March is prime time for sports tournaments, from wresting to hockey to the Men’s NCAA basketball tournament. At Prairie Heights, we’re jumping into March Madness. For four weeks, we’ll check out what makes a team click. Is it pure talent? Is it giving your all? From kids to adults, the whole church will be exploring what truly makes an incredible team. Let’s find the answers to these questions together! Our prayer is that God will strengthen the teams we are a part of as friends, as families, and as a church! Included each week are 3 devotionals to help you grow and have fun with your family and friends! We encourage you to take some time these next four weeks to interact with God’s Word and your families. For singles or college students, we challenge you to participate by finding some friends to go through these devotionals with. Here are some pointers to keep in mind when going through the devotionals: 1. The goal is to enjoy time together. The goal is NOT perfection or completion of this playbook. 2. Each devotional consists of three main parts: Warm Up, Practice, and Game On. The Warm-up is a fun exercise to get the family interacting. Practice is when you will read together from God’s Word and the playbook. Game On is a follow-up activity to reinforce the themes talked about. It should take about a half hour to go through, depending on how much fun you’re having. 3. Have a Bible or computer (biblegateway.com) handy to look up verses. 4. Choose a specific time that works best for everyone. Plan it. 5. Get everyone involved. Have different people read the scripture, pray, and read the devotional. 6. Be yourselves and have fun! May God richly bless you, your family, and our church on this journey! -Pastor Jon, Pastor Dan, and Pastor Dustin

Hustle Board (I have to give my all!) Day 1 Warm Up: Grab your family and friends and play a game together. It could be outside, a board game, a card game, or anything you can play together. At one point during the game, have a designated person just stop trying. They should still play, but they shouldn’t do their best. Practice Time: Read John 3:16-18. This is a commonly read passage of scripture, “For God so loved the world…” But, have you ever stopped to think about who God gave? He gave His one and only Son, His first and very best. Really, God gave us His best for the second time. When He created humanity, He looked back at all He created and called it good. God’s creation, nature, the world, and humanity are His best for us. When we mess up, He gives us the best way back to Him, His Son Jesus. However, what if God hadn’t given us His best? What would it be like if He only gave us 50%? His grace would not be enough. His love would not cover all of our sins. We could only find our way back to God through our good deeds. Would anyone be able to do enough good deeds to make it back to God? Finding God is so important that He gave us His very best. Why do we hesitate to give our best to Him? Game On: Take a few minutes to spend time with God. One of the best ways to give 100% to God is to spend time with Him. Grab a devotional book, read a Bible passage, find an online devotional to read, or listen to an online message. Each person can find their own corner or room to complete this task in.

Day 2 Warm Up: Play a few rounds of “Hide and Seek” or “Hot and Cold.” If it’s dark outside, play a game of “Sardines.” Make sure everyone has a chance to be “it.” Practice Time: Read Jeremiah 29: 12-14. It is a lot of fun to play “Hide and Seek,” “Hot and Cold,” or “Sardines”, especially when you’re a child. The suspense of being found first or ever being found at all is exciting and winning is fantastic. Even if there isn’t a prize, just knowing that you were clever and observant enough to find everyone is prize enough. The same goes

for our relationship with God. God will never hide Himself from us. In fact in Jeremiah 29:12-14 God promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him! God also promises to always be right beside us (Matthew 28:20). We should seek Him with the same intensity that we search for the hidden person in a game. We should pursue Him above all else, especially in those “desert times” when He feels far away or absent. When we dig into the Word and seek His will, He will be found and respond in ways we can’t even imagine. Game On: Take a few minutes to try to memorize the last part of Matthew 28:20 “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Make up a song or rap with those words if you’d like! Write them down on a post-it note. Be creative in helping everyone memorize it.

Day 3 Warm Up: For the rest of the day it will be “Half Way Day.” Each family member gets one “Give Up”. At any point during the day, you can choose to use your “give up” to quit what you are doing halfway through. At that point, the rest of the family has to pick up the slack and help out. Practice Time: Read Matthew 9:9-13. Matthew was a tax collector. At that time, tax collectors were not known for their honest ways. They frequently cheated people out of their money in order to get rich. It is probable this was no different for Matthew. When Jesus came along and asked Matthew to follow Him, he did. He left everything, including all of his money, and followed Jesus. He gave up his old lifestyle and all of his riches to become a poor, ridiculed, disciple of Jesus. He is an incredible example of giving it all to God. The riches, trends, and cool gadgets of this world are not going to last. The things we do, the choices we make, and the people we affect will last. God has called us to follow Him. We should do so wholeheartedly (with all of our hearts and our effort–we should give it our all). Otherwise, it’s like leaving a task unfinished for others to do for us. Game On: Talk about the areas in your life you have not given God 100%. What holds you back? Pray for each person, that God would give you the courage to let go. Then, put it in to practice. Ask each person to take one area you prayed about and work on it for the week. Allow God to have complete control. You just may be surprised at what He does.

Crunch Time (Never give up!) Day 1 Warm Up: Have a “Last One Standing” contest. Pick different activities like standing on one leg, jumping rope, free throw contest, or even a staring contest to see who can make it the longest. Who will be the last one standing? Practice Time: Read Luke 18:1-8. Sometimes, one of the hardest things to do in life is pray. Maybe we’ve run out of things to say, it feels like God is not there, it feels like He’s not listening; or maybe it’s just that we feel we’re bugging Him. Sometimes we give up on praying when things don’t turn out like we want them to. We get discouraged. But you know what? None of these could be further from the truth. In fact, in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, it says, “Never stop praying.” This doesn’t mean we can never do anything else. It does mean that we should be in constant communication with God. He wants us to tell Him what’s going on in our lives, what we’re thinking and feeling, and just how our day is going. While it might feel uneventful and dull, He’s our Father. He wants to hear about our lives because He loves us. He finds joy in us and He’s proud of us. Game On: Popcorn prayer is a way of praying where you take turns saying a quick sentence prayer like, “Thank you God for my family.” It’s meant to allow everyone to participate in prayer. Take turns saying sentence prayers to God and make sure to cover these different areas together:    

thank God for a blessing or gift He has given you pray that God would help a friend or family member tell God about a dream or what you want to be when you “grow up” take a few minutes of quiet to listen to God (after all prayer is a conversation and it’s a two-way street)  end together by reading a prayer from Psalm (such as Psalm 121)

Day 2 Warm Up: Grab Dominoes and, as a family, set up a long line to knock down. Once you’re all done, pick a person to get the line going, and then watch the fun! Or, for all of the entertainment value and none of the work, go to YouTube, type in “longest domino line” and watch the madness unfold.

Practice Time: Read Galatians 6:7-10. Every day we have choices. Each choice is like a domino trail. No matter what we do, it will affect other things and people. We can’t change that. We do have a choice to do good for others, or to harm others. That is a difficult choice. By nature, it’s so easy for us as human beings to be selfish. We want to serve ourselves first, take the biggest helping, the choicest meat, and leave the rest for other people. But, Galatians 6:7-10 says we reap what we sow. If we choose selfishness and ignore people, there’s a good chance that in our time of need, other people will ignore us. What we need to do is step out of our “me first” zone and put others before ourselves. Not only will that help them, but eventually, we’ll reap the benefits of serving others. It’s through serving others God chooses to speak to us and grow us.

Game On: Take some time to think about your gifts and talents (it’s OK to acknowledge that you’re good at them). Write a few of them down. Right next to them, write down a person or a place that could benefit from it. If you can’t think of anyone, pray about it, ask others about it. Get creative on who could use your talent. Keep this list of your families talents in a visible place (like the refrigerator). Pray that God will help each of you develop your talents and give you an opportunity to use them.

Game On: As a family, brainstorm ways you can serve each other today. For example, the kids could take over cleaning up the dishes after a meal. Or the parents could help the kids do some chores. It’s up to you as a family. Once you’ve made a list, make sure you follow through. At the end of the day talk about what happened. How did it feel to help others? How did it feel to be helped?

Warm Up: Practice the “Church Steeple.” Originally you would fold your hands together then say this little rhyme, “Here is the church (fold hands together), here is the steeple (point index fingers on both hands upwards), look inside and see all the people (turn over and open up your hands).” As a family practice this together but instead say, “Here is a building, here is the steeple, look inside…the church is people!” Practice Time: Read Matthew 22:34-38. What does it mean to love God with all of your heart? It is definitely more than just saying, “I love you, Jesus” and singing love songs to Him. The Greek word for “heart” in this passage is kardia. It means “understanding or thinking.” So, when Jesus says that we should love God with all of our hearts, He means way more than just saying it. We’re supposed to get to know God like we would a friend or a loved one. We should know His likes and dislikes, what brings Him joy, and what makes Him sad. When you truly know someone, it makes it a whole lot easier to understand why they say or do different things, and that is no less true for God. When we begin to know Him, we start to know why He gives us instructions, and why we should follow them.

Day 3 Warm Up: Have a silly talent contest. Think of the wackiest talent you have and perform it for everybody else. It could be the best shadow puppets, or the best Sid the Sloth impersonation or simply acting crazy. The crazier it is, the better. Practice Time: Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Have you ever seen the movie Pay It Forward? It’s about a boy who decides that he’s going to do three nice things for three different people. In return, they must do three nice things for three more people. This is the boy’s plan to change the world. What if we did the same thing? What if we gave of ourselves just because we can? Don’t say that you have nothing to give. God has given each of us special abilities and we should use them for the benefit of others. It could be a spiritual gift, like preaching or praying. Or it could be a talent such as art or music. Whatever it is, you should use it to help others. You just never know how great of a “domino effect” you might have.

The Big Dance Day 1

Game On: Get to know God. Read about the life of Jesus (look at Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John in the Bible). Take a few minutes to read two or three stories about Jesus or the stories Jesus told.

Day 2 Warm Up: It is puzzle time. Grab a puzzle. Work on it together. For a lasting memory, frame it when you’re done. Practice Time: Read Matthew 22:34-38. Jesus mentions three things we should love God with: heart, soul, and mind. The Greek words that Jesus uses here for soul and mind mean “life” and “choices,” respectively. You have probably heard the phrase, “What goes in, must come out.” Whatever we take in through our eyes or ears affects what we will do. If we spend time getting to know God, it will show. When you know and understand Him (heart), your life will change (soul). When your life changes, so will your choices (mind) and your outward actions. God meant for us to have an incredible relationship with Him. Just like a puzzle, we need each piece to truly complete the picture. When we follow His instructions, we become the people He intended us to be from the beginning. Game On: As a family, discuss ways you can truly love God with your whole self (heart, soul, and mind). We can show love to God through our words or our choices. After you’ve brainstormed a few ideas, pick one that you each will pray about. Take turns praying for the choices you can make to show God you love Him.

Day 3 Warm Up: It’s time to purge. Go through your house, and pick out all the things that you no longer use. Throw out the items that look like they have passed their expiration date, and keep the ones that still have plenty of use. Set them aside. Practice Time: Read Matthew 22:38-40. Think about how much you love yourself. Seriously. You take care of yourself. You shower, brush your teeth, put on clean clothes. You try and get enough sleep, when you’re sick, you do everything you can to get better. There is nothing wrong with any of these. We should love and take care of ourselves. We should also love and take care of each other. When Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” it’s more than being nice to them and forgiving them when they hurt you. It means doing the best you can to make sure they are cared for.

Game On: Have you figured out what your box of stuff is for? It’s for showing others love. Look at all the stuff you have put aside. If you know anyone who is in need of any of these things, give it to them. It could be a college student, a young couple just starting life together, your neighbor, or anyone. Ask around if you’re unsure. Otherwise, find a shelter to bring your items to, and show some love to the people around you.

Cutting Down the Nets Day 1 Warm Up: Grab your family and have a crabwalk race! Each person must do it without either an arm or a leg. Tie it to your body so it will be unusable. The first person to make it to the finish line wins. Practice Time: Read Psalm 9:1-2. When it comes to worship, most people think of the songs sung in church. In reality, worship is much more than just music. It’s a lifestyle. Worshipping God and giving thanks to Him can be done in each thing we do. You can worship God by doing your job well. You can worship God by playing games with good sportsmanship. You can even worship God by watching the things you say. When we do things with a mindset of worship, we not only honor God, we set an example for others. When we take worship out of things, it hinders us just like not having an arm or a leg. We were made to worship God, so we should do it in all areas of our lives. Game On: Pick one thing to do, such as your job or your chores, and decide to do it as if you were doing it for God. If God was physically standing right next to you, how would you change the way you do things? After each family member has tried it, get together and talk about it. What did you do differently? Was it better or worse? Why?

Day 2 Warm Up: It’s time to test your trust. Build a small obstacle course. Split your family (maybe grab some friends too) up into pairs. One person from each pair must be blindfolded. The other person gets to lead them through the obstacle course. The team that gets through in the least amount of time wins!

Practice Time: Read Proverbs 3:1-8. Sometimes, following God can be like doing an obstacle course with a blindfold. You have no idea where you are going, how long it is going to take you to get there, and if you are going to make it out alive. All we have to reassure us is the person who is leading us. God has promised us that He will never leave us, disown us, or bring us harm. He has the best plans in mind for us. Just think of Abraham. God called him to leave everything behind. Because he trusted God, he eventually became the father of a whole nation that’s still in existence today. That is pretty amazing.

God and the best things He has for us, they become idols that distract us from following and knowing God. Game On: Most of us have something we are guilty of putting before our relationship with God. What is that for you? Commit to giving it less authority in your life. Share with your family and pray about those things with each other. Ask God to help fuel the passion for Him!

Game On: Think of an area in your life where you don’t trust God. It could be with your job, your future, or even your day to day activities. Whatever it is, write it down. Take some time to pray about it. Ask God to help you trust Him in that area. Then, go out and practice putting your trust in God.

Day 3 Warm Up: Play a game of “Honey, If You Love Me.” One person is “it.” That person has to try and get another person to smile without touching them. They must go up to one person of their choice and say, “Honey, if you love me, won’t you please, please smile?” The other person must respond, “Baby, I do love you, but I just can’t smile” without laughing or even smiling a little. If they crack, they are now “it.” The person who is “it” keeps going until they are able to get someone to crack a smile. Practice Time: Read Joshua 24:14-15. When Joshua was addressing the Israelites, he told them they should throw away all of their idols and other gods. He knew that these were a distraction from their relationship with the one, true God. Just like it’s hard to stay focused and serious when someone is trying to make you laugh, there are things in your life that distract you from God. Today, we might not have idols that we worship, but we still have things that we put before God: media, sports, friends, our jobs, our toys, or our video games. These are no better than idols when we allow them to become more important to us than God. God wants our full attention and our full commitment. When we devote more time and attention to things other than him, it’s hard to be obedient and follow Him. There is nothing wrong with having friends, watching a movie, or succeeding in your job. These can all be good things. However, when good things get in the way of

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