PACT time (Parents and Children Together)

With the new school year started, and routines beginning to regulate now is an excellent time to begin a new thing with your children. Many of us either drive our children to, or pick them up from school or some other extracurricular activity.  This time in the car together is a perfect time to talk with your children about the things of God. Ask your children what God Moments happened during their day and then share the God Moments that happend in yours too!   If we as parents initiate and begin to make this line of thinking a regular habit, before long your children will begin to beat you to the question!  And perhaps even more exciting, you and they will begin to LOOK for God Moments throughout your day.  God Moments happen ALL THE TIME... let's look for, acknowledge, and rejoice in them together! Below, you will find 3 ideas for conversation and interaction with your children throughout the week.  These ideas are based on what we have talked about as a class together on Sunday and are designed to help you continue the conversation within your family. Look for new conversation and interaction ideas every week! Yielding to the Holy Spirit As you are driving or taking a walk and come to a YIELD sign, ask: What does it mean to YIELD? (It means to wait until the other car passes and then follow behind it; it means to give the other car the right of way, the right to go first and then to go behind it, etc.) What does it mean to YIELD to the Spirit? (It means to wait until you know what the Spirit wants you to do, then follow Him; it means saying Yes to following His way instead of going your own way) How can we know what the Holy Spirit wants us to do? (He has written it in the Bible) There is always a battle between our own sinful desires and what the Holy Spirit wants us to do. We must learn what He wants and then follow His way. We must say yes to following Him and no to our sinful way.  Saying Yes to the Holy Spirit Items needed: 18 index cards (or pieces of card stock cut the same size) and pencil Make and play a matching game to see the contrast between works of the flesh and works of the Spirit. Write each of the following actions (with a pencil so it doesn't show through) on an index card. The first phrase will be the work of the flesh and the second phrase will be the work of the Spirit. Mix them up and lay them face down in rows on a table or the floor. Choose a kid to pick two cards. If they match (the work of the Spirit that "overrides" the work of the flesh), the player can keep the card until the end of the game. If they don't match, the cards are turned back over and another person has a turn. Take turns turning over two cards at a time until all the matches have been found. Act proud; be humble Argue; keep peace Lie; tell the truth         Sin with anger; use self-control Steal; work and share  Say mean words; say kind words Get revenge; forgive Be selfish; give to others Quit; stay faithful  There will always be a battle between following the works of the flesh (our sinful desires) and the works of the Spirit. God sends His Holy Spirit to live inside us (at the time of salvation) to help us do what is right. We must say yes to the Holy Spirit and no to sin. Fruit of the Spirit Items needed: brown paper bags or pieces of construction paper and pencil Review the Bible verse about the fruit of the Spirit that students are memorizing-–Galatians 5:22-23a. (in fact, ask them to sing our Fruits of the Spirit Song for you :) Ask the kids to trace their shoe onto the brown paper bag with a pencil. Cut out the shapes and write each fruit of the Spirit on one of the shapes. (Letting the kids help with this reinforces them as they write the names of the fruit on the cards.) Go outside where there is plenty of room and lay the footsteps in order on the driveway or sidewalk. Invite kids to walk the footsteps and say each fruit aloud as they step on it. If you have older kids, lay footsteps in a jumbled pattern and have them jump from one fruit to the next, in order as they are listed in the verse.  Ask kids to pick one of the fruit and to tell of an example of a person showing this fruit. For example: the fruit of love–speaking to and being kind to young children.  Ask your children if they exhibited any Fruits of the Spirit at school.