| For the Week of August 8, 2010
Summer, Lesson 10 Upper Elementary: God's Instruction Manual
In this lesson, your students will discover why the Bible is like an instruction manual for life. They will also learn what it means when we say that the Bible is inspired by God.
Click here to download the lesson » Upper Elementary Resource Links: - Mariano Rivera-pitcher, Yankee, and some say the greatest closer in baseball history. But why does he have a Bible verse inscribed onto his glove?
Middle School: There's an App for That
Paul the Octopus became a world-wide sensation for his amazing accuracy in picking eight out of eight winners in various matches in the 2010 World Cup, including picking Spain to be the overall champion. This lesson will help students focus on how they want to be guided in life - whether by God's Word or by other methods that can never measure up to the guidance of His Word.
Click here to download the lesson » Middle School Resource Links:
- Have you heard of Paul the Psychic Octopus, who correctly predicted all 7 of Germany's World Cup matches, faced death threats, and received offers of asylum from Spain's Prime Minister? Well, "El Pulpo Paul" is now retiring.
High School: Revealed
Your students will learn that taking the "narrow road" in life will lead to God's blessings.
Click here to download the lesson » High School Resource Links:
- "Virtual church" is becoming a common trend today. CNN reports on whether that's good or bad for worship.
Adults: Be Like Christ
This week your class will consider what it means to be in Christ-that is, what it means to live as one who has trusted in Christ for his or her salvation. We'll discuss what Christians have been saved from as well as what we have been saved to.
Click here to download the lesson » Adult Resource Links: - This contemporary song from Big Daddy Weave wonders what life would be like if we let Jesus be in us and live through us.
- The hymn "May the Mind of Christ Our Savior" is based on Philippians 2:5. Listen to the tune and read the lyrics at this website. You may want to end class by singing the hymn together.
- In-depth commentary on Philippians 2:1-13 can be found at this website in two pages:
For the Week of August 1, 2010
Summer, Lesson 9 Upper Elementary: Persistence Pays
Students will learn why persistence in prayer is a powerful thing.
Click here to download the lesson » Upper Elementary Resource Links: - What is prayer? Why do we pray? How often should we pray?
Middle School: Praying for One Another
Students will talk about Harry Potter, with its lesson that friends should stick together, and compare that with the biblical truth of friends interceding in prayer for one another.
Click here to download the lesson » High School: Taking the Highway
Your students will learn that taking the "narrow road" in life will lead to God's blessings.
Click here to download the lesson » Adults: On the Front Lines
As we begin a study of Philippians, students will come to understand that being a Christian not only means faithfully living for the Lord now, but leaving a lasting legacy.
Click here to download the lesson » Adult Resource Links: - Background on the Book of Philippians can be found in these articles:
- This article discusses this week's Scripture passage in considerable detail and has additional discussion questions.
- For a unique rap version by Trip Lee of the whole Book of Philippians, watch this video.
- This video features the song "To Live Is Christ" from the famous Hillsong Church of Sydney, Australia.
For the Week of July 25, 2010
Summer, Lesson 8 Upper Elementary: Three Hard Words
Students will listen to a story about forgiving others.
Click here to download the lesson » Upper Elementary Resource Links: - How would you react if you survived a Holocaust camp, and years later one of your guards came and asked your forgiveness? Would you be able to do it?
Middle School: Unanswered Prayer
Students will share stories about prayer, especially times when God didn't seem to answer.
Click here to download the lesson » Middle School Resource Links:
- Kids pray the darndest things!
High School: O My God!
Students will hear about the trials suffered by both Pastor Don Piper and the apostle Paul and apply the wisdom of these two courageous teachers to their own lives.
Click here to download the lesson » Adults: Always Do What's Right
Ask your students to finish the following statement: "One thing I have to do regularly that tires me out is. . ."
Click here to download the lesson » Adult Resource Links: - These websites include commentary on 2 Thessalonians 3:
- If you are feeling weary and discouraged, here are some websites that may give you encouragement:
For the Week of July 18, 2010
Summer, Lesson 7 Upper Elementary: Ask, Believe, Receive
Your students will begin with a clip from The Karate Kid and discuss this tween's desperate situation and think about how they would like to handle their own difficult situations. They will examine their prayer life and focus on ways to build their faith through spending time in prayer.
Click here to download the lesson » Upper Elementary Resource Links: - Yes, it's almost a scene-for-scene remake. Yes, the title is now no longer accurate. Yes, it's one more treasure of the `80s mined by Hollywood in the hopes of making another unoriginal blockbuster. But the core themes of the new Karate Kid movie still ring true.
Middle School: You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover
Looks can be deceiving" has been an aphorism since before Jesus pointed out the difference between the Pharisee's false demeanor and the tax collector's humble heart. It's a concept we need to be reminded of over and over again. This lesson explores this theme in two ways - once with humor and once with a story from real life.
Click here to download the lesson » High School: I Got Your Back
In this week's lesson, students will understand the power of shared, intercessory prayer in the Body of Christ.
Click here to download the lesson » Adults: Stand Firm
Students will discuss what they can do to stand firm in their faith in difficult times or when they face opposition to their beliefs.
Click here to download the lesson » Adult Resource Links: - One old hymn worth listening to again that encourages us to stand firm is "The Solid Rock," by Edward Mote. You can find words and renditions of this hymn at these websites:
- If you are going to stand firm for the Gospel, you should know what you believe. Rich Mullins's song based on the Apostles Creed reminds us of what the "main things" are in our faith:
For the Week of July 11, 2010
Summer, Lesson 6 Upper Elementary: A Series of Unfortunate Events
Life's not like a movie, where bad things happen and then are resolved in a couple of hours. When times are tough, we need to turn to the only One who can help us. This lesson will aid students in realizing God can handle hearing about anything that troubles us; He just wants us to come to Him with trust and honesty.
Click here to download the lesson » Upper Elementary Resource Links: - The Lemony Snicket books have been very popular for the last few years. But now that there are 12 of them, who has the time to read them all? Maybe you could just watch the 2-minute summary of the entire series, narrated by Tim Curry.
Middle School: Chiseled Prayer
Students will reflect on the Lord's Prayer and see how each aspect of it can be related personally.
Click here to download the lesson » High School: Man in the Mirror
Students will examine sin and its cost.
Click here to download the lesson » High School Resource Links:
- Sin is a touchy topic, especially in a culture that wants to ignore sin and claim that we should be accepting of everyone's lifestyle choices. The biggest disconnect is when celebrities share their understanding of sin-or lack thereof. Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan share their hilariously world views. And Chris Brown seems to be repentant for his very public screwups. But at the end of the day, there's only One Source we should turn to for wisdom and advice.
Adults: A Life that Glorifies God
This week's lesson looks at a Christian's life as he or she seeks to live in ways that truly glorify God.
Click here to download the lesson » Adult Resource Links: - An introduction to 2 Thessalonians and an outline of the book can be found at this website.
- A verse-by-verse commentary on 2 Thessalonians 1 can be studied at this website.
- Learn more about the connection between spiritual fitness and physical fitness at this website.
For the Week of July 4, 2010
Summer, Lesson 5 Upper Elementary: Solving the Mystery of Prayer
In this week's lesson, students will learn some practical tips about prayer. They will also explore different ways to pray.
Click here to download the lesson » Upper Elementary Resource Links: - Does prayer work in a way that's scientifically measurable? For example, in England, the population routinely prays for the Royal Family every week in church. Does this systematic prayer have a demonstrable effect on England's royalty? Shouldn't they live longer in general? This study shares the answer.
Middle School: Scheduling the Summer Time
Students will discuss whether it matters how we schedule our time.
Click here to download the lesson » Middle School Resource Links:
- ADD is increasingly common among our youth. This newsletter attempts to give parents and teachers help in dealing with children diagnosed with ADD.
High School: Focusing on Praise
Students will compare how they praise star athletes to how they should praise God.
Click here to download the lesson » High School Resource Links:
- What happens when you decide to hire an Oscar-winning director, give him a multi-million dollar budget, and cast some of the biggest celebrity names in the world? This soccer ad.
Adults: Living in the Light
Students will discuss how to live in faith, hope, and love as they build each other up in their Christian walk.
Click here to download the lesson » Adult Resource Links: - Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 5 can be found at these websites:
- Did Paul believe that Jesus' second coming of (in Greek, Jesus' parousia) would happen in Paul's lifetime? Here is an interesting discussion of that question.
For the Week of June 27, 2010
Summer, Lesson 4 Upper Elementary: Heroes of Honor
Your students will consider the sacrifice of our fallen soldiers and learn about two outstanding rehabilitation facilities constructed to honor our American heroes. Students will recognize the godly heroes in their everyday lives and consider ways to honor them.
Click here to download the lesson » Upper Elementary Resource Links: - What options are available for soldiers who have had amputations because of injuries sustained while serving in our military? The Center for the Intrepid shows honor to those who have sacrificed for our country.
Middle School: The Power of One
This lesson will help students ponder the power of one - a one dollar donation, one kind word said to someone in need, one pair of helping hands pitching in.
Click here to download the lesson » Middle School Resource Links:
- How many pairs of shoes do you own? How many pairs of shoes do you think the average American woman owns? How many pairs of shoes does the average Argentinian child own? (Hint: one of the answers is `19') One man decided to address this injustice.
High School: Dare to Be Different
Students will explore the different ways prejudice is experienced.
Click here to download the lesson » High School Resource Links:
- Depending on where you live, you may think that prejudice is a thing of the past. Or prejudice may be a daily reality. In the interest of helping teams get outside of their own personal experiences of prejudice, here are some varied testimonials.
Adults: Winning Respect
Students will discuss how we can live holy lives and have others respect us for who we are and what we do, even if they don't like our message.
Click here to download the lesson »
For the Week of June 20, 2010
Summer, Lesson 3 Upper Elementary: Praise the Lord
In this lesson, your students will talk about many of the different words they can use to praise God. They will also make their own musical instruments so that they can have fun praising God in song.
Click here to download the lesson » Upper Elementary Resource Links: - A nice Fender guitar can set you back several thousand dollars. Or if you're looking for fun craft and musical time, you can make one much more cheaply out of an old shoebox. Click here for instructions on how to make a guitar and eight other musical instruments out of things lying around the house.
- Visit this site for photos and fun facts about the musical instruments mentioned in the Bible.
Middle School: Believe It or Not!
Students will consider an amazing optical illusion and the Gospel based on eye-witness facts.
Click here to download the lesson » Middle School Resource Links:
- Optical illusions are always fascinating. Much of the time, they come down to tricking our eyes and minds, so one person sees one thing, while another sees something completely different. Non-believers treat the miracle of Jesus' resurrection like just another illusion that "everyone sees differently," but we know His miracle is not a trick.
High School: Rock-Paper-Scissors
Students will learn the importance of confronting others in love to resolve conflict.
Click here to download the lesson » High School Resource Links:
- Are you familiar with "Jan-Ken-Pon"? How about "Fargling"? Does "Rochambeau" sound more familiar? Okay, okay, you've probably heard of Rock-Paper-Scissors. But the history and variants of this simple child's game might surprise you.
Adults: Be An Encourager
Students will discuss why people need to be encouraged in hard times and what they can do to be encouragers to others.
Click here to download the lesson »
For the Week of June 13, 2010
Summer, Lesson 2 Upper Elementary: R.S.V.P.
Sometimes we have to go through one thing to get to another. To get to college, we go through high school. To catch a plane, we need to go through airport security. Students will use real life examples to see how it is that they go through Jesus to come to God.
Click here to download the lesson » Upper Elementary Resource Links: - What does "RSVP" mean? Besides, of course, "pretentious thing to put on your invitations."
Middle School: Love is a Verb
Students will confront the challenging question of whether love is a choice, a feeling, or a complex combination of the two.
Click here to download the lesson » Middle School Resource Links:
- What are some ways to show love? Here's a helpful brainstorm list to get you started.
High School: Top-notch Leadership
Students will be given a chance to show leadership as they problem solve and will also reflect on leadership traits.
Click here to download the lesson » High School Resource Links:
- More oil spill news. The leak just won't die.
Adults: Share Your Lives
The lesson this week focuses on the importance of opening our lives to others so they can see the Gospel in how we live, as well as in what we say.
Click here to download the lesson » Adult Resource Links: - For a short devotional on 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 and more questions on this Scripture, look at this website.
- Two more commentaries on these verses can be found at Bible.org:
For the Week of June 6, 2010
Summer, Lesson 1
Upper Elementary: Cleanup Time
Students will discuss the current BP oil spill and compare the cleanup efforts to how we should clean ourselves as preparation for worship.
Click here to download the lesson » Upper Elementary Resource Links: - It's already surpassed the Exxon Valdez as the greatest oil spill of all time. What spiritual comparisons can we make to the need to clean up the oil spill before we can heal the gulf?
Middle School: It's All About the Team
Students will positively encourage each other as they explore their spiritual gifts.
Click here to download the lesson » Middle School Resource Links:
- Ever wonder which spiritual gifts you might have? (Besides the gift of awesomeness . . .) A free online test can get you started towards figuring them out.
High School: Rock Solid and Built to Last
In today's lesson, students will discover how Christian believers everywhere join together to make up the Body of Christ.
Click here to download the lesson » High School Resource Links:
- Want to see what it looks like when an entire house gets built start-to-finish in seven days? Extreme Makeover: Home Edition figured you might.
Adults: An Obvious Connection
Students will think about what people see in their words and actions that show they are different somehow, that they are noticeably following Christ.
Click here to download the lesson » Adult Resource Links: - Some interesting answers to questions about 1 Thessalonians can be found at this website.
- This website introduces you to Paul's travels through Greece, including his stop in Thessaloniki. Be sure to click on the links on the left side of the page ("Paul's Letters . . .") to see artifacts from Thessaloniki and how they relate to the world that Paul was writing to.
- If your church or Sunday school class is looking for practical ways to serve the Lord while reaching out with a servant heart, see the list at this website.
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