SPLINK for the week of April 22

April 22-28 New Life       Happy Birthday!   Items Needed:  birthday cake or cupcakes Candles   Make a birthday cake or cupcakes and add candles. Light the candles and then blow them out together. Talk about birthdays.   Ask: What is the best thing about your birthday? What do you like to do on your birthday? What is your favorite thing to eat on your birthday? What is a favorite gift you have received for your birthday?   Your birthday is one of the happiest days of the year, the day YOU were born into this world. Jesus came to the earth to give you NEW LIFE, so you can live forever with Him in a wonderful place called Heaven. Each person must decide to receive God's gift to go to Heaven.   Talk to each child separately to see how much he or she understands about sin and forgiveness.   Some basic truths they need to know and understand: God loves you and wants you to be in His family (John 3:16). We have all sinned and gone our own way (Romans 3:23). Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for our sins (John 3:16). We have to believe that He died for our sins and came alive again (Romans 10:9). Tell God that we want to receive Him into our lives; we need to receive His forgiveness for our sins. Say thank you to Him. Celebrate! Call another believer (and Pastor Beau :) and tell him or her the good news. Write the date in the Bible. Cut the cake and eat it!         Our Home in Heaven   Items Needed:  copy or construction paper Crayons, pencils, or markers Optional: glitter or jewels   Read John 14:1-3.   Ask kids to draw a picture of what they would like their home in Heaven to look like.   Jesus is preparing a place for us in Heaven. He came to earth and died, so He could take away our sins and we could live with Him forever in Heaven.  Our home in Heaven will be better than anything we can even imagine! (You can read more about Heaven in Revelation 21 and 22.)      Eternity or Temporary   Items Needed:  five post-it notes for each child Pencils   Give each child five post-it notes and a pencil.   Instructions: Put the post-it notes on five different things. Write an E on the note if the item will last for eternity or a T if the item is temporary, something that will only be here on earth.   Talk about the items they chose and ask: Was it hard to find things that are eternal?  Yes! Most of the things that we treasure are temporary, not things we will take to Heaven. People are the only "things" we will take to Heaven with us. God wants all people to live in Heaven with Him.   Who can we tell about the new life they can have through Jesus?  Make a plan to pray for and share the good news with the people on your list.   On the journey with you, Pastor Beau