Backseat Bible Nuggets

We get to hear from some Backseat Bible Nuggets listeners today! They are going to share some of the things that they are most thankful for.

We have so much to be thankful for. And even if I don’t know you, I know that the Lord has surely blessed you with some special gifts in your own life. Can you think of some things right now that you’re thankful for?

The Bible tells us in the first part of James 1:17 that “every good and perfect gift is from God.” Every good and perfect gift is from God!

Those things that you can think of that you’re thankful for…they are all from God Himself. He loves you so much and He’s given you so much. Let’s thank Him together for those gifts that He’s given us.

Will you pray with me?

Lord, you are the giver of the good gifts in our life. It’s so cool that you love us like you do and that you give us things in our life that are awesome. Thank you for giving us the gift of salvation and eternal life through what you did on the cross. That’s the best gift! But I also thank you for things like family and friends, good food and sports and even beautiful things in your creation. It’s a gift to be able to talk to you like this in prayer. Help me understand just how much you’ve given to me and help me to continue to thank you for those good things every day. In your name I pray, amen.

Hey, now it’s your turn. I want you to talk with your people about the things you’re thankful for and THEN I want you to pray and thank God for those things! I’m sure He can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

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Hudson talks to us about having self control with something he loves - screen time! Remember that self control is a fruit of the Spirit? And it's something that doesn't always come naturally to us. But as we walk and grow in the Lord, self control is something that God will develop in us just like a fruit growing on a tree or vine. 

In this episode, we talk about the familiar Bible verse of 2 Timothy 1:7 that says, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-control.” 

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What's the difference between having head knowledge and having heart knowledge? In this episode, we explore the differences by using candy as a simple and fun example. 

And is the head or the heart more important? This episode will teach you kids the importance of having heart knowledge of God and how the Lord values our heart more than our head knowledge (knowing lots of facts about Him).

The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

And in 1 Samuel 16:7 we find out that, “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Knowing the difference between head versus heart knowledge is foundational to lifelong Christian doctrine.

 

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Is God good even when I’m sad?

We had a very sad day in our family this past week and it made us wonder about this question. Is God good even on the sad days?

Our go-to prayer in our house before we start the day usually includes: “Lord, help us to have good days.” We pray that all the time! And it’s a great thing to ask of God. But what happens with it turns out to NOT be a good day?  Does that mean God forgot about our prayer?

Well, I’m here to tell you, after our past week, that God is still good….so good…even on our sad days. There are lots of things in life that will happen as we go through our day, but none of them change anything about God. In fact, God hasn’t changed at all since the beginning of time. Can you imagine that?! Like you and I change every day. We grow taller, our hair gets longer, our fingernails need clipping, our brains grow bigger and understand more, the things we experience change as we get older. SO much change in our lives!

But God, the never-changing God, is the same yesterday, today and forever. That’s Hebrews 13:8.

And since our God never changes, we can be sure that He is good to us always. EVEN on the sad days. No matter how sad they might be.

And we can run to God in our sadness. Have you ever run to your mom or dad when you’re sad? You can run to God just the same when you’re sad! And He will meet you with open arms ready to listen to you and hug you in the best way. He’s really awesome like that.

Listen to this…Psalms 34:17-18 says that, “Godly people cry out, and the Lord hears them. He saves them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to those whose hearts have been broken. He saves those whose spirits have been crushed.”

I love that. He is close to those who hearts have been broken. Aw man, it can feel like our hearts have been broken sometimes. But this verse tells us that God is right there with you when you are sad!

Here are some questions that you can talk about with your people. You can pause after each question to discuss. And, like always…don’t overthink it! The point is to get talking about what we are learning about the Lord!

1. Tell me about a time you were sad recently. What made you sad? How did it feel?
2. Is God good even on the sad days?
3. How do we know that God is good even when we are sad?

Let’s try and learn our verse together. You can repeat after me.

“The Lord is close to those whose hearts have been broken. He saves those whose spirits have been crushed.” Psalm 34:18

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When it comes to raising confident and godly girls, YOU are the right mom for the job. But you don’t have to go at it alone!

A course called Helping Moms Raise Confident Daughters was developed by Terra Mattson, a licensed marriage and family therapist of over 20 years. Each Course includes:

Eight video lessons for moms like you, giving behind-the-scenes coaching on the mental, emotional, and physical world of your girl;

Conversation guides to foster deep discussions between you and your daughter; and a downloadable journal to spark a more intimate connection between you, your girl, and the Lord.

Visit cpguides.org to select your course today!

On the episode this week, we are talking about how most of us LOVE to win! First place is the best place, right?! Or is it? Find out how Jesus and God's kingdom views first place. This is a great episode for those super competitive kids in your life. But, it's also a great reminder of all of us that Jesus said, "So the last will be first and the first will be last." Matthew 16:20

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How cool is it that there’s a story about a queen who loved God in the Bible? We just heard how brave she was to go to the king and ask for him to save the lives of the Jews. When Esther went to the King without him asking her to come she could have been killed! Kings were very serious back then with lots of strict rules!

 

In fact, Esther said this in the Bible: “I’ll go to the king. I’ll do it even though it against the law. And if I have to die, I’ll die.” Esther 4:16

 

Esther, trusting God and His plan, knew what she had to do to save the Jewish people. Even if it meant putting her life on the line. Wow! What bravery!

 

You can read more about Queen Esther in the Bible. She has a whole book in the Bible named after her for what she did!

Through the book of Esther, we see that God’s plan will always win. And we learn that He always takes care of His people. AND guess what? Esther’s story shows us that God has more power than any king or ruler.

So, here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and the point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!

1. How do you think Esther felt when she had to be brave?
2. Have you ever had to be brave and do something you were scared to do?
3. For this last question, you might have to go and read more about Queen Esther to answer. But, in what ways did God honor her bravery? Like what happened to Esther after she did this for God?

Our verse today is Esther 4:16. You can repeat after me. “I’ll go to the king. I’ll do it even though it against the law. And if I have to die, I’ll die.” Esther 4:16

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Sometimes in church, we use words or say things that are sometimes confusing. For example, maybe you’ve heard of someone say that we should be “in the world, but not of the world.” What does that mean?

Or earlier this week my 8 year old asked me what “the fall” meant. Is it like when someone tripped in the Bible and it was super embarrassing so we still talk about it to this day? No, no. No one remembers when you trip, I promise.

Anyway, I wanted to talk about what those 2 terms, ‘the fall’ and ‘the world,’ and what they mean just to make sure we aren’t confused.

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You know how in lots of movies, they are searching for some object that has great power or even like a treasure that has great value? Like the genie lamp in Aladdin that would give whatever was wished or desired. Or in the latest Minions movie when they are after the Zodiac stones that would give unlimited power. Lots and lots of movies have an object like that – one that is powerful and legendary. I’m sure you can think of other examples from your favorite movies.

 

Well, I started thinking the other day that we should think of the Bible like that. We should think of the Bible as a treasure. A powerful object. An ancient artifact of great value.

 

Because that’s what it is!! Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s word is sharper than a double-edged sword. And it’s not just any sword, it’s a sword that can divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow; and judge the attitude of the heart. That sounds really powerful!

 

And it IS powerful! Did you know that when Jesus was tempted by Satan, and they were having this sorta spiritual fight, that Jesus fought back with Satan by using words from the Bible? Isn’t that crazy?

Jesus didn’t use jiu jitsu moves or Hulk smash punches to beat Satan. No, Jesus used the most powerful tool He had – which was God’s word. The Bible.

 

Psalm 119:105 also tells us that the Bible is so powerful that it’s a lamp to our feet and a light for our path. The guy who wrote Psalm 119 goes on to say that God’s word makes his heart tremble – which means to shake or shiver because it’s so powerful.

 

The Bible really is a powerful treasure. And most of us have it right in our house! How great is that?! We don’t have to go on a long quest or fight off bad guys to get this powerful treasure, like they do in the moves. No, we just have to open it and read it. You see the power of the Bible, doesn’t come from just owning a Bible. That’s not how this treasure works. This treasure is powerful when we read the words or hear the words.

 

So, here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and there’s no wrong answer to these. The point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!

1. In what ways do you think the Bible is powerful?
2. What gives the Bible it’s power?
3. How might this change the way that you think about reading the Bible every day?

Now, let’s practice our verse together. We talked about a few verses today, but lets reread Psalm 119:105 together. You can repeat after me. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105

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Think with me for a minute about your school supplies at the END of last school year. What did they look like? Did they look like the same supplies that you took on the first day of school?

 

No way!!! If you are like my kids, they ended up coming home with a dirty looking pencil box full of broken erasers, half pieces of crayons, and dull markers. Everything they had started school with looked a little worn out by the end of the year.

 

Thankfully, the beginning of a new school year means a fresh set of school supplies. And honestly, the new school supplies is probably my favorite part of starting school.

 

The picture of the old worn out school supplies and then the fresh set of school supplies is similar to what happens in our life when we become a Christian.

You see, before we come to know and follow Jesus, our hearts are like the old dingy supplies. Rough and used and worn down by sin.

 

But, the Bible tells us that when we come to know and follow Jesus then we become like those brand new school supplies! He makes us new! How? Because of Jesus’ love for us and because He has the power to make our hearts new!

 

Don’t believe me? Listen to this! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Can’t you hear the excitement in that verse?! I think Jesus gets so excited to see someone’s heart go from old to new. From dirty, old and worn out to bright, shiny, and fresh.

 

So, here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and there’s no wrong answer to these. The point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!

1. What do you think it means to be a new creation in Christ?
2. Why do you think God would want us to be a new creation?

Now, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. Oh, and since we are about to start school where you’ll have to use inside voices, let’s take this opportunity to use a crazy loud voice when you repeat after me. Just to send summer out with a bang and get us excited about starting school. Okay, repeat after me in your loudest voice. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

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In this episode, I interview Avery (5 years old) about why she loves to sing a song called "Good Morning God" every morning when she wakes up. She gives insight on how we can praise God and talk to Him at any time during the day, but how it's special to start our day off by praising the Lord and asking for Him to "show us the way," as the song says.

The focus verse for this episode is Psalm 143:8 that says, "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”

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