HomeFront Monthly November Identity)

8/8/2019 HomeFront Monthly November Identity)

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FAMILY FOOD TIME p. 4 & 5

GAME TIME p. 6

GODS WORD p. 8

PRAYER p. 9

CREATE p. 11

BLESSING p. 13

IllustrationbyAnneBerry

M O N T H L Y

ENVIRONMENT

iden

tityI belong toGod, and

He loves

me!


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2010 David C. Cook. All rights reserved.

MICHELLE ANTHONY | FaIIEs

ROCKHARBOR Church | Costa Mesa, CA

ENVIRONMENT

IDENTITYThis environment highlights who we are in Christ. According to

Ephesians 1, we have been chosen, adopted, redeemed, sealed, andgiven an inheritance in Christ. This conviction allows children to standrm against the counter identities the world will offer to bring themdestruction.

Culture is constantly feeding our families the lieof false identities. School, friends, TV, magazines,music, and so much more are continually telling our

children that who they are is not good enough, thatthey need to be someone different. As we attempt

to spiritually raise our families and redeem what theworld has taken, it is essential to be rooted in Truth.

We have to afrm the Christ likeness we seein our children as they strive to stand rm againstcounter identities. In a world that nds identity in

shallow and eeting things, the Truth of our identityin Christ is the only thing that can offer truemeaning and purpose.

3

VERSE OF THE MONTH

Memorizing Scripture can be an incredible

practice to engage in as a family. But words in andof themselves will not necessarily transform us;

it is Gods Spirit in these words that transforms.We come to know God more when we are willingto open our hearts and receive His Holy Spiritthrough the words we memorize. Have fun withthese verses and think of creative ways to inviteyour family to open up to God as they commit

these verses to memory.

ELEMENTARY VERSE

For he chose us in himbefore the creation of

the world to be holy andblameless in his sight.Ephesians 1:4

PRES/KINER VERSE

God chose us to belongto Christ [Jesus] beforethe world was created.Ephesians 1:4 (NIrV)


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bySarahMarkley

FamIlY FooD TImECnvain a

Do you really know what your kids days are like? Do you know their world?Do they know what your life is like on a day-to-day basis? Can they envision

what its like to be an adult? Do you remember what life was like as a secondgrader?

This goes beyond take-your-daughter-to-work day or helping in your sons classroom. And it certainly goesbeyond dragging your four-year-old to the supermarket. Sometimes it is difcult to really get in to the world ofyour child so that you really know what it is they do when they play with dolls or cars in their made-up worlds oftrains or horses.

At dinner tonight, resolve to know the worlds of your children and allow them into yours. Try a simple activitynamed Unique Stories. Each family member tells a simple story about his day that is unique to him alone. Thisstory must not involve any other member of the family. After the storytelling, take turns asking one another thefollowing questions.

HOW WAS OUR DA DIFFERENT THANAN OTHER FAMIL MEMBERS DA?

HOW ARE OU UNIUE OR DIFFERENTFROM THE REST OF US?

WHAT IS ONE UNIUE OR SECIALTHING OU LIE ABOUT (ANOTHERFAMIL MEMBER)?

Have fun talking about the ways that you and your children are different from one another and make it acelebration of your individual qualities. But dont be afraid to let it spark a conversation about how you are similarand the traits you share as members of the same family.

1.

2.

3.


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FamIlY FooD TImECi

When the weather cools down and fall settles all the way in, theresnothing I love more than making up a huge pot of chili and having

lots of friends over. This easy chili recipe takes minimal prep timeand tastes just as good reheated the next day. Grab your kids, makeup a big pot, and get cozy by the re.

This simple recipe is quick, easy, and can include a couple extra little hands while preparing. Sotake that time, and tell your kids a great story.

Easy Fall Chili (SERVES 56)Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 1 2 hours

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 large white or yellow onion, chopped

4 chopped garlic cloves

3 heaping tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 large (32 oz) can ranch-style chili beans, drained

1 large (32 oz) can pinto beans, drained

1 small (16 oz) can kidney beans, drained

1. Coat the bottom of a big pot (5 or 6 quarts) with oil. Add meat and let it cook for a few minutesover medium heat. Dont let it stick to the bottom.

2. When the meat starts to cook and break apart, add chopped onions, chopped garlic cloves, andseasonings. Stir several times while cooking.

3. Once meat is almost completely cooked, open, drain, and add all of the beans. Chili should besomewhat watery at this point; if its not, add a little water.

4. Bring chili back to a boil, then simmer over medium/low heat for hour and taste it. If it tastesbland, add more chili powder.

5. Simmer chili for another hour. ou can serve it up at that point, or you can turn the stove down to

the lowest setting and let it continue to simmer until you are ready to eat.

This makes great leftovers, so you may want to double the recipe and eat it again for dinner later inthe week.

byLauraWeber


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byAngelinaPavone

GamE TImEYUnG KiD

Whos Who?

Learning about a persons likes and dislikes tells

you a lot about who they are. I know that myhusband likes to skateboard and my best friendloves traveling. For this months game, why not takea night to get to know a little more about what eachof your family members likes.

ass out a sheet of paper and some crayons toevery family member. Ask each person to draw hisor her favorite thing on the piece of paper, fold it,and put it into a hat, bowl, or basket (whatever youhave on hand).

One at a time, have someone take a card out ofthe hat and try to guess who drew it. Take turns untilevery person has had a turn. For younger children,the game can end here. For older ones, talk about

how God made us each unique with different likes,dislikes, and skills. For a variation, you can have peopledraw themselves, or even draw their favorite food. Getcreative with the categories, and have fun!

GamE TImEolDER GamES

utty culpture

I love getting together with my family because there is always plenty oflaughter. We laugh about both the good and the bad of life. This month on

game night, try something quirky that is sure to give your family memberslots of laughs.

This game provides a funny opportunity tocreate a new nose. ass out Silly utty to each

family member and have everyone face away fromeach other as they mold a new nose out of putty.Give yourselves about a minute, then turn aroundand check out your new, crazy-nosed family! assthe mirror around and take time to laugh. This maybe a fun new look for a family photo! ou can play

several rounds, or you can take turns sculpting anew nose for each other. Remind your family that,even though we had a chance to create new noses,God took great care when He created each one ofus. He made us and loves us just the way we are!Every time we look in the mirror, we can rememberthat we were created in His image!

byStacyIgarashi


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byMattBarnes

SToRYTEllINGIts funny; I grew up in the church and went to Christian schools all my life,so youd think my identity would have been rooted in Christ from theearliest age. I might have even thought it was. But it wasnt.

iI accepted Christ at the age of three.It made sense to me. As I grew older,I did the things I was told a goodChristian did. I went to church. I was

pretty nice to people. I led Bible studies and missiontrips. I was the denition of a good Christian kid.My parents thought so. My teachers thought so. Myfriends thought so. I even thought so. But, it justnever felt real. I never felt different I never feltchanged.

Now I realize this is because my identity was

rooted in what people told me a good Christianlooked and acted like. My identity was rooted intrying to be a good Christian kid. All that changed afew years ago.

After college, I became a high school teacher.I loved teaching and working with high school

students. I worked an average of 75 hours per weekfor three years. es I was very tired, but I lovedwhat I did. My identity was tied up in being a goodChristian guy who was inuencing the lives of kids.(Of course, I was simply pushing them to be goodChristian kids like I had been.) Still, there was

something missing in this. And then it happened after three years of teaching, I felt God calling me

out to something new, so, even though I had nothingto go to, I quit my job. I literally lost a huge part ofmy identity overnight.

For the next three years, I wandered. I took oddjobs here and there trying to nd my new identity.I tried to create my own new identity by taking ondifferent titles and roles. I tried business owner,

church worker, consultant, volunteer, boyfriend,and student, but nothing seemed to work. Witheach failure, God was stripping me of my worldlyidentities. In the end, I wasnt even sure who I wasanymore.

I was desperate and I turned to God. (Why do we

always wait until were desperate to turn to Him?) I

had nothing to give Him but my stripped-down and

discouraged self. So, thats what I gave. I let go ofall I was holding onto and I ran towards Him. It turnsout, thats all He ever wanted.

Over the next year, God began to rebuild myidentity. es, I ended up with a new job (or three).I found some new friends and started a newrelationship. But this time, these things did not

dene me. The foundation of my identity wasChrist. He dened me.

Jobs and relationships will come and go, but Iknow who I am and that wont change. I am a childof God. I am a person who knows God and who isknown by God.

Each one of us has a unique story ofhow we have found our identity in Christ.Maybe this happened a long time ago, ormaybe you are in the middle of ndingthis out right now. Wherever you are inthis journey, its an important story to

share with your children as they beginto discover who they are. Make a pointthis month to spend some time with yourkids and share your story (or parts of yourstory depending on how old your childrenare) with them. Who has God created youuniquely to be? What has He had to stripyou of as you have found your identityin Him? What has your journey towardsnding your worth in Jesus looked like?Share these things with your kids andinvite them to ask you questions as theyembark on their own journey towardsdiscovering what it looks like to let Jesus,

not the world, tell them who they are.


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byTylerCarroll

nationality, or anything, for that matter, is of no value

compared to our true identity found in Jesus! My jobis not my identity. My friendships are not my identity.I am a son of God, and that is all that matters when itcomes to trying to dene my position in life.

Lets not forget to read the end of this passage,where aul pulls us all together as believers to

remind us we areheirs according to thesame promise Godmade to Abraham!God will use us toliterally change theworld and the courseof history because

we nd our identitysolely in Gods Son,Jesus. We dont haveto make this happen;

He already promisesthis to those whoidentify themselvesas His children.

GoDS WoRDI am a Son of God?

Galatians 3:2629: ou are all sons of God through faith in ChristJesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves

with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female,for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you areAbrahams seed, and heirs according to the promise.

If your children are older, in

addition to the Remember

Verses, try memorizing

Galatians 3:2629 this

month. Give each family

member an index card with

the verse written on one

side.

On the other side, invite everyone to write Myidentity is not and to then write down otheridentities that they are tempted to cling to (a son,

a daughter, a soccer player, popular, fun, a goodkid, or anything else they can think of). Encouragethem to look at both sides of the card as theyare memorizing this verse as a way of reminding

themselves where their true identity lies.

How often do we get bogged down by measuringour own faithfulness to God? It can be easy tobelieve the lie that our identity in Christ is somehowdependent on what we are doing to please God. Ifwe are obedient and doing all the right things, weprobably belong to God. If not, our identity mightbe in question. In Galatians, aul is pretty clear

as to what sets usup to be sons anddaughters of God,and he is prettyclear that God doesnot measure it bythe things we tendto measure it by.

In verse 26, aul saysthat we are sons anddaughters becausewe have faith in

Jesus Christ. Waita minute! Does thismean we couldbe wrapping our

identity in Christ inthe wrong things? Iam afraid, for me atleast, the answer tothis question is oftenyes.

I will admit Isometimes look at my

job, friendships, andother aspects of mydaily life and say to myself,Today today I believe I am a son of God look atwhat I have done for the kingdom! The rationale ofthis is, of course, completely awed, as aul is clear

that our faith is what causes us to be called sons anddaughters of God, not our actions. He goes on to saythat our onlyidentity should be found in faith. He tellsthe Galatianswho were trying way too hard to deneson by their own standardsthat wealth, race, creed,


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PRaYEROur identity. In todays society, we are constantly surrounded by abarrage of inuences telling us what we should look like, how we shoulddress, what we should buy, even how we should act. From television to

magazines to billboards, it seems impossible to avoid the standards theworld sets for us every day. Thankfully, there is good news for those of usin Christ: He has created an identity for each of us and given us the powerto live it out on a daily basis! In fact, He chose us and knew the life He hadfor us before we were even born into this world. He created us to be holy blameless loved redeemed forgiven wise understanding.He did this in love. He did this in accordance to His pleasure. He did itlavishly!

This month, as you begin each week, make it a

habit to set apart a time for family prayer. Sundaynight might be a good time to do this. When yougather together each time, begin your time byreading Romans 12:12a: Therefore, I urge you,brothers, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodiesas living sacrices, holy and pleasing to Godthisis your spiritual act of worship. Do not conformany longer to the pattern of this world, but betransformed by the renewing of your mind. Then

begin to pray, inviting everyone to confess to theLord any ways they have bought into the worldsidentity for them in the past week. Remember, you

may need to model vulnerability to your children andgo rst.

Next, read Galatians 5:2223: But the fruit of

the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.Against such things there is no law. Remind yourfamily that all of these things are already true abouteach one of us who has a relationship with Jesus.Spend some time praying that the Spirit wouldhelp each of you to embrace some of these

characteristics as a part of your identity in thecoming week.

BuT TE fuIT of TE SPIITIS LoVE, joy, PEACE, PATIENCE,

kINdNESS, goodNESS, fAITfuLNESS,

gENTLENESS ANd SELf-CoNToL.AgAINST SuC TINgS TEEIS No LAW. gALATIANS 5:2223

byL

auraWeber&jaqueBecwar


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byogerTarabasi

byitae

TRaDITIoNSIf you saw the StorytellingHomeFront Monthly, you may haveread my friend Lauras story about

her parents blessings for her.When she shared this story withme, I was so touched by the waysher parents intentionally spokeTruth and identity into her life whenshe was a child.

She said that her father would select a new versefor her to memorize and focus on every year. Hewould then pray it daily over her and recite it withher each day before school. What I found most

signicant was how she said these verses not onlysank into her as a little girl, but have also come to

shape her identity now, as a woman. In hearing thisprofound story, I wondered what this might look likefor families today. How might this tradition shapeour children? How will their identities be groundedin Christ and their lives transformed?

How to get strted:

1Start by asking God to reveal a piece ofScripture to you. Be patient, and allow theSpirit to guide you in this process. Identify

a time to share this verse with your child.

2Share with him or her the meaning of theverse, and about the journey you took thatled you to choose it.

3Decide on a time of day when you canrecite and pray this verse with your child.Allow this to begin to be part of your

natural rhythm and daily routine. Have fun withthis tradition and wait to see God honor and usethis verse in the life of your child.

maRRIaGEIn years past, we used to hear thephrase, holy matrimony becausemarriage was viewed as holy and

sacred. In a recent poll, high schoolstudents were asked if theybelieved that when they gotmarried, their marriage would last alifetime. Sixty percent said no.Marriage itself is losing its identityas a permanent union.

We are all aware of how important our identityis, and it is no less so in marriage. We need to seeourselves as committed for lifeas great husbands,wives, fathers, and mothers. We need to see

ourselves in light of who we are in Christ, and whoHe calls us to be as providers, lovers, caregiverswho are compassionate, kind, caring, and patientpeople. The more we focus on who we have beencreated to be (our true identities in Christ), the morewe will act out of those identities.

How do you see yourself as a husband/wife?

How does this compare to the way God sees

you and what He calls you to be?

Which of the following qualities do you need

to start accepting about yourself?

Compassionate | rovider | Lover | ind | Caring| Self-sacricing | Romantic | Encourager

Begin to ask the Lord to help you believe that

this is what He has made you to be. ray for Him toshow you specic ways to demonstrate your identityto your spouse.

Watch God answer those prayers!Storytelling about your marriage is so important

to your children; they want to know how God hasworked and can still work in your lives. Tell themover and over!


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byAshleytani

CREaTEHave you ever had the chance towatch a potter?

A few years ago I went on a mission trip to

the Dominican Republic. One night there was agathering at the local church, and as the pastorpreached, he created a beautiful pot. The audiencequietly watched as his focus, close attention, andcarefully thought-out movements went into creatingthis pot. Once he nished the rst one, he startedon another. The second pot looked completely

different; yet, it still required the same focus, closeattention, and careful movements. Isaiah 64:8 tellsus, et, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay,you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.The Father has uniquely molded each person in yourfamily and thats a reason to celebrate!

ottery is such a great representation of identity.For Create this month, why not try making some

pottery as a family? Here re some wys you cdo ths:

1. Color Me Mine (www.colormemine.com). Thisis a paint-your-own-pottery studio with locationsin many different states (visit the website to nd alocation near you). They have premade pottery thatyou can paint. They provide all the paints, designs,

and materials; all you have to do is show up andcreate! Go as a family to Color Me Mine and pick

out something to paint as a family. A plate might bea good option as each person can make his or hermark on it. Another option is to let each personpick out a piece of pottery and paint it uniquely,reecting his or her own personality. If you do not

have a Color Me Mine near you, do some researchand see if there are any similar paint-your-own-pottery studios in your area.

2. If option #1 doesnt work for you, you caneasily make a pottery studio at home! Go to a craftstore and get Crayola Clay or Model Magic. Giveeach person some clay and allow her to create her

own pottery. Let it dry overnight, then take markersor paint and design away!


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byAshleytani&TommyLarson

WoRSHIPThroughout the past month, kids at our church have been experiencingwhat it means to express themselves through art. Towards the end ofeach service as we head into Respond, kids have been leaving their seats

and approaching blank canvases to write, draw, and paintall with the

intent of glorifying God. It has been amazing to see how kids choose toexpress themselves, and also to learn about their understanding of whoGod is.

This month, your family can bring this expressionof worship through art into the home. Its actually avery easy setup and doesnt require leadership from

any one member of the family.

Start off by sectioning off an area of your homeusing a drop cloth, a blank canvas against the wall,

different colors of paint, and brushes of varioussizes. oull also need to print out this monthsmemory verse (see p. 3) and have it framed in aprominent position. Next, write the phrase Who

Are ou? on the canvas. Finally, gather your familytogether.

This month, were focusing on the environment ofIdentity. Weve all seen and experienced the counteridentities the world offers and the destructive pathsto which they lead. Talk together as a family aboutthose counter identities: What are they? Do we

claim them? Talk together about the difference

between what the world offers us and what we aregiven through Christ. How would God identify eachof us?

Explain that this art station in your home will beopen throughout the coming month for them torespond to what they feel God reveals to them

about their identity. They can also use this artstation as a way of expressing questions they havefor God about their identity. There is no designatedtime to write or draw on the canvas. Let your familyknow they should add to the canvas when they wantto. Its as simple as that!

At the end of the month, gather together as afamily in front of the canvas. Read this monthsverse, examine your canvas, and talk about what yousee. Then pray together as a family, acknowledgingyour identity in Christ.


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HomeFront Monthly November Identity)