4 Nov, 2009

It's a Big Family

7th grader links Obama to past presidents, kings

The US Presidents' lineage according to young BridgeAnne d'Avignon.(NBC) — A California 7th grader and her 80-year-old grandfather are allegedly the first people to discover that President Barack Obama is related to all other U.S. presidents except one.

BridgeAnne d'Avignon, who attends Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville, traced that Obama, and all other U.S. presidents except Martin Van Buren, are related to John "Lackland" Plantagenet, a king of England and signer of the Magna Carta.

Story provided by: WALB News 10

Luke 8:19-21 (The Message)

  His mother and brothers showed up but couldn't get through to him because of the crowd. He was given the message, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to see you."

  He replied, "My mother and brothers are the ones who hear and do God's Word. Obedience is thicker than blood."

What does God's Story scripture tell us about the family of God?

This has always been an interesting story to me because in a single sweeping statement Jesus opens up the family of God. In these verses he challenges the traditional Jewish belief that the nation of Israel is the only accepted child of God. Jesus allows all those who walk obediently to God to enter into the family.

That is huge for you and me. It means God is welcoming anyone obedient to Him, Jewish or not, with open arms.

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?

As humans there is something we all share in common. At some point we feel insignificant. If you are anything like me you have felt that way a lot in your life. This scripture is were we can find encouragement, God wants us as part of His family.

Maybe your family is a wreck. This is a place where God meets you. He is offering you a new family, a big one.

How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture, and our story to others?

When I saw the headline for today's story lots of things went through my mind, as they probably are for you. It always strikes me how small our world can be and how interconnected we are with each other. That connectedness is a great place to start a conversation with your friends. Where are you alike? Do you have any relatives in common? I grew up in a small town where that happens often. It is funny sometimes how many connections we have.

As the conversation about the presidents' connections and your own connections grow you have a chance to talk about the biggness of God's family and how Jesus is always accepting new family. Maybe your friend is the one with a messy family situation and they need someone to show them the loving family of God. Today's scripture gives you an oppurtunity to invite a friend into God's family.

Spend some time praying that God would send you the friend who needs to hear about the family of God.

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The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

YFC works with young people on campus and in the community in over one hundred countries around the world so that they might have an opportunity to become a follower of Christ and be a part of a local church.