Category Archives: First Lights Live

First Lights Live May 6, 2020

Posted on by

Let's Focus on Pentecost!

God gives us what we need to keep going!

Follow-up Craft!

What You Need: Print the Activity Page below.

 

What You Do:
· Use modeling dough to color the picture, like filling in a mosaic, by pressing a thin layer onto the cardstock.
· The dough will stay on the cardstock. If the layer is thin enough and smeared into the paper, it will not come off even as it dries.
· When all the areas are filled in, the picture will look like a mosaic or a stained glass windowpane depicting the tongues of fire during pentecost.

Why we do it:
Pentecost was such an important moment in the life of the church. There are thousands of beautiful pictures like these to remind us of that time. Jesus had given His friends a big job to do, and He sent exactly the right Helper to give them the strength to do it! The Holy Spirit lives inside of people who follow Jesus and helps them do what’s right.

God did that so many years ago, and yet He still does that today! The Holy Spirit is with you always when you follow Jesus. Whether it’s strength to finish a big job or wisdom to know the right path, you can trust that [Bottom Line] God gives you what you need to keep going.

First Lights Live April 29, 2020

Posted on by

It's Time to Put our Focus on God!

Thank you for joining us for First Lights Live! We are looking forward to partnering with you (parents) to connect kids into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We know that through this relationship, we can lead them to a better future.

In these times of social distancing, First Lights Live is an opportunity to connect with kids, laugh together (hopefully), and most importantly, focus on what God is doing in us to change the world around us!

We believe in FUN! Fun over time with a group of kids allows us to gain influence in their lives.

We also hope that First Lights Live is an on-ramp for our church to reach those who are far from God or who may never set foot in a church, except for the sake of their children. We want to win the hearts of families to see lives changed forever!

We recently wrapped up a series on the Fruits of the Spirit and how they give us power to lead a Godly life.

We are now embarking on a new series where each month we will focus on ways God is working in us to change the world around us. We want to help kids dive deeper into their faith. Kids will have a blast as they discover how to trust in what they CAN’T see because of what they CAN see by putting the FOCUS on God and His amazing plan for us.

Power Up April 22, 2020

Posted on by

Follow Up Activities!

Option #1 (For Kids to Reflect)

It’s easy to see when someone else needs some self-control:

YOUR FRIEND IN CLASS WHO NEVER STOPS TALKING.
THE KID IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WHO GETS SO MAD AT THE SMALLEST THING.
YOUR BROTHER WHO’S OBSESSED WITH PURPLE SKITTLES. (EVERYONE KNOWS GREEN ARE THE BEST.)

Adults need self-control, too. They love to watch things like home decorating shows—sometimes too much! They talk a lot about needing to eat better, or get in better shape. They can be tempted to spend money on things they don’t really need. You know where it’s hard to see who needs self-control? Yep. In the mirror. That’s where your mom or dad can really help you. Your teacher or your Small Group Leader, too. If you ask them, they can tell you about some parts of your life where you need to learn some self-control. If you really, honestly, want to know, they can tell you. Does that sound scary? Are you kind of afraid of what you’ll find out? Think of it as a way to get better. After all, once you KNOW where you need to improve, you know exactly how to ask God to help you. With His Spirit, you can learn to stay in control.
PRAY

Option #2 (For Kids to Reflect)

READ ROMANS 8:5-6

Don’t think about an elephant. Don’t think about a purple elephant with pink polka-dots. Don’t think about a purple elephant with pink polka-dots standing on a stool. Don’t think about a purple elephant with pink polka-dots standing on a stool, balancing a red ball on its nose.

Let me guess—you’re thinking about a purple elephant with pink polka-dots dots standing on a stool, balancing a red ball on its nose. Am I right?

It’s easy to think of self-control as just the things that you DO (or don’t do), but your thoughts are the beginning of self-control. You may think you don’t have any control over your thoughts, but if you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you have the help of the Holy Spirit! Don’t try to have self-control all on your own—ask for help!

KNOW that God gives us the ability to control our thoughts with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Power Up April 15, 2020

Posted on by

Follow Up Activities

Kids and/or Families Can Do!

Okay - This One is for the Whole Family!

You’ll need your whole family—and a deck of cards—to play this quick game. Shuffle the cards and then have everyone draw one and hold it up to their forehead without looking at their card.

Walk around the room and talk to each other. If you see someone with a high card (7-10) or a face card (jack, queen, king, ace), be kind to them. Don’t overdo it with drama, but just talk about life, being kind and respectful.

However, if someone has a low card (2-6), ignore them. Don’t be mean, but just try to avoid talking to them. Keep this up for a few minutes, and then have everyone try to guess what their number is, based on how everyone was treating them.

Talk about how it felt to be treated a certain way. If you had a low card, did it hurt your feelings when everyone treated you poorly? Or if you had a high card, how did it feel to try to ignore someone else?

END THE GAME BY GOING AROUND AND SHARING ONE KIND THING ABOUT EACH PERSON.

Option #2

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN YOUR HEAD. WHO IN YOUR LIFE:
1) Are you most like?
2) Do you struggle being kind to?
3) Do you find is easiest to love?
4) Are you most different from?

Are your answers for one and three the same? And you probably got the same answer for two and four too, didn’t you? It’s natural to find it easier to be kind to the people that we relate to the most, the people who we “get,” and who understand us. But Jesus taught us that true kindness means being kind to everyone. Think of the Good Samaritan. He was considered an outcast, but he was kind to someone who was very different from him.

Today, find a way to reach out and be kind to the person (or people) you thought of for questions two and four. They don’t even have to know it was you—it could be a secret act of kindness—but do something kind to remind yourself how life is better when you’re kind to everyone.

Easter Egg-stravaganza April 8, 2020

Posted on by

We begin tonight's First Lights Live with a game of Peep Jousting.

To do this at home:

WHAT YOU NEED:
2 Peeps (or large marshmallows)
Microwave
Microwaveable plate
Toothpicks
Markers or Sharpie

WHAT YOU DO:
One half of the family challenges the other half to a Peep-jousting duel by melting Peeps in a microwave. You’ll need toothpicks to serve as the arms or jousts.

DIRECTIONS:
First, divide the room into two teams. Next, take two PEEPS® and assign them to a team. If you don’t have any PEEPS®, no worries, big marshmallows will work as well.
Team A gets Peep A, and Team B get Peep B. You can come up with cooler names like Lord Sugarcoat, or Sir Sprinkles… you get the idea. You can also use a marker or a sharpie to decorate your PEEPS® to give them some personality. Draw a moustache on your Peep, give them some mean eyebrows, or a fancy outfit…let your creative juices flow.
Next, you need to prepare your PEEPS® for battle. Stick a toothpick in each Peep to prepare them for battle. Think of the toothpick as a joust, a lightsaber, or sword – just depends on how serious your family is about the competition. Make sure the toothpick is facing forward, toward the other Peep. Place the two combatants on a microwaveable plate. No social distancing necessary – you want the Peeps to be close together and facing one another.
Finally, time for the big event. Gather around and put the plate in the microwave, setting the timer to 45 seconds. You won’t let it run that long. In fact . . . don’t let it run that long! Then, press start. Watch at a safe distance until the peeps drop their toothpick-sabers and one touches the other. The toothpick that touches the other Peep first, wins!

Continue the Conversation

Family Follow-ups!

Option #1

Over two thousand years ago, Jesus suffered and died the worst kind of death. But that terrible Friday that Jesus died isn’t the end of the story. Because on Sunday, when Jesus’ friends went to the tomb, it was empty! The grave couldn’t hold Jesus—He’s alive!

That’s why Easter is the best day ever. Jesus knew while He was on the cross that Sunday was coming. He suffered because of the joy He was looking forward to! If there were no Easter, no resurrection, then Jesus wouldn’t be worth following. But because Jesus faced death and beat it, because He is alive, Jesus is worthy of all of our worship and honor and praise!

Grab six plastic Easter eggs. Write out each sentence of the verse onto a strip of paper, fold it up, and place one inside each egg. Ask a sibling or parent to hide the eggs. Search to find them then put all the sentences in order. Read the verse with your sibling or parent. Then spend some time thanking Jesus for what Easter really means.

Option #2

Imagine the wealthiest king, sitting on a tall throne, crowned with jewels, surrounded by servants bowing down at his feet. What might happen if that king stepped down from the throne, took off his royal robe and jewel covered crown, and lined up with the servants instead?

That’s what Jesus did. He left the beauty and perfection of heaven behind to become like a servant. Jesus chose to enter our world as one of us, completely human, able to feel and experience all the things we experience so that we could know Him. Jesus chose to put you first.

Grab a piece of paper and draw a picture the night Jesus was born. Think about how Jesus left heaven for you, in order to put you first. Underneath your drawing write the words “Jesus put me first.”

Spend some time today thanking Jesus for choosing to leave heaven and come to earth so that He could put you first. Ask Him to help you follow Him this week as you choose to put others first, too.

Power Up Wednesday March 25, 2020

Posted on by

We are powering up tonight!

Join us on Facebook Live at 6pm

Praise and Worship!

Take time to listen to your favorite VBS song or contemporary worship song! I encourage you to dance and move like only God is watching!

Small Groups!

Option #1

READ ROMANS 15:13

Have you ever scored 100% on a test? Ever pitched a perfect game? Ever hit a hole in one at mini-golf? Perfect is possible in some circumstances. But perfect isn’t a guarantee. Or is it?

What if you could have perfect peace, 100% of the time? Even if you face the worst day, the kind that Alexander would label as a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day kind of day?

When you trust in Jesus and what He did for you on the cross, God gives you His Holy Spirit to guide and help you. You can experience perfect peace when you trust in the One who made you and loves you more than you could ever imagine.

Grab an index card and write “100% Perfect Peace Guarantee: Romans 15:13” on the front. Ask an adult to help you tape this card to the top of your doorframe. As you leave your room each day, jump up and tap the card to remind you that you can have peace 100% of the time because God is in control.

KNOW  that God promises perfect peace when you put your trust in Him.

Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

Option #2

Pass the Peace!

Find someone in your home or neighborhood that you can “pass the peace” to. All you have to do to pass the peace is to find someone to pray for! Go now and ask someone to sit down and pray for peace with you. You can pray something like this:
“Dear God, I know that You care so much about me and that You will always take care
of me. I pray for ______________ (name of person you are praying for). I pray that
they can also have peace in their heart when things get hard. God, allow us to always
remember that You are in control no matter what happens. We love You, God, amen”

THANK God for people in your life that can help you remember to have peace.

Power Up – Wednesday March 18, 2020

Posted on by

We are Powering up Tonight!

Join us on Facebook Live at 6pm!

Gather!

Jesus' friends had joy even when they were being put in jail, even when they were being made fun of, and even when they were being beaten. They had joy because they knew that Jesus died on a cross and came back from the dead for them. They had joy because they trusted God, and they had the Holy Spirit to help them.

God can help US have joy, too, even when things aren’t going the way we want. We can do it when we power up with the Holy Spirit.

Say it together: “Choose joy no matter what’s going on.”

You and I aren't in jail like the disciples, but we are experiencing something that is really hard. We can't be together. You can't go to school. We don't know when we'll be back to normal. It's tough. But we can still choose to have joy on the inside, because we know that Jesus came to be our Savior. We can choose to trust God no matter what and have true joy because of Him.

So this week, even when things are so unusual, we can choose to power up with joy!

Worship!

Watch, sing and dance together!

Story Time!

Watch the So & So Show or Read Acts 5:17-42

Small Groups!

Option #1

READ PROVERBS 17:22

Head to the kitchen, grab a glass and fill it up halfway with water. Now stand in front of the glass and answer the following question:

Is the glass half full or is it half empty?

How you answer this question says a lot about how you view the things that happen to you. You can either say:

“Oh man, half of my water is gone!”

Or you can say, “Look, I still have a half a glass of water!”

Looking at things with a half full view helps you have a cheerful heart—like our verse today talks about. But constantly treating every hard thing that happens as if it’s “the worst thing ever” can have the opposite effect. It’s like seeing every situation as half empty. When you trust Jesus as Savior, you should always be able to find the bright side with a cheerful heart.

LOOK for ways to view the hard stuff with joy.

Option #2

READ MATTHEW 6:26

Grab a piece of paper and a pencil along with your Bible and a notebook and head outside. See if you can spot a bird on the fence line or in your yard. Watch the bird for a few minutes and then write down the things you observe. You can also draw a simple sketch of the bird if you’d like.

Have you ever observed a bird before? God made that bird you’ve been watching. Do you think that bird worries about where her next meal will come from? Nope. God provides the things birds need to survive.

You are worth so much more than that little bird. Why? Because you were made in God’s image. Of all the things God made, including that little bird, you are most like Him. So the next time you start to worry about something, pause and think about that bird. Remember that God loves you and that He will provide everything you need. Ask Him to replace that worry with peace. Remember, you can have peace because God is in control. We can choose joy because we TRUST God no matter what.

THANK God for the reminder that we can find peace because He is in control.