Countdown to Christmas with Zach - An Advent Podcast for Kids

Thank you for joining Keys for Kids Radio's Countdown to Christmas Advent Activity! Read the story below, answer the questions on the cards, and send us a voice message with your answers! Then you could hear yourself on Keys for Kids Radio as we talk through each day's story! Send In Your Answers One Small Word   Daniel listened politely as his elderly neighbor chatted with him and his mom in the front yard. “You and my grandson Benjamin would get along so well together,” Mrs. Crane was saying. “He really enjoys skateboarding. And did I tell you that he plays basketball?” Daniel nodded. “And that he’s in my grade in school, and that he has a baseball card collection.” Mrs. Crane smiled and nodded. “I really hope the two of you get a chance to meet sometime.” After Mrs. Crane left, Daniel turned to his mom. “Mrs. Crane is always telling me about her grandson. I must know just about everything there is to know about him. He sounds like a nice guy, but I’m getting pretty tired of hearing about him. I wish she’d either introduce us or forget the whole thing.” The next Saturday, it happened. The doorbell rang, and there was Mrs. Crane and a boy about Daniel’s age. “Hi, Daniel,” said Mrs. Crane. “This is Benjamin, my grandson.” She smiled at Benjamin. “And this is Daniel.” Benjamin was visiting his grandmother for a week, so the boys played together often and had a great time. “I’m glad Mrs. Crane finally introduced Benjamin and me,” Daniel told his parents one day. “I knew all about him for a long time, but now I actually know him.” Mom nodded. “You can ‘know about,’ or you can ‘know.’ The elimination of one small word makes a lot of difference, doesn’t it?” “It’s like that when it comes to Jesus too,” Dad said. “Some people know about Him, but they don’t know Him personally.” “I often think of that at this time of year,” said Mom. “Many people have heard the Christmas story over and over. But knowing about Jesus isn’t enough. It’s as useless as knowing about Benjamin without being able to meet him.” “Yeah,” said Daniel. “I was really tired of hearing Mrs. Crane talk about him! Knowing somebody personally is so much better than just hearing about them. I’m glad I know Benjamin now, and I’m especially glad I know Jesus.” So how about you? Do you get bored hearing the same stories about Jesus coming to earth as a baby and dying on the cross for sinners again and again? Maybe that’s because you only know about Jesus, but you don’t know Him personally. He loves you and wants you to know Him as your Savior and friend. Trust Him as your Savior and start getting to know Him today. Learn more about knowing Jesus at keysforkids.org/goodnews. Key Verse 1 John 5:13 "You may know that you have eternal life." Key Thought You can know Jesus personally. Further Reading John 3:18; 1 John 5:11-13

Read the story below, answer the questions on the discussion cards, and send us a voice message with your answers! Then you could hear yourself on Keys for Kids Radio as we talk through each day's story! Send In Your Answers Credit Due "Guess what, Mom?” Taylor yelled breathlessly, running up the driveway to where her mom was painting the window trim of their new house. “I got the lead part in the school play!” “Oh, Taylor! That’s terrific!” Mom put her paintbrush down and hugged her daughter. “Yeah,” said Taylor. “It’s about time my teachers notice how good at acting I am. Oh! We also got the results of our band tryouts today. I’m first chair flute! I did it!” Taylor danced around. “And I got an A on a tough math test too. This is the best day of my life!” “Wow, honey! That’s great. But…” Mom motioned for Taylor to sit down beside her on the porch swing. “What is it?” asked Taylor. “You do so well in math, and you’re also very talented in music and drama,” said Mom. “But how much credit can you actually take?” Taylor was puzzled. “How much credit can I…” Suddenly her face broke into a smile. “Oh, sorry, Mom! You helped me with the audition lines for the play, and Dad quizzed me in math. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” “Okay! Enough!” Mom laughed. “That’s not what I meant. Think about it this way—we’re enjoying our brand-new house, right? Well, if it could talk, should it be bragging about how well-built and beautiful it is?” “Of course not!” Taylor giggled. “Dad should get the credit! He built it—well, him and the workers from his construction company.” “So you think it would be ridiculous for the house to praise itself for its top-notch design and structure instead of giving credit to the builder?” Taylor nodded. “Well,” Mom continued, “the Bible says we are God’s workmanship. He’s the one who created us and gave us the talents we have—yet nothing we can do could ever compare to the great things He has done, like saving us from sin and changing people’s hearts. Sounds to me like He deserves the credit and praise, not us. What do you think?” Taylor sighed. “You’re right, Mom. I need to give God the credit for the things I can do.” So how about you? Do you give God credit for the things you can do? After all, He made you and gave you your talents and abilities. The Bible tells us not to boast (or brag) about anything except for the Lord, because He’s the one who created us and sent His Son, Jesus, to save us by dying on the cross for our sins. Everything good comes from Him. Thank Him for all He’s given you, and the next time you feel like bragging, brag about Him! Key Verse Psalm 44:8 "In God we boast all the day long." Key Thought Boast in the Lord. Further Reading Jeremiah 9:23-24; James 1:17; James 3:13

Hey! Zach here. Are you excited for Christmas yet? I am!  That's why I can't wait to start the Countdown to Christmas on Dec 1st with your family, and since you're already following the podcast, your family gets an extra special opportunity! We'd love to feature your kids' voices on two particular episodes this year: December 28 and December 31. Your kids can answer the discussion questions for those two episodes by going to keysforkids.net/openmic and leaving a voice message. So here's the discussion questions: Dec 28: Who can you share Jesus with, and how could you do it? Dec 31: When you have a long list of things you need to do, how can you let Jesus tell you what the important things are?Thank you so much for following the Countdown to Christmas podcast with me, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Thank you for listening to the Countdown to Christmas with Zach podcast. We'd like to introduce you to our daily devotional Keys for Kids podcast, so for this first week of 2024 we're releasing those episodes on this feed too. If you like them, you can subscribe to or follow the Keys for Kids podcast for free: https://keysforkids.net/kfkpodcast   Burdens "This is cool!” said Weston as he and some other boys from church hiked through the woods. Sometimes they walked easily along the well-beaten trail, but other times they had to scramble over fallen trees or weave their way around them. “Hey, Lucas!” Weston called out. “Race you to that tree up there!” But as he started off he tripped on a tree root, and down he went. “Ouch!” he cried, grabbing his ankle. Their leader, Mr. Greg, hurried over as Weston got up. “I think I can walk okay,” Weston said, gingerly testing his ankle. “It doesn’t hurt too bad.” “It’ll be easier on him if he doesn’t have to carry the extra weight of his backpack,” said Lucas. “I’ll carry it for him.” “Me too,” chimed in several other voices. “Thank you, boys,” said Mr. Greg. So for the rest of the hike, the boys took turns carrying Weston’s backpack. At the end of the hike, the boys built a campfire and had a hot dog roast. “You know,” said Mr. Greg, “what you boys did for Weston today is exactly what Jesus tells us to do for others. We all carry different responsibilities and problems in our lives, but if one of us has a load that’s too heavy, the others need to help carry it until that person is able to handle it on their own again. You helped Weston carry his backpack, and Jesus wants us to help others carry their life’s burdens. He carried our greatest burden of all—our sin—to the cross, and He offers us help and comfort whenever we’re weighed down with life’s struggles. When we help carry other people’s burdens, we show them His love. What are some ways kids like you get burdened down, and what could a friend do to help?” After a moment, Weston spoke. “Some kids have trouble with tests,” he said. “Maybe we could offer to help them study.” “Yeah, and we could make friends with new kids at school and invite them to church,” offered Lucas. “We could even try to reach out to kids who aren’t always nice to us,” said Pete. “And pray for them too.” Mr. Greg nodded. “Good suggestions,” he said. “This week, let’s see how many burdens we can help carry for others.” - Gayle J. Thorn So how about you? Does anyone around you have a burden you could help carry? Maybe you know someone who’s struggling with homework or who’s lonely and needs a friend. Even if you can’t help them with their problems, you can still help carry their burdens by praying for them. When we show that we care about others by helping meet their needs, we show them the love of Jesus. Key Verse Galatians 6:2 NIV "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Key Thought Help one another Further Reading Ephesians 4:32-5:1; Philippians 2:1-4