Blog: April 2019

Thank you for choosing to use the Gospel Project for Kids. Following Joshua’s death, the Israelites were without a leader. They fell into a cycle of sin that can be seen during each reign of the judges. The cycle is marked by an A-B-C-D-E pattern. Let’s look at the first judge, Othniel, to see this pattern. First, the people fell into Apostasy. They turned away from God and served other gods. (Judg. 3:7) Next, they experienced a period of Bondage. God was angry with the Israelites, and He gave them into the hand of the king of Aram. (v. 8) ...

Easter is behind us now, but it’s crucial to keep Jesus’ resurrection in view year-round.  Let his defeat of death and our sure hope of abundant life beyond the grave reverberate in your soul today and every day!  A great way to do this is to review 1 Corinthians 15. “Christ died for our sins” (v 3).  The gruesome cross was not random but purposeful.  “He was pierced for our transgressions…” (Isaiah 53:5). The risen Christ appeared to the Apostles and over 500 believers (vv 5-6).  It didn’t happen “in a corner.”  History must take this ...

his week, kids learned that the events leading up to Jesus’ death were terrifying for the disciples. Judas, their supposed friend, betrayed their Lord. Jesus was arrested, beaten, and killed. Though Jesus had plainly told the disciples that He would die and rise again on the third day, they did not understand. In fact, they were afraid to ask about it. (See Mark 9:31-21.) They had believed that Jesus was the One who would rescue God’s people, but how could He if He was dead? Then, on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. When Mary ...

On Monday the world was aghast to see the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris engulfed in flames.  The fire spread quickly, toppling the central spire that had reached 300 feet above the city streets. As I looked on, my reactions included anger (after over 800 years, why now, how was this not prevented?), sorrow (at the damage to such a grand edifice), theological reflection (what does it mean to see a heaven-pointing spire topped by the cross come plunging down?), along with a certain disinterest (it’s just a building, after all). Live ...

Last week, kids learned that God fought for His people at the battle of Jericho. When Moses was the leader of Israel, God gave His people instructions about entering the promised land. Among those instructions was the command to drive out the nations living in the land of Canaan. (See Deut. 7.) These nations were corrupt, and God would judge them for their sin. (Lev. 18) In the first battle, Israel marched around Jericho and the Lord gave them the city. As Israel moved to take the rest of the land, God pledged His presence to Joshua and ...

When was the last time you held your gaze on a bloody, mangled body? I know. Me neither. Instinctively our stomachs churn. Our faces contort. We mourn at the sight. And quickly turn away. The rawness is simply too much. But what about when we see a newborn baby? Ahhhh…we smile, squeal with delight, and wait for our turn to snuggle and kiss those sweet cheeks. We want to drink in the softness and the hope wrapped in newborn flesh. We can all relate to the difference in our human responses here. This difference is important because it is ...

I find Palm Sunday unsettling. Of course, outwardly Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is exhil­arating.  Crowds of followers with visions of victory cheer the arrival of His Royal Majesty:  “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38).  But do his exuberant fans see that Jesus weeps for the unrepentant city (19:41)?  Probably not—too busy celebrating. But then, consider their deafening silence in the days to follow.  The festive throng casting palms and coats on the ...

Join us for worship on Easter Sunday, April 21, at 8:30 or 11:00 a.m.  Come and celebrate Jesus' victory over death and our resurrection hope in him! Childcare for ages pre-K and under is available during services (and at the 11:00 service, grades K-2 may participate in "Kids Time Celebration"--they'll be dismissed before the sermon). Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! (Charles Wesley, 1739)

The Lord brought His people into the promised land. Now they had a task set before them: conquer the people living in the land. Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, Joshua—in the way Moses had done decades before—sent scouts into the land. (See Num. 13:2-3.) The first city the Israelites came to was Jericho. God told Joshua that He had handed the city over to Israel. The Lord’s reputation went ahead of the Israelites, creating fear in the people of Jericho. With the exception of one woman, the people of Jericho wanted nothing to ...

A Bible can provide a window into the life of the person to whom it belongs.  Or belonged.  After my dad, Ken Nelson, passed away last summer, his large-print Bible came into my hands.  It has markings and notes scattered through­out—and lots of dates to indicate when he’d been reading a passage.  The binding is falling apart, and yet in good, frugal “Dad fashion,” it’s held together by duct tape! Dad wrote two dates by Psalm 46, both of them in 2012 just after my mom, Connie Nelson, had died:  “God is our refuge and strength, a ...

On Sundays, our children have been learning about the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness. Forty years later, it was time for the next generation to enter the land. Only one geographical barrier separated the Israelites from the promised land of Canaan: the Jordan River. When the Israelites arrived, the Jordan River was flooded due to spring rains and snowmelt. Any other time, the river would have been manageable, but crossing the swollen river would have been as daunting as crossing the Red Sea. (See Josh. 4:23.) The Israelites had ...