Truth Trackers Blog

Why Truth Trackers is the best children's program to use during COVID-19.

"What are we going to do for children's ministry this fall? How are we going to be able to have a children's memory program? How can we do a program if we are uncertain if we are even having church?"

These are questions children's workers and pastors are asking across the country. We believe Truth Trackers could be the answer for your church during COVID-19 (and beyond).

Here are a few reasons why Truth Trackers works well, even during an epidemic. 

1. Children can keep doing Scripture meditation and memory from home.

Truth Trackers uses the Truth Trackers App or the paperback Truth Journal to help the children meditate on their verses. Because children can keep working on their Scripture meditation at home, the Scripture meditation and memorization doesn't need to stop. 

2. Parents or another adult can sign the child's journal or app at the end of the week.

Truth Trackers gives the option for parents or another adult to sign a child's journal/app; therefore, the kids can keep working - even if you have to cancel club because of an outbreak. There is no need for the children to depend on the leaders to keep the kids moving through their Scripture meditation and memory. 

3. Children can connect with their Truth Trackers group on Zoom or YouTube.

Since all the children are working on the same truths and verses at the same time, you can teach all of them on Zoom. Even a 15-20 minute weekly connect, can be a great way to teach the children the doctrinal truth and remind them to keep working on their Scripture meditation and memory. 

 4. The church can do a drive-through store.

If your children's group is not able to meet, the children can still earn points from home and use them in a drive-through store. The Truth Trackers' incentive system gives points to children for reviewing their verse each day in the Truth App or the paperback Truth Journal and when they say the verse at the end of the week to an adult. Therefore, you can schedule every 4-5 weeks a drive-through store that takes place outside. The parent can drive up, give you their child's journal (or look at the leader's app) and allow the child to get out and shop (or they can shop from inside the car).  

5. The leaders can track the child's points automatically on the app. 

If your children are using the app, you can track each child's points without even needed to gather as a children's group.

Meditation to Memorization

Let's be honest...if you've worked in a children's program at church, you've seen children say their "memory" verse like Barney did to Andy. But it doesn't need to be that way. 

One of the major flaws in children's ministry has been the idea that a child can look over a verse in a matter of minutes, repeat it to an adult, and call that Scripture memory. But did that child truly memorize that verse in that short amount of time? Even if he did, has he even thought about how that verse applies to his life?

So what is the best approach for Scripture memory? In Joshua 1:7-8, the Lord instructs that God's Word should be memorized, in fact, memorized so well that the Word of God will not "depart out of your mouth" (Joshua 1:8). In other words, if you have God's Word memorized, then you will be able to speak the Word into any situation of life.  

So how does one get to the place where those words are truly memorized? The answer is meditation. Joshua 1:8 instructs us to memorize ("shall not depart out of your mouth")  through mediation ("meditate therein day and night.") 

A summary of Joshua 1:8 could be written like this: "Make sure you know the Law so well that is could be spoken at any time, and to know the Law that well, you need to think about the Law all the time. Meditation to memorization will equip you to obey God's Word."

So what should Scripture memory look like for children? Truth Trackers put together a Scripture memory program to enable children to meditate on God's Word in a fun, interactive, rewarding way. 

Check out the video below to see how our Truth Journals help children meditate to memorize.  

Truth Trackers Truth Journals from Ben Ice on Vimeo.

Christmas Idea

Easter and Family Time

What is your family planning to do this year for Easter? Hunt for eggs? Visit the Easter Bunny? Go to church and eat a big family meal? What about the week leading up to Easter Sunday? If you are from the south (like me), you might have Spring Break or at least school off on Friday. Americans love to follow traditions on our “holidays.” This article is not about knocking any of our American traditions, but before you plod through the same thing you did last year, let me challenge you to think head and plan activities that help you remember the Person and the events of Easter.

What is Easter about? The simple Sunday school answer is–Jesus! He rode into Jerusalem on Sunday, ate the Passover meal, died on Friday, and rose again on Sunday.

What are some simple ways your family can remember Jesus’ death and resurrection? 

Here is one idea for a family of little ones:

Resurrection Eggs: Purchase Here.

Twelve days before Easter, set the Easter Egg Carton on the table for your evening meal (or if you do family devotions at night, have one person hold the carton). Start the first day by opening one egg. Each egg tells a certain part of the Christmas story. The little object inside the egg illustrates that part of the Easter story. For instance, a rock might remind us of the stone that was rolled away. One person opens the egg and tells what the object is inside. Then someone else reads a passage of Scripture that corresponds to that event.  As a family, you can discuss why that part of the Easter story is important. Last of all someone can pray and thank God for Jesus faithfulness through that event.

Each night your family can follow the same routine with the exception of how you start. Instead of opening the new egg first, have someone pass out the eggs you have opened on previous days and talk through what each object is and what it stands for. In a sense what you are doing every night is reviewing the previous parts of the Easter story.

Resurrection Eggs are a great way to teach your children what Easter is about story, to worship Jesus as a family, and start a new tradition with meaning!

Of course, you make your own Resurrection Eggs. Here is what you need:

Items you need:

• Easter eggs
• An Egg Carton
• Passage printed on pager
• Cool junk to put in the Easter egg.

1. Egg 1 – Fur – Represent the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem
2. Egg 2 – Small Toy Cup – Symbolizing the Last Supper
3. Egg 3 – Cloth – Illustrating the towel Jesus washed His disciples’ feet with
4. Egg 4 – 3 Dimes – Illustrating 30 pieces of silver Judas received to betray Jesus
5. Egg 5 – A feather – Illustrating the rooster that crowed when Peter denyed Jesus
6. Egg 6 – A thorn – Illustrating the crown of thorns that was put on Jesus’ head
7. Egg 7 – Dice – Illustrating the lots cast for Jesus’ clothing
8. Egg 8 – Leather – Illustrating the whip that the soldiers used on Jesus
9. Egg 9 – Piece of Wood or Nail – Illustrating the wood to which Jesus was nailed.
10. Egg 10 – White Cloth – Illustrating the cloth in which Joseph wrapped Jesus’ body
11. Egg 11 – A Rock – Illustrating the rock that sealed Jesus’ tomb
12. Egg 12 – An Empty Egg – The empty egg illustrates the empty tomb.

Here are some more tips:

• Find the cool junk as a family. Spend nights 13 and 14 looking around the house for all the objects you will put into the eggs.
• Make sure you read the Bible! It is not enough for you to try to remember what you think the Easter story is about. Read the Bible and hear again what God’s Word records.
• Have the younger children open the eggs and the older children read the Scripture.
• Reward good behavior for the young ones with the privilege to hold the opened eggs and objects. This is a great motivator to stop the squirms and listen to the Bible story.

How is your family going to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection this year?