March is about... Conviction

It’s just after Christmas and we’re looking ahead to March. I can’t help thinking about how much changed because God sent His son to be born here and live among us. Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus came to Earth and He lived a perfect life. When the right thing meant hanging out with tax collectors, Jesus did it. When the right thing meant blessing the little children, Jesus did it. When the right thing meant forgiving someone who had done wrong, Jesus did it.

I would imagine it wasn’t always easy for Jesus to do the right thing, and I know it wasn’t always popular. In fact, doing the right thing often made Jesus stand apart from some of the richest and most powerful people of His time. But Jesus never let the crowd persuade Him to go against His Father’s will.

By the time we teach about conviction in March, we’ll be just weeks away from Good Friday and Easter. Even when it meant going to the cross to die, Jesus knew that it was the right thing, and He did it. People with conviction have a clear sense of God's will and what their decisions could mean in the future.
Jesus was able to live with conviction because He knew the will of His father, and that gave Him strength and courage. In the same way, God has given us the ability to know what is right and the ability to do it. You see, when we are fueled by the character of God, we can stand up for the things that matter to God.

Let’s be honest. Most of the time when we choose not to do the right thing, it’s not because we don’t know better. It’s because we just don’t want to. Maybe it seems too hard or would make us unpopular.
But doing the right thing is important to God. Proverbs 21:3 says, “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” It’s important to keep doing what God has asked us to do because God’s way is the best way and by doing the right thing, you are pleasing your God who loves you.

That’s why this March in 252 our theme is Rooted: Standing strong in God’s truth. It’s really just another way to say that we want kids to show Conviction. Showing conviction is a natural response as we get to know who God is and what He’s done. So this month, we’ll also be talking about a different faith skill each week to help kids grow strong and able to stand up for the things that matter to God.

We chose to study the life of Daniel. Ironically, Daniel was uprooted early on and taken far from home, but he was still able to survive—even thrive—because of his strong relationship with and dedication to his God. Getting rooted in conviction isn’t a quick thing that happens in an instant. Instead, we build our conviction and set down roots over time as we get into the habit of doing the right thing. That way, when we come across opportunities to show conviction, we’re ready!

In Week One, we’ll talk about how Daniel is trained in Babylon with his three friends (Daniel 1). Bottom Line: When you know what God says, you can stand for what’s right. Daniel had studied God’s Word and was able to apply it when the time came, so we’ll also focus on Personalizing Scripture in our own lives.

In Week Two, the heat is really on. Daniel’s three friends choose not to worship anyone other than their God, even if it means dying in a fiery furnace (Daniel 3). Bottom Line: When you stand for what’s right, others can see God. We’ll talk about how we canWorship God with our Lives.

In Week Three, Daniel is put on the spot and has to tell the king something terrible but true, in the middle of a party (Daniel 5). Bottom Line: You can stand for what’s right, even when it’s not popular. Another skill we want to build up is our kids’ ability toArticulate their Faith.

In Week Four, Daniel ends up in the worst situation yet—the Lions’ Den (Daniel 6)—because he disobeys and continues to pray like he had his whole life. Bottom Line: Get in the habit of standing for what’s right. We’ll highlight how we too can be known for our faith if we take time to Dialogue with God.
Daniel didn’t show conviction just one time; he was able to stand for what’s right over and over because his conviction was rooted and fueled by God. Our relationship with God helps us live out this month’s memory verse: “Never tire of doing what is right,” 2 Thessalonians 3:13, NIV.

We pray that the kids who are learning to get ROOTED this March will be “like the person planted by streams of water, producing fruit in just the right season, with leaves that don’t wither—so that whatever they do prospers,” (paraphrase of Psalm 1).

By Cara Martens. ©2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.WhatIsOrange.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Stop and think about someone you really admire

Are you thinking of someone? Whether that person is a teacher, coach, friend or family member, he or she is valuable to you. You recognize that this person is important because what they do impacts your life. But did you know that everyone is valuable? That's right. Your boss, your mailman, your babysitter and your neighbor—they are all valuable.

Every person has value, not because of what they do, but because each and every person has been put together by God. When God created people, He made them in His image. That means every person alive today has been put together in the likeness of God. So every person has value. And it’s our job to help everyone feel like they are valuable.
When we show other people how valuable they really are, we are showing them honor. There are many ways to honor someone. Moses gave us the Ten Commandments to teach us to honor our mother and father (Exodus 20:12). Paul taught us to honor the authorities who have been placed over us on earth (Romans 13:1). When Jesus was on earth, He taught us to honor everyone—even those who are overlooked and unpopular.
Jesus showed other people how valuable they really were by spending time with them. He ate dinner with people who usually ate alone. He served people who were used to doing the serving. He paid attention to people who normally didn't get a lot of attention. If Jesus thought it was important to honor everyone, then we should follow His example.
This February, we’re taking on the Ultimate Challenge of showing the highest degree of honor. We’ll be looking to David as a mentor and exploring his life in 1 and 2 Samuel, and we will define honor as “letting someone know you see how valuable they really are.”


In week 1, we’re looking at how God chooses the next king from an unexpected place—the youngest boy watching sheep in the fields (1 Samuel 16:1-13). We’ll notice that God doesn’t see as the world sees; He looks at the heart instead. Bottom line: Honor those who are overlooked.
This Bible story sets up the month and God’s pattern to honor people in unexpected ways and encouraging us to do the same. To do this, it will help to memorize our monthly verse: “Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves,” Romans 12:10, NIrV.


In week 2, we’re discovering that honor can also be shown between friends. In this Bible story, we’re introduced to the current king, Saul, and his son, Jonathan. These two may be related, but they have very different responses to David’s role in their lives and his rising popularity (1 Samuel 18:1-4 & 5-9).
Saul is increasingly more concerned about his own status and power. But Jonathan values his relationship with David more. He doesn’t just say so in words, but also through his actions, sharing important things like his armor and weapons. Bottom Line: Honor others more than yourself.


In week 3, we’re discovering that it’s important to honor the people in charge of you. If you don’t and you dishonor them, it usually doesn’t end well. Often, people get hurt. Just ask King David’s son, Absalom. He rebels because he thinks he’d make a better king (2 Samuel 15:1-16a, 18:5-7, 15, 31-33).
His dad tried to protect him, but the natural consequences of showing dishonor led to a real tragedy. That’s why it’s best to Bottom Line: Honor those who are over you.


In week 4, we’re discovering that another way to show honor is through worship. In some cultures, dancing is a special way of expressing honor to someone important. In this Bible story, King David is so excited that the ark of the covenant—and God’s presence—is finally coming to his city, that he dances on and off the whole way there!(2 Samuel 6:12b-22a) He dances out of his joy, for an audience of One—not caring what others might think.


When we really love God, it’s natural to Bottom Line: Honor God in front of others. We just can’t help ourselves really! It doesn’t matter if others think we might be embarrassing ourselves. This month, we’re not only looking for ways to show others how valuable they really are, but also for opportunities to share publicly who God is, what He means to you and how He’s shown up in your life. Who can argue with that?
I can’t wait to see what happens in February when we take on the Ultimate Challengeof showing the highest degree of honor!


By Cara Martens. ©2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.WhatIsOrange.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Gingerbread House Contest Winner

During the month of December our Zone staff had a Gingerbread House building contest! We asked all our friends in ministry on Facebook and our Blog to vote for the house they thought should get 1st place! It took us a while to get around to getting this post online, but we wanted to let you all know who won!

With 55 Votes - Lorna and Julia took 1st Place!


















With 47 Votes - Jacqui and Ryan took 2nd place


















With 37 Votes - Naomie, Nicole, and Christiaan took 3rd place!


















Thanks for voting! Don't forget to check out our BRAND NEW Zone web page!

www.zonekidsonline.com

Christmas Eve 2011 at Cornerstone Fellowship

Generosity!!

It’s official—the holidays are around the corner. How do I know? Relatives are asking for Christmas lists so they can get their shopping done and the commercials on TV are rolling out their latest toy temptations to get my children drooling.

It’s so easy to lose perspective in all the hustle and bustle. That’s why I’m excited to focus on Generosity this December—so kids (and adults like me) can be reminded about what we should get all wrapped up in this year! (This is the same fitting theme from several years ago, but the content itself—scripts and activities—are all fresh and new.)

In fact, James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” So, we know that God is the giver of all good things. But we also know that God’s generosity has a purpose.

In Week 1, we listened as Jesus tells the parable of a rich man in Luke 12:13-21. He gets wrapped up in storing more and more stuff and ends up losing everything that really matters. Bottom Line: People are always more important than stuff.

The brother did what we all have a tendency to do—to focus on what God can do for us, instead of thinking about ways we’ve already been blessed or how we can bless others. That’s why our monthly memory verse says, “Be rich in good deeds . . . be generous and willing to share.” (1 Timothy 6:18, NIV).

When we realize that it’s really a lie that stuff makes our lives better, then it’s easier for us to be generous. We define generosity as making someone’s day by giving something away. We can’t really live generously unless we believe this Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

In Week 2, we learned that you can’t take it with you! A rich young ruler has a big question in our Luke 18:18-25. It’s interesting because Jesus really wasn't after the guy’s stuff; He was after his heart. Jesus knew that this guy was trapped and He wanted to set the guy free. Bottom Line: Don’t let stuff get in the way of loving Jesus. Living generously shows the people around us what we love and trust in most.

In Week 3, we read two different accounts in John 3:16-17 and Luke 2:1-18 about the Greatest Gift Exchange ever—when Jesus is born. God is the ultimate example of generosity. We give because God’s given to us. God’s original gift is our motivation for giving freely to others. Bottom Line: God gave the greatest gift when He gave us Jesus.

In one of the busiest times of year it’s important to take time to remember who gave first. We can stop and remember how amazing it is that God sent His Son to show us a new way to live and later make it possible for us to live with Him forever if we just believe.

God gives generously to us so that we may be generous toward others. The Bible says, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV)

In other words, God gives generously to us so we will have time, emotional energy, patience, and a wealth of resources to give to others. Then, when we are generous with all we have been given, others will see us and be thankful to God.

So many times we think that our ability to be generous is connected to our riches. We are afraid to give because we don’t know if we have enough, and we think generosity is for those who have more than we do to give. But the cool thing about generosity is that we’re not generous because we are rich, we are rich because we are generous. When we choose to give generously to others, we are blessed with everything that really matters in life!

By: Cara Martens. ©2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.WhatIsOrange.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Christmas Eve Services
Children's Ministry and Student Ministry have joined forces to offer a fun family service in the Event Center at the same time as the "regular" services in the Auditorium. The services will include some fun pre-service activities, worship led by our Student Ministry team, the live Christmas eve sermon from Pastor Steve and, of course, we'll end the service in candle light. (This is one of my favorite parts!)

If you have children of any age, plan to pick up a free ticket for each one of your family members (so we know when you're coming) and join us for the start of this exciting new tradition! (children under Kindergarten age can still join their friends for a Christmas party in The Zone at each service). Again you will need a FREE ticket for each person. Seating is limited!
More info: www.cornerstoneweb.org/christmas

Christmas Eve Services at 12pm, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm on December 24. Each service includes

• Regular Service in the Auditorium
• Family Service in the Event Center with live worship and live video feed from the Auditorium (tickets needed)
• Children's Classes for kids ages newborn-5 years old.
• Additional Seating in the Chapel (children allowed)

New Years Eve
Cornerstone will have regular services on December 31st (at 6pm) and January 1 (9am and 11am).

New Elementary Program (Livermore Campus)

We are so excited about the way God is moving in the lives of Elementary Kids and their families! Check out a great post that will help you get the most out of our new Zone Elementary Backlot program, kicking off the weekend of September 3 and 4!

A Great Event for The Whole Family

Upcoming Events - September 4th, 6pm : Backlot Preview Night:
Join us as we give you and your family a sneak peak into our brand new program. During our program we will be highlighting some of the tools that will be available to you as you reinforce the weekend lesson at home.