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Family Blueprint
by Julianne Bell
(A game of Follow the Leader, some rainbow sherbet and lemon-lime soda pop teach us along with Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz to trust and obey.)
The Lord gave us the blueprint of His Word to architect our family on Jesus Christ.
Going through the Bible with your family…
Weekly Scripture:
Ruth 1-4
Story:
"Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz"
Application:
Trust and Obey.
Summary:
Naomi was old when she was in the foreign land of Moab. She had moved there during a famine with her husband and sons. The two sons has each married a bride from Moab; one was named Orpah, and one was named Ruth. Naomi’s husband and sons died in Moab and she was very sad. She heard the famine was passed in her own land and decided to return. Her daughters-in-law wanted to go with her, but Naomi encouraged them to return to their own people as she had nothing to offer them. Ruth however refused to leave Naomi. They returned to Naomi’s homeland of Bethlehem. Ruth worked in the fields belonging to a relative named Boaz. Boaz was good to Ruth and had his reapers drop extra grain for Ruth to pick up to support Naomi and herself. Naomi instructed Ruth to go to Boaz one night and sleep at his feet for protection. Ruth asked Boaz to buy back the field that Naomi sold. Boaz knew of a relative who was closer than he that had first rights, but he was not willing to buy the field because it included marrying Ruth. Boaz then paid the price to redeem the land and married Ruth, his gentile bride.
Focus:
That our children will learn to trust their parents and God and obey them knowing that they have the end result in mind, even if the children cannot understand it.
Finding Christ:
Boaz is a type of Christ and Ruth is a type of the church. Boaz redeems the land and marries Ruth just as Christ paid the price to redeem us from eternal death and takes us as His bride for all eternity.
Live the Lesson:
We will work on obedience in this lesson. First dad will be in the living room and mom will be in the kitchen. Dad, ask the kids to take mom a tall drinking glass you have in your hand. When they take the glass to mom, she in turn asks them to please take Dad straws (enough for the family). Dad in turn has an ice cream scooper in a paper bag (so the children cannot see what it is) and asks the children to now take the bag to their mother. Mother now gives the children enough long iced tea spoons per the family and requests they take it to their father. Dad sit the spoons and straws out on the coffee table in separate piles. Now it is time to lead the children in a game of follow the leader. In the meantime, Mom will be making Obedience Freezies out of rainbow sherbet and Sprite or some other lemon-lime carbonated soda.
Dad lead the kids around the house or outside and they have to do everything you do, so get really crazy. If you take them outside, allow each of the children to take a short turn being the leader outside only. Then Dad take over as leader again and lead the children back into the house. On your way to the table, pick up one straw and one spoon from the coffee table. Go and sit down and children should follow your lead in all of this. Sit nicely at the table and fold your hands. Then say out loud, "Please bring me something to cool me down!" Children should say it too. Then when Mama brings out the Obedience Freezies…be sure to say, "Thank you Mom, you’re the best!" Enjoy! While slurping your freezies, be sure to discuss that while some of the stuff you asked the children to do did not make sense to them, it was part of the plan for Mom to make these yummy freezies. And just as Ruth obeyed Naomi not knowing the exact purpose or how it would all turn out, the Lord blessed Ruth for trusting and obeying.
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Memory Verse:
"All things work together for good." Romans 8:28
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please help us to trust and obey You and our parents in all we are asked to do.
Living the Life:
This week discuss with your children times when you did not know what the plan of God was until you obeyed and He revealed the purpose.
Family Blueprint has come to fruition as a complimentary service for those seeking creative ways to 'teach them (the words of the Lord) diligently to your children...' Deuteronomy 6:7
Julianne Bell is also a consultant for Once Upon A Family at www.familyblueprint.org/once_upon_a_family.htm This allows her to work from home while homeschooling her children and keeping her ministry website resources free.
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