Brave
Let’s imagine what it is like to be brave. Explore stories of courage with this unit, Brave, about brave women and men in the Old Testament. Remember that God is with us through the hard times just as God was with Isaac, Miriam, Samuel, a young girl who helped King David, and three men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who survived a fiery furnace. Wonder about what it means to be brave and how each of these characters was courageous in their own stories. Think about making hard decisions with the story of Isaac. Name people you know who are brave as in Miriam’s story. Examine tattling vs truth telling through the story of Samuel. Teach children a breath prayer they can use in the “I Used All My Courage” session. Inquire into what it is like to live in a foreign land with a new name in the story of “The Fiery Furnace.” There is so much to learn and do in this unit of Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible Curriculum.

Sessions included in this unit:

• The Hardest Thing (Genesis 22:1–19)
• Miriam Hides Moses (Exodus 2:1–10)
• Samuel Tells a Hard Truth (1 Samuel 2:18–3:20)
• I Used All My Courage (2 Samuel 17:17–24)
• The Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3:8–30)

Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible Curriculum invites children and their leaders to wonder, play, and connect with one another as they develop a better relationship with God. By exploring the stories in Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible, children and their leaders learn more about who God is and what their relationship is with God. This curriculum has 35 units filled with 148 stories from the story Bible that dive deep into characters and themes in the Bible. Children and their leader will read the story together from the story Bible, pause to allow the story to resonate, and then engage with the story and wrestle with their place in that story.

Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible Curriculum is written for ages 5–10 and is intentionally multiage, meaning that children are all grouped together. Grouping children this way brings a relational focus to the sessions and fosters a collaborative spirit. The curriculum also includes an intergenerational component with four suggestions for intergenerational and home ideas for each session within a unit. Those ideas include suggestions for things to do in worship, more education-focused ideas, ways to connect with one another, and mission ideas. This adds another dimension to learning and helps the children connect to the congregation, creating a holistic approach to children’s ministry.