High Point

February-March Highpoint Giving Project: Good News for Good News

2012-02-13T15:21:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

In America today, there are 6.7 million people in jail, on probation, or on parole. Statistics tell us that 95% of these people's children will also end up in the system at some point in their lives. Local experience seems to tell the same story: Thirty years ago Rochester's jail had three hundred inmates. Today it has five hundred DEPUTIES.

This month in HIGHPOINT, we've started a new Giving Project to provide a "comic book style bible" to inmates in the downtown jail, just 3.5 miles from Northridge. The book is called Good and Evil [http://nogreaterjoy.org/ministry/good-and-evil/]. This awesome resource is a 321-page full-color chronological summary of the Bible, written by Michael Pearl (NoGreaterJoy.org) and illustrated by former Marvel Comics artist Danny Bulanadi, who chose to leave Marvel after becoming a Christian.

This Giving Project builds upon Northridge's long-term support of the Good News Jail & Prison Ministry (GoodNewsJail.org), an international organization whose local chapter has three full-time chaplains and over a hundred volunteers, including Northridge volunteers, serving in three of our area's jails.

These jails are rich mission fields, where people who have never given Jesus a second thought will take the time to study His life and claims. But because many inmates read at an elementary school level, there's a huge ongoing need for Bibles they can read and understand.

Good and Evil is a proven tool for engaging people who cannot or will not read a conventional Bible. Many inmates who have previously refused to talk with a Good News jail volunteer have changed their mind and sought further discussion, either one-on-one or in a group Bible study after exposure to Good and Evil. It's a kind of primer that helps them move from milk to meat.

Good and Evil retails for $25 each, but if we buy them by the case we can get a much better deal. Two cases of 26 books can be purchased for $5 per book! And at four cases, our cost would only be $4 per book!

If our HIGHPOINT kids generously sowed $416 plus shipping in February and March, we could unleash 104 copies of Good and Evil to roar through the downtown jail. These books are a powerful tool for reaching the hearts of the hardest to reach in our jail and can become the starting point that leads them and those in their families to give their lives to Jesus. Will you join us this month in this exciting opportunity!

February Music!

2012-02-06T18:23:00.000-05:00

Hi parents! If you hear your child singing a song from High Point and you want to join in, you can. You can access and download the songs your kids are singing in High Point. The February list is already up and ready for you.

For PreK/Kindergarten songs, click here.

For 1st-5th grade songs, click here.

Download the songs and put the on your regular playlist. You can listen in the car or at home and sing together!

The Ultimate Challenge - Honor

2012-02-04T09:48:00.000-05:00

Stop and think about someone you really admire.

Are you thinking of someone? Whether that person is a teacher, coach, friend or family member, he or she is valuable to you. You recognize that this person is important because what they do impacts your life. But did you know that everyone is valuable? That's right. Your boss, your mailman, your babysitter and your neighbor—they are all valuable.

Every person has value, not because of what they do, but because each and every person has been put together by God. When God created people, He made them in His image. That means every person alive today has been put together in the likeness of God. So every person has value. And it’s our job to help everyone feel like they are valuable.

When we show other people how valuable they really are, we are showing them honor. There are many ways to honor someone. Moses gave us the Ten Commandments to teach us to honor our mother and father (Exodus 20:12). Paul taught us to honor the authorities who have been placed over us on earth (Romans 13:1). When Jesus was on earth, He taught us to honor everyone—even those who are overlooked and unpopular.

Jesus showed other people how valuable they really were by spending time with them. He ate dinner with people who usually ate alone. He served people who were used to doing the serving. He paid attention to people who normally didn't get a lot of attention. If Jesus thought it was important to honor everyone, then we should follow His example.

This February, we’re taking on the Ultimate Challenge of showing the highest degree of honor. We’ll be looking to David as a mentor and exploring his life in 1 and 2 Samuel, and we will define honor as “letting someone know you see how valuable they really are.”

In week 1, we’re looking at how God chooses the next king from an unexpected place—the youngest boy watching sheep in the fields (1 Samuel 16:1-13). We’ll notice that God doesn’t see as the world sees; He looks at the heart instead. Bottom line: Honor those who are overlooked.

This Bible story sets up the month and God’s pattern to honor people in unexpected ways and encouraging us to do the same. To do this, it will help to memorize our monthly verse: “Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves,” Romans 12:10, NIrV.

In week 2, we’re discovering that honor can also be shown between friends. In this Bible story, we’re introduced to the current king, Saul, and his son, Jonathan. These two may be related, but they have very different responses to David’s role in their lives and his rising popularity (1 Samuel 18:1-4 & 5-9).

Saul is increasingly more concerned about his own status and power. But Jonathan values his relationship with David more. He doesn’t just say so in words, but also through his actions, sharing important things like his armor and weapons. Bottom Line: Honor others more than yourself.

In week 3, we’re discovering that it’s important to honor the people in charge of you. If you don’t and you dishonor them, it usually doesn’t end well. Often, people get hurt. Just ask King David’s son, Absalom. He rebels because he thinks he’d make a better king (2 Samuel 15:1-16a, 18:5-7, 15, 31-33).

His dad tried to protect him, but the natural consequences of showing dishonor led to a real tragedy. That’s why it’s best to Bottom Line: Honor those who are over you.

In week 4, we’re discovering that another way to show honor is through worship. In some cultures, dancing is a special way of expressing honor to someone important. In this Bible story, King David is so excited that the ark of the covenant—and God’s presence—is finally coming to his city, that he dances on and off the whole way there!(2 Samuel 6:12b-22a) He dances out of his joy, for an audience of One—not caring what others might think.

When we really love God, it’s natural to Bottom Line: Honor God in front of others. We just can’t help ourselves really! It doesn’t matter if others think we might be embarrassing ourselves. This month, we’re not only looking for ways to show others how valuable they really are, but also for opportunities to share publicly who God is, what He means to you and how He’s shown up in your life. Who can argue with that?

I can’t wait to see what happens in February when we take on the Ultimate Challenge of showing the highest degree of honor!

Wrapping Up January

2012-01-30T16:15:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, we ended the month recapping Self-Control and how only God can help us control ourselves. Bad thoughts or lies are like weeds that grow up and can choke our thoughts. The way to remove the weeds, like a gardener pulling out the bad weeds so flowers and plants can grow, is to read the Bible. God's word is filled with truths for us to live by. The big kids were given many different examples of how the Bible applies to us and the struggles we have. Feeling lonely, scared, angry, or frustrated are common for kids, and for adults. As we read the Bible, we fill our minds with the truth. As parents, we can help our children, and ourselves, as we read the Bible and take in the truth from scripture.

The younger kids kids had a blast ROARING as they recapped the month about self-control. Whenever the character in their story was angry or not showing self-control, a lion appeared on the screen and they ROARED. Through this engaging lesson, the kids learned about how to control the lion of anger inside and using self-control. Learning about God through His word is how we can do this.

At High Point, our desire is to partner with parents to help children learn about Jesus and to grow to know Him in a personal way. We know we are just a small part in your child's life. We pray for you as you invest your time and love in your children. As a family, we encourage you to take time together to read the Bible and talk about the truths in it. Like gardens, we pray that your children's hearts will accept the truth and remove the weeds in their hearts and minds.

REMINDER: Drop-off and Pick-up Times

2012-01-21T10:16:00.003-05:00

Hey Parents!

We wanted to make sure everyone is aware of drop-off and pick-up times. Drop-off for the 9:15 AM service begins at 9:00 AM. Please pick up your child promptly after the service. This will allow us to transition and set-up for the next HighPoint. Drop-off for the 11:00 AM service begins at 10:45 AM. Thank you for helping us in this area! Looking forward to another great day in HighPoint!

January HIGHPOINT Giving Project: The Pirate Toy Fund

2012-01-15T15:59:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone!

This month in HIGHPOINT, we have started a new Giving Project, The Pirate Toy Fund (PTF). The PTF is a Rochester-based charity headed by Gary the Happy Pirate that provides toys to local kids that are in need. Last year, they distributed more that 24,000 toys! If your family would like to take part, just bring in a new, unwrapped toy to HIGHPOINT. You can either put them in the Giving Cart by the sign-in desk when you arrive, or your child can give them during the offering time in the HIGHPOINT service. The kids' offering this month will be pooled and used to buy toys for the PTF. Thanks for all of your hard work each month partnering with us to teach our kids to SOW GENEROUSLY!

The Giving Guy

ATTENTION: 3RD GRADE PARENTS

2012-01-05T11:42:00.003-05:00

The 3rd grade small group will meet in Room 203, effective THIS Sunday (January 8th). Thanks for flexing with us as we try to find the best use of space for both kids and grown-up classes! We appreciate you!

See you on Sunday morning!

Your HighPoint Leaders

Music in January

2012-01-02T01:45:00.000-05:00

Hey HighPoint parents! Happy New Year! This month, your kids are singing a great blend of worship songs in HighPoint. You can download them from Amber Sky Records to enjoy at home and in the car!

Click on these links to go straight to the playlists.

If your child is in Preschool or Kindergarten, you will find their songs here.

If your child is in 1st-5th grade, you can find their songs here.

Game On! Self-Control

2011-12-31T07:33:00.010-05:00

January is a great time to work on changing the way we play this game of life. It feels like a fresh, crisp start to a new year! We're going to spend the month in Proverbs, a book packed full of wise and visual verses to challenge our thinking - especially about the topic of Self-Control.

Self-control means choosing to do what you should do—and not what you want to do. In the moment, that’s hard for a lot of us. The good news is that God doesn’t ask us to do anything all on our own. We’ll share verses like 2 Peter 1:3 that say: “God’s given us everything we need to lead a godly life.” Self-control is a way to display to the world around us that we have God in our lives. And He’s present every hour of every day, ready to help us take control of our thoughts, words and actions.

Each week, we’ll talk specifically about choosing to have self-control in areas where we know kids (and adults) typically struggle, plus we’ll focus on faith skills like navigating the Bible and personalizing Scripture in their everyday lives.

In week one, the Proverbs principle we’re focusing on compares someone without self-control to a city with broken down walls—defenseless (Proverbs 25:28 NIrV). In our monthly memory verse, the very beginning of James 1:19 begs us to pay attention and be quick to listen. Our Bottom Line is: God can give you the power to control yourself.

In week two, we’re studying a young and new king, Solomon, who was smart enough to ask God to make him wise. What he learned is recorded for us in the book of Proverbs. We’ll talk about the biblical principle that it’s better to be patient than to fight (Proverbs 16:32). The Bottom Line is: Pause before you lose your temper. We want to be slow to anger, to make the best choice for the future too, instead of just reacting based on how we feel and what we want right now.

In week three, we’re continuing to see the destruction that happens when we don’t have self-control. We want kids to know that God wants better for us and wants to protect us. So, we’ll focus on the hurt that’s caused when we use our words thoughtlessly like a sharp sword. We need to be slow to speak because wise people’s words can bring healing to a situation (Proverbs 12:8). The Bottom Line is: Select your words carefully.

In week four, we continue to see that sometimes God says things a certain way to grab our attention and hold it long enough to make His point. He’ll use words to create a picture that’s really hard to get out of our mind and show us that it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Proverbs 25:16 clearly says we better be cautious or we’ll end up in a stinky mess. None of us like getting sick (or cleaning up), that’s why our Bottom Line is: Know when to stop.

Maybe that’s why Galatians 5:22-23 says: “But the fruit of God’s spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” The only thing you can’t get too much of is God!

In week five as we wrap up, we really get to the heart of what gets us in trouble most. It’s not really our temper or our words or our choices like we’ve talked earlier this month. No, it’s what comes before all that and can happen so fast that it’s hard to catch. We want kids to understand that our thoughts lead to all our actions.

We’ll finish up by discussing the important principle in Philippians 4:8 about watching carefully what we think about. Whatever we focus on most will take over and fill our minds. That’s why God encourages us to think about only what’s true and right, what’s excellent and worthy of our praise. Bottom Line, we will learn: Use the Bible to guide your thoughts.

We are so excited about this month in Proverbs with a different principle each week addressing real life situations where we need self-control. Isn’t it great to know that God’s given us everything we need to live a godly life and to grow in wisdom? We can’t wait to hear what you think about Self-control: Changing the way you play!

Highpoint Giving Project Update

2011-12-31T07:01:00.003-05:00

Advent Conspiracy

Hi Everyone!

On the first weekend in December, we told the kids that Highpoint would be taking part in a conspiracy, a secret plan to buy a Christmas present from them for Jesus. We discussed the sort of things that Jesus might want as His birthday present. No Legos, no American Girl dolls, no XBoxes. We talked about how one way that we can ‘give a gift to Jesus’ is to help to take care of the people who He loves who cannot take care of themselves. We took the offering each week, telling the kids that the gift was to be a secret (shhhhhhh) from the rest of the church until it was completed, and ‘given’ at the Christmas service.

On Sunday, the kids from Highpoint gave their birthday gift to Jesus: $84 towards feeding hungry babies in famine-stricken countries. One of the options in the Northridge Advent Conspiracy Catalog was a ministry through Samaritan’s Purse, through which $9 could provide a week’s worth of nourishment at a feeding center in one of these countries. So through their giving, the kids of Highpoint provided funding to feed more than nine hungry babies. That is a Christmas Gift that will last a long time! Happy Birthday, Jesus!

~The Giving Guy

December Songs

2011-12-09T14:41:00.003-05:00

Hey HighPoint parents! Your kids are singing a great blend of worship songs this month and you can download them from Amber Sky Records to enjoy at home and in the car!

If your child is in Preschool or Kindergarten, you will find their songs here

If your child is in 1st-5th grade,you can find their songs here

All of the Christmas songs that we are singing in HighPoint are from the Jingle Jam album. If you are looking for a family-friendly mix that highlights Jesus, the true reason for the season, check it out here

Generosity - Wrapped Up!

2011-12-01T18:24:00.002-05:00

It’s official—the holidays are around the corner. How do I know? Relatives are asking for Christmas lists so they can get their shopping done and the commercials on TV are rolling out their latest toy temptations to get my children drooling.

It’s so easy to lose perspective in all the hustle and bustle. That’s why I’m excited to focus on Generosity this December—so kids (and adults like me) can be reminded about what we should get all wrapped up in this year! (This is the same fitting theme from several years ago, but the content itself—scripts and activities—are all fresh and new.)

In fact, James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” So, we know that God is the giver of all good things. But we also know that God’s generosity has a purpose.

In Week 1, we listen as Jesus tells the parable of a rich man in Luke 12:13-21. He gets wrapped up in storing more and more stuff and ends up losing everything that really matters. Bottom Line: People are always more important than stuff.

The brother did what we all have a tendency to do—to focus on what God can do for us, instead of thinking about ways we’ve already been blessed or how we can bless others. That’s why our monthly memory verse says, “Be rich in good deeds . . . be generous and willing to share.” (1 Timothy 6:18, NIV).

When we realize that it’s really a lie that stuff makes our lives better, then it’s easier for us to be generous. We define generosity as making someone’s day by giving something away. We can’t really live generously unless we believe this Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

In Week 2, we learn that you can’t take it with you! A rich young ruler has a big question in our Luke 18:18-25. It’s interesting because Jesus really wasn’t after the guy’s stuff; He was after his heart. Jesus knew that this guy was trapped and He wanted to set the guy free. Bottom Line: Don’t let stuff get in the way of loving Jesus. Living generously shows the people around us what we love and trust in most.

In week 3, we read two different accounts in John 3:16-17 and Luke 2:1-18 about the Greatest Gift Exchange ever—when Jesus is born. God is the ultimate example ofgenerosity. We give because God’s given to us. God’s original gift is our motivation for giving freely to others. Bottom Line: God gave the greatest gift when He gave us Jesus.

In one of the busiest times of year it’s important to take time to remember who gave first. We can stop and remember how amazing it is that God sent His Son to show us a new way to live and later make it possible for us to live with Him forever if we just believe.

In week 4, we learn that wise men know how to be generous. Three men come to visit a young Jesus in Matthew 2:1-12. They go to great efforts and travel a long distance in order to be generous. We will focus on all the ways the wise men gave to Jesus—not just the physical gifts, but their time, energy, money and intentionality. Bottom Line:When you give, it shows others how valuable they are.

Other people should be valuable to us because they are valuable to God. When we give to others it shows God that we value the people He loves so much that He sent His son.

God gives generously to us so that we may be generous toward others. The Bible says, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV)

In other words, God gives generously to us so we will have time, emotional energy, patience, and a wealth of resources to give to others. Then, when we are generous with all we have been given, others will see us and be thankful to God.

So many times we think that our ability to be generous is connected to our riches. We are afraid to give because we don’t know if we have enough, and we think generosity is for those who have more than we do to give. But the cool thing about generosity is that we’re not generous because we are rich, we are rich because we are generous. When we choose to give generously to others, we are blessed with everything that really matters in life!

Help Decorate the HighPoint Tree

2011-11-27T21:43:00.003-05:00

We have a sweet little tree on the HighPoint stage, but it's missing sweet little ornaments! This morning, Mr. Gary invited HighPoint kids to make ornaments to decorate the tree. Homemade and simple -- have fun with it! Kids can bring in their ornaments any Sunday between December 4 and December 18.

November HIGHPOINT Giving Project

2011-11-13T20:24:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! In HIGHPOINT, we have wrapped up Operation Christmas Child (ha!) and have begun our new Giving Project, Winter Clothing for Rochester Kids.

Brad Van Heukelum (a member of our Northridge Church family) is a doctor at the Woodward Clinic in Rochester that treats families in an under-served part of the city. This year, his clinic will open a Holiday Shop where clinic patients can purchase toys and clothes for their kids for Christmas at drastically discounted prices.

This month at HIGHPOINT, we will be collecting new warm winter clothing in kids' sizes for the Holiday Shop. This includes coats, hats, gloves, mittens and scarves. When you bring them in, put them in the Giving Cart near the HIGHPOINT check-in desk.

Operation Christmas Child Update
For the last 2 months, the kids at HIGHPOINT have been participating in Operation Christmas Child with the Golden Agers. At the packing parties held 2 weeks ago, the kids packed 38 shoe boxes from the items that were contributed by the kids and Golden Agers throughout September and October. In addition, many families have filled and brought in their own shoe boxes. During the month of November, any money that is given in the HIGHPOINT offering will be used to pay the $7/box shipping cost for these shoe boxes.

I'm looking forward to this month's Giving Project and the chance to see how God is teaching our kids to SOW GENEROUSLY!

-The Giving Guy

SEEDS: November Take-It-Home-Tool

2011-11-08T14:21:00.009-05:00

Seeds Family Worship was planted when worship leader, Jason Houser, was asked to write some songs to help kids remember the verses from his church’s summer Bible school.

Jason began writing songs and singing them for the kids and families at church. The songs were well-crafted, catchy, and taken straight from scripture. Families liked them. . . a lot.

From just a handful of songs, Seeds Family Worship was planted – providing God’s Word set to music for thousands of families all over the world.

HighPoint kids have been listening to Seeds Worship songs (in the form of music videos with lyrics) as they arrive early and wait for service to start. Even the adult leaders have commented about the catchy music and way that the words stick in their head. The best part is that the words that are sticking are God's Words -- straight from the Bible.

As the November Take-It-Home Tool, we are pleased to introduce families to Seeds worship CD's. The makers of Seeds describe their music in this way:

Both parents and kids will love the music. The lyrics are God's own Word, straight from the NIV. It's the perfect way to sing, dance, and make a joyful noise unto the Lord, while planting His Word forever in your heart and mind. It's a Scripture-memory tool -- It's a CD full of fabulous music. It's both! Seeds combines songs that use Scripture for lyrics with strongly produced music that is varied in style to create a sound the whole family will love. Each song helps a child (and any adults in the vicinity) memorize one or more Bible verses from the NIV.

Choose from several albums, available in the NIV version:

The 6th Seeds CD is available in ESV only:

Seeds of Character

NOTE (This is really cool!):

All Seeds CDs are Buy one, give one

We've taken inspiration from God's perfect plan for seeds dispersal and designed packaging intended to facilitate the spreading of Seeds. Each package of Seeds of Character album includes two identical full-length CDs.

So simply tear the CD cover in half and share a complete packaged album with a friend nearby or far away. You get to take part in spreading Seeds--helping take God's Word to as many homes as possible.

Last, but not least, Seeds offers FREE downloadable scripture memory cards that correspond with their CDs. You can find the downloadables, as well as other fun stuff for kids, here.

Seeds CD's are available at the Northridge bookstore (not all titles are available) or at the Seeds Online Music Store

As always, we will be giving away a FREE Seeds CD to one family at the end of the month. To be eligible for the give-away, simply visit the HighPoint blog and register your email (you will receive a confirmation email and must respond to verify). When you register at the blog, you will receive parent updates from the HighPoint team approximately one time per week.

Take-It-Home-Tool... because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence in their own child's life.

Sing Along with HighPoint

2011-11-02T13:24:00.005-04:00

Worship through singing is one of our favorite ways to praise God on Sunday mornings at HighPoint. Each month, parents and kids ask us how to get HighPoint music to sing at home and in the car. The Northridge bookstore has always carried CD's of HighPoint music, but now it's even easier to download and listen to HighPoint music! Just follow these links to listen to clips of some of the November HighPoint songs.

Pre-K and Kindergarten Songs

1st - 5th Grade Songs

If you would like to purchase and download any of these songs, visit Amber Sky Records to become a member. Each song is worth one credit (approximately $1.25 or less, depending on the number of credits you purchase).

Pitstop! (Gratitude)

2011-11-01T04:37:00.001-04:00

It’s a little strange to be working on curriculum for next winter when the temperature outside is still pushing 100 plus degrees every day! In fact, my daughter now regularly (and dramatically) thanks God for air conditioning whenever she enters a building. It never fails to amuse people who overhear her.

But it is really hard for kids (and adults) to consistently slow down long enough to express any kind of gratitude for both the big and the small things in our lives. So the theme for this November is taking a “Pitstop” so we can remember that because of what God has done, we always have a reason to be grateful.

Showing gratitude is a natural response to God’s good character and is talked about throughout the Bible. It’s interesting to realize that God doesn’t actually express gratitude—because God doesn’t need anything. In fact, we can’t do anything to help God because He is completely omnipotent. He has the power to do anything that needs to be done. He is the only One who is truly self-reliant.

But God made us so that we are not self-reliant. We need God, and we need other people. We are all sinners in need of a Savior, and God met that need when He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins (which we will start talking about the last week of this month with the Last Supper and continue all next month as we prepare for Jesus’ birth at Christmas time). Because of God’s sacrifice, we can have eternal life with Him in heaven. So that means we can be grateful to God for saving us and preparing a place for us in eternity.

And that’s not all—there are other things to be grateful for as well. Do you have shelter? Food? Clean Water? Clothes? Shoes? School? Work? What about friends and family? These things can be easily taken for granted—like air conditioning or fans! But imagine what our lives would be like without them! God wants us to remember that every good and perfect gift comes from Him, and that we should be grateful to Him for what He has given.

The Bible also tells us that it’s not enough just to show gratitude to God. We should also use the same gratitude to show our appreciation to all the people who help us every day. We don’t do as much by ourselves as we think we do. Sometimes it’s as simple as remembering to say “Thank you.” Sometimes it’s writing a special note or giving someone a hug. The important thing is that we remember and recognize what others do for us as we thank them for their help.

In week one, we will look for the silver lining in every situation. Bottom Line: You always have something to be grateful for. To do this, we will unpack our monthly memory verse: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV

The second week we will focus on a group of vineyard workers (Matthew 20:1-15) who agreed to do a job but were disappointed by the way things turned out. Bottom Line: Take time to adjust your attitude.

In week three’s familiar story, we’ll study Jesus’ healing of the 10 lepers (Luke 17:11-19) and think about why only one came back. Bottom Line: Take time to say thank you.

And in the final week, we’ll learn about the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:14-20) to focus on what Jesus was about to go through because He loved us so much. Bottom Line: Take time to celebrate what God has done.

We all need a gratitude adjustment from time to time—especially when we’re hot or hungry or tired. So I can’t wait to hear what you think of this month’s curriculum. One of the things I’m most grateful for is passionate leaders like you who invest so much in the next generation, so they can discover what God’s done for them in His big story and see the adventure that He invites all of us to experience as we try to follow Him every day.

Operation Christmas Child Update

2011-10-27T19:05:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone!

We're coming to the end of Operation Christmas Child, the Giving Project that both the kids at HIGHPOINT and the GOLDEN AGERS have been working on for the past two months. We've collected toys, school supplies, clothing, hygiene items, and candy to be packed in shoe boxes that will be sent as Christmas gifts to kids around the world who might otherwise not receive a present! A book that presents the Gospel in the child's own language (provided by Samaritan's Purse) will also be included in each box.

This Sunday, we will be holding PACKING PARTIES in all of the 1st through 5th grade HIGHPOINT small groups. The kids in each class will take a bunch of empty shoeboxes, decide the age and gender of the recipients, pick out and pack the items for those kids, and pray for the box and the child that will receive it. It will be an exciting ending to a great Giving Project!

For families that are packing their own boxes: If you need packing instructions or the label, you can find it here. There is also a cool how-to video on packing a box here. You can bring them in to HIGHPOINT any of the next three weekends (no later than Nov. 13th) and put them into the Giving Cart. They'll be dropped off with all of the other boxes at an OCC Drop-Off location.

Thanks again for all of your participation with your kids!

The Giving Guy

Book Giveaway!

2011-10-24T13:57:00.006-04:00

Who doesn't love free stuff?! Especially when the free stuff is valuable and challenging from a parenting perspective! This month we are giving away not just one, but FOUR copies of the October Take-It-Home-Tool, Shepherding a Child's Heart, by Tedd Tripp.

If you would like to win a copy of Tedd Tripp's book, simply comment on this post and tell us what you are grateful for this fall season (Gratitude is our November virtue!). We'd love to hear from you!

Operation Christmas Child Update

2011-10-13T16:38:00.005-04:00

Hi Everyone!

We are now 5 weeks into the joint HighPoint/Golden Agers Giving Project, Operation Christmas Child. Things are going great! The Giving Cart is overflowing with shoe boxes, toys, and everything else that HighPoint kids have donated so far. Next month, filled shoeboxes will start a journey to kids in other countries who may otherwise not receive a Christmas present. Each shoebox will include a copy of "The Greatest Gift of All", a booklet which explains the story of Christ and salvation through Him (translated into many different languages).

This Sunday (October 16th), we will be collecting hard candy (please no chocolate - it melts) and small clothing items (socks, gloves, hats and underwear). Remember, we are filling boxes for boys and girls, ages 2-14, so a variety of sizes and styles are welcome.

In prior weeks we have collected shoe boxes, small toys, school supplies, and hygiene items. If you'd still like to bring in any of these items, feel free!

Lastly, some families are looking forward to assembling their own OCC shoe box. On Sunday, we will be sending home instructions for packing a box. Be on the lookout for shoebox labels and instructions. We will be collecting completed boxes through November 13th.

That's it for now. We're looking forward to seeing your kids at HighPoint!

The Giving Guy

Special Guests in HighPoint - THIS SUNDAY!

2011-10-07T11:29:00.000-04:00

HighPoint will welcome special guests this Sunday, October 9. Following their performance at adult service, the handbell choir from Shepherds Ministries will share their talents with kids at HighPoint.

What a beautiful illustration of our October memory verse, Ephesians 2:10

"For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

See you on Sunday!!

October Take It Home Tool

2011-10-06T15:53:00.000-04:00

HighPoint leaders are excited to recommend an excellent parenting resource for the October Take It Home Tool. Shepherding a Child's Heart, by Tedd Tripp, was originally published in 1995, with a revised and updated version published in 2005. This book has helped Christian parents for over 2 decades with practical, biblical advice for raising kids in the way of the Lord.

Author and pastor, Tim Challies, has this to say about Shepherding...

The book is divided into two parts. In the first, Tripp lays the foundation for biblical childrearing. He shows that the heart of bad behavior is a sinful heart. He discusses a child’s development, showing that a child is shaped by various influences on his life and that a parent needs to help a child have a Godward orientation. He discusses authority and suggests that, despite our culture’s disgust towards authority, a parent must assert himself as being in a position of God-given authority over a child. A child must realize that parents speak not of their own authority, but of God’s. He also discusses goals, methods, communication and discipline.

Where the first part of the book lays a foundation, the second part guides a parent through shepherding a child through three stages of development: infancy, childhood and teenagers. For each of these periods he suggests the training objectives and then procedures a parent should use to attain these objectives.

Towards the end of the month, we will select one family to receive a FREE copy of Shepherding a Child's Heart. To be eligible for this giveaway, register your family email address on the HighPoint blog. This provides your family with regular news and updates, pertinent for families with kids ages PreK - 5th grade.

Shepherding a Child's Heart is available at the Northridge bookstore or online. Partner with us by taking advantage of this month's Take It Home Tool... because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence on their own child's heart.

Imagine That! (CREATIVITY)

2011-10-01T18:45:00.004-04:00

A few years ago at a conference, a well-known speaker and author made this statement: “A leader speaks something into nothing.” My initial thought was, “That’s beautiful!” And then, “Is that even possible? Can anyone except God create something new or unique?“ But everywhere I look, the world around us needs fresh creativity and those of us who believe in a big God to show them a different way of living and loving others.

That’s why I’m so excited about October and our journey to discover where true creativity comes from. The first week, we’re going back to the beginning to explore the original Creator and it’s no surprise that there we find a very imaginative God (Genesis 1:1-2:1). He really did speak something into nothing! So where does that leave us? In Genesis’ description of the Creation process, the Bible says specifically that we are created in God’s image. We were made out of God’s imagination. The bottom line is that “You were created so you can be creative.” In fact, we’d go so far as to say that Christians have unlimited potential to be the most creative people on earth!

Later, the apostle Paul says it this way (in what will be our monthly memory verse):“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV).

We are created by a creative God in His image, but unfortunately the older we get, the less we believe that we are creative and the more narrow our view of creativity becomes. So this month, we’re discovering a variety of ways to be creative. The second week, we’ll expand our definition of creativity to include the idea of how God empowers us to solve problems and lead in out-of-the-box ways. The bottom line is “Use your imagination to think BIG.” We’ll discover noteworthy examples in Miriam and her mother as they work together to save baby Moses (Exodus 1:22-2:10) for the future God intended even though it seemed impossible at first.

And then in week three, we’ll learn about how we can creatively express ourselves through our words, music, art and more to point people to God. We’ll study the life of David, one of the most creative examples in God’s big story. Did you know that in one Biblical translation David is described as living his life as a poem back to God? (2 Samuel 23:1-2) David was more than an artist- he used not only his natural creative gifts, but his learned skills and other life experiences to lead others and show God’s goodness. So the bottom line is “Use your imagination to make your mark.”

But there’s more to creativity than just problem solving and expressing ourselves. God created us to reflect Him and be the type of light that helps others see Him more clearly. We can do that when we learn more about what Jesus shared in His Sermon on the Mount about Salt and Light. (Matthew 5:14-16) Remember God promises that He has big plans for us in the world! Bottom line: “Use your imagination to do more good”.

In fact, to take it even a step further, we can make more of an impact when we get creative and share our resources (Acts 2:1-47). Bottom line: “Imagine what could happen if everyone used their gifts together.” It’s such a timely faith skill to focus on this fifth week of October--what worshipping with your life looks like--praising God and giving generously every day with other believers.

School Supplies This Week!

2011-09-30T17:50:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone!

I wanted to send along a brief reminder that the kids at HIGHPOINT and the adults in the GOLDEN AGERS class are working together on this month's Giving Project, Operation Christmas Child. Each week we're collecting different items for the shoe boxes to send to kids around the world. This weekend (Oct. 2nd), we'll be collecting school supplies. This includes things like crayons, colored pencils, pencils, pencil sharpeners, pens and notebooks that can fit in a shoe box. If you still want to bring in shoe boxes (from the first week) or small toys (from the second week), feel free to bring those in as well.

Here is a short promotional video from OCC that tells a little bit about the ministry.

See everyone this weekend!

The Giving Guy

Operation Christmas Child

2011-09-22T12:18:00.004-04:00

Operation Christmas Child (OCC), the September/November HighPoint giving project, is a amazing opportunity for families to show the love of Christ to kids around the world. In the words of a OCC volunteer in Trinidad, "When I see lives change, when I see families come to know the Lord, ... I say 'Thank you, Jesus.'"

NOTE: If you are receiving this via email, head to the HighPoint blog to view the video.

September and October Giving Project: Operation Christmas Child

2011-09-16T15:52:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone!

Last Sunday, the kids at HIGHPOINT started a special Giving Project that will run through the months of September and October. This year, they will be partnering with the GOLDEN AGERS class to take part in Operation Christmas Child (OCC).If you’ve never heard of OCC, it is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse in which people pack shoeboxes full of toys, school supplies and other fun things. These are sent to over 130 countries, along with a book containing the Gospel message, to kids who may have never celebrated Christmas, and who otherwise wouldn’t receive gifts of their own. In this way, we have the opportunity to both give a gift that will be a source of fun and excitement for a child, as well as communicate the truth about Christmas - JESUS - that makes Christmas worth celebrating.

"Like us" on the HighPoint Facebook page and you and your kids can even watch videos about Operation Christmas Child! We'll add some new content each week during the project.

This year, we are going to do OCC in two phases.

Phase I. Supply Collection and Packing Party
In the first phase, the kids from HIGHPOINT and the adults from the GOLDEN AGERS class will bring in a different group of items each week for the shoeboxes. From these supplies, shoe boxes will be packed at a packing party at the end of the project. The schedule for supply collection is as follows:
September 18th – Shoe boxes
September 25th – Small toys
October 2nd – School supplies
October 9th – Hygiene items
October 16th – Hard candy and clothing
October 23rd – Notes and pictures
October 30th – Packing party

Phase II. Family Shoe Boxes
Many families like to prepare their own shoe boxes for OCC. Beginning in mid-October, we will hand out instructions for packing your own shoe boxes. Completed shoe boxes can be dropped off at HIGHPOINT and in the GOLDEN AGERS room any time before November 13th.
October 16th and 30th – Packing instructions handed out
October 23rd through November 13th – Drop off family shoe boxes

We’ll hand out a reminder each week of what to bring the following Sunday and post it to the blog. For this Sunday (the 18th), bring empty shoeboxes to either the HIGHPOINT Check In Desk or the GOLDEN AGERS classroom.

Thanks, and we’ll see you all on Sunday!
The Giving Guy

Case for... Series for Kids (September Take It Home Tool)

2011-09-03T08:38:00.002-04:00

Kids have questions about all kinds of things, including God and faith and how the world was made. In Lee Strobel's Case for... Series for Kids, children can explore these topics in the form of "investigations" - kid-friendly stories that will answer their questions and strengthen their faith. Parents, you might even find some answers too!

Case for Christ FOR KIDS

You meet skeptics every day. They ask questions like: Was Jesus really born in a stable? Did his friends tell the truth? Did he really come back from the dead? Here's a book written in kid-friendly language that gives you all the answers. Packed full of well-researched, reliable, and eye-opening investigations of some of the biggest questions you have, Case for Christ for Kids brings Christ to life by addressing the existence, miracles, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.

Case for A Creator FOR KIDS

You meet skeptics every day. They ask questions like: Are your science teachers wrong? Did God create the universe? Is the Big Bang theory true? Here's a book written in kid-friendly language that gives you all the answers. Packed full of well-researched, reliable, and eye-opening investigations of some of the biggest questions, Case for a Creator for Kids uses up-to-date scientific research to strengthen your faith in God's creation.

Case for Faith FOR KIDS

You meet skeptics every day. They ask questions like: Why does God allow bad things to happen? Can you have doubts and still be a Christian? Here's a book written in kid-friendly language that gives you all the answers. Packed full of well-researched, reliable, and eye-opening investigations of some of the biggest questions you have, Case for Faith for Kids is a must-read for kids ready to explore and enrich their faith.

Off My Case FOR KIDS: 12 Stories to Help You Defend Your Faith

The way B.J. saw it, getting into heaven was sort of like sneaking into a movie. 'What's the story about God creating the world?' Jessica asked. 'Did it really take six days?' How would you respond? Stories like these in Off My Case for Kids will get you thinking about your faith. You learned answers to some pretty tough questions in Lee Strobel's 'Case' books. Now it's time to see how all this applies to your real life. In this book you'll find stories about faith skeptics along with ways to practice answering tough questions. So dive in and get the skeptics off your case!

Take It Home Tool is a resource, recommended monthly by HighPoint leaders, to help you engage your kids at home about God and spiritual things. Lee Strobel's Case for... Series for Kids is a great tool to get the conversation flowing around biblical topics that are commonly viewed differently in our culture. Get one book or the whole series - they are available for purchase in the Northridge bookstore or online.

Each month we randomly choose a winning family to receive a FREE copy of the Take It Home Tool. To be eligible for the drawing, register your email address on the HighPoint blog

Take It Home Tool. Because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual impact on their own child's life.

Grow Up (Knowledge)

2011-09-01T08:04:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed that when you ask a kid a question in church, their default answer, if they don’t really know the answer, will be “God?” Or coming in a close second—hand frantically waving in the air—“Jesus!”

And really, most questions can be answered in some way with God or Jesus. That’s because God is the ultimate source of knowledge—and that’s the characteristic of God we’re learning about this month as we kick off a new school year. It’s in the story of God that we find the character of God, so we’re headed to the Gospel of Luke to learn from His Son, Jesus, as He grew up.

Did you know that the Bible only gives us one story and one comment on the life of Jesus from the time He was a preteen until He’s a thirty-something starting His ministry? It’s our memory verse for the month (Luke 2:52) and it tells us that Jesus spent time studying God’s Word, and that He grew in His relationship with God, in His ability to make wise choices and in His ability to love others.

So, we’ll start the first week learning with the 12-year-old Jesus as He listens and asks questions in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52). I love how one translation says that Jesus had to be about His father’s business. Bottom Line: Since God knows everything, I should discover what God says.

Next, we’ll see how Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (Luke 3:21-23). Did you know that Matthew actually says Jesus had to remind a protesting John that this was part of God’s plan and it was the right thing to do? Bottom Line: When I discover what God says, it helps me trust Him more.

Then comes a low point in the story—Jesus being tempted in the Desert by the devil (Luke 4:1-13). He was able to use what He knew, and He was filled with God’s power to choose what was best, not easiest or quickest. Bottom Line: When I discover what God says, I can make wiser choices.

Finally, we’ll come full circle with Jesus as an adult teaching in the Synagogue of His hometown (Luke 4:14-30). What a surprising twist for the people who knew Him when He reads from Scripture and says He’s the one they’ve been waiting for, then leaves to start His ministry of healing and hope. Bottom Line: When I discover what God says, I know how I should treat others.

This month, as we talk about knowledge, we aren’t just talking about learning more. It’s not how much you know, it’s what you know (and who you know) that really matters! When we look at the life of Jesus, we see three main things we need to know. And these things are the foundation of everything we do at 252 Basics. Each week we will focus on just one of these three big ideas: I can trust God no matter what. I need to make the wise choice. And I should treat others the way I want to be treated. Can you guess which one goes which week?

Winner of the August Take It Home Tool - The Malbone Family!

2011-08-29T10:37:00.004-04:00

Congratulations Aaron, Marty, Madison & Anna! They are the winners of the August Take It Home Tool, Grace Based Parenting, by Tim Kimmel.

HighPoint leaders love to partner with parents in pointing kids to Christ! After all, two combined influences (the light of the church and the heart of the family) will make a greater IMPACT than one alone.

Look forward, this weekend, for details about the September Take It Home Tool. Because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual impact in their own child's life.

To be eligible to win the monthly Take It Home Tool family resource, register your email address at the HighPoint blog.

HOTSPOT AND HIGHPOINT JOIN FORCES!

2011-08-08T15:55:00.001-04:00

We are always looking for better ways to do what we do… partnering with YOU (parents) to help kids discover and embrace a growing relationship with Jesus. After much prayer and planning, we believe we have identified a better and smarter way to serve Northridge families. Starting in September, the HotSpot and HighPoint teams will be joining forces to share resources, and streamline parent and team communications in providing Christ-centered large and small group experiences for kids ages 4 yrs. thru 5th grade. We will be combining teams, but keep younger and older kids separate.

Kids, age 4 thru Kindergarten, will meet in age-based small groups during the fist 35 minutes of each service, then go to the Gym for large group. Kids in 1st-5th grade will meet in the Gym for large group worship during the first 35 minutes of each service, then go to age-based small groups.

We have GREAT leaders, Bible storytellers, hosts, techies, and small group leaders in both HighPoint and Hot Spot… but we have been duplicating efforts. By merging our teams and sharing environments we will benefit from:

- A joint leadership team

- Mutual resources (technology, stage, props, time, volunteers, etc.)

- Efficient, consistent communication to teams and families

In addition to the benefits for HighPoint and Hot Spot, this will make the current Hot Spot room available for our High Hoppers class (ages 2 & 3). The Hot Spot room will provide a great hands-on environment for these curious little ones!

Questions? Please Email Courtney: KidsInfo@NorthridgeRochester.com

Wrapping Up "Claire's Ticket Home"

2011-08-04T15:59:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! This last weekend, we wrapped up the HighPoint and HotSpot Giving Project “Claire’s Ticket Home”. Remember that a Northridge family, the Salamones, is in the middle of adopting the second of two sisters from Taiwan. Hui-Mei (Ruby) is already here in Rochester, and spends her Sundays on the rugs at HighPoint. Her little sister, Hui-Jyun (Claire) will soon be joining her sister in her new family here. Our Giving Project for the past three months has been to raise the money for Claire’s air travel from Taiwan to her new home in Rochester. All told, HighPoint and HotSpot kids and their families have given a total of $1390 – enough money to cover most, if not all of the airfare! It was exciting to see kids and families participating together, especially in holding the lemonade stands this last month to raise the last of the money. God is truly teaching our kids to SOW GENEROUSLY.

One final note... the Salamones expect the adoption to be finalized and to be returning to Rochester from Taiwan with Claire in six months or so. When the time comes, we thought it would be fun for the kids to greet her at the airport. I think it would be special for her to be meet her new friends from HighPoint and HotSpot right off the bat, and a good chance to let the kids see the results of their own generosity. Maybe the TSA will let us take the Giving Cart in with us – we’ll see. So stay tuned to the blog – we’ll pass along word when we know the date.

The Giving Guy

Take It Home Tool Winners for July...

2011-08-02T09:34:00.001-04:00

And the winner is... the Tomlinson family!! The Tomlinsons will enjoy the Zapped CD, our newest favorite, soon-to-be-introduced, batch of HighPoint worship songs! When I emailed the Tomlinsons to let them know they are the winners, I got this response:

Sweet!! Sure! So exciting!!

Your family can be the next winner. Just register your email address at the HighPoint blog to receive informational updates.

August Take It Home Tool: Grace Based Parenting

2011-08-01T08:37:00.005-04:00

Coinciding with our August virtue, GRACE, HighPoint leaders are excited to recommend this month's Take It Home Tool, Grace Based Parenting, by Dr. Tim Kimmel. The book description goes like this:

In Grace Based Parenting, Dr. Kimmel offers a revolutionary concept that focuses on the model and guidance provided by God the Father - the ultimate child and family expert.

Grace Based Parenting is not another manual full of impossible standards; rather it is a new map for learning to see ourselves and our children through God's limitless tenderness - to raise our kids the way God raises us... As we embrace the grace He offers, we begin to give it - creating a sound foundation for growing morally strong and spiritually motivated children.

Grace Based Parenting is practical - providing biblical ideas for parents that we can implement in the course of our daily family life.

Grace Based Parenting is biblical - check out these quotes from the book:

Grace based parents spend their time entrusting themselves to Christ. They live to know God more.
Grace based parents have a keen awareness of their feet of clay. They understand their own propensity toward sin.
...grace does not lower the standards in our homes; it raises them. It doesn't push people away from holiness; it pushes them toward it. It doesn't cause them to despise truth; it propels them to embrace truth all the more.

Grace Based Parenting is available for purchase at the Northridge bookstore and also online.

Take It Home Tool is a monthly resource, suggested by HighPoint leaders for parents and families to use at home. We encourage you to try the Take It Home Tool and see what God might do in your family. Because we believe that parents are the greatest spiritual influence in their own child's life.

Just Desserts

2011-08-01T08:28:00.004-04:00

Lost. What comes to mind (or stomach) when you think of that word? Lost,the TV show? The scarf you hope will show up in lost and found? That feeling you get just thinking about navigating traffic in a big city where they drive on the "wrong" side of the road? When was the last time you were good and truly lost? No GPS, no map, on your own in London, in the forest, in the parking lot looking for your car, in calculus class ... No matter where you're lost, or how you got there, it isn't good.

Jesus told a story about being lost. In fact, He told at least three stories about finding yourself in that predicament.

There's the one about the lost coin. A valuable coin goes missing. Its owner turns her house upside down looking for it. She lights the lanterns, looks under the furniture, and sweeps every corner till she finds it.

There's the one about the lost sheep. A man has 100 sheep. One of them goes astray. Because each one is important to him, he leaves the 99 safely in the pasture and takes off after the one. He tracks the sheep and rescues it from certain, inevitable danger.

Then there's the one about the lost son. A man has two sons, one of whom comes to him, demanding his portion of their inheritance. After getting his due, he takes off for a foreign land and squanders everything. As he sits in the mess he's created for himself, he finally comes to his senses and decides to return home, sorry for the pain he's caused others. The father would've been justified in kicking him out, in sending him back to that pigsty, in dishing up just the opposite of what he gave his son.

No doubt about it, that young man's just desserts was punishment. However, that's not how Jesus ended these stories. Each one concluded with a party: "Hey, y'all come celebrate with me! I've found my lost coin/sheep/son!"

What was the point Jesus was making with these stories? Forgiveness, hope, self-control, joy, love? Sure. Being the Master Teacher, His parables typically had multiple layers and nuances. But maybe in their essence these stories are about grace, the fact that God gives us good things that we don't deserve. Because of sin we don't DESERVE His love, His consideration, or salvation. Because of sin we're lost, separated from our heavenly Father. It doesn't matter whether we're like the coin, separated from Him through no fault of our own (knowing nothing about Jesus); whether we're like the sheep that wandered away, through inattention or ignorance; or whether we're like the son, who actively rebelled. All of us need to be rescued. All of us can be the recipients of His good and perfect grace.

If you could give kids a solid, foundational understanding of God's grace, what would you tell them?

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10, NIV).

Jesus came to rescue everyone. God loves all people. He loves us so much He goes on a quest to find us, searching for us until we are found. (Week 1, Luke 15:1-10)

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:17, NIV).

Everyone needs to be rescued, even me. That's why God sent Jesus: to be our Rescuer, the only one who can save us. God wants each of us to repent, to make a U-turn away from the road to destruction toward life. (Week 2, Luke 15:11-20a)

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24, NIV)

God will always love me more than I can imagine. God loves us unconditionally, which means we don't have to be or act a certain way for Him to love us. We can't DO anything to make God love us more. We can't do anything to make God love us less. (Week 3, Luke 15:11-24)

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35, NIV)

I should try to love others the way Jesus loves them. God shows us grace, so He wants us to show others grace. When we do, we'll be giving others a taste of His goodness and love. (Week 4, Luke 15:1-2,11-32) These are some of the things we'll be focusing on in August in 252 Basics.

Last Week for Claire's Ticket Home

2011-07-22T10:11:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone!

I wanted to pass along a quick reminder to anyone whose kids are still planning on holding their lemonade stand for the Claire’s Ticket Home Giving Project at HighPoint and HotSpot. This coming Sunday will be the day that we wrap up the giving project. So if your kids have already held their lemonade stand, or if they will on Saturday, make sure to remind them to bring in their money for the offering this week. I’m really excited to wrap up the project. When we have everything in, we’ll have some exciting results to share! See everyone on Sunday.

The Giving Guy

Phase L: Pictures anyone?

2011-07-11T07:41:00.003-04:00

Kids are EXCITED about the money they are raising to bring Claire home! Phase L (L stands for "lemonade") has generated hundreds of dollars towards our goal of $1000. We would love to post pictures of your kids manning their lemonade stands. We will show these pictures to kids in HighPoint too, and continue to celebrate their generous giving to God, and the Salamone family.

Please send your pictures to HighPoint.blog@gmail.com. Have a great week!

ZAPPED - July Take It Home Tool

2011-07-02T07:52:00.001-04:00

This month's Take It Home Tool is a rockin' collection of songs that will leave your kids charged and ready for more! Zapped is a solid combination of worship, dance and rock tracks. This album is over the top fun, but there's no disguising the message that is wrapped around the core of every song - that our God is great and awesome, and there's no one like Him. Once you've been zapped by God's love there's no way to put out the fire! Declare God's love for us with electric energy by singing along to these amped up songs - shout to the heavens, there is no God like ours!

To listen to the snips from the individual tracks of Zapped, head to Amber Sky Records. If you like what you hear, you can purchase the CD online at the Orange Store.

As always, one family will be blessed with a FREE Take It Home Tool at the end of the month. If you would like to win a free Zapped CD, register your email address at the HighPoint blog.

Take It Home Tool is a monthly family resource, recommended by HighPoint leaders to help families engage around spiritual topics at home. Because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence on their own child's life.

Imagine the Impossible, Part 2

2011-07-01T07:41:00.002-04:00

Imagine learning to surf as a little kid, competing seriously by age 8, and winning competitions (as well as catching the attention of sponsors) by age 9. Imagine being 13, and well on your way to realizing a closely held dream, when disaster strikes in the form of a 14-foot tiger shark. Then imagine returning to the water and your board one month later, after having lost an arm and enduring several surgeries. Pretty remarkable, wouldn't you say? Nigh on to impossible? That's just part of Bethany Hamilton's faith story. In the eight years since the attack, this young woman, a believer, has not only refused to relinquish her dream, she has re-taught herself to surf, has become competitive again, and is now a professional surfer. She may have had doubts and questions (who wouldn't?), but she didn't let go of her faith in God, and she didn't quit, even when the odds were against her. (If you haven't yet seen the movie about her ordeal and comeback, Soul Surfer, don't miss it.)

You may never have a run-in with a shark, lose a limb, or have a movie made of your life. Likewise, you may never be thrown into a fiery furnace, tossed to the lions, or face down a nine-foot-tall Philistine. You may never put your life at risk simply by visiting your husband, the king, uninvited. But I bet you have at least one faith story to tell, some occasion that required you to step out in faith, that took perseverance, that necessitated God's help. Maybe you've had to make a choice between following God or following the crowd. Maybe you've faced a bully, or you've spoken up for someone who couldn't stand up for him- or herself, or you've made the wise choice when no one else did. Chances are, you've got several faith stories under your belt by now, even if you're a teen, and kids need to hear them.

That's why we're camping out in the book of Hebrews in June and July: so kids can learn about faith (June) and perseverance (July) and how God uses one to strengthen the other. Hebrews was written to encourage early Christians to persevere in their faith.

Here's the lineup for July:

Week 1: When life seems impossible, remember what others did. (God has been helping people through impossible situations from the very beginning, and He'll help you, too. Looking back at what God has done in others' lives can strengthen our faith and help us persevere. (A cloud of witnesses, Hebrews 10:32-36; 11:32-40; 12:1)

Week 2: When life seems impossible, remember what Jesus did for you. Jesus gave up heaven to come live here as a human being and do what was necessary to save us. We can persevere because of what Jesus did, and does, for us. (Keep your eyes on Jesus, Hebrews 12:2-3; Matthew 28:20b)

Week 3: When life seems impossible, remember what God wants to do in you. God is so powerful and good to us that He can take the worst situation and use it to do something good for and in us. That's why we can put our faith in Him and trust that He will help us persevere. (God our Father, Hebrews 12:7,9-12)

Week 4: When life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else's faith. God can use our circumstances to strengthen our perseverance. Don't give up when things get tough, not just for your own sake, but for others' as well. Your perseverance can encourage others to keep going. (Persevere to strengthen others, Hebrews 12:12-15)

And for the fifth week of July, we'll be focusing on the "faith skill" of navigating the Bible:

You can read it for yourself. The Bible is God's message to us. It tells us what He wants us to know about Him, how much He loves us, and how to have a relationship with Him. So it's important to know what's in it and how to use it. (Paul, Silas, and the Bereans, Acts 17) This is a good lesson to bridge perseverance and grace, what we'll be focusing on in August.

Giving Project Update: Claire's Ticket Home

2011-06-23T17:01:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone! I wanted to send along a quick update on the big Giving Project that the kids in HighPoint and HotSpot have been working on.

Hui-Juyn (Claire) is an orphan in Taiwan who is being adopted by a Northridge family, the Salamones, in the coming months. The kids in HighPoint and HotSpot have been working towards buying the plane ticket to bring this new friend home to Rochester. Since beginning the project, the kids have given over $450 - a ton of money for them. This covers almost half of the $1000 cost of the cross-Pacific flight for Claire's ride home. We have decided to keep pushing ahead to try to raise the full $1000 for this ticket before ending the project. This is a huge goal for the kids, but worth the effort. Soon, a new friend will show up at Northridge to begin her new life in her new home. She will do so knowing that before she came, her friends and church family were behind her and were excited to have her here.

The $550 remaining for the plane ticket may take the kids at HighPoint and HotSpot some time to raise. To help them reach their goal, we are doing two things. First, we are giving families that want to take part in this Giving Project directly a way to do so. Giving Containers have been placed at the HighPoint checkout desk and at the door of HotSpot. If parents and families want to help with Claire's Ticket Home, they can put their donations in these.

The second thing that we will do with the kids beginning this next weekend is what we are calling PHASE L. In PHASE L, the 'L' stands for Lemonade. Over the next two weekends, we will send the kids from HighPoint and HotSpot home with lemonade stand kits. These will include directions for setting up and running a lemonade stand, as well as signs that tell about Claire and how the kids are trying to raise money to help pay for her trip home. Over the following three weekends (July 2-3, 9-10, 16-17), we are inviting the kids to set up their own lemonade stands in their neighborhoods in order to help raise money for the giving project. We'll wrap up PHASE L on July 24th, hopefully having reached their goal of $1000 for Claire's plane ticket.
This has been an exciting project, and we can't wait to see what God will do through our kids. See everyone on Sunday!

Jeff, The Giving Guy

Last Sunday for 6th Graders

2011-06-20T17:03:00.005-04:00

Sunday, Jun 26, is the last Sunday that 6th graders will attend HighPoint before they are officially welcomed into the Northridge Youth Group. We are very excited for our 6th grade kids as they move up to this next stage of their Northridge experience. We are going to miss them at HighPoint!

To celebrate 6th graders, we are planning a special surprise at HighPoint on Sunday. This will be a first-time-not-to-be-missed experience for all of our HighPoint kids. As always, we love to welcome parents to visit us and share the HighPoint worship experience with your kids.

Don't miss HighPoint this Sunday - June 26 - at 9:00 and 10:45 am.

Movin' on Up - Current 5th & 6th Graders

2011-06-07T20:45:00.002-04:00

We are excited to share with Northridge families that beginning this fall (September 2011), Northridge Youth Ministry will include 6th grade! Our Jr. High ministry will serve 6th-8th graders, and Sr. High will serve 9th-12th graders.

What does this mean for your current 5th or 6th grader?

Kids currently 'graduating' from 5th grade should continue to attend HighPoint through the summer months,and plan to join Jr. High ministry in September.

Kids currently 'graduating' from 6th grade are welcome to attend BOTH HighPoint (on Sunday mornings) and/or Jr. High (for special events) through the summer months.

Be on the lookout for communications from the Northridge Youth Ministry team. In the meantime, take a moment to check out NorthridgeYouth.com with your child.

We look forward to celebrating this important transition with your family!

June Take It Home Tool

2011-06-04T10:31:00.002-04:00

Our responses to "sticky situations" can get us into trouble or glorify God. What should I do when my best friend cheats on a test? How about when Sarah asks me to lie to her parents? Together, parents and kids can discuss a year's worth of realistic Sticky Situations!

HighPoint leaders recommend Sticky Situations, as the June Take It Home Tool. Sticky Situations is a devotional book for families with children ages 8 to 12 that offers short readings for each day of the year. Each reading begins with a kid who is facing a moral dilemma and ends with multiple-choice solutions for the family to discuss. Often there is more than one acceptable course of action to take. Parents will find tips in the back of the book that interpret the various choices made by the children and offer follow-up questions for further discussion on each topic. Scripture references are provided to give biblical insight into each situation. Sticky Situations is a great discussion starter that will give parents the chance to share their own values with their children.

Kids face difficult choices involving serious issues every day. This devotional offers scenarios and biblical advice that allows them to talk through different options and make a choice based on Scripture.

Do 6 to 10 year olds face tough choices? You bet they do! If you have younger kids in your family, Sticky Situations: 2 is the “little brother/sister” edition, including 365 daily devotionals specifically targeted to younger kids. The situations are familiar—pressure from an older sibling, fears, need for compassion, and finances—but the kids and the solutions focus on younger readers. Kids will look forward to reading the true-to-life stories, Scripture verses, and fun activities that await them each day.

For those of you who may be new to HighPoint, Take-It-Home Tool is a family resource, different each month, recommended by HighPoint leaders, for parents and kids to use at home. Each month's Take-It-Home Tool is available for purchase at the Northridge bookstore.

Every month one family will receive a FREE Take It Home Tool. To be eligible to receive a FREE copy of Sticky Situations or Sticky Situations:2 (your choice), register your family email address at the HighPoint blog. If you currently receive HighPoint updates via email, you are already eligible for the give-away.

Take It Home Tool. Because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence in their own child's life.

Summer Themes for HighPoint

2011-06-03T16:23:00.004-04:00

Imagine the Impossible, Part 1

My mother's mother was born in 1914. The fifth of eight kids, she grew up on rented farmland 50 miles from Nashville, Tennessee. She learned to cook on a wood stove, used an outhouse, and ate what the family grew on the farm. "We never knew we were poor," she said. "We always had plenty to eat, clothes to wear, and we made our own fun."

Her parents were an unlikely pair: my great-grandmother was from a respectable, well-to-do family; my great-grandfather's family were bootleggers. (Imagine family get-togethers during Prohibition days.) Being a railroad man, my great-grandfather was away from home as often as not, leaving my great-grandmother to run the farm, raise the kids, and protect the property as needed. (She would step outside in the dark to shoo away varmints, of both the four-legged and two-legged variety, with her trusty double barrel 12-gauge shotgun.)

When my great-grandma got sick, the family left the farm and moved to the big bad city. It seemed like a foreign country. My grandmother and her siblings dressed funny, talked funny, and were behind in school. They just wanted to go home! But that was not to be. As her older sisters struck out on their own, my grandmother finished high school and stayed behind to care for her dying mother. Long story short, she met my grandfather, got married, and had a couple of children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She "set up housekeeping" during the Great Depression, sent her husband off to build planes in California during WWII, lived through four major wars, and buried most of her siblings, a son-in-law, a son, and her husband of 50-odd years.

She always regretted not getting a college degree, but she was a born teacher, helping to pioneer the Head Start program in Nashville and teaching four-year-old Sunday school for 40 years. She told the best stories, got in trouble (even as an adult) for giggling at inappropriate times, and we loved going to her house. A positive thinker and a faithful woman, she was never down for long, no matter what was going on.

She knew what each of us has to discover for ourselves: faith isn't based on circumstances. It's based on who God is and what He does. Just because you believe in and trust God doesn't mean life will always be easy. In fact, living the life of a believer often takes guts and doggedness.

So in June and July we're going to be focusing on faith (part 1) and perseverance (part 2): how God uses our faith to strengthen our perseverance and perseverance to deepen our faith. All the Bible stories and lessons for the two months will come from the book of Hebrews, written to one of the very first churches. Bad stuff was happening to Christians at this time: their property was confiscated, they were publicly insulted and persecuted, some were imprisoned, others were killed because of their faith. In short, it was scary to be a Christian and understandably some believers were afraid. They even thought about giving up their faith in Jesus. So the writer of Hebrews set about to encourage these followers, reminding them of all the faith stories from their past, folks who had come before them, like Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, who believed in God and kept on trusting Him even when times were tough. As a result, they often got to witness some remarkable things God did, things that were basically impossible.

Here's the lineup for June:

By faith we understand God commanded the universe into existence. All of creation reveals who God is and what He does. Imagine God making everything from nothing. (Week 1, God made everything: You can trust in a God you can't see because you can see what He's created.)

By faith Abraham willingly gave up the known for the unknown, all because God told him to. He believed God would make good on His promises. Imagine God creating a whole nation from just one man. (Week 2, God's promise to Abraham: You can trust that God will keep His promises because you can see the promises He's kept.)

By faith Joseph believed God was with him, even in the pit, even as a slave in Potiphar's house, even in prison. Imagine a slave becoming a ruler in Egypt. (Week 3, Joseph remained faithful:You can trust God to be with you in bad times because you've seen how faithful He's been.)

By faith Moses and the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, trusting that God would save them. Imagine one man rescuing a nation. (Week 4, crossing the Red Sea: You can trust that God can do the impossible because He's God.)

What impossible things have YOU seen God do? Whose faith stories bolster your confidence in Him? Not all faith stories are big flashy Damascus Road-style experiences. They're everyday life experiences, too, just like your grandmother's. But they all strengthen our faith in Him when they're shared. We'd love to hear your faith story: maybe one of the kids or families in your church stepped out on faith and God showed up in a big way, bigger than what anybody'd imagined. We'll provide more details about that (including where to send them) in the July issue of 252 Basics. In the meantime, we encourage you to start planning your Faith Stories Project.

"I Want to Know Her", by Jessica Salamone

2011-06-02T07:51:00.019-04:00

From the moment I met my daughter Ruby Hui-Mei in a hot, stuffy social workers office in Taichung, Taiwan, I knew I loved her spunky nature.

We were there to take her away from the only life she had ever known and she seemed both ready and eager for the adventure that was about to begin. We didn't even speak the same language but somehow seemed to communicate as if we'd been mother and daughter forever.

As we boarded the plane to America, my husband watched Ruby walking through the airport. She had an air of sheer delight and excitement instead of the expected fear and anxiety. He whispered to me "She's the bravest person I know."

While Ruby's transition to life as a Salamone can only be described as seamless, communication was a bit of a struggle those first few days at home. She could make her basic needs known, but couldn't easily tell me of her deeper emotional state.

As her mom, I longed to know how she was feeling. Did she like America? Did she miss Taiwan? What did she think about my cooking? Was there anything we could do to help her adjust?

Then, one night out-of-the-blue, we had a breakthrough. We sat on her bed talking for hours. Ruby finally had enough language to tell me what she was thinking and how she was feeling.

One of the first things she said was "Mom, do you know I have a little sister?"

What Ruby didn't know was that we were hoping to adopt her little sister and had been given the chance to meet her during our trip to Taiwan. I learned during that emotional conversation that Ruby had never met her little sister and didn't even know her name! They had spent their entire lives in separate foster homes several miles apart.

In those quiet moments of conversation, I was given the privilege of showing Ruby the first images of her baby sister that she had ever seen.Ruby looked at me through tears and said "I want to know her and I want her to know me."

In that instant, I vowed that I would do everything I could to bring Hui-Jyun home to our family because I, too, wanted the girls to know each other.

The entire Salamone family is excitedly preparing for Claire Hui-Jyun's arrival later this year.Ruby has been blown away by the efforts of the children in HighPoint and HotSpot this month! She loves the fact that other kids are helping raise the necessary funds and it's been an amazing illustration for all of our children about how Christians can make a true difference

My spunky girl has some big plans for the growth of our family sighting that orphans from every country need a mom and a dad! Little does she know, that I feel exactly the same way.

For now, I can't wait for my two precious Taiwanese Treasures-- Ruby Hui-Mei and Claire Hui-Jyun to meet face-to-face

Thank you from the bottom of this mommy's heart for your part in helping our family along this journey! We appreciate your efforts and can't wait for you to meet Claire. I'm sure she shares her big sister's spunk! Stay-tuned as the story unfolds

Some recent pictures of Claire - just received this week!

Claire's Ticket Home

2011-05-24T19:57:00.005-04:00

Claire (Hui-Jyun) in Taiwan

Ruby Salamone sits on the rugs at HighPoint every week with her brother. She wishes that her sister, Claire, could go to High Hoppers, then maybe HotSpot when she gets a little older. Claire (her given name is Hui-Jyun), however, lives right now as an orphan in Taiwan. Because the two were in separate foster homes in Taiwan, Ruby (her given name is Hui-Mei) doesn’t really know her sister. But she hopes that soon, she will get to know her and will get to show her the ropes at Northridge.

Ruby (Hui-Mei) in Taiwan

Rich and Jessica Salamone, part of our church family at Northridge, adopted Ruby from Taiwan knowing that she has a younger sister still living without parents of her own. They even got to meet Claire while they were in Taiwan picking up Ruby and are in the final steps of adoption to bring her to her permanent home in Rochester.

For the next several weeks, the Giving Project at HighPoint and HotSpot will focus on helping the Salamones to bring Claire home later this year. It is called Claire’s Ticket Home because the kids will be giving their money to buy Claire’s plane ticket for one or more of the 3 connecting flights required to bring her to Rochester from Taiwan.

I love this giving project for several reasons. First, our kids will walk through one way to obey God’s repeated command to protect widows and orphans (James 1:27), two of the most vulnerable groups of people in our communities. They will see that through their help, God can very literally fulfill his promise to be a “father to the fatherless” (Psalm 68:5) through Christ’s own body, the Church. I love how tangible the goal of the project is. The Salamones are a part of our own immediate church family, and by helping them to shoulder the burden of adoption, in several months a new friend will be running through the halls and growing in faith and knowledge of Christ at Northridge. Lastly, through the course of the giving project, we will be talking again and again about adoption. This will provide an excellent opportunity to tell the kids how adoption is among the strongest symbols of how God saves us through Christ, to be part of His family. Seeing the Salamones, including Claire, will be a continuous reminder of these things.

This has been the ‘Giving Guy’ side of the story and the Giving Project. Later this week, Jessica Salamone will post here, on the HighPoint blog, more of the Salamones’ perspective. Stay tuned, and see everyone Sunday!

Jeff (The Giving Guy)

FORGIVENESS: The May Virtue

2011-05-02T11:04:00.003-04:00

Bucket List

Few things are more useful than a bucket. A bucket is simple genius, really. There's almost no end to what you can do with a bucket. Put it on your head and you're ready to go jousting. Turn it upside down and you can reach the cookies on the top shelf. Bail water out of your boat, slop the pigs, or play trashketball with one--what you put IN the bucket is key.

We tend to put things in buckets that are important to us. Things that we don't want to let go of, burdensome things, as often as not, like pain, hurt, disappointment, and disillusionment. And we tend to accumulate those things, adding them to the bucket until we need a bigger bucket or even multiple buckets. We may dedicate our buckets, labeling them with people's names, especially if they keep on doing us wrong. Eventually we are trapped, weighed down emotionally by buckets we can't seem to let go of. We can't move on, enjoying relationships to their fullest and participating with both hands in enjoyable and worthwhile activities, till we let go of the bucket, till we forgive. Forgiveness is all about letting go of the bucket. It may have to be done on a gradual basis, even intentionally done every day. But when you let go of your bucket, you are then free to jump in with both hands and feet and live as God intended.

So in May, we'll be focusing on forgiveness, which is deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn't have to pay. Here's the line-up:

Since God forgives you, you should forgive others. (Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant, Matthew 18)

When people are forgiven, it can change them. (Jesus and Zacchaeus, Luke 19)

When you want to get even, do the opposite. (Joseph and his brothers, Genesis 45)

Don't wait to start making things right with others. (Jesus teaches about forgiveness, Matthew 5)

And for the fifth week of May, we'll be focusing on the faith skill of prayer:

You can talk to God about anything. (Philippians 4)

For a powerful true story of forgiveness, check out Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. It's about Louis Zamperini, the Olympic distance runner and WWII POW survivor. 60 Minutes did a story on him a few years back, which you can find online. But don't miss out on the book. You won't be sorry.

Keys for Kids: May Take It Home Tool

2011-05-02T10:37:00.003-04:00

This month at HighPoint we are giving out FREE copies of Keys for Kids, a fun and easy-to-use daily booklet of Bible readings and stories for kids and their parents.

At HighPoint, we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence on their own kids. So we make it our mission to identify effective (fun, simple, true) biblical resources for families to use at home -- tools that provide conversation-starters about God and how the Bible applies to everyday life.

Maybe you've heard of "family devotions", but have no idea what that means, why it's important or how to make it happen. Or maybe you're on the other end of the spectrum: growing up you had your fill of "family devotions" -- dry, boring lectures that never seemed to connect with your life or what you were going through as a kid. We think that Keys for Kids is different. Check out this video...

One of the things that we love about Keys for Kids is that you will never have to pay for it! If you enjoy using Keys for Kids in May/June (the current booklet that you received) you can request a free subscription to be delivered to your house every other month! And if you didn't get the free May/June edition, just let us know on Sunday. Thanks for partnering with HighPoint to point your kids toward Jesus.

HighPoint Scoop

2011-04-28T13:52:00.007-04:00

Large Groups & Small Groups:
Beginning May 1 (this Sunday), HighPoint will incorporate large group AND small groups into each service. At large group (in the gym), your kids will experience a high-energy worship service filled with music, engaging Bible storytellers, the Giving Guy, and multi-media... all put together to point your kids toward Jesus.

Following large group, kids will break out into grade-based small groups where they will engage in hands-on activities and discussion to help them apply the bible story to their everyday life.

Where Do My Kids Go?

ALL kids, 1st-6th grade will begin their service with large group worship in the gym. You should check them, as usual, at one of the kiosks in the gym, nursery or info center.

Kids in 1st-3rd grade must be picked up at their small group classrooms by a parent or designated adult (high school age or older). Kids in 4th-6th grade will be released to meet parents at a designated meeting spot, or you may pick them up from their small group classroom.

Small Group Rooms:
1st-2nd grade - Room 110
3rd-4th grade - Room 107
5th-6th grade girls - Room 103
5th-6th grade boys - Room 105

In a nutshell...

DROP OFF - GYM

PICK UP (1st-3rd grade) - SMALL GROUP CLASSROOM

PLEASE ARRANGE A DESIGNATED MEETING SPOT FOR 4th-6th GRADERS

We will have yellow sheets with all of this information available for your reference at HighPoint check-in. See you there!

Kids Creating Spaces - Week 5

2011-04-20T10:03:00.004-04:00

Next Sunday is Easter, and we are going to be wrapping up the HighPoint and HotSpot Kids Creating Spaces giving project. We've put a lot of thought into how we want to finalize this giving project, and how it can be tied in with Easter Sunday. I’m really excited about what the kids will be doing!

Kids Creating Spaces mirrors the Creating Spaces campaign that families have participated in at Northridge. To explain the ideas to HighPoint & HotSpot kids, we told them to imagine a family that doesn't know Christ, coming to Northridge for the first time. Each week, we focused on a different element of what it would take to ‘make space’ for that new family. First, we brought in Pennies for Parking - parking spaces so the family would be able to park close. Week 2 was Nickels for Newcomers - Guest Packs that help welcome and orientate new families to the church. The next week, kids brought Dimes for Disciples - adult and kids’ bibles for families in the Starting Point class. Finally, we encouraged kids to bring Quarters for Community - help new families enter into Christian community by spending fun time with other Northridge families. To wrap up the project on Easter Sunday, we're going to put our focus on people - the new family that we’re creating spaces for.

This past Sunday, we challenged HighPoint & HotSpot kids to think of someone who fits the profile of that ‘new family’ that we’ve been talking about all month. Each child received a Pi²card with a line on the back. Talk with your kids and help them to think about whose name they might write on their card. Then spend the week before Easter going through the Pi² process – Praying, Investing and Inviting – with that friend/family in mind. As parents, you can help your kids in this process: encourage your kids to pray for their friend, to spend time investing in relationship with them, and to invite them to Northridge on Easter or another Sunday. This card, with the written name of a friend or family, will be your child's only offering in HighPoint and HotSpot on Easter. Through this offering, kids will demonstrate their commitment to creating space for families that are far from God.

Easter is the day that we celebrate the completion of Christ’s mission to seek and save those who are far from God. It is very fitting that the gift that we bring to Him is our commitment to that same mission in our own lives! I can’t wait to see everyone on Sunday!

Jeff

Family Resources for Easter & Holy Week

2011-04-15T10:22:00.005-04:00

Looking for some fresh ideas to remind your kids about the true reason for the Easter season? Me too - and I found some to share with you! I have a big bin under my bed that is full of holiday "stuff" - extra Christmas cards, keepsake Valentines memory books, window decals for spring, summer, fall... you get the idea. Mixed in with all the "stuff", I came across a few really good family resources to use for the Easter season. And the best part? Most of them are FREE!

So if you're like me, trying to point your kids to Jesus' death & resurrection as more important than the eggs and bunnies, maybe you'll enjoy trying some of these activities with your kids over the next couple of weeks.

Lenten Lights: Eight Biblical Devotions to Prepare for Easter (to be used during Lent or daily during Holy Week). Great for older elementary kids.

Let Your Kingdom Come: Preparing Your Hearts for the King (Family Bible Readings for Holy Week)

Family Activities for the Week prior to Easter - LOVE these activities! Our family has used this resource several years

Resurrection Rolls (our family's favorite!) or Resurrection Cookies

In addition to these great free resources, we are also recommending an excellent book as the HighPoint Take It Home Tool for April. Available in the Northridge bookstore, Christ In Easter is a compilation of devotionals and insights by contributing authors Charles Colson, Billy Graham, Max Lucado & Joni Eareckson Tada.

Beginning with Palm Sunday and highlighting all of the major events of Holy Week (including the Last Supper, good Friday, and the Resurrection), Christ in Easter will guide your family through the dramatic incidents leading up the the miraculous victory we celebrate on Easter. Christ in Easter includes special activities for children & adults, hymns & poems, prayers, scripture passages and questions to ponder and discuss as a family. It's a excellent resource to help your family establish traditions that will renew your minds and refresh your hearts!

Whatever resource you choose, our HighPoint team is thankful to partner with you to point kids towards Christ. Happy Easter! Jesus is Alive!

Kids Creating Spaces - Week 4

2011-04-14T09:43:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone! I wanted to give a quick update on how the HighPoint and HotSpot Kids Creating Spaces giving project is going. Remember that we are collecting coins each week to help create space at Northridge for new families, so that they can come, hear about Christ, and join our church family. Week 1 was Pennies for Parking (to go towards the parking lot project). Week 2 we brought in Nickels for Newcomers (to purchase Guest Packs for the Information Desk). For Week 3 we promoted Dimes for Disciples (to provide bibles for adults and kids who don’t have their own). This coming Sunday, Week 4, we will collect Quarters for Community.

The idea is this: a key part of coming to Christ or starting at a new church is entering into community life there - for encouragement, fellowship and accountability. With that in mind, the quarters that HighPoint kids bring in will be used to buy gift certificates to family-centered activities (like Bruster’s Ice Cream or Bounce it Out). We will give these to families already attending Northridge, with the condition that they will be used to invite a new-to-Northridge family to share an afternoon or evening together.

If you would like to offer suggestions on the activities that the kids should fund with their quarters, go ahead and email them to highpointgivingguy@gmail.com. Once we have a total for the quarters, I will post the certificates that are available and open them up for people to ask for them. So watch this space for more details next week. See you on Sunday!

Jeff

First Place

2011-04-01T09:39:00.000-04:00

My husband loves basketball. He loves to play it. He gets in to watching it. He appreciates its finer points: the fast pace, the energy it generates on the court and in the stands, and the fact that, no matter what size a player is, each has the opportunity to make a difference to the team.

Me, I follow basketball, but in the sense that I "trail behind" rather than "understand" it. Sure, I want my alma mater to win, but I can't predict plays or analyze what a player should've done.

Then, as work on the April issue of 252 Basics (which is about humility) was wrapping up and I was pondering this article, I remembered an item in the newspaper my husband shared with me some time ago. You may want to read it for yourself. (Do a Google® search of "the no-stats all-star.") It's about a guy who's the antithesis of so much in professional sports these days: an unselfish player who consistently puts the team ahead of his own interests. He will tip the ball to another player rather than go for a less certain rebound, he'll pass up a good shot of his own if a teammate has a better one, and he'll take a charge, knowing it's going to hurt. His conventional stats may be unremarkable, but stuff like his plus-minus numbers (what happens to the score when a given player is on the court) are crazy. Bottom line, when he's in the game his teammates get better and his opponents do worse. For a sport with LOTS of opportunities for ball hogs to seek their own glory, Shane Battier doesn't. And that's pretty impressive. Even to someone who doesn't know that much about basketball.

Wouldn't it be great if kids could see more superstar athletes with this attitude? Or if we, who influence kids on a daily basis, could model it? Paul gives good counsel on how to go about that: "Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! ... He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death" (Philippians 2:5-8, The Message). Specifically, "don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand" (Philippians 2:3-4, The Message).

When Jesus washed His disciples' feet, He pointed out that if He, our Teacher and Master, could put others first, then we need to do the same. And because we serve a generous God, we'll benefit when we do. God offers us forgiveness and a listening ear, guidance, grace, and wisdom (2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 25:9; Proverbs 3:34; 11:2).

Kids need to understand what humility is (and isn't) and why God wants them to have it. Who better to model true humility than Jesus, and what better time to talk about how Jesus put us first than at Easter? So here's the line-up for April:

Treat others like they're more important than you. Jesus treated His disciples like they were important to Him (Jesus washed His disciples' feet, John 13).

To put others first, you may need to put God first. Jesus put us first by following God's plan (Jesus' arrest, Luke 22; John 18).

Jesus put you first when He died on the cross. (Jesus' trial and crucifixion, Mark 14-15).

You should put others first because Jesus is ALIVE! Jesus gives us the power to put others first because of what He did for us (Jesus' burial and resurrection, Matthew 28).

Kids Creating Spaces - Week 3

2011-03-31T09:27:00.008-04:00

April 3: Dimes for Disciples

Families begin to attend Northridge for a variety of reasons. Many who come have no prior relationship with Christ or any understanding of biblical Christianity. As they hear the Gospel preached, many will seek a deeper understanding of Christ and what it means to follow after Him. For both parents and kids, a critical step in this process is the ability to read and study God's Word. To help new families in these first steps of discipleship, we invite HighPoint kids to bring in dimes this Sunday. We will collect these coins to purchase sets that contain both an adult and a kids' Bible. We are excited to offer these sets to families who do not yet have a Bible.

If you would like to read the "big picture" description of our current giving project, Kids Creating Spaces, you can find it here.

See you Sunday!

Mr. Jeff

The Giving Guy

We randomly picked..

2011-03-25T18:03:00.005-04:00

...the Sheehan family! Mark, Jenn, Emma & Olivia will enjoy Financial Peace Jr., compliments of the HighPoint Take It Home Tool monthly drawing. Congratulations, Sheehans! We hope you enjoy this awesome resource.

If you would like to be eligible to win the April Take It Home Tool, register your email address at the HighPoint blog.

Last Day to register to WIN!

2011-03-24T14:07:00.004-04:00

My family has been loving this month's Take It Home Tool, Financial Peace, Jr. As a mom, I really appreciate that this resource makes it simple for me to teach my kids' about money - God's way. As you know, we select one family every month to receive the Take It Home Tool for FREE. All you have to do is register on the blog to receive email updates. Tomorrow (Friday) we will select the winning family for March.

Financial Peace Jr. is available to purchase at the Northridge Bookstore or online at Dave Ramsey's store or Amazon.

Partnering With Parents - Resources for your family

2011-03-24T01:35:00.000-04:00

Hello parents! Are you aware of the FREE resources that are available to you each week at HighPoint? These are simple, yet fun, Bible-based resources for your family to use at home. They mirror the weekly HighPoint lesson and provide you with creative tools to spark spiritual conversations with your kids. You are handed these tools when you pick up your child at HighPoint (4th graders & up receive them directly):

GodTime Cards: There are four different devotions on one GodTime card. Each devotion is designed to be done on a different day. The first one (labeled “Read Me First”) can be done on the way home from HighPoint or soon thereafter. “Day 1” is designed to be done next, and so forth. GodTime Cards are designed for younger kids to do with Mom or Dad, while older kids can easily follow them independently.

Using GodTime cards is easy!:

(1) Find and read the Bible verse(s) in a Bible. Use the table of contents to locate hard-to-find verses in the Bible.

(2) Read the devotion paragraph.

(3) Read and do the activity.

(4) Pray a simple, short prayer, using the prayer suggestion as a guide.

Refrigerator Door: a "take-home note" to parents about what kids learned today in HighPoint. Refrigerator Doors are meant to be hung on the... well that's kind of obvious! They include:

This month's Virtue and Memory Verse
Today's Question - something specific to ask your child and talk about (you should answer the question too!)
Today's Bible Story

Biblical resources. Fun for families. Free. You can't beat this deal! So why not start this week? Because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence in their own child's life.

Kids Creating Spaces - Week 2

2011-03-22T14:42:00.008-04:00

March 27th: Nickels for Newcomers

One thing that Northridge does to welcome new families is to provide Guest Packs. These packs include information about the church, coupons for the coffee shop and most importantly, a book that begins to explain the Gospel, Since Nobody’s Perfect, How Good is Good Enough. To help to Create Space for a new family, HighPoint kids will bring in nickels that will be specifically used to buy Guest Packs ($3 each) for the information desk in the lobby.

This week - GATHER UP YOUR NICKELS & bring them to HighPoint on Sunday!

For an overview of our current giving project, check out Kids Creating Spaces

See you soon!

Mr. Jeff, The Giving Guy

March & April Giving Project: Kids Creating Spaces

2011-03-18T10:48:00.007-04:00

Over the next several weeks, the adult service and small groups will be talking through what it means to Create Spaces for new and better disciples of Christ at Northridge. These issues that the church body is grappling with - the great commission, surrendering and listening to God, obeying Him, and stewardship - are so central to the future of Northridge and its work in Rochester that we want the kids in HighPoint and HotSpot to be plugged into the conversation. Between now and Easter (April 24th), these two kids’ services will both participate in a giving project aimed at explaining these issues to the kids at their own level, and asking them to participate in helping to Create Spaces for new families at Northridge.

The theme behind this giving project is Spare Change for Changed Lives, the idea being that everything that we do in terms of giving is ultimately done for the sake of seeing people who are far from God be brought close and adopted into His family. Tangibly, the project will be a coin drive. Each week, starting this coming Sunday (the 20th), the kids will bring in piles of different kinds of coins. Each type of coin will be used to pay for a different element of what it takes to Create Space for a new family and their kids at Northridge:

March 20th: Pennies for Parking The first thing that a new family coming to Northridge encounters is our parking lot and the need to find a space there. David has told us about the discouraging effect that having to hunt for an empty spot has on zoo patrons, much less people who may be apprehensive about checking out church for the first time. For this week, the pennies that the kids bring in will go directly to into the broader Creating Spaces fund, specifically for the purpose of paying for more parking spaces for a new family.

So parents, help your kids gather up their pennies this week. Perhaps you can look ahead, as a family, to come up with some creative ways that your kids can earn extra money to give towards the Kids Creating Spaces program. We'll update you weekly, over the next 4 weeks, so you can plan for Sundays. In the meantime, here is a brief overview of what's ahea

March 27th: Nickels for Newcomers
April 3rd: Dimes for Discipleship
April 17th: Quarters for Community
April 24th: Easter Sunday

As always, thanks for working with us to point your kids to Christ. We are thankful for you!

Jeff
The Giving Guy

The buzz...

2011-03-15T16:19:00.005-04:00

Is High5 going away?

But my kids love their small group!

It's important to me that my son/daughter get the more in-depth learning that happens in High5.

High5 is where kids take the Bible and apply it to life -- how are we going to replace that?

That's just a bit of the "buzz" that's going around among parents of PreK-6th graders these days.

Big changes were recently announced about service times & Equip classes, and clearly this impacts High5. Parents are concerned. Kids are curious. Thus, the buzz.

Answers to all of these questions, and more, are coming to you on Sunday. However, to keep the buzz moving in the right direction, let's address a couple of concerns right up front:

1) Kids' small groups are not going away. Small groups are the place where kids learn that God's Word (the Bible) isn't just a big book - it's a manual for life! Small groups are where friendships are formed and relationships between leaders and kids are fostered. Small groups are, and will remain, a priority for children's ministry.

2) We believe the new format for kids' small groups will be even better for kids. We don't seek change for the sake of change. We seek change that helps us to fulfill the mission of Northridge Church - to make more and better disciples. Yup, even kids can fulfill this mission.

So keep the buzz going -- things are happening and we're excited! Look for your take-home FAQ this Sunday. You don't want to miss the REAL buzz about what's ahead in HighPoint, High5 and HotSpot.

Financial Peace Jr. - Take It Home Tool

2011-03-05T15:03:00.008-05:00

As a mom, and a HighPoint leader, I am THRILLED to tell you about this month's Take It Home Tool - Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr. I'm excited because...

So many families at Northridge have seen their finances (and lives) transformed as a result of applying the principles they've learned in Financial Peace. Financial Peace Jr. is a tool that will help you (and me) to teach these same principles to our kids in a way that makes sense to them!
How we handle money matters to God. That means that, as a parent, I need to be intentional about how I teach my kids about managing money. Financial Peace Jr. is a tool that will help me carry out that responsibility.
STEWARDSHIP is the virtue that we'll be focusing on in HighPoint & High5 this month. Financial Peace Jr. gives parents a vehicle to talk at home about what the Bible says about STEWARDSHIP, and how this biblical virtue applies to our lives (even as kids).

Financial Peace Jr. is available for purchase at the Northridge bookstore. Or you can purchase it online at Dave Ramsey's online store or through Amazon.

As always, one family will receive a FREE Take It Home Tool this month. To be eligible to receive a FREE Financial Peace Jr. kit, register your family email address at the HighPoint blog. If you currently receive HighPoint updates via email, you are already eligible for the give-away.

Take It Home Tool. Because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence in their own child's life.

Special Giveaway: Family Times Virtue Pack - STEWARDSHIP

2011-02-27T16:55:00.009-05:00

Most parents want to raise children with good character and values. Many struggle to find the time and the means to get the job done. Where do you start? What do you say?

Family Times Virtue Pack provides meaningful activities to be used once a week during each of these four family times:

Drive Time – Includes upbeat songs and stories for kids and tips for parents.
Meal Time – These cards contain cool ideas and conversation starters for weekly family discussions at the dinner table.
Bed Time – These four illustrated Bible story cards, written in up-to-date and relevant language, are provided for parents to read with their child once a week at bedtime.
Morning Time – These four cards are for parents to write their own specific words of encouragement to their child throughout the month.

All of these items are designed to give parents quick and simple ways to help their kids grow in faith and character, around the virtue of STEWARDSHIP.

Sound good? We are giving away one Family Times Virtue Pack this week! This resource is designed for parents and children to do together at home and it mirrors the weekly lessons on STEWARDSHIP that your kids will be learning in March at HighPoint and High5.

To be eligible for the Family Times Virtue Pack giveaway, send a message to HighPoint.blog@gmail.com, telling us why you look forward to engaging with your kids around the topic of Stewardship in the coming month. We will randomly select one family to receive the pack, and you can pick it up next Sunday!

In God We Trust - March

2011-02-27T16:39:00.006-05:00

We are VERY excited about a special series that we will be starting next Sunday in HighPoint. For the month of March, we have purchased a specially themed curriculum from 252 Basics. The title of this 4-week series is In God We Trust and the Virtue around which we will center our teaching and small group time is Stewardship. Here's the run-down of what we have planned...

Virtue:

STEWARDSHIP - Taking care of what you have because it all belongs to God

Memory Verse:

“The Earth belongs to the Lord. And so does everything in it. The world belongs to him. And so do all those who live in it“ Psalm 24:1 (NIV)

Bottom Lines:

Week one: When you trust God, you understand everything belongs to Him.
Week two: When you trust God, you make wise choices with your money.
Week three: When you trust God, you don’t keep all you have for yourself.
Week four: When you trust God, He will give you everything you need.

Weekly Bible Stories:
If I were a Rich Man (story of Rich Young Ruler from Mark 10, Luke 18)
Go For Broke (Prodigal Son story from Luke 15:11 – 32)
Give a Little (Rich farmer who built bigger barns for his crops in Luke 12:16 –21)
Don’t Worry, Be Happy (God takes care of birds and lilies from Matthew 6:25 - 34).

Stay tuned to the HighPoint blog for more information about our March giving project and Take It Home Tool. See you soon!

JUMP! CD Giveaway - last days!

2011-02-24T19:32:00.007-05:00

The February Take It Home Tool, JUMP!, produced by Amber Sky records is a favorite at HighPoint and my house (car too). I have been known to put on JUMP! when my kids are nowhere around. Really. It's that good. So I'm writing to remind you, exhort you, encourage you -- don't miss the chance to take home the JUMP! CD for FREE!

Here's how:

If you are receiving this via email, you're all set -- you're already registered!
If you are viewing this on Facebook head to the HighPoint blog and sign up to receive email updates (scroll down to 'Subscribe by Email' on the right sidebar)
One family who is registered on the HighPoint blog will be selected, each month, to receive a free copy of the Take It Home Tool

If you're still not convinced, get your kids (1st -6th graders will totally know this song) and watch the video. You'll be headed to the Northridge bookstore to pick up JUMP! on Sunday. God's word, God's ideas, God's ways set to cool music... what could be a better opportunity for parents and kids at home?

Take It Home Tool. Because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence in their own child's life.

4 Goats!

2011-02-09T16:50:00.002-05:00

Not ONE!

Not TWO!

Not THREE!

We got FOUR!

4 GOATS, purchased through Samaritan's Purse for needy families overseas. Wow!! We are excited to see how God is moving our kids' hearts towards generosity!!

The giving motto in HighPoint is "Sow Generously" (2 Corinthians 9:6). Thanks, HighPoint kids and families for living this motto out through generous giving!

February Take It Home Tool: JUMP!

2011-02-05T09:55:00.005-05:00

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Jump, jump, jumpin' in!

I want my world to know

I want to let it show

The One who made me whole

Lives inside of me

With every breath I take

With every word I say

I want to live each day

And tell the story

I found the One

Who has a love deep as the ocean

I want to JUMP

I want to put my faith in motion

TRY THIS, PARENTS: Show the above lyrics to your HighPoint kid and ask them to sing it to you. If they're feeling really adventuresome, maybe they will even do the motions while they sing it. Totally cool song.

We are excited to introduce the February Take It Home Tool, JUMP!, a music CD produced by Amber Sky Records. Take It Home Tool is a recommended resource, new each month, for families to use at home. It is easy to use, engaging for adults & kids, and designed to bring your family one step closer in your journey to be like Jesus.

Songs on JUMP! were written and produced with a simple prayer, that they would inspire a generation to put their faith in motion.

Some teach character

Some tell Bible stories

Some inspire worship

Some are just fun

Our hope is that this music jumpstarts something in the hearts of children, parents and leaders.

You can purchase your family's Take It Home Tool at the Northridge bookstore. And even more exciting, one family will get a Take It Home Tool FREE each month! To be eligible for a free JUMP! CD, register your family email address at the HighPoint blog: (Subscribe By Email-found on the right column of the blog). If you currently receive HighPoint updates via email, you are already eligible for the giveaway.

Take It Home Tool. Because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence in their own child's life.

Go Kinda Crazy

2011-02-04T17:34:00.002-05:00

Come February, we're going to be talking about kindness in HighPoint [252 Basics].

Now, I don't know what comes to mind when you think of kindness. If you grew up with rough and tumble siblings, you may have come to the conclusion that nice guys finish last. If you work in a cutthroat environment, you know it doesn't pay to be seen as Mr. or Ms. Milk Toast. If your children watched Barney (of purple dinosaur fame), you may have the desire to pull your hair out if you hear that song one more time. You know which one.

Rest assured, we will not be going there! Kindness is not insipid, limp wristed, or ineffectual. It takes (and makes) some real muscle to be kind. It often requires an iron will. It may insist that we roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. It even necessitates, on occasion, radical action.

Jesus was kind, of course. But He definitely wasn't namby-pamby. The Jesus who took those little kids in His arms and blessed them was the same one who ran off the moneychangers and called out the Pharisees--not the actions of a weak person, which unfortunately is often how kindness is perceived.

We need to paint a truer picture of kindness for our kids, one that sets the bar higher than merely responding to someone else in kind. One that kindles consideration of others, that stirs up empathy for their needs, that ignites a generous rather than a fighting spirit when they do us wrong. In short, one that looks more like Jesus.

So we'll be exploring what Jesus did and said about kindness, which is showing others they are valuable by how you treat them:

Do to others what you want them to do to you. The gold standard of kindness, from Luke 6.

Treat others the way Jesus would treat them. Jesus gave others (including kids!) His time and attention, from Mark 10.

Treat others as if they belong to God. When you do, it's as if you're treating Jesus that way, from Matthew 25.

Do for your enemies what they wouldn't do for you. Give them another chance, from Acts 9.

Challenge kids, and maybe even other leaders on your team, to go kinda crazy and surprise those around them with kindness.

By Melanie Williams. © 2010 The reThink Group * www.rethinkgroup.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission

January Winner: Take-It-Home Tool

2011-01-25T16:23:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to Sheri, and her daughter, Maria, winners of the January Take-It-Home Tool, Long Story Short, by Marty Machowski. Take-It-Home Tool is a family resource, new each month, recommended by HighPoint leaders, for parents and kids to use at home. Each month's Take-It-Home Tool is available for purchase at the Northridge bookstore.

Every month a family will be randomly selected to receive a FREE Take-It-Home Tool. To be eligible to win the February Take-It-Home Tool, register to receive email updates for the HighPoint blog (enter your email address at the SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL tab on the right sidebar of the blog. Then respond to the confirmation email to subscribe.).

Take-It-Home Tool. Because at HighPoint, we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence in their own child's life.

Goat Drive Update

2011-01-25T14:44:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! I wanted to drop a quick note to tell you how this month's HighPoint and HotSpot giving project is going. Our goal for the month was to raise at least $70 so that the kids could fund the purchase of a goat to provide milk for a needy family overseas (see here for original posting). As of last week, the kids have collected $185.26 - this is amazing! This Sunday, January 30, is the last day of the Goat Drive, and the kids are now aiming to give enough to purchase a 3rd goat. Please help us to encourage them towards their goal.

It is also worth mentioning that this week's HighPoint and HotSpot will feature the appearance of a live goat (who will grant us an interview) to cap off the Goat Drive. Hope to see everyone there!

Jeff

Take It Home Tool: Long Story Short

2011-01-10T09:51:00.008-05:00

We're two weeks into January and families are talking about the January Take It Home Tool: Long Story Short, by Marty Machowski. One mom sent us this email...

I love the idea of the Take it Home Tool each month!! We ordered this book a few days ago and I'm looking forward to jumping in before the madness that is our school day. I love that we can get good stuff each month at the bookstore & stuff like this we can share with family, neighbors and friends. thank you thank you thank you!

If you're still not sure about trying something new for your family time, consider what Marty Machowski has to say about his own book, from a dad's perspective:

Don't forget - one family is going to get a copy of Long Story Short FREE! Register now to receive the HighPoint blog via email and you will be eligible to win. If you win the free book, and you've already purchased it, we will give you a coupon to receive a complimentary copy of next month's Take It Home Tool (to be announced in early February).

Long Story Short is available for purchase at the Northridge bookstore or online at New Growth Press

January 'Goat Drive'

2011-01-04T16:02:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year! Two weeks ago at HighPoint, we wrapped up the Pirate Toy Fund toy drive, December's Giving Project. The toys that were collected,and those that we purchased with the kids' offerings, will be delivered to the Pirate Toy Fund so that they can be given out to kids in our community who need them. Great job, and thanks for being a part of the December Giving Project!

This past week, we began a new giving project. We are calling it the January 'Goat Drive'. Together with the kids from HotSpot, the kids will be be trying to raise enough money to purchase at least one goat through Samaritan's Purse to give to a needy family overseas. This is from the Samaritan's Purse website:

"Around the world, more people drink milk from goats than from cows. One goat can produce enough nourishing milk for a family, and a small herd can supply a steady source of income. As our teams provide families with goats, we also furnish training and veterinary care, building relationships that offer opportunities to present the Good News of Jesus Christ. “I am grateful to God and Samaritan’s Purse for uplifting our family and community,” said Mugisha, a Ugandan farmer whose herd has grown so much that he donates goats to help other families. A gift of $70 can supply a goat or other dairy animal to a family in need."

One thing that I learned watching this video was that Samaritan's Purse asks the recipients of these goats to donate back to the program one female offspring of the goat, so that it can be given to another needy family. In this way, a particular gift has the potential to impact the lives and health of several families in a community.

Our goal for the month is to collect enough money to purchase at least one goat, which costs $70. This amount is near the upper boundary of what the HighPoint and HotSpot monthly offerings typically run, so to achieve it the kids will really have to be faithful and conscientious in their giving. This is where you can help within your home. A fair amount of money usually runs through kids' hands in a given month, be it from gifts, allowances or money earned from doing chores. In most cases, we as parents are involved either in giving the kids the money, or in passing along gifts from relatives. It is at that point of contact that we have an opportunity to shape the way that our kids handle the money that God has put in their hands. If we are diligent in making use of these opportunities, we can begin to train our children to share a more 'adult' view of their resources and how those can best be used to glorify God. Here are some things worth thinking about:

First, giving is an act of worship, like singing or praising God. Many of our kids like to sing and dance at HighPoint. Most understand that this is done in praise to God. We try to explain at HighPoint that our giving is done as a similar act of worship. But that is a difficult thing to grasp quickly, so talking and walking through that again and again in the home is the best way for this to really sink in.

Most kids have piggy banks of some sort. Do they have a Giving Bank into which they collect all their money that is going to be given away? This can help kids view that money as 'set aside', and not part of the pool of money destined for candy or American Girl dolls.

Many families base their regular giving on a fraction of their income (1/10 being the most common). Deciding with your kids what general fraction of their money should be given as an offering to God leads to great conversations, more faithful giving, and often conviction of your own adult view of generosity (my son thinks that 3/4 is a reasonable amount of one's income to give away...).

When allowances are given out, is money set aside at that time for giving? I imagine that most families give in time with their paychecks. Should that be different for kids?

Last, and maybe most importantly, do the kids pray over their offerings? Being intentional about doing this in the home before bringing them in can really highlight how this money is given in worship, how it is set apart and special, and how it will ultimately be used as an instrument of grace in God's hand. We typically don't pray over our purchases from Target or our Sam's Club membership dues. Praying over our offerings with our kids will show them that we are not purchasing God's favor, or somehow paying dues so that they can be in the club at Northridge. It is something totally different.

I'm looking forward to this Giving Project. Word on the street is that if the kids can be successful in their goal, we will be conducting an interview with a real live goat at HighPoint on the the last Sunday of the month. We plan to get his take on the whole 'Goat Drive' thing. See everyone on Sunday!

Jeff

Introducing... Take It Home Tool

2011-01-02T15:35:00.000-05:00

Check it out... a fresh way to build up your family in spiritual ways at home! The HighPoint team is excited to introduce our first Take It Home Tool, Long Story Short, by Marty Machowski. Take It Home Tool is a recommended resource, new each month, for families to use at home. It is easy to use, engaging for adults & kids, and designed to bring your family one step closer in your journey to be like Jesus. Each month at HighPoint we’ll introduce you to a new Take It Home Tool.

This month’s resource, Long Story Short, is described as “ten-minute devotions to draw your family to God”. You can purchase your family’s Take It Home Tool at the Northridge bookstore. To make things even more exciting, one family will get a Take It Home Tool FREE each month! To be eligible for a FREE copy of Long Story Short, register your family email address at the HighPoint blog (Subscribe By Email - found on the right column of the blog). If you currently receive HighPoint updates via your email, you are already eligible for the give-away.

Take It Home Tool. Because at HighPoint we believe that parents have the greatest spiritual influence in their own child’s life.

January Virtue: DETERMINATION

2010-12-31T15:55:00.000-05:00

R-U-N?

Are you in? Or are you out? Almost everything in life requires us to decide whether it's worth it to finish it.

learning to play the bongos

turning in that science project

cleaning the toilet (again)

growing your hair out for Locks of Love®

starting (and maintaining) a savings account

memorizing this month's memory verse

continuing to serve, even when it seems like no one appreciates it

finishing the race

Worthwhile things in life are like a race.

So, you have to decide: are you going to finish it, or are you going to give up? Do you want to be like Paul, who did what he did, determined to finish? Or do you want to be like the Israelites, who gave up all too often? Are you a runner or a quitter?

That's what's coming up in January in 252 Basics [HighPoint curriculum]: a look at DETERMINATION, which is deciding it's worth it to finish what you've started:

Keep doing what God says because He is God. (The Israelites leave Egypt, Exodus)

Keep doing what you should do so you don't miss something really good. (40 years in the wilderness, Numbers 14)

Keep doing what you should do because God says you can. (Learning from Israel's history, 1 Corinthians 10)

Keep doing what you should do even if it's hard. (Paul and his trials, 2 Corinthians 11; Acts 20)

And for the fifth week of January:

Learning what God says will help you keep doing what you should. (Paul advises Timothy, 2 Timothy 3)

So get your running shoes on.

December Giving Project: The Pirate Toy Fund

2010-12-09T07:12:00.005-05:00

This past Sunday in HighPoint, we wrapped up the November giving project, Mitten Madness, and kicked off the new December giving project, the Pirate Toy Fund. This organization, started by Gary the Happy Pirate, collects and donates toys for children in need in the Rochester area all year round. Now in its 11th year, the Pirate Toy Fund has distributed more than 200,000 toys within our community, donating 24,000 last year alone.

This month in HighPoint, we’ll be participating in the Pirate Toy Fund. The money that kids bring in for the weekly offering will be used to purchase toys for the Fund. We also invite families to participate by bringing in NEW and UNWRAPPED toys to HighPoint. These can be placed into the orange Giving Cart by the check in desks at the beginning of each service.

The timing of our participation in the Pirate Toy Fund is key. Christmas is approaching. Kids are counting down the days, and getting more and more excited the closer we get to the 25th. A big part of this excitement surely centers on the fact that most of them will be receiving gifts from parents and family members on or around that Christmas Day. Yet as parents, we feel conflicted sometimes. We want to give our kids good things, and for them to enjoy Christmas as we did when we were little. We also want kids to understand and appreciate the fact that Christmas is about Christ. About God coming into history on a rescue mission to save His people hopelessly lost in sin. I’m sure that many of our kids, when asked the question, “What is Christmas about?” would respond with something about Jesus. But this is a loaded question; they are often just giving us what they think is the ‘right’ answer. When we observe them, we may get a different answer. What is Christmas about? Presents.

In the face of this conflict, I think that family participation in the Pirate Toy Fund can be helpful. If we involve our kids in the purchasing (in part with their own money), the selecting and the delivering of the gifts, it has the potential to pull their attention, at least for a little while, away from their fixation on the impending arrival of Christmas presents. It provides us with an opportunity to talk with our kids about Christ, Christmas and how presents fit into the whole thing. Here are some ideas for conversations that one might have:

Why do we give gifts to each other on Jesus’ birthday? Is it because Christ Himself was a gift to us, given by God? Was the ‘gift’ of Christ His birth, or His death on the cross (Easter)? How can we celebrate Jesus’ birthday better in light of His eventual death?
The nativity story involves obvious gift giving with the coming of the wise men from the East. These, though, are not gifts (in our sense) so much as offerings of worship. Are our Christmas presents like this now? Could we bring such a gift to Jesus? How could giving a toy for the Pirate Toy Fund be like giving an offering of worship to Christ?
If I was a boy, I would not want a Pink Princess-themed birthday. It just isn’t what I’m about. Jesus said that He came not to be served, but to serve, offering His life as a ransom for man. How can we make our celebration of His birthday reflect what He is about?

That’s it for now. I’m looking forward to the new month at HighPoint, and to seeing how God works in and through our kids over the next several weeks.

See you on Sunday,

Jeff

Favorite Picks for Christmas

2010-12-08T08:56:00.010-05:00

Last year we posted some of our favorite resources (CD's, family devotionals, etc.) just in time for Christmas shopping. You can find that list here. We thought we'd continue the trend this season by posting a few of our top faves for Christmas presents. Here they are:

Jump! CD

Songs on Jump! were written and produced with a simple prayer, that they would inspire a generation to put their faith in motion.

- Some teach character.
- Some tell Bible stories.
- Some inspire worship.
- Some are just fun.
Our hope is that this music jumpstarts something in the hearts of children, parents and leaders.

Long Story Short

The Bible can seem like a long story for an active family to read, but when you break it down into short sections, family devotions are easy to do. Long Story Short will help busy parents share with their children how every story in the Old Testament points forward to God’s story of salvation through Jesus Christ. You won’t find a more important focus for a family devotional than a daily highlighting of the gospel of grace. Clever stories and good moral lessons may entertain and even help children, but the gospel will transform children.

The gospel is deep enough to keep the oldest and wisest parents learning and growing all their lives, yet simple enough to transform the heart of the first grader who has just begun to read. Long Story Short is a family devotional program designed to explain God’s plan of salvation through the Old Testament and is suitable for children from preschool through high school.

Chase the Light CD

This collection of thirteen songs challenges the listener to walk in the Light of Christ. The high-energy mix of songs will engage you in worship and put a smile on your face. With fun songs like "Let's Dance", "Shout!" and "In The Light" plus popular worship songs like "All Because Of Jesus", "Sing, Sing, Sing" and "Everlasting God,” this album will have everyone in the family singing and dancing!

Down Gilead Lane

Small Town - Big Drama! Down Gilead Lane is a family radio drama that focuses on the Morrison family and the Town of Coleraine. Great biblical truths told in the context of a story that kids can apply to their own lives.

December Virtue - JOY

2010-12-04T08:41:00.003-05:00

Let's Party!

Remember Christmases as a kid? Rehearsing and rehearsing and finally performing in the Christmas pageant. Excited about playing with cousins you hadn't seen in a year. Looking forward to the coconut cake your grandmother ALWAYS made, especially for you. Sneaking downstairs early Christmas morning to see if Santa (or whoever) had made good on your wish list. Do you remember Christmases as a kid with J. O. Y.? The delight was probably as much about expectations as it was in the fulfillment.

But what if you got the part of a sheep instead of the angel in the pageant? If the cousins took a ski trip instead of coming to see you? If Grandma made a crummy fruit cake instead of the coconut, and you HATE fruit cake? If Santa (or whoever) gave you underwear instead of retro basketball shoes, and that's just lame?

Sure, there are times it's a little hard to have J. O. Y. Just think about the people of Israel for a minute. God had promised them a Messiah. One who would save them from their oppressors, one who would rule the earth, one powerful enough to set everything that was wrong, right.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7, NIV).

So the people waited. And waited. And waited. In fact, not only was the Messiah taking His time, but they hadn't heard from God either. More than 400 hundred years passed from the time of Malachi, the last prophet mentioned in the Old Testament, till the birth of Jesus. Four hundred forty-six years, to be precise. Scholars call that the intertestamental period, the period of time in which, presumably, there was "no prophet in Israel." What would that be like, not hearing from God in generations? Would you wonder if God had abandoned you, outright forgotten you, or at least forgotten His promise?

Do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray, for we are all your people. Your sacred cities have become a desert; even Zion is a desert, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and glorious temple, where our fathers praised you, has been burned with fire, and all that we treasured lies in ruins. After all this, O Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure? (Isaiah 64:9-12, NIV).

Would the seeming silence from God, not to mention the Jews' trying circumstances, spike your expectations, dim your happiness, inhibit your gladness, at least a little? Would it raise worrisome doubts in your mind?

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).

And then God's promise started to reveal itself. A childless couple discovered they were going to have a baby. Someone who would not only be a delight to his parents, but would be great in God's eyes, making ready a bunch of people waiting for the Lord to show up. His name would be John.

As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished (Luke 1:44, NIV).

A young woman accepted the fact that nothing is impossible with God, that she (of all people!) would be the Savior's mother.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11, NIV).

Shepherds spread the good news of Jesus' birth, rejoicing all the way.

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32, NIV).

And a man whose time had come got to hold the baby Savior in his arms, knowing that things were being made right and his dearest hope had been fulfilled. Talk about J. O. Y.

That's what's coming up in December in 252 Basics [HighPoint]: a look at joy, which is finding a way to be happy, even when things don't go your way.

You can have joy because God keeps His promises. (The birth of John the Baptist, Luke 1.)

You can have joy because anything is possible with God. (Gabriel appears to Mary, Luke 1.)

You can have joy because God sent His Son. (Jesus is born, Luke 2.)

You can have joy because God has a plan to make things right. (Jesus and Simeon, Luke 2.)

So let's party. Because every day should be a party.

Mitten Madness - Last Week to give!

2010-11-30T15:40:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! I wanted to send out a reminder that the November giving project, 'Mitten Madness' is wrapping up for the month. So far we've collected in the neighborhood of 60 pairs of mittens, scarves and hats. This weekend we will collect the last of the items and hand them over to Dr. Brad to use in his clinic's Christmas Tree shop.

If you are still planning on doing any shopping for 'Mitten Madness' I wanted to pass along word that they can accept all kinds of NEW clothing (socks, shirts, pants, ect), not just the winter accessories that we've been collecting in HighPoint. Thanks, everyone, for participating with your kids in what we're doing at HighPoint. Hope to see everyone this weekend.

Jeff

November Giving Project: Mitten Madness

2010-11-12T16:28:00.005-05:00

This Christmas season, Northridge Church is partnering with Woodward Health Center, a local inner-city family medicine clinic, to help needy families. During the month of December, the clinic will operate a Christmas Shop where families can come and buy new clothing and toys for their children at steep (>90%) discounts. In this way, needy families will be able to provide their children gifts of clothing and toys, with the dignity (and ownership) of having paid for the gifts with money out of their own pockets. The money generated from the sale of these items will be rolled into an emergency medical fund at the clinic to benefit uninsured families.

Over the next month, Northridge will be collecting clothing and toys to help stock the Christmas Shop. You've probably seen the big collection bins all over the church. At HighPoint, we're also taking part. During the month of November, we're launching a giving project called MITTEN MADNESS. We are specifically focused on collecting winter clothing for the Woodward clinic, including new mittens, gloves, hats and scarves. We've chosen to focus on these items for HighPoint because they are generally inexpensive enough for children to buy with money that they have earned themselves. Families can also participate in MITTEN MADNESS by bringing in other new winter clothing items like socks, long underwear and heavy coats. Each week, we'll have our new orange Giving Cart by the check in desks. Your kids can put their clothing donations into it. We will continue to take a weekly offering, and the money that the kids bring in will be used to buy clothing items for the drive.

What I like most about this month's giving project is that it ties in the kids' experience with the of the rest of the Northridge church body. Usually, the giving projects that we do at HighPoint are unique to children's ministry. They are things that kids and their families do independently of the rest of the church. But here, Northridge as a church is partnering with the Woodward Clinic to provide for the needs of families in our city. So for the kids, it is a way to participate with the whole church in a common giving goal.

A second aspect that I appreciate about this project is the way it provides a template for community involvement, at all levels of the church, for our kids. This project was conceived of by two Northridge members. They saw a need, not just for poor families to get gifts, but for these gifts to be obtained in a manner that conferred dignity as well. They have recruited the help of two Northridge Small Groups to run the store. And finally, they have engaged the church body as a whole to support the project. This month, I'm looking forward to seizing on this example to demonstrate step by step to the kids at HighPoint how we can worship God through our actions and giving both individually, in our small groups, and corporately as a church.

I'll see you on Sunday, and remember -- bring your winter clothing items for the Giving Cart!Jeff

BUGS

2010-11-11T10:33:00.004-05:00

To illustrate our November virtue, Uniqueness, we had a couple of bugs visit HighPoint on Sunday. Now that's a unique creation, made by God!

The Giving Guy

2010-11-11T10:14:00.004-05:00

The HighPoint Giving Guy(s) have a new look! Shane rolled it out at the 8:30 service on Sunday and Jeff did his gig at 11:00. What a fun way for kids to learn that giving is one important way that we worship God!And on the topic of giving... remember, this Sunday is the LAST WEEK to turn in your Operation Christmas Child boxes!

Uniqueness - November Virtue

2010-11-03T13:39:00.002-04:00

Bugville

If bugs creep you out, don't read this paragraph. Scientists know there are some 900 thousand different kinds of living insects. That's based on past and present studies. That's 900 thousand species that we KNOW about. Scientists can only guess at the true number of species of insects. Conservative estimates suggest there are 2 million kinds of insects. Other estimates are as high as 30 million. And that's just species of insects. Scientists say that on any given day, there are 10 quintillion individual insects alive and kicking. (That's 10 quintillion, with 19 zeroes.) That represents the largest biomass of animals that live on the land. That's about 300 pounds of insects for every pound of human flesh. And that doesn't include other "bugs" like arachnids (spiders), crustaceans (crabs, barnacles), and myriapods (centipedes, millipedes). Are you feeling outnumbered?

Bug-aphobes, start reading here. Whatever your personal feelings about bugs, all these creepy crawly creatures point to something remarkable: how much we DON'T know about them. Their total numbers, where the undiscovered ones live, what their role is in life. But what we DO know about them, even if that knowledge could fit on a speck on the freckle behind the knee of the very back leg of a centipede, underscores the marvelous diversity of creation and the fantastic imagination of their Creator. In short, knowledge of bugs, or anything God created, helps us better understand HIM.

In the same way, knowledge of OTHERS helps us better understand ourselves. Ever heard a five-year-old compare and contrast himself with a friend? "You like to make worms with the play dough, and I like to run over them with the car." A fifth-grade girl may want to wear lip gloss like her best friend, but she'll secretly note with satisfaction that it looks better on herself. Again, knowledge of others helps us better understand ourselves.

So, come November, we'll be talking about uniqueness (which is learning more about others so you can know more about yourself) and the fact that God made each of us unique. On purpose! By looking for the gifts and talents of other people, a kid can begin to appreciate everyone's importance in God's story, including his own. He can learn that it's okay, even good, to be different and that God made him with a unique blend of talents, abilities, and gifts for a reason. The same God who took the time to design each and every one of those 10 quintillion insects, in all their glorious variety, made each of us. That is truly remarkable.

Here're some things we think are important for kids to understand about themselves, about others, and about God's purpose for them when it comes to uniqueness:

God made everybody different. What is it that makes you stand out? God can use those differences to change lives, yours and others'. Deborah is an impressive case in point (Judges 4:1-24).

God made everybody a somebody. Most everybody has felt like a nobody at some point. Gideon sure did. But God had some big plans for Gideon (Judges 6:11--7:22).

God can use anybody to share His message, even a locust-eating man who lived in the wilds of the Judean desert. Who listens to you? What are your words and actions "telling" others about God? (Matthew 3:1-6)

God gave everybody special abilities. God not only created a package of talents and abilities just for you, He gives you "spiritual gifts" when you become a Christian (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

We think this is going to be a great opportunity to help kids get to know themselves and others, and even more importantly, their heavenly Father and some of the things He may have planned for them.

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1:31, NIV)