WEEK 1| HOME CONNECT

WHEN I FEEL LIKE I’VE MADE A MISTAKE;

I CAN PAUSE, PRAY, PLAY

TALK TOGETHER

SAY: We are starting a fun new series called “Off The Rails”! We’re going to grab a paper and markers and decorate a fun park ticket for an amusement park! As we color, I want to hear from you: If you could earn a free ticket to a theme park would your rather eat a hot dog flavored funnel cake OR a ketchup flavored snow cone? (Allow answers and discussion about amusement parks)

SAY: Gross, right?! Those are some pretty crazy ideas! You know, sometimes we do things and after we’ve done them we realize we made a mistake. Has that every happened to you? (Yes) Well in this series, we are going to learn about what we can do when life feels like it is going “Off the Rails!” In fact, sometimes life can feel like it is going off the rails when we make mistakes, but God loves us no matter what. Let’s say our Big Answer:

WHEN I FEEL LIKE I’VE MADE A MISTAKE (thumbs down) I CAN PAUSE (hand up; stop motion), PRAY (prayer hands), PLAY (thumbs up)!

READ TOGETHER

SAY: There is actually a story from the Bible about a man who made a mistake. In fact, after he realized he made a mistake some difficult things happened, but he realized he needed to pause and pray. Let’s read this recap about the book of Jonah in the Bible.

God had a special mission for a man named Jonah. God wanted Jonah to go to a town called Ninevah, where many people were disobeying God. He wanted Jonah to tell the people there to stop dishonoring God, turn from their ways, and turn to God! Jonah was to be God’s messenger. But when God told Jonah what to do, Jonah refused! He disobeyed God! Not only that, but he even tried to run from God! He ran all the way to the edge of land, and then he got on a boat and went out to sea to keep running from God! Then, as he was on the boat, a giant storm came! The people on the boat with Jonah were terrified, and Jonah knew the storm was all his fault. So he asked the people onboard to throw him into the sea to make the storm stop. The moment that he was thrown overboard, a giant fish came, and swallowed him up! Yes, a giant fish! It came and swallowed Jonah whole!

Jonah was trapped there in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, and in that time, he had a lot of time to pause and think about what he had done. After pausing, he chose to PRAY. He prayed and begged God to release him, and promised that he would go to Ninevah if God would let him go. Finally, three days later, the fish spit Jonah out onto dry ground. Jonah pressed PLAY on the mission God had for him all along, and went to Ninevah to obey God! WATCH TOGETHER

WATCH: This week’s PVC Kids Online Service ASK: When was a time that you made a mistake? What did you do, and what might you do next time?

PLAY TOGETHER

PLACE a bowl of yummy treats in the middle of the group, like fruit snacks or candies. Read each review question aloud to the group. SAY: Now let’s play a review game to help us remember our Bible story of the week! I am going to ask you some questions about this week’s Bible story we’re learning! I have this bowl of treats. Every time you know the answer to the question I read, grab one treat from the bowl. I can’t wait to see how many treats you’ll get to eat today! ASK the following questions:

• Was this week’s Bible story about Jonah or Joshua? (Jonah) • When God told Jonah to go to Ninevah, did Jonah do the right thing or the wrong thing? (Wrong thing/disobeyed God) • When Jonah ran from God, did he get on a helicopter or a boat? (A boat) • Jonah got trapped inside of something for 3 days and 3 nights. Do you remember what Jonah was trapped inside of? (The belly of a fish) • Did Jonah pause and pray to God inside of the fish? (Yes) • After the fish spit out Jonah, what did Jonah decide to do? (He did what God had asked him to do/he went to Ninevah and obeyed God)

PRAY TOGETHER

SAY: Life can get pretty crazy and it is easy to feel like we are going off the rails! But when we feel that way we can remember to pause, pray, and then keep playing! In fact, our series memory verse is a prayer to remind us how God wants us feel regardless of what is happening.

“I PRAY (prayer hands) THAT GOD (point up), WILL FILL YOU COMPLETELY (hands start down and raise up above head) WITH JOY (point to smile) AND PEACE (peace sign with 2 fingers) BECAUSE YOU TRUST (make “X” with arms on chest) IN HIM (point up). THEN YOU WILL OVERFLOW (push arms forward and out) WITH CONFIDENT HOPE (thumbs up) THROUGH THE POWER (flex arm muscles) OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (both arms up; praise).” – ROMANS 15:13 (salute, show 13 fingers) SAY: I love that our memory verse is a prayer! Speaking of prayer, how can I be praying for you this week?

Dear God, We know that you are always with us and even when we make mistakes you still love us. Help us remember to pause and pray this week when we feel like we’ve made a mistake. Remind us of what the Bible says so we can continue on with our days. We love you, AMEN!