies and while Samson is sleeping they come and Delilah yells, "The Philistines are upon you!" Samson, getting up, thinks he will defeat them like he always did but this time he realizes his strength is gone...God's power has left him. The Philistines capture Samson, gouge out his eyes, (which by the way, the loss of eyesight to a Jew is considered to be a terrible curse), they put heavy chains and shackles on his feet, throw him in prison and make him grind at the mill (which by the way is a job reserved for a woman or a donkey)...you can imagine the shame and embarrassment Samson was now feeling!

One day, the rulers of the temple and all 3,000 guests that were there wanted Samson to come out and entertain them and amuse them...basically they wanted him to come out so they could make fun of him. Here's an interesting piece to this story...while Samson was in prison, not one Philistine paid attention to the fact that his hair was starting to grow out and get long again. So, while Samson is out entertaining at this party, the servant boy that was leading him around was asked by Samson to take him to the center pillars of the temple of Dagon (the Philistine god). All of a sudden, Samson prays to God and asks him to strengthen him one last time so that he could pay back the Philistines for the loss of his two eyes (remember to a Jew the loss of eyesight was a big deal!) - with that said, Samson stood between the two pillars, stretched out his arms and placed his hands on each pillar and pushed, saying: "Let me die with the Philistines." You see, Samson would rather die with the Philistines (his enemy) than live with them in misery. It was on that day that God heard the cry of Samson, answered his prayer, strengthed him one last time and allowed Samson to kill more Philistines in one day than he did in his entire lifetime! God was also letting the Philistines know it wasn't Dagon who allowed you to capture Samson, it was Samson's own stupidity... The fact that I'm empowering my servant Samson for this final battle should let you know that I AM God and Dagon is not! I mean where was Dagon when the temple came crashing down? I didn't see him come to your rescue... That's because he's a lifeless piece of wood, but I am not! I AM the one, true living God who comes to the aid of My people!

The amazing part of this story is this: Even though Samson broke every part of the promise he made to God, when he cried out in prayer to God, the Lord heard his prayer and helped him gain victory over his enemy. Here's the really cool part, Samson's hair, which was an outward symbol of his relationship with God, began to grow again just like Samson was allowing his relationship with God inwardly to grow again. How cool is that! Check out Hebrews 11 too because Samson is listed among the great heroes of the faith! Just like God restored Samson, he wants to restore us too! Even when we've sinned and messed up, God desires to fix our relationship with Him, forgive us for our wrongdoing and let His glory shine through us once again! If you cry out to God like Samson did, know that it's never too late for God to fix and repair your relationship with Him! He loves you! He can't be by sin because He's holy and just, but He can get rid of the sin through forgiveness so you can come near to Him once again...that's what He wants!

See ya Sunday! Don't forget, it's BGMC so bring your Buddy Barrel!
Pastor Carrie

THE WRONG FRIENDS CAN HURT YOU (August 16, 2009)

2009-08-20T14:38:00.003-04:00

Check it out...this past Sunday, we discussed how Sampson chose to listen to the advice of those around him and that was not a good decision to make.

Sampson came from a great beginning. He had godly parents and God wanted to accomplish great things through him. Sampson had been chosen by God to be a judge of Israel. And actually, the Spirit of God lived in Sampson when he was very young.

Sampson was empowered by God with incredible strength which was enough to tear a Lion in two with his bare hands and slay 1,000 men with a jawbone of a donkey. That’s pretty amazing!!! Sampson’s strength came from God. It was God’s power that Sampson possessed. But Sampson believed his power came from his long hair which was never to be cut because Sampson was a Nazarite who took the vow. Sampson was also never to go near anything dead or drink of any wine or eat anything unclean.

Sampson’s pride and the influence of some ungodly friends caused Sampson to break promises he made to God as a Nazarite. Sampson was proud of what he did to the Lion. Sampson saw that honey bees had formed a hive inside of the dead Lion and that there was honey inside to eat. Sampson chose to eat it. And Sampson also chose to be married to a woman that did not love or serve God. Then most tragically, Sampson fell asleep in his tent and his wife, Delilah, cut off his hair. When Sampson tried to fight off the Philistines, he was completely helpless because God had removed his power from him. Sampson’s biggest mistake came from listening to his friends more than he listened to God.

Even though Sampson had great strength, he had a great weakness – he chose ungodly friends. The Bible is right when it tells us the wrong kind of friends can hurt us. The choice is ours who we will listen to and who our friends will be. Who are you hanging out with?

See ya Sunday!

JEPHTHAH'S FOOLISH PROMISE (August 2, 2009)

2009-08-06T12:59:00.002-04:00

Wow, Sunday's lesson sure was heavy wasn't it? Who knew a careless promise could lead to someone else's death?! Controlling our tongue and the words that come out of our mouths can be really hard. Remember what James (in the Bible) said? He said our "tongue is a fire." In other words, we could say things that please God (like worship and encouragement), while in the next breath say things that hurt others and cause us to sin. That little muscle inside your mouth is a powerful thing and we must be careful and let God control it. Remember, everything we say, God will judge...no word, action or attitude is insignificant to God. Most of all, we need to be very careful when we use the words "I Promise." That's where Jephthah comes in...

Jephthah's story comes from Judges 11 and what a sad story it is! Not only do his brothers hate him from the start because he has a different mother, they then use him to lead Israel to victory because they know he's a mighty warrior. His brothers promise to make him commander and chief over the army if he agrees to help them and that promise was kept. However, Jephthah, wanting to make sure God gave him the victory over the Ammonites, makes a very CARELESS promise to God... He said: "If you give me the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return home I will sacrifice." Well, sure enough God gives Jephthah and the army of Israel the victory. When Jephthah returns home as a triumphant soldier his only child, his daughter, comes running out of the house dancing and playing tambourines to greet her father. It was at that moment, Jepthah remembered the promise he made to God and was so overcome with sadness that the Bible says he tore his clothes. Because of careless words and not thinking about what He was saying, Jephthah's daughter dies.

This week I challenge you to not make sudden promises to impress people that you know you can't keep. Don't make a promise and then break it because you will hurt and cause trouble for the one you made your promise to. Ask God to help you control your tongue and what comes out of your mouth so that you're always pleasing Him in all that you say and do!

See you Sunday!
Pastor Carrie

BGMC: MONGOLIA! (July 29, 2009)

2009-07-29T16:26:00.004-04:00

"Chinny uc nogoon ungtay!" That's how you say: "Your hair is green!" in Mongol...in case you were wondering. This past Sunday we learned about the "Land of Blue Sky," Mongolia. What an amazing country! Did you know that Mongolia has more horses than people? That as soon as you're old enough to walk, you're old enough to start learning horseback riding? Did you know that instead of reading left to right like we do they actually read up and down the page? Pretty cool facts!

How about this fact: In 1990 Mongolia only had 10 Christians in the whole country! That's not a lot when there's 3 million people in the country. For many years missionaries were not allowed in the country and people rarely had the chance to ever hear about Jesus. It wasn't until 1993 that Mongolia opened its doors to missionaries and to BGMC.

Here's a sad story... When Marco Polo's father visited Mongolia more than 700 years ago, the ruler of Mongolia actually asked him to send them missionaries! But the missionaries never came, people never heard about Jesus, and as a result, the country's main religion to this day is Buddhism. How different would things be today if those missionaries would've come? It's so important to send a country missionaries when they ask...and it's even more important to say "YES" to Jesus when He asks you to be His missionary!

Remember to pray for Mongolia!

For the Assemblies of God Missionaries,
For the people who live in fear of spirits and who don't know that Jesus loves them,
For the 5,000 children who live on the streets with no home.

What is God calling you to be? Where is He calling you to go?

See you Sunday!
Pastor Carrie

GIDEON'S UNSEEN HELPER

2009-07-23T14:50:00.002-04:00

Well it's good to be back! With vacation it's been a week or so since I've blogged in one of our KidzBlast services and I've missed doing that...I felt out of touch with my kids and parents. Our "Here Come the Judges" series has been challenging as we learn each week how Israel was doing so good in their obedience and worship to God and then all of a sudden...they would slip and begin worshiping idols again. I know that as adults and kids, we have those areas we struggle in; we do good for awhile, but then Satan or our own flesh will get in the way and we go back to doing what we don't want to and it makes God sad.

This past Sunday we learned some new things about the story of Gideon. One of our goals in KidzBlast is to always draw out new insights from familiar stories to prove to kids how inexhaustable our God really is, and as we did this, new revelation of God came. First things first though...FEAR is a very powerful emotion and can actually cause us to become ineffective for God. Did you know that the word "afraid" is used 211 times in the Bible? Because God knows we struggle with fear a lot, He made sure He put stories that deal with fear in the Bible so that we could know how to overcome this emotion. A lot of times as kids, you might struggle with the fear of failing in school, your parents divorcing, crime in your neighborhood and more! Know that God has not left you helpless to deal with this, but throughout scripture He has given us what we need to find strength, courage and the ability to overcome fear with His help!

Gideon was a guy that definately struggled with fear and trusting God. Read the story as a family this week (Judges 6.1-7.22) and see if you can answer the following questions:

How long did Midian rule the Israelites, God's chosen people?
How did the Midianites destroy Israel and make them afraid? (HINT: Had to do with their food supply)
God forwarned His people in Deut. 28 that if they didn't listen and obey His voice something would happen. What was it? (Deut.28.31)
What was Gideon doing when the angel of God came to him and called him a "Mighty Warrior?"
How many signs did Gideon ask God for to make sure God was really calling him to deliver the Israelites? What were those signs?
What was the dream about that Gideon overheard his enemies talking about late at night?
Gideon started with 32,000 men in his army but God wanted to get it down to 300 men so they would know for sure that it was God who gave them the victory. How did God get rid of all the extra soldiers?
What 3 items did the Israelite army have that would be used for battle?
How were the Midianites defeated by Israel?
Because Gideon obeyed God and allowed God to use him to deliver the Isrealites, God made Gideon a what? (HINT: It's the name of the book you're reading this story out of)

Well I pray you have fun and learn even more as you study and review this Bible story together as a family. Remember, just like God helped Gideon overcome his fears, he can do the same for you. How does He do that? The answer is found in our key verse for the week: "The Lord is with me; He is my helper." Psalm 118.7

Be strong and courageous! God is with you at all times! See you Sunday.
Pastor Carrie

BGMC: TONGA (June 28, 2009)

2009-07-01T11:24:00.003-04:00

Tonga is made up of 170 islands and is located in the Pacific Ocean near Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. Some of the islands of Tonga still have active volcanoes! The Assemblies of God currently have 6 missionaries, 80 churches with more than 2,000 people attending. However, there are fewer than 50 pastors, thus creating a need to train more! Right now there is a Bible School that is training 31 more workers. Please pray and ask God to raise up more Pastors for these churches on the islands of Tonga.

Some interesting facts about Tonga:

In Tonga, a family living in one home doesn't just include parents and children, but all relatives! When a family member needs a place to stay, he or she is always welcome.
Faka Tonga, the "Tongan Way"of life, is relaxed. Tongans like to take time to visit with each other and to enjoy each day.
The evening meal is the main time of day for the family to gather. Father helps with the cooking and then says a prayer of thanks for the meal when all is ready.
Many families in Tonga farm...they grow pumpkins, vanilla beans, yams, and coffee to sell in other countries.
In 1966, missionary Larry Larson and some other missionaries from the Fiji Islands arrived in Tonga to preach the gospel. Many Tongans accepted Jesus and were baptized in the Holy Spirit. They studied the Bible together and some high school students actually started prayer groups in their school. Soon after that they Assemblies of God was formed in Tonga.
And don't forget what Winnie told us... only men play drums and only girls juggle. Interesting.

BGMC is a great ministry for kids in the US to help missionaries overseas...In Tonga alone, BGMC has provided books for pastors, paid for Children's Ministry equipment such as puppets, clown outfits, costumes, and whatever else they need.

Thank you kids for giving to BGMC!! See ya Sunday!
Pastor Carrie

FATAL INFILTRATION (June 21, 2009)

2009-07-01T11:14:00.002-04:00

We've begun to learn how Israel, after all that God has done for them in the land of Canaan, are beginning to slip and disobey God's commands. What was the reason for their decline? They didn't drive out all the people in the land like God told them to and now they're being influenced by wicked people who worship false gods...dead gods. Israel started to turn away from the one, true God and began worshiping the false gods of the Canaanites. This should cause you and me to look at the people we hang out with...who influences us? Are our close friends Christian's or are they ungodly? Are the TV shows, movies, music, video games we entertain ourselves with teaching sinful living or do they honor God? Like the crazy doctor who hosted our talk show said: "A lot of times we don't think 'LITTLE SINS' are that big of a deal but they are." Without us even knowing it, we could be more like the world we live in than the God we claim to worship. We must be careful. We must examine ourselves to see if we are living like Jesus and looking like Jesus in all we say, do, and think. Let the Holy Spirit influence you with what is good and say "no" to the pressure of your friends who would want you to do wrong.

You can do it! I believe in you!!
Pastor Carrie

CONQUERING CANAAN!

2009-06-16T18:07:00.003-04:00

Sunday we learned about a big word: "Perseverance." To Persevere means that when things get tough, you keep doing what God has asked you to do. Or when your friends try and sway you to lie instead of tell the truth, you persevere and do what is right. No matter how difficult the job is, no matter how difficult the request from your parents is to clean up your room, you stick to doing it until it's done! As Christians, we are to become more and more like Jesus every single day. That can be hard! Especially when our friends or family members who don't know Jesus try and get us to do things that would make God sad. But we can't give up! We must persevere because God has great rewards for those who do.

Joshua was a guy who, when push came to shove, persevered. We took a journey Sunday with Joshua and the Israelites as they entered Canaan, this huge piece of land God had given them called "The Promise Land." God gave Joshua the command to conquer every city in Canaan and to take it as their own. They started with Jericho, then moved to Ai, then south until eventually the King of Hazor in the north heard about what was happening; how the Israelites were moving through the land and possessing it. When he heard what the Israelites were doing and how their God was helping them with victory after victory he got scared and rallied his own armies with many kings from other cities. But once God gave Joshua another strategy to win and possess the entire northern region of Canaan it was all over for those other kings and their armies! God did awesome miracles for Joshua and the Israelites, but they faced difficult times as well and had to persevere.

Let's recap some of those moments along the way where Joshua had to learn about perseverence and trust God:

How did the Israelites conquer Jericho, a walled city with huge gates? (Remember, they wandered in the desert for 40 years so they didn't exactly have the latest equipment and tools to take this city like another army might have).
What kept the Israelite army from conquering Ai the first time around? And how did this cause Joshua to have to persevere?
When the King of Jerusalem heard about what God was doing through the Israelites he feared for his life. He got 4 other kings from the south and their armies to help him fight the Gibeonites and the Israelites. However, Joshua needed more time to fight the enemy armies - what did Joshua ask God to do so he could persevere and finish the job? (Remember - this was the first time in history God took a command from a human voice!)
What is our promised land and who do we have to fight to get it?
What are some things our enemy does to try to throw us off course and stop us from persevering?

Remember, the Bible says that Joshua persevered to the end, he didn't leave one thing incomplete that God had given him to do. With God's help we can do the same thing! God has given us commands as well, things we need to do to battle our enemy and win. He's given us the 10 Commandments to live by and when we obey and do what is right we are winning a battle against Satan. When we say "no" to what is wrong, we are winning a battle. But we can't do this on our own, we need God to help us get the victory just like He did with Joshua! God is all-powerful and He's already won the battle for us... We just have to trust Him, do what He says and persevere until the end! If we do? The promise land called Heaven is ours!

Have a great week!
Pastor Carrie

BGMC: Bangladesh

2009-06-03T16:08:00.004-04:00

This past Sunday we learned about the country of Bangladesh and what BGMC and our Assemblies of God Missionaries are doing to reach the many people in this "big, little country."

Bangladesh is only about the size of the state of Wisconsin yet there are 150 million people that live there...thus the nickname: "big, little country." That's like taking half the people that live in the United States and putting them all into one state! WOW!

There were some very interesting facts that we learned about this country, let's see how well you remember what those facts were. Here we go!

Faruk, a boy who lives in one of the villages of Bangladesh, lives in a house that sits on what so that the flood waters don't wipe out his house? (HINT: Clowns sometimes walk on these)
Faruk lives with his family, plus his grandparents, and they all live in a house with how many rooms?
What was interesting about how Faruk "washes up" for dinner?
What did Winnie the World carry into KidzBlast that will help remind us to pray for the people of Bangladesh everytime we see one? (HINT: We use it in the rain)
Name two things that your BGMC offerings have provided for kids in Bangladesh.
During our skit there were three different religions that tried to help Kasie break free from her circle of sin but couldn't...what religions were they?
Whose name is the only name we can call upon to save us from our sin?
What was the miracle that God did for Musad in our TRUE MISSIONS STORY?
Why is it so important to pray in "Jesus' Name?"

Well, that's going to wrap things up for us this week. I hope you enjoyed your "Kheer" (Rice Custard) and that you will remember to pray for the pastors, missionaries, Bible School Students, the radio and TV programs along with the homeless children and single moms in Bangladesh. They need our prayers and like Winnie said, "Through giving offerings and praying for others we can do our part in reaching those around the world!"

See you at Jammin' on Johnnycake this Saturday and don't forget...BIG Review Game this Sunday, hope you're ready!!

Pastor Carrie

VICTORIOUS SOLDIERS

2009-05-27T12:44:00.003-04:00

Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you were a soldier armed with paper guns and weapons? You would definately lose the war wouldn't you? Well that's what it's like when we try to fight our enemy, Satan, on our own without God's help. If we want to be victorious soldiers in the Lord's Army we have to obey God, so no to sin and temptation and then put all the trust we have in God! As we finish up this series on the 10 Commandments and what it means to be a soldier for God - let's recap what we learned this past week and see how much you remember...

Who were the group of people that pretended to be from a far away land with worn out clothes, moldy bread and holes in their shoes? (HINT: They were the ones who tricked Joshua into signing a peace agreement with them so they might live and not die).
Now that this group of people made peace with the Israelites the King of Jerusalem was afraid they would come and destroy his kingdom. What was his plan to make sure this didn't happen? (HINT: Joshua 10)
During the night, Joshua marched his whole army to surprise the five enemy kings and their armies. God did 3 miracles for Israel as they fought those 5 armies...what were they?
Who are some of your enemies and how can we defeat them?

Some of you may not be faithful soldiers. When times get tough, you don't keep your daily time with God, or when some kids at school make fun of you for doing what is right, you give and do what's wrong so you can be accepted. The only way to be a faithful soldier is not to let anything come between you and God. I challenge you to stick to your daily devotions (Keys for Kids), keep coming to church and to KidzBlast, and do your very best to obey God, even when it's hard. Remember, if you do your part as a soldier in the Lord's Army, God will do His and He will make you victorious just like He made Joshua and the Israelites victorious!!

Have a great week and I'll see you this Sunday as we visit the country of Bangladesh! Don't forget your Buddy Barrel :)

Pastor Carrie

Cost Of Our Freedom

2009-05-19T18:25:00.002-04:00

Freedom rarely comes without a great cost. Part of a soldier's responsibility is being willing to go into battle when his country's freedom is being threatened. A good soldier is willing to die to ensure freedom for people in his country.

We as Christians need to remember the great price Jesus paid so that we could be free! He gave up all the wonderful things about Heaven to become like one of us (well...all except for the sin part). For a time Jesus lived on this earth where we live and went through the same struggles and temptations we face. He then went through this horrible death on a cross so we could be free from sin and forgiven; made clean in our hearts and lives. If Jesus didn't die on the cross for our sins we would have to die and be punished as well as kept separate from God for all eternity.

As we recap what we learned on Sunday, don't forget how much our freedom cost Jesus!

What was the name of the group of people that were jealous of Jesus because of all the attention He got? (HINT: All answers are found in Mark 15-16)
What was the name of the Roman Ruler who didn't think Jesus was guilty of any of the charges brought against Him?
What was the main reason people wanted Jesus killed?
Every year the Roman Ruler would set free one of the prisoners, what was the name of the prisoner that was set free? Why was this a bad move for the Roman Ruler?
After Jesus was released to the soldiers to suffer, what were some of the mean and horrible things they did to Jesus?
Even though Jesus is the Son of God and has all power, why didn't He use His power to stop what was happening? If He did stop it, what would that have meant for us?
Because Jesus was so weak from all the beating and whipping, He fell under the weight of the cross they made him carry. Who was the man that helped Jesus carry His cross?
What happened on the third day after Jesus died?
"He Is Risen" means a lot of things... Do you remember what some of those are? (Freebee: Jesus defeated Sin. What else?)
Jesus went through all of this for me and you so that we could be free. What should our response be to Him if we want to take the freedom He is giving us?

If you haven't accepted Jesus as the Savior from your sin, (sin is breaking the 10 Commandments), you can do that right now. Tell God you're sorry for what you have done and that you want to change for the better (It's called REPENTANCE). You want to begin doing what He teaches us to do and you want to live a life that will please Him. Believe in your heart that God did raise Jesus from the dead, say out loud: "You are the Ruler of my life and I want to live for you!" When you do these things God comes and forgives you, He takes away your sins (all the bad things you've done, wrong decisions you've made, bad attitudes, disobedience, etc.) and He makes you clean inside and gives you and brand new start on life! Not only that, now you don't have to be separated from God here in this life or after you die because the Bible says that you will live in Heaven with Jesus forever! If you made this HUGE life choice and have questions or want to talk about what you just did, feel free to call me, email me, or talk to me in KidzBlast this Sunday! Oh and by the way, if you just accepted Jesus into your life be sure to read your Bible (don't have one? Let us know) and obey what you read, talk to God everyday about what you're going through, what you need help with, if you need to ask for forgiveness because you sinned and messed up, tell God everything - it's called prayer! He's now your new Best Friend Forever! Spend as much time with Him as possible!

Have a great week and I'll see ya this Sunday in KidzBlast!
Pastor Carrie

Honor Your Mother (Mother's Day)

2009-05-14T13:16:00.004-04:00

In today's world kids are constantly being bombarded with negative messages. TV shows are teaching kids to disrespect their parents and peer pressure at school often encourages kids to disobey their parents. As parents, sometimes we find ourselves giving into our kids to avoid constantly dealing with discipline issues. However, God's word teaches us something completely opposite from society and culture. Sunday we looked at a couple examples of how Jesus honored His mother throughout His entire lifetime, not just as a child. Not once did Jesus ever say: "I'm God, I don't have to do what this earthly woman says." Instead He chose to lead the way and give us the greatest example we could ever have when it comes to honoring our moms. Parents, let's recap with your student(s) and see how much they remember from Sunday:

What did Jesus' mom ask him to do at a wedding in a small village called "Cana?"
When Jesus called His mother 'woman' was He being disrespectful or rude?
If Jesus didn't do what His mother asked, what could have happened to this young married couples' reputation?
The tall jars that Jesus had the servants fill with water equaled the amount of water in your what?
After Jesus performed this miracle how did His new disciples respond?
When Jesus was on the cross, the most painful hours of His life, what did He do for His mother so that she would be taken care of? (Hint: John 19.25-27)
God promises two things to kids who honor and obey their parents. What are they? (Hint: Ephesians 6.1-3)
When we obey our parents we actually are pleasing who? (Hint: Colossians 3.20)

Whether we want to obey our mom or not, it is always the right thing to do because that's what God has commanded us to do. And remember, if we say "God I love you!" then we prove it by obeying what He says. Sometimes it will be easy to obey and other times it will be hard. Sometimes we will whine and complain and show a bad attitude, but remember what God says: If you obey your Mom (and Dad) you will have long life, it will be well with you, and you're pleasing God. I know all of us like to get rewards and these three rewards are definately something I would like to have! You with me?

See ya Sunday!
Pastor Carrie

Hut, Two, March! (To Love is to Obey)

2009-05-05T15:39:00.002-04:00

Many people, including kids, say they love God but their actions say differently. A kid who truly loves God will show it by obeying what the Bible says. Jesus said it best - "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching." (John 14.23)

This week we learned that it's one thing to know what God has said, but it's a whole different thing to actually DO what He says. But the only way we can do what He says is by knowing what God has said in His Word (The Bible). There's a brainteaser :) Remember the true story about Joshua and the Israelites (God's people) and how they had to do some pretty unusual things if they wanted to conquer the city of Jericho. Don't forget, Jericho was the very first walled city with gates that the Israelites had to conquer and after walking around in the desert for 40 years they didn't have latters or ramps to use if they wanted to climb over the wall, they didn't have the tools to dig a tunnel if they wanted to go under the wall, and they definately didn't have the tools to smash a hole in the wall and go through that way. So how would they conquer this city? By obeying God's unusual commands and trusting that what God said would really happen. How many remember what happened? Let's test your knowledge (parents you can help):

For the first 6 days what did God tell the Israelites to do? (Joshua 6.3-4a)
On the 7th day what did God tell the Israelites to do that was different from the first 6 days? (Joshua 6.4b-5)
What would happen if the children of Israel actually did what God said instead of saying: "Oh, that's nice, I'm so glad you told me that?"
What is a ram's horn and where does it come from? What modern-day instrument is it like?
Obedience always brings a reward with it. What was the Israelites reward for obeying God's unusual orders?

Remember, if you love someone, it will show in your actions. Jesus is the greatest example of this... Because He loved you He showed it through His actions by dying on a cross, taking your sin upon Himself so that you could be forgiven and given a clean heart. Not only that, He let's you live with Him in Heaven forever after you die. Now the challenge is this: If you love God, will you show it in your actions by obeying His commandments and His teachings? I pray you will.

Have a great week & I'll see ya in KIDZBLAST this Sunday for a special Mother's Day service!
Pastor Carrie

Government Issue (G.I.)

2009-04-21T13:48:00.004-04:00

Check it out! The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4.11 that we should be content under any circumstance. Any circumstance?! Some of us might say: "Are you crazy Paul?!" It's true, God wants us to be happy with what we have and what He's given us, however that can be very hard with an American mindset that always desires more things, more toys, more friends, more skills, on and on. I think I'm safe in saying that we've all experienced jealousy and disappointment over something a friend of ours received that we wished we received. Well as we studied the 10th Commandment this week we learned that "Coveting" is actually a sin! WOW! That's huge! If God considers wanting what others have a sin, we should probably dig deeper and see what we can learn from this week's lesson so it sticks with us for the rest of our lives.

Parents, this is where you come in... Review with your student this week the story of 1 Kings 21.1-19. We learned about a champion in evil named King Ahab and his wife Jezebel; a lady even more wicked than her husband! Yikes! King Ahab wanted his neighbor's vineyard so bad that it ended up costing the owner of the vineyard his life! As you review the story ask your student the following questions and see how much they remember:

What is a vineyard?
What was the name of the man who owned the vineyard?
What was King Ahab willing to give this man in exchange for his vineyard?
When King Ahab realized he wasn't going to get the vineyard what did he go home and do?
When his wife Jezebel found out what happened what did she decide to do to help her husband get what he wanted?
What is a fast?
What did the two leader's of Naboth's town agree to say at this city-wide fast?
With the accusations made towards Naboth and with all the people believing these accusations, what happened to Naboth?
Once Jezebel went home and told her husband the vineyard was up for grabs, what did King Ahab do?
What were the other commandments that coveting lead King Ahab and his wife to break?

Hey kids, I know it's not easy to "not" covet. Especially when other kids, even your own friends, make fun of you for not having the latest gadget, toy, video game or music CD. But remember, you can overcome the sin of coveting and get rid of it by obeying God's command and remembering to be content and happy with what He's already given you. I challenge you this week to ask God to help you in the area of your life where you find yourself wanting what doesn't belong to you and instead tell God "Thank You" for what you do have. Remember, you don't want to end up like King Ahab or his wife Jezebel... We want to end up more like Jesus! We delight in your Law God and we thank you for it - it protects us and keeps us safe and healthy!

Have a great week and I'll see ya Sunday in KidzBlast!
Pastor Carrie

Camouflage: Don't Lie

2009-04-07T15:57:00.003-04:00

This week in KidzBlast we talked about the Nineth Commandment found in Exodus 20.16: "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

Results of a study done some years ago showed the American public admitted to lying, by deception or outright untrue statements, many times a day! How much damage must be done to human relationships by lifestyles of consistent lying-not to mention people's relationship with God. Lying is a common problem among children because it can protect them from punishment, help them in a tight situation, or make them seem important to someone else. This week we talked about the story of the Gibeonites with Joshua and how they tricked Joshua into making a peace agreement with them just so they could live. You can read about it in Joshua 9.1-27. As you recap the story with your student(s) this week, ask them these questions:

How did the Gibeonites trick the Israelites into making a peace agreement?
How were the Gibeonites punished for their lie?
What would happen to the Israelites if they broke their promise with the Gibeonites?
Who is the Father of Lies?
Who does the Bible say is "The Truth?"
How is "Lying" like a "War?"
What are the two different voices in life that we will hear? Who decides which one we'll listen to?

Just for kicks...here's a new piece to the story kids that you can check out! The Israelites actually ended up breaking their promise with the Gibeonites many years later. You can read about it in 2 Samuel 21.1-9. All I gotta say is: "It wasn't pretty!" Remember...Delight in God, keep His Commandments and you will be rewarded!

Have a great week!
Pastor Carrie

BGMC Sunday!

2009-03-29T16:19:00.007-04:00

Hey Parents!

Just wanted to connect with you this week on what your student learned in KidzBlast. It was BGMC (Boys & Girls Missionary Challenge) Sunday and we traveled to the country of Ireland to see what God is up to on the 'ol Emerald Isle. Why do they call it that? Well because of the amount of rain this small island receives (it's comparable to West Virginia by the way) it has plush green grass on the rolling country side and reminds us of a beautiful emerald gem! Quiz your kids and see if they remember the country capital (Dublin), the two main religious groups that don't get along with each other (Catholics and Protestants), the number of Assembly of God Missionaries currently serving the Irish people (14), and what our true mission's story (Tommy's Story) was all about.

Please pray with your kids this week for:

Our missionaries as they work with the Irish churches and people,
The Pastors and Workers as they reach out to people who still need Jesus,
The kids in Ireland. Most do not go to church or hear about Jesus in a way they can understand. Pray they will meet Him

2009-03-25T17:37:00.003-04:00

Check back every week to see what your student is learning in KidzBlast and KidzBlast Jr. This is a great online tool to help your student grow deeper in God's Word and the principles taught each Sunday. We believe that by partnering with parents we can make a greater impact together than we can on our own! This week is BGMC Sunday... Don't forget your Buddy Barrel as we travel to Ireland together and see what God is doing through our missionaries, our kids and the local church!

Pastor Carrie

2009-03-24T18:15:00.001-04:00

Welcome to KidzBlast online!