Family Time with God: November

How to use this section: On this page, you'll find Fun Stuff, monthly activities for your family, and Did You Know, an interesting story to tell your kids. On the pages that follow, you'll learn a new Bible verse a week. The verses are divided into three parts: Preschoolers memorize the words in bold. Elementary kids memorize the words in bold and italics. Teens and parents learn the complete verse.

Fun Stuff

Piggy Bank Day (November 2) During the Middle Ages, people used an orange clay (pygg) to make their dishes. People saved their money in a "pygg jar," which eventually became "piggy jar" and then "piggy bank." The name stuck even though piggy banks aren't made out of orange clay anymore!

Sweet Oranges: You need: 4 oranges, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 1/4 cup water, Whipped cream, Cherries.Peel the oranges. Break into segments and put into a bowl. Cut the orange rind (peel) from one-half of an orange into thin strips. Boil the sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, water, and the rind peels until the rind becomes almost clear. Pour the syrup mixture over the oranges. Cool. Serve with whipped cream and a cherry on top!

Christmas Tablecloth: Cover the table with a red covering. (This can be cloth or plastic. Or you could use a bed sheet.) Make Christmas designs from construction paper: candy canes, snowflakes, wreaths, etc. Place on the tablecloth; then cover with a clear vinyl tablecloth.

Tax Collectors (January 9-15): The government assigned tax collectors to collect a specific amount of money. Tax collectors would charge the people much more than they needed to and then keep what was left over. That's how tax collectors became wealthy and why the phrase "tax collector" was synonymous with "cheats" and "criminals."

Did You Know?

The name Nehemiah means "the Lord's comfort." Not much is known about this man before the events of the Old Testament book named after him. We meet him when he's the cupbearer to the king of Persia. The position of cupbearer was only given to a trustworthy person (after all, his responsibility was to make sure no one poisoned the king!). Nehemiah heard from his brother that the walls of Jerusalem were in terrible condition, and he wanted to do something. So he gained permission from the king to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. The book of Nehemiah is the story of that rebuilding.

Nehemiah was a godly man. He temporarily walked away from a position of power in order to help his countrymen in Jerusalem, and he continually gave praise and credit to God for all he accomplished.

What Is Awana?

Awana® is a nondenominational youth ministry committed to reaching boys and girls with the gospel of Christ and training them to serve him. To learn more about Awana and locate an Awana club near you, visit www.awana.org/about.asp

The Life of Nehemiah

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Week 1 Nehemiah is sad.Nehemiah 9:5aStand up and praise the Lord your God,who is from everlasting to everlasting.
	1 Read Nehemiah 1-2. (you may want to divide these verses into sections and read a few each day).	2 It's Piggy Bank Day. Save your change during the month of November. At the end of the month, count your money and buy some food for a food bank.	3Family Fact: Kislev (Nehemiah 1:1), the ninth month in the Jewish calendar, corresponds to our November and December.	4 Memorize Nehemiah 9:5a.	5Family Forum: Nehemiah had a difficult job. Ask each family member to tell about a time when they had something difficult to do. (Snack on some popcorn while you're listening to the others talk.)	6 Ask the Lord to help you praise him even when life is difficult.
Week 2 Nehemiah seeks God's guidance.Nehemiah 9:5bBlessed be your glorious name and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
7Family Forum: Discuss the questions: How do we seek God's guidance? Where do we find that guidance?	8 Build a wall out of graham crackers. Use frosting to hold the pieces together. When you're done, enjoy eating it.	9 Memorize Nehemiah 9:5b	10 Can you say your verse while walking backwards across the room?	11 Read Nehemiah 3-4 (you may want to divide these verses into sections and read a few each day).	12 What's happened in Nehemiah's life so far? Draw six pictures (they don't have to be large) showing what's happened in Nehemiah 1-4.	13 Ask each person in the family: What's your favorite praise song? Sing the songs together.
Week 3 Nehemiah stands fast against the enemy.Nehemiah 9:6aYou alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them.
14 Thank the Lord for parents who want you to learn about God.	15 Read Nehemiah 5-6 (you may want to divide these verses into sections and read a few each day).	16 Memorize Nehemiah 9:6a	17Family Fact: Find a picture of Jerusalem that shows the walls and gates. These are not the SAME walls and the SAME gates that Nehemiah built, but they'll help you understand what Nehemiah did.	18 Read the story of Nehemiah from a Bible storybook.	19Family Fun: Change a wall in your house. Put up some new family photographs or draw some pictures to frame.	20 What do you think Nehemiah's wall looked like? Build a wall out of blocks to look like the walls of Jerusalem (use the picture you found on Wednesday as a model).
Week 4 Nehemiah's people serve.Nehemiah 9:6bYou give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
21 Listen carefully in church. Tell your family what you learned.	22 Read Nehemiah 8.	23 Memorize Nehemiah 9:6b	24 Write thank-you notes to each family member who will be at Thanksgiving dinner. Tell each person at least three reasons why you're thankful for them.	25 Enjoy Thanksgiving with your family. Give out your thank-you notes.	26 Recite Nehemiah 9:5-6 (the verses you've learned this month).	27Family Forum: What can we learn from the story of Nehemiah?
28 Say Nehemiah 9:6b. How quickly can you write down 30 "things" to which God gave life?	29 How much do you have in your piggy bank? Shop for a food for a food bank.	30 You've learned a lot about Nehemiah. Make up a four-line poem about him.