Great Praise

For last night's Christian Education team meeting devotional, we looked at this week's Fighter Verses - Psalm 96:4-5

God is great! God is to be greatly praised!

This week's Fighter Verses devotional, How to Praise God Greatly, gives three attributes of great praise.

Mightily
Seriously
Abundantly

The first three verses of Psalm 96 help us see what these words look like.

Mightily.  

It is with passion.  "Sing a new song!" "Sing!" "Sing!"  "Bless!"  "Tell."  "Declare!"

Seriously.  

It is about serious things.  Salvation.  His glory.  His marvelous works.  These are no small things. 

Abundantly.  

It's origin, lenghth. and audience are great.  All the earth sings to the Lord.  We tell of his salvation from day to day.  We declare his glory among the nations and the peoples.

In planning the Christian Education at Trinity Baptist Church, living life wherever, or working a job, a believer's life should greatly praise the great God of the universe.  

As it relates to the children's ministry at Trinity Baptist Church, we want to help parents and kids praise God greatly.  

While we want children to have fun in the classes, even more importantly, we want to remind the children God brings to us that God is to be greatly praised.  Parents and families can help with this by asking the children what they learned about God and from God's word.

The "did you have fun?" question is not the most important question to ask.  "What did you learn about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and from the Bible?" are better questions.

Kids and families Intentionally Discipled Zealously. 
That word ZEALOUSLY can be explained using mightily, seriously, and abundantly.

Our God is Great and we want to communicate that through the information we share, activities we do, love we show, and resources we share.  

May we help the next know and love God!

Here is a specific example of how we are trying to do this.
From this past Sunday's children's church lesson (3/26/23)

The curriculum lesson theme was God wants us to show respect to others.  This is a good goal. 
But an even better goal is God wants us to show respect to others because of who God is, what God has done (1 Samuel 12:24), and what he has commanded (Matthew 5:44). 

March 26

This week's Ministry is Good Churches

Toddler

• God Promised to Be with Moses
• God promises to be with us
• Ex 3:7-12; 12:37-39; 13:19-22
• Psalm 32:8

PreK/ K

• Jesus Pictured Deliverance
• Jesus showed us that only He can deliver the world from sin
• John 13:1-17
• John 13:8

1^st  SS

• Jesus Predicted His Sacrifice
• Jesus, the Lamb of God, is the final sacrifice for sin.
• Matt 26:14-30; Mark 14:10-26
• Matthew 26:28

2^nd-3^rd SS

• God is Merciful & Gracious
• God sent Jesus to be the final sacrifice for our
• Num 21:1-9; John 3:14-16
• John 3:14

4^th–5^th SS

• Respect God’s Name
• God wants us to respect and praise His name
• Ex 13:17 – 15:13; 20:7
• Ex 20:7

1^st–5^th  CC

• David Spares Saul Twice
• Story prompts
• Remember the cave
  
• Remember the camp
• God wants us to show respect to others
• We should show respect because of who God is, what he has done (1 Samuel 12:24), and what he has commanded (Matthew 5:44)
• 1 Samuel 24; 26
• 1 Sam 12:24
• Assignment:  
1. Bring the fabric back next week.  
2. Share a story about how you dealt with a challenging situation this past week.

March 19

This Week's Ministry is Good Churches

Toddler

• God provided for Moses
• God cares for little children
• 1 Peter 5:7
• Exodus 2:1-10

PreK/ K

• Jesus Offered Deliverance
• Jesus deserves our praise for delivering the world from sin
• Luke 19:28-40; Zech 9:9
• Mark 11:9

1^st  SS

• Jesus Was Celebrated & Rejected
• Jesus is the rightful ruler of our lives
• Luke 19:2i8-40; Zech 9:9
• Psalm 107:8

2^nd-3^rd SS

• God is Honorable
• God wants us to glorify Him with our lives
• Numbers 20:1-13
• Deut 33:26

4^th–5^th SS

• Worship God Honorably
• God is jealous for and deserving of our full attention
• Ex 11; 12; 20:4-6
• Ex 20:4

1^st–5^th  CC

• David & Goliath
• God gives us the courage and strength to do His will
• 1 Samuel 17:1 -18:11
• 1 Sam 12:24

Intentional Leadership

Last night's Men's Conference on Intentional and Thoughtful leadership was a good night of food, fellowship, and encouragement for spiritual growth.  
This post is not meant to be an overview of the whole night.  It is more, some takeaways and thought I took from the evening.

If there are any takeaways you would like to share, leave them in the comments section.  

In the opening remarks, Pastor Jason reminded the men that there is often a disconnect between who we know we should be (better husband, better father, better worker, and ultimately a better man of God) and what we actually do and think.  This disconnect is between intentionality and thoughtfulness.

This intentionality is not about personalities and practicalities.  If you are a follower of Christ, you are commanded to be intentional throughout scripture.  Pastor Jason shared these verses.

• Set your minds on things above…” (Col. 3:2)
• “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature…” (Col. 3:5)
• “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”(Mt. 6:33)
• “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” (Rom. 12:9)
• “Honor one another above yourselves.” (Rom. 12:10)
• “Be very careful then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…“ (Eph. 5:15-16)
• “…make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” (Rom. 14:19)
• “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” (Prv. 27:12)
• “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” (2 Cor. 13:5)
• “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 Jn. 5:21)
• “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing…” (Heb. 10:24-25)
• “This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.” (Hag. 1:7)
• “Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives…” (1 Pet. 3:7)

The panel times were filled with good questions from Pastor Jason and each of the tables.

I (Pastor Dave) want to revisit three of the questions.  Each of the questions is a paraphrase of what was actually asked.

There were many great challenges tonight for men and for husbands.   What are we to do after the conference time?  How do we incorporate all of the things we were challenged with?

I want to tweak the answer I gave last night because it was specifically addressed to men with children.  This answer is relatively the same 

 The more general answer is HOPE, LOVE, and DO ONE THING. 

HOPE includes praying for yourself and others. 

LOVE those God has brought in your life (wife, kids, co-workers, friends).  Think about how you could better love others.  Don't focus on doing more stuff. 

DO ONE THING.  Pick one thing to work on.  Remember ONE THING is better than nothing. 

I know this overwhelming feeling happens at the end of any conference, which is why the Church Ministries Conference decided to create a pre-conference workshop video (10 minutes long) on "How to Attend a Conference."  While this video talks about our church and ministry ideas, I can also be applied to our loved ones and personal holiness.  

 With all of the things going on in the world around us, what advice do you have for families with young children?

Remember you are not the answer to your childrens' needs.  Jesus is. 

I got a little emotional when answering this question because it is a question I struggle with as dad.  And I want to protect my kids.  I always need to be reminded that in this world my goal needs to be godly living for myself and my family.  Not necessarily easy or safe.  I want my children to grow in the hope they have in Jesus Christ because "he who promised is faithful (See Hebrews 10:23)

I am not going to be able to help them through every problem, difficulty, challenges, and sin they will face but I can help them see how to love God more and live a godly life (See Hebrews 10:24).  

A great resource, not mentioned last night, is Tim Challies' Do More Better www.challies.com/do-more-better/
The author offers a definition of productivity that is very similar to Pastor Jason's explanation of being intentional.

ONLINE RESOURCES

• Articles about Intentional Parenting by Pastor Dave at tbcgrkidz.org
• Articles by Pastor Jason at www.biblicalcounselingcoalition.org
• Trinity Life Podcast Episodes at www.anchor.fm/tbcgr
• Dave Branon on career choices and using retirement well (1/24/23)
• Steve DeMan on leadership habits and mistakes (2/12/23)
• Kurt Ellis on leadership habits and mistakes (12/18/22)
• Zac Harmon on growing up in church and serving Christ as a young adult (10/18/22)
• Garrett Jones on cultivating relationships and leading a family (12/22/22)
• Sam Plakmeyer on marriage, using time well, and church involvement (11/19/22)
• Richard Van Vels on game nights and evangelism (10/16/22)

BOOK RESOURCES

• 10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health
• 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You
• The Disciple Making Parent's Donut Date Journal:   70 Questions to Connect to Your Child's Heart
• Disciplines of a Godly Man
• Discipling:  How to Help Others Follow Jesus
• The Exemplary Husband
• Habits of the Household, Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms
• Service:  How Do I Give Back?
• Spiritual Leadership

March 12

God Kept Moses Safe
God gives us mothers to protect us
Exodus 2:1-4
1 John 4:7

PreK/ K
Jesus Delivered from Death
Jesus has the power to deliver us from death
Luke 7:11-17
John 11:25

1^st  SS
Jesus Helped People See
Jesus gave both physical and spiritual sight.
John 9
John 3:36

2^nd-3^rd SS
God is In Charge
God uses leaders to accomplish His will
Numbers 16, 17
Deut 32:39

4^th–5^th SS
Put God First
God wants us to worship Him, the one true God
Ex 7 -10; 20:1-3
Ex 20:2, 3

1^st–5^th  CC
Saul’s Disobedience & Rejection
God is pleased when we obey him from our hearts
1 Samuel 12:1 – 14:23

Additional thoughts from today's 1st - 5th Children's Church time

The emphasis was on OBEY - Right away, All the way, With the Right Heart Attitude

Time for the Talk

 This Sunday night (3/12/23) is Trinity's Men Conference - Intentional and Thoughtful Leadership.  I thinking about and preparing for the panel discussion time, I was reminded of this post I shared on 9/16/14.

Zollos writes that the talk is not a specific one-time conversation you have with your son.  It is  "a process that takes many years and can be profoundly rewarding."

While this book is written specifically to fathers, it contains a preface to mothers.
It's up to you to show him that becoming a true man depends on being changed by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God.

Here are some quotes from the book...

Your young man needs conviction and these cannot come from you.  Convictions come from hearing the LORD.

The book talks about developing these six characteristics in your son.

HUMILITY
To pursue humility means choosing to accept the fact that your knowledge and abilities are limited and in light of that, you are regularly seeking help and graciously receiving advice and correction.

COURAGE
To pursue courage means choosing to do what is right despite the opposition of others or your own desires (often the more difficult enemy to fight).

PURITY
To pursue moral purity means choosing to live by the highest moral principles in both speech and physical relations despite your own desires to do otherwise and despite any external pressures to compromise.

FAITHFULNESS
To pursue faithfulness means acting with integrity, keeping your word, and doing what is right before God, with fortitude, and without complaint, because you trust God to give you the ability to complete all things he has given you to do.

SELFLESSNESS
To pursue selflessness means placing the well-being of others before your own needs and desires.

SELF-CONTROL
To pursue self-control means to live according to the Spirit of God, choosing to glorify God with our lives and denying the sinful nature when tempted to do otherwise. 

March 5

Today’s lesson takes a slight detour from our regular curriculum and focuses on the power of God which is the Gospel.

Each age group did the same lesson so be sure to talk with your kids about the verse.  

The Gospel Primer section entitled "The Power of God,' that I referred to in the video.

Outside of heaven, the power of God in its highest density is found inside the gospel. This must be so, for the Bible twice describes the gospel as “the power of God.” (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18)  Nothing else in all of Scripture is ever described in this way, except for the Person of Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:24)  Such a description indicates that the gospel is not only powerful but that it is the ultimate entity in which God’s power resides and does its greatest work. 

Indeed, God’s power is seen in erupting volcanos, in the unimaginably hot boil of our massive sun, and in the lightning speed of a recently discovered star seen streaking through the heavens at 1.5 million miles per hour. Yet in Scripture, such wonders are never labeled “the power of God.” How powerful, then, must the gospel be that it would merit such a title! And how great is the salvation it could accomplish in my life, if I would only embrace it by faith (Hebrews 4:2; Ephesians 1:18, 19) and give it a central place in my thoughts each day!

Because this lesson has so much to do with POWER, you can talk about the following:

• A hairdryer not plugged is not able to do what it is made to do.
• Battery-operated toys without batteries can be fun but that is not how they are meant to be used.
• Flip the light switch, play a radio, or so many other things that need power.

Today's lesson is  Paul’s Letter of Good News to the Romans 

The passage was Romans 1:1 – 17

Memory Verse
Romans 1:16.  The younger kids used a shortened version: “The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

Text Truth
The Gospel is the power of God and reveals His righteousness to everyone who believes (4^th – 5^th)
The Gospel reveals that it is through God’s power that we are saved. (1^st – 3^rd)
God sent Jesus for all people (2 - 5 years old)

CONNECTION WITH THE SERMON:

Thinking about this past week’s message, you can make this connection.  In Corinth, Paul wrote to the Romans that he longed to meet with them.  Last week’s sermon taught us that his journey to Rome was not what he probably would have planned.

Because the Gospel is the power of God, Paul goes to so many different places to share the Gospel.

Missionary Story:  Adoniram and Ann Judson
Full 30 minute video:  https://youtu.be/Zy2Fx5I4EOM
More on Adoniram and Ann Judson:  https://torchlighters.org/heroes/adoniram-and-ann-judson/ 

If you have one of the following storybook BIbles, they share part of Paul's story..

• Jesus Story Book Bible page 340 (in both classrooms)
•  Big Picture Story Bible page 427 (in 2/3 yr old room)
• The Story Bible page 456 (in 4/5 yr old room)
•  The Biggest Story Bible Storybook page 490 (in 4/5 yr old room)