Backseat Bible Nuggets

God's creation is made for us to enjoy! And we are meant to turn that enjoyment in to thanksgiving and praise for Him.
What things in creation make you worship Him? Maybe it's your pet, something outside, or even your favorite activity.
In this episode, we are skipping the discussion questions and instead asking listeners to have an adult take pictures of 3 things in creation that make them say, "Wow! Thank you, Lord!" 
We would love to see their top 3 shared at @backseatbiblenuggets

*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

“Night Night! See you in the morning!” This is something I say every day and probably something YOU yourself hear everyday from whoever tucks you in to bed. Or maybe they say something like “Goodnight!” or “Sleep tight!” or “GET BACK IN BED!” Either way, we all do the same thing at night, right?! We all go to sleep!

This is how our body functions and works! We HAVE to rest and sleep so that we can get up and have energy to do things the next day. Anyway, needing sleep and rest and a time to recharge our batteries is something we all can relate to. We all know the feeling of being tired. 

But sit back for a minute and listen to these verses. I’m going to read Isaiah 40:28-31. Listen to what the Lord can do for those of us who are tired. Here we go!

It says…“Don’t you know who made everything? Haven’t you heard about him? The Lord is the God who lives forever. He created everything on earth. He won’t become worn out or get tired. No one will ever know how great his understanding is. He gives strength to those who are tired. He gives power to those who are weak. Even young people become worn out and get tired. Even the best of them trip and fall. But those who trust in the Lord will receive new strength. They will fly as high as eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not grow weak.”

I think that sounds awesome! What about you?! Now, does that mean that you can run forever marathons or literally fly like a bird? Well, not in this life. Maybe in heaven. But the strength that God offers us today is a spiritual strength to get us through whatever we are facing.

So, let’s talk about some questions. The point of the questions is to get you talking about God, so don’t overthink it!

1.     How does it make you feel to know that God never gets tired and never sleeps?

2.     Tell me about a time in your life where you wanted to quit, like you were tired and just wanted to give up?

3.     If God gives us “new strength” to fly like eagles, to run and not get tired, to walk and not grow weak like the verse said, why do I still get tired everyday?

Let’s practice that verse together one last time. “But those who trust in the Lord will receive new strength.” Isaiah 40:31a 

*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Where is God? Well, basically no matter how you answered that question, you’re right! God is everywhere. The Lord can be anywhere and everywhere all at the same time. There’s a fancy word for this called omnipresent. 

Psalm 139:7-10 speaks of God being everywhere when it says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

So, let’s talk about some questions. 

1.     What was that fancy word that is used to describe God and how He can be everywhere all at the same time?

2.     So if God is omnipresent, how does that make you feel?

3.     Is there anywhere that you think God might NOT be? Is there anywhere you can think of that it’s hard for you to believe that God is actually there? 

Let’s practice that verse together one last time. We will just look at Psalm 139:10. And while we say this verse, think of the craziest most far away place you can imagine yourself. Okay, do you have it? Alright, hold it in your mind and repeat after me. “Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:10

*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Join along as we explore the Easter story through the eyes of a 5 year old. She covers the facts of what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross and why we celebrate Him ascending to heaven. If this episode doesn't get you and your little ones pumped up to celebrate Jesus' work, then I don't know what will!
 
 Matthew 28:6a "He is not here; he has risen, just as He said!"
 
 *Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Jesus’ life truly changed the whole world. Did you know that? Jesus’ life changed the whole world. The minute He was born things were different. And the minute He died, things were different than before. But, have you ever stopped to think about WHY He came?

 Why do you think He came and lived on Earth? Why didn’t He just stay in heaven where it’s perfect and wonderful?

Well, the second half of John 10:10 Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Another version of the Bible rewords this verse to say, “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

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Alright, ready to talk through some things? You can pause after each question and discuss. And there’s no wrong answer to these. The point is to get conversation flowing. So, don’t overthink it!

1.     Okay, your turn to tell me…why did Jesus come?

2.     John 10:10b told us that Jesus came so that we would have life and have it to the full. What does it look like for you to have a full or abundant life in Jesus?

3.     So what’s your response? Like if you know that Jesus came for you to have life and not just any ole life, but a full life, how do you respond to that truth?

One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “I have come - that they may have life, - and have it to the full.” – John 10:10b

* Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschekno

Have you heard of the Israelites?

Maybe you don’t know them by their name, but I bet you know and love a lot of Bible stories about the Israelites or Jewish people that God chose to love and care for throughout the Bible. 
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We love to focus on how awesome and cool God is in each of those stories! His power and might that is shown. And that’s a great thing to learn from those stories. 

But there’s a pattern in these stories that I didn’t notice until I was older. The story of the Israelites has a pattern of God showing off His awesomeness, the people praising Him for a time and then guess what happens next? They forget about God. They turn away from Him. But the story never ends there. It’s a repeating pattern. God ALWAYS shows up again. So, here’s the pattern. God shows up, they forget God. God shows up again, then they forget God. And the pattern keeps going.

Now, I read these stories and think that God should be pretty annoyed and mad at them if He keeps doing amazing things and the Israelites just keep forgetting and turning away from God. But… God isn’t like us. He loved the Israelites so much that we see God love them over and over even when they’ve turned away.

Now, I should tell you that the Israelites faced some pretty bad consequences for turning away from God. But God still loved them with His whole heart and He kept showing up for them over and over again. 

In the Bible, the book of Hosea shows the pattern of the Israelites turning their hearts from God and then God’s never-ending love for them. Hosea lists off lots of ways the Israelites tried to live their own way and not God’s way, which is sometimes called “waywardness.” It just means going opposite from God’s way, also called sin. And after all the things they had done opposite from God’s way, Hosea 14:4 is where God says, “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.”

We can be encouraged by the story of the Israelites. They saw the Lord do great things and then they chose to make a bad decision by turning away from God. But the story doesn’t end there! God still loves them EVEN when they make bad decisions. He restores them to right relationship with Him, which is what He wants to do with us today through Jesus. 

Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and there’s not wrong answer to these. So don’t overthink it!

 1.     Do you ever make bad decisions? We all do! So, do you think God still loves you even after you made the wrong decision? 

2.     What is the pattern of the story of the Israelites? What did they keep doing? 

3.     Why would God love someone over and over even when they make bad decisions?

One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “I will heal their waywardness - and love them freely, - for my anger has turned away from them.” - Hosea 14:4

*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Q: What is heaven?

A: Heaven is thought of as the place where people go after they die. But, it’s not just any ole place. It’s a place beyond what we can imagine, better than anything we’ve ever known. A place of perfect happiness and bliss – also known as paradise. Many people think of heaven like a fairy-tale land, and maybe it will feel like that, but in heaven it won’t be make-believe, it’ll all be very real perfection. 

Q: Who made heaven?

A: God made heaven! The first few words of the Bible tell us that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 And we know from the world around us just how creative God can be with His creations. I can’t wait to see what He’s made in heaven! 

Q: What do we know about heaven?

A: While there are lots of things we DON’T exactly know about heaven – we do know a few things…The book of Revelation tells us a few things that John noticed about his sneak peek in to heaven. Revelation 22:1-5 talks about a river with living water flowing down from the throne of God. He tells us heaven is like a great city with this crystal clear river in the middle. On both sides of that river are trees. They are the trees of life, which give out crops every month and also have leaves that can heal. How cool is that?? It goes on to tell us that everyone will see God’s face and His name will be on their foreheads. Oh! And good news for those of you who don’t like the dark…there will be no more night! We won’t need nightlights or any light for that matter because there will be no darkness and it says that the Lord will be the light. 

Oh, also, Revelation chapter 21 tells us that nothing bad can enter heaven. That God will wipe every tear from their eyes. And there will be no more death or sadness or crying or pain.

And then…we also know that there’s great worshipping in heaven. Where everyone, from all different countries and since the beginning of time, will come together and praise the Lord who will be on His throne. They will say “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.”

His throne will have a rainbow around it (Rev. 4:3) and flashes of lightening will come from it (Rev. 4:5). There are 7 blazing lamps around it along with 24 other thrones (Rev. 4:4-5). There are also these crazy cool creatures that are like a lion, ox, a man, and an eagle. They have eyes covering them along with 6 wings. (Rev. 4:6-8) Revelation 4:8 tells us that “day and night they never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

Like I said, creative, right!?

Q: How does someone get to heaven?

A: That’s probably the MOST important question of all. The only way to go to heaven is to believe that Jesus is God’s son who came to die for your sins. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life.” And that eternal life is in heaven! But only if you believe and follow Jesus. That means it’s more than just knowing about who God is in your head. Even Satan knows that there is a God. But the difference is believing in Him in your heart. 

Alright, are YOU ready for some questions? You can pause after each and discuss. Oh, and there’s not wrong answer to these. So, don’t overthink it!

1.     From what we talked about today, what is the most interesting thing  to you about heaven?

2.     What questions do you still have about heaven?

One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “For God so loved the world - that He gave His only son - that whoever believes in Him - will not die, but have eternal life.” - John 3:16

*Music:  "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko

Our neighborhood gang has been playing with walkie-talkies a lot recently. And they’ve been having A LOT of fun! My kids can turn on their walkie-talkie and talk to their friends 2 or 3 houses down the street!

While they are SUPER fun, they do require a few things that we’ve had trouble with before. For example, you have to have batteries. Lots of batteries. And you have to make sure it’s turned on to the right channel. Like if everyone isn’t on channel 1, then you won’t hear each other. Oh, and then you have to press the button down on the side when you want to talk and let it go when it’ s your turn to listen.

It’s not like walkie-talkies are hard, but you just have to know a few things about using them in order to be able to talk to the other person you want to talk to and then for them to be able to hear you.

Wouldn’t it be cool if we could have a walkie-talkie with God? Like we could turn it on at any time and talk to Him and He would hear us and then talk back? That would be so COOL!

But guess what? Psalm 139:4 tells us that “before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, O Lord.” And that sounds WAY better than a walkie-talkie! Doesn’t it? 

God knows us so well and wants to talk with you so much that He made a way for you and Him to be able to talk no matter what. In fact, that verse said before a word is on our tongue, He knows it! That means we don’t even have to say it out loud for Him to hear us. 

So, even if your walkie-talkie is nowhere to be found or your batteries are dead. He knows your THOUGHTS, like the things in your head that no one else knows you’re thinking except yourself. He knows us that well! And that sounds so much better than having a walkie-talkie with God. 

Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and there’s not wrong answer to these. So don’t overthink it!

1.     What thoughts do you have that God knows about?

2.     Why do you think God wants to know our thoughts?

3.     How do you think God can listen to everyone’s thoughts from all around the world, all at the same time?

One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “Before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, O Lord.” Psalm 139:4

The goal of this episode is to teach kids that diversity is something to be celebrated, war is a result of sin, but that it won't always be this way! God's forever kingdom will unite every nation, tribe, people and language. (Revelation 7:9-10)  All differences and disagreements we have now, will be wiped away when we unite over the fact that Jesus is Lord in heaven.

With the situation in Ukraine being heavy on our hearts, this episode is intended to help you talk with your kids about cultural tension and war from a Biblical viewpoint that is on their level.

Focus verse: "All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.” Psalms 86:9

Questions to discuss to generate conversation:

1. What are some differences that you know of between where you live and another country?

2. Why do countries or nations fight or go to war?

3. What did those verses tell us about how it will be one day in heaven?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22

You might be wondering, what is a fruit of the Spirit? Does it mean if I have a relationship with God that I’ll start sprouting fruit out of my body? Well, while that might be nice whenever you needed a snack, no, it does NOT mean you’ll turn in to a fruit tree.

Fruits of the Spirit are the outward signs of what God is doing in your heart. In other words, when we see people who are loving and kind, that lets us know what is in their heart. And when we see someone at peace and they have self-control, we stop and say…hum, that’s not a natural way to be. That must be the Lord or the Spirit working in their life.

As we grow in our relationship with the Lord – as we read and know His word in the Bible, as we talk with Him, as we sing praises to Him – we are growing and as we grow we will eventually produce the fruits of the Spirit – just like a plant!

Let’s read through that verse one more time. We will go slowly, so make sure you listen to each fruit that is mentioned: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22 

Ready for some questions to talk about? You can hit the pause button after each question to discuss. And the point is to get conversation flowing so don’t overthink it.

1.     Look at someone you’re listening with today and tell them what fruit of the Spirit you see in their life. Remember you can choose from love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. Tell the people you’re listening with which fruits you see in them!

2.     From the list of the fruits of the Spirit, which one do you want to improve or work on in your life? For example, I sometimes have a hard time being patient, so I want to see that fruit of the Spirit grow more in my life. That’s the one I want to see improve. What fruit do you want to see grow in your own life?

3.     How do we grow all of these fruits in our life? 

Today, to help us remember our verse, we are going to teach you a song. This is a song that has helped us remember all the fruits of the spirit. If you’ve heard it, sing along!

“The fruit of the Spirit’s not a banana. The fruit of the Spirit’s not a banana. If you wanna be a banana, you might as well hear it, you can’t be a fruit of the Spirit. Cause the fruit is….love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

And that’s it! You sing it over and over – fast, slow, loudly, softly, you can take turns which fruit you want to name the next time and my favorite part…you can act out whatever fruit you name. Like If you say “The fruit of the Spirit’s not a banana.” You make your body look like a banana when you say that word.