Have you ever gotten into a disagreement with your brothers or sisters? So did Joseph. But even with trouble at home, Joseph still dreamed big!

JOSEPH FORGIVES

Hey parents! Use these questions as a guide to talk over this week’s Bible story called Joseph Forgives with your child after they’ve listened to this week’s story. Remember the Big Idea: God has an important job for me.

1. What was your favorite part of the story we just heard?
2. Who was mean to Joseph and threw him into a pit?
   His brothers. They were jealous of Joseph because their dad loved Joseph the most.
3. What happened when people thought Joseph did something wrong?
   They put him in jail.
4. Who was always with Joseph, even when bad things kept happening?
   God!
5. Is God always with you?
   Yes! We know God is always with us when we believe in him because he tells us in the Bible, and he helps us through the Holy Spirit. He helps us be brave and gives us what we need.
6. Take some time to pray with your child. You might pray something like this:
   Dear God, thank you for always being with me. Help me remember you are with me when I am scared or when bad things happen. We love you! Amen.

Parent Devotional

Hey parents! We have something just for you to enjoy this Bible story for yourself. We encourage you to read over this devotional sometime this week as a way to reflect on the Bible story your child saw from Church at Home. We love you!

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Early Childhood Craft – Joseph Story Order

Color the Joseph story cards and help your child test their memory of the Bible story as they put them in the right order. Remind them that God was with Joseph in every part of his story, and God is always with us.

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Early Childhood Activity – God is With Me Pretend Play

Your child is learning that they can believe God is with them. As they play pretend, they will act out different things as a reminder that God is with them no matter what.

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Early Childhood Activity Sheets

Each week we have activity pages for your child to remember the week’s lesson. They include new coloring pages and activity sheets for your child to enjoy!

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Navigating Parenthood

Hey parents! Saddleback Parents has great training, tips, and tools to help you win. Check out http://saddlebackparents.com/ for resources to help guide you as you do the challenging and worthy work of raising brave, loving, kind kids who love God and others!

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Christmas

Hey parents! Use these questions as a guide to talk over this week’s lesson about Christmas with your child after they’ve watched the video service!

1. Who was the baby in today's Bible story?
   Jesus. Christmas is all about Jesus!
2. Jesus was born in a barn. What kind of animals do you think were in the barn with baby Jesus?
   What sounds do those animals make? Have fun making barnyard sounds with your toddler.
3. An angel told the shepherds that Jesus was born. Were the shepherds happy or sad when they heard this good news?
   They were very happy and excited! Show me your happy face.
4. What did the wise men see in the sky that helped them find Jesus?
   A star!
5. Take some time to pray with your toddler. Encourage your toddler to sit with you and fold their hands, saying something like:
   Dear God, thank you for loving me, making me, and for sending Jesus to be my friend. Thank you that we can celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas! Happy birthday Jesus! Amen.

Activities and Resources

Toddler Coloring Page

We have a variety of coloring pages to help your child remember familiar faces from this month’s lesson!

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Toddler Craft – Peek-A-Boo Baby Jesus

In this craft, your toddler will make a barn from the nativity story and play Peek-A-Boo with baby Jesus! This will remind them of the Christmas story and that Jesus came to be their friend.

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Toddler Activity – I-Spy Christmas

Have fun searching for different pictures from the Christmas story with your toddler in this week’s I-Spy Christmas activity! As they find the items hidden around the room, remind them that God wants to be their friend.

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Parent Encouragement - Christmas

Hey Parents! Here's something for you to be encouraged by and get ideas to bring this Bible story into your everyday conversation with your child at home!

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Navigating Parenthood

Hey parents! Saddleback Parents has great training, tips, and tools to help you win. Check out this blog post, Having Fun and Making Memories Along the Way. Christmas is a great time to start some family traditions and make memories with your kids!

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Storms can be scary... unless you know you're safe. Then they're kind of fun! But how can you know if you are safe? The disciples were scared of a storm in this episode. But they didn't need to be! Find out why they were so safe.

Jesus is more powerful than any storm
Jesus Calms the Storm

“When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!’ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39)

Mark 4:35-41

Jesus told us in scripture that we will face many trials in this life (John 16:33). This is a fact of life – not an “if,” but a “when.” Maybe you have not experienced trials yet or maybe you have been through more than your fair share of struggle. Whatever the case may be, God can handle it.

Jesus demonstrates His power to the disciples by effortlessly calming a raging storm after suggesting He and the disciples cross the lake in a boat. Soon after setting off on their journey, a storm, described as “fierce,” comes upon them. The boat began to fill with water and, understandably so, the disciples began to panic. They looked around for Jesus, but could not find Him. Eventually, they found Him sleeping peacefully in the back of the boat. He was unfazed by the storm because He was not afraid. The disciples began yelling, “Don’t you care that we are going to drown?” Jesus woke up and using only His voice, instructed the waves and wind to be still. Immediately, the storm subsided.

Once the storm had ended, Jesus turned to His disciples and asked, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” In the midst of a raging storm, Jesus felt peace because He knew He was stronger than the storm. He would not let it bring down the ship. Yet, the disciples let fear consume them when they faced the storm, not believing that Jesus could save them.

When trials or “storms” enter our lives, it is easy to let our fear lead us. Let this miracle be a testament to the power of Christ in our lives. By calming the dangerous storm, He showed us that He can calm any type of storm we are facing. When something scary happens, we do not have to be afraid because Jesus has proved that He is more powerful than anything we will face, including nature.

Questions to think about:

What storm are you facing?
What stands in the way of you handing over your fear to Christ?
Is there a time in your life when Jesus has calmed a storm you faced? Trust that He can do it again.