Hello everyone!  I'm excited about today's post for a number of reasons.  The first is that I'm always excited to bring you easy hands on activities for placing Jesus before your babies!  Also, this is something I heard about not too long ago and have wanted to share with you ever since! 

This will be a quick post as it's a super simple activity!  All you need in the way of supplies for this is a writing implement and a surface upon which to write.  

The Lesson:
What are the Psalms? Simply put, the Psalms are songs and prayers that either lament or praise to the Lord.  They are full of imagery, comparisons and lofty language.  These poems are masterfully crafted.  Let's read one:

"Psalm 100

Be Thankful
A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us, and we are his--
his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever;
his faithfulness, through all generations.", Psalms 100, CSB

This Psalm is a praise of thanksgiving!  Being grateful to God for all His many blessings should be a natural posture for each of us as followers.  Discuss each verse with your kids and talk about the different actions the writer expects followers of God to do throughout this chapter (Shout, Serve, Come, Acknowledge, Enter His gates, and Give).

Once you've discussed each of these items its your turn!!  As a group decide on a attribute of God that you would like to praise.  Once you've done that, begin writing your psalm to the Lord.  It can be as long or short as you'd like just try to make it full.  

When you're done, we'd love for you to share it in the comments or on social media!!  We'd love to know how your kiddos enjoyed this activity!  Please share!!

So I'm kind of cheating today, but I promise its a good thing!  These posts are generated by my life, things I read and other things I see and hear.  A few weeks ago I read something I just loved.  Instead of me rewriting it, I'll just link you to it.

Before I do that, though, I want to frame it.   Throughout scripture, the Lord has consistently given us the choice between two options.  This is so vitally important to teach our children.  The world around them will tell them they get to choose from among many, many options.  However this is not what Jesus says,

"6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.", John 14:6, NKJV

He doesn't give a couple different choices (though the world around us will say that there are many choices).  He is THE way, THE truth and THE life.  The choice is between Him and the wrong choice.

Our job as parents is to point our children to Jesus, recognizing we can't make the choice for them.  Just like the star that led the wise men to Jesus in the manger, it is our job to lead them to the risen Savior so they can choose Him.  Leading them to Him means placing the choice before them and helping them know that not choosing Him means choosing death.  Choosing Him means choosing life!!

"See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.  For I command you today love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him and to keep His commands, decrees and laws;  then you will live and increase and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.", Deuteronomy 30:15-16, NIV

Without further ado, here's the link I promised.  Please take a read and be blessed!!

https://renew.org/the-bible-number-that-keeps-confronting-us/