This Week - Dec 21st - Team 1

grades K-4
Carla C
Ethan L
Joanne S - set up
Kelli G
Matt or Elinor M - clean up

Preschool (3s-young 5s)
Dave G
Laura A
Rose S - set up


Babies, 1s & 2s
Hannah A - set up
Andrea G - clean


image from: http://www.metro.co.uk

Quote of the day

In keeping with our recent series through the Beatitudes:

SANTA says, "You better not cry."
JESUS blesses those who mourn.

-Roger Fields

See the whole post here.

Ok, this is too cool. Has anyone ever heard of this? It's an advent calendar of sorts, but combined with family devotions and tons of meaning! It's called the Jesse Tree.

You hang an ornament on the tree every day and there are devotions to go with each one. It's basically a journey through the lineage of Jesus and the Story of the Bible as you count down the days to Christmas. I think this is a great idea. Imagine how much of the Story your kids would learn each year as you continue this tradition. Maybe next year we'll have a Jesse Tree party and make the ornaments together for families to use throughout the Advent season.

The information is put out by the RCA (Reformed church in America). Here is a description from their website:

The Jesse Tree

"Advent is a time of waiting, a time of anticipation and preparation for the coming of Jesus. There are many ways to get ready for Christmas. One way is through a Jesse Tree.

What is a Jesse Tree? It is a tree branch decorated with symbols representing the stories of people in Jesus' family tree. In Isaiah 11:1 we read, "A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." Jesse was the father of David, Israel's greatest king. And it was from David's lineage that Jesus came. That's where the idea of using a Jesse Tree to celebrate Advent came from. Before a symbol is hung on the branch, a Bible passage or a story from a story Bible is read."

Seriously, go check it out!

or buy a book with patterns...

More of What I'm reading

Sojourn Kids has an interesting series of posts called 9 Reasons Not To “Ask Jesus Into Your Heart”

Don't worry, they believe in the power of the Gospel and in teaching it to children.

So do I, so do I.

I find their thoughts on this to be really interesting!
I especially enjoyed point 2 of this post.

What do you think?

Middle School Gathering

The Middle Schoolers are gathering once again on December 14th!

Keep your ears open for the time and place.

We will have a Bible discussion, eat something yummy, hang out, and wrap presents for a needy family.

Looking forward to it!

Advent Conspiracy

If you missed the video on Sunday, or you'd like to share it with someone else, here it is.



What if we did things differently? What if we could give more, but spend less.

If you're looking for a way to get involved with clean water, try our friends at Charity:Water.

Prayers for Advent

Last year, Johnny and I started a new tradition of having an Advent wreath. Each week, we light one candle. And the First day of each week (Sunday) we read a set of prayers and scriptures as we light the new candle.

If you are looking for prayers and Scriptures to read with your family each week of Advent, Scot McKnight is posting some. The first one is here.

image from ladinka on flickr.

What I'm reading

Scot McKnight's thoughts on young people and church. Here.

The Kingdom is for Everyone

The elementary kids read from the beatitudes on Sunday. I found N.T. Wright's translation so beautiful and helpful:

“Wonderful news for the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours.
Wonderful news for the mourners! You’re going to be comforted.
Wonderful news for the meek! You’re going to inherit the earth.
Wonderful news for the people who hunger and thirst for God’s justice! You’re going to be satisfied.
Wonderful news for the merciful! You’ll receive mercy yourselves.
Wonderful news for the pure in heart! You will see God.
Wonderful news for the peacemakers! You’ll be called God’s children.”

-Matthew 5:1-12, translation by N.T. Wright

We talked about how God's Kingdom is any place where God is King. He wants to be King in our hearts and in our lives. And he wants that, not just for us, but for everyone: the broken-hearted, the lonely, the hurting, the homeless. Your kids shared some amazing stories of how they have blessed and shared the Kingdom with others - serving food on Thanksgiving, delivering gifts to single moms, helping the elderly with chores and yard work, delivering lunches with Salt on the Street. They are being hugely impacted by the ways we are living out the Gospel as a community and as individual families. It blesses me big time. God's Kingdom is here, now, and we are helping others to see who He is and how He works, and that He is good.

Advent is here!

Christmas is coming!

We are preparing at Mosaic by putting together a sweet and simple Christmas program with the children. If your kids are interested in joining us, make sure they are present this Sunday, December 7th to rehearse!

image from t.moos on flickr.

Preschool Lesson from Sunday, Nov 30th

Our preschoolers got a special treat yesterday! They watched a video about Stanley the Stink Bug and learned that, "A friend loves you all the time." - Proverbs 17:17

Here's a summary of the story:

There's someone new coming to the garden's Summer Camp this year, and, well he has a problem. He stinks! But that's what stinkbugs do. So, when Stanley arrives at Camp-Bug-a-Boo he creates quite a, well, stink. Everyone tries their best to put up with the unusual odor, but things don't go so well. But then God helps the summer camp to realize that the reason Stanley stinks is because he is afraid. And the thing he is most afraid of is others not liking him and accepting him the way he is. Our garden friends soon learn that God created each of us for very special reasons and that even though Stanley is different, they need to show him love and be his friend.

This week - Dec 7th - Team 4

Team 4:
grades K-4
Delia - set up
Rob & Willow W - set up
Arlene´M
Ian M
Amanda A

Preschool (3s-young 5s)
Meghan V - set up
Lauren R - set up
Katie & Madison

Babies, 1s & 2s
Lael A - clean up
Drew F - clean up

image from: http://www.metro.co.uk

Quote of the Day

"Faith is a gift from God.

It is not a set of beliefs; nor is it a well-developed
cognitive understanding of all things spiritual.

It is an act of grace, in which God chooses to be
in relationship with humanity."

-Karen Marie Yust, author of Real Kids, Real Faith

What do you think?

What I'm reading

Infants & Toddlers in worship. Interesting thoughts here.

Our Beautiful Kids!

You guys do some beautiful work! I love seeing our kids and families out serving our community together. It's just so cool. I was blessed to peruse these photos this morning and I hope you are too!

This Week - November 30th - Team 3

Grades K-4
Julie H - clean up
Jacky S - set up - sub needed
Gordon N - set-up - sub needed
Brad S - set-up - sub needed
Steven S - set up

Ages 3-4
Amia F - clean up
Gabrielle N - set up - sub needed
Erin Harvey - set up

Babies, 1s & 2s
Shannon N - set up - sub needed
Krysta H - clean up

image from here

Not Just Giving Thanks

Most of us think Thanksgiving is about giving thanks and being thankful for what we have. But I think sometimes, it’s about giving because we’re thankful.


Here's a glimpse at our lesson for the Elementary kids yesterday:

Do you think that having a lot of things makes us thankful?

God has everything – He’s rich! He’s probably very thankful. But God isn’t just thankful for what he has. His thankfulness turns into giving, and sharing what he has with all of us! God gave us His Son, Jesus, and Jesus gave his whole life for us!

Story of Paul & the Ephesus friends

There was a guy in the Bible named Paul. He knew Jesus. He knew all about what Jesus did for people. Can anyone name something that Jesus did for someone? Paul saw that living like Jesus was the right way to live. So, he wanted to live like Jesus and to teach other people how to live like Jesus too! There is a story about Paul in the book of Acts. Paul made some best friends in a place called Ephesus. How many of you have best friends? Paul spent 3 years with them! It’s like hanging out with the same people every day from first grade all the way to third grade. They were best buds. But he had to move away, so he had to say goodbye. Paul told his friends how they could live for God, since he was leaving. He said, “Live like I do! I always helped you whenever I could. So help those in need, because it’s better to give than to get!” Acts 20:35

Paul didn’t just SAY he was thankful for his friends. He lived with thankfulness, by giving to his friends. This is how we can LIVE a thankful LIFE. It’s easy for us to say what we are thankful for. But God’s Thanksgiving doesn’t mean that we JUST say what we’re thankful for, but that we GIVE because we are thankful for what he has given us.

And give we did. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Thanksgiving baskets yesterday! I'm sure there are some very thankful families in Bellingham this Monday morning. And hopefully they'll be able to give... a little more patience to their kids, or a smile to their neighbor... because they're thankful.

Maybe we should call it Thanks and Giving.

December Team Schedule

December 7th - team 4
December 14th - No Majestic Gathering
December 21st - team 1
December 28th - No Majestic Gathering

Not sure what team you're on??? Click here.

image from on dreamsjung flickr.

November Team Schedule

November 2nd - team 4
November 9th - team 1
November 16 - No Majestic Gathering
November 23rd - team 2
November 30th - team 3

Unsure which team # you're on? Check the list below!

image from kriegs on flickr.

This Sunday - Nov 9 - Team 1

Team 1:
grades K-4
Ethan L
Joanne S - set up
David G
Matt & Elinor M - clean up

Preschool (3s-young 5s)
Kelli G
Laura A
Erin Harvey-set up


Babies, 1s & 2s
Hannah A
Andrea G

image from here

More on the Holy Spirit

This past Sunday, our K-4th graders learned that the Holy Spirit teaches us all things and reminds us of everything Jesus has said! We had a great time of learning, sharing, and discussing.

Our verse for the morning was John 14:26-

But the Advocate,​ the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,​ will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.​




And so we made these hands with the verse written on them, and then tied a string around the index finger, just like people do sometimes when they need to remember something. It was super fun. And during our review game, the kids did a great job of recognizing the real verse from the versions where I switched around the words in crazy combinations!

image from here

God Made the Animals

This past Sunday, our preschoolers learned that...

God Made the Animals!

It was a fun time. They heard several stories about creation and finished by making clothespin animal magnets!

Make a Difference Day!

This Saturday is Make a Difference Day here in Bellingham. Make A Difference Day is a national day of service created to unite volunteers to improve communities across the country. Here in Bellingham, nonprofits in Whatcom County team up with Whatcom Volunteer Center and a thousand volunteers to complete up to 30 projects...in a single day!

Where: Meet at Bellingham High School
When: 9 am

Breakfast and Coffee provided
Projects will all be done by 1 pm
Come ready to work (work clothes)

See you there!

Up Next - Team 4 - Nov 2nd

Team 4:
grades K-4
Carla C
Rob & Willow W - set up
Arlene´M
Ian M
Amanda A

Preschool (3s-young 5s)
Meghan V - set up
Jason H - clean up
Lauren R - set up

Babies, 1s & 2s
Lael A - clean up
Drew F - clean up


image from: http://www.metro.co.uk

Middle School Gathering!

This Sunday at 11 am...


We are Gathering at the Bauer's. E-mail for directions.

We will do it all! Beautify, Listen, Eat, Study, Send and be Sent!

If you are in Middle School, you are welcome to join us from 11-1 for a fun time of serving, eating, hanging out, and getting to know each other.

See you then!

The Holy Spirit is Always With Me

This past week, the Elementary aged kids continued to learn about the Holy Spirit. We looked some more at Jesus' dialogue with his disciples in John 14. He tells them

• I'm Going away
• I'm leaving you to do my work
• You can't do it alone, so I'll send my Spirit.

We talked about how the Spirit's Presence means that Jesus is always with us, even though we can't see him. He helps us, he makes us like him, he teaches us to love and live like Jesus.

Picking up on the invisibility theme, we did a pretty cool craft. I remembered being in 2nd grade and drawing on white paper with white crayon - making an invisible picture. We then painted over the page with black watercolor, which made our masterpieces show up! We did this together as a class. I wrote secret messages about the Holy Spirit in white crayon on their white pages that showed up when they painted over them! It was a pretty cool illustration. The note was there all the time, even though we couldn't always see it.


I think the Holy Spirit is the best invisible friend ever.

Preschool Stars

Our lovely preschoolers learned a little bit about creation Sunday. We focused in on the fact that "God Made the Stars!"

They made some pretty adorable little jars full of water and glittery stars to shake. I wished I was a preschooler.

Join us this Sunday for more creation fun!

Talk to your little ones this week and see what else you can think of that God has made!
This would be a great time to read the creation story together - especially out of a preschoolers Bible.

image from here

This week - October 12th - Team 2

Grades K-4
Maluhia - set up
Tanya - clean up
Garrett - clean up
Charissa & Brenna - set up

Ages 3-4
Brett - set up
Katie - set up
Madison -

Babies, 1s & 2s
Adriana - clean up
SUB

Set up team - please arrive at 9:15

See you Sunday!


image from: http://www.metro.co.uk

Preschoolers learn of Lazarus

This past Sunday, our preschoolers heard the story of Lazarus. This is a great lesson for teaching the power of God!

We can learn:

Jesus can do amazing things
Jesus can make sick people well
Jesus can make dead people alive again
Jesus really loves his friends
Jesus is God

Remind your child of these truths this week. Maybe you can reread the story together too!

The children then made Lazarus dolls - little clothespins wrapped in strips of linen. These are a great reminder of the story! Your kids can play with them again and again and remember that Jesus said, "Lazarus, come out!" And he did.

image from here

John 14 - the Promise of a new Friend

This past Sunday, the K-4 kids learned about the gift of the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus.

We learned that He is our comforter, friend, teacher and helper. Your kids had some good insight! When asked, "what is a counselor?" one bright child answered, "someone who helps you with your problems." Right on! And the Holy Spirit is also an advocate, leave it to a 3rd grader to figure out that that's someone who is on your side and helps you in court. Sometimes I feel as though they just don't need me!

Here is an excerpt from our story, taken from the Jesus Storybook Bible, page 329:

"They had seen Jesus go away, but now he was closer than he had ever been - inside their hearts. And this time nothing could ever separate them. Jesus would always be there. With them. Loving them. Whispering the promise that would get rid of the poison and the terrible lie and the sickness in their hearts. God's wonderful promise to them: 'You are my child. And I love you.'
'Make your home in me, as I make my home in you,' Jesus had said.
Could it be? Heaven was coming into their hearts."

That's pretty good news.

Ask your children this week:

-Who is the Holy Spirit?
-Who promised the Holy Spirit would come?
-What does the Holy Spirit help us to do?
-How does the Holy Spirit comfort us?

This Sunday - we'll explore the person of the Holy Spirit some more.

Blessings!

image from here

COMING UP NEXT WEEK!

MOSAIC MOMMA'S - TUESDAYS OCT 7, 14, 21, 28
9:30-11:30 am
LOCATIONS TBA

a time to hang out with other moms around a discussion.

If you'd like to be contacted with locations and other pertinent info, send me an e-mail and I'll make sure you are on the contact list!

image from allposters.com.

Music!

So, I have this handy dandy widget from Amazon.com over to the right. it is full of recommendations. Feel free to browse through there when you're looking for books and music for your kids. On top of that, I'm choosing to highlight a couple today though that I really think you should have on hand.

And for music, it's Seeds Family Worship.

They write all of their songs straight out of the NIV text. And they're really tastefully done! So, it's music you won't mind listening to as a family, and your kids will come away from it with scripture memorized. Pretty cool.

image from here.

Buy This Book!

Many of you purchased this Story Bible after I recommended it. And it's awesome, so you made a good choice there.

But, if you've read through this one and are looking for another, try the Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm (Author), Gail Schoonmaker (Illustrator).


It is equally awesome.

from Amazon.com:

Product Description Rather than simply retelling the most familiar short scenes from the Bible, this book presents the big picture the unified story running through the Old and New Testaments. This delightful book will help children learn the Bible's whole story and begin to appreciate the fulfillment of God's promise to his people. The Big Picture Bible Story Book is perfect for parents to read to their children, and eventually, for children to read on their own. It is an excellent way to introduce them to a book that will guide them through all of life.

The themes it traces are simple, and super encouraging to me as well! They are as follows:

God has always wanted a place for his people. And He wants to be their King.

But:
We consistently doubt God's goodness
We choose to disobey God's words
We don't let God be our King - instead, we rule the world in evil ways

The book follows these themes throughout the big picture of scripture to reveal how God makes it right again.

So, pick this one up for your family. You can buy it locally at the Christian book store in town, or order it online from the link above.

And, if you haven't bought either one, you can buy them together on amazon.com for $27.18. Not a bad price for some good theology for your little ones.

images from amazon.com

Jesus is the Road to God

Sunday we studied John 14:1-11, as did the adults upstairs. Delia led the charge and led the kids through a discussion centered around Jesus as the "way, the truth and the life."

This is a slightly difficult concept for kids... and adults. I was comforted by Eugene Peterson's translation in the Message - that Jesus is the road to God. He is the path we take to find our way home to God the Father. That's where Jesus was going... and someday "God’s dwelling place [will be] among the people, and he will dwell with them." Rev 21.3 TNIV. We will find our home in God too. Just as Jesus was "in the Father" and the Father in Jesus (John 14.11) - we will share this same intimacy. And we can have it now, as we will learn this Sunday, through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is the way that leads us to learn the truth about God and he is the way that brings the life of God to people. Jesus is the only one who can show us what is true and lead us into God’s life – a life where we act like God.

And we're glad John wrote these things "that you may believe​​ that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,​ and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20.31)

image from Igor Alecsander on flickr.

This Sunday - September 21st

It's Party Time!

Come join us as we celebrate year two of Mosaic!!!

Depot Market at 5pm.

Dinner is provided, but bring a salad or dessert to share, and your beverage of choice (if you're over 21, beer or wine is cool). We'll have games for the whole family, live bands, and lots of time to celebrate all that God has done this past year in and through our community.

Beautiful Idea!

Since we're learning about Loving our neighbors...

I thought I'd share this idea I just found for a beautify project that you can easily do with young children. Read all about it here. This mom decided to make "happy fortunes" with her children and then place them around town where they would be found by people, perhaps needing a smile. They wrote things like:

God Loves You
You are Beautiful
God thinks you are great
Smile!
etc

You could call them "Beautiful thoughts," "Beauty notes," "Tiny blessings," or whatever you think would help communicate to your kids what you are doing and why. Try it! And then tell us all about it!

image from here

Preschool Ministry Update

Our preschoolers have begun having lessons during their class time at Mosaic.

So far they have learned:

Love One Another (from John 13)
and
Jesus Loves Everyone (from John 4)

We are learning that Jesus loves people that are hard to love, and that Jesus wants us to love and help other people! They have really enjoyed making crafts during their class time!

Ethan Rocks!

This past Sunday Ethan taught your kids and did an amazing job. We followed up last week's lesson on Loving One Another.

The kids made a list of different ways that they can love people at school, at home, at Mosaic, etc. They had some great ideas!! They listed helping others who are hurt, giving smiles and hugs, making art for Mosaic and for others, sharing toys, learning, listening, and much more.

Then, they chose someone at Mosaic to do something loving FOR. They got to choose the type of creation they wanted to make, or they wrote notes or made coupons good for future blessings.

It was a great morning and I had a great time worshipping with the rest of you upstairs!

image from here

October Team Schedule

October 5th - Team 1

October 12th - Team 2
October 19th - Team 3

****unsure of which team # you are on? See the list below***

image from mattingham on flickr.

Quote of the day

"In the end, it’s not about who is right and who is wrong. It is about broken images of God reaching out to other broken images of God and pointing them to the one who can make them whole again. We can’t do that from the inside of a clubhouse."

This was written by Henry Zonio in this post. You should go read the whole thing!

I was inspired, after reading this, to again think about how we at Mosaic are on the right track. We are definitely not perfect, as individuals or as a community. But, as the quote suggests, we are broken people, broken images of God, reaching out to the one who can make us whole again. May we love one another, and love our neighbors as ourselves so that, as John 13:35 says, people will look at us and recognize that we look like Jesus, that they may come to him and be transformed.

image from here

Love One Another

"I give you a new command. Love one another. You must love one another, just as I have loved you. If you love one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples." I John 13:34-35

Yesterday, we learned about loving each other at Mosaic Kids. I used the three items in the photo above to teach them "Love.One.Another." We hid them around the room, went to find them, and then we got to shout, "Love.One.Another" over and over.

But, what does that mean? And what does it mean to love each other like Jesus loved us?

For that, we had a little experience together. I wanted the kids to understand HOW Jesus loves them. So, I told them that if they could memorize all of John 13:34-35 in 2 minutes, we would have a PARTY with cookies, prizes, and balloons. Wow, did that get them excited. So, I wrote the verses on the white board, turned it around and gave them two minutes. But it was too hard. No one could repeat it. We couldn't have the party. You should have seen their faces and heard their pleading!

Instead, I went on to talk about how Jesus served his disciples in John 13 by washing their feet. This was a story the children knew from a previous lesson. We talked about how Jesus washed their feet even though they were stinky. We talked about how Jesus died on the cross for us even though it was hard. And that's how Jesus wants us to love others. We talked about how Jesus loves us even though we aren't perfect. He loves us even though we don't always obey our parents, we don't always get the right answer, and we don't always obey God, either. And that's why, even though we didn't get the right answer during our Bible memory quiz.... we get to have a party anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's how Jesus loves us. He lavishes His grace and kindness upon us, even though we can do nothing to earn or deserve it. He invites us to His party, even though our feet are stinky. And that's how he wants us to love each other. He asks that we love, even when it's difficult, even when people are imperfect, even if they don't smell very nice. And it comes with a promise: when we love like he loves, we will look like him, and people will see it.

May it be so.

What team am I on?

So, since I usually post the team rotation only by team number, I thought I'd list out who's on what team (an updated list!)

Team 1:
grades K-4
Carla C
Ethan L
Joanne S - set up
David G
Matt & Elinor M - clean up

Preschool (3s-young 5s)
Kelli G
Laura A
Rose S - set up


Babies, 1s & 2s
Hannah A - set up
Andrea G - clean up

Team 2:
grades K-4
Maluhia - set up
Tanya - clean up
Garrett - clean up
Charissa & Brenna - set up
Betty - set up

Preschool (3s-young 5s)
Brett B
Katie B
Madison S

Babies, 1s & 2s
Adriana P - clean up
Alison - set up

Team 3:
grades K-4
Julie H - clean up
Jacky S - set up
Gordon N - set-up
Brad S - set-up
Steven S - set up

Preschool (3s-young 5s)
Amia F - clean up
Gabrielle N - set up
Erin H - set up

Babies, 1s & 2s
Shannon N - set up
Krysta H - clean up

Team 4:
grades K-4
Delia B
Rob & Willow W - set up
Arlene´M
Ian M
Amanda A

Preschool (3s-young 5s)
Meghan V - set up
Jason H - clean up
Lauren R - set up

Babies, 1s & 2s
Lael A - clean up
Drew F - clean up

image from Dom Dada on flickr.

This Week - Sept 14th - Team 3

Grades K-4
Julie H - clean up
Jacky S - set up
Gordon N - set-up
Brad S - set-up
Steven S - set up

Ages 3-4
Amia F - clean up
Gabrielle N - set up

Babies, 1s & 2s
Shannon N - set up
Krysta H - clean up

Kids Teams - August/September Schedule

August 3rd - Team 4
August 10th - Team 1

September 7th - Team 2
September 14th - Team 3
September 28th - Team 4

image from aperryz302 on flickr.

Our Kids!