You probably know the story of how the younger son asked his father to receive the money that would come to him from his father’s estate, then took it and left home to go to a far country. There he wasted the money and soon had nothing to live on. Abandoned by his “friends,” he took a job feeding pigs (a very bad job for a Jewish boy). Finally he decided to go back home and ask for a job as a servant in his father’s house.

The father was waiting with open arms to welcome him back home, not as a servant, but as a son. He lavishly forgave his son and had a big celebration to welcome him home.

God forgives each of us in much the same way. We don’t deserve a place in His kingdom, but he welcomes us as sons and daughters when we come to Him in repentance. The Bible says we are “joint heirs with Jesus,” being adopted into God’s family.

Just as God freely forgives us, Jesus teaches that we must also forgive others who wrong us. If we don’t forgive, we are not only disobeying God, but we may well suffer—spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. Bearing a grudge and wanting to get even will eat away at us, while forgiving freely will set us free.

Come join us Sunday as we learn about the choice of forgiveness. Bring along a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday we will look at one of the times Jesus taught the people about God, as He taught us how we should choose to love others. We should love everyone. Not just those who love us and are kind to us…Jesus taught that we should even love our enemies and those who are unkind to us. Jesus said that anyone can love those who love them, but we are to be different…we are to be like God Himself, who loved each one of us even when we were sinners and enemies of God.

Part of Jesus’ teaching was the Golden Rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you. This is a better way to live than the silver rule: Do to others as they do to you. And much better than the iron rule: Do to others before they do to you. God’s way is the highest and best.

It is difficult to follow this command, because we are not used to doing it. Those around us often don’t follow God’s command, either. But, as followers of Jesus, we will want to follow His teachings and do our best (with His help) to love everyone.

Join us this Sunday as we learn how to put Jesus’ teaching into practice in our lives. One good way to be kind to others is to invite them to come with you to Sunday School!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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We can pray to God about anything. Even though God knows what we need, like our daily bread (food), He still wants us to pray to Him about our needs. Jesus taught us this in the Model Prayer. We can also pray to God about things we want. God has not promised to give us all the things we want, but He sometimes will give us “the desires of our heart.” But there are some things which we really shouldn’t pray for. The Bible talks about “asking amiss” for things which are really not good for us, or which God has commanded us to avoid. Selfish prayers are never a good idea.

We’ll look more at the kinds of things we should and should not pray for Sunday. You’ll want to be there, and you’ll want to bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook

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God does not always immediately answer all our prayers, and it’s really a good thing that He doesn’t — since sometimes we really don’t know what we’re asking. God can see what will happen in the future, and really does know what is best for us. And, too, sometimes we forget that a perfectly valid answer to some prayers is “no” or “wait.”

We will make a special treat for our fathers in class for Father’s Day, and we will put on a skit with a western theme to help tell the story of Elijah and the “Showdown on Mount Carmel.” This would be a great day to join us and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Peter was in a bad situation. King Herod had already killed the Apostle James, and Peter was next. He was in prison, shackled between two Roman soldiers, and Herod planned to kill him the next day.

But the church in Jerusalem had other ideas! They gathered together in Mark’s mother’s house and prayed for Peter. God heard their prayer and sent an angel to release Peter from prison, right past the soldiers that Herod had set to guard him. Peter wasn’t sure what was happening at the time, but quickly realized that God had miraculously delivered him from prison and from death.

If the church hadn’t prayed, would Peter have been killed? We don’t really know, but I believe their prayers had a big part in Peter’s release.

In much the same way, we can (and should) pray for other people who need God’s help, whether we do it alone or with other Christians. We shouldn’t wait for bad situations like Peter was in, but do as Paul did when he told the Christians in Rome “how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers.”

We will learn more about Peter’s escape from prison this Sunday in some fun ways. You will want to be there—and bring a friend with you!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday we will begin by looking at the Model Prayer that Jesus taught His disciples when they asked Him how to pray. It has several important parts that help us know how best to communicate with God. But, remember, ANY prayer directed to God from our heart is a good prayer. One of the shortest prayers is “Help!” It’s just that there are so many important things to pray about that it helps to have a model to follow to remember all of them.

We will work on memorizing the Model Prayer (also called the Lord’s Prayer) during the month of June. Come join us—and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday’s story is about Moses’ older sister, Miriam. She helped Moses in lots of ways when he was older and led the Hebrew children out of Egypt, but at this time Moses was a baby and Miriam was just a child. Because the Pharoah of Egypt had ordered all male Hebrew children to be killed, Miriam helped her mother by watching over baby Moses after they had put him in a basket floating in the Nile. Miriam’s quick thinking when Moses was found by the Pharoah’s daughter made a big difference in the way Moses would grow up, since his own mother was hired as his nurse, and she and Miriam could teach him about his Hebrew background.

Come Sunday to talk about ways you can help your family when help is needed…and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Joseph took care of his family very well. He arranged for them to move to some of the best grazing land in Egypt, the land of Goshen, where they could herd their sheep, goats, and cattle. He told his brothers that God had taken the evil they had done to him and brought good out of it. He followed his father Jacob’s request to bury him back in the land God had promised them, in the same cave where his grandfather Abraham and father Isaac had been buried.

The story of Joseph teaches us many things, but one important lesson is how we should treat family members. Kindness, care, and respect to others in our family will help make our family life, and our own lives, happy and peaceful. It’s best for everyone when parents, brothers, and sisters get along…and we can choose to do our part to make that happen.

See you Sunday—and bring a friend along!]

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Families are important! Remember to do your part to make your family a happy and supportive place to live. Your attitudes and actions can make all the difference. Remember, too, to pray for your family members each day.

Come join us Sunday—and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Last week we talked about getting along with other family members, even when it might be hard to do. This week we will look closer at the same family, Abram and Sarai, and see how God worked in their lives to begin a very special family — a very large family, counting all the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and so on. God promised Abram that his descendants would number more than the stars in the sky. That’s a lot!

Only one problem…Abram and Sarai were about 100 years old and didn’t even have one child! God kept His promise, though, and this Sunday we’ll take a look at how He did it.

Please join us for this special Mother’s Day session…and we’ll be working on a surprise for your mothers as well.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Top

• Choose to Forgive
• Choose to Love
• God Answers!
• God Hears!
• Praying for Others
• Connecting with God
• Helping My Family
• Caring for Family Members
• Forgiving Family Members
• God's Plan for Families

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