The Family Table
Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families
TFT: Making a Mom’s Heart Sing
May 12, 2024
Dear LEFC Parents,
Happy Mother’s Day! We hope that you are able to celebrate the mothers in your lives. They play an incredible role in shaping who we are and what we believe.
Books for Mom
We still have a few copies of the two most recent books by Katie Faris, a former member of LEFC, who writes about God’s faithfulness in the difficulties of being a mom. We featured God Is Sill Good in The Family Table last January. Pastor Matt wrote a strong endorsement for He Will Be Enough. Both books are for sale (at cost) on the booktable in front of the nursery.
Challenge x Church Clean Out
There is a church-wide cleanout happening! If you are in a position of leadership, you have probably already been contacted about your team’s area of concern. And for anyone else in the church who would like to do a personal “clean out”, the Challenge team is accepting donations to bless other households.
All donations of small goods (no clothes or furniture, please) are requested to be submitted by Thursday, May 16th to the former Mops room, across from the fellowship hall. The Challenge team will sort and organize, and the FREE thrift shop will have its grand opening after church on Sunday, May 19th. The Challenge team will take over coffee ministry and have some baked goods to take home as well. Plan to stay and check out all we have available to take home with you.
Handout – Family Devotions Workshop
Abe Skacel’s three page handout from last month’s workshop is now available for downloading from the church website.
The Gospel Project at Home
Today’s Bible Study is “Paul Became a Christian” (Volume 11: Unit 33: Session 1). Ask your kids what they learned in Kids Bible Class this morning and/or do the family devotional you can find at this link.
Snack and Yack!
When the auditorium empties after worship, girls and boys (grades 3ish-7ish) who listened to the sermon (remember to fill out a handout!) are invited to Pastor Matt’s office for a tasty treat and a brief discussion with an LEFC elder couple about the message.
It’s Not Too Late To Sign Up For Summer Camp
There are still (but very limited) open spots for summer camp at Miracle Mountain Ranch. There are many weeks of camps for all ages. See Marilynn Kristofits for more information if you are interested in going.
And for dessert…
Our recommendation for family discipleship this week is a unique book of devotions beloved by children…and by their mothers.
We asked Heather Mitchell which resources have most greatly encouraged her in being a faithful Christian mother, and she answered, “You know, it isn’t really written for moms, but Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing never fails to thrill my soul. I benefit from it every time I read it–like spiritual vitamins for my heart. I keep a copy close by my chair so that I can dip into it at any time.”
Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing is a beautifully illustrated award-winning book crammed with 101 devotional thoughts originally composed for children. It was created by Sally Lloyd-Jones (author) and Jago (illustrator) of the incredible bestselling Jesus Storybook Bible. Every time you turn the page, you encounter a gorgeous, imaginative, colorful picture paired with a few well-chosen words to meditate on a very concise passage of Scripture. Each “thought” is an encouraging one, offering life-giving sustenance for the reader’s heart.
Children love this innovative book, even those who don’t love reading.
But moms hearts sing when they read it, too (even when their kids are all grown up like Heather’s are).
More:
– Watch a Video about Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing
– Listen to actor David Suchet read from the book.
– Explore more thoughts and pictures on the author’s Pinterest boards.
Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing is available in the church library.
We hope your kids (and their mom) eat it up.
Matt Mitchell, Pastor
Holly Crumrine, Family Table Editor
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EXPLAINER: THE GOSPEL PROJECT AT HOME
For the last several years, our Children’s Church ministry has utilized The Gospel Project as our Bible study curriculum. The Gospel Project is really excellent–it takes our Little Learners and Bible Explorers chronologically through the whole Bible over the course of three years while always focusing on Jesus as the center of the big story. If your student was in Little Learners or Bible Explorers this morning, they received a coloring page and take-home sheet that corresponds to this lesson. You have also been given a full-color Big Picture Card that you can use to reinforce the lesson with your child, as well.
To reinforce what your kids are learning each week in Children’s Church, you can now access The Gospel Project At Home online. Each week in this email, there will be a link to follow to get this free resource which includes:
1. A guide to using the Gospel Project at Home.
2. Scripture to read and discuss with a recap video of the Bible Story (Preschool and/or Elementary).
3. Scripture memory verses and a song to sing together.
4. Prayer prompts and family activities that correspond to the lesson.
Please consider setting aside at least 10-15 minutes once a week for a family devotional time using this resource as a guide. We are hoping The Gospel Project At Home will help keep all of our LEFC kids “on the same page,” and feed their faith in Jesus.
This might be especially helpful if for some reason your child has to miss a week of Children’s Church. You can show them the Bible story video to keep them up to speed on what the other children are learning.
**Note: The first time you access the link, you will need to register a free account with Lifeway’s Ministry Grid. This will also provide you ongoing access through the “training” tab to many other discipleship resources including the Gospel Project at Home for previous weeks. Many hours of excellent things to absorb for free!