Dr. Gary Chapman discovered that each person perceives love in one of 5 ways he called The Five Love Languages.  Let's explore each one in order to learn how to love our family better.  As you do the exercises, try to figure out which one you are and which one your children are.  Usually, people have 1 primary love language and maybe 1 secondary love language.

1. Words of Affirmation
​Think of something nice to say to each member of the family.  Let each family member take a turn.  Here are some ideas.

• I love you.
• You are so special to me.
• You did an awesome job at....
• Thank you for....

2. Physical Touch
Let's do a fun handshake together.  Try this one, if you can't come up with one. 

• High five, down low
• knuckle bump
• 1 finger touch
• pound each other's fist
• twirl around
• shake with one hand, and hug with the other

3. Gifts
Let's play, Guess What's Inside.  Ready?  Imagine I am giving you a gift.  Can you guess what is inside? (Use hand actions to act things out.)

• It's really [heavy/light].
• It requires [no] batteries.
• It's [alive.]
• It's got [a lot/ a few] pieces.
• etc.

4. Acts of Service
​Let's play helping hands.  What would happen if one of your hands decided to not help the other hand anymore?  Let's put one hand behind the back.  Could you...?

• Button your shirt
• Tie your shoe
• Zip your jacket

No way!  It would be so hard.  Both hands need to work together to make tasks easy to do.  God wants us as families to work together, too, to get all the tasks done in keeping up with our home.  It's really hard on one person to do it, but if everyone helps each other out, it can get done easily.  Let's think of some chores we have to do around the house.

• wash dishes
• pick up toys
• take out the trash
• sweep or vacuum
• clean the toilet

Try to one of those chores with just one hand.  Can you do it?  It would be hard.  
​Let's work together with many hands to get these jobs done quickly and easily.  Now, let's try to do it with 2 people, each one using only one hand!  It's a little tricky, but we can get it done working together!

5. Quality Time
Think of something fun you can do together as a family, and go do it.  Here are some ideas.

• Play a (board) game
• Set up a domino run or build a tower
• Do a puzzle
• Go grocery shopping
• Work outside
• Make a meal

What is Jesus' new command for us?  Read together John 13:34.  Jesus showed God's love to people in the different love languages.  Make a commitment to love each other in the way each one desires to be loved.  

Check out Gary Chapman's book, The 5 Love Languages, for more information.  Or Visit the 5 love languages website.

Salmon are amazing fish.  They lay their eggs upstream.  Then, when the baby salmon are born, they easily swim downstream to the ocean where they spend their life.  When it is time to mate and lay eggs, salmon go back to the place they were born.  This is a very hard journey.  Swimming upstream means that salmon have to constantly fight the current of the water.  Sometimes, they have to jump over water falls to keep going up.  There are many predators along the way that try to catch and eat them.  Salmon refuse to give up.  Check out this awesome video of their life cycle.

​Salmon remind me of the Bible verse, Galatians 6:9, which says, "We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up" (ICV)!  If God can help those salmon never ever give up in their journey home, He can help us to not give up, too!  Don't ever get tired of doing the right thing, even when it seems so hard.  The Holy Spirit is always ready to help us obey.  During the 3 years of no rain in Israel, prophet Elijah did not give up his hope in God.  Water everywhere dried up, but he determined to trust God to take care of him, and God did.

We have been learning important facts about God's special book, the Bible.  Can you help your child answer these questions?  Listen along to the lesson with a Bible in hand.

Emila lives in Finland.  When she was very little, her liver stopped working.  She had to have a liver transplant that saved her life.  Her parents could not keep up with her care and gave her up for adoption.  Emila was adopted by a Christian family who taught her about Jesus' love.  Emila and her family moved so she could go to a Christian school.  God answered their prayers to find a home quickly.  Emila realizes that Jesus saved her life, gave her a family that loves her, and gave her a new school.  Emila wants to live for Jesus.  Do you?

Reference: 1 Kings 17

Prophet Elijah was hiding from King Ahab.  When the water at the Brook Cherith dried up, God told prophet Elijah to go to Zarephath near Sidon.  "There is a woman there who will take care of you."

The woman's husband was dead, and she had one son.  She was out picking up sticks to make a fire to cook her last meal when Elijah talked to her.  "Would you bring me some water and bread, please?" prophet Elijah asked the woman.  "I only have enough food to feed me and my son one more meal, and then we will die of hunger," she answered.  Prophet Elijah said, "God will not let your flour and oil run out until He sends rain again.  Only, please bring me something to eat first."  

The woman brought Elijah some bread and water.  Then, she noticed that there was still flour and oil in her cupboard.  God continued to give the woman oil and flour, and the woman continued to feed prophet Elijah.  

One day, the woman's son became so sick that he died.  The woman said to prophet Elijah, "You are supposed to be a man of God.  Has God let my son die to pay me back for my sins?"  

Prophet Elijah carried the boy up to his room and laid him on the bed.  Then, Elijah stretched himself over the boy 3 times and prayed, "Lord, please bring this boy back to life!"

One, two, three,...suddenly, the boy started breathing again!  The woman hugged her son tightly.  She turned to Elijah and said, "Now, I know that you really are a prophet of God, and that God speaks through you."

​Our prayer verse is Psalm 50:15, which says, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."  Elijah knew he could call upon God to help the woman's son.  When you have trouble, do you pray and ask God for help?  He wants to deliver us.

Dear Father God, Thank You for helping me in my troubles.  I want to always remember to call upon You.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.