If yall follow me on social media, you saw me post about the Noteworthy Prayer Cards last week. These little cards made my kids whole week when they found them in their lunch box at school!   Each card has an uplifting message, a Bible verse, a prayer, and a space for you to write your own note to your child! Simply tear off a page and place it in or on their backpack, lunch box, bathroom mirror, or pillow! Wherever they will find it!   Get creative! Remember, your kids are never too young or too old to hear how much you adore them.   For more information and to get your cards, head over to cpgive.org. That’s cpgive.org     Who loves a tongue twister? I know we do in our house. Have you ever tried the one that says…how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Here it is slowly….how much wood…could a woodchuck chuck…if a woodchuck…could chuck wood. One more time as fast as you can, how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?   So fun! If you didn’t get it this first time, I’m sure you will with practice.   Well, we are talking about tongue twisters today because I’ve been reading in the Bible, in the book of John lately, and I’ve realized that the very first verse or sentence of that book is like a tongue twister. Or better yet, a brain twister.   It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”   It’s a brain twister because it’s a bit confusing on what’s being said here. It almost sounds like the disciple John who wrote this book is repeating Himself a few times. But he’s not. Let’s take each phrase and look at what he’s saying. First of all, he’s talking about Jesus who we can think of as “the word.” So when John says “in the beginning was the word,” what do you think that means? I’m going to give you a minute to pause here and talk about that together. When John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the word,” what does that mean? PAUSE If you said that it means that Jesus existed since the beginning of time, you’re right! Remember that “in the beginning” is the phrase that is used in Genesis which explains the whole creation of the world? John is letting us know that Jesus was there at that time! Jesus’ life didn’t just start when He was born on earth!   Okay, let’s add the next part of that verse: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God…remember we can think of “the word” as another name for Jesus here so we’ve already said that Jesus existed before the world was created, but it also says “the word was with God.” This shows us that Jesus is in perfect fellowship with God. And this is a fancy way of saying that they were hanging out together and best friends. It shows us that they are 2 unique people! Which is sorta mindblowing given the next phrase. Let’s add it in…   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The last phrase says “the Word was God.” So we shouldn’t think of Jesus and God as 2 separate people with different things they like and don’t like, but we should think of them as the same beucase this tells us that Jesus IS God. I told you this was a brain twister, right?! This is a concept called the Trinity, which we have a whole episode about if you want to learn more here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/backseat-bible-nuggets/id1573752728?i=1000531698203   But for now, let’s say the whole verse together. But this time I’ll pause so you can repeat after me: In the beginning was the Word….and the Word was with God…and the Word was God…John 1:1   Awesome job everyone! I encourage you to keep practicing this verse and keep thinking about each phrase because it’s a pretty cool verse that really gets you thinking!   For now though, we have some questions for you to talk about. Remember, the point is to get conversation flowing, so don’t over think it! 1.     Who was with God when all things were created? 2.     Why is it important to know that Jesus existed at the creation of the world and not just when Mary had him as a baby? 3.     What does it mean that Jesus is God?   Backseat Bible Nuggets is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Do you ever need help with something? I mean, is there ever something that you can’t do on your own and you need someone to help you do it? Let’s talk about some examples. When have you needed help today? Go ahead and tell me about a time recently where you needed help. Okay, now I want you to tell me exactly just HOW you asked for help when you needed it. Alright, so maybe you asked for help by simply saying “I need help.” Or “can you help me, please?” or maybe you just cried and the adult you were with knew you needed help. It’s a totally normal part of a kid’s day to need and ask for help. It happens A LOT, I bet, doesn’t it? Well, that need for help doesn’t stop when you grow up. It might look a little different. Like as you grow up, you’ll learn how to tie your shoes or cut you your food or things like that or other things you might need help with at this age, but even grown-ups still need help in all sorts of ways. Good news is that we know someone who always hear when we ask for His help. It’s Jesus! Did you know that the Lord really really really wants US – me and you -  to ask Him for His help? He wants us to go to Him when we need help because He can help us! John 14:13 and 14 is where Jesus said, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Philippians 4:6 tells us to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”   There is certainly a right way and a wrong way to go about asking for help from God. For example, if you demand that God gives you an ice cream cone right now!! ….He might not. But, if you go to Him, thanking Him that He listens to you and your need for help. And if you ask Him to help you through a situation or if you ask Him to help you with a hard situation so that His name would be glorified, John 14:14 tells us that He will do it!   So, here’s what I want you to remember today, because this is a big deal. We can ask God for help. Repeat John 14:14 after me…..”You may ask me for anything…..in my name….and I will do it…. John 14:14”   Jesus said those words. He wasn’t joking or making it up. He really really wants us to go to Him when we need help and ask Him for help. Don’t you think that God Almighty who created the heavens and the earth just might be the perfect person to ask for help? I do. And it’s a good reminder that we can go to Him first for help when we are in need.   I want to leave you with 2 questions to talk about with whoever you’re listening with…. 1.     Where do you need God’s help in your life right now? 2.     How do we ask God for help? Talk it out and maybe even pray together as we put it in to practice of asking God for help in our life!   Backseat Bible Nuggets is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Have you ever seen one of those big inflatable balls that people can get inside and fit their whole body in? It’s almost like a giant hamster ball, but for humans? Apparently, it’s called a zorb. You can look it up! https://www.zorbs.us/ Well, my friends, this is sometimes how I visualize God’s protection of His children.   Hah! That might sound sorta strange, and I should start by saying there is no Bible verse that talks about giant human hamster balls, but scripture is full of stories that show God’s full and complete protection from all sides. And it’s the Lord’s protection that encompasses those who follow Him as they live their life.   In fact, God’s plan of sending Jesus to die for our sins PROTECTS us from death for all of eternity. Talk about ultimate protection! And so those who have surrendered their heart to Jesus and received His gift of salvation can know that they know that they know that the Lord will always protect and that He will never leave them or forsake them. That’s a promise in the Bible that we can depend on. And part of Him never leaving us means that we can count on His protection all around us. A protection that cannot be broken. A protection that cannot be penetrated.   In fact, Psalms 18:2-3 says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.”   So, these verses talk about the Lord being a fortress. Hmm, what is a fortress? We don’t typically have those around town anymore, but they used to be very common and very important to protecting people! A fortress was almost like a castle or a giant structure that was meant to protect people inside from an outside enemy attack. It usually had thick walls made from stone and its whole purpose was to protect the people and keep them safe.   So Psalm 18:2 is telling us that the LORD is OUR fortress. The Lord is like this huge structure made from the biggest stones that cannot be broken. His protection is a like a fortress that we can stay in and know that we will be safe. And a fortress sounds like much better protection than a giant hamster ball, doesn’t it?   Now, I want to say one thing. God is our protector. He does offer us protection. And He won’t ever fail. But, does that mean that nothing bad or hard will ever happen in our life, right? No, sometimes people choose to walk away from God’s protection, like they walk out of the fortress and think they can protect themselves on their own. Or sometimes God allows things to happen in our life to give Him glory as we grow through it. But either way, God as just as He is described in Psalm 18:2. Y’all can repeat after me on this one. It says, “The Lord is my rock…my fortress….and my deliverer…My God is my rock…in whom I take refuge….” Psalm 18:2…   So, let’s talk about some things that we learn from this. You can pause to discuss. And remember, don’t overthink it. Just give your best answer and get the conversation going!   1.     What does it mean that God is our protector? 2.     How have you seen God as protector in your life?   Backseat Bible Nuggets is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org  

Have you ordered your prayer journal from Christian Parenting for this school year? This simple yet powerful tool will be your most valuable school supply you get! So, make sure you’re staying rooted in prayer for your kids this year by going to CPGive.org to get yours today!   You know the feeling of being extremely thirsty? Just dying of thirst? Maybe you’ve been playing outside in the hot sunshine and suddenly it hits you how thirsty you are. It’s like the only thing you can think about is getting some ice-cold water.   When we are thirsty, most of us are able to just run inside and get water. OR we’ve brought a water bottle along with us that’s right by our side for when we get thirsty. Our bodies need water constantly to stay hydrated and feeling good. We don’t just drink because it tastes good, we drink because we need it for our body to stay alive! And while my kids sure do love milk and juice and all the special drinks, nothing can satisfy our thirst quite like water can. Is this making anyone else thirsty? Like then need some water right now with all this talking about it?   Well, just as we get thirsty every day, so did Jesus. Actually, there is a story in the Bible, in John chapter 4, where Jesus goes to a well to get some water to drink. A well is like a big tunnel or hole in the ground where they used to get water from. Anyway, he sits down at the well probably super thirsty because he’s been walking a long way. And he starts talking to a lady that the Bible calls the Samaritan woman.   This conversation that Jesus has with this Samaritan woman is so unusual because back in Bible times, the Samaritan people and the Jews, which is what Jesus was, did NOT get along. There was this long history of them not being friendly with each other. So, they usually wouldn’t even talk. But Jesus doesn’t care about those types of things and he starts talking to this lady at the well.   And Jesus ends up telling her in John 4:13 that “everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”   Wow! What if you had been the one talking with Jesus and he told you that He had water that would make you never thirst again? What would you have said in response?   PAUSE   I think I would’ve said, yes please! Give me some of that special water. In fact, let’s put some in my water bottle for later too! But, Jesus wasn’t talking about water like we drink every day. What do you think He was talking about?   PAUSE   Jesus was using this example of water and the fact that we get thirsty and keep having to drink water to explain the fact that Jesus offers us something better. He offers us a type of spiritual water that can satisfy our heart and mind a soul in a way that only Jesus can. In a way that won’t keep going away like regular water does in our bodies. In fact, our verse said that the water Jesus gives will become a spring in us! So, we will have a constant source of water! Amazing, right!?   Jesus called this water “living water” in John 4:10. What do you think “living water” means?   PAUSE   The Lord can satisfy us in ways that regular ole water could never do. Don’t get me wrong, water hits the spot on those hot days after I’ve been running around. But, Jesus also hits the spot when my heart is worried or my mind wonders about certain things or even when I’m scared or disappointed. There’s nothing that can satisfy me like Jesus’ presence. And His presence, the Holy Spirit, is that living water that is living IN me as a child of God.   So, after all this talk about water, maybe we should go get a big glass of ice water! Sound good? Let’s do it.   Water sound. Drink sound. Ahhhh.   So good! Let’s pray together. Lord Jesus, you are living water. And I thank you for this conversation that you had with the Samaritan woman. We can learn how you can relate to the feeling of being thirsty. And we learn that you offer us something way better than simple water. You offer us satisfaction for our deepest needs. You are a special God who loves us deeply. May we drink your living water today. Amen.   Backseat Bible Nuggets is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Miss Patty Cake “Little Me” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI_pDN-edw8   I’ve been walking with Jesus for 30 years now and its crazy that I’ve just recently realized that the longer I know Him, the more I understand how much I don’t know and don’t understand about Him. I mean, most people, the more you spend time with them, the more you know them, right?! That’s true with Jesus too in some ways. The more time I spend reading the Bible which teaches me about Him, the more I know Him. The more time I spend in prayer talking to Him, the more I know Him. The more time I spend singing songs about Him, the more I know Him. But since God is unlike any other person I know because, well, He’s God…I’ve realized that the more I know Him it’s like the less I know. The more I realize how huge and great and holy and mighty in power and just massive His presence is. My understanding grows to see how nothing can stop Him and how He can speak a word and whatever He said happens and how even tiny details all throughout history are orchestrated and directed by Him. He is just on this massive huge scale that I can’t even wrap my brain around. But yet. Here’s the amazing part. He loves me. Little me. But why? Why would He love me? There’s plenty of other people for Him to love. Plenty of cooler people who are better at all sorts of things than I am. Yet…..little me. He loves and cares for so deeply. And He doesn’t just love me big picture or if I’m acting really good. He loves me even when I make the wrong decision. He loves even the details of my life. Like He knows what hurts my feelings and what foods I like or don’t like. He knows me. He knows my thoughts. He knows me better than I even know myself because He made me. Makes me think of this song my daughter learned in preschool that’s by Miss Patty Cake. I’ll put the link to the song in the show notes. Listen to this song… AVERY SING Jesus loves little me. The God who is bigger than we can ever understand….He loves little me. How amazing is that? And that my friends, is what I’ve been learning recently. Even after walking with the Lord for 30 years. It’s the basic gospel, the good news about what Jesus did for us while we were yet sinners, that still floors me and brings me to my knees in worship. My little knees, if you will. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Here are some questions to get you and whoever you’re listening with talking about how amazing the Lord is to us. 1.     How can God create the heavens and the earth yet still know your thoughts? 2.     How does that make you feel to say that Jesus loves little me? 3.     What can we do in response to such an amazing love? Like should we just say thank you and walk away? Or what can we do because of His love for us? Let’s practice our verse together one last time. You can repeat after me. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 Backseat Bible Nuggets is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org