John Jay
Click here to get a copy of Crashing the Idols.
Gretchen
Sunday Special | EP 15
Good morning, Friends!
This morning we are so excited to have three special guests join us (oh, plus some furry friends!). We talk about how to love people well and who Jesus tells us to love. To help us learn more about that, we read two stories. The first reading is from a book called "A Kids Book About Racism" by Jelani Memory, and the second story is about the Good Samaritan from the Bible.
Parents, we know that racism is a tough topic to talk to kids about, but we believe it's important. We also know that each parent has lots of decisions to make about when to have these conversations and what language they use to talk about race, especially for younger children. Our goal is to come alongside you and support you, so we wanted to give you the chance to preview our video and decide if that part would be helpful for your family. If you want to skip ahead to the Good Samaritan story, feel free to do that (the book about racism goes from 4:00-9:25 in the video, and you’ll see a notice pop up on the video, too).
After you watch the video, you and your family members can use the following discussion prompts and activities to apply the lesson.
Talk It Out
Recap: What did Jesus say about who is our neighbor? How are we supposed to treat our neighbors?
Check In With Yourself: How does it feel to know that we are called to love everybody? What are reasons we sometimes give for not loving everybody?
Wonder: What are you wondering right now as you think about the story of the Good Samaritan?
Apply It
One way to think about how to treat others is to think about how you want to be treated. Think about the ways you can love others really well by putting yourself in their shoes and thinking about how you would want them to act toward you. Since we are staying home a lot, don't forget to think about the people in your own family (even brothers and sisters!) and how you might love them with more Jesus love. You could write your own journal or use something like these cards to keep track of ways you treat others how you would like them to treat you. See how that changes the way you see others!
Think about your neighbors around your house and how you could love them well. Maybe you could write a note or draw a picture or bake some cookies to share with a neighbor you don't know well or who lives alone. Be creative with your love for your neighbors!
Say a prayer to thank God for making all kinds of different people. You could even draw a picture of the world and all kinds of people in it as a way to thank God for making each one of us. Then ask God to show you how to love everyone well.
Listen to this song about how God made everybody in every nation!
We are praying for you! Please remember to email/call/text with any prayer requests you have.
Much love,
Pastors Lindsay and Mary
Cynthia
FBCP Families | Weekday Wonders 14
Hi, Friends!
I cannot believe that June is already halfway over! If you missed Pastor Gretchen’s information about Juneteenth as well as some other local opportunities for families in Pasadena this weekend, make sure you head on over to the Phenomenal Friday post (and there’s a message for dads there, too!).
We are excited to let you know about our summer plan for kids and anyone else who wants to do some joyful creating! Even though we can't do our regular Arts Camp, we can still have fun and grow as individuals and as a church. Our focus will be on compassion, and each week in July we will have a new theme and various ways you can learn something new to tap into God's heart of compassion. Best of all, we are inviting members of the FBCP family to share their gifts and talents with us as we explore the arts in order to bring more compassion to the world. We will be using videos, Zoom, and safe in-person opportunities in hopes that we can accommodate a range of schedules. We hope you will join us! If you already know you want to help out, use the button below to get plugged in. More details and information for families will be coming next week. Bring on the compassion!
New Wonders
This week we are sharing more ways to find joy in sharing, creating, and reading!
Father's Day DIY
If you're in need of some fun ideas to do for or with dad, check out Kiwi Co's post with lots of ideas. We thank God for the father figures who have made such a difference in our lives!
Kidspace Project of the Day
If you are looking for some more projects to do this summer at home, Kidspace has some great ideas on this project page that you can check out regularly. Some favorites of mine from a first glance: word mobile, space in a jar, and intergalactic TP puppets.
Resources for Reading with Kids
Here Wee Read is a website created by Charnaie Gordon, an author, speaker, and founder of 50 States 50 Books. She loves books and instilling a love of reading in kids. Her posts cover a range of topics about literacy, including book recommendations, reading journal ideas, a summer reading list for kids, and where to find free or discounted books.
Sunday Specials
Sunday Video
This Sunday we have some very special guests lined up to help us talk about love and kindness and justice and friendship! We can't wait to share some more familiar faces from our church family with you. Yay!
Youth Hangout!
We are on for our regular noon call this Sunday, and here is the meeting link that you can use each week to hop on the hangout. Discussion, laughs, games, and creative prayer activities await. Yay for our youth!
Sending you so much love and virtual hugs!
With gratitude for you,
Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary
Phenomenal Friday #25
This week’s daily encouragements
local events
Gretchen
Lindsay
John Jay
John Jay
Sunday Special | EP 14
Good morning, Friends!
The liturgy this morning is all about joy and gratitude, and we have a special video exploring those, too. Best of all, we had a bunch of special guests join us, which only increased our joy!
After you watch the video, you and your family members can use the following discussion prompts and activities to apply the lesson.
Talk It Out
Recap: What is the connection between joy and gratitude?
Check In With Yourself: How much joy have you been experiencing lately?
Wonder: What are you wondering right now as you think about joy even when we are facing hard circumstances?
Apply It
Rock out to this song which is all about choosing joy. It's one of Cynthia's and Mary's favorite songs! (Dancing is totally allowed.)
Post a list where everyone can write or draw the things that bring them joy and a sense of deep gratitude. Consider adding to it at the same time each day or also using a journal to write a bit more about what you are grateful for. We promise this is not just a silly practice; it's a powerful one that God calls us to do!
Share some joy with those who don't have a home right now by making a card and dropping it off at FBCP! In the coming weeks, The Giving Spirit is committed to serving 10,000 homeless lives by building and delivering new Health and Safety Kits to help protect 10,000 of our most vulnerable neighbors during this dangerous time. And just as with their traditional Survival Kits, each Health and Safety Kit will include a homemade “Friendship Card” – it’s often the first item that the recipients pull from the bag because it tells them just how much we care and gives them hope that they are not forgotten! This is where you come in. We would love your compassion and creativity to help create these cards and make sure they get to those in need. It’s totally safe and easier than you might think. Here's a video and here are some written instructions.
We are praying for you! Please remember to email/call/text with any prayer requests you have.
Much love,
Pastors Lindsay and Mary
Leslie
FBCP Families | Weekday Wonders 13
Hi, Friends!
I pray you feel connected to your church and loved on this Friday! Mary and I continue to think about you and our FBCP family everyday, and we are here to talk and pray with you anytime you need it. We know that summer is here, it's hot, and most of the typical kid-friendly options are not available. We have some plans in the works that we will share next week regarding some kid "camp" options in July. Stay tuned!
I know many of you have been asking good questions and doing some reading and processing about racial justice. If you are interested in being part of a group to do some learning with other folks, click the button below and we will keep you updated on opportunities to engage with each other. You could also check out this page to get a free ebook from a large list of titles—but the offer ends today!
Weekday Wonders
Today's Weekday Wonders are a little different. Because this Sunday's liturgy is going to focus on joy and gratitude, today we want to share some related resources.
Dan's Gratitude Exercise
Our own Dan Linscott shared a really helpful and practical exercise on gratitude and a little background on why gratitude has been proven to be such a healthy practice for us. If you missed that daily encouragement (or even if you heard it!), then check it out and try it this week!
Some More Gratitude Practices For Kids
This article has some more practical tips for cultivating gratitude in families. Some of them don't take long at all; others could become a regular habit at the dinner table.
Space for Songs and Silliness
It's been a long and tough season—no doubt about it. But joy is something God invites us into even in the midst of suffering. Simple things like singing, dancing, or allowing ourselves to be silly can help foster joy and connection. Get creative, even if it's just a five minute dance party break for the house or making up silly lyrics to a song the family loves. If you want more help, then this ridiculous blog post has tons of ideas. We'd love to know how you are finding moments of joy with your families!
An Opportunity to Spread Joy (and stop by FBCP!)
Here's an opportunity we have to partner with The Giving Spirit! We have a yellow box set up right outside of First Baptist Church Pasadena for you to drop off a card. Read on for the details!
In the coming weeks, The Giving Spirit is committed to serving 10,000 homeless lives by building and delivering new Health and Safety Kits to help protect 10,000 of our most vulnerable neighbors during this dangerous time. And just as with their traditional Survival Kits, each Health and Safety Kit will include a homemade “Friendship Card” – it’s often the first item that the recipients pull from the bag because it tells them just how much we care and gives them hope that they are not forgotten! This is where you come in. We would love your compassion and creativity to help create these cards and make sure they get to those in need. It’s totally safe and easier than you might think. Here's a video and here are some written instructions.
Sunday Specials
Sunday Video
In addition to our regular video (which featured our very own Engry!), last week we had fun sending some individual videos to our kids, too! This Sunday Pastor Mary and I will be hosting some guests on our church video, and we are going to be focusing on—yep—joy and gratitude!
Youth Hangout!
We are on for our regular noon call this Sunday, and here is the meeting link that you can use each week to hop on the hangout. This week we are also going to send food (because food brings us so much joy!), so you can respond with the button below to place your youth’s order. We love our youth!
Sending you so much love and virtual hugs!
With gratitude for you,
Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary
Phenomenal Friday #24
Welcome to this week’s Phenomenal Friday post! Today we are sharing some of our favorite things: books and a song. Much love from your FBCP community.
Books to Bless You
a song to bless you
This Week’s Posts
Featured
Regina, Victoria, and Zach
Share the love
When Pastor Mary and I delivered Pentecost Party Packs to some of our FBCP kids, Regina wanted us to pass on a video message to her friend Victoria, which we were thrilled to do. Below you will find the video exchange between these two precious members of our church family. They are simple words but full of all the love and care and friendship that we are called to share with one another. Today I invite you to follow the example of these young friends and send a message of love to someone you miss in our church family.
-Pastor Lindsay
An Invitation from Zach
Playlist for a Crisis
Some of you may not know that we have a list of songs from our liturgies that you can play in your home or wherever you have access to the internet. So, today we want to share that playlist with you. Music is an important companion for us in this season, and we hope that as you listen to the voices of your church family, you are reminded that you are not alone.
Lindsay
John Jay and Gretchen
Sunday Special | EP 13
Good morning, Friends
The liturgy this morning celebrates Trinity Sunday, but we decided to take a different focus in our lesson with the kids. You can find the Bible lesson in Acts 2:42 and 4:32-35. It's all about sharing in love and being the body of Christ, so it felt like a timely message! We also have a special guest on our video, and we hope that seeing her face will bring you some joy.
After you watch the video, you and your family members can use the following discussion prompts and activities to apply the lesson.
Talk It Out
Recap: What were the followers of Jesus all doing?
Check In With Yourself: How does it feel to share with other people?
Wonder: What are you wondering right now as you think about how to share with people during these unusual circumstances of being at home so much?
Apply It
Here are two ways you can share love and encouragement with people in our community and city by making cards!
Share some love with those who don't have a home right now by making a card and dropping it off at FBCP! In the coming weeks, The Giving Spirit is committed to serving 10,000 homeless lives by building and delivering new Health and Safety Kits to help protect 10,000 of our most vulnerable neighbors during this dangerous time. And just as with their traditional Survival Kits, each Health and Safety Kit will include a homemade “Friendship Card” – it’s often the first item that the recipients pull from the bag because it tells them just how much we care and gives them hope that they are not forgotten! This is where you come in. We would love your compassion and creativity to help create these cards and make sure they get to those in need. It’s totally safe and easier than you might think. Here's a video and here are some written instructions.
Right now there are still lots of healthcare workers who are on the front lines of caring for our sick community during this COVID-19 crisis. In an effort to support the heroes at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (where a friend of Pastor Lindsay works as a chaplain), we are collecting digital notes of encouragement to display on the TVs around the hospital. If you would like to send a note of encouragement to the many healthcare workers, please follow these guidelines: Use only one side of the paper and write a short note or draw a picture thanking our healthcare workers. You could also consider adding your age. Due to fire safety laws, your notes of encouragement will be displayed digitally. You can create a digital photograph using a program like Photoshop or take a photo of your letter/note/picture. Please send your note to Pastor Lindsay over email.. The next deadlines are every Friday in June: Friday June 12, Friday June 19, and Friday June 26.
Write a card to someone in our church who needs some extra love. Just email Pastor Mary, and she will get you all the information!
We are praying for you! Please remember to email/call/text with any prayer requests you have.
Much love,
Pastors Lindsay and Mary