Family Conversation Starters...

Hello parents!

This week why not start a new time of spiritual discussion around your dinner table?  Use these conversation starters to spark God Talk at dinner time.

Try it... I think you'll like it (and be surprised at what your kids think about God!)

On this journey with you,

Pastor Beau

Trapped Item needed: mouse trap Show the mouse trap. (If you have creative kids, ask one of them to think of a story about a mouse and the trap.) A mouse is a pesky little creature that eats through packages of our food and leaves nasty droppings—yuck!   Why do we set a mouse trap? (If you do) What do we put on the trap to try to catch the mouse? (Cheese; peanut butter; etc.) The mouse wants the cheese so badly that he goes after it and is CAUGHT by the trap. How is sin like a trap? (It catches us when we give in to it; it looks good, but the end result is not good; we want what we want so we give in and we can’t stop; etc.) We need to be freed from our sin.

Choices Play the Choices game. List two choices and ask kids to move to the side of the room of the choice they like.  For example—if you like pepperoni pizza go to the left, if you like cheese pizza go to the right. (Soccer/basketball; sport teams; favorite school subjects; kinds of game systems; ice cream flavors; vacation spots; hobbies; etc.) Even though sin is a trap, we have a choice on whether we give in to sin. Jesus’ death frees us from sin’s power and we can choose to do what is right.

Asking for Help We are all tempted (it is not a sin to be tempted), but when we give in to temptation and do what is wrong, we sin. Talk about what we could do when tempted and yet not give in to sin.  You want a pack of gum at the store, but don’t have any money. You are tempted to look at a friend’s test paper when you don’t know the answer. You feel angry at your mom when she wouldn't let you go to a friend’s house. Your little brother is annoying; you want to scream at him to leave you alone. You’re supposed to clean your room; instead you want to play a game.  Remember that sin is a trap. Asking for God’s help can help us say no to temptation.