Little Seeds of Faith

This episode begins with Joanie describing her childhood camping trips with her dad. These experiences made her ponder how the natural world came to be. Joanie considers the meaning of Romans 1:20. She finds examples of God's invisible hand in the provision of rain and water that helps sustain life on earth. Joanie reminds us that God challenged Job to consider the wonders seen in the heavens and the animal world. Like Job, we learn of God's love and goodness by appreciating His marvelous creation. Enjoy a jazzy duet in this rendition of "See The Shining Dew Drops" beginning at minute 10:06. Psalm 104:24 "How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures."

Joanie begins this episode by recounting some of the marvelous deeds performed by Jesus. She reminds us of the miraculous healings and the display of his power over the storm on Galilee. She describes Jesus teaching his disciples and gathering the children to his side. Next Joanie considers the loving sacrifice made for us by Jesus. She notices the whole Bible leads up to Jesus! Finally, Joanie challenges us to share our favorite story about our Savior with our friends. Enjoy listening to gentle swinging rendition of the song beginning at minute 6:35. "By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us." 1 John 3:16

This episode begins with Joanie inviting listeners to imagine fighting a dragon! Next she reminds us that Jesus is our leader, and he stands with us in times of need.  The words to Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus highlight the role of prayer as we strive to follow Jesus. Joanie reviews the "armor of God" mentioned in Ephesians 6:10-17. Joanie considers David's faith when he faced Goliath and encourages us to stand firm in our faith. The episode ends with a rousing rendition of this song beginning at minute 9:45 1 Peter 5:9 "Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."

In considering the words to this simple song, Joanie finds a reminder of how best we can use the gifts of sight, hearing, speech and touch. She considers how our eye is “the lamp of the body” (Matt.6:22). She points us to Jesus’ example of offering a healing touch and loving heart to those around him. We find wisdom for daily living to guide our actions in the Proverbs and Psalms. Joanie reminds us that our merciful and loving God is with us in all we do each day. Listen to this upbeat song beginning at minute 13:07. Philippians 4:8 “ …whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things.”

In this episode Joanie considers the words of this well known Sunday School song, Jesus Loves Me. They come from a poem written to comfort a dying child that was put to music by William Bradbury in 1861. It has a wonderful chorus and is fun to sing, with a deep and personal message about God's love for all of us. Jesus, God's son, died so that we could live. He comforts us when we are fearful or when we are weak. Love can overcome any challenge, and being loved, and loving someone is one of the greatest gifts that we are given from God. Enjoy listening to a lovely rendition of Jesus Loves Me and reflect on it's powerful message beginning at 6:43. 1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Joanie has vivid memories of learning Bible Songs in Sunday School. She loved the ones that made her move and dance. Trees of the Field is one of those songs. Joanie considers the context of Is.55:12 in connection to these lyrics. We are God's creation and He blesses us! Our thankful response to the peace and joy we have with our Creator can be to praise him in worship through song.  Enjoy singing along to a fun rendition of Trees of the Field starting at minute 6:16. Produced by the Williamsburg Christadelphian Foundation (wcfoundation.org)

In this episode Joanie considers the words of another favorite Sunday School song, Whisper A Prayer In The Morning. It is a simple song that reminds us of the importance and benefits of prayer. Prayers can express your thankfulness, share worries and fears or ask for help and strength. We can go to God any time and throughout the day. In fact, the more we pray, the more opportunities there are for God to answer our prayers. Joanie considers Matt.6:9-14 and reminds us to pray for the return of our Lord Jesus! Enjoy listening to a beautiful rendition of Whisper a Prayer in the Morning. Matthew 6:9-14 "...Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

As a child, Joanie loved the stories sung in the Bible songs she learned at Sunday School. The messages in those songs have stuck with Joanie and are the little seeds of faith that grew inside her. The Wise Man and Foolish Man is one of the songs based on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. It's the powerful message of building our spiritual house upon the rock of Jesus Christ.  Those who hear Christ's message and believe in him have a strong and stable foundation. Those who hear his message and do not act are like the foolish man who builds his house upon and the sand who risks being washed away by the rains and storms of life. Enjoy singing along to this song from 8:00-9:52

Joanie and Verity read Acts 1 and learn about what happened after Jesus’ resurrection. Verity is 10 years old and loves her dad’s chicken parmesan. They discuss how the apostles saw Jesus going up in the clouds to heaven. Verity thinks about why it was important to choose another apostle to replace Judas. Joanie explains what it means to “cast lots”. Verity describes the importance of spreading the good news about Jesus.

Joanie chats with Ethan about the Birth of John the Baptist. Ethan shares that he is 8 years old, loves pizza and would like to have the superpower of teleportation so he could go to “7/11”  for slushies. They read Luke 1 and discuss the circumstances around the miraculous birth of John. Ethan explains what John’s mission was and how he prepared people’s hearts for Jesus.

Joanie continues reading Genesis with Della from Upstate New York. Della is twelve and has a puppy called Scout and two cats, Naomi and Winnie. They read Genesis 1 v 20 to Chapter 2 v 7 together. This covers the fifth, sixth and seventh days of the creation story. God creates the first man and woman to look after everything else that he created. And since we are all made in God's image, we are reflections of who God is. With the love and care God has given us we should take care of God's world as well, as we look forward to the new creation, God’s Kingdom.

Joanie chats to Della from Upstate New York. Della is 12 and has three brothers. They read Genesis 1.1-19 together sharing God’s creation story. Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It means creation. It begins with the creation of the Universe. The stories in Genesis set the backdrop for important messages that flow through the rest of the Bible. It’s an invitation to us all to be part of God’s new creation. Coloring Page

Joanie chats to Tate from the Finger Lakes, NY State. Tate plays banjo and piano, loves plants and wants to be an electrician when he grows up. His favorite Bible story is Moses and the burning bush. Moses didn’t think he was good enough for the job God was giving him. In fact, he was downright scared! He was afraid that the Israelites wouldn’t listen to him and he didn’t think he was a very good speaker. Moses made all sorts of excuses to God about why he wasn’t the right man for the job. But God promises to be with him no matter what.

This special episode of Little Seeds of Faith is about Light. Joanie shares some inspiring thoughts with the help of her handy Little Seeds friends. When we live in the light, it is continuous work to keep the darkness away, but we can do that work because Jesus is here helping us. When we do the work for ourselves, others will then be able to see our light shining. Jesus is our light. He has shown us the way to live the way to eternal life.

This special episode of Little Seeds of Faith is about Joy. Joanie shares some wonderful reflections with the help of her brilliant Little Seeds friends. Remember that you get to choose to have joy in your life, instead of waiting for something good to happen you can have joy in all circumstances. We can have joy because of our Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus. Let us remember that even when our life is sometimes full of sadness, we can still have joy.