Cousins' week - The Lord is my Shepherd

 On Monday morning, Jill and Adam left for Colorado.  Cousins' week would now really begin!

 Silly waves good-bye!  (we started this tradition when the kids were little so they wouldn't be so sad about their parents leaving, or us leaving them.)  Claire didn't get in this picture, but as soon as the parents were out of sight, she was inside getting out her horses that she got last night at Target.

She painted for awhile and then we called all the children to the "shepherd's fold" for our lessons.  We decided that this week our theme study would be about the Good Shepherd.

God IS our Good Shepherd!  What does the Shepherd do?  He takes care of sheep.

He takes care of us!

Sheep can not take care of themselves.  They are helpless without the Shepherd.

Are the sheep in charge? NOPE!  They wouldn't do a good job of that!  And we also are not in charge, even if we think we are!  We are in the care of the Shepherd.  

He knows us better than anyone else does.  He knows us intimately and He is crazy over us (imagine!).  He will search and rescue the lost one.  He sings over us (like David sang to his sheep).

Zephaniah 3:17 New Living Translation (NLT)

 For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty Saviour.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With His love, He will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

I told the story of the lost sheep using the big, stuffed sheep I had.  I had purchased these sheep several years ago when my friend, Mary Ellen Tippin, had done a play, The Christmas Birdie.  I use these sheep now when I tell the story of the lost sheep at church to little children.  They came in handy for this week's lessons!

I had t-shirts made locally and gave each child one in their favorite color.  They put them on and I had them stand in a circle.

We read Psalm 23 off the back of the person in front of us.  We would be saying Psalm 23 every day of our lessons.

God is personally acquainted with each of us and knows our names.  I had each child pick out a construction page of their choice.  Then I had lots of magazines that the children could cut pictures out of.  They were to look for things that described themselves and make a collage.

Do you know the Shepherd?  Do you follow Him?  That is His desire!