Mikal Keefer - 13 Very Cool Stories and Why Jesus Told Them

13 VERY COOL STORIES AND WHY JESUS TOLD THEM

Published by David C Cook

4050 Lee Vance Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.

All scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

LCCN 2017952628

ISBN 978-0-7847-2123-0

eISBN 978-0-8307-7300-8

2018 David C Cook

Developed by Standard Publishing.

The Team: Lindsay Black, Amy Konyndyk, Rachael Stevenson, Abby DeBenedittis, Susan Murdock

Cover Illustration/Design: Dennis Jones

I will speak to you in parables. I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.

Matthew 13:35

Trust Jesus.

John 10:1115

We can help our neighbors.

Luke 10:3037

Lifes not fairbut God is always loving.

Matthew 20:115

God wants youa lot!

Luke 15:810

God is forgiving.

Luke 15:1132

Use your talents to serve God.

Matthew 25:1429

Keep God first!

Luke 12:1621

Obey Jesus.

Matthew 7:2427

Stay connected to Jesus.

John 15:1, 45

We can forgive others.

Matthew 18:2135

Youre invited to Gods party!

Luke 14:1624

God helps our faith grow.

Matthew 13:3132

Jesus is worth everything.

Matthew 13:4546

First, thanks. Thanks for caring about children and for helping your kids dig into 13 cool stories that Jesus told. Youll get to share with kids the meaning behind theese stories and what they tell us about Jesus, the kingdom of heaven, and our place in Gods big story.

These sessions for elementary kids are carefully designed to make your life easy. Theyre light on supplies, quick to prepare, and long on fun. Youll find most supplies in the churchs supply closet or kitchen or at home in your garage, pantry, or junk drawerno need to spend time ordering materials online.

Because these sessions are created so beginning teachers or mature teenagers can lead them confidently, you wont need highly trained teachers. And the variety of options in each session will snag the attentionand hold itof first-grade through six-grade children, including the boys!

Best of all, youll see kids grow in their faith as they open their hearts to what God shares with them through these 13 sessions.

Preparation is easy too. Each week youll focus on one key Bible truth, which children will explore and apply. Youll drive that point home through Bible exploration, fun discussion, giggle-worthy games, and Oh, wow! activities that engage kids in multiple ways through multiple learning styles.

Each week, your children will actually experience a Bible story. Theyll discover it, ponder it, talk about it, pray about it, and apply what they learn. If thats what youre looking forfor your children to do Gods Word instead of just hear ityoure in exactly the right place. And heres a tip: supersize the learning by using a kid-friendly version of the Bible to make sure the stories are understood by children.

We get it: sometimes you have to punt. A sermon goes long or short. Kids are quick to dive into a lesson or need some time to warm up to being together. Older kids might zip through an activity while their younger friends take longer.

Relax. Weve got you covered.

You can use these sessions with kids in practically any setting: in Sunday school, childrens church, evening programs, or while kids parents are attending an adult class or small group. Theres maximum flexibility because each session is written to last 45 minutes and then provides enough extras to fill a full hour. These sessions stretch to fit exactly what you need, when you need it. Theyre

• multi-agedsuitable for mixed ages of elementary children;
• easily adaptedsessions work for just a couple kids or a packed classroom;
• relationalchildren grow close to Jesus and one another
• flexiblebrimming with options to fit varying time frames; and
• funeven easily distracted kids can engage, learn, and grow!

So are you ready for some fun? Lets dive in!

The Point: Trust Jesus.

Scripture Connect: John 10:1115

Supplies for all Session 1 activities options: pencils, prepared poster, identical spoons (metal or plastic, at least 1 per child), Bible, 1 penny or nickel for each child (to keep), paper

Quick! Whens the last time you saw a shepherd leading a flock of sheep around the countryside? Ever?

In Jesuss day, it was a common sightso common that when Jesus painted a word picture of his relationship with his followers, he chose the image of a shepherd and sheep.

And not just any shepherdJesus claimed the role of a shepherd who owns the flock, wholl risk anything to protect his sheep including his life.

That kind of commitment is rare. Think about who in your life is literally willing to die for you. For most of us, its a short list.

As you share this story with your kids, youll help them discover just how deep Jesuss love is for his followersfor usand that we can trust Jesus too!

Time: about 5 minutes, depending on attendance

Supplies: pencils, prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Write a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish youd slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past weekexcept exactly on the 5. Because theres no such thing as a week thats exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time, and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids lives.

Time: about 10 minutes