Well now that we come to the book of Haggai and Zechariah, we find them writing in a time period when the 70 years of exile was ending and the people were returning to Jerusalem. What a time to have been alive, right?! Seeing God’s people be able to return to their homeland, the land God promised them surely had to be exciting. And it was! But Haggai and Zechariah wanted to warn them too. They tell the people that God has great things planned, His promises are still true, if the people commit to the Lord and His ways as they return to the land.
Haggai focuses on the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem and how it’s important that they do it the right way so that it’s holy and honoring to God. Remember that the temple was where God’s presence would dwell, so it’s important to get it right! That’s what Haggai was communicating. And God cheers the people on through Haggai’s words by saying things like ‘be strong’ and ‘don’t fear, my spirit remains among you.’
And then there’s Zechariah….like any good prophet, Zechariah has all sorts of crazy dreams with crazy images. Things like horsemen and horns and a guy who has a measuring tape and a gold lampstand and olive trees and my favorite, the flying scroll…. but these dreams were like symbols and confirmations to Zechariah and the people of God’s plans for them. And while these dreams spoke of things that would happen Zechariah’s lifetime, they also pointed forward to when Jesus would come both as Messiah and Conquering King. Almost like setting the stage for God’s grand plan that He’s writing throughout history.
Encore: Easter Story
Season 4
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 • Duration 04:50
This classic episode helps us get excited for Easter where we celebrate Jesus' resurrection! The best news ever is that Jesus came to this earth, died for our sins, and rose to life again. He conquered sin and death and now offers us the victory and hope of eternal life!
Listen to this podcast with your kids and get ready for Easter!
3. Respect and Politics
Season 4
Thursday, October 31, 2024 • Duration 06:54
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Respect.
I bet you already know a lot about respect - you know, realizing that someone is in charge and therefore needs to be listened to and obeyed or maybe it’s just being polite to others and treating them well. Respect for authority is a big part of your life whether you realize it or not…..you respect your parents and grandparents, your teachers, your coaches and so many other adults in your life. And this isn’t just because it’s fun to do. It’s because that’s what the Bible tells us to do!
But, since we are talking about this presidential election coming up. What does the Bible tell us about respecting people in our government? People like the president? Are we supposed to respect the president like we do our parents or teachers? Great question! Let’s look to God’s word to find out what He has to say about it.
Romans 13:1 lays out pretty clearly just WHY and HOW followers of Jesus are supposed to respect the human authority that governs them. Listen… “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” There is no asteric, that says UNLESS the governing authorities aren’t who you or your parents voted for. No! It says there is NO authority except that which God has established.
And we know this is true because we just talked all about God’s sovereignty in the last episode. So, of course, it’s no surprise that God expects us to honor and respect those that He has put into a place of authority. In other words, we respect the President not only because he has a super important job and we are thankful for that person taking on the job of being in charge of running our country, but we also respect the President because GOD put that person there in that job. So, our respect for God Himself overflows to those He’s put in charge of us. That means no matter who is president or no matter who our teacher is or who our coach is, they must be respected by followers of Christ.
Now, I also have to tell you another piece of respecting human authority or those who God has put in charge over us. We respect them all the way until they ask us to do something that goes against God’s word. Remember our first episode talked about how we are citizens of God’s kingdom first. That’s our MOST important citizenship. And after that we are citizens of our country. So, we respect authority UNLESS they are asking us to do something that goes against what God has told us to do in the Bible.
Sovereignty
Season 1
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 • Duration 07:29
“He’s got the whole world in His hands” Do you know that song? It’s a good one that reminds us how our BIG God is in control of all things. The song says that He’s got the world in His hands, which is true, but He actually controls more than that! He is in control of the universe! .......
God created all of these things and put them in place with perfect balance. And He’s really good at it! I mean, we tried to make a solar system mobile recently and planets kept falling off. The whole mobile was heavy on one side and hung crooked. It was much harder than I thought it would be. And that’s just a silly mobile!
Our creator God created the world we live in and He created YOU with such perfection that we can’t even understand all that He’s done. I mean, if I can’t successfully make a solar system mobile how would I ever start to try and create a human being. Yikes! But God did. And He doesn’t stop there.
He is still in control over all that He created. He didn’t just create things and then forget about them.
He’s in control of His creation. Every thing from the solar system to the details of your life. He is in charge of everything that happens in the world. He decides what will happen in your life today, He decides what will happen to countries as they rise and fall, He decides what will happen with the weather, He decides what will happen at school, He is in charge of it all! There is nothing outside of His control.
There’s a big word for this. It’s sovereignty. Can you say that? Repeat after me. Sovereignty. You might hear someone say that God is sovereign. This means that God is in control of everything. And this should make us feel so safe and secure.
But when I don’t believe that God is in control, I worry and get nervous and I feel like it’s all up to me to make sure that it turns out the way I want.
When I DO believe that God is in control, I am sure that no matter what happens He is involved and will take care of me. It doesn’t mean He will give me whatever I want or that it’ll even be clear what He’s doing. But I can be sure that His plan. And His way is the best way!
Think of something that you can hold in your hand. Like my kids love to catch lizards or worms. Or what about a roly poly. Have you ever caught someone like that and held it in your hand? That’s what God is doing for us right now. But He’s doing even more than just holding us. He’s making sure everything that happens in our world and in our lives is part of His plan. He has the power to make sure that everything that happens, happens for His good purposes and for His glory. And that doesn’t just mean the good things! He can make good things come out of even bad things that happen in this world. He is sovereign over it all!
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Best Days and Worst Days
Season 1
Wednesday, September 22, 2021 • Duration 06:40
Hey, before we get started today, I wanted to give a shout out to my friend Ivy over at For Parents Podcast. We had a great discussion on her podcast last week about all that God is doing through Backseat Bible Nuggets. And parents if you’re looking for other practical tools and wisdom as you walk this Christian parenting road go check her out at For Parents Podcast.
Okay, now to our topic for today. We absolutely love music in our family. Recently, we’ve been loving the new Cain album and especially one of their songs called “I’m So Blessed.” If you haven’t heard that song, I’ll put a link to it in the show notes: https://cain.lnk.to/RiseUpAlbumID!ISBVIZ Or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzrtLAj-RNw In fact, you might want to pause right here, go listen to it, and then come back.
Alright, so there’s a few lines in the song where it says, “On my best day, I’m a child of God. On my worst day, I’m a child of God. Oh everyday is a good day, You’re the reason why.” And Hudson came to me the other day and said, “That doesn’t really make sense to me. They say that “on my worst day, I’m a child of God but then they say that everyday in a good day.” And that’s true! It might sound confusing but listen to this.
When we are a Christian, we are a child of God. Nothing can take that away from us. But does that mean we won’t have bad days? No! We will still have days where things don’t go our way. Or where someone is mean to us and hurts us. Or where we find ourselves grounded or in time out over and over again. We can expect bad days to happen from time to time until we get to heaven, in fact.
But like the song says, “on my worst day, I’m a child of God.” No matter what happens, at the end of the day we are a child of God and nothing changes that. Even if we’ve made the worst decisions that day.
Paul wrote in Romans 8:29 that “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Those are some big words! Think to yourself right now of the worst thing you could do. Like if you really wanted to make a bad day for yourself. You don’t have to say it out loud. Just think about it.
Okay, guess what? No matter what you thought about and how BAD it is, it doesn’t change the truth of what we just read. That NOTHING. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Will separate us from the love of God. On your best day He loves you just the same as He does on your worst day. Let that sink in. That’s hard to understand because that’s so different from any other kind of love that we know on Earth.
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Q&A: Ethan
Season 1
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 • Duration 04:11
Today I have a guest here with me, Ethan! Ethan, how old are you?
Ethan: I’m 11 years old.
So at the age of 11, you’ve got something going on that has challenged and encouraged me and I think will for others too. Tell us what your morning routine looks like.
Ethan: Well, when I wake up in the morning I read my Bible, then pray. Next I get dressed for the day. After that’s done I eat my breakfast, and do pretty much everything you do to get ready for the day.
And this routine is pretty important to you from what I hear! You’ve been doing this for a while, right? Tell us WHY you do this. Like does your mom and dad make you or do you have to for school or what makes you WANT to spend your mornings in this way?
Ethan: I’ve been doing this for a year and a half now. No, no one makes me do it; But it still means a lot to me because we serve a God of order and it is probably what God would do ( well, He would do it perfectly but you understand.)
Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” This verse is fitting not only because you are a young man, like the verse mentions but because in order to keep our way pure, or in order to live God’s way which is the best way, it says we must live according to His word. Well, how do we live according to His word or how do we live the way He wants us to live? We have to KNOW His word! We can’t expect to live the way God would have for us to live if we never read the Bible, His word.
So, Ethan, you’re setting an awesome pattern in your life every day by starting out spending time reading the Bible and in prayer and thinking about what God’s word means in your life. Guess who else set this example for us in the Bible?
Ethan: Jesus!
That’s right! LOTS of times we see Jesus going off by himself to spend time alone with the Lord. Jesus would even wake up while everyone else was sleeping in order for Him to get some time alone with God. And man, if Jesus needed that time alone with God and made this a part of His every day life, shouldn’t we?!
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One Way
Season 1 · Episode 15
Tuesday, September 7, 2021 • Duration 06:53
We recently took a road trip and when we finally got loaded up in the car we started to drive. The question was “which way,” though. We had plugged in the address of where we were headed and our phone suggested more than one way to go. We could go one way and avoid paying tolls. We could go another way, but it might have some dirt roads. We could go another way with bigger roads but it might have traffic. So many options that would get us all to the same place eventually.
Think about somewhere that you go to in the car a lot. Maybe school or to a friends house or to your practice field. Is there more than one way to drive there? Usually there is!
Now, let’s think about heaven, where God lives forever. If being in heaven with God is where we want to eventually end up, is there more than one way to get there? That’s an interesting question!
Listen to what the Bible says in John 14:5-6. This is when Jesus had been telling the disciples that He was going to die and then be raised from the dead to then go back to heaven. But, here’s the thing… the disciples didn’t really understand what He was saying though. So what should we do if we don’t understand something? Ask a question! And that’s just what one of Jesus’ disciples, Thomas, did in John 14. He says in verse 5 and 6 “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
To Thomas and the other disciples, Jesus’ answer was “clear as mud.” Have you ever heard that saying? Clear as mud? That means it’s not clear at all. Mud is not clear is it? So Jesus’ answer might have confused the disciples even more.
But what Jesus is saying here is that there is only ONE way to God. One. Not zero ways, as if we can’t EVER reach Him. And not 2 or more ways, as if we should add anything to Jesus’ way. Only one way.
And that one way is Jesus. In John 14:6 Jesus said that, “no one comes to the Father except through me.” He can say that because Jesus is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. The ONLY way.
This is an important truth in our world today. There are lots of different people who believe different things about who Jesus was and what the Bible commands us to do. A lot of times you will hear someone say that we can all go to heaven whether we believe in Jesus or not. Some people even believe in other gods or worship statues called idols. And some people might tell you that we actually do need to follow Jesus AND do other things in order for God to really love us or in order for us to go to heaven with Him one day. And it can be a number of OTHER things that they suggest. It’s like they are saying that there are many different ways to get to God, like different routes we could have taken on our road trip that would get us to the same place in the end.
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Tame the Tongue
Season 1 · Episode 14
Wednesday, September 1, 2021 • Duration 06:41
Quick! Grab your tongue and listen to this from the Bible: “All of us get tripped up in many ways. Suppose someone is never wrong in what they say. Then they are perfect. They are able to keep their whole body under control.
We put a small piece of metal in the mouth of a horse to make it obey us. We can control the whole animal with it. And how about ships? They are very big. They are driven along by strong winds. But they are steered by a very small rudder. It makes them go where the captain wants to go. In the same way, the tongue is a small part of a person’s body. But it TALKS BIG. Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire.
The tongue is also a fire. The tongue is the most evil part of the body. It makes the whole body impure. It sets a person’s whole way of life on fire. And the tongue itself is set on fire by hell. People have tamed all kinds of wild animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures. And they still tame them. But no one can tame the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison.” That’s James 3:1-8
Okay, you can let go of your tongue now if you’re still holding it.
Did you know that your tongue can get you in to trouble? These verses say that our tongues are evil and full of deadly poison. Woah! Why so much hate for a tongue? Well it’s because with our tongue, we are able to talk. And you probably know by now that our talk, the things we say, can be dishonest and wrong or hateful and mean or even bring harm to others. You might think that something you say is not that big of a deal, but our words have POWER and we don’t always use it for good. In fact, these verses said our words can be like a spark that starts a forest fire.
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So what else? Well, Luke 6:45b says, “For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
This means that what we say is actually overflowing from our heart. Think of a bucket full of water, that’s our heart. And when the water fills up so much it’s overflowing, those are our words. So whatever is in our heart, overflows in the things we say in our words with our tongue.
So how do we tame or control the tongue? We start with the heart. And that’s a job that only Jesus can take on. When we give our heart to Jesus and let Him be ruler of our life, He starts to change our heart. He does the work with His saving power! And when He changes our heart, it changes everything about us – especially our tongue and the things we say.
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The Bible
Season 1 · Episode 13
Wednesday, August 25, 2021 • Duration 07:22
Have you ever had something come in the mail just for you? Maybe a letter from someone or a fun magazine or maybe even a package! I, at the age of 35, still get excited about mail. Unless it’s a bill, which is another story, but when we see the mailman stop at our house, it’s usually a rush to the door to see who is going to get to the package or mailbox first. Even though my kids run to the mailbox, the mail is usually not for them….yet. But sometimes…sometimes…it says their name on it and it makes our day! A special package or note just to them.
Someone took time to think of them, write a note or buy a present and then took time to send it to them. To makes sure it got there. And it wasn’t just the sender that made sure the package or note arrived safely, there were plenty of other helpers along the way that took it from one mailbox to another, loaded it on trucks, and then drove it to our house to deliver it. And because of that, the thought and effort that went in to the letter or package just for me, it makes it super special.
God’s word, the Bible, is like a special package just for us! But it’s more special than any other package. Want to know why? Because it is what we call the “inspired word of God.” Now, this doesn’t mean that every word is a word that Jesus spoke. It means that the Holy Spirit actually told people what to write down at different times throughout history. In fact, there are actually 40 different human writers in the Bible. But, all the words came from ONE person and that’s God himself.
And because it’s from God means it’s true, true, true. There is nothing in it that isn’t true. No lies. So we can know that whatever we read when we open the Bible can be trusted. Even if it might not make sense to us, we can always remember that it’s true whether we understand it or not.
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But, that’s what the Bible is! A letter to us. From God. Thousands of years old and yet God has made sure that we still have His letter to us! He loves us so much that He has made sure that His words, the Bible, have not been lost or forgotten over time.
He thinks you’re special enough that He wanted YOU to have His special letter that He wrote for YOU. So next time you read the Bible, let’s think about how awesome it is that God took the time to write us a letter. AND that He took time to make sure that it was delivered to us.
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Q&A: Do I have to be "good" to become a Chrisitan?
Season 1 · Episode 12
Wednesday, August 18, 2021 • Duration 05:52
QUESTION: "If I want to follow God, do I have to be a good person before I can become a Christian?"
That is a great question! I was actually talking to someone the other day that told me their daughter was asking questions about how to become a Christian and the lady I was talking to told her daughter “well, that’s something we need to talk more about because if you want to do that you have to start acting better and be a good person!”
The Bible tells us in John 3:16 that “God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life.” Now, did you hear anything in there about being a good person?
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That’s right. He offers for EVERYONE to live with Him forever in heaven, that’s what eternal life means. It’s not just for the good people or for people who look or act a certain way. Paul, a pretty important dude in the Bible, wrote in Romans 7:18 that “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” He goes on to write more about how he REALLY wants to be a good person and do good things, but he can’t ALWAYS be good not matter how hard he tries. And it’s the same with us! Do you ever feel that way, that you try to be good and it’s just hard to be a perfect person all the time??
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It’s so tough! Even for adults! Even for people who have had a relationship with Jesus for years! But at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter. Because God offers His free gift of salvation, or eternal life, a relationship with Him to ANYONE. Not just good people! BUT…each person has to accept His gift. Imagine if I were to give you a present wrapped in a big ole box, with awesome wrapping paper, tons of bows on top and it has YOUR name on it. What would you want to do with that present?
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You’d want to open it and tear in to it so that you could see and enjoy the present! When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, it’s like a present. A gift that allows us to have a relationship with Him forever and be saved from being punished for our sins. BUT we have to open and accept His gift. Lots of people have that gift sitting in their lap and they say “um, no thanks.” And they set it to the side. Never opening it. Never enjoying the gift that God has given them. The gift that God has given to each of us! He doesn’t just give gifts to the people who act the right way or wear certain clothes or even those who go to church every week. He offers His free gift of knowing Him and living with Him forever to EVERYONE. This is called salvation! And it’s awesome and life changing.
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A great example of this is Daniel. The king who was in authority over Daniel told everyone in the kingdom to bow down and worship the king each day. Well, clearly, God had already given the 10 commandments and said “you shall have no other gods before me.” So, this was directly against God’s word. And Daniel refused to do what the king said. He stayed true to God rather than the king and that was GOOD in this case. That’s what he should have done since he was being asked to do something against God’s word. Do you know what happened next?
Yep, that famous story of Daniel being thrown into the lions den and God closing the mouths of the lions. ALL because Daniel chose to show his respect to God over the human king.
We must remember that we resect human authority that God put in place, but we respect God more than anything or anyone else. So, God’s ways first. Respect human authority second as we are told in Romans 13.
Okay let’s get to talking about this.
1. Why should we respect the President no matter who wins?
2. How should we respond if our president asks us to do something that is opposite from what God tells us to do?
Daniel 4:35b says, “He does as He pleases with the power of heaven. He does what He wants with the nations of the earth.” And this truth makes me take a deep breath and relax knowing He’s got it all under His control. And I can trust HIS control.
Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss or just generally review together when it’s over. Oh, and this is important! There’s no wrong answer to these! The point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!
1. So what is God in control of? Name some things!
2. How do you feel knowing that God controls everything?
3. Would you rather be in control or would you rather God be in control?
One last time, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “He does as He pleases – with the power of heaven. – He does what He wants – with the nations of the earth.” Daniel 4:35b *Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gluschenko
Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and there’s not wrong answer to these. So don’t overthink it!
1. When you make bad decisions and get in trouble, does that change God’s love for you?
2. How is everyday a good day like the song said?
3. The next time you’re having a bad day, what can you do to help yourself remember that you’re a child of God and that makes every day a good day since we cannot be separated from the love of God? How can you help yourself remember this truth?
One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. Romans 8:39 “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So, Ethan, if someone wants to start spending time with God like you do and like Jesus showed us to do, what would you tell them?
Ethan: I would suggest that you wake up 30 minutes prior to getting started for the day. Then begin reading two chapters of the bible a day and start in Genesis and end in Revelation. Then finish your time with God in prayer. I started off this way and I encourage you to do this as well. But, if this isn’t what’s best for you, you can always find a new way.
Okay last question. Since you’ve started spending time reading the Bible each morning, how has it changed you?
Ethan: It has changed me on so many different levels. Mainly though, this has helped me in knowing that God is with me and no matter what happens, He is on my side.
Awesome. Well, Ethan, I’m proud of you as a sister in Christ and want to encourage you to keep it up. As you grow up and life changes it’ll be hard to always keep this practice, but I pray the Lord continues to draw you to Himself and transform your heart for His kingdom.
Thanks for joining us today!
You've been listening to Backseat Bible Nuggets. A podcast for kids about God's great love for them and His written word. Parents you can check out more resources at BackseatBibleNuggets.com. We're honored you listened and pray deep roots grow in the lives of your backseaters as you go along the way.
But this is not what the Bible, God’s true word tells us. Jesus’ teaching tells us that there’s only ONE way. And that’s to follow Him. Pretty simple! We don’t need to add any more to that. THE way is Jesus.
Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and there’s not wrong answer to these. So don’t overthink it!
1. What is the one way to God?
2. What did Jesus mean when He said He is the way, the truth, and the life?
3. How does this change the way we live?
One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “I am the way - and the truth - and the life. - No one comes to the Father - except through me.” John14:6
Hey parents, don’t forget to click the subscribe or follow button to get reminders when new episodes are available each week!
So instead of walking around all day holding on to our tongue to keep it under control, let’s ask the Lord to change our heart. Because when He changes our heart, then good, loving, life-bringing words will overflow and come out of our mouths.
Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and there’s not wrong answer to these. So don’t overthink it!
1. Tell about a time when your tongue or words got out of control. And this is a free zone answer time, parents don’t get your kids in trouble with their answer! Just listen!
2. What does our heart have to do with our tongue or our words?
3. How do we tame our tongue and get it under control?
One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “For out of the overflow of his heart - his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45b
You’ve been listening to Backseat Bible Nuggets. A podcast for kids about God’s great love for them and His written word. Parents you can check out more resources at BackseatBibleNuggets.com. We’re honored you listened and pray deep roots grow in the lives of your backseaters as you go along the way.
2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All scripture is God-breathed.” Meaning it’s His words! And the verse goes on to tell us how it’s useful for us. Because, hello, what could be more useful to us than God’s holy words?! That’s some pretty powerful stuff!
Now before we talk through our questions, I want you to know that not everyone in the world has a Bible. Think about that for a minute. Not everyone in the world has a Bible. What would you do if you didn’t have a Bible? How would you know and learn about God? If you’re listening to this you probably have a Bible. I’d bet you might even have more than one in your house! Ask your parents how many Bibles you have in your house…..
Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss or just generally review together when it’s over. Oh, and there’s no wrong answer to these! The point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!
1. Who wrote the Bible? 2. How would you learn about God if you didn’t have a Bible? 3. How is the Bible like a gift?
One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “All scripture - is God-breathed.” 2 Timothy - 3:16a
You’ve been listening to Backseat Bible Nuggets. A podcast for kids about God’s great love for them and His written word. Parents you can check out more resources at BackseatBibleNuggets.com. *Music: Forest by Vlad Gluschenko
Will you help me practice our verse? You can repeat after me:
“For God so loved the world – that He gave His only Son – that whoever believes in Him – will not die, but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and the point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!
1. What is salvation?
2. Who gets the free awesome gift of salvation from God?
