25/10/15

This season is all about how to “Step Out and Shine.” Today we talked about a guy who did all the things we’ve learned in Stars. In the story, we saw him “Choose to Be Different.”  We saw that he decided to “Trust in the Lord”, always praying before he did anything. And we also saw him “Search For the Things of God” as he asked god for wisdom to do what was right.

If we are going to “Step Out and Shine”, we have to “Choose to Be Different” by doing the right thing, even when others don’t agree. We need to “Trust in the Lord” when things get confusing.

And just like with Nehemiah, it means we have to “Search For the Things of God!” which includes his wisdom and his commands.

When we do all this, we will be ready to “Step Out and Shine!” And the world will take notice and be impacted for God!

This week’s ‘Big Idea:

STEP OUT AND SHINE!

Our Bible verse to learn and remember:
So that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.”

Philippians 2:15

The BIG Challenge:
By the end of this series, if you can repeat ALL of the BIG IDEAS and/or Bible memory verses you will receive a very special prize.

HAVE A GO!

We had our first practice for the elderly people’s home visit today. What a celebration! God’s Son became a tiny baby so that we can be Forever Friends with him. That’s what the song we learnt today is all about- GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES.

18/10/15

Imagine being Prime Minister of Australia when you are only 8 years old! Sounds a little crazy?

Well, Josiah was only 8 years old when he became King of Israel. He is our Star for this week, not because he was only 8 when he became king, but because ....

HE CHOOSE TO BE DIFFERENT

His father was a bad king. He didn’t worship and obey God, but worshipped idols instead. Josiah, on the other hand, obeyed God.

HE TRUSTED IN THE LORD

            The Bible tells us that when he was 16 Josiah started worshipping God.

HE SEARCHED FOR THE THINGS OF GOD

Josiah started off by seeking God. And then when they found the lost scrolls, he searched God’s Word for the right way to live! Then he prompted everyone else to do the same!

If we are to be ‘Shining Stars’ we too, need to search God’s Word, the Bible. Then we will know how God wants us to live as well.

This week’s ‘Big Idea:

SEARCH FOR GOD’S WORD!

Our Bible verse to learn and remember:
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Colossians 3:2

11/10/15

God has promised to provide all our needs. Today we heard the story of Elijah and how God provided for him in a time of famine. It was pretty amazing and unusual, but God did it!

Through a fun game Emily G and Joshua H learnt that it is sometimes hard to depend on someone else to provide what we need.

Sometimes we have a hard time trusting that God can provide! Sometimes we don’t understand how something could be possible, but we need to remember that God has already thought it out and has a plan to make things work.

This week look for ways that God provides for you.

This week’s ‘Big Idea:

SEARCH FOR GOD’S PROVISION!

Our Bible verse to learn and remember:
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Colossians 3:2

Don’t forget to check the pbay chart – several people haven’t claimed their box!

10/10/15

Can you believe it? It’s term 4 already and only 8 Junior edge sessions left for the year! Don’t miss out on any of them, as we continue to discover how to SHINE for Jesus!

Just in case you have forgotten over the holidays:

The last ‘Big Idea’ was

SEARCH FOR WISDOM!

where we heard about King Solomon and how he looked to God for wisdom in making decisions. We, too, need to ask God for wisdom so that we will know what to do in tough situations.

Our Bible verse to learn and remember:
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Colossians 3:2

23/8/15

Today we learnt about a man named Job. He is a star to us, because he trusted God, even when things seemed confusing and unfair! Although Job’s three friends meant no harm, the things they said to him were wrong. Friends like that seem to have the loudest voice and it can make us awfully confused!

God reminded Job that God is in control of all things! There was nothing Job could do that would change any of that. Job remembered that God’s plans are bigger than anything anybody else could tell him! God is in control. Job realized that he himself had no answer for the things of God. When Job remembered these things, his heart was turned back to trusting in God no matter what!

You can’t expect to hear what God has for your life if you allow everyone else tell you what they think is important! You have to tune out your friends and listen to God’s voice only! It’s the only way we will be able to do what our Big Idea for today says and “Trust God No Matter What Others Say!”

So what is this week’s ‘Big Idea’?

TRUST GOD NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS SAY!

Our Bible verse to learn and remember:
Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

16/8/15

Wow, so many people were away sick today – over half of all Junior edge kids! We hope you are all soon feeling better.

Today we looked at the second step in becoming stars – Trust in the Lord. The star for today was a guy called Joshua. He was one of twelve spies sent out by Moses to spy out the land that God had promised to give to the Israelites.

While ten of the spies doubted God’s promise and told all the people that it was impossible for them to capture the land, Joshua stood up and said that because God was on their side they didn’t need to be afraid. You can read this story in Numbers 13:25 – 14:9

Sometimes it is really hard to trust God, especially when everything we see, or what everyone else is doing, makes us doubt him. But God is always there for us and takes care of us even when we don’t realize he is doing it... So do we have any reason to not trust in him? Absolutely not!

So what is this week’s ‘Big Idea’?

HAVE CONFIDENCE WHEN OTHERS DOUBT!

Our Bible verse to learn and remember:
Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

WOULD YOU TRUST THIS GUY?

Come next Sunday and discover more!

9/8/15

Today’s ‘Star’ was Joseph. Joseph was able to CHOOSE TO BE DIFFERENT because he knew God was there beside him, giving him strength to live God’s way.

Remember the illustration of the lobsters?

If we try to cook several lobsters in a large pot by putting them in cold water and then bringing the water slowly to the boil, we have a problem! As one lobster begins to notice the temperature rise, it looks for a way out. Once it has found the way, the other lobsters will simply try to freeload and pull themselves out of the water by climbing on the back of the lobster who is already pulling himself out. In return, this lobster is pulled back into the water. They may repeat this cycle several times before the water gets so hot that it overtakes them and they begin to finally cook!

Joseph seemed to have everyone around him pulling him down. His brothers beat him up, he was sold to slave drivers, he had Potiphar’s wife lie about him, he was left in prison, forgotten, for two years. He could have easily given up. But he remained faithful to God and continued to live God’s way. God honoured this, and took care of him!

That’s what God will do for us, if we can just resist letting others pull us down! So remember, Refuse to be dishonoured!

So what is this week’s ‘Big Idea’?

REFUSE TO BE DISHONOURED!

Our Bible verse to learn and remember:
Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2

The secret to CHOOSING TO BE DIFFERENT is allowing God to change the way we think. Then we will do what is right and live God’s way.