Unit 4

Believing that “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17), we will spend the next six weeks exploring ways in which we can, in gratitude, try to live as stewards of what God has given us. Our focus will include the stewardship of creation, time, talents (spiritual gifts), and treasure. Here’s a summary of what your young teen will be exploring in this Dive unit: 

Session 1: It All Belongs to God—Psalm 24:1-2 (The whole world belongs to God.) 
Session 2: All Things Bright and Beautiful (Creation)—Psalm 8 (God created us to be stewards of the whole creation.) 
Session 3: Time—Matthew 6:25-34 (We should make good use of the time God gives us.) 
Session 4: Talents—Matthew 25:14-30; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (In gratitude for all the gifts God has given us, we want to use our talents and gifts for God’s glory.) 
Session 5: Treasure—Luke 12:13-33; 2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Matthew 6:19-24 (Our possessions are given to us to enjoy and to share.) 
Session 6: Stories of Stewardship—Acts 4:32-37; Acts 9:23-30; Acts 11:21-26; Acts 15:1-3, 36-41 (Stories from the life of Barnabas and Paul along with stories from your faith community.) 

Pass It On 
Here are some ideas for how you might engage your child in a faith discussion or live out your faith together: 

• Session 1: Read Psalm 24:1 and memorize it together. 
• Session 2: Decide together on one way your family could reduce, reuse, or recycle household items. 
• Session 3: Spend time together as a family and communicate with your young teen how much you enjoy being together. 
• Session 4: If you are familiar with spiritual gifts, share with your child what you think your gift is and how you use it; then affirm a spiritual gift you see in your child. 
• Session 5: As a family, go through the house and collect items that could be donated.