homefront: knowing vol. 3 iss. 2

8/3/2019 HomeFront: Knowing Vol. 3 Iss. 2

1/15

M O N T H L Y

A FAMILY RESOURCE

ENVIRONMENT

knowingGod knows me, and

I can know Him.

Illu

strationbyAnneBerry

M O N T H L Y

VOL. 3, ISSUE 2

F A M I L Y F O O D T I M E

G A M E T I M E

C R E A T E

M A R R I A G E

G O D S W O R D


2/15

2012 David C. Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Churchand a national network o amily and childrens ministry leaders. All rights reserved.

2

Howto

UseTis Resource

Eits Nte I love taking walks with my two-year-old grand-daughter, Grayson. But I have learned not to be

in a hurry. Grayson has a unique git o pointing out the extraordinary in the

ordinary things o everyday lie.She stops to smell every ower we pass, and shemarvels at the insects crawling on them. She hearsthe birds singing, and she squeals at the moon whenwe venture out at night. I oten think God usesGrayson to reveal Himsel to meto help meslow down and not hurry through lie and miss thesplendor in creation. She helps me remember thatthe same God who created the ocean and paintedthe sunset is the same God who uniquely createdand loves me. He knows everything about me and

still loves me, and He wants me to know Him.

God reveals Himsel to us each day in headline-making wayswe just need to slow down enough tolook or them. We can fnd Him in every tiny corner

o our day-to-day lives. He desires nothing more thanor us to know Him and be known by Him.

In this issue o HomeFront Monthly, you will fndopportunities or you and your amily to begin tounderstand the incredible git o knowing God andHis truth.

DEBBIE GUINN | EDITORthe Tru Team | Costa Mesa, CA

Its as easy as 1 2 3

1Start by deciding on a day and time thatwork well or your entire amily. It can be an

evening, aternoon, or morning. Just committo building this time into your amilys natural rhythm.Its usually best to build this time around a meal!

2Look through the HomeFront Monthly andsee what stands out. Choose one or twoexperiences you would like to incorporate

into your amily times this week. Dont eel burdenedto complete all the activities at once, but careullyselect which ones will ft your amily best. Each

month o curriculum provides more than enoughexperiences to last you throughout the month.

3

Remember to HAVE FUN! Strive to

make each gathering unique to your ownamily as you enjoy spending time withGod and one another.


3/15

VERSE OF THE MONTH

Memorizing Scripture can be an incredible

practice to engage in as a amily. But words in ando themselves will not necessarily transorm us;

it is Gods Spirit in these words who transorms.We come to know God more when were willingto open our hearts and receive His Holy Spiritthrough the words we memorize. Have un withthese verses and think o creative ways to inviteyour amily to open up to God as they committhese verses to memory.

Hw awesme is the Lord Mst

High, the geat King ve all the

eath! Psalm 47:2

Hly, hly, hly is the Lord

Almighty; the whle eath is full

f his gly. Isaiah 6:3

2012 David C. Cook. All rights reserved.

3

ENVIRONMENT

KNOWINGNothing is more important in our spiritual lives than knowing and being

known by God. We live in a world that denies absolute truth, and yet GodsWord oers just that. As we create an environment that upholds and displaysGods truth, we give children a oundation based on knowing God and HisWord and having a relationship with Him through Christ.

Just as the environment o KNOWING is described,we are living in a world that denies and dismissesthe existence o absolute truth. What a tragedy thisis. There is an urgency to pass on the truth o GodsWord to the next generation. In learning this truth,were open to knowing God Himsel and entering a

relationship with Him. As we create space that allowsour amily to study Gods Word, we will develop ahunger and thirst to know God more.

MICHELLE ANTHONY

FAMILY MINISTRY ARCHITECTthe Tru Team | Costa Mesa, CA

ELEMENTARY

PRES/KINDER


4/15


5/15


5

byDebbieGuinn

A Vey Veggie Sup (SERVES 8)Prep Time: 15 min. Cook Time: 1 hr.

Its un to think about God knowing everything aboutus and loving us completely. In this activity, youramily will get to share what they think God lovesabout them uniquely. Get your amily talking byhaving them fll in the blank.

GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT ME, AND

WHAT HE LOVES ABOUT ME IS ____________.You may have to guide your children at frst and help them to see the unique ways God has created them.

Maybe your child is artistic or joyul; help him to see God delights in his creativity or his un laugh. Be sure

that you lead by example and answer as well.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 cups chopped onions or thinly sliced leeks

(whites only)

1 cup thinly sliced celery

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

coarse salt and ground pepper

3 cans (14.5 oz. each) vegetable or chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions or leeks, celery, and Italian seasoning; seasonwith salt and pepper. Cook, stirring requently, until onions are translucent, fve to eight minutes.

2. Add broth, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, and three cups o water to the pot; bring mixture toa boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, or 20 minutes.

3. Add vegetables to pot and return to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 to25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool beore storing letovers.

Conversation

Starters

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, with juice

1 tbsp. tomato paste

8 cups mixed fresh or frozen vegetables,such as carrots, corn, green beans, limabeans, peas, potatoes, and zucchini (cutlarger vegetables into smaller pieces)


6/15


6

byNatalieVenerri

GAME TIMEYOUNGER KIDS

The Shepherds VoiceIn a world vying or our attention and denying

absolute truth, we must learn to listen through thenoise and distractions to hear Gods voice and

ollow Him where He is leading.

Gather your amily and create distractingnoises by turning on a radio, stereo, and/or TV. Choose one amily member to be thesheep and one amily member to be theshepherd. The rest o the amily members willact as additional distractions to the sheep.

Choose one side o the room or the sheepand the other side or the shepherd. Once everyonegets into place, the sheep will put on a blindold and

the shepherd will lay out a path or the sheep usingsticky notes or masking tape. The path must connectrom the sheep to the shepherd, rom one side o theroom to the other. Once the shepherd creates thepath, he will return to the other end and start guiding

the sheep using phrases such as Turn let, or Taketwo giant steps orward, or Take one step to theright.

The rest o the amily members try to distract thesheep by giving her wrong directions or making loudand unny noises. The sheep must remember tolisten closely and careully or the shepherds voice.

Once the sheep fnds the shepherd, she can take othe blindold, and another amily member can be thesheep. Play this game as many times as you want.Remember, the goal is to listen careully or theshepherds voice.

OLDER KIDS

Sounds the Animals MakeSpread out around a room in your home, yourbackyard, or a park. One amily member will be the

shepherd. The shepherd will assign to each amilymember a type o animal that makes a distinctsound (there should be two o each animal). Noone should know the animal anyone elsehas been assigned. Everyone will put ona blindold.

The goal o the game is to try to ind youranimal match. The only means o communicationallowed is using your animal sound. For example,

SUPPLIES:

TELEVISION,

STEREO, OR RADIO

STICKY NOTES OR

MASKING TAPE

A BLINDFOLD OR

HANDKERCHIEF

i youre a duck, you might walk around the roomquacking, listening or the other duck. I you wantto be silly, you can crawl around on your hands

and kneeslike animals do! Once youve oundyour partner, you may take o your blindold. Allowthe rest o the animals to fnd their matches untileveryone has fnished.

QUACK! QUACK!


7/15


7

byMichelleAnthony

GODS WORDTodays TruthAN EXCERPT FROM SPIRITUAL PARENTING BY MICHELLE ANTHONY, 2012 DAVID C. COOK

In our world, people think truth is relative to perception, opinion, and

experience. In Romans 1:25, Paul speaks about the depravity we have inour society as a result o exchanging the truth of God for a lie.Paul just calls it out. He says the reason we live in

so much disarray and debauchery is that the trutho God is evident beore us, but we deny it andexchange it or a lie! And ater working with youngpeople or the last 20 years, that is exactly what Ivewitnessed. Young people will exchange the truth oGod or a lieand so will we i were not vigilant!

When our children have a vacuum o truth intheir lives, they will accept a lie, because that eels

more real to them than anything else. As spiritualparents, we choose to inspire them by constantlyreminding them that there is capital-T truth. Andwe make it compelling by living it out beore themin honest and authentic ways, in real time. We mustshare the truth we are experiencing today, not justrecount truth that we learned or experienced 10 or15 years ago.

Jesus says He alone is the truth, and no mancomes to the Father except through Him (John14:6). Furthermore, the truth He offers will set us

free (John 8:32)! Our children are inspired when theybegin to see the correlation between the capital-Ttruth and reedom. Unortunately the church hasoten packaged capital-T truth as a path that leadsto bondage. Somehow we have communicated thatwe are unable to do positive things, that we aretrapped, and that thereore we defne ourselves by

those things that we dontdo. That rigid list o dontsis bondage.

But when our children see that truth actually leadsto reedom, they begin to taste what Jesus meantwhen He said, I have come that they may havelie, and have it to the ull (John 10:10). Whatyoung person doesnt want the ull lie with truereedom? These are words they will run toinstead o

away from, i they know the God who said them and

i they see us live by them.

WE MUST

SHARE THE

TRUTH WE ARE

EXPERIENCING

TODAY, NOTJUST RECOUNT

TRUTH THAT

WE LEARNED OR

EXPERIENCED

TEN OR FIFTEEN

YEARS AGO.


8/15


8

Read the ollowing Old Testament passages out loudas a amily. Each one o them declares truth about

the one true God. I you have a Bible in your home,look up each passage and read it directly rom theBible.

For the Lord your God is a merciul God; he willnot abandon or destroy you or orget the covenantwith your oreathers, which he confrmed to them

by oath (Deuteronomy 4:31).

But the plans o the Lord stand frm orever, thepurposes o his heart through all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,the people he chose or his inheritance. Fromheaven the Lord looks down and sees allmankind (Psalm 33:1113).

God is our reuge and strength, an ever-presenthelp in trouble. Thereore we will not ear (Psalm46:12).

For this God is our God orever and ever; he will be

our guide even to the end(Psalm 48:14).

Surely God is my help;the Lord is the one whosustains me (Psalm 54:4).

Praise be to the Lord, toGod our Savior, who dailybears our burdens. OurGod is a God who saves;rom the Sovereign Lordcomes escape rom death(Psalm 68:1920).

For the Lord God is a

sun and shield; the Lord

bestows avor and honor;no good thing does hewithhold rom thosewhose walk is blameless.O Lord Almighty, blessedis the man who trusts in

you (Psalm 84:1112).

The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God isull o compassion (Psalm 116:5).

Ater reading the Scripture and recognizing howamazing God is, make a list o things that are trueabout God. For parents and older kids, continue thelist by adding how those truths bring you reedomrom what the world has to oer.

GODS WORD CONTINUED

For the Lord your God is God o gods and Lordo lords, the great God, mighty and awesome,who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes

(Deuteronomy 10:17).

The eternal God is your reuge, and underneathare the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27a).

Have I not commanded you? Be strong andcourageous. Do not be terrifed; do not bediscouraged, or the Lord your God will be with

you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).

For who is God besides the Lord? And who isthe Rock except our God? It is God who armsme with strength and makes my way perect. Hemakes my eet like the eet o a deer; he enablesme to stand on the heights (2 Samuel 22:3234).

HEAR IT

DO IT


9/15


9

byJeffFernandez

WORSHIPWho Paints the Sunset?(This Worship section can be used with the Create section)

I remember surfng at Leo Carrillo State Beach late in the evening as thesun was going down. The water was warm, and the sun painted the suraceo the ocean orange.

PRAYERRedirected PrayersOver the past couple o years, prayer has become such an integral part omy marriage. Weve dedicated more time than usual to itboth individually

and as a husband and wie.

byTommyLarson

This has allowed us to know God even more thanbeore. As we look back on this increased time oprayer, we also recognize that most o that time hasbeen flled with requests. Our frst request was thatwed be blessed with a baby. When our baby was borntwo months early, our second request was that our

child would grow to be a healthy baby throughout histime in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Ourthird request was asking God to protect our baby romany inection that might orce him back into the NICU.

All o these requests represent signifcant concerns.However, weve begun to wonder: How much o ourtime has been dedicated to praising God or who He

is and who He has revealed Himsel to be? O coursewe praise Him or the blessing and protection oour child, but how much time have we actually spent

praising Him or the loving Father He truly is? Weveasked ourselves, What would a prayer time void oany requests look like? Instead, we could spend itsolely on declaring what we know to be true aboutGod.

This month, take time as a amily to redirectsome o your prayer time to an acknowledgemento God.Who is He? Spend time declaring it to Him.Let Him know what you know to be absolutely trueabout Him. As you pray together, you may fnd that

your amily is writing its own prayerul psalm as youdeclare His attributes out loud (God, you are Father,Healer, Creator, etc.). As you do this, His truth will

become more ingrained in you and your amily thanever beore.

The smell o the air was so crisp and resh itorced me to stop and take it all in. In that moment,somewhere deep down inside, I knew God hadcreated it all. It was as i His creation was tangiblyrevealing to me the many characteristics Hewanted me to know about Himsel. As

amazing as that experience was, themost proound thing was realizingGod had knowingly created me

to be even more beautiul. I wascaptivated. It gave me a desireto worship.

This month, as an act o worship, take youramily to watch a sunset. As the sun goes down,share with them that God paints itand doesso dierently and magnifcently each day. More

importantly, let your children know that Godmade and knows them too!

While youre still there, taking inthe beauty, sit down together and

read Psalm 139:118 out loud.Remind your children that Godknows all about us, and we canknow Him too.


10/15


10

CREATEWatercolor Sunsets(This Create project can be used in conjunction with the Worship section)

Being creative is such an important part o who God made us to be. What better

way to express that than as a amily? In this Create activity, you and your amilywill paint a sunset like the one you experienced in Worship.

Just or un, give each amily member only two colors to paint with (or one coloreach i you have a large amily). The colors chosen or each amily member willbe unique to that person. Take turns painting what you remember or loved aboutthe sunset. As you come together and contribute what you each have to oer, the

collaborative beauty is displayed.

When youre fnished, place the canvas (or paper) in a prominent place in your home. Use it as areminder o Gods creativity, and let it draw you to be more attentive to the God who is the artist behindthe canvas o our lives.

byJeffFernandez

SUPPLIES:

watercolor paints

paintbrushes

canvas (any size), watercolor

paper, or card stock

CREATE IS A TIME TO ENGAGE YOUR FAMILY IN A

COLLABORATIVE RESPONSE TO HEARING GODS TRUTH.


11/15


1

TRADITIONSRemember and CelebrateHave you ever thought about how many traditions involve a meal or evena east? Theres something about sitting around a table and sharing oodprepared by the people you know and love. Its also wonderul to shareconversation without distractionsthe things that keep us away rom thetable in the frst place.

In my amily, our traditional meals almost alwaysinclude our amily avorites. We must have Grandmas

cream cheese blueberry gelatin at Thanksgiving, mydaughter insists.

Youre going to make Aunties sweet potatocasserole or Christmas, right? my son reminds me.

O course were going to have a honey glazed hamat Easter, my husband says.

There are other occasions too. Birthdays include theavorite dish o the honoree, the end o the school weekis usually ollowed with pizza, and Saturday morningsalmost always include chocolate-chip pancakes withlarge glasses o milk.

In some ways, amilies are known by the

traditional meals they create. This month, why notcreate a new traditional meal? Set aside one meal per month as a remember and celebrate meal.At this meal, let each person choose one o thedishes (e.g., appetizer, salad, main dish). Dontworry i the meal doesnt go together as it should,but rather ocus on what dish eels celebratory toeach person present.

byMichelleAnthony

As you begin your remember and celebrate meal,let everyone share why she picked her particulardish. Then have each person share one high point

and one low point (sometimes reerred to as thepeak and pit) in his day, week, or month. As eachperson shares her high and low, ask, What do youknow about God rom that experience?

One time my daughter said her peak was getting anew job. When asked what she knows about God romthat, she answered, God is my provider. When my sonhad to say good-bye to a riend, he answered, God is

my comorter. (Younger kids may need help seeing theconnection, so you might want to oer suggestions.)

At the conclusion o your remember and celebratemeal, make sure to pray and worship God or all theways Hes revealed Himsel to you and your amilymembers.

A tradition is the handing down ostatements, belies, stories, or customsrom generation to generation. Whattraditions are in place or your amily?What would you like to pass down to thenext generation? Its always un to createnew traditions with each generation.


12/15


12

byDaneShambrook

STORYTELLINGMy Fathers VoiceBlack Friday has become one o the most popular days o the year orshopping and getting bargains. This day, however, has an entirely dierentsignifcance or me.

Every year, the day ater Thanksgiving reminds meo how God knows me and how important it is orme to know Him. When I was our years old, I had ashopping day with my dad. We ventured out to thebusy mall and entered a packed department store.

My dad held me tightly to ensure we wouldnt getseparated. And then it happened: Something caughtmy eye, and I was distracted or a split second. I lostview o my dad. Frightened, I climbed under a rack oclothing and buried my head, hiding in the middle o

the rounder. I stayed there saely tucked away untilI heard a amiliar sound. In the midst o the noiseand chaos, I distinctly heard my athers voice,Dane! Dane! I continued to listen until I could hear

where his voice was coming rom. I peeked out,saw my dad standing close by, and ran to him. Weembraced and were both very relieved we had oundeach other.

Recently I was reading John chapter 10, whereJesus explains how the sheep know and recognizethe voice o their shepherd. I was reminded o my own

ordeal that day. I remembered how I heard my athers

voice above all the noise and distraction in that busydepartment store. Jesus tells us that the shepherdcalls his own sheep by name and leads them out.Imagine tending a huge ock o sheep and being ableto call each one individually. Verse 5 says, they willnever ollow a stranger; in act, they will run away romhim because they do not recognize a strangers voice.

Now, when the world beckons me with its lies, Iknow I must listen closely to hear my heavenlyFathers voice and the truth that only He oers. Thebetter I know Gods voice, the easier it is to turnaway rom imposters.

Its good to know that someday, when I havechildren o my own, they will recognize my voice. Its

even more important to me, though, that they learn torecognize their heavenly Fathers voice and desire toobey it through the power o His Spirit.

NOW, WHEN

THE WORLD

BECKONS

ME WITH ITSLIES, I KNOW

I MUST

LISTEN

CLOSELY TO

HEAR MYHEAVENLY

FATHERS

VOICE AND

THE TRUTHTHAT ONLY

HE OFFERS.


13/15


13

byRonVanGronigen

MARRIAGETo Know and Be KnownTo know and to be known are critical elements o all successul relationships.The most important relationship we can ever have is with God, and it isthrough His love that He chooses to make Himsel known to us. Ourrelationship with God directly aects our human interactions as we try toconduct ourselves in a Christlike way.

Although mutual knowledge and understanding areessential or all successul human connections, the

marriage relationship, I believe, can be the most timeconsuming and challenging.

As I record these thoughts, my wie and I are lessthan six months rom completing our 50th year omarriage. Looking back over this amazing journey o

two people with many common denominators, I alsorecognize that my wie and I bring to our marriage

two very distinctive personalities, with dierentstrengths and weaknesses, and strong opinions. Weknow it is because o the Lord that we have comethis ar. Our lives together bear witness o who ourincredible God is. We have learned more about Hischaracter and attributes, and we have been able tobridge the dierences that could divide and destroyour relationship. He has helped us understand,embrace, and apply absolute orgiveness. He has

shown us the beauty o unconditional, sacrifcial love

that is displayed in His Word.As a married couple continues to know and

understand each other, they are able to eectivelyapply the principle the apostle Paul communicatedto the Philippians when he wrote, consider others

better than yourselves. Each o you should look notonly to your own interests, but also to the interests oothers (Philippians 2:34). This, of course, applies toall relationships, but seeking to please ones spouse

is certainly a wise application.

When I am tempted to claim my rights or topoint out an injustice against me, I am remindedo our Lord, who walked willing, but painully, to Hiscrucifxion. Innocent, abused, and beaten, He diedor me with love in His heart and orgiveness on Hislips. Even though no one can ever approach that

example, it should be our goal to know Him in orderto be ound more like Him in the sacred and beautiulunion He has given us in marriage.

We know itis because o

the Lord thatwe have comethis ar.


14/15


14

byToriFunkhouser

BLESSINGKnowing GodA blessing can be a prayer o commission, a Bible passage, or words oencouragement. As your children are blessed, encourage them to reely share

with others the joy and love they have received rom God.

As parents, we desire nothing more than to have our children know God and walk in Hiswill or their entire lives. This month, beore you read the blessing over your children, inserteach childs name at the beginning.

(CHILDS NAME) , I keep asking that the G f u L

Jesus Chist, the glius Fathe, may give yu theSpiit f wism an evelatin, s that yu may knw

him bette. I pay als that the eyes f yu heat may

be enlightene in e that yu may knw the hpe

t which he has calle yu, the iches f his glius

inheitance in the saints. Ephesians 1:1718

BLESS

HomeFront Weekly: Dont forget to grab your HomeFront Weekly: A resource to getparents and kids talking about Gods Word together.


15/15

15

Whats Happening in YourFAITH COMMUNITY?

homefront: knowing vol. 3 iss. 2

Documents