PACT for Thanksgiving Week

What is Integrity? What is integrity? (Doing the right and honest thing even when no one is looking.)  *It comes from the Latin word integer (whole numbers), referring to whole, perfect, or complete. Discuss the following situations and what is the right thing to do. Your mom made some cookies for dessert, but told you not to eat any before dinner. You  are hungry. What is the right thing to do?  Your dad gave you a chore to do and then left to finish another job, what is the right thing to do? You are mad at your sister, so you tell your parents that she hit you. What is the right thing to do? The teacher left the room, but left everyone an assignment to complete. What is the right thing to do? Your mom said, "NO playing electronics in bed!" What is the right thing to do? Discuss other situations where your kids might be tempted to do the wrong thing. God wants us to do the RIGHT thing even when no one is looking. Running Away...From Sin Do a simple experiment to show that living with integrity means doing what we can to run away from sin. Items needed: bowl (cereal bowl is fine) with water covering the bottom, pepper, liquid dishwashing detergent, and a Toothpick Sprinkle some pepper over the water. Dip the toothpick into the detergent and place a drop of detergent in the middle of the water. Watch the pepper run away. Why does the pepper move away? FYI: Water molecules are strongly attracted to each other and this creates surface tension. (This is what allowed the pepper to float on top of the water.) When you put the detergent in the water, it makes the surface tension weak. The water’s surface tension force is stronger than the detergent’s surface tension force, so the pepper pulls away from the soap and carries the water with it. God is holy and wants us to be holy; we are to run away from sin. Read Proverbs 6:16-19. What are some sins God hates? (Proud look, lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers) What are some ways you can avoid (stay away from) sin? (Make friends who also want to do what is right, pray and ask God to help you be strong, listen to your parents, love God more than any sin) If someone asks you to do something you know is not right, what can you do? (Walk away, tell them you need to leave now, say "no, thanks") No one can completely be free of sin, but God gives us His Holy Spirit to help us keep away from sin. What should we do when we sin? (Be sorry for our sin and ask God to forgive us; He is merciful and always ready to forgive us.)  Giving Thanks Since it is Thanksgiving week, make a THANK YOU basket to show appreciation to someone who has been kind to your family (a friend, family member, pastor, neighbor, etc.). Buy some favorite snacks the intended person likes and put them in a basket. Invite each family member to make a card with a simple message (You are ______; I like the way you _____; Thank you for being so _______; I am glad that _______; etc). Deliver the basket of cards and goodies to the person together!