STORY 25 MINUTES WORSHIP 10 MINUTES GROUPS 25 MINUTES

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1 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME Chief Executive Officer Reggie Joiner Creative Team Kristen Ivy Mike Clear Molly Boylan Elloa Davis Elizabeth Hansen Jessica McKee Brandon O Dell Greg Payne Phil Pierce Dan Scott Jon Williams Contributing Writers Jodi Blackwell Holly Crawshaw Becky Jarrett Mike Tiemann John Tillman Editors Molly Boylan Elloa Davis Dana Wilkerson Illustrations & Graphic Design Brian Bascle Mike Davis Joe Goode Technical & Web Support Hadley Brandt Orange Specialists Amy Grisham Joy Bowen Abbey Carr Amy Fenton Leslie Galema Misty Phillips Stephanie Porter Courtney Templeton Statement of Faith ABOUT GOD God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He s at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God. ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable, and authoritative. ABOUT PEOPLE People are made in God s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls short of God s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants an intimate relationship with each of us. ABOUT SALVATION That s why Jesus God s Son came and lived on this earth, died, and rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into God s family and will live with Him forever in heaven. User Agreement Orange gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees to tailor 252 Basics materials to fit their unique leadership requirements, locale and format preferences, and physical environment needs. However, if you wish to edit the content substantively, including Bible stories, learning activities, scripts, and any other content in which biblical principles and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal guidelines we ve expressed in our Statement of Faith. These resources are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by the subscribing entity only and may not be electronically transferred to or duplicated by other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized reproduction of this material or incorporation into a new work is a direct violation of US copyright laws The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 252 Basics and the 252 Basics logo are trademarks of Orange and the rethink Group. Scripture marked NIrV is taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL READER S VERSION. Copyright 1996, 1998, 2014 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica. Scripture marked NIV is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

2 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME BIBLE STORY Power Source City with Broken Walls Proverbs 25:28 (supporting: 2 Peter 1:3a) BOTTOM LINE God can give you the POWER to control yourself. MEMORY VERSE A person without self-control is like a city whose walls are broken through. Proverbs 25:28, NIrV LIFE APP 15 MINUTES 25 MINUTES 10 MINUTES 25 MINUTES PRELUDE: Setting the tone for the experience For Leaders Only Create the Environment SOCIAL: Providing time for fun interaction Ideas for Early Arrivers What s More Powerful? STORY: Communicating God s truth in engaging ways Opener Worship Bible Story Prayer Closer WORSHIP: Inviting people to respond to God This Little Light from Living Inside Out Every Move I Make from Walk This Way : Creating a safe place to connect Go Power Up Power Up! Order Up Prayer HOME: Prompting action beyond the experience GodTime Parent Cue Self-control choosing to do what you should do, not what you want to do. BASIC TRUTH I need to make the wise choice. PAGE 2

3 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME BIBLE STORY Power Source City with Broken Walls Proverbs 25:28 (supporting: 2 Peter 1:3a) BOTTOM LINE God can give you the POWER to control yourself. MEMORY VERSE A person without self-control is like a city whose walls are broken through. Proverbs 25:28, NIrV LIFE APP Self-control choosing to do what you should do, not what you want to do. BASIC TRUTH I need to make the wise choice. Note: This version of the curriculum is designed especially for churches with fewer leaders and kids. You may want to use it if you have just one or two leaders and if you combine all your kids in both Large and Small Group time. GETTING READY SOCIAL: PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION (Choose one or both of these activities.) Early Arriver An offering container What s More Powerful? Print the More Powerful Cards Activity Page and cut cards apart; 1 set for each Small Group STORY: COMMUNICATING GOD S TRUTH IN ENGAGING WAYS 1. Opener/Closer WHAT YOU NEED: Assistant Desk Chair 3-4 gadgets with screens. For example: o Smart phone o Tablet o Laptop o Hand-held game console (like a Game Boy or PSP ) Music and Sound Effects (SFX): Upbeat music to use as kids enter and exit the room You ve Got Mail ding Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website): Self-Control Slide Bottom Line Slide PAGE 3

4 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME WHAT YOU DO: Download the slides and have them ready to use. If you do not have CG capabilities, you have Orange s permission to enlarge and print the slides on paper. Download music and SFX from a resource such as itunes or the download page and have them ready to play. (Note: If you don t have the ability to play sound effects, have someone prepared with a script to play the sound directly from their phone at the appropriate times.) Have the desk and the chair on one side of the stage. Have the screens on the table. If you don t have access to all the suggested screens, you can purchase false ones at a dollar store or online at Amazon.com. We suggest you borrow the devices from people in your church, or it s likely you have most of these in your own home! 2. Bible Story WHAT YOU NEED: Leader Assistant Transparent tarp or shower curtain Hula-hoop Duct tape Spray silly string; 3 cans in 3 different colors (Note: Save at least one can of silly string (doesn t have to be full) for Week 5 Story) Music and Sound Effects (SFX): Text tone SFX Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website): Self-Control Slide Memory Verse Slide Bottom Line Slide WHAT YOU DO: Download the slides and have them ready to use. If you do not have CG capabilities, you have Orange s permission to enlarge and print the slides on paper. Download SFX from a resource such as itunes or the download page and have it ready to play. (Note: If you don t have the ability to play sound effects, have someone prepared with a script to play the sound directly from their phone at the appropriate times.) Use the duct tape to attach the tarp all the way around the Hula-hoop so that when someone stands inside the Hulahoop and holds it up, the tarp acts like a shower curtain around the person. Preset the Hula-hoop and cans of silly string on stage for the Bible story. PAGE 4

5 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME 3. Worship WHAT YOU NEED: Leader(s) Music and Sound Effects (SFX): This Little Light from Living Inside Out* Every Move I Make from Walk This Way* (On the Get Reel 2.0 DVD there is a Live Loud video you can show to help teach and encourage worship in our everyday lives. Use this segment before doing Every Move I Make.) *Live lyrics video available from WHAT YOU DO: Download all songs (available on AmberSkyRecords.com) and have them ready to use. Download and print this week s tech sheet for everyone helping with Large Group. 4. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES GET REEL: This month with Get Reel 2.0, thinking like a gamer will be key to completing each level of this month s curriculum. Think you have what it takes? Press PLAY to continue. This week, we recommend playing the Discovery video to inspire the key faith skill of Navigate the Bible. Our Host literally jumps into the Bible to help us discover how God wants us to learn what He says and apply it to our lives. Also on Get Reel 2.0, you can enhance your environment with an M.C. Haggis video. M.C. Haggis and his sidekick Shamus McFamus tell us all about this month s widget. FEATURE PRESENTATION: We know that sometimes you want to mix things up to keep kids engaged with the most important thing you do every week in your Large Group: tell the Bible story. You also like having a back-up plan in case your Host or Storyteller cancels at the last minute. This is why our Large Group script is interchangeable with the Feature Presentation DVDs so you can plug and play the way you need to each week. Similar to the flow we create with our Large Group script, Feature Presentation also has weekly Intro and Outro videos with a Host. The Intros set up the Bible story and Life App, while the Outros smoothly transition from Large Group to Small Group. For the 4th 5th-grade age group, we recommend playing 252 Movie, which takes you through a fully dramatized presentation of the story in a contemporary and comedic sketch of the Bible story. Widget*: Game Changer Slap Bracelet * widg et [wij-it] noun 1. Something unspecific whose name is either forgotten or not known. 2. A device that is very useful for a particular job Origin: ; perhaps an alternative form of gadget PAGE 5

6 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME When things spin out of control, you need a game change and you need it fast. Enter this month s widget, the GAME CHANGER slap bracelet. One side end reads Game On, while the other end reads Game Off. When kids hit boiling point and are tempted to lose their temper or make an unwise choice, they can switch the wristband to say Game Off. After a few moments to ask God for help and take a deep breath, it s Game On again. : CREATING A SAFE PLACE TO CONNECT (Choose as many of these activities as you like.) * If you don t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #1. * 1. Go Power Up (application activity / review the Bible story) Stacking cups, large blocks, LEGOs, etc. for wall-building Red and green sticky notes or index cards Print the Power Words Activity Pages; 2 copies for each Small Group Cover up the verse on the Activity Pages with layers of green sticky notes. Make sure each page has the same number of sticky notes. 2. Power Up! (application activity / possible environment-wide activity) Print the Power On, Power Off Activity Page onto cardstock and cut apart; 1 set for each Small Group (Optional, but awesome!) A call bell and a buzzer (such as a buzzer from a Taboo game) 3. Order Up (memory verse activity) Print the Memory Verse Cards Activity Page and cut apart; 2 sets for each Small Group Note: These will be used during weeks 1-3. Print on cardstock and reuse. Prayer An image of an intensely bright full moon (Optional) Glow-in-the-dark stickers; 1 for each kid Additional Resources: Make copies on cardstock of this week s GodTime and Parent Cue cards. Tell parents about our additional family resources: Studio252.tv, CUE Box, and the Parent Cue app. To find out more about these great resources, go to PAGE 6

7 PRELUDE STORY WORSHIP HOME SOCIAL 15 MINUTES SOCIAL: PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION (SMALL, 15 MINUTES) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Ask God to speak to kids hearts as the concept of self-control is introduced. Pray that He would bring to mind times when they ve lost control of themselves and that He would guide your group s conversation as you talk about how God gives them the power to have self-control. 1. EARLY ARRIVER IDEA WHAT YOU NEED: Offering container WHAT YOU DO: Collect kids offerings as they enter. Talk to the kids about things that make them feel safe. What would make them feel safe from the dark? What would make them feel safe from a bug? What would make them feel safe from a big dog? What would make them feel safe if there was a whole army of people coming? 2. WHAT S MORE POWERFUL? WHAT YOU NEED: More Powerful Cards Activity Page WHAT YOU DO: Set out the More Powerful Cards. Choose two of the cards at random and ask the kids which one they think is more powerful. There are some that will be obvious, but others that they might disagree on. (Note: For younger kids, you might need to unpack what more powerful means in a non-physical way.) Have them indicate which one they think is more powerful in some physical way; you could have them stand for one and sit for the other, or clap for one and stomp for the other. Choose any motions you like. Put down the one that was less powerful on one side and keep the one chosen as more powerful. Then choose one more card to put up against the one you kept. Continue doing this, testing each card against all the others, until you have sorted all the cards into a continuum from least powerful to most powerful. WHAT YOU SAY: Imagine if you were powerful enough to control some of these powerful things. That would take a lot of power, wouldn t it? [Transition] Let s go into Large Group and see where WE might be able to find some power for ourselves! Lead your group to the Large Group area. PAGE 7

8 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME STORY: COMMUNICATING GOD S TRUTH IN ENGAGING WAYS (LARGE GROUP, 35 MINUTES) Engage kids hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible story, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting. SFX: Play high-energy music as kids enter. As kids are coming into the room, Assistant is on stage, sitting at the desk, completely zoned out and playing with the tech gadgets. ASSISTANT: (Look from screen to screen while talking) Come on, dude! Jump on the ramp. Whew! That was close. (Look at another screen.) Oh! Another from Grandma. (Type.) Yes, I would like some chocolate chip cookies. Tell Mom to slide them under my door. I m pretty busy today doing um busy stuff. (Look at another screen.) Oh, my friend Timmy just posted a new picture. (Squint.) It looks like he has a new pet. Maybe a shaggy dog? (Look closer.) Oh, never mind. That s just his little brother, Tommy. He needs a haircut. Assistant slides to look at another screen and almost drops a gadget. It should draw his attention to the audience. Oh! Hey, guys. I almost didn t see you there. Whoa! It s time for Large Group already? Man, I must have lost track of time. I ve been um well as you can see I ve been well, let s not get into the nitty-gritty details, right? I m here with you now! Stand and walk downstage. My name is SFX: You ve Got Mail Ding My name is SFX: You ve Got Mail Ding Oops. Hold on just (hold up a finger) one second. Walk over to gadgets and tap a few screens. Walk back downstage. Sorry about that. What was I saying? Oh, that s right my name. My name is [Assistant s name] and I am so excited to see you all! We re going to have an awesome time together here in [name of your environment]. If you re as pumped up as I am, put one fist in the air and say, Let s do this! on three. One, two, three. ASSISTANT and KIDS: (Put one fist in the air.) Let s do this! PAGE 8

9 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME ASSISTANT: I have some incredible news for you guys. You ready? Today we re starting a brand new Life App and this one is going to be ridiculously awesome. It s the Life App of self-control. Maybe you ve heard that word before, and maybe you haven t. Raise your hand if you know what self means. (Pause for response.) That s right! Self is you. So self-control means you WHAT yourself? (Pause for response.) That s right! Self-control is when you CONTROL yourself. Let me read our official definition of self-control to you. CG: Self-Control Slide Self-control is choosing to do what you should do, not what you want to do. Let s say that together, shall we? Repeat after me. Self-control is ASSISTANT and KIDS: Self-control is ASSISTANT: choosing to do what you should do, ASSISTANT and KIDS: choosing to do what you should do, ASSISTANT: not what you want to do. ASSISTANT and KIDS: not what you want to do. ASSISTANT: Great work! Okay, let s say it together one more time. Here we go. ASSISTANT and KIDS: Self-control is choosing to do what you should do, not what you want to do. ASSISTANT: There we go. Great job. Having self-control is not always easy, is it? Sometimes it s hard to control ourselves when we really, really want to do something but shouldn t. Raise your hand if you ve ever snuck a cookie or snack, even though you knew you weren t supposed to. (Pause for response.) Yeah, me too! That wasn t showing very good self-control, was it? Now raise your hand if you ve ever raised your voice or yelled at your mom, dad, or teacher, even though you know that s disrespectful. (Pause for response.) I m guilty, too! People who show self-control don t scream their heads off. Because that s kinda the opposite of self-control. Oh, I ve got another one. Raise your hand if you ve ever told a secret or a surprise because you just couldn t keep it inside. (Pause for response.) Yup! I ve even peeked at a few of my Christmas gifts before, which is sort of the same thing and definitely is NOT showing very good self-control. Okay, okay. Last one. Raise your hand if you SFX: You ve Got Mail Ding PAGE 9

10 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME Um. I really want to check that. But I know I shouldn t, because I m supposed to be hanging out with you guys right now. Okay, I ll ignore it. Raise your hand if SFX: You ve Got Mail Ding (To self) Stay strong. Stay. Strong. (Back to kids) Raise your SFX: You ve Got Mail Ding (Look weak and frustrated) Rai SFX: You ve Got Mail Ding SFX: You ve Got Mail Ding Open your mouth like you re about to speak. I caaaaan t do it! I have to check my computer and my phone. They re dinging and dinging and I just HAVE to check them. Run to the screens and start checking them. Guys, I have no self-control when it comes to all my screens. The video games, texts, pictures, messages I m not making the wise choice right now! I m not doing what I should be doing. Stand up and walk back downstage. You know what? Let s listen up to [Leader s name]. Since the Life App is self-control, I m hoping he ll have something to say that will help me out here! But first let s get ready to sing. Leader enters as Assistant exits. WORSHIP LEADER: All right, it is fantastic to see all of you awesome kids here today. Are you guys ready to do some singing? (Pause for response.) C mon, you guys can get louder than that. Let me hear you all get excited! (Pause for response.) Okay, let s sing about letting our light shine. SFX: This Little Light / track 9 from Living Inside Out Yeah, we are gonna let our lights shine for Jesus. We re going to sing another song in a second but before we do, everybody watch this. PAGE 10

11 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME Optional CG: Live Loud video from Get Reel 2.0 DVD It s important we let everything we do, every choice we make, every action and every word we speak shine God s light. You have the power to control what you do. Let s sing about doing what God has for us. You guys know this one. Sing it loud. SFX: Every Move I Make / track 10 from Walk This Way SETTING UP THE STORY LEADER: I love worshipping with you guys, and I m also super excited to be with you today to talk aaaallll about selfcontrol. And I know what you re thinking: Self-control? How could you be excited to talk about self-control? Self-control isn t one of the most exciting things to talk about. CG: Self-control Slide WHAT IF THERE WERE NO SELF-CONTROL LEADER: Like [Assistant s name] said earlier, self-control is choosing to do what we should do, not what we want to do. How could I be excited to talk about THAT? But I want you to think about something. Think about what the world would be like if no one showed self-control. Think about driving down the road. What would happen if people only stopped at red lights when they wanted to? Or, think about Thanksgiving dinner. What if your uncle wanted ALL the pecan pie for dessert and didn t leave any for anyone else because he didn t show self-control? Or what about at home? What if your parents only did the dishes when they WANTED to? I have a feeling you d be lapping cereal out of your hands like puppies. See, we like self-control when it helps us in some way. We want other people to show self-control. But when it comes to US showing self-control? It s hard. And it has always been hard. Did you know that God knew that self-control would be hard for us? He did! But [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. You can even read about it in the Bible, in the book of Proverbs. God included all kinds of advice and wisdom for life in it. It s one of my favorite books in the entire Bible. And in it we learn about self-control. Here s what it says. CG: Memory Verse Slide A person without self-control is like a city whose walls are broken through, Proverbs 25:28. (NIrV) A CITY WITHOUT WALLS LEADER: Wow. Did you hear that? A person who doesn t show self-control is like a city whose walls have been destroyed. Now, that might not mean much to you. You might ask yourself: A city without walls? My city doesn t have walls around it, and it s just fine! But back when this verse was written thousands of years ago, a city HAD to have walls to protect it from invaders from people who wanted to come inside the city and take it over. If your city didn t have walls, it would be destroyed. We do this in our own way, don t we? When something matters to us, we protect it. You keep your puppy in the house. You keep your money in a wallet or purse. You keep your favorite stuffed animal in the same spot on your bed. When something is important to us, we keep it safe. PAGE 11

12 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME The Bible says that s exactly what self-control is like. Self-control is like a wall we build around a city to keep it safe. SILLY STRING ILLUSTRATION LEADER: Let me explain it another way. [Assistant s name], can you come out, please? I need your help. (Pause. Shake head.) I bet [Assistant s name] is staring at another screen. Can you help me out? On three, let s all yell his name together. One, two, three! LEADER and KIDS: [Assistant s name]! Assistant enters holding a tablet, phone, or gaming console. ASSISTANT: Um, did you guys say something? LEADER: First of all, I m going to need this. Snatch Assistant s device. ASSISTANT: Hey! What did you do that for? LEADER: Because, [Assistant s name], when it comes to screens, you have no self-control. And I need your help. Here, stand in the center of this and hold it up. Leader hands Assistant the Hula-hoop with the shower curtain/tarp attached to it. Assistant gets inside and pulls it up to waist-level. Leader takes out three cans of silly string spray. ASSISTANT: Should I be nervous right now? LEADER: Not if you learn how to show self-control. (To audience) Now, our verse tells us that self-control is like a city whose walls have been destroyed. The opposite of that is true, too. A person WITH self-control is like a city with very strong walls. In other words, a person who does not show self-control does not protect himself. And a person who does shows self-control does protect himself. Okay, [Assistant s name]. This silly string represents all the times when you re tempted NOT to show self-control. Let s start with this can. (Pick up a color.) Let s see if you can show self-control in this area; hold your wall up and protect yourself. When your brother or sister is making you so mad that you want to scream at them to leave you alone, do you control your temper and walk away? Or do you yell? Leader turns quickly and sprays the can at Assistant, who raises the Hula-hoop to protect himself just in time. ASSISTANT: Yes! Yes, I can. I can show self-control. I can walk away instead of getting angry and screaming. PAGE 12

13 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME Leader continues spraying. Spray should only hit the tarp and not Assistant. LEADER: Good job, [Assistant s name]. (Stop spraying. Switch cans.) You showed self-control, so you didn t get in trouble with your mom. You protected yourself AND your brother or sister. Here s another one. Let s say you re in class at school and you really, really want to tell your friend about your new Minecraft game, but your teacher is talking. Can you show self-control and wait until recess? Or do you (turn quickly and start spraying) talk while your teacher is talking? Assistant barely gets the Hula-hoop up in time. Maybe a little string hits him. ASSISTANT: I can show self-control! I can wait until recess to tell my friend about my new game. I can show self-control! I can protect myself! LEADER: Good work, [Assistant s name]. (Stop spraying. Switch cans.) You ve shown self-control two times. And two times you have protected yourself. You controlled your temper. You showed your teacher respect. But this last challenge will be your hardest yet. SFX: Text tone One of your screens is making noise. It could be an , a new photo, a message, a game. It could be ANYTHING. But you re on stage with me helping me and you know you shouldn t answer ASSISTANT: (Clearly struggling emotionally) I am so weak when it comes to my screens SFX: Text tone Assistant reaches in his pocket to fish for a phone. While doing so, Leader begins spraying him. LEADER: (Still spraying) It s not polite to use your screen while you re hanging out with friends, [Assistant s name]. Resist the temptation. Show self-control! Protect yourself! You can do it. Everyone, chant with me. Show self-control! Show selfcontrol. SFX: Text tone LEADER and KIDS: Show self-control! Show self-control! Assistant stops fishing in his pocket for his device. ASSISTANT: I can do it. I can show self-control. Assistant slowly pulls the Hula-hoop up. PAGE 13

14 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME LEADER: (Still spraying) You re doing it! You re showing self-control! Everyone give [Assistant s name] a hand. Great job! You know what? I m really proud of you for showing great self-control. Assistant exits with the Hula-hoop. WRAPPING UP THE STORY LEADER: Well, that was fun. You know what? I know we don t always like showing self-control, but self-control actually helps us. It doesn t hurt us. But it s not always easy to show self-control. In fact, like [Assistant s name] showed us, sometimes it s almost impossible. But the cool thing is that we don t need to do this on our own. Let s look at our Bottom Line for today. CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. You guys can show self-control this week. And you don t have to do it alone. [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. Let s say that together. Who can give you the POWER to control yourself? LEADER and KIDS: [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. LEADER: That s right. And with God s help, you can do what the Bible says to do in our memory verse. Let s look at it one last time. CG: Memory Verse Slide A person without self-control is like a city whose walls are broken through, Proverbs 25:28. (NIrV) You can be like a city with strong walls you can protect yourself by doing what you SHOULD do, not just want you want to do. Let s pray and ask God to help us show self-control! PRAY LEADER: God, thank You for teaching us this truth. It s important for us to remember that a person without self-control is like a city without walls a person without self-control does not protect what s important to her. Help us this week to do what we should do. Help us to listen to our parents, our teachers and our friends. Help us to show self-control. We love You, and we ask these things in Jesus name, Amen! Leader exits as Assistant enters. CLOSER ASSISTANT: Thanks for helping me, everyone! You d think you d be safe if you were in a city surrounded by a big wall. But not if the wall was broken down, huh? You d be in danger all the time! Your enemies could just come in and attack anytime they wanted to. When you don t have self-control, somebody s going to get hurt. If you can t control your temper, you might break something. If you can t control the words you say, you could hurt someone s feelings. And if you can t control what you PAGE 14

15 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME think about, you can hurt your heart. It s important to learn how to control yourself, so you can keep the walls up and keep yourself and others protected. You don t have to rely just on your own power to control yourself. You can trust and rely on God to help you choose to do what you should do. So the one thing to remember today is this: [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. CG: Bottom Line It s true He really can! Okay, see ya next time, everyone! And, um, I won t bring any screens with me. Promise! Dismiss children to their Small Groups. SFX: Play high-energy music as the kids exit. PAGE 15

16 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME : CREATING A SAFE PLACE TO CONNECT (SMALL, ) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. * 1. GO POWER UP (application activity / review the Bible story) WHAT YOU NEED: Stacking cups, large blocks, LEGOs, etc. for wall-building; red sticky notes; 2 copies of Power Words Activity Page covered with green sticky notes WHAT YOU DO: Make two piles of building materials at one end of your space and put a Power Words Activity Page covered with sticky notes across the space from each pile. Split the group into two teams. The goal is to build the tallest (or widest) building in a certain amount of time (at least 5-7 minutes). While they are building, from time to time put a red sticky note on a few kids backs and say, [Name], go power up! This means they are low on power and need to stop building and go grab a green sticky note from the verse. Then they can discard their red note. If at all possible, try to hand out red cards often enough so that the verse is revealed under the green sticky notes before the time is up. WHAT YOU SAY: Nice building skills! You guys were really working hard. How did it feel to have to stop your work and go power up? Maybe you felt like you didn t need to do it. Did any of you want to skip the power up step and just keep building? (Allow for answers.) It can be hard to realize that you need help, especially when it comes to self-control. We all think we ve got ourselves under control. But that s not always true, is it? [Make It Personal] (Share about a time when you struggled with self control, especially in an area prone to distraction, like wanting to watch TV while doing homework and finding yourself wrapped up in the show instead of your assignment, or fooling yourself into thinking you ll just eat a single potato chip, or getting so into a game on your phone and you ignored someone as a result.) None of us are perfect at having self-control all the time. We need some help, and I know just where to find it. (Point to verse that was covered by sticky notes.) God is the one who can help us have self-control, and He tells us a lot about that in the Bible, like in our verse here. Even when it s hard to accept help, it s great to know that [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. 2. POWER UP! (application activity / possible environment-wide activity) WHAT YOU NEED: Power On, Power Off cards from the Activity Page; 1 set for each kid, a call bell and a buzzer (optional) WHAT YOU DO: Set the Power On and Power Off cards in the center of your area. Place the bell by the Power On card and the buzzer by the Power Off sign. Guide kids to huddle an even distance from the Power On and Power Off cards. PAGE 16

17 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME Read a self-control scenario below, pause briefly (giving kids time to think of the answer), and then call out, Go! If the scenario describes a situation where the child practices self-control, kids run to the Power On sign, ring the bell, and then run back. If the scenario is a situation where the child isn t using self-control, kids run to the Power Off sign, press the buzzer, and then run back. Note: If you don t have a bell and buzzer, guide kids to tap the Power On / Power Off cards and call out Power On! as they fist pump or Power Off! as they squat down. Add variety by instructing kids to move in different ways: slow-motion, crabwalk, tiptoe, sideways, heel walk, hopping on one foot, etc. To give older kids a little bit of ownership, you could let them come up with ways to move during each round. Possible scenarios: o You come home and see a plate FULL of your favorite cookies on the table. You want to eat ALL of them, but you eat just one. o Someone calls you a name. You get SO angry that you punch them. o Your favorite TV show is on all weekend. You watch it from the time you get up until the time you go to bed. o Your brother grabs the controller from you while you re playing your favorite game. You want to yell at him, but you decide not to. o Your teacher brings donuts to class. After everyone has eaten one, there are two left. You gobble them up. o Your little brother breaks your favorite toy. You yell at him and call him stupid. o You re playing your favorite video game. You want to play for hours, but instead you turn it off after 30 minutes. o Y our friend said something mean to you, and you want to yell at her; but instead you say, It s okay. I forgive you. WHAT YOU SAY: Sometimes it s hard to practice self-control. [Make It Personal] (Tell kids about a time when it s hard for you to practice self-control, whether it s when you re tempted to devour a carton of ice cream while you watch your favorite movie, yell when you re upset, or procrastinate.) When can it be hard for you to practice self-control? (Pause.) Self-control can be hard, but someone is ready to help you when you re tempted to lose control. Who is it? (Pause.) Yes! God wants to help you when you re tempted to lose control. He wants to give you HIS power to practice self-control when you don t have any of your own. So remember: [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. 3. ORDER UP! (memory verse activity) WHAT YOU NEED: Memory Verse Cards Activity Page; 2 sets for each Small Group WHAT YOU DO: Help your group look up the verse in their Bibles, and then read it out loud together a few times. Finding verses with kindergartners: Guide children to open the Bibles to the marked page. Point to the word Proverbs at the top of the page as you say Proverbs aloud. Then guide children to find the big number 25 on the page. Explain that this is the chapter number. Finally, guide them to look under the big 25 for the little 28; this is the verse number. Tell them to leave their finger on the verse as you read the verse aloud. Then lead everyone to say the verse together. PAGE 17

18 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME Finding verses with 1st graders: Guide them to open their Bibles to the front and find the table of contents. (Hold up a Bible opened to the table of contents to show the kids what the page looks like.) When the kids find the table of contents, lead them to find Proverbs in the list under Old Testament. You can help by telling them that Proverbs starts with the letters P-R. When the kids find Proverbs, lead them to look at the page number beside the word. Explain that the number tells them on what page they can find Proverbs. Help the kids find the page. When they find Proverbs, explain that the big numbers on the page are the chapter numbers. Help them find chapter 25. Explain that the small numbers are verse numbers. Help them find verse 28 in chapter 25. Finding verses with 2nd and 3rd graders: Guide them to open their Bibles to the front and find the table of contents. (Hold up a Bible opened to the table of contents to show the kids what the page looks like.) When the kids find the table of contents, lead them to find Proverbs in the list under Old Testament. When the kids find Proverbs, lead them to look at the page number beside the word. Explain that the number tells them on what page they can find Proverbs. Help the kids find the page. When they find Proverbs, explain that the big numbers on the page are the chapter numbers. Help them find chapter 25. Explain that the small numbers are verse numbers. Help them find verse 28 in chapter 25. Finding verses with 4th-5th graders: Our verse is from Proverbs. Ask kids to tell you whether that s in the Old Testament or the New Testament. (Old) So we know it s nearer the beginning of the Bible. It s right after a big giant book, Psalms, in the very middle of their Bibles. When the kids find Proverbs, explain that the big numbers on the page are the chapter numbers. Tell them to find chapter 25. Explain that the small numbers are verse numbers. Tell them to them find verse 28 in chapter 25. Divide your kids into two teams. Mix up the cards for each team and place them a short distance away. Have one team member at a time run to the pile, search for the first word of the verse, and then run it back. As the cards are brought back, the kids who aren t running should build a wall around themselves with the cards that have been retrieved. (They can simply put the cards in a circle on the floor around themselves, keeping the cards in order.) Run the race until the kids have the cards all in the correct order. WHAT YOU SAY: You did a great job putting the words from our verse in the correct order. We will be memorizing this verse all month! Memorizing Scripture can be like putting a wall of protection around yourself. If you find yourself in a situation where you don t know what to do, but you have a few verses memorized, you can bring those verses to mind and be encouraged to do what you should do. I hope this verse will help you remember that [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. If you lead mostly older kids, consider asking these discussion questions: Which is easier: to do something you SHOULD do but don t WANT to do, or to RESIST doing something you shouldn t but want to do anyway? What are the good and bad consequences of these situations? How would you help guide others to show self-control? How can you help guide yourself and your friends to show selfcontrol? (Encourage kids to be specific while not exposing things that are private about themselves or their friends.) What are some ways that God gives you power to control yourself in either of those situations? Does He just zap you into doing your homework on time or not eating all the pizza your mom ordered for dinner? (Listen for answers like: God gives you wisdom to study first and play second. Or God gives you patience to wait for your family members to all get a slice of pizza before you go back for more. Life Apps are powerful and power-filled ways that God helps us have self-control.) PAGE 18

19 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME PRAY AND DISMISS WHAT YOU NEED: An image of an intensely bright full moon; glow-in-the-dark stickers; 1 for each kid (optional) WHAT YOU SAY: (Hold up the image of the moon.) Have you ever seen a full moon glowing at night? Does the moon have the power to glow on its own? No. How does the moon get its power to glow? Yes. The moon reflects the light of the sun shining on it. When night comes, it looks like it s glowing! (Hold up a sticker.) Have you ever seen a sticker glow in the dark? Does the sticker have the power to glow on its own? No. How does the sticker get its power to glow? Yes. The sticker absorbs or soaks up the power of light that shines on it. When you turn off the lights, it glows! On your own, do you have the power you need to practice self-control? No, you don t. Where can you get the power to practice self-control? Yes! [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. Let s pray and ask God to give us the POWER we need to control ourselves. Dear God, help us remember that a person without self-control is like a city without walls. A person without self-control doesn t protect what s important to them. Help us this week to rely on your POWER to control ourselves and choose to do what we should do, not what we want to do. Thank You, God, for the help You will give us. We love You so much. Amen. (Optional: Give each child a glow in the dark sticker to take home as a reminder that God can give them the POWER to control themselves.) Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent Cue cards as adults arrive to pick up. As each child leaves, ask, Who can give you the POWER to control yourself? (Pause.) Yes! [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. Seal the deal with a high five or fist bump. PAGE 19