Bobbie, the Wonder Dog, was a Scotch Collie and English shepherd mix who got lost from his family on a vacation in 1923. Over six months, Bobbie independently traveled 2,800 miles from Indiana to Oregon and was reunited with his family. Bobbie’s faithfulness was recognized by several newspapers, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and the Oregon Humane Society. (Source: here.)

Faith is believing in what you can’t see because of what you can see. Sometimes we lose sight of what God’s doing in our lives. But we can see all of the many other ways God reveals Himself. Through the things we can see, we can believe that what the Bible says about God is true.

When we recognize God at work around us, we respond to Him with trust. We have confidence He has a plan for our lives, and we are willing to take risks to see that plan accomplished. Even in our moments of doubt, God will show us something to remind us to have faith.

The monthly memory verse is: “Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see,” Hebrews 11:1, NIrV. We might not clearly see and understand everything about a relationship with God. We can ask questions and read our Bibles to learn more. But faith is believing that what God says is true, that we will live with Him forever, even when we can’t see every detail about how it happens.

In Week One’s Bible story, when Peter saw how Jesus performed a miracle, he believed that Jesus could be trusted and dropped everything to follow Him (Luke 5:1-11). Our Bottom Line is: When I see how God provides today, it helps me trust Him with tomorrow. The more we recognize God’s provision in the good times, the more confident we’ll be that He’ll provide in the hard times.

In Week Two’s Bible story, as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to experience something incredible. But when he lost focus on Jesus, he gave into his fears and began to sink. (Matthew 14:22-33). Our Bottom Line is: When I experience what God can do, it helps me face my fears. As we have more experiences with God, we see more of His strength and power.

In Week Three’s Bible story, John is struggling with doubt that Jesus really is the Savior. John’s disciples return and tell John about all the miracles they saw Jesus perform. (Luke 7:18-22, Supporting: Matthew 11; Mark 6:17-20; Luke 3:1-21; 6; 7:1-16). Our Bottom Line is: When I hear what Jesus has done, it helps me believe who Jesus is. It’s important to listen to the way that following Jesus has impacted people’s lives.

In Week Four’s Bible story, Nicodemus learns that Jesus is the Savior and only through Him can we live with God. (John 3:1-21, Supporting: John 7:49-51; 19:38-40). Our Bottom Line is: When I believe who Jesus is, I’ll live with God forever. We may not understand everything about Jesus, but we can ask questions to learn more. Jesus’ answers teach that any of us who believe in Him will live with God forever.

By Jessica McKee ©2013 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. www.ThinkOrange.com *Used by permission.

Each month we supply a Parent Cue for parents and a weekly God Time sheet for kids.

• The Parent Cue is meant to be a resource for you to discuss and reinforce the lesson with your kids. The monthly sheet contains discussion questions for each week. They are designed to help you understand what your kids are learning and talk with your kids about spiritual principles in a relaxed way. They make great dinner conversation!
• The God Time is intended to help kids learn to spend some quiet time with God on their own so they learn to grow spiritually and begin to take responsibility for doing spiritual things on their own. (Of course, they can be fun to do as a family and you’re welcome to help them and model it for them as they learn!)

We’re posting the monthly Parent Cue discussion sheet and upcoming week’s God Time exercise for the lesson that will be taught this Sunday. Copies of these are on the welcome table in the lobby before you enter the main worship space. Or, for your convenience, you can download them below.

Parent Cue Discussion Spiritual Discussion Starter Sheet
For the material this month: Parent Cue for January.

God Time Quiet Time Exercise for Kids
For the lesson this coming week: God Time for January 19.
Haven’t gotten to this week’s yet? Check out the one for God Time for January 12.

As always, instructions are here.

Our goal as a church is provide you with resources to help your children grow spiritually. We’re doing our best to make things simple and easy. Please feel free to give us feedback on this!