What Does It Mean to Follow JESUS?

What does it mean to follow JESUS?

Question to ask your kids: What are the four Gospels? Answer: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Question to ask your kids: How many times do you think Jesus said, “Follow Me,” in the four Gospels? Answer: 13

Tell your kids: Jesus used the words, “Follow Me,” to call His disciples.

Question to ask your kids: How many disciples did Jesus have? Answer: 12

Bible Study on Jesus calling the 12 disciples to follow Him from the four gospels (you could have your kids act this out)

Simon Peter (Fisherman) and Andrew (Fisherman) (Matthew 4:18-20)
18 Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

James (Fisherman) and John (Fisherman) (Matthew 4:21-22)
21 Jesus saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,
22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

Philip and Nathanael/Bartholomew (John 1:43-51)
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

Matthew/Levi (Tax Collector) (Matthew 9:9)
9 Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. He said to him, “Follow Me.” So, he arose and followed Him.

The Twelve Chosen (Mark 3:13-19, Luke 6:12-19)
13 Jesus went up on the mountain and prayed and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.
14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,
15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:
16 Simon and Andrew,
17 James and John, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;
18 Philip, Nathanael/Bartholomew, Matthew/Levi, Thomas, James, Thaddaeus/Jude, Simon the Canaanite/Zealot;
19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Question to ask your kids: What does it mean to follow Jesus? Answers: May vary, but some answers may be to love like Jesus loved, to walk like Jesus walked, to talk like Jesus talked, to live like Jesus lived, to obey like Jesus obeyed (discuss what they share)

Game to play with your kids: Follow the leader https://www.considerable.com/entertainment/games/follow-the-leader/

Song to sing with your kids: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8jvfdDtoqY

Prayer to pray with your kids: Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Your son, Jesus, to not only die on the cross for our sins, but to show us how to love, walk, talk, live, and obey. Please help us to follow Jesus and share Him with others. Amen.

A Family Mission Statement

For years I have been hearing about creating a family mission statement. It always intrigued me because I am all about trying to find a focus for what I am doing and keeping my eyes on that. Anyone who knows me knows that I love acronyms. I prayed about this for a long time and decided that I wanted to use our last name, Webber, to create our mission statement using the letters in our name. I sat down and wrote every verb that I could think of that started with those letters that sounded like it would go along with something that could be a core value of our mission.

Wait, Walk
Educate, Encourage, Enjoy, Enter, Examine, Expect, Extend
Behave, Believe, Bless
Radiate, Raise, Rejoice, Remember, Reproduce, Remember, Rest

Then, I narrowed them down to these:
Walk with God
Enjoy and Examine God's Word
Believe that God Can Do the Impossible
Behave Like a Christian
Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving
Reproduce Other Believers in Jesus

After that, I found Bible verses to be the foundational truths of each part of the mission.

I typed it all up, prettied it all up, and printed out our Webber Family Mission Statement.

I am sharing it with you in hopes that it will motivate you to make yours as well. God Bless!

Life Verses

What is a life verse? A life verse is a verse that you make your foundation for your life. Of course the entire Bible should be our foundation for life, but a life verse is a special word from the Lord that cements your life and your purpose as you follow God throughout your life.

My personal life verse is 2nd Corinthians 12:9 - And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

When our first son was on his way, we sat for hours praying and picking out names for him. When we settled on Luke, which I loved because it was from the Bible and meant "bringer of light," his life verse came very easily.

Luke's life verse is Matthew 5:16 - Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Our second son's name came very easily. One day I said, "I love the name Nathan," and my husband said, "Me too." It was easy-peasy. Coming up with his life verse didn't come during the pregnancy like it did with Luke's. After the death of his twin sister, each day I would say a verse over him and me.

Nathan's life verse is Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

Our daughter's name is Alexis Faith, which means "defender of faith." When she passed away, my faith was tested more than any other time in my life so far. We wanted a Bible verse on her headstone, and looking at "faith" in the Bible, the most fitting one became her life verse.

Alexis' life verse is Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Our third son's name was the hardest name to figure out. I guess when you have lots of one gender it gets harder. Once we unanimously agreed on Benjamin, I found his life verse pretty easily.

Benjamin's life verse is Deuteronomy 33:12 - Of Benjamin he said: "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, who shelters him all the day long; and He shall dwell between his shoulders."

I hope this has encouraged you to prayerfully consider a life verse for yourself and/or your children. 

I would love to hear yours. :) 

SALT and LIGHT

Believers Are SALT and LIGHT 

(Matthew 5:13-16)

13 “You are the SALT of the earth; 
      but if the SALT loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?
      It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the LIGHT of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 
15 Nor do they LIGHT a lamp and put it under a basket, 
      but on a lampstand, and it gives LIGHT to all who are in the house. 
16 Let your LIGHT so shine before men, 
      that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
In the most famous sermon ever preached, Jesus told believers that they were:
The SALT of the earth and
The LIGHT of the world.
For a fun object lesson, you can get out some black construction paper
and write a message or picture or scribble scrabble on it with glue.
Then, pour SALT over it (like you would glitter).
It gives kids the image of taking the SALT into the dark world.
You can also take your kids into a dark room and give them a candle or
a tea light and show them how the LIGHT pierces the darkness.
Remember that we can't be the LIGHT without THE TRUE LIGHT [JESUS] in us.

P.R.A.Y.

This week, I am reading through the Sermon on the Mount along with my church through a method called F260 (which I love and highly encourage). Part of the Sermon on the Mount was Jesus telling how to pray through a very familiar and often memorized passage called "The Lord's Prayer." Now this prayer was not meant to just be memorized and repeated, but was to be a model of prayer. There is a great acronym (you know how I love those) that helps me remember how to pray and is great to teach our kids.

P - Praise

R - Repent

A - Ask

Y - Yield

P - Praise God for who is He and what He has done in my life. 
      God has so many names and so many attributes/qualities/characteristics.
      He is Accessible, Creative, Eternal, Forgiving, Gracious, Holy, Immutable (Never Changes),
      Just, Light, Merciful, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Peace, Righteous, Sovereign.
      I could go on an on with names and qualities of God. 
      Ex. "God, You are Accessible. I can come boldly to You anytime, anywhere, with anyone,
      about anything. I am so thankful that because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross,
      I do not have to go through someone else to get to You."
      Of course, you can probably sit and write a long list of all the things God has done in your life.
      That is thanksgiving or giving thanks to God. 
      Ex. "Lord, I am so thankful for how You have provided for my family during this time.
      Thank You!"
      "Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name." (Matthew 6:9)

R - Repent of my sins to God.
      I don't know about you, but I haven't lived a single day without sinning.
      If I do, I will let you know (but then that would be pride and that's a sin LOL!). 
      Sometimes I am very aware of my sins, but at times, I need God to reveal them to me. 
      Ex. "Father, Please search me and show me any sins in my heart, my mind, my words, 
      my attitude, my actions, my temptations, my walk. Please forgive me for ___________.
      I am having a hard time forgiving __________. Please help me forgive them."
      "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
       And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:12-13)

A - Ask/Petition God.
       I would assume this is the part of prayer most of us are "good at." 
       We bring our list to God and ask Him to meet those needs.
       This is when we pray for ourselves, our (future) spouse, our (future) marriage,
       our (future) kids, our (future) parenting, our family, our home, our finances, our school,
       our friends, our neighbors, our church, our ministries, missionaries, our country, our world,
       lost people, sick people, and needy people.
       Ex. "Lord, I pray for ___________ and their need for __________."
       "Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11)

Y - Yield your plans/will to God's.
      "Prayer connects my heart/will/plans to God's heart/will/plans."
      Ex. "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:10, 13)

  

Immanuel, God With Us

We are living in some different times than we are used to. 
For most people, these times are hard and confusing and maybe even scary. 
You might be doing school in a way that you have never done before. 

You might not be able to participate in activities you have previously enjoyed.
It’s okay to admit that it’s not the best of times.

But something that gives me great comfort, especially in difficult times,
is remembering that God is with us.

Matthew 1:23 – “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, 
                           and they shall call His name "Immanuel,"
                           which is translated, "God with us."

Jesus had a lot of names.
The cool thing about His names is that they described His character and His actions.
In this verse we see that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.

John 1:14 – And the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us,
                   and we beheld His glory,
                   the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
                   full of grace and truth.

Okay, this verse always gives me “glory bumps” as a dear friend of mine calls them.
God became a human and dwelt (a fancy word for lived) among people
and they got to see God’s glory and grace and truth through Him. WOW!
I always think it would have been cool to have lived when Jesus walked the earth.

The awesome thing is that when you become a believer in Jesus,
He dwells (lives) with you 24/7. How cool is that?
When you wake up, He is with you.
When you are reading your Bible and praying, He is with you.
When you are doing math, He is with you.
When you are playing with your brother or sister, He is with you.
When you are doing your chores, He is with you.
When you are sleeping, He is with you.
He is always with you!!!

I challenge and encourage you to take time this week to remember that
God is always with you.

Lord,
You are Immanuel, God with me.
Thank You that You are always with me.
Please help me to remember that as I go through my week.
I love You!
Amen.

The 3 Rs of Homeschooling (Not What You Are Thinking)

This year starts our 10th year of homeschooling (not counting what we did before Kindergarten). In a decade of home educating, I would like to think I've learned a few things along with my kiddos. LOL! Lately, God has really put it on my heart to focus on the 3 Rs of homeschooling.
It's not what you are thinking.

The 3 Rs of Homeschooling:

1) Relationships 

    Other than God calling me to homeschooling, which was reason enough, one of the biggest reasons
    we started homeschooling and continue homeschooling is to build relationships, both vertical and
    horizontal. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we see The Great Commandment:

    "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
    Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
    and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. 
    And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 
    On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” 
    (Matthew 22:36-40)

    Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, 
    perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him,
    “Which is the first commandment of all?”
    Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: 
    ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 
    And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,
    and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 
    And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
    There is no other commandment greater than these.”
    (Mark 12:28-31)

    So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
    with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
    (Luke 10:27)

    This actually isn't just in the New Testament. You can find loving the Lord all throughout the Bible
    especially in The Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5:

    “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 
    You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

    The part about loving your neighbor as yourself is also in the Old Testament in Leviticus 19:18:

    "But you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."     

    It is our greatest desire to love God with everything we have and then love others.
    It is our next greatest desire for our kids to love God with everything they have and love others.

2) Rhythm

    I don't know about you, but I am naturally a person who thrives on structure, routine, and order.
    I love charts, checklists, calendars, planners, and all things that can make me more organized.
    Over the years, I have learned that it is really hard to get not just myself, but my husband, my kids,
    and anyone else to stick to a "at this time we do this" routine.

    Instead, I have been finding that it is better to have a rhythm to our life and our days.
    What does this mean? Well, we wake up, have time to get going for the day, eat breakfast, 
    do some chores, start school, have breaks as needed, have food as needed (LOL), stop for lunch,
    finish up school, have breaks as needed, have food as needed (LOL), have room time, eat dinner,
    have family time, get ready for bed, do family devotions, read books, and go to bed. 

    Having a rhythm keeps everyone from being stressed out about calendars, clocks, time limits, etc.
    It leaves room to breathe and room for flexibility. It's awesome.

3) Responsibility

    As a mom it is super easy to want to do too much for our kids. I am guilty of that myself. 
    I have learned over the years that the more I do for my kids, the less they do for themselves.
    We are working on taking as much responsibility for ourselves as possible. 
    This is not just with our actions, but also with our attitudes and responses to things.

    Obviously a 4-year-old can't clean an entire bathroom by himself, but he can collect towels for the
    laundry. A 9-year-old can't do all of the yardwork by himself, but he can pick up sticks and pull 
    weeds. A 14-year-old can do a lot (even if they don't agree LOL). 

It is my prayer this year that we will build our relationships with the Lord, each other, and others. 
It is my prayer that we will find and maintain a rhythm for our days and this season.
It is my prayer that we will each take responsibility for our tasks and our attitudes.

I hope this has helped. :) 

What Are You Building Your Life On? (and Object Lesson)

 Matthew 7:24-27

²⁴ “(Therefore) whoever/everyone/anyone who hears/listens to
     these sayings/teachings/words of Mine,
     and does/practices/obeys/follows/acts on them
     (puts them into practice),
     I will liken him to a wise man/person
     who built/builds his house on the (solid) rock: 
²⁵ and the rain descended/came down/poured,
    the floods/floodwaters came/rose,
    and the winds blew
    and beat/slammed/pounded on/against that house;
    and/yet it did not fall/collapse,
    for/because it was founded/built (had its foundation) on the rock.

²⁶ “But whoever/everyone/anyone who hears/listens to
     these sayings/teachings/words of Mine,
     and does not do/practice/obey/follow/act on them
     (put them into practice),
     will be like a foolish man/person
     who built/builds his house on the sand: 
²⁷ and the rain descended/came down/poured,
    the floods/floodwaters came/rose,
    and the winds blew
    and beat/slammed/pounded on/against that house;
    and it fell/collapsed.
    And great was its fall/collapse.”

Both people heard Jesus’ teachings (v. 24 and 26).
The big difference is that the wise man did/practiced/obeyed Jesus’ teachings, but the foolish man didn’t.
The wise man built his house on the rock [Jesus],
but the foolish man built his house on the sand
[the things of this world].
Both people experienced a storm (v. 25 and 27).
The wise man’s house did not fall,
but the foolish man’s house fell and the fall was great.

What are you building your life on?

OBJECT LESSON:

Have your kids build two houses out of Legos.
Put on in a sandbox and
put one on concrete with rocks around it.
Spray each with a hose.
The one on the sand should fall over.
The one on the rocks should stand.