All posts written by Jared Kennedy

Serving Together

October 3, 2011 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

I got to share this on Sunday night during the 7PM service. It is a great testimony of how God can focus us on giving to others while at the same time providing for our own needs. 7 people signed up to serve with KIDS after the service. Thanks Daniel for your testimony! You can sign up to serve HERE!

My wife Katie and I moved to Louisville, from California, about two months prior to joining the Harris Community Group. At that point, the majority of the group members served with KIDS at the five o’clock Midtown service. We became members about a month later, and began serving. I began serving in Connect and subbing once a month in KIDS for Dan Cassin (a fellow CG member), and Katie began serving in KIDS as a two-year-old teacher.

While we did not realize it at the time, God was using the interaction with other CG members, in the context of serving, as a catalyst for growth for our community. We were not only seeing one another on Tuesday night for group gatherings, but Sunday evening as well. I am hesitant to state the obvious, but the more time we spent together, the closer we got, allowing us to better bear each other’s burdens, and share in one another’s joys. Beyond merely spending more time together, we shared in the experience of serving Christ’s bride collectively, which in turn focused the group on others’ needs.

We love being able to serve alongside fellow community group members, and experiencing life on life to a fuller extent. –Daniel White, Community Group Leader, Midtown Kids 5:00 Service Cooridnator

FAQs: Family Worship for a Child Under 2?

September 28, 2011 in Uncategorized with 2 Comments

One parent recently wrote our office with the following question: As our child grows older, we want to be very intentional about family devotions and sharing the gospel with her. Right now she is 13 1/2 months old and her attention span isn’t quite long enough to read the Big Picture Story Bible or the Jesus Storybook Bible. What are some practical things we can do now to begin to share the gospel with her and incorporate a devotional time? Are there any devotional books for younger kids that you would recommend, or any types of activities we can do? 

I pray that the short answer that follows is helpful both for this family and other families who may be struggling with the same kind of question: I’m so thankful for your desire to be intentional with your daughter. Here are some resources that I really like for children under age 2 and then for toddlers. The Lindvall Read-Aloud Story Bible books for toddlers have shorter and easier stories than the Big Picture Bible, and our girls really loved them. I think that your daughter would enjoy them soon–possibly even now. The stories are short and repetitive, so they are easy for young kids to memorize.

For infants (under age 2):

For toddlers (ages 2 & 3):

Josh, we also have prayed a nightly blessing over our girls since they were really young. When they were really young, we did this without much reading. Some nights now, we just pray the blessing and nothing more, because the girls are just too antsy or tired to listen to a story or memorize anything–particularly if we get in late from a training event or community group meeting. Our blessing goes something like this: “Dear Jesus, please help                          to grow up to be a girl who loves Jesus and trusts in Jesus. Please protect her from Satan and his schemes. Help her to have godly friends and a godly husband when she gets big. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Children Desiring God has a book of blessings for fathers (A Father’s Guide for Blessing His Children by David Michael) that includes the Scripture blessings written out on notecards. You can download a PDF version of the book for $3. The printed booklet is $7.50, but the extra few bucks is probably worth it if you think that you’ll use the notecards.

Sign up now for the October 23rd Baby Dedication!

September 20, 2011 in Uncategorized with 2 Comments

We have baby dedication services at Sojourn because God has commanded both parents and the church to teach our children about God.  We dedicate our children because we recognize our God-given responsibility as parents, and because we know that our home needs God’s help.  We dedicate our children because we want to partner with our church family–making a commitment to raise our children in light of God’s promises.

Next Dedication: Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

*Note: The “First Steps: Preparing for Baby Dedication” classes are required as a pre-requisite for participating in  dedication services. The classes are a learning experience—preparing you for what will take place during the dedication service—and they are a party—a celebration of the gift of life that god has given you in your new child! They will be held on Sunday, October 16th at the Midtown, East, and J-town campuses.  If you want to participate in the New Albany service, please sign up for the Midtown class.  Sign Up Now!

Creation Coloring Pages by Mandy Groce

September 17, 2011 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Throughout the remainder of 2011, SojournKids will be studying the book of Genesis.  I’ll be featuring a lot of great resources that we’ll be using in our classrooms and that you can use at home.  To begin, here are some great coloring pages that Sojourn artist Mandy Groce created for http://ministry-to-children.com:

Days of Creation Coloring Pages

 

Let There Be Light (Creation Day One) - This coloring sheet features the events from Genesis 1:3 where God says, “Let there be light.” The picture features the sun and stars that radiate that light on the first day of creation.  This was the first day of the biblical creation story.

God Made the Sky and Sea (Creation Day Two) – This coloring sheet depicts the events from Genesis 1:6-8 where God separates the water and names the sky. This passage is often difficult to conceptualize, but Mandy’s illustration shows layers of water being forced apart as God makes room for the sky.

God Made the Land (Creation Day Three) - In this picture, the artist has shown the events from Genesis 1:9-10 where God brings forth the dry land from the sea. The image depicts several mountain peaks emerging from the ocean. This was the third day of creation.

Let the Land Produce (Creation Day Three) – This coloring sheet continues the events from the third day of creation. It is based on Genesis 1:11-13. The illustration has plants, trees, and grass that overlook an ocean scene.  The words read, “Let the land produce.”

God Made the Sun, Moon, and Stars (Creation Day Four) - Mandy drew her inspiration for this line art picture from Genesis 1:14-19. The picture has four panels, each with a different arrangement of the Sun, Moon, and stars. The words on the page read: “Signs, Seasons, Days, Years.”

God Made the Animals, Fish, and Birds (Creation Days Five & Six) - These next two coloring sheets illustrate the events in Genesis 1:20-25. There are two different options for you to download and print out. These can be coloring in by the children as you teach about God’s creative work in making the animals.

Adam and Eve in the Garden (Creation Day Six) – This printable coloring page shows the people that God made holding hands in a garden setting. The children will love coloring the mountains, flowers, and other elements surrounding the couple. This picture is an illustration of Genesis 1:26-31.

It Was Very Good (Creation Day Seven) - This final picture in the series has the words “very good” and shows the finished work. It is based on Genesis 1:30 – 2:2 where God rested from his work on the seventh day. Adam and Eve are show resting in the garden that God made for them to enjoy in the very good beginning.

Bob Kauflin on Songwriting for Children

August 31, 2011 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Recently, Sovereign Grace Ministries leader, Bob Kauflin, led a two-part songwriting workshop at our Midtown Campus. During the second session, Bob taught extensively about writing songs for children. Then, he answered questions on a wide range of songwriting topics in a Q&A session.

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