This month we launch our new curriculum called Wonder Ink! Wonder Ink’s child discipleship plan explores the entire Bible and celebrates the wonder of God in each lesson through a 4-part journey of Curiosity, Belief, Faith, and Identity. All of our kid rooms, from the Nursery up through 5th grade will follow the same 52-week scope and sequence which makes room for the big (and sometimes hard) questions kids have while leaving no doubt about who God is and who they are in Him. Lessons are grouped into series of 4-8 weeks and includes dedicated series for both Christmas and Easter.
You can check out the full scope and sequence by clicking here.
Here is a look at our first series called Be WonderFILLED!
WEEK ONE WONDER TRUTH: God Knows Me SCRIPTURE: Psalm 139 WORD OF WONDER: Ephesians 1:4
We are known by a God who deeply loves us. He is the all-knowing, ever-present God. Often, I forget the depth and wonder of God. And yet, this is the first truth about God that I want kids to know: God knows you. And not only does He know you, but He has always known you—everything about you! It is mind-blowing when you stop and ponder God’s all-knowing power. He chose to create everything, and you are a part of it. Pause for a moment and take a deep breath. That inhale and exhale come from God. His breath is constantly moving through you. His presence is right here with you. Read Psalm 139:1–6, 13–18. What specifically is God illuminating for you? What do those words remind you about God and who He is? Before we even utter a word, He knows it completely. From the very beginning, He had each of us in mind. His thoughts about each of us never end. They are woven into the very core of who we are: we are fearfully and wonderfully made! Ask yourself this question: What does God think of me? When you do so, does your head fill with the words of Psalm 139? Or are the words coming from somewhere else? There is no place you can go where God isn’t with you. You are known by Him and belong to Him. May the words of this psalm saturate your heart and mind, and remind you that are His known, precious creation.
Bring the lesson home and continue the series with Week One @Home
WEEK TWO WONDER TRUTH: Jesus Loves Me SCRIPTURE: John 13 WORD OF WONDER: Ephesians 1:4
“Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.” The words of this beloved children’s song are simple, and yet they communicate a profound truth that is not just for children. I have sung this song to my kids as they drifted off to sleep. I’ve hummed it while cradling a sick baby. I’ve heard my daughter singing it to her stuffed animals. It’s more than just a song: the overwhelming, sacrificial, lavish love of Jesus is true for each one of us every day, even on days when we forget about it or can’t feel it.
Jesus loves you when you’re busy or tired. When you skip your devotions. When you lose your temper. You are loved no matter what you do (or fail to do). Because we are loved by Jesus, we get to share His love with others.
After He washed the disciples’ feet, Jesus gave them one simple command: to love one another. Jesus said this is how people will know His followers: by the love they show to others. Take a moment to reflect upon how your life demonstrates the love of Jesus. Can the people around you tell you’re a follower of Christ by your love? Do you carry the truth of His love with you every day?
This week, ask God to help you internalize the truth of His great love for you and share it with others.
Bring the lesson home and continue the series with Week Two
WEEK 3 WONDER TRUTH: The Holy Spirit Leads Me SCRIPTURE: Romans 8 WORD OF WONDER: Ephesians 1:4
Four months ago I sat with my husband and two teenagers at a church we had never visited before. It was four states away from our Texas home in the heart of a bustling, east-coast city—a city we had sensed God leading us toward. The pastor teaching that morning drew a word picture we will ever forget. She stood one night on an Alabama beach when she was a college student studying engineering. Up and down the coastline she saw the warm lights of hotels and restaurants. It was beautiful, safe, known. Then she pivoted, taking in the vast, dark gulf stretching indefinitely before her— terrifying and unknown. She heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit that night: before her were two paths. One was a life of walking along the beach. It would be a good life. A safe life. The other was to step out into the water. It would be a life full of adventure and even peril, a life of being led and held by the Holy Spirit. She chose the second path.
Read Romans 8:1–17. Are there corners of your life where dependence on God takes a back seat to self-sufficiency? Areas where obligation and performance prevent you from walking in freedom? Where is the Holy Spirit leading you?
Our family heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit that morning. We chose to leave the beach and step out into the water. When the Holy Spirit leads us, we may be uncertain of what is ahead, but we can have confidence that God is right there with us. May you hear the Spirit’s whisper this week and go where He leads you.
Bring the lesson home and continue the series with Week Three
WEEK FOUR WONDER TRUTH: I Am a Child of God, So My Life Can Tell of God’s Wonder SCRIPTURE: 1 Peter 2; Mark 13 WORD OF WONDER: Ephesians 1:4
Rejected and chosen. Through these two opposite words used to describe Jesus in 1 Peter 2, we can clearly see that God operates in a way that is different from the world. Humans reject. God chooses.
The word chosen doesn’t just apply to Jesus. This is also what we are as God’s children. We are seen by and precious to Him. Take a look at 1 Peter 2:9 and write down some other words that describe God’s children. Now underline or circle the word that most stands out to you.
How does it feel to know God sees you this way? How does knowing this change the way you might live going forward?
When we live in the knowledge that we are chosen and precious to God, it changes the way we move within the world. It changes everything about the way we think, speak, and act. 1 Peter 2:9 ends with “that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (NIV).
God’s ways are wonderful. When we see them, when we know who we are as His children, we will want to tell everyone! How could we hold such amazing news inside?
Bring the lesson home and continue the series with Week Four
