Saturday

Christmas is a Time of Joy - Christmas Songs for Kids



Do you find it hard to get visuals and recordings for different kids songs?








I have always found this a problem so I am sharing songs on the blog that I have used with children and providing you with


Visuals 
(Powerpoint or Picture or details of how you can make one) 


Words   
(chords also available)


Recordings  
(mp3 or video to learn the song) 



Then if you would like to download the visual of the song there will be a link provided to my creation, or I will direct you to where else you can find it.  

There will also be links for PDF's Fred has created for the words and chords. 



This month I am taking the theme of


CHRISTMAS


The song I have chosen is 


Christmas is a Time of Joy


Everyone knows the tune of Jesus Loves Me so that means this will be an easy song to learn.

Many many years ago we worked with CEF Good News Clubs and this was one of the Christmas songs they gave us visuals for and so we learned a simple jolly song for kids and have used it in different kids meetings in schools and churches and homes for several years. 

We are planning to take this as one of the 2 Kids Christmas Songs that will be included in our second

 Songs for Christmas 

Last year Fred & I went live on Facebook each night to get our friends and followers to sing 
Christmas Songs with us and have a little laugh as things don't always go as planned 
or we just had a happy memory of a song.
And plans are in progress for the same this year.


You can see all those live videos plus other post and videos at











VISUALS


This is the verse




and then we would flip it over for the chorus printed on the back











POWERPOINT


In later years with more opportunity to use projection on screens I designed powerpoints and pictures 










You can Download a copy of these two pictures for printing out HERE 





WORDS

Christmas is a time of Joy
Not because of gifts and toys
But because God gave His Son
To redeem us everyone

Yes God has given
Yes God has given
Yes God has given
His Son for you and me.


You can Download a copy of these words with chords for guitar and piano HERE






ACTIONS

We don't use actions in this one except to clap in the second part of the song.






RECORDING

 You can find the recording of this song on the video below from 






Notes:
I believe this was written by someone in Child Evangelism Fellowship many years ago but I don't think it is available as a printed song by them now.   



I Hope you enjoy the song and this is a help to you.









Previous Songs: 

You can find all our Kids Songs under Kid's Resources or in our Resource Library












Monday

The 5 Best Quotes about Thankfulness & Free Printable - Coffee & Conversation



Here is my choice for the 
5 Best Quotes on the subject of Thankfulness







I am not a fan of QUOTES

In fact sometimes I get very annoyed at how people almost treat a quote
 as more important than the 
Word of God


I actually wrote a blog post about Do We Really Need This Quote?








However I do see that there are certain topics that there are some great quotes on from some very reliable people. This month I have been thinking about Thankfulness and Gratitude and decided to encourage you with some quotes around this.

There are many quotes from so many people on Thankfulness but I prefer to only refer to or recommend ones from people who I trust as standing firm on the Word of God.

So in the list below I will quote


Not  Joyce Meyer    but   Warren Wiersbe

 Not  Beth Moore   but   Andrew Murray  

Not  Andy Stanley  but   A.W. Tozer





1.  Warren Wiersbe

"The Christian who walks with the Lord and keeps constant communion with Him will see many reasons for rejoicing and thanksgiving all day long."






2.  A.W. Tozer

"Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it."




 



3.  Andrew Murray

"Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts."






Have you read the 5 Best Quotes on Thankfulness?






4.  Charles Spurgeon

"Be thankful for the providence which has made you poor, or sick, or sad; for by all this Jesus works the life of your spirit and turns you to Himself."





5.  Jerry Bridges


   "Thankfulness to God is a recognition that God in His goodness and faithfulness has provided for us and cared for us, both physically and spiritually. It is a recognition that we are totally dependent upon Him; that all that we are and have comes from God."   

 




Don't forget to download our
                      Thankfulness Quotes Free Printable 






Plus why not have a look at the other Free resources in our







 






Wednesday

How to Keep & Share A Thankful Heart - A Dose of Encouragement


Who or what are you thankful for & happy about today?






So many times we are drawn to think on the more unpleasant things in life which lead to unhappiness and they can keep us from being thankful for anything when we are in that frame of mind.  


What can we do to keep the right frame of mind and not get into that attitude that can get worse and worse as we dwell on the hurts and unpleasantness caused by others?







We can remember that we are blessed.


There is a little song that we used to sing years ago in church and maybe we should revive it to remind us that we are blessed.

I am blessed, I am blessed,
Every day I walk with Jesus I am blessed.
When I wake up in the morning,
When I lay my head to rest,
I am blessed, I am blessed.

If we are God's child, saved by the grace of Jesus and living by the power of the Holy Spirit then we are blessed more than be could be in any other way.


Being Blessed is not having all the money you want, having great possessions or having a great life which never sees sadness.

Being Blessed is described in Numbers 6 v 24-26 which I learnt as a song in the Presbyterian Church I grew up in as we sang it each time a baby was christened.






We are blessed as Christians because we know:

We are kept in the hand of God 
We are favoured by God 
We are in the Grace of God
We know we have the peace of God






So every day we know we are blessed and we should remember to thank God for His blessings to us.

As we thank God repeatedly we will build up a thankful heart.






As we become more thankful we will also love God more.

As we love God more we will build up a loving heart.







As we love God more we will also become more loving towards others.

As we love others more we will build up a more caring and giving heart.






I'm sure we know people who are very generous and do think often of helping and giving to others but we as Christians have the greatest thing to offer others and that is the Love of God, through the Gospel.


We can't go around saying - Oh I'm better at showing God's Love to others by giving to people rather than telling them about God's Love.

Because of God's love to us we should have a thankful and loving and giving heart which should mean give people out of the abundance of love in our hearts but that should always include the best thing we have and that is telling them about God's Salvation.



Amy Carmichael put it very simply and clearly in this quote below
because 
she knew that we cannot truly love God without giving this gift to others.






 John Wesley entreated us as believers to speak as we truly believe 
because 
he wanted us to act as the bible has also told us.







How to Keep a Thankful Heart?

Recognised how God loves & blesses us each day and remember to thank God each day.




How to Share a Thankful Heart?

React out of the Thankfulness we have which makes us more loving towards others and then we will share the Love of God. 































Sunday

Reading through The Bible - 1 Peter








Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shorter books.








1st Peter  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

21st book of the NT 
60th book of the Bible



It starts by blessing God
  in 1 Peter ch. 1 v 3-5


 
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  
who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.


and quickly takes us to rejoice in salvation in 
verses 6-9

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,


8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,  
receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.






What is it?

The Book of 1 Peter is one of the EPISTLES in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.



How Long is it?

It has 5 chapters.



When was it Written?

It was written in 64 AD



Who Wrote it?

Simon Peter the disciple of Jesus

The name of the letter tells us the writer.
Other letters in the bible are named to show who the recipients of the letters were specifically intended to be but these were letters written by Simon Peter who we know as the Apostle Peter.
One of the three disciples who Jesus often took with him apart from the others. 

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Peter wrote the letter during Nero's reign"  

 




Who was it Written to?

It was written to the believers that had moved away because of the persecution of the early church.
This is told to us in the first verse

"To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." 





What is it normally well-known for?


It is a source in the Bible where people can find encouragement when suffering or being persecuted for their faith.


The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Peter writes to Christians who are being persecuted, encouraging them to testify to the truth and live accordingly"



Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Jesus becomes the source of example and strength when we come into trials & tribulations.  By allowing God to help you in your perseverance and work for Christ we can always have hope in the midst of our suffering."






Why was it Written? 

It was written to encourage and remind the believers of the truth and love they have in Jesus and to rely on Him as they face persecution. 



Encouragement for times of worry


 



& persecution of the faith






but also to have love for one another





 

Which other books of the Bible may have a connection with this one? 


Peter wrote two epistles of which this is the first and is followed by 2nd Peter

 2nd Thessalonians also deals with suffering as a Christian







How does it end?


With encouragement of eternal life in Jesus
 chapter 5 v 11

 





and that God answers our prayers 
chapter 5 v 14










The Overview Bible  gives us the following


Quick outline of 1 Peter

  1. Suffering proves salvation (1 Pet 1:1-12)
    Therefore: 
    • Be holy (1 Pet 1:13–21)
    • Love one another (1 Pet 1:22–25)
    • Long for the word (1 Pet 2:1–3)
  2. We are a holy people (1 Pet 2:4–11)
    Therefore, pursue excellent behaviour:
     
    • Toward authority (1 Pet 2:11–25)
    • Toward spouses (1 Pet 3:1–7)
    • Toward all (1 Pet 3:8–12)
  3. Christ suffered for us (1 Pet 3:13–22)
    Therefore: 
    • Live for the will of God (1 Pet 4:1–6)
    • Exercise spiritual gifts (1 Pet 4:7–11)
  4. Suffering tests us (1 Pet 4:12–19)
    Therefore: 
    • Elders should guard the flock (1 Pet 5:1–5)
    • Humble yourselves under God (1 Pet 5:6–7)
    • Stand firm (1 Pet 5:8–14)









OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE