Backseat Bible Nuggets Archives

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This is the 100^th episode of Backseat Bible Nuggets podcast! Woohoo!

This fun project that started 2.5 years ago aimed to help parents have Christ centered conversations with their kids in the middle of the busy and hectic schedules of life. And the Lord has been faithful to the idea that He gave me. HE has made this podcast grow. HE has planted seeds in the hearts of our children through it. HE has grown our confidence as parents to remind us that WE are equipped by His Spirit living in us to lead our kids to Jesus in daily conversations.

Surely, He has done great things! To God be the Glory!

It’s also equally true that this podcast has never taken a break. Lots of podcasts break for certain seasons, but this one kept right on trucking. At one point we slowed the pace, but never a pause.

Well my friends, that day has come. It’s time for Backseat Bible Nuggets to take a break and pause. Why? Well, because I’m learning the importance of rest and Sabbath. I’ve been a bit confused about resting in the past and while I knew it was Biblical, I guess I saw it as optional and something we COULD do on an as needed basis. This is in fact, not the case though!

Isaiah 40:28 says God doesn’t grow tired or weary. If this is the case, which it is, they why does God, from the beginning of time, show us what it means to have a rhythm of rest built in to our life? If sabbath rest is optional they why is it such a main point of Genesis 2:1-3 where it says that God rested from all of His work? Because He was tired? Well, no….not possible. And if God doesn’t grow tired or weary as Isaiah tells us, then why do we see Jesus set a rhythm of retreat back to His Father? Why does Jesus often slip away from the crowd for a few moments? I think these examples point to the importance, the essential fact of needed rest. Not the option of it.

So, friends, that’s what Backseat Bible Nuggets is going to do for now. Rest. It doesn’t mean I’ll take a nap every day, although I wouldn’t complain! But it does mean there won’t be new episodes for a while. Good news is that you now have 100 episodes to listen to, along with other great resources.

Even better news is that by this point, I hope and pray you’re seeing how the simplest most mundane daily occurrence is an opportunity to talk to your kids about Jesus. YOU can do it! YOU are the parent to your specific kids for a reason. YOU can speak to them best. YOU can minister to their hearts most successfully. Will you commit to do it? Will you daily ground yourself in God’s word so that you naturally overflow the gospel to your kids? It starts with you!

You’ve got this Mama! It’s gonna be great, Dad. And to the grandparents listening, we need your wisdom more than ever! I love yall and can’t wait to catch up soon. But for now, I’m going to take a rest.

Backseat Bible Nuggets is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit http://www.ChristianParenting.org

by Laura Young

Safe and Secure

John 10:28 talks about someone snatching something out of another person’s hands. Now, I’m just curious if you’ve ever snatched someone from someone before? Maybe your sibling had a toy that you wanted and you just grabbed it. How well did that go? It never goes well in our house when that happens. And let me guess, you hate it when someone else snatches something out of your hands, right? No one likes having something taken from them when it was theirs to begin with. And as parents we teach this lesson to our kids. Maybe you’ve already learned it!

Well since we know that having something snatched from us isn’t the most enjoyable, Jesus clearly tells us that nothing can be snatched out of His hands. And guess what’s in His hands? His children! He holds those who believe in Him in His hands. Those must be some BIG BIG hands!

John 10:28 is where Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

So that’s saying that Jesus is the one who gives us eternal life when we believe in Him. And because we have eternal life, we won’t ever die. Okay. But the second part of that verse is where Jesus says that once you believe in Him, you’re in His hand, and nothing can snatch you out.

Like you can’t fall out. You can’t jump out. You can’t get lost and wander out. And this is a huge deal because He’s talking spiritually. Meaning once we give our heart to Jesus, nothing changes that. It’ll always be safe and secure in His hands. Isn’t that awesome. It brings such confidence and comfort to know that He has me forever and ever and I’m protected in His hands as His child.

Let’s talk about some questions today. Remember, don’t overthink it! The point is to get conversation flowing.

1. Who are the people in God’s hands?

2. Who would try to snatch anything out of God’s hands?

3. If you have given your heart to Jesus, how does it feel to hear that nothing can snatch you out of His hands?

Let’s practice our verse one last time before we go. You can repeat after me. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:28

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by Laura Young

Forgiveness

Our family loves to play Monopoly, especially my 9 year old. And if you’ve ever played this game you know that there are times where you have to go to a spot on the gameboard that is the jail. And when you’re in jail, in the game, you lose your turn until you’re free from jail. In order to get out of jail, you need to draw a card that says “Get Out of Jail Free.” This is the best card because it gets you back in the game and moving along with the other players.

This game of monopoly shows us something spiritually. We can think of our sin, that all humans are born with, as a type of jail. Our sin can keep us trapped, in a sense. We can’t get out on our own. And it ultimately keeps us separated from God.

If we were playing monopoly we would keep hoping and hoping we would draw one of those cards to get us out! And guess what? When Jesus came, He came to get us out of that sin jail. He came as the Son of God. He came to live the perfect human life. And He came to die for our sins – to offer us forgiveness from our sins. THEN He came BACK to life, winning over sin and death and showing that He will forever and always be the winner of LIFE – both today and for always.

Jesus did all of this so that we could have forgiveness from our sins, which is like our “Get Out of Jail Free” card. It’s through the forgiveness of our sins that we can have a relationship with Jesus both today and then forever in heaven with Him. But instead of waiting and just trying to get lucky by drawing the right card, in a sense, Jesus offers this forgiveness to everyone who accepts it. Isn’t that amazing? It’s a free gift that gets you out of that sin jail! Have you ever heard better news!?

Psalm 86:5 says, “You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call on you.”

Let’s talk about some questions today. Remember, don’t overthink it! The point is to get conversation flowing.

1. How do you respond when you think about Jesus’ forgiving your sins?

2. If Jesus is willing to forgive your sins, how do you think He wants you to treat others?

Let’s practice our verse one last time before we go. You can repeat after me. “You are forgiving and good, O Lord, - abounding in love - to all who call on you.” Psalm 86:5

by Laura Young

Christmas Wrap Up

Episode 1: Christmas Story

Jesus being born is a special story for everyone. For me and for you! The story of Jesus being born, the life he lived, and then eventually the death that he died on the cross was all for you. He came to this world for you!

This was such great news for every single person that even a big group of angels shows up praising God saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” in Luke 2:14.

I pray that when you hear the Christmas story, even if you’ve heard it before, that your heart explodes with worship for what God has done for each of us through Jesus.

So here are some questions to get us talking about this famous story. You can pause to discuss and as always, there’s no wrong answer!

1. If you had to be one character in the Christmas story, like if you could be Mary or Joseph or Jesus or an angel or a shepherd or a sheep or a wise man or anyone else in the story, who would you want to be?

2. What’s your favorite part of the Christmas story? Do you have a favorite detail?

One last time before we sign off, let’s practice this awesome verse together. You can repeat after me. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14

Backseat Bible Nuggets was created by me, Laura, a mom of 2 that wanted an easy tool to help refocus our hectic days. Our hope is that this helps every adult easily start Christ centered conversations with the kids in their life. We are so honored you listen and would love for you to leave us a review or better yet, spread the word. Let your friends know about this podcast! And as always, I’m praying that your backseaters grow deep roots as you go along the way.

Episode 2: Emmanuel

Emmanuel.

It’s another name for Jesus. In fact, it was a name given to Jesus like 700 years before Jesus was born! Did your parents name you 700 years before you were born?!

Mine didn’t!

You see, this time of year as we celebrate the birth of Jesus we have to remember something very very important. This birth had been planned since the beginning of time! That’s pretty crazy. Most ladies are pregnant with a baby for 9 months, but Jesus being born had been in the works for thousands of YEARS!

We know this because 700 years before Jesus was born a guy in the Bible named Isaiah said that a virgin would have a baby boy and they would name him Emmanuel.

Here’s the super cool part. Guess what Emmanuel means? If you know what the name Emmanuel means go ahead and tell me…

Emmanuel means God with us. And that’s just what happened when Jesus was born. God was with us through this little bitty baby who needed his mommy and daddy to feed him and bathe him and change his diaper. But then he grew and grew and became a man who told everyone about God and His ways and eventually died on the cross for our sins so that we can have eternal life with Him. Whew. What a life this miracle baby had!

He changed the world! Emmanuel…God with us. What a cool name.

What a cool God that He would want to come and be WITH US. He left heaven to come to us.

And if you’re anything like me you might think….why? Why would God want to come and be with ME? I can think of a lot better things He could be doing or cooler people He could be hanging out with. I mean, I make bad choices sometimes and mess up and I don’t always have the best attitude. Why would He want to be with me and not someone else?

Well, it’s all because He loves us no matter what…even the worst part of us. He loves you and He loves me so much that He wanted to be WITH US. Emmanuel.

Matthew chapter 1 tells us of the details about the birth of Jesus and says in Matthew 1:22 and 23 “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: (who was Isaiah 700 years earlier) “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel.”

Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question to discuss. And, like always…don’t overthink it! The point is to get conversation flowing:

Emmanuel is another name for Jesus, but what does it mean?
Why is it important that God wanted to be with us?
How can you thank God for the gift of Jesus in coming to be with us?

Let’s try and learn our verse together. You can repeat after me. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel.” Matthew 1:23

http://www.BackseatBibleNuggets.com

by Laura Young

John 5:17

John 5:17 says, “Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”

Did you know that God never takes a day off? He doesn’t stop working on the weekends or certain days. He is always with us every minute of every day. He never has a day where He gets sick and has to cancel plans. Did you know that God never stops working?

Psalm 121:4b says that the Lord will neither slumber or sleep. He never gets too tired and has to take a nap or go to bed early. He never even has to sleep which means no matter what time it is, He is there and He is doing something. He never stops working. His powerful plan for your life and for the world is always right on track since God doesn’t look away or close His eyes for a second.

He is always working.

What does that mean for us? Well, it means we can take comfort knowing that our Lord is open for business whenever we need Him. It also means that we can trust that He never changes. He won’t forget us. He won’t get tired of working and quit. Jesus said in John 5:17 that “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”

Who is Jesus’ father He’s talking about there? Can you yell it out?

It’s GOD! That’s right!

Jesus, when He was walking on earth in his human body, certainly had to sleep and stop working because He was too tired. But remember that Jesus and God and united in something called the Trinity, which we have another episode about that you can check out. But that means that even if Jesus took a nap, God was always still working forever and ever. He never stops working. He has energy forever and ever and ever and never runs out.

Let’s talk about 2 questions today. Remember, there’s no wrong answer, so don’t overthink it! The point is to get conversation flowing:

1. First question: Is there anyone you know, besides God, who never has to sleep?

2. Why is it important to know that the Lord never stops working?

Let’s practice our verse one last time before we go. You can repeat after me. “Jesus said to them, - “My Father is always at his work - to this very day, - and I, too, am working.”- John 5:17

http://www.backseatbiblenuggets.com

by Laura Young

Live It Out

Raise your hand if you’ve signed up for a sport before? Or your parents signed you up? I bet we have some baseball players and some soccer players and some football players maybe even some ballerinas or cheerleaders or softball players!

Well, tell me. Just because you sign up for a sport and get the uniform, does that make you a professional player of that sport? Like are you the best player ever just for signing up? No!

You sign up so you can go to the practices and play in the games so that you can get better and better over time. By going to the practices and games you improve your skills and HOPEFULLY you are a better player at the end of the season than you were at the beginning, right?

In the same way, just because someone says they are a Christian or just because you pray and ask Jesus to come in to your heart doesn’t make you a perfect Christian immediately, does it? No!

We have to think of reading our Bible and praying and talking about Jesus with other believers like our sports practices and games. These things are there in order to improve our skills of what it means to LIVE as a Christian! As we read God’s words and learn about Him, we will start to live a different way. The point of all of that is not just to fill our heads with fact but it’s to start doing things Jesus would do in our own life. Or maybe it’s to STOP doing things that Jesus wouldn’t do.

I mean this so literally! If you’re a Christian and growing in the Lord then you should find yourself being more kind and loving to others. Seeing them as Jesus sees them. Maybe that’s you seeing someone who needs a friend on the playground and you being willing to go over and be that friend. Or maybe it’s that you start becoming more obedient, more quickly when your parents tell you to do something. Or maybe it’s NOT doing something you know you’re not supposed to. The options are endless for how you will start to live it out day to day as you walk with Jesus.

But I just want you to understand the importance of taking the things we learn about the Lord and letting it change your behavior and attitudes and actions – just like we let our practices and lessons and games in our favorite sport improve our skills.

The Bible says in Philippians 4:9a, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice.” Will you try and do that with me? Let’s look for something this week, some way we can put our love for Jesus and the way He wants us to act in to action this week!

Here are some questions to talk about. Remember, there’s no wrong answer, so don’t overthink it! The point is to get conversation flowing:

1. Can you tell me of a time where you acted like Jesus? Maybe you did something or didn’t do something and you know that it would have pleased the Lord for you to act that way. Tell me about it.

2. Why do our actions matter when we are a Christian?

3. How do we make our actions more like Jesus’ actions?

Let’s practice our verse one last time before we go. You can repeat after me. “Whatever you have learned - or received - or heard from me - or seen in me – put it into practice.” Philippians 4:9a

by Laura Young

Tell Others

The Advent book is out this year from Christian Parenting! I’m so excited because we loved ours last year. This year the book is called ‘Jesus, Light of the World’ and every day includes scripture, a short devotional, engaging activities that encourages kids to take ownership of their faith and yall know we love all those things here at Backseat Bible Nuggets. You can get your copy at cpgive.org. That’s cpgive.org.

I have some friends who are going to be real life missionaries! I have always heard about missionaries, but I’ve never actually known a missionary that I called my friend. Do you know what a missionary is? A missionary is someone who is so excited about telling others about Jesus that they make it their job.

Your parents probably have a job where they might leave the house to go to work or maybe they work from home, but a missionary is willing to go anywhere where people need to hear about Jesus. To be more specific, a foreign missionary usually means they go to another country or a different part of the world to live and to tell others about Jesus and the Bible.

My friends are going to northern Africa to tell the people there about Jesus. How cool is that?

I think missionaries are like super heroes. And you should read some stories about missionaries, just like you read books about super heroes. Hudson, my 9 year old and I read a book on Hudson Taylor this summer. I chose it because they had the same name, but the life story of this early missionary made a huge impact on me! A missionary’s literal job is to introduce people to Jesus, which changes people’s lives forever. Is there a more important job? No!

But while my friends are packing up everything and moving to Africa and agreeing to learn a new language and live in a new culture, it reminded me that being a missionary doesn’t only mean those people willing to move to a different country. It’s important for all of us to be missionaries right where we live now.

Did you know that Jesus told all people who believe in Him to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded” in Matthew 28:19 and 20?

That verse I just read is called the Great Commission. Can you say Great Commission?

And it is the job description of a missionary, or really every person who believes in Jesus – to go and make disciples, which is just a fancy word for people who know and follow Jesus. And it says to do this everywhere…where you live, where you go to school, where you practice sports, where you dance, where your parents work, and even for some foreign missionaries it means wherever the Lord calls them in the world.

Okay, let’s talk about some things. You can pause after each question to discuss. And don’t overthink it…the point is to get conversation flowing.

1. Did you know that you’re supposed to be telling others about Jesus?

2. Is there anywhere that you can think of where you SHOULDN’T talk about Jesus?

3. Who in your life might not know Jesus and you could tell them what YOU know about Jesus?

One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19 and 20.

http://www.BackseatBibleNuggets.com

by Laura Young

Nations War

One of the coolest things about our world is that it’s made up of billions of people who are different from us. Not one single person is the same! We have different countries, languages, beliefs, habits, and preferences. This is one of the coolest things about our world! How diverse it is!

You can meet different people or even travel to different countries and experience the way they do life. Every country has different foods they eat, music they listen to, clothes they wear, even how they like to do things. I mean even toilets look different in different countries! Really, look it up! Toilets around the world.

It’s fun to learn about these differences!

And while our different countries, languages, and cultures are God’s plan and something to be celebrated, it’s not always easy. No, sometimes countries, or nations as they can be called, argue and fight. Sometimes they even go to war for their differences. Sometimes people even end up hating other people for their differences.

And this has been happening for a LONG time. Nations have been fighting and disagreeing over their differences basically ever since sin came in to the world. And wars continue even today. Lots and lots of kids grown up in countries that are at war with other countries. It’s almost like it’s a part of their everyday life to hear and see signs of war all around them.

And while it breaks God’s heart to see nations fight, I want you too remember something really important today. It won’t always be this way! How do I know that? Because of what it says in the Bible.

Psalms 86:9 says, “All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.”

Did you hear that? ALL the nations. All countries, as different as they are, will one day ALL come before the Lord and worship Him. They will all agree together over the fact that Jesus is Lord and bring glory to His name.

YES! That gives us hope today to know that even as different as we are and even tough we will fight and disagree with other countries, we will all be united and AGREE one day… in the name of Jesus. Knowing this and remembering this makes me realize that God’s kingdom is so much bigger than any country here on Earth. His kingdom will last forever and will have billions of people in it since the beginning of time and from every country that ever existed.

Revelation 7:9 and 10 is another great description of this. It’s were John is having this sneak-peak in to heaven and he describes what he sees. He says, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Raise your hand if you’re ready to see that one day! I am!

Okay, let’s talk about some things. You can pause after each question to discuss. And don’t overthink it…the point is to get conversation flowing.

1. What are some differences that you know of between where you live and another country?

2. Why do countries or nations fight or go to war?

3. What did those verses tell us about how it will be one day in heaven?

One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “All the nations you have made - will come and worship before you, Lord; - they will bring glory to your name.” - Psalms 86:9

*There is an additional Backseat Bible Nuggets episode on this topic: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/backseat-bible-nuggets/id1573752728?i=1000552685169

by Laura Young

Q&A: Hudson & Avery

Y'all, Christian Parenting has been hitting it out of the park lately with their products. This month they are rolling out a devotional made just for kids called My Time with God. It’s geared for ages 6-12. And it’s a colorful and fun devotional to read scripture, engage in creative activities, deepen their prayer life, and learn the benefits of spending time with God every day! Go get today at CPGive.org

Today we talk about questions with Hudson (9) and Avery (6):

What’s special about the Bible?

When do you usually read your Bible?

Why do you like reading your Bible?

What is your favorite Bible story and why?

How does the Bible help us live the way God wants us to live?

by Laura Young

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