Temptation Devotion for pre-teens/teens

We used the example of Jesus overcoming Satan by APPLYING God's word to help show the need to understand scripture in an emotional/physical/spiritual battle.  The drawings had to do with being connected to the vine (life source). Below were some scenerios we felt our pre-teens/teens may come up against.

You’ve been introduced to a song by a friend that has an upbeat rhythm and you love the way it sounds.  As you listen to the words, you notice the theme has to do with drinking and partying.  When it comes on again, you remembered liking the song but know the words aren’t a good message.  What verse would help you keep from listening to the song again? 

Your parents told you that you couldn’t play any technology until your homework was done and your room was clean. After the room was cleaned, you get tired of working. But you still need to prepare for school.  What verses will help you complete what you need to do? 

There’s a student you know who is not popular, and most people think he/she is kind of annoying.  

One day, while you were eating, this student walks by you and your friend. Your friend says, “Quick put your book on that empty seat so he/she won’t sit here.”  What verse will help you respond to the temptation to follow this bad advice? 

Your sibling comes home from school and is excited about something.  You were listening to music and relaxing.  What verse will help you turn your attention to your sibling until their done talking to you instead of your own interests? 

You have been assigned a very long task to help one of your teachers over the summer.  After a few days on the computer, you’re bored and it’s taking longer to do the work you’ve arranged to do.  What verses would help you to focus on completing the  job and keep working or make arrangements to have the project take a longer amount of time than you originally arranged for? 

Your friend wants to get together Friday.  You were just together the past weekend and you know it’s a busy time for your family, yet you are also nervous that your friend is getting more and more involved with other people besides you.  What verses will help you not to be nervous that your friend won’t care about you anymore if you can’t be with him/her again? 

Your family made plans to go to a restaurant that you love.  The day before it’s time to go they tell you that instead of eating out, you’re going to need to eat at home.  What verses will help you to not be angry over this change of plans? 

Two friends are arguing and you can see both sides of the disagreement.  One of them is complaining about the other person to you.  What could you say that would be honest and help them not fall into the temptation of being critical of others? 

A family member makes fun of you and you feel very insulted.  They’ve said they’re sorry, but the words they said are still coming to your mind.  What verses will silence this negativity going on in your soul? 

Know where you’re vulnerable. Others may be able to handle situations where you will fall. Don’t go with them if it is a source of temptation for you. Develop a deep distrust in yourself that drives you to a desperate clinging to the Lord. 

Shepherding...Or So it Seems

"Have a Happy Family by Friday" and "The Storm Inside" were two books I read this week.  Nice and easy beings that one was from my mother-in-law and the other from the library.  "The Storm Inside" by Sheila Walsh tackles some interesting concepts like shame. I latched onto a new verse and learned about galbanum.

It reads in Exodus 30, ³⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, ³⁵ and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. ³⁶ Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. ³⁷ Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord. ³⁸ Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from their people.”

Galbanum (Ferula gummosa) has an earthy aroma. It was used in ancient temple ritual incense anointings associated with springtime. Galbanum supports the immune, digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and other body systems. It is also useful as an aid for troubled or mature skin. Galbanum has an approximate ORAC of 261,826 (TE/L).

Galbanum has an intense green fragrance with woody and balsamic elements. Often described as earthy or forest-like, this fragrance compound is valued for its ability to impart a rich, spicy green scent. Perfumers use galbanum both as a strong top note in "green" fragrances and as a base note in combination with musk and/or chypre elements such as oakmoss and pine.

Fragrances for women that feature the perfume ingredient galbanum include Chanel No. 19, Guerlain Vol De Nuit, Cartier Must, Balmain Vent Vert, Fresh Galbanum Patchouli and Azzaro Couture.

"Have a Happy Family by Friday" by Kevin Leman brought be back to my children and their strengths and weaknesses.  I'm excited that it's spurred on a family devotion that I'm preparing for this weekend. 

My favorite part was when Leman referenced some research he'd done for "Shepherd."  He said a group of psychologists recorded a shepherd's voice and dressed another person like him to imitate his persona among the sheep.  Fortunately, the sheep know their shepherd's voice so closely that a recorded version doesn't quite do the trick.  The next book I need to find is one Sara Grove's recommended.  "Long Obedience in the Same Direction" by Eugene Peterson-who's read it?

Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life of Julia Child

Any book that chronicles the life of Julia Child should have the same amount of perseverance in its formation to match Child's career path.  Jessie Hartland's efforts of writing and illustration are top notch, and she grew up watching episodes of "The French Chef" and enjoys cooking herself. 

Jessie Hartland is a New York City-based commercial artist and writer and illustrator of books for children. She has painted murals at a Japanese amusement park, designed Christmas windows for Bloomingdale’s and put her mark on ceramics, watches and all sorts of other things.
She has done drawings for many magazines and newspapers such as: the New York Times, Travel and Leisure Family, Martha Stewart Kids, Bon Appetit, and Fit Pregnancy.

In working through this non-fiction book with a 4th grader, we found approximately 25 new vocabulary words.  We also found out that Julia Child once painted a toliet seat red as a prank!

Follow Julia Child—chef, author, and television personality—from her childhood in Pasadena, California, to her life as a spy in WWII, to the cooking classes she took in Paris, to the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, to the funny moments of being a chef on TV. This is a comprehensive and enchanting picture book biography, told in many panels and jam-packed with lively, humorous, and child-friendly details.

Japan Connections

Sae was our 12 year old Japanese exchange student, and second her name is pronounced like the word “Hi,” only with an “S.” --the following post was written by my daughter Olana Noble after her LABO exchange experience.         

 

When she got to Sioux Falls she was a little tired, but luckily she didn’t get jetlag like most of the kids that came. We managed to open the gifts that she brought for us that day. The gifts were some Japanese coins and kimonos.

After that, it was time for bed. She was staying in my bedroom. We wore the kimonos to church the next morning.

One of the best memories with her was camping at Palisades State Park. I remember singing “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles all the way there. Another thing we did with her was go to the Little House on the Prairie place in DeSmit. I remember the tiny kittens that I fell in love with. I think her favorite thing that we did was going to my great grandparents lake cabin. We went tubing and ate a lot of food. One of my last memories with Sae is of a little stuffed chick in a cracked, stuffed egg that she got attached to and would make it “speak.” She named it Ha HaHa.

When she got home to Japan her first meal was seal. She emailed us and told us her grandma wanted to wash Ha HaHa, but she wouldn’t let her. She told her grandma it smelled like the Noble’s house. The last thing she wrote is something I will remember forever. It is that she was homesick for Sioux Falls.

Kate Coomb's "Water Sings Blue" was a book I found because I was looking for non-fiction for a fourth grade reader.  Although I sought it out for the poetry, I ended up being the most impressed with the illustrator.  Meilo So, by her own biography was "Madie in Hong Kong.  Packaedg in England," and "Domiciled in the Shetland Islands," and to end her description states, "Delicate: contains one life." 

Inside "Water Sings Blue" the colors were vibrant and the whimsy over the combination of the sea turle and the verse was adorable.

There's a wide green map
on sea turtle's back.
Currents?  She knows
their flows, never slows,
needn't stop for directions
wherever she goes,
flapping her elegant
paddle-shaped toes. 

Meilo So's website intrigued me further with her designs for food packaging as well as another children's title "Alex the Parrot" by Stephanie Spinner. Looks like I have another book to discover.

A bigger pearl?

We started a new record of what we're thankful for as a family.  The notebook says "Wow" on the cover and it's sitting in the center of our dining room table.
It was a catalyst for our devotional time yesterday.

Chad read through a commentary that likened our struggles and their harvest to that of an irritant in a pearl -- the bigger the irritant, the more we will grow from it, and as the pearl grows larger from bigger rocks and intruders, so does our experience of God and His opportunity to shape us.

As we talked about the sifting in our lives to move us to the west side, we were grateful.  We filled a whole notebook page and at the end of it, I really wanted to add being thankful for meeting Sandy, which led me to my former and current job, as well as praying weekly with Amy, Sharon and Laura, which has blessed our children and family immensly.

Summer 2013 Project

This summer the kids are going to study a different country every week.  I appreciated "Multicultural Games" by Lorraine Babarash to incorporate some games as well.  Below are a few ideas from a research standpoint for them to get started, although I'm limiting the research to "books" only.  Aren't I mean?

Compare and contrast your country to the US:

 
Where are areas of the US population similar?
 
What monuments or landforms could you visit?
 
What foods might be served at a meal?
 
Use the Greek alphabet to write a message to a friend.
 
Write a story with a landmark as part of the setting.
 
What is the unit of money?
 
What are the free time activities?
Triangle Game - From Russia, Draw a triangle and divide it into three sections.  Make the top one #3, middle 2, bottom 1.  Children get three colored stones and stand back 10 ft. and throw in their three.  They add the points.  When someone gets to 50, the game is over.  If stones are knocked out, they don't count.  Take turns going first, second, third.
 
Colombia - 2 people are it.  One of them leaves the room.  The rest of the kids figure out what colored ribbon they keep.  When they get it done, they say, "Angel, what colors do you wish?"  They respond, "I wish many colored ribbons."  They guess and go until they "miss."  They count the number they got right.  The other Angel comes in and does the same thing.  The Angel with the most stays, the lower number picks someone new to come in until all children have been the angel.
 
Nigeria - Pair individuals up and have them join at the shoulders.  The front person puts a cloth scrap or handkerchief in their pants or pocket.  At go, teams try to grab each others cloths.  If you get yours pulled, your team is out.  People should change front to back and get new partners.  You can do two colors for teams.
 
England - Round hopscotch.  Draw a shell like swirl and put "rest" in the middle of it.  One person hops on one foot to get to the center resting point.  If they do so, they pick a division and put their initials on it.  Then the next person goes.  If you step in a claimed box, you're out.  Go until there's a winner.
 
Russia - Use two ropes and duct tape them in the middle.  Tie knots at the ends.  They will form an X.  Divide people into 4 teams and have a cone about 2-3 yards from the bases of the rope ends.  Teams try to tug to grab the cone first.
 
 Crafts....

Batik with oil crayons-  Indonesia       Toothpick dolls – Brazil           Paper Sea horse – Greece           

Gift Rolls – Russia                             Cheez It Tic Tac Toe Board – Italy   Art Easel – France      

Foil Form – Spain (stars, fans)            Dancing Form – Zimbabwe

The Kids' World

Jumping into Dr. Seuss books, I found a recipe collection inspired by his stories.  I'll likely make this cheesy, spicy popcorn concoction for the fam.  Andrew has been laughing at home with his own silly behaviors (see below), and Sierra was wanting to show off her ice cream swirling talents.  She says she got them from me!  Oh for cute.

8-yr-old son is a fan!

"Little Dog Lost" is my 8-yr-old son's new favorite non-fiction title.  It's a rescue story - so it provides rising action, conflict and resolution all in real life events.  We love it at my house when that happens!

On a cold winter day, a curious dog wandered onto a frozen river, and before he knew it he was traveling fast on a sheet of ice. Many people tried to help, but the dog could not be reached. Finally, after two nights and seventy-five miles, the little dog was saved by a ship out in the Baltic Sea.

The gallant rescue of the little dog nicknamed Baltic made international news. Mônica Carnesi's simple text and charming watercolor illustrations convey all the drama of Baltic's journey. His story, with its happy ending, will warm readers' hearts. An author's note includes more of the actual account, including the sentence, "Using a grappling iron, he was able to get close enough to the ice floe to pull the dog to safety."  We didn't know what a grappling iron was, but thankfully, an internet search engine could pull it up for us in less than 5 seconds!

What We've Been Up To...

I turned around to take a quick snapshot of Sierra while traveling to the last cheer competition in Minneapolis.  She was her normal self.  We enjoyed seeing Jim, Lisa & CJ as much as watching the girls cheer.

This is week 3 of Chad forgetting to take out the trash.  I'd done the previous two deliveries, so I had Olana run it out while I shot a photo to text to Chad.  I also added a Friday morning reminder on the ICloud so that he'll think of me (and the garbage!)

Our friend Joyce celebrated her 85th birthday.  She's changed her hairstyle since the last post about her lovely self! 

Basketball at Central Baptist

Sundays, Family Life Center Gym 1-3 p.m. - start with a stretch!

Play against the dads - nothing can be funner!  There's no cost.

Hear a devotional together.  Just come - parent & child practice time.

 

Fun Projects for the Weekend

Turn your kids loose outside with the camera.

Hang some twine by a couple of hooks, hang artwork with clothespins.

Let the kids help.

Plan a trip somewhere...even if you don't think you'll ever go.

Take photos of artwork or scan them into your computer.