Backseat Bible Nuggets

Raise your hand if you've already failed at doing the advent study that you had such high hopes for this year! Me too! Don't worry if you are feeling overwhelmed during this Christmas season. You're not alone. 
I want to encourage you to use this podcast as an easy button when life is crazy busy yet your heart still desires to lead your children to the Lord.
I'm right there with y'all. Let's simplify this Christmas and take the (self-inflicted) pressure out of the season. Let's focus on the basics of the Christmas story together as you go along the way to all the parties/ events/ errands/ cooking/ cleaning/ hosting/ traveling/ laundry/ gift buying/ wrapping/ I could go on forever.....

*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/backseat-bible-nuggets/donations

Think for a second about the most useless part of your body. Go ahead, point to something on your body that you think isn’t really that important. Like why is it even there? Are you pointing? Okay, well I’m pointing to my baby toe. Now, you should know something about my baby toe. It’s tiny. Like almost not even there. So it surely doesn’t serve much of a purpose, right?

Well, actually our baby toes are a big part of helping us stand up and balance and even helps us walk and run faster. Kinda a big deal!

God designed our bodies, every single part of it, to work together as one unit and each part serves a great purpose. In the same way, God designed all Christians to work together just like a body. This is why you might hear someone say that we are all part of the Body of Christ. He wants all Christians to work together as one unit where every single person serves a purpose. 

Romans 12:4-5 says “ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

That verse highlights that we are to all form the body of Christ as we work together. But did you catch the part that said these members, meaning each of us, do not all have the same function? This is like saying that some of us are ears, some of us are fingers, some of us are hearts, some of us are eyes, some of us are even baby toes! I could go on, but you get the point. God has made each of us in such a special way that we are like a body part. But we aren’t literally body parts in the body of Christ. It just means that each of us has an important job to do that only we can do. And it’s not like an eye can take the place of a toe, no, whatever function He has for each of us we must realize how important it is to the whole body!

So let’s consider some things to get us talking more about this idea. You can pause to discuss and as always, there’s no wrong answer!

1.     Who are the people that make up the body of Christ?

2.     Do all the people that make up the body of Christ all have the same function?

3.     If you could be any body part in the body of Christ, what would you want to be? 

*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/backseat-bible-nuggets/donations

It’s Thanksgiving week and you know what that means?! Lots and lots of yummy food is coming your way. Thanksgiving is known for its feast of wonderful food! And in the end, I hope and pray your belly is full and happy after your Thanksgiving meal. Even if you’re a picky eater and only eat dinner rolls the whole time….every family has a picky eater, right?!

Anyway, we can satisfy our stomachs with delicious meals like a Thanksgiving meal, but you know what? God’s word can satisfy us in our heart, soul, mind, stomach and ….okay, really the Lord can satisfy us in all places in our life!

Psalm 63 is talking about how awesome God’s love is. And it tells us how God can satisfy us just like the most delicious food we can imagine. But it doesn’t just satisfy our tummy, making us full and happy in our belly. No, God’s love can make us full and happy, in every area of our life. Psalm 63:3 says, “I will be as satisfied as if I had eaten the best food there is.” 

Doesn’t that sound great? To be satisfied, or full and happy, in God’s love? What happens when we are full and happy after a meal? We don’t want more, more, more food. We go and do other fun things besides eating because our bodies have the fuel. We can think about other things besides how we are SO hungry. In the same way, when we let God Himself satisfy us, we don’t focus on wanting more and more and more. When we are satisfied in God, we overflow all the good things God wants for our life and those around us. It shows when we are full and happy with the Lord!

Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question or just generally review together when it’s over. Oh, and this is important! There’s no wrong answer to these! The point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!

1.     How does it feel to be satisfied after eating yummy food?

2.     What does it mean to be satisfied in God?

3.     How can you tell when someone is satisfied in God? 

One last time before we sign off, you can repeat after me. “I will be as satisfied - as if I had eaten the best food there is.” - Psalm 63:3 

*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/backseat-bible-nuggets/donations

There are so many things that can be earned in life. Think about it…maybe you do chores to earn allowance money. Maybe, at this time of year, you are trying to be on your best behavior to earn your gifts for Christmas. Maybe you recently played your hardest to earn a trophy or championship for your sports team. Or maybe you’ve even earned a free haircut like I did the other day by going to the same place 9 times and earning that 10th cut for free!

We understand the concept of working or putting in effort in order to EARN something. Like cause and effect. If I do this, then I’ll earn that. But guess what? This isn’t how God’s kingdom operates.

In fact, you’ve probably heard of the word ‘grace’ before, right? Grace is defined as God’s powerful kindness poured out on the undeserving. Repeat after me: Grace is….kindness to the undeserving…Did you hear anything about earning God’s grace in that definition? Sometimes adults define grace as God’s unmerited favor. That’s just a fancy way of saying that He blesses us even though we don’t deserve it and we’ve done nothing to earn it.

And listen closely, we CAN’T earn His grace. His grace is a free gift for all BECAUSE of what Jesus did on the cross.

Let’s back up for a second… Okay, we actually see God’s grace in every area of life. In fact, my life and your life and everything exists in creation because of God’s grace – His kindness to the undeserving. Everyone experiences God’s grace on that level, even if they don’t realize it. 

However, God’s grace is much much bigger than that in that it saves us from our sin. Because we are sinful, we cannot earn His love or even a ticket to heaven by doing lots of good things. No, it’s ONLY God’s grace – His kindness to the undeserving – through what Jesus did on the cross that can save us from our sins and allow us to walk with God now and live with Him forever. I’m going to say that again because there’s a lot there…It’s ONLY God’s grace, through what Jesus did on the cross, that can save us from our sins and allow us to walk with God now and live with Him forever.

Ephesians 2:8 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

We have done nothing and there is nothing we can do to save us from our sins. We have done nothing and there is nothing we can do to earn God’s love and forgiveness. It’s only by grace that we are saved. Wow! What an awesome God we serve! He offers us grace even though we don’t deserve it.

Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss or just generally review together when it’s over. Oh, and this is important! There’s no wrong answer to these! The point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!

1.     How have you experienced the concept of grace in your life? Maybe it was grace from a parent, teacher, or friend. When have you seen someone treat you with grace even though you didn’t deserve it?

2.     What is God’s grace? Tell me in your own words.

3.     How do some people still try to earn God’s grace?

One last time, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “For it is by grace you have been saved,  - through faith – and this is not from yourselves, -  it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 

*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/backseat-bible-nuggets/donations

One of the foundational purposes for Backseat Bible Nuggets is to get kids and adults talking about simple spiritual conversations. The most powerful influence in the spiritual development of a child is seeing and hearing about God’s character throughout their day.  What better way to do that than to share YOUR story with them? 

Believers are called in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) to make disciples and that starts with the kids in your life! So, let's tell our kiddos our own story with Jesus and what He has done and is doing in your life today.

From our website (backseatbiblenuggets.com):

"The goal of BBN is to put an easy tool in the hand of parents and caregivers that helps accomplish God’s commandment to us to impress these things upon our children as we walk along the way. (Deuteronomy 6:7)

This podcast is a tool to help you do just that! I hope and pray it begins God-glorifying conversations in your family that develop your backseaters in to powerful men and women of the Lord."

*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/backseat-bible-nuggets/donations

Have you ever dreamed about being a bird before? I’ve always wondered how it would feel to fly around soaring high in the sky and then swooping down. I’ve been jealous of a birds view before because they can fly up and see everything! And when they have somewhere to go they don’t have to stick just to the roads, they can fly in whatever direction they want to. No road rules! But you know what would stink about being a bird? When it’s cold or raining and you still have to live outside. And that’s where my bird dream ends. 

 Matthew 6:26 – 30 talks about birds and how they have life so easy. God provides everything they need and they don’t even worry about it! We can look at birds and even flowers, things we see everyday and remember that if He takes care of the birds and the flowers then He will DEFINITELY take care of us!

“Are you not much more valuable then they?” it said in Matthew 6:26. You are a child of God. Not simply a bird or a flower. But His child. And He loves you so much! 

Next time you see a bird flying through the air or scurrying on the ground remember how God cares for the birds. And next time you see a pretty flower blooming remember how God cares for the flowers. And THEN I want you to remember how much more loved and valued you are to God than birds and flowers. And He loves you more than you will ever know and He will take care of us.

Here are some questions to talk about. 

 1.     How does God care for birds and flowers? Let’s list some ways.

2.     Do you think that you are loved and valued by God?

3.     How does God care for you? Let’s list some ways.

One last time, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “Look at the birds of the air. They don’t plant or gather crops. They don’t put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are?” Matthew 6:26 

** Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/backseat-bible-nuggets/donations

“Blessed are those who make peace, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
Our world today desperately needs peacemakers.
When we are peacemakers that means that we bring calmness to a situation. It’s like breathing a big deep breath in to a situation. 
When we are not peacemakers, we let our emotions rule. It’s like whatever we feel at the moment spills over to everyone around us. This is usually the opposite of peace!

But here’s the key to being a peacemaker: being a peacemaker is only possible with Jesus’ help - bringing His powerful peace in to any situation we are in each day.

*Music:  "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/backseat-bible-nuggets/donations

What are you going to be for Halloween this year? Have you decided yet? In case you’re still undecided, let me point you towards a Bible verse that tells us to be aliens. Wait, what?! That’s right, 1 Peter 2:11 says, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” 

That verse has a lot of big words, but let’s focus on the part where Peter, who wrote this in the Bible, tells us to be aliens and strangers in the world. WHAT does that mean??

An alien is someone from a different planet, right? Think for a second what you imagine an alien to look like. If you want, draw me a picture and have your parents send it to me. I’d love to see your aliens! ([email protected]) 

....

We’ve talked before about when we become a Christian and have the Holy Spirit living in us, it changes EVERYTHING about us. While we might not have antenna on our head or have green slimy skin, like I usually think of an alien, it does change us on the inside. It changes our heart and what we care about, it changes how we want to spend our time, it changes how we treat others, it changes EVERYTHING. And when we are changed, we start to look so different than the world around us.

This is what it means to be an alien! 

Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss or just generally review together when it’s over. Oh, and this is important! There’s no wrong answer to these! The point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!

1.     If you’re not a Christian, are you an alien in the world or not an alien?

2.     What are some ways to be an “alien” in the world for God? Like is it to walk around with 3 eyes, antenna, and green skin? Or is it something else when we are an alien in the world as a Christian?

3.     And last question to think about, WHY would God want us to be different from the world around us? WHY would he want us to be aliens?

One last time, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” 1 Peter 2:11

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/backseat-bible-nuggets/donations

This week, we asked some of our listeners “Who is God?”

……

 Wow! That was amazing to hear from y’all! And everything you said was right on. God is ALL of those things! Isn’t that so cool? And guess what? There’s even more ways to describe God. 

But it sounds to me like many of you are on your way to understanding many different parts of who God is. I heard some of you say that God is love which is in the Bible in 1 John 4:16 where it says “God is love, and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God lives in Him.” I heard some of you say how God is like a father or Dad to you, which can be found in 2 Corinthians 6:18 where is says “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

And I heard even more names for God from some of our listeners like how God is greater than anything, awesome, the BEST, ruler of the universe, guide, a protector who takes care of us, and even a provider who gives us what we need. I loved hearing from each of you!

Here are some questions for you to talk about together. There’s no wrong answer to these, the point is to just get us talking about our awesome God.

1.     So, who is God to you? He can be so many different things, like we talked about, but who is God to you today?

2.     Who do you WANT God to be in your life?

3.     Who is the adult that you’re listening with this week? Ask them if you can work together to find a Bible verse that talks about who God is to you. For example, if you said “God is love,” parents, you can Google “God is love bible verse.” That’s the easiest way to find it! You don’t have to have extensive Bible knowledge to look up verses!

Okay, so let me hear from you this week!  Have an adult record you saying who God is to you and send it to me. I would love to hear from you! You can email your audio or video clip to [email protected]

Can’t wait to hear from you!!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/backseat-bible-nuggets/donations

Do you think God laughs? Someone asked me this yesterday and it made me think…what do you think? Do YOU think that God laughs? Do you think that Jesus laughed when He lived on Earth? 

I do! I think that God laughs a LOT actually and I bet Jesus laughed a ton as He lived His life. How could He not?! There’s too many funny things in life to NOT laugh! And think of how much you love to laugh. Everyone loves a good laugh. It just makes you feel good! And sometimes we say laughing is contagious, meaning that we can just hear someone else laughing and then we start laughing too. I think God loves to laugh just like we love to laugh.

When God was creating Adam and Eve, the Bible tells us that God created them in His own image. That means God looked at Himself and made humans very similar to Himself. And as good as it feels to laugh, I think God loves to laugh too.

Is it kinda strange to think about God doing someone as simple and fun as laughing?

This isn’t always how we think about God. Some people think God is a mean dictator that sits on His throne telling people what to do and not do. Most people don’t think of God as laughing right along with us when we laugh. But I think it’s important for us to know that while God is indeed a king who has laid out the best way for us to live in the Bible, He’s also our best friend who wants to be right there in the middle of the good laugh.

Psalms 126:2 says “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then is was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them." 

Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss or just generally review together when it’s over. Oh, and this is important! There’s no wrong answer to these! The point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!

1.     If God laughs, what does He laugh about?

2.     How do you usually think of God? Is He like that mean guy telling everyone what to do OR is He the loving, laughing best friend?

One last time, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “Our mouths were filled with laughter, - our tongues with songs of joy. - Then is was said among the nations, - “The Lord has done great things for them.” Psalms 126:2 

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/backseat-bible-nuggets/donations