News

… Activity …

I have an experiment for you to try today. It’s called “traveling water.” You will need a few items…

Colored water
Scissors
Two plastic cups
String
Tape

1. Fill one of the cups with water

2. Cut a length of string about 18″ and dip it in the water to get it wet. Remove the string and ring out any excess water.

3. Tape one end of the string to the bottom of the second cup

4. Place the other end of the string inside the 1st cup and hold it in place. Do not let the string touch the outer part of the cup.

5. Lift the 2nd cup above and away from the 1st cup at an angle, and tilt the cup with the water toward the 2nd cup.

6. If done right, water will flow from the 1st cup to the 2nd cup down the string rather than pouring onto the table!

How in the world did the water travel down the string? This happens because of a process called cohesion. Because the string already has water on it, the water coming out of the cup attaches to the string and travels down to the 2nd cup rather than spilling on the floor. This may look miraculous, but its pure science.

God did a great miracle when He parted the Red Sea, and He repeated that miracle at the Jordan River. He did it to remind the Israelites that He is always with them and always protecting them. The same God who parted the seas still takes care of us today. How amazing is that?

… Lesson …

Lesson for the week of April 25th.

Today we are going to catch up with the Israelites as they are about to enter the Promised Land and discover a new reason to have faith!

Memory verse…Psalm 77:14

Lesson Passage…Joshua 3:7-47

Do you know what the most expensive investment most people make is? It’s their house. Houses cost far more than any other item you will ever purchase. Not only are you going to pay more money to purchase it, you’re going to spend even more money protecting it.

How do we do that? Well for starters, a lot of people spend money on a security system. A round the clock security service may only cost $30 a month, but over the time you live in that house, you could spend thousands of dollars on security. Many people also have a monthly bill to protect their home from other invaders specifically bugs. That’s another $30 to $40 a month to have someone come and spray for spiders, termites, roaches, and other pests.

And let’s not forget the most important thing. A house needs to be protected from water. You need a sump pump in the basement to prevent flooding. You need good gutters and down spouts to wash away the rain from the house. And you need a good solid roof to keep the rain out to begin with. All of these things require maintenance. All of them eventually need to be upgraded or replaced. All of them will cost you more money.

We protect our houses because we want to protect not only the things inside, but the people inside. Adults spend what they must to keep their homes nice, safe, invader free, and water free because they want to protect themselves, their children, their pets, and everyone else living inside.

Last week we started the series and our Bible story when God used a pillar of cloud to show Israel that He was always with them. It taught us that we can have faith that God is always with us.

Please read Joshua 3:7-47

I’m sure many of you have heard the story of God parting the red sea. When the Israelites were freed from slavery and left Egypt. God did the same miracle, parting the waters so His people could cross over on dry land. After the people had crossed, God brought the waters back together and washed away the Egyptian army that had tried to recapture them.

A generation had passed since that miraculous day, and the people who came to the Jordan River didn’t remember the Red Sea. God performed this same miracle with Joshua to show the people He would always protect them, just as He had for their parents. We can have faith knowing that the same God who parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River is watching over us and protecting us.

I started this lesson by talking about something we don’t always think about. When you’re in your Room at night, and the rain is falling on the roof you don’t worry about a leak in the ceiling, do you? It’s all been taken care of. Without us having to ask our parents have made sure we have a solid roof, a good gutter system, and everything needed to protect your house from the elements.

Most of us go about our day-to-day lives not thinking of the many ways we’ve been protected. Our parents protect us with the cars they chose to drive, the car seats we sit in, the foods they give us, the safety equipment they insist we wear when we ride our bikes. If these are all the ways our parents, who we know and see, protect us, imagine how much God is doing to watch out for us.

We don’t think about our roof protecting us from water, but we can see it when it rains. We don’t think about God protecting us from all sorts of danger, but the traveling water experiment, and the water traveling off our roof away from our home, can remind us He is there. God loves us, and in many ways big and small, He’s always looking out for us. Let’s thank God for His amazing protection and ask Him to build our faith as we trust in His care.

~ Amanda