Out of Darkness, Light
Family Adventures 4Kids!
"We can trace all our human problems to an inaccurate view of God. ~ Bill Bright
I'm Kathy Bright. At Discover God 4Kids we're passionate about helping you teach children who God really is and why it matters.
We're convinced this is the most important thing you can do to set kids up for success. Why? Because every decision they make in life will flow from their view of God.
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Jesus says in John 15:5 that apart from God we can do nothing. Together we'll help children stay connected to God.
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Our children's view of God will determine who they will become --- for a lifetime!!
Just as all the characteristics of a rose are determined long before you see the bloom, so our children's character is determined by the age of 13... long before adulthood. We have 13 short years to lay a foundation in the lives of the children we love.
We can't wait until the demands of life slow down! Start by checking out the Family Adventures below. These online tools are free and lots of fun. We use the acrostic A B I D E to help you weave the attributes of God into daily family life.
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Think of Family Adventures as a buffet of fun and easy resources. Check out all the options and then choose the ones that best fit your children!
We are here to help! Contact us if you have any questions.
~ The Discover God 4Kids Team
FAMILY ADVENTURES WITH GOD!
It's easy to create a custom-made adventure for your family, one that will bring you closer to each other and to God! Family Adventures with God is easy, fun and flexible. Here's how it works:
Step 1
Click on the attribute listed below that you and your family would like to explore. I would recommend starting with God is Personal as it is the foundation upon which a relationship with God is built.
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Step 2
Once on the main page for an attribute you will see the acrostic, ABIDE. Each letter represents a different approach to exploring that attribute. You may choose to incorporate one, two or all of them into your family life. I encourage you to glance at each of them and pick and choose what works best for your family.
Activity – Family Night Activities are fun, interactive opportunities to spend quality time together with a bonus purpose - a chance to know each other and God better! I would recommend you begin your exploration of an attribute with a Family Night Activity. The activity will help you set the stage for exploring the attribute and peek their interest to know more. Some preparation is usually needed.
Don't let the name "Family Night Activity" put you in a box. You don't have to do the activity at night... you can do it whenever it fits with your family schedule!
Bonus Activities -- we are continuing to add to a long list of bonus activities for each adventure. These are games, crossword puzzles, coloring pages etc. for children to have fun within addition to the family activities.
Bible Time - Exploring God's word together is the most important part of the adventure. Your child needs to know that what they're learning is not just your idea, but it is God's truth.
We have highlighted five foundational Bible devotions. We'll continue adding more optional devotions but recommend that you start with these five.
Each Bible Time is designed to take no more than 15 minutes. Some will require a little bit of preparation so be sure to read the devotion before you sit down with your family. We have designed it so everything you need should be on hand around the house.
We have written the text of the Bible verses within each devotion to make it easier for you to use (we used the Living Translation from the Discover God Bible). However, we recommend you read directly from the Bible so your children can "see" where the words come from. If you have older children you may even have them read some of the verses for everyone.
Remember, this is your Adventure. If you haven't done family Bible devotions before, start with doing one or two a week. Just get started. If your family is very talkative, you may decide to break each Bible Time into two nights rather than one. If it's easier to get your family together in the morning than at night, do the Bible Times then! Recently my family decided to move our Bible Time to directly after dinner. Because of schedules it wasn't practical to do it before bedtime any more. The key is this: Be in God's Word with your children.
Influence Others – Jesus said we are to be salt and light in the world. Salt preserves good things and light chases away the darkness. Each attribute will provide suggestions for how your children can make a difference in the world because of what they've learned about God's character. It's fun for children to see that they don't have to wait until they're grown up to make a difference. If the suggestions we give don't work for your family, ask the Lord to give you an idea of what will. Send your idea to us and we will pass it on!
This part of the adventure will help solidify the connection between who God really is and your child's moral behavior. They will begin to experience the reality that who God really is can and should affect everything we do and say.
Drawing and Drama – This stop in the adventure will help your children tap into their creative side! Starting with "God is a Personal Spirit" your children will create a personalized journal so they can keep a record of their thoughts and experiences during the adventure.
In addition, we give ideas for expressing the attribute creatively. For the hands-on learner this is an important step in the process. Again, if your children come up with something else - that's great! Just don't forget to pass the idea on to us as well!!!
Experience – Capturing the teachable moments. As parents we have scores of "teachable moments" each day, but because we often don't recognize them we usually miss them.
God displays His attributes all around us every day. We will give suggestions in each attribute for ways to look for the "teachable moments" and help your children "experience" God's attributes in real life. Read the Experience suggestion and look for an opportunity to put it into practice.
Memory Verse
God has asked us to "hide His Word in our hearts." Helping your child memorize the Bible is the best way to do just that. We have highlighted one verse in each adventure that best captures the message.
I encourage you to help your children memorize these verses. They will be will be constant reminders of God's Love, Faithfulness, Truth, Personal Spirit, Justice, Mercy, Holiness, Power, Knowledge, Presence, Righteousness, Unchanging, Sovereignty (He's in control) as they face the challenges of life.
Step 3
Begin the adventure!! If you're a planner you will instinctively print the materials you want to use, plan when and where you'll do each Activity and Bible Time and decide how long you will devote to each attribute... you're amazing! If you are not a planner, you only need to make a few basic decisions and let the rest fall into place...I wish I could be like you!!! Click on the attribute you want to use and begin!