Sorry I couldn't be with you on Sunday as I was home with a stomach flu! It was working its way through our family and finally got to me. Feeling much better on Monday, though still a little queasy.

The kids read from 1 Samuel 16-17, David and Goliath (Lesson #57). Teaching this very familiar lesson is a good opportunity to help the kids see that, though David was used mightily by God, the real hero of the story is God. Salvation belongs to the Lord!

Our memory verse this week is Matthew 22:37-39:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (ESV)

Beginning in 2014 we are inviting the whole church to join us in hiding God's Word in our hearts. So please parents, show your children that Bible memory is important by memorizing the passages right along with them. Then look for opportunities throughout your week to use them, in family worship, in prayer, in encouraging each other.

Have a very blessed and joy-filled Christmas!

Pastor Jonathan