Instant Expectations

Writer John C. Thomas worries that our culture of "instant gratification" is stifling our prayer life. Is God someone with whom you devoutly pursue a relationship, or do you treat Him as a vending machine, with prayer your dollar? Read article >>>

Read entire article at parsonage.org >>

Church Spotlight

Rocky Bayou Baptist Church, Niceville, FL

Rocky Bayou is a Southern Baptist church ministering to more than 100 kids every week. The Children's Ministry Team consists of Pastor Carey Dean, Pam Bristol, and Shirley Olimb.

DiscipleLand (DL): How did Rocky Bayou find DiscipleLand?
Rocky Bayou (RB): Our Children's Department was in search of curriculum that taught the Word chronologically at an early age and delivered continuity a year at a time for elementary children. DiscipleLand met the criteria plus it ministered to the teacher with encouraging devotionals and challenging text.

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Discipleship Tip

Remind your children that praying is a way to talk with God, similar to the way people talk with each other. Encourage group prayer by giving kids words to say-write down a line or two that they can repeat. As the weeks progress, let children write their own thoughts to read during closing prayers. Eventually, they may become comfortable enough to pray without preparation.

Free Lunch from DiscipleLand

Treat a children's ministry colleague to lunch—and DiscipleLand will pick up the tab! Choose a Guest, tell him/her about DiscipleLand over breakfast or lunch, and we'll reimburse you. If your Guest makes the switch to DiscipleLand and places an order of $200 or more, you will get $100 cash, and your guest will get a 10% discount on that order.

Apply for your free lunch >>

Free Thanksgiving Card

Show a child that you are thankful for his or her presence in your life. This fun downloadable Thanksgiving card is free for your personal use.

Steps to making your free Thanksgiving card:

1. Download the card (size: 1,220 KB, pdf format)
2. Orient the paper so the "give thanks" text is in the upper right corner.
3. Fold the paper in half away from you, between the art and the text.
4. Now, holding the side with the text showing, fold in half again, this time toward you. The Dee, Cy and Paul artwork should appear on the outside of the card.

Kids Need Prayer

(Matthew 7:7-8; James 5:16)

The Situation: Kids wonder, "Will God really answer my prayers?" Some children think that God is too big or too busy to hear their requests. Others feel too awkward or unworthy to speak with Him. Still others stop praying after a request is not granted.

The Solution: God yearns to hear from His children! The Lord speaks to us via the Scriptures. We respond to Him via prayer. God created people to enjoy unbroken communion with Him. Prayer can be as natural as eating and sleeping.

What You Can Do: Pray together-from the time you awaken your child in the morning until you tuck him or her in bed at night. Practice using the "H-E-A-R-T" acrostic:

• Honor God with praise and respect.
• Examine your life, confessing any sins.
• Ask God to supply your personal needs.
• Request God's help for the needs of others.
• Thank God for blessing you every day.

Product Spotlight—DiscipleBlog

If you have a heart for discipling children, be sure to check out DiscipleBlog.com. Featuring insights from DiscipleLand founder, Mark Steiner, tips and essays on discipling kids, and guest writers with discipleship experience, DiscipleBlog.com exists to challenge and inspire you to more effectively build young disciples of Christ. Currently, Kidology.org founder, Karl Bastian, is posting a series on discipleship tips.

Visit DiscipleBlog.com >>

DiscipleLand Training on the Road

We hope to see you at the following training event:

To attend one of these events or to schedule a teacher training, contact Dick Crider, DiscipleLand Training Consultant, at 877-416-3742.

To ensure you receive DiscipleDispatch from DiscipleLand, please add dispatch@Discipleland.com to your address book. 

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