• There is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace.
• But Jesus fully paid for all our sins.
• God gives us Jesus as a perfectly free gift.

We’ve been learning that God loved us before we were even born, and because we are dead in our sins there is nothing that we can do, on our own, to be saved by him. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace. God doesn’t love us because we do good things or because we are born into a good family. God loved us first before we did anything good or bad. he saves us because of everything that he has done and nothing that we have done. God saved us while we were still sinners, by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sins. He did this by dying on the cross. At the cross, Jesus fully paid for all our sins. Jesus paid it all! Jesus is our wonderful treasure, God’s wonderful gift to us that we can never earn!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it si the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

• Outrageous Grace “At Home” Sheet
• Preschool Lesson
• Preschool “Treasure Chest” Craft Page,  JPEG version
• Preschool “Coins” Craft Page,  JPEG version
• Elementary Lesson 
• Elementary “Folded Treasure Chest” Craft Page, JPEG version

For lesson 3, Mandy created treasure chest craft pages for both younger children and older children. We used the “treasure chest” coloring sheet for our toddlers and preschoolers. Children were instructed to color the picture of the treasure chest then cut out and paste the coins on the treasure chest.

The following questions were develop for use while the children were coloring, cutting, and pasting:

• What is a treasure? Would you like to find a treasure? A treasure is hidden riches or something regarded as valuable. Remember that if you are looking for a treasure, you usually need a treasure map to show you where the treasure is. Before we were even born, God had a plan for us and wanted to share his treasure with us.
• Who is our greatest treasure? Jesus.
• Why? Jesus fully paid for all of our sins. Because of God’s grace, we are rich and find our greatest treasure and value in Christ Jesus! 

Older children made a three-dimensional treasure chest by cutting out, folding, and gluing/taping together the pattern shown to the left. Note that the final product has a rounded top that is best taped together. While we were working on this craft, we talked about how the treasure of God’s rich grace is far better than any other treasure. This is something that required a lot of discussion, because kids (like adults) don’t naturally agree.

• We are dead in our sins.
• We cannot save ourselves.
• But God makes dead men alive in Christ Jesus.

The Bible says that we are dead in our rebellion and sin. Just think about the foolish choices that we make. It doesn’t matter how hard we try, we are still sinners. We cannot obey God, and we cannot obey our parents without God’s help. We are like dead skeletons. Dead skeletons have no muscles, no brain, and no heart. They have no power to move on their own. But God can make those dead skeletons live again. God can make dead men walk. The Bible says that God makes us alive in Christ Jesus. He gives us power to make wise choices, power to obey him, power to live.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5

Here are the pieces of the lesson in PDF format for quick downloading:

• Resurrecting Grace “At Home” Sheet
• Preschool Lesson
• Preschool Craft Page,  JPEG version
• Elementary Lesson
  

• The first picture is a skeleton. Why are we like this skeleton? We are dead in our sins and unable to save ourselves.
• What is happening next in the picture? There is a change taking place. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus’ death on the cross, dead men are made alive. The boy was dead in his sin, and now he is made fully alive!

The elementary lesson features a pin the heart of flesh on the skeleton game. We supplied each elementary group with a print out of a human skeleton and a small picture of a human heart. Then, we played a good ole’ fashioned game of “pin the tail on the donkey,” except that we used the heart as the tail and the skeleton as the donkey. We allowed the kids to take turns playing. We discussed how God gives us a new heart while we were dead in our sins. Our new heart desires to obey God – this is why we confess our sins and repent of them.

Lesson 1 in the Proof Pirates Curriculum focuses on God’s planned grace as it is revealed to us in Ephesians 1:4-6. We learned that, “P is for Planned Grace–God maps out the plan of salvation for his people.” Here are the key points for the lesson:

• God mapped out the way of salvation for his people.
• God loved and picked out the people he would save.
• God saves his people through his Son Jesus.

We are all sinners. We choose to disobey, but God still loves us and wants to give us a gift to save us and help us. Before God created the heavens and earth, he had a plan. God mapped out the way of salvation for his people. God picked out who he would save and just how he would save them. God’s grace is not his “plan B.” This is the plan that God made before the foundations of the world and that God finished when Jesus died for his people. In his love, God chooses the way that His people will go. The map and compass belong to him. So, we can trust that we have God’s very best plan in Jesus.

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:4b-6

Here are the pieces of the lesson in PDF format for quick downloading:

• Planned Grace “At Home” Sheet
• Preschool Lesson
• Preschool Craft Page,  JPEG version
• Elementary Lesson 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this is not from youselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Dear Parents,

So much in our life tells us that it is our performance that makes us who we are. This is especially true in the lives of kids. Think what they hear from chore charts, report cards, standardized tests, recitals, and athletic banquets. The overwhelming message is, “If you do well, you will be rewarded; if you do not do well, you will lose your reward, and you may even be punished.” Performance—work and reward—is one of the basic structures of our lives. As a result, kids grow up thinking, “I am what I am because of what I do… or because of what I’ve failed to do.”

Have you ever thought about how different this “message of performance” is from the Bible’s message of redemption? In 1 Corinthians 15:10, the Apostle Paul says, “I am what I am by the grace of God.” I learned about God’s grace while sitting with my dad in his Dodge pick-up truck after school. I was in ninth grade, and I overwhelmed with things that seem silly now—schoolwork, acne, girls, and my scrawny physique. That day, my dad taught me a lesson that I pray I’ll never forget: “What God says about you is more important than what others say.”

In other conversations after that, I learned about what has been called the doctrines of grace—the simple message that who we are as Christians is not determined by what we do or what we look like, but by what God has done for us. These doctrines changed my life. By God’s grace, I’ve learned to believe God’s promises for me are true. What God has determined for me through the work of His Son Jesus makes me who I am. I am loved even when my performance doesn’t stack up. After all, Jesus came to save sinners, not those who get everything right.

In the Fall of 2011, SojournKids sailed through waters inhabited by the Proof Pirates!  We put together that unit of study as a way of reclaiming the doctrines of grace for the next generation. We intend for this series to speak to children on two levels.

First, our kids need proof of God’s grace upon which they can stand. We want our kids to embrace and remember the doctrines of grace so that they can combat the performance messages they hear. We want them to know that it is not our performance that makes us right before God even when those voices come from inside their own heads. We want our kids to remember, like my dad said, that what God says about you is more important that what others say. We want them to remember, as the apostle Paul said, that it is God’s grace that makes believers who we are. We’ve designed this study as a tool to aid in remembering. Check out SojournKids At Home pages that will post hear and be handed out each week. Take time to memorize the PROOF acrostic with your kids, and check out the  family devotional ideas in the sermon series devotional as well.

Second, Proof Pirates! tells a pirate adventure story about a boy named Jesse whose parents send him on a scavenger hunt. It is an adventure, because God’s grace should overwhelm us. It should fill us with a sense of adventure and wonder. Life is filled with dark passages. When the doctrines of grace are first encountered, even they are distressing—Does God only choose some? Is there a limit on what the cross can do? If he only takes some, can his blood cover me? But though God’s ways disturb us now, they will one day be found delightful. God’s message of sovereign love overtakes us when we need it most. When our kids are battling against sin and suffering, they need a picture of God’s love that overcomes their rebellion and their circumstances. Our hope is that they will never cease to be amazed that God reached down and saved scallywags like you and me. We want them to uncover the gospel as the greatest treasure so that they can’t stop talking about the mystery and beauty of what they’ve discovered.

Over the next two weeks, we plan to recap our pirate adventure and share with you the Proof Pirates curriculum in its entirety. Our hope is that you will first stagger at this amazing grace and then find that it is that same grace on which we stand.

Pastor Jared

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

So much in our life tells us that it is our performance that makes us who we are. This is especially true in the lives of kids. Think what they hear from chore charts, report cards, standardized tests, recitals, and athletic banquets. Performance—work and reward—is one of the basic structures of our lives. As a result, kids grow up thinking, “I am what I am because of what I do… or because of what I’ve failed to do.” Have you ever thought about how different this “message of performance” is from the Bible’s message of redemption? In 1 Corinthians 15:10, the Apostle Paul says, “I am what I am by the grace of God.” Proof of Grace is Sojourn’s third children’s book. It is about reclaiming the Bible’s teaching about grace for the next generation. The book is written on a 1st or 2nd grade reading level, and we intend for it to speak to children on two levels.

First, Proof of Grace is a teaching book. We want our kids to embrace and remember the Bible’s teaching about grace so that they can combat the performance messages they hear. We want them to remember, as the apostle Paul said, that it is God’s grace that makes believers who we are. We’ve designed this book as a tool to aid in remembering. The PROOF acrostic can be memorized, and we’ve provided Bible and doctrine memory work along with family devotional ideas for each point on pages 19- 23. Information about a corresponding curriculum written for our church community’s study of Ephesians 1-2 can be found at sojournkids.com/proof

Second, Proof of Grace is a pirate adventure about a boy named Jesse whose parents send him on a scavenger hunt. It is an adventure book, because God’s grace should overwhelm us. It should fill us with a sense of adventure and wonder. Life is filled with dark passages. But though God’s ways disturb us now, they will one day be found delightful. God’s message of sovereign love overtakes us when we need it most. When our kids are battling against sin and suffering, they need a picture of God’s love that overcomes their rebellion and their circumstances. Our hope is that they will never cease to be amazed that God reached down and saved scallywags like you and me. We want them to uncover the gospel as the greatest treasure so that they can’t stop talking about the mystery and beauty of what they’ve discovered.

Download your FREE electronic copy of Proof of Grace today:

Here is another version with spreads of the pages in Adobe’s friendly PDF format!

Be sure to join us this Sunday for Mother’s Day at one of our Sojourn campuses! In light of Mother’s Day, I was reflecting a bit this morning about parenting. My friend Doug Wolter recently posted about the difference between Over-Parenting and Missional-Parenting. Here are a few of his thoughts:

Much of our parenting is motivated by fear. Consequently, we’re more concerned with protecting our children from the world than preparing them to make a difference in this world. Gospel-centered, missional parenting is much different. It pictures parents as courageous warriors getting ready to release their children into battle.
Read More! 

Also, here are some great Mother’s Day craft ideas from SojournKids’ J-town Campus Director, Danielle West:

• Great Mother’s Day Coloring Sheets from Sojourn member, Mandy Groce
• Beautiful Little Bobby Pins
• Lovely Little Bookmark (made from finger prints and finger paint).
• Sweet Hand Print Flower with a Magnet

1. Know what is worth fighting for… In other words, lead with the kind of vision that gives your people a clear direction. Sojourn’s lead pastor, Daniel Montgomery, has defined vision this way: “Vision is a picture of what could be, matched with a conviction that it must be.”  This kind of vision begins with revelation. God’s word inspires our vision, and the Spirit convicts us that we must act upon God’s word because it is necessary. Connecting kids with Jesus and the life he gives (John 5:39; Matthew 19:13-15) is the main thing for our ministry. And we believe that partnering with parents to capture the hearts of the next generation (Psalm 78:1-5) is an essential part of this mission.
   
2. …and know what’s not worth fighting for. I love this Andy Stanley quote that I first heard from Jonathan Cliff: “We are married to the vision, but we just date the models.”  Knowing the difference between the vision and the different models that contextualize that vision is essential. Keeping Jesus first and partnering with families are both deal-breakers for me. I’ll die for that vision. But we must be flexible when it comes to models. We use a chronological bible storying curriculum, but we’re open to using a virtue-based curriculum so long as we see the virtues as God’s grace gifts to us through Jesus. Attractional large group worship gatherings, small groups with games, a classical educational approach for preschoolers, a particular Bible memory program, etc. Those are all models. Don’t marry them. Get married to Jesus and the families that he’s called you to love.
   
3. Know who your enemy is.  When we’re passionate about a new ministry initiative (a new curriculum, new program, or just a new idea about how to make ministry better), it’s easy to think that anyone who stands in the way of implementing that change is our enemy. If you haven’t met opposition yet in ministry, know that it is coming. When you do, keep in mind that fellow staff members, the church board, the finance committee, and ruffled bloggers are not your enemies. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). Even if you feel like  someone is speaking against the gospel itself, remember that you were once an enemy of God. And while we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son (Romans 5:10). The way to win an “enemy” is to be like Jesus, a friend to his enemies.
4. Lead with humility. As a Reformed guy, it’s sad to me that our movement is known more for the doctrines of grace than for leading with grace. I saw Scotty Smith tweet recently: “The Calvinist’s doctrine of grace is completely antithetical to leading with arrogance.” He followed it up by saying: “Calvinism is a dangerous tool when employed by those who are arrogant in spite of the humility and grace the doctrine teaches.” Paul said it more simply, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). This isn’t just a problem for Calvinists. When we’re leading change, there is a temptation for all of us to act or speak first before listening and considering.. The way of humility listens and asks questions before passing judgment on the church board’s motives or  firing off a complaint letter (or worse e-mail). When we speak first before listening, we take a position of self-righteous superiority. Don’t get me wrong. It is good to take pride in what the Lord has done in us–including the truth he has shown us–but we should never self-righteously compare ourselves to others (Galatians 6:10). After all, what do you have that you have not received?
5. Pray. Paul follows up his instructions on spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6 with a section on prayer. He says, “Be alert and always keep praying for the Lord’s people” (6:18). My wife, Megan. recently wrote a great series of posts on lies that keep us from praying for our kids. Lie #6 is the lie of self-reliance. While we might not say it, deep down we often think “I don’t need to pray, because I can handle it.” When we do pray, often we are essentially praying, ”Lord, please bless my efforts.” Paul Miller writes, “If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life.” What are we saying we fail to pray about change? What are we saying when we fail to pray in the midst of conflict?  How much time do you spend interceding on behalf of your “enemies”? Have you prayed that they will come to a knowledge of the truth? Do you think that your efforts and arguments have a better chance of winning them over than the Spirit of God? Many of us are ready to stand in defense of our ideas or ready to pounce when someone else fails to “get it right.” But do we give thanks to God and celebrate when we see evidence of change in our enemies–however small? If not, we are failing to trust that God is at work. And  we’ve forgotten that he doesn’t really need us at all, but we desperately need him.
6. Do the hard work of putting change into practice. If you’ve been convinced that your ministry needs to do more to partner with parents… or that Jesus and his grace needs to be more central in your teaching, stop talking about it and DO something. You might begin with a practical conversation with your lead pastor. You may just want to begin by making regular adjustments to the curriculum that you are already using. No curriculum is perfect, and “tweaking” usually doesn’t require a board meeting. If you make the decision that you do need to change your curriculum, check out the process we went through a few years back.

Change is hard–particularly when your church is in the midst of wrestling with a major philosophical shift–but the results and the process can be rewarding when we approach changes with prayer and humility. I pray that these few thoughts help you to navigate whatever changes may be coming your way.

Last week was my second time at Orange, and I really enjoyed it. Here are a few of the most important take-aways for me.

1. The Gospel is Messy. So, I need to get into the mess. (Reggie Joiner). Reggie Joiner’s opening message at Orange was really thought-provoking for me. Joiner challenged us to remember that Jesus left us here to take his gospel into a messy world. It struck me when Reggie said, “Jesus didn’t live a sinless life to set a good example. He lived a sinless life so that he could die for us.” Jesus couldn’t have done what he did without getting messy.I’m thankful that Sojourn is a church where people take the gospel into the mess, but I was convicted that I often insulate myself from messiness. It’s possible to do that even when you are part of a larger church community that regularly gets messy. Reggie’s sermon reminded me of a video that the Jeff Street Baptist Center recently posted of Pastor Daniel serving alongside his family:Every family’s dynamics are different. My family serving will look different from Daniel’s, but, while at Orange, the Lord placed on my heart a couple of ways that I need to step out of my insulated life. Maybe I’ll share more on that in the future.
2.  What are you leading for? Speaking of conviction… Megan and I attended a workshop led by Linda Martin, Special Needs Ministry Director at The Rock Church in San Diego, CA. These two comments at the end of her session on recruiting and training volunteers for special needs ministry were really convicting to me:

   “Nothing teaches me more about trusting God than staffing our ministry with volunteers each week.”

   “Don’t micro-manage volunteers because ministry is about God’s glory, not your vision of the perfect classroom.”

3. 2 Questions for Special Needs Team. One of the leaders of the special needs breakouts was Meaghan Wall from Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, TX. Megan and I were really blessed to be able to meet her and hear her teach. This video of Meaghan talking about how she recruits volunteers posted during the conference. It’s super encouraging to me:
   (HT: Tony Kummer)
4. Resources I brought home that I’m excited about pouring over. I saw Kenny Conley in the bookstore, so I decided that I’d better purchase a copy of the Eric Trap. I’m excited about learning from Kenny, Sam, and Jim Wideman’s leadership fable. We also got Amy Fenton Lee’s DVD on special needs ministry, Surviving to Thriving. And I’m excited about pouring over Zombies, Football, and the Gospel by Reggie Joiner, one of the free give-aways at the conference.
5. We had Vietnamese food with Jon Hessel. Jon is Family Pastor at the West County campus of The Journey Church in St. Louis. I’ve been good friends with Jon’s colleague, Jeff Hutchings, for quite a while. I am super thankful to have gotten to meet Jon, to have shared great food, and to have prayed together for one another. Churches need pastors, and Jon is the real deal. Thankful for you, bro.

Megan and I are heading south this morning to the ATL and Orange 2012. Here are 4 quick reasons why we’re excited and thankful to be headed down to Orange.

1. Orange is the hub of the modern family ministry movement. Orange has grown out of the ministry of Northpoint Community Church and their Family Ministry champion, Reggie Joiner. Reggie defines what the family ministry movement is about with more simplicity and clarity than anyone I know. Here is how Reggie defines the Orange movement:

“If we can be more effective at engaging parents to partner in our ministries, and improve the quality of relationships in the family, we will increase the possibility of a child having a dynamic and authentic faith.”

“When we partner with ministries, we call this an ‘Orange’ way of thinking. If the color red (warm nurturing hearts) represents parents and the color yellow (bright missional lights) represents church leaders, they need to combine to make orange. Orange is the idea that two combined influences will make a greater impact than either of the two influences alone… So, family ministry is ‘synchronizing church leaders and parents around a master plan to build faith and character in their sons and daughters.’”

2. My friend Amy Fenton Lee is leading an amazing series of workshops on ministry to children with special needs… and we’re going to be attending just about every one of them. Here is our itinerary for the conference breakout sessions. Pray for us that this will be a fruitful time of learning:

Wednesday, April 25th
9:30am–How to use technology for Special Needs
11:00am–How to create a multi-sensory environment for Special Needs
1:30pm–How to create a Special Needs environment
3:00pm–How to recruit, train, and retain Special Needs volunteers

Thursday, April 26th 

11:30am–Volunteer Meets Parent (with Sue Miller!)
2:00pm–Advancing the spiritual development of kids with Autism
3:45pm–Leading a Special Needs inclusion initiative
5:30pm–Family Ministry, Spiritual Formation, and Special Needs

3. My family is in Georgia. So, we’re going to get to see my dad, mom, brother, and his wife, Debbie–who is going to be keeping our girls for two days! Thank you Debbie!

4. I get to spend two days hanging out with Megan learning about things we’re both passionate about. I think that any conference is more fun if I get to hang with my girl.

I might blog a little about the conference after we return, but the site will probably be quiet until then. Thanks team and church family for letting us get away and learn this week!