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Welcome to the "All About Jesus" newsletter for kids!
It is hard to believe that Christmas 1998 is behind us and that
February 1999 is upon us. February is a special month and one
that everywhere you look, you will be reminded of LOVE!

Love is a special emotion and one that we all feel for many different
people in our lives. Loving God is the most important LOVE that we
as Christians should have in our hearts.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5

The Bible has a great deal to say on the subject of love.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

We know that God thinks that LOVE is very important and that
He loves us very much. The love that God has for His children is
a perfect love that is un-conditional. That means that there is

NOTHING

that you could EVER do to make God stop loving you! He loves
you even when you are not behaving very lovable. God wants us to love
others as he has loved us.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you,
that you also love one another." John 13:34

This Valentine's Day, ask God to help you to feel a special love for others. Ask Him to help you to EVEN love your enemies and to forgive them just as He has forgiven you. Let the LOVE that Jesus has for you SHINE through you and spread to others. When Valentine's Day is over continue to pray for God to create a loving feeling in you towards your friends, neighbors and even those people who have not have treated you well.

How much does Jesus love you? Jesus loved you enough to leave heaven
and come and be a little baby born in a manger. Jesus loved you so much
that he willingly suffered and died for YOU.

Jesus says, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's
life for his friends." John 15:13

The GREATEST Valentine you will ever receive is the LOVE Gift
that Jesus gave to you. Be sure and tell Jesus THANK YOU for
loving you and for taking your sins as His own.

A Definition of Love for Christians

Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy.
It does not boast, it is not proud
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered
It keeps no record of wrongs
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres
1 Corinthians 13

Try real hard and with all your might to take the above definition of
"Love" and apply it to your everyday life. You will see a BIG difference
in the way that you feel inside and the way others will see you also.

The History of Valentine's Day

A long time ago in a place called Rome, there lived a very cruel man named Claudius the Emperor. St. Valentine was a priest who lived near Rome in the year 270 A.D. At this time the Emperor Claudius was putting Christians in jail if they refused to worship the Roman Gods. St. Valentine was arrested and put into jail during this time because he was performing Christian marriages.

Why would St. Valentine be arrested for performing Christian marriages? At this same time in history, a war broke out in the Roman empire. So many Romans did not want to fight in this war because they loved their girlfriends and they did not want to leave them. The soldiers refusal to fight in the battle angered Claudius and he ordered that no marriages could be performed and that anyone who was engaged to be married break up immediately.

St. Valentine felt sorrow for the poor soldiers who wanted to marry their sweethearts and he performed the marriage ceremonies anyway. When Claudius found out about this, he ordered that St. Valentine be thrown in a dungeon immediately.

While St. Valentine was in prison, the Romans asked him to tell them what he thought about the Roman gods Jupiter and Mercury. St. Valentine refused to tell them that he believed in their gods and he even went so far as to tell them that he thought their gods were false. St. Valentine told the Romans that the God in the Holy Bible and the Father of Jesus was the one and only God. The Romans were greatly offended and they demanded that St. Valentine stay in prison forever.

Now most people if they were in St. Valentine's place in prison would probably decide to be very quiet and not to talk about Jesus anymore. But not St. Valentine. He continued to talk about Jesus even while he was in prison. One day St. Valentine talked to one of the Roman guards about Jesus. This particular guard had a daughter who was blind. St. Valentine prayed to God to heal this guard's little girl and God did just what he asked. The guard and his family decided that they would believe in Jesus and they all asked Jesus to be their Lord and Saviour. When Claudius heard about this, he had St. Valentine beheaded.

St. Valentine had the kind of love that Jesus wants us all to have for each other. Jesus tells us that we are even to love our enemies:

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" Mt 5:44

Valentine's Day is a day celebrated because of a GREAT LOVE that St. Valentine demonstrated to his fellow man by following the instructions
and example of Jesus Christ.

Fun Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is a fun day and there are many great and creative
ways to show your love for someone special.

Fun Ideas!
Crafts and art projects to make your Valentine's Day very special!

Craft Ideas
& Links

Make your own Valentine's!
Gather materials from around your home such as fabric, glitter, beads, doilies, lace,
construction paper, macaroni, glue, scissors, etc.
Cut heart shapes from folded construction paper or thick paper.
Decorate with glitter, crayons, doiles, etc.!!!

A Valentine's Day Mailbox
Gather a shoe box, white craft paper, paints, markers, doilies, glitter, heart stickers, etc.
Glue or tape craft paper around your shoe box and lid.
Cut a slit in the top of shoe box lid.
Decorate with markers, stickers, lace, etc. for a great looking mailbox to hold those
very special Valentines.

Special Gifts for Kids to Make for Parents
Kids, these are great gift ideas for Mom, Dad, brother, sister, or your Grandparents.
These tickets can be easily made with construction paper, stickers, markers, or crayons. These tickets could be good for "cleaning sister's room" or "taking the trash out for brother." If you have younger brothers and sisters, maybe you could make an "I'll read a story to you" ticket. The possibilities are ENDLESS!

Valentine's Day Placemats
Using old Valentine's or stickers, glue the objects onto construction paper that has been cut
in the shape of a placemat. Decorate lavishly with lace, glitter, and maybe a photo of yourself. . Cover with clear contact paper. Be sure and sign your placemat with a big I LOVE YOU!

Great Craft Links

Valentine's Necklaces & Bracelets
Valentine's Day Tee-Shirt
Valentine Clip Art that you can print!
Be Mine Valentine's Card
From Fiskar's scissors. A great looking Valentine!
Ben and Jerry's Happy Saint Valentine's Day
Printable Valentine's and Decorations
Billy Bear's Be My Valentine
Printable cards and stationery for kids.
Fix the Broken Hearts (A Printable Activity)
Find the "V" Words. (A Printable Activity)
Valentine's Day Wordfind
Printable Valentine Card
Make Some Valentines

Yummy Recipe Ideas

Heart-shaped Krispie Treats
Using the Rice Krispie recipe, fill heart-shaped molds with mixture. Wrap in pretty
red saran wrap and tie festively with ribbon.

Valentine's Day Cookies
Using refrigerated cookie dough and heart shaped cookie cutters, cut cookies and
bake according to directions. Decorate with tubes of frosting, sprinkles or red hot candies.

Chocolate Surprise
Ingredients:
2 cups little marshmallows
1 1/2 cups of sugar
A can of evaporated milk. (5 oz.)
1/4 cup butter
1 package semisweet chocolate pieces (12 oz.)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can mixed nuts. (12 oz)
Microwave: sugar, milk, marshmallows, and butter on high power for about 5 minutes
or so until melted. (Stir while cooking) Continue cooking for another minute.
Add: chocolate, vanilla, nuts, and remaining marshmallows.
Pour: into an 8 by 8 pan. Refrigerate until cool.

Valentine's Day Cupcakes
Buy one box of strawberry cake mix and the necessary ingredients to make the cake.
Buy Pink or Red Icing.
Bake cupcakes according to package directions.
Decorate with teeney chocolates, sprinkles, red hots, cool whip, candy hearts
or chocolate kisses.

Recipe Links

Valentine Muffins
A special breakfast kids can make

Recipes from Family.Com

I LOVE YOU ALL!
I am so happy that you are participating in our Bible studies and getting to know Jesus better!

I want to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day and a great month of February. I pray for you all that Jesus will fill your hearts with His perfect LOVE and that you will allow Him to SHINE through you in all that you do. Valentine's Day may only come once a year but Jesus LOVES YOU every day of the year and He is always thinking about YOU and caring for you. Ask God to help you keep the "spirit" of Valentine's Day in your heart all year long. God can help you do this if you will let Him. By reading your Bible daily and spending time each day with God, He will fill your hearts and minds with His perfect LOVE and His perfect PEACE.