Author: Laycie Costigan

March 2019

Church Logo and
Information

Jesus Always Forgives and Forgets

POWERSOURCE
ASK JESUS:
1. To forgive your sins: the wrongs you’ve committed and the “rights” you’ve omitted.
2. To make forgiveness a key component of your family’s life.
3. To help you model repentance and forgiveness for your kids.

During the season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday (March 6 this year), the traditional focus is on our sinfulness and our need for a Savior. Lent isn’t a time to wallow in guilt but to humbly reflect, repent, and turn to Jesus, who always forgives us.
People of all ages often have a tough time forgiving others—or asking for forgiveness. Letting go of our hurt and anger when we’ve been wronged can be challenging. And admitting when we’ve messed up is rough on the ego.
Thankfully, Jesus provides us with complete forgiveness and also shows us how to live as forgiven and forgiving people. Through his death on the cross (another focus of the Lenten season), Jesus paid the price for our sins. The

Bible says God casts our sins “into the deepest part of the sea” (Micah 7:19) and remembers them “no more” (Hebrews 8:12).
Family life offers many opportunities to learn about and practice forgiveness. As Anne Lamott writes in her book Almost Everything, “If the earth is forgiveness school, family is your postdoctoral fellowship.” Parents have the privilege of showing kids what it looks like to lovingly ask for and grant forgiveness. This helps children understand the importance of Jesus’ gift of complete forgiveness—and his command to forgive others, even our enemies.
Read on for ways to explore the topics of sin and forgiveness with your family.

Forgiveness Is Divine

Because forgiveness is an abstract concept and only God can forgive perfectly, children’s thoughts about forgiveness gradually mature over time.
Ages 3 to 5: Concrete thinkers process life in literal terms. Ask questions to help make connections. Give hugs and say, “I love you. I forgive you.”
Ages 6 to 8: Children this age connect new ideas to old information. Help them make associations by modeling kindness in relationships.
Ages 9 to 12: Older kids begin to think abstractly but still rely on familiar experiences. Let kids ask questions, and value their thoughts.

TEACHABLE MOMENTS
All Clear!
Hand out calculators or use the calculator on your phones. Say: Let’s do some addition. Add 3 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7. What did you get? 32! Me too. Here’s another one: Add 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8? What did you get this time? 35! Me too. One more: Add 7 + 9 + 4 + 6. What did you get? (Family members will say “26.”) Oh my, I must have added wrong. I got 25. Here, I’ll just push the “clear” button and try again. Yep, it’s 26!
Say: The “clear” button is one of the best things about calculators. If you make a mistake, it just wipes the screen clean and you can start over.
Read Isaiah 43:25. Say: When God forgives our sins, he doesn’t even remember them. It’s like God has a clear button, wiping out those sins forever. Jesus paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross. But because he rose again, God wiped away all our sins, like with this “clear” button. We can start over and don’t have to worry about past sins.

Forgiveness Brings Healing Ask family members to consider times they’ve been hurt by someone’s actions and been unable to forgive. Have them draw a symbol of each hurt on a bandage and place bandages on their exposed skin. Ask: “What makes it tough to forgive? How did it feel to be forgiven?” Read aloud Matthew 6:14. Say: “Jesus forgives all our sins and tells us to forgive people who sin against us.” Remove the bandages and pray together for hearts that forgive and heal.
Spell It Out Down the left side of a chalkboard or piece of paper, write the word FORGIVE. Talk about what it feels like to be forgiven, and write one of those feelings by each letter; for example, Free, Open, Relieved, Grateful, and so on.
Press on With Forgiveness On one wall, tape a sign that says “Past” and on the other a sign that says “Future.” Ask family members to think about good things from the past as well as things they regret. Say: “Try to cross the room walking backward, keeping your eyes on the past. If you bump into anyone, fall, or look back, you have to sit down where you are.” Afterward, say: “It’s good to learn from the past, but we shouldn’t get stuck there and forget about God’s forgiveness.” Read aloud Philippians 3:13-14. Have

people cross the room again, this time facing forward. Say: “Let’s live for Jesus, with our eyes on him.”
Don’t Hide Sin! Wrap masking tape around a rock and write “sin” on it. Have family members close their eyes while one person hides the rock. Then have everyone else search for it. Repeat several times. Then ask: “What was it like to hide the rock? To search for it?” Read aloud Numbers 32:23. Ask: “Have you ever had a sin discovered even though you tried to hide it? What happened? What does God want us to do when we’ve sinned?” Use a marker to blot out the word “sin” on the rock. Close by reading aloud 1 John 1:9.
Good Riddance With highlighters, take turns writing down sins on a coffee filter. (Assist younger kids.) Say: “The Bible says when we confess—or admit—our sins, God always forgives us.” Put a few drops of lemon juice on the writing and watch as the “sins” disappear. Read aloud Acts 3:19. Say: “The juice made the words disappear, just as God makes all our sins disappear when we say we’re sorry. We may still have to deal with the consequences, or results, of our sins, but when God forgives sins, they’re totally gone. Hooray!”

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
—1 John 1:9

MEDIA MADNESS

MOVIE
Title: Dumbo Genre: Family, Fantasy
Rating: PG (for peril/action, thematic elements, and brief mild language)
Cast: Eva Green, Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, Alan Arkin
Synopsis: Director Tim Burton brings this 1941 Disney classic back to the screen with a lavish live-action version. As a family’s circus faces financial ruin, characters learn about love, loss, and the pros and cons of standing out.
Our Take: Farrell says the beloved tale of a big-eared flying elephant tackles the timely topic of social bullying and reveals the importance of “inclusion, acceptance, kindness, and support.” After watching the movie together, discuss how Jesus wants us to treat others, including people who are different from us.

BOOK
Title: My Heart
Author: Corinna Luyken
Synopsis: With vivid phrasing and tender drawings, this picture book encourages young readers (ages 4 to 8) to take special care of their heart—and to listen to its messages and needs: “My heart is a window. My heart is a slide. My heart can be closed…or opened up wide.” Luyken also wrote and illustrated The Book of Mistakes, about the creative process.
Our Take: Because this book conveys the value of empathy as well as self-care, it will spark important discussions about emotions and interactions. Parents can talk with children about a range of feelings and how to deal with them constructively. Though the book isn’t faith-based, parents can readily tie in such concepts as the Golden Rule.

Games, Sites & Apps

Storm Boy
In this short video game, based on a 1964 children’s book, a boy runs along beaches to rescue orphaned pelican chicks. Text from the story appears, plus mini-games to play. Despite childlike imagery and ease of play, the game is rated E10+ for mild violence (a bird gets shot).

The Past & the
Curious
A museum educator and his guests tell interesting unsung stories from
history in this podcast. Topics are family friendly, ranging from trains and spies to cartooning and ballooning. Listeners can record their own 30-second segments for possible use on a future episode.

Froggipedia
Apple named this the top iPad app for 2018. With 3D AR (augmented
reality), users discover frog anatomy with no dissection necessary, earning kudos from
animal rights groups. Older children interested in science and nature will enjoy learning about
everything from life
cycles to organ systems.

This page is designed to help educate parents and isn’t meant to endorse any movie, music, or product. Our goal is to help you make informed decisions about what your children watch, read, listen to, and play.

CULTURE & TRENDS
Stop Yelling! In what’s being called a nightmare for parents, a new toy flying off shelves is called Yellies: The louder you yell at them, the faster they go! Sales of the Hasbro creatures tripled over the holidays, and new versions will be released throughout 2019—despite an outcry from parent bloggers. (businessinsider.com)
K-Pop Won’t Stop South Korean bands such as BTS (all male) and BlackPink (all female) have become so popular that they’re collaborating with American companies. Mattel’s stock went up 9% when it announced a BTS toy line, and Puma is making BTS sneakers. K-Pop products are also popular at preteen-favorite stores such as Hot Topic. (nbcnews.com)
QUICK STATS
Mixing It Up Fewer than 10% of U.S. parents prefer to have all-male or all-female children. Research shows that parents with two or more kids of the same gender are more likely to try to enlarge their families. (theatlantic.com)
Health Concerns An estimated 18% of U.S. children live with a chronic health condition, and that number has been on the rise. The most common chronic conditions are obesity, asthma, and ADHD. (aap.org)

March

[Photo]

[Title/
Topic]
[Subtitle]
[Text]

[Title]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Photo]

[Text]

[Title

[Text & Photo]

[Text & Photo]

[Title]

[Text]

[Photo]

[Title]
[Text]
[Title]
[Text]

SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
					1	2
3	4	5	6 / Ash / Wednesday	7	8	9
10 / Daylight-Saving Time Begins	11	12	13	14	15	16
17 / St. Patrick’s Day	18	19	20 / Spring Begins	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31