​Hi Reign Forest friends,
 
This month, we’ll help kids discover that one of the best plans they can make is to commit to an ongoing relationship with Jesus. Commit to practicing faith by reading God’s Word, praying to Him consistently, talking about Him with friends, and living out that faith every day.
 
This past Sunday, we kicked off the month with something Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25. So run in a way that will get you the prize. All who take part in the games train hard, (NIrV). Paul used running in a race as a way to talk about our relationship with God. A growing relationship with God isn’t something that happens overnight; we need to practice it. The verse sets up the rest of the month for how we can practice our faith.
 
Bottom Line: Keep practicing what matters most. What matters most? We think it’s a growing relationship with Jesus. When it comes to getting things done, more often than not, you need a plan. The same is true in your relationship with Jesus. We hope kids learn some practical steps to make a plan to prioritize growing an everyday faith in Jesus.
 
Memory Verse (#24): “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8, NLT).
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

​Hi Reign Forest Friends,
 
For week three, we head back to Genesis 26:1-6, 12- 22, 26-31. Isaac moved to a region where he reclaimed the wells that had belonged to his father, Abraham. For years no one had cared about the wells until they were reopened, then everyone started fighting over them. Instead of fighting, Isaac decided to give away the wells in order to make peace. Isaac simply walked away from what was rightfully his. And by walking away from the fight, those people changed their opinion about Isaac and decided to trust him.
 
Bottom Line: You can show you care about others by walking away from a fight. Sometimes creating peace with someone means walking away even if we’re not wrong. Often it takes a stronger person to have the self-control to walk away. We pray that kids will learn how they can choose peace when they want to argue and fight.
 
Bible Memory: “So let us do all we can to live in peace. And let us work hard to build each other up” (Romans 14:19, NIRV).
 
Have a great week!
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

​This past Sunday, we looked at what Paul wrote in Colossians 3:15: Let the peace that Christ gives rule in your hearts. As parts of one body, you were appointed to live in peace. And be thankful (NIrV). Because Jesus made peace with us, we can turn around and show that same peace to others.
 
Bottom Line: We can make peace with others. When God made peace with us through Jesus, God showed us that peace with others is possible. This doesn’t mean that it will be easy, but peace is worth the effort it takes to make it. We pray that kids will discover the ways they can live at peace with the people in their life.
 
Bible Memory: And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace (Colossians 3:15 NLT).
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team
Anita, Angie, Cheryl, Christina, Kristin

​Greetings from the Reign Forest!
 
We kick off the month with something Paul writes about Jesus in Colossians 1:20 and John 20:1-18. On Easter Sunday, we want to make sure that kids know how they can have a relationship with Jesus. Throughout the entire Bible, we see God’s plan to make peace with us. In the second part of the Colossians verse, Paul reminds us that it’s through what Jesus did on the cross that the world can be right with God again.
 
Bottom Line: God made peace with us. God went to great lengths to fix what was wrong between us and Him. When God looked across humanity and saw the brokenness of our relationship with Him, He proved He cared about us by sending Jesus, His only Son, to die— to build a bridge and resolve the conflict that existed. Now, Jesus is alive, and we can have a relationship with God that lasts forever.
 
Bible Memory: Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us (Romans 5:1 NLT).
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

​Hi Reign Forest friends,
 
For week three, we go to Genesis 25:24-34, where we find one of the best examples of what
happens when you’re not patient—the story of Esau. After a hunting trip, Esau was exhausted
and hungry! And wouldn’t you know, his brother Jacob had a pot of stew cooking on the fire.
Jacob takes advantage of this situation and offers a bowl in exchange for Esau’s inheritance.
Turns out, Esau couldn’t resist. He lost something extremely valuable all because he was
impatient.
 
Bottom Line: If you don’t wait, it could cost you. Through the story of Esau, we pray that kids
will discover why it’s important to have patience and wait. We will face moments when we
want to rush and take the first choice that comes our way, but that might not be God’s best for
us. We pray kids will discover that when they wait, they can experience something even better
than they can imagine.
 
Bible Memory: Proverbs 16:32 NLT
Better to be patient than powerful; Better to have self-control than to conquer a city.
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

​Hi Reign Forest Friends,
 
For week three, we head to Matthew 5:41. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “Suppose someone forces you to go one mile. Go two miles with them” (NIrV). To us, that might sound strange, but to those listening—not so much. Roman soldiers could force them to carry their pack for a full mile. Jesus reminds His followers to go above and beyond in how they respond to others.
 
Bottom Line: Be kinder than you have to be.
 
Often kindness can feel like an obligation. Because of that, we tend to do the bare minimum when it comes to showing kindness. What if we helped kids look at it differently?
 
What if we helped them see that kindness can be extravagant and unexpected. It’s that sort of kindness that can change people’s hearts and show them how much God loves them.
 
Bible Memory Verse: Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body (Proverbs 16:24,  NLT).
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

Greetings from the Reign Forest.

In week two, we head to Ruth 1 and 2, where we find Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Their husbands have died, and Ruth has the opportunity to return home to her family. Instead, she chooses to show kindness to Naomi and stay with her. Ruth’s kindness doesn’t go unnoticed. Boaz sees how Ruth is treating Naomi and offers kindness to Ruth, changing her life in a huge way.

Bottom Line: Be kind to your family and friends.
When it comes to our family and friends, we can often find ourselves taking them for granted. We hope that through the story of Ruth, kids will learn to show kindness to the people who care about them the most.

Bible Memory: Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12, NLT).
​
Blessings
The Reign Forest Team

​Hi RF Friends,
 
Today, we started off the morning, playing a fun game that helped us encourage each other. We then dove into our Bible lesson in 1 Kings 19:14-21 and 2 Kings 2:1-15. We took a look at a different sort of friendship between Elijah and Elisha. God knew Elijah needed help and directed him to Elisha. Elisha came alongside Elijah and stayed with him to the very end. Elisha knew the importance of encouragement.
 
Bottom Line: Friends encourage one another. Our kids are growing up in a world that can feel like everyone is out for themselves. God has a different way for us to live. God wants us to take time out to encourage others. Kids will find out how they can be friends who use their words and actions to build others up.
 
This is the 2nd week of our Bible Memory Verse Challenge for 2020-2021. It was awesome to hear the kids say their Bible verses again. The kids are off to a great start. This week’s memory verse is “Encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NLT).
 
Blessings,
The RF team
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Jessi, and Kristin

​Hello Reign Forest Friends!
 
In week two, we return to 1 Samuel 20 for one of the most famous friendships in the entire Bible: David and Jonathan. These guys went through a lot together. From making a promise to help each other to escaping the dangers of Jonathan’s own father, King Saul, they showed us exactly what it meant for friends to love each other.
 
Bottom Line: Friends love one another. Just like David and Jonathan, friends can show how they love each other by the way they care for one another and go above and beyond to help each other succeed. It’s this sort of love we experience through Jesus. We pray that kids will follow Him and learn how they can help their friends know how much they’re loved.
 
Memory Verse: “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you” (John 15:12, NLT).
 
Blessings:
The Reign Forest Team

The story of Esther titled “This Is Me” gave the children the opportunity to see how God had created Esther for a purpose and how Esther was used to bring about God’s plan to save the Jewish people.
 
The children practiced social distancing during REIGN FOREST by staying in their designated spaces.  The children participated in an activity where a volunteer pulled objects from a bag, and the group called out what the object was made to do.  The children also played a memory game called “If I were a King/Queen, I would ___________.”
Both of these activities were meant to help the children think about the special purpose that God has for each of them.  Following these activities, the children listened to the story of Esther on video.  Reign Forest ended with prayer requests and a time of prayer to thank God that He has a purpose for each child.  We prayed that God would give us the courage to do what He wants each one of us to do.
 
Reminder:  Reign Forest Bible Memory Celebration Party is on August 30 during our regular Reign Forest time on Sunday morning.   Anyone who still has verses to say can say them this Sunday, August 23, or send them by video or text to Anita Wenrich.  
 
In Christ,
The Reign Forest Team