Be A Dreamer
Hello Werb’s Kids and Parents!
How are you?
Hopefully you have had a good week and have managed to get outside once a day and for those of you who have gardens I am very jealous!
This has been a hard we for me and that’s one of the reasons why this week we are looking at prayer. I could not have made it through this week if I wasn’t able to talk to God about it and share my fears and what I’m facing with him.
A bit like the picture to the right I have covered a wall in my little office with truths about God that I know. Lots of them have come from songs we sing!
I’ve written things like:
— You are my rock my everything
— You are good
— You’re never gonna let me down
— You are the way
— You are alive in us nothing can take your place
It’s great to have a little wall of positivity especially for days when you don’t feel good. Don’t forget worship is a great way to remind you of who God is.
I have loved seeing everyone’s videos and photos of how families are doing Werb’s At Home. Keep using the hashtags ⧣werbsathome and ⧣werbskids on social media. PLUS if you’re on Instagram then give @werbskids a follow as we will be putting up regular updates and will be my main way of staying in contact.
On Saturday the Werb’s Kids Instagram will go live at 11am for our VIRTUAL EASTER PARTY! We can’t meet as normal but we can still connect together!
Get involved as it will be a super fun time plus a chance to do loads of Easter activities!!
Stay safe and stay connected!
Love Amy
BE A DREAMER
Think right now about how we communicate with other people.
Most people think about speech when they think about communication but there are many other ways we can talk and connect with others. Can you name any?!
Facial expressions
Gestures/actions
Pointing / Using hands
Writing
Drawing
Using equipment like phones or computers
Touch
Eye contact
If we use so many different ways of talking to each other we need to remember God too can use multiple different ways of talking to us.
Can you think of any ways God could talk to you?
Do you have any stories of when God has spoken to you?
Here are a few ways God could talk to you
Voice - some people hear a voice say something. In the bible a man called Elijah heard a still small voice which was God talking to him.
Words - some people have a word pop into their head that wasn’t there before they talked to God.
Pictures - sometimes people have pictures or an image come into their heads.
Lyrics or a song - some people get lyrics from a song or a song will start playing in their head.
Other People - sometimes God uses others to talk to us. Or uses us to talk to others. God may not always say something directly to you but that doesn’t mean he’s not talking to you.
Nature - some people see things in nature or outside. Moses saw God in a burning bush!
Feelings - sometimes God uses our emotions. For example if someone is scared God might fill them with his peace. If someone feels sad God might fill them with his love. Or if someone feels angry or frustrated God may give them calm. Sometimes when people meet with God they cry - sometimes this is because God is healing something that has hurt them but sometimes it’s because they’re really happy.
Dreams - like in our story today sometimes people get dreams or visions from God. These sometimes don’t make sense at first but then God gives an explanation.
Bible - God loves to talk to us through the bible. Sometimes whilst reading a story or a verse in the bible it could make you feel a different way or maybe catch your attention in a particular way. This is often God telling you something by using the bible!
Sometimes things aren’t obvious when God speaks so never write it off instead if you’re unsure just write it down. You might come back to it and find that God said something amazing but that it wasn’t for right now and instead makes more sense later!
Because I love music and art, these are often the ways that God speaks to me. Sometimes a song will pop into my head like for example “Stand in you love” the song we had week 1. I felt like God wanted to remind us that his love is bigger than any fear we face and that was why I shared that song with you all!
I think God wants to talk to us today! But he also wants to show us what it means to listen.
JOSEPH WAS A DREAMER! BE A DREAMER FOR GOD TOO!
Have you ever heard about Joseph and his amazing multicoloured dream coat?
It’s an amazing story about someone who loved God but had to face some quite scary situations.
Joseph had dreams that told his family about things that would happen in the future however Joseph wasn’t kind when he shared his dreams and showed off about them ALOT!
There were probably many times when Joseph was scared or worried and yet he chose to always trust God.
So….let’s remind ourselves of his story!
You could spend this afternoon watching the film: Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat!
It isn’t on Netflix but you can rent the original or the cartoon on Amazon Prime. There is a version on prime but I haven’t watched it so cannot vouch for whether it is a good watch or not!
Someone has put the original film on YouTube so you can watch the full version HERE or in smaller sections in a playlist HERE.
PARENTS: please note these videos may get taken down and may not always be available depending on what the copyright of the video is.
OR you can watch these 3 shorter videos from SADDLEBACK KIDS!!
What do you remember from the story?
Can you draw a picture of the dreams that Joseph had?
What were the scary situations Joseph was put in?
What happened at the end? Did Joseph forgive his brothers?
Do you think you could forgive someone if this happened to you?
Joseph was given some pretty amazing dreams but God also helped him interpret and understand Pharaoh’s dream. This then meant that lots of people were helped when the famine came. A famine is where there isn’t enough food and it’s hard to grow new crops.
Joseph helped a lot of people because he talked to God. Today we are going to spend some time talking to God but also dreaming about how we can help others.
You probably have loads of dreams right now of things you would love to do but can’t because you have to stay inside. Why not create a “I DREAM OF” jar? Decorate your jar so it looks great but don’t forget to put the words on it “I DREAM OF…”
Then fill it pieces of paper with your dreams on. Here are some of my examples:
I dream of having lunch with my friends
I dream of spending time with my family in Somerset
I dream of going on holiday abroad
I dream of playing hide and seek at the park
I dream of hugging my sister
What do you dream of doing right now that you aren’t able to do because of isolation?
In the future when we are finally allowed to leave our homes and life returns to normal use this jar to do all the things you couldn’t when you were in isolation.
Let’s be like Joseph and now spend some time asking God what his dreams are for us and those around us!
CREATIVE PRAYERS!
As well as all the prayer resources on our website (HERE) I’ve listed below some ways specifically tailored to children of creative ways to pray.
Create a Graffiti Wall – Using tape (masking tape works best) stick some paper to your wall. Then write/draw prayers, praises, thanks, concerns, help or worries. It’s best to use crayons not pens as they could go through the paper and mark the wall. Give it a clear border so you know where the paper ends or use different coloured paper so that you know what is paper and what is the wall.
HEY KIDS! YOU ARE TO ONLY DRAW ON THE PAPER NOT ON THE WALLS!Healing Prayers - Get some plasters and write down the names of people who need healing right now. You may wish to write on one ‘Coronavirus’ and pray for all those around the world who currently have the virus to be healed.
Count Your Blessings - use Lego or Duplo to thank God for your blessings. Stack the bricks one by one naming something with each brick that you are thankful for.
I Spy Prayers - sit at a window and pray to God. Thank God for everything you see. If you see a person pray for them! Maybe pray protection over them and their family that they stay safe from the virus and don’t forget to smile and wave as they pass by!!
Boxes Prayer Game - this is a cool game to play which has been turned into a way to pray! Whoever creates the box with the line writes or draws something in the box to pray for. Check it out HERE
Sensory Labyrinth - this is great for those who like to be tactile whilst they pray but also helps with focus. There are a variety of options on the link below!
Check it out HEREReflection Bottle - this is a great craft to help focus and be reflective in your prayers.
Check it out HEREChalk Path Prayers - why not use some chalk to write or draw prayers on the patio in your garden or outside the front of your house on the pavement. These prayers could be super encouraging to see for those who may walk across this path in the coming days and weeks until the rain washes it away.
Jigsaw Prayers - This use pieces of a puzzle to help you pray!
-Hold the jigsaw piece in your hand and pray for yourself.
Ask God to help you. Thank Him for the good things in your life. Ask him to help you see the big picture of the plan He has for your life.
-Look at the parts of your puzzle piece that reach outwards. Pray for people who reach out and help and show love to others. Thank God for the people who help and show love to you.
-Look at the parts of your piece that have spaces waiting to be filled. Pray for people who have lost something or someone or who feel that they have something missing in their lives. Or maybe feel lonely at this time. Ask God to help them to know that they are loved by Him.
-Try to fit your piece into the piece of the person next to you (it probably won't fit!) Pray for people who find it hard to fit in, people who have moved to a new place, people who feel they have no friends, people who are being bullied. Pray that they will find peace, friends and happiness.
-Hold your piece and think of someone from your community, your friends or family that you would like to pray for. Thank God for that person and ask God to bless and help them.Sensory Prayer Path - lay out the items described in each sentence in a line and as your child touches each one, pray.
-Stand on a bath mat and thank God for your own home and family.
-Touch some scourer pads and think of people who rub us up the wrong way and upset us. Ask God to bless them and help us to work together with them.
-Touch some stones and think of people who are in hard situations. Ask God to help them.
-Take some rope or string and wrap it up and tie it in lots of knots. Think of times when life feels confusing. Ask God to help you to think clearly and to make things feel less messy.
-Stand on or touch some pom poms or cotton wool. Thank God for all the people you know who are kind and helpful. Ask God to send them kind and helpful people too.
-Pop some bubble wrap or blow some bubbles and watch them pop. Think about people who are scared and need protection. Ask God to look after them and keep them safe.
-Touch some sponges and think of the people and places who that make you feel peaceful. Pray that God will help people all over the world to know peace.
Prayer Journal - Don’t forget to use your prayer journal that you started on week 1! Ask God to give you pictures, words and then draw or write what he tells you.
Post It Note Prayers - write short prayers on post its and stick them to a wall. You have the freedom to write whatever is on your heart. If you’re struggling here are some examples:
-Write names of people you want to get better
-Write places in the world that might need help
-Write out truths about God like “He will never let me down”.
-Draw yourself and your family and ask God to look after you allBible - Pray this simple prayer “Lord please speak to me through what we are about to read.'“ Then as you read or talk about the bible see what stands out to you and why.
Below are some bible passages you could look at. (I prefer the NIV or the Message version as it uses easier English to understand)
-Psalm 139
-Luke 8v22-25 (Jesus calms the storm)
-John 6v16-21 (Jesus walks on water)
You don’t have to use any of these or you may use all of them. The MOST important thing is that you spend time with God. He loves it when we talk to him and when he gets to talk back so don’t forget to listen!
NO NEW SONG BUT INSTEAD…
Listen to the playlist “Songs of Hope” in the background as you pray!
HERE is the link to YouTube.
PUT SOMETHING INTO ACTION: BOOK A SLOT IN THE VIRTUAL PRAYER ROOM!
It is so important to pray and talk to God about everything we face but then also praying for others! Click HERE to book your hour as a family in the virtual prayer room. An hour may seem like a long time but we know praying doesn’t mean just sitting still with your eyes closed! Our God is one of creativity and fun so pray fun creative active prayers! Prayer after all is just having a conversation with God. Most importantly don’t forget to listen. God wants to talk to each and every one of us whether we are 1 or 100. Trust that he’ll speak to you and then share it with us as it could impact someone’s life for the better!
Edited and adapted by Amy Farrar from several sources including Flame: Creative Children’s Ministry
