Sunday Special | EP 16

Good morning, Friends!

This week we had some super fun guests: one of our FBCP kids and one of our Family Ministry volunteers! (Bonus: They are related!) Join us as we talk about what compassion is and why it matters so much as we follow Jesus today. 

Click here to watch the video

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: How did Jesus show compassion?

  • Check In With Yourself: How does it feel to think about being Jesus' agent for compassion?

  • Wonder: What are you wondering right now as you think about the story of the woman who needed Jesus to heal her?

Apply It

  • Reading about Jesus will always help us learn more about compassion, so make time for family reading and discussion about what Jesus does to feel the suffering of others and respond to it. Help ask questions like what does Jesus do? What does Jesus not do when He encounters someone who is suffering? What are you wondering about this story?

  • Here are some ideas adapted from Positive Psychology about how to help cultivate compassion with kids:

  1. Talk to your kids about suffering. Though it may prove to be a difficult conversation, helping children notice the suffering of others is a first step in cultivating the action needed to alleviate that suffering.

  2. Ask children who they would want to help in the world. They’re likely noticing more suffering than you might realize. Then help them brainstorm ways they could help where possible!

  3. Read books with compassion themes.There are many books for children with kindness and compassion as central themes. The more the topic is discussed, the greater the opportunities to practice in real life.

  4. Read about helpers. Help your child understand the helpers in their world and how their work in compassionate endeavors are valued.

  5. Teach them self-compassion. We learn too quickly to be hard on ourselves about failure. While we all want kids to succeed, notice when your children are suffering from that failure instead. Help them to know that it is okay to fail, especially if we can learn from it.

  6. Model, Model, Model. Show your children what it means to have compassion toward others and toward yourself. Be sure your interactions with children are led with compassion.

  7. Help them learn self-awareness. Teaching kids to be aware that their actions affect others is vital in understanding empathic action behavior. 

We are praying for you! Please remember to email/call/text with any prayer requests you have. 

 

Much love,

Pastors Lindsay and Mary

Leslie

LYRICS

GOD I LOOK TO YOU

God I look to You
I won't be overwhelmed
Give me vision to see things like You do
God I look to You
You're where my help comes from
Give me wisdom You know just what to do

I will love You Lord my strength
I will love You Lord my shield
I will love You Lord my rock
Forever all my days I will love You God

Hallelujah our God reigns (repeat)
Forever all our days hallelujah

FBCP Families | Weekday Wonders 15

Hi, Friends!

We know from talking to some of you that your needs have shifted almost week to week, and it's hard to know what you and your kids need at a given moment. Please know that if you think of ways that we can come alongside you or spread some joy and love to your kids, we are here to help in whatever way we can! And parents, this is a reminder that you are doing a great job—and are so grateful for the parent community at FBCP! Sending you much love this Friday.

New Wonders

At Home Nature Adventures

Thanks to Cynthia for sharing this fantastic resource from the Arboretum on making nature adventures right at home! Some standouts for me: plant people and living necklaces.

This One's for the Teens

If you have a teenager, then you might want to check out this virtual summer program put on by the YMCA. It's free and offers the chance to earn some community service leadership hours and a certificate.  (Thanks to Ms. Carolyn for passing this along!)

Learning How to Sit

Since many of us are working from home, this article might help you find a better way to treat your back while you sit at a desk, stand at a table, or relax on the couch. 

For Bakers and Cooks

Anna, a parent at FBCP, is offering up some awesome and barely used bakeware and cooking items, including some adorable cake tins and a hand crank pasta maker. She was going to donate them but would love for someone in our church family to get these kitchen gems if someone could use them. If you are interested in making a new home for these items, you can email her at agaemail@aol.com. 

Sunday Specials

Sunday Video

This Sunday we have more special guests lined up to help us talk about compassion. There is so much to learn about compassion and how important it is to Jesus!

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

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). 

Click here to watch today's video!

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

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!

I want to help with this year's arts camp!

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

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!

Watch today's video!

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

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In Pasadena as it is in Heaven