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God is With Us
All the Time

Parents, use the following ideas to increase the impact of these stories:

• Discuss the emotions mentioned in the story and ask your child for examples of when they have felt them.

• Share with your child about times you were comforted because you knew God was with you.

• Look for opportunities to point out God’s presence, guidance, protection, or provision to your child.

• Ask your child to point out the word God every time they see it printed in red.

• Encourage your child to find and count the hidden acorns throughout the story.

• As a family, work on memorizing Matthew 28:20b (ICB).


September 7-13, 2024

WEEK 10


THE ACTS 21

Paul Goes to Jerusalem
1We all said good-bye to them and left. We sailed straight to Cos island. The next day, we reached Rhodes, and from Rhodes we went to Patara. 2There we found a ship that was going to Phoenicia. We went aboard and sailed away. 3We sailed near the island of Cyprus. We could see it to the north, but we sailed on to Syria. We stopped at Tyre because the ship needed to unload its cargo there. 4We found some followers in Tyre, and we stayed with them for seven days. Through the Holy Spirit they warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 5When we finished our visit, we left and continued our trip. All the followers, even the women and children, came outside the city with us. We all knelt down on the beach and prayed. 6Then we said good-bye and got on the ship. The followers went back home. 7We continued our trip from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the believers there and stayed with them for a day. 8We left Ptolemais and went to the city of Caesarea. There we went into the home of Philip and stayed with him. Philip had the work of telling the Good News. He was one of the seven helpers. 9He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophesying. 10After we had been there for some time, a prophet named Agabus arrived from Judea. 11He came to us and borrowed Paul’s belt. Then he used the belt to tie his own hands and feet. He said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who wears this belt. Then they will give him to the non-Jewish people.’” 12We all heard these words. So we and the people there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 13But he said, “Why are you crying and making me so sad? I am ready to be tied up in Jerusalem. And I am ready to die for the Lord Jesus!” 14We could not persuade him to stay away from Jerusalem. So we stopped begging him and said, “We pray that what the Lord wants will be done.” 15After this, we got ready and started on our way to Jerusalem. 16Some of the followers from Caesarea went with us. They took us to the home of Mnason, a man from Cyprus. Mnason was one of the first followers. They took us to his home so that we could stay with him.

Paul Visits James
17In Jerusalem the believers were glad to see us. 18The next day, Paul went with us to visit James. All the elders were there, too. 19Paul greeted them and told them everything that God had done among the non-Jewish people through him. 20When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul, “Brother, you can see that many thousands of Jews have become believers. But they think it is very important to obey the law of Moses. 21These Jews have heard about your teaching. They heard that you tell the Jews who live among non-Jews to leave the law of Moses. They heard that you tell them not to circumcise their children and not to obey Jewish customs. 22What should we do? The Jewish believers here will learn that you have come. 23So we will tell you what to do: Four of our men have made a promise to God. 24Take these men with you and share in their cleansing ceremony. Pay their expenses. Then they can shave their heads. Do this and it will prove to everyone that what they have heard about you is not true. They will see that you follow the law of Moses in your own life. 25We have already sent a letter to the non-Jewish believers. The letter said: ‘Do not eat food that has been offered to idols. Do not taste blood. Do not eat animals that have been strangled. Do not take part in any kind of sexual sin.’” 26Then Paul took the four men with him. The next day, he shared in the cleansing ceremony. Then he went to the Temple. Paul announced the time when the days of the cleansing ceremony would be finished. On the last day an offering would be given for each of the men. 27The seven days were almost over. But some Jews from Asia saw Paul at the Temple. They caused all the people to be upset, and they grabbed Paul. 28They shouted, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who goes everywhere teaching things that are against the law of Moses, against our people, and against this Temple. And now he has brought some Greek men into the Temple. He has made this holy place unclean!” 29(The Jews said this because they had seen Trophimus with Paul in Jerusalem. Trophimus was a man from Ephesus. The Jews thought that Paul had brought him into the Temple.) 30All the people in Jerusalem became very upset. They ran and took Paul and dragged him out of the Temple. The Temple doors were closed immediately. 31The people were about to kill Paul. Now the commander of the Roman army in Jerusalem learned that there was trouble in the whole city. 32Immediately he ran to the place where the crowd was gathered. He brought officers and soldiers with him, and the people saw them. So they stopped beating Paul. 33The commander went to Paul and arrested him. He told his soldiers to bind Paul with two chains. Then he asked, “Who is this man? What has he done wrong?” 34Some in the crowd were yelling one thing, and some were yelling another. Because of all this confusion and shouting, the commander could not learn what had happened. So he ordered the soldiers to take Paul to the army building. 35-36The whole mob was following them. When the soldiers came to the steps, they had to carry Paul. They did this because the people were ready to hurt him. They were shouting, “Kill him!” 37The soldiers were about to take Paul into the army building. But he spoke to the commander, “May I say something to you?” The commander said, “Do you speak Greek? 38I thought you were the Egyptian who started some trouble against the government not long ago. He led 4,000 killers out to the desert.” 39Paul said, “No, I am a Jew from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I am a citizen of that important city. Please, let me speak to the people.” 40The commander gave permission, so Paul stood on the steps. He waved with his hand so that the people would be quiet. When there was silence, Paul spoke to them in the Jewish language.

THE ACTS 22

Paul Speaks to the People
1Paul said, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! I will make my defense to you.” 2When the Jews heard him speaking the Jewish language, they became very quiet. Paul said, 3“I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I grew up in this city. I was a student of Gamaliel. He carefully taught me everything about the law of our ancestors. I was very serious about serving God, just as are all of you here today. 4I hurt the people who followed the Way of Jesus. Some of them were even killed. I arrested men and women and put them in jail. 5The high priest and the whole council of Jewish elders can tell you that this is true. These leaders gave me letters to the Jewish brothers in Damascus. So I was going there to arrest these people and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished. 6“But something happened to me on my way to Damascus. It was about noon when I came near Damascus. Suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed all around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you doing things against me?’ 8I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The voice said, ‘I am Jesus from Nazareth. I am the One you are trying to hurt.’ 9The men who were with me did not understand the voice. But they saw the light. 10I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘Get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told about all the things I have planned for you to do.’ 11I could not see, because the bright light had made me blind. So the men led me into Damascus. 12“There a man named Ananias came to me. He was a religious man; he obeyed the law of Moses. All the Jews who lived there respected him. 13Ananias came to me, stood by me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, see again!’ Immediately I was able to see him. 14Ananias told me, ‘The God of our fathers chose you long ago. He chose you to know his plan. He chose you to see the Righteous One and to hear words from him. 15You will be his witness to all people. You will tell them about the things you have seen and heard. 16Now, why wait any longer? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away. Do this, trusting in him to save you.’ 17“Later, I returned to Jerusalem. I was praying in the Temple, and I saw a vision. 18I saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem now! The people here will not accept the truth about me.’ 19But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I put the believers in jail and beat them. 20They also know that I was there when Stephen, your witness, was killed. I stood there and agreed that they should kill him. I even held the coats of the men who were killing him!’ 21But the Lord said to me, ‘Leave now. I will send you far away to the non-Jewish people.’” 22The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they began shouting, “Get rid of him! A man like this doesn’t deserve to live!” 23They shouted and threw off their coats. They threw dust into the air. 24Then the commander ordered the soldiers to take Paul into the army building and beat him. The commander wanted to make Paul tell why the people were shouting against him like this. 25So the soldiers were tying him up, preparing to beat him. But Paul said to an officer there, “Do you have the right to beat a Roman citizen who has not been proven guilty?” 26When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and told him about it. The officer said, “Do you know what you are doing? This man is a Roman citizen!” 27The commander came to Paul and said, “Tell me, are you really a Roman citizen?” He answered, “Yes.” 28The commander said, “I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen.” But Paul said, “I was born a citizen.” 29The men who were preparing to question Paul moved away from him immediately. The commander was frightened because he had already tied Paul, and Paul was a Roman citizen.

Paul Speaks to Jewish Leaders
30The next day the commander decided to learn why the Jews were accusing Paul. So he ordered the leading priests and the Jewish council to meet. The commander took Paul’s chains off. Then he brought Paul out and stood him before their meeting.

THE ACTS 23

1Paul looked at the Jewish council and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life in a good way before God up to this day.” 2Ananias, the high priest, heard this and told the men who were standing near Paul to hit him on his mouth. 3Paul said to Ananias, “God will hit you too! You are like a wall that has been painted white! You sit there and judge me, using the law of Moses. But you are telling them to hit me, and that is against the law.” 4The men standing near Paul said to him, “You cannot talk like that to God’s high priest! You are insulting him!” 5Paul said, “Brothers, I did not know this man was the high priest. It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must not curse a leader of your people.’” 6Some of the men in the meeting were Sadducees, and others were Pharisees. So Paul shouted to them, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee and my father was a Pharisee! I am on trial here because I hope that people will rise from death!” 7When Paul said this, there was an argument between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The group was divided. 8(The Sadducees believe that after people die, they cannot live again. The Sadducees also teach that there are no angels or spirits. But the Pharisees believe in them all.) 9So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of the law, who were Pharisees, stood up and argued, “We find nothing wrong with this man! Maybe an angel or a spirit did speak to him.” 10The argument was beginning to turn into a fight. The commander was afraid that the Jews would tear Paul to pieces. So the commander told the soldiers to go down and take Paul away and put him in the army building. 11The next night the Lord came and stood by Paul. He said, “Be brave! You have told people in Jerusalem about me. You must do the same in Rome also.” 12In the morning some of the Jews made a plan to kill Paul. They made a promise that they would not eat or drink anything until they had killed him. 13There were more than 40 Jews who made this plan. 14They went and talked to the leading priests and the Jewish elders. They said, “We have made a promise to ourselves that we will not eat or drink until we have killed Paul! 15So this is what we want you to do: Send a message to the commander to bring Paul out to you. Tell him you want to ask Paul more questions. We will be waiting to kill him while he is on the way here.” 16But Paul’s nephew heard about this plan. He went to the army building and told Paul about it. 17Then Paul called one of the officers and said, “Take this young man to the commander. He has a message for him.” 18So the officer brought Paul’s nephew to the commander. The officer said, “The prisoner, Paul, asked me to bring this young man to you. He wants to tell you something.” 19The commander led the young man to a place where they could be alone. The commander asked, “What do you want to tell me?” 20The young man said, “The Jews have decided to ask you to bring Paul down to their council meeting tomorrow. They want you to think that they are going to ask him more questions. 21But don’t believe them! There are more than 40 men who are hiding and waiting to kill Paul. They have all made a promise not to eat or drink until they have killed him! Now they are waiting for you to agree.” 22The commander sent the young man away. He said to him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have told me about their plan.”

Paul Is Sent to Caesarea
23Then the commander called two officers. He said to them, “I need some men to go to Caesarea. Get 200 soldiers ready. Also, get 70 horsemen and 200 men with spears. Be ready to leave at nine o’clock tonight. 24Get some horses for Paul to ride. He must be taken to Governor Felix safely.”


Play this game at night or close all the blinds in your house. Give your child a flashlight, and set a kitchen timer for 25 seconds. Have your child close his or her eyes while the rest of your family hides. When the timer goes off, have your child look for you with the flashlight. When the light from the flashlight shines on a person, he or she must come out and help find everyone else who is hiding. Remind your child that even when you were hiding, God was with you. Throughout the week, say the Heartprint: God is With Us All the Time with your child.


God made Jesus evident to Paul and it changed his life forever. Paul wanted everyone to know how Jesus had changed his life. Share with your child a time in your life when you were so excited that you told everyone you encountered about it. Some examples might be when you were getting married, buying a house, or having a baby. This news that Paul shared was even more exciting. Paul knew the change that had been made in his life, and he wanted others to experience that same change. Even when he was arrested and put in prison, Paul continued to tell others about Jesus. He knew God was with him.


September 14-20, 2024

WEEK 11


THE ACTS 24

The Jews Accuse Paul
1Five days later Ananias, the high priest, went to the city of Caesarea. With him were some of the Jewish elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. They had come to make charges against Paul before the governor. 2Paul was called into the meeting, and Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: “Most Excellent Felix! Our people enjoy much peace because of you, and many wrong things in our country are being made right through your wise help. 3We accept these things always and in every place. And we are thankful for them. 4But I do not want to take any more of your time. I beg you to be kind and listen to our few words. 5This man is a troublemaker. He makes trouble among the Jews everywhere in the world. He is a leader of the Nazarene group. 6Also, he was trying to make the Temple unclean, but we stopped him. [And we wanted to judge him by our own law. 7But the officer Lysias came and used much force to take him from us. And Lysias commanded his people to come to you to accuse us.] 8You can decide if all these things are true. Ask him some questions yourself.” 9The other Jews agreed and said that all of this was true. 10The governor made a sign for Paul to speak. So Paul said, “Governor Felix, I know that you have been a judge over this nation for a long time. So I am happy to defend myself before you. 11I went to worship in Jerusalem only 12 days ago. You can learn for yourself that this is true. 12Those who are accusing me did not find me arguing with anyone in the Temple. I was not stirring up the people. And I was not making trouble in the Temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13They cannot prove the things they are saying against me now. 14But I will tell you this: I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way of Jesus. The Jews say that the Way of Jesus is not the right way. But I believe everything that is taught in the law of Moses and that is written in the books of the Prophets. 15I have the same hope in God that they have—the hope that all people, good and bad, will be raised from death. 16This is why I always try to do what I believe is right before God and men. 17“I was away from Jerusalem for several years. I went back there to bring money to my people and to offer sacrifices. 18I was doing this when they found me in the Temple. I had finished the cleansing ceremony. I had not made any trouble; no people were gathering around me. 19But some Jews from Asia were there. They should be here, standing before you. If I have really done anything wrong, they are the ones who should accuse me. 20Or ask these Jews here if they found any wrong in me when I stood before the Jewish council in Jerusalem. 21But I did say one thing when I stood before them: ‘You are judging me today because I believe that people will rise from death!’” 22Felix already understood much about the Way of Jesus. He stopped the trial and said, “When commander Lysias comes here, I will decide about your case.” 23Felix told the officer to keep Paul guarded. But he told the officer to give Paul some freedom and to let his friends bring what he needed.

Paul Speaks to Felix and His Wife
24After some days Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was a Jew. He asked for Paul to be brought to him. He listened to Paul talk about believing in Christ Jesus. 25But Felix became afraid when Paul spoke about things like right living, self-control, and the time when God will judge the world. He said, “Go away now. When I have more time, I will call for you.” 26At the same time Felix hoped that Paul would give him some money. So he sent for Paul often and talked with him. 27But after two years, Porcius Festus became governor. Felix was no longer governor, but he had left Paul in prison to please the Jews.



Mix blue food coloring with whipped cream and place in a rectangular dish. Allow your child to attach some Teddy Graham crackers to broken pretzel rods using peanut butter or marshmallow fluff. Place some of the Teddy Grahams and pretzel rods in the whipped cream to reinforce the lesson. Remind your child that even while Paul and the other people on the ship were in the water, God was with them. Throughout the week, say the Heartprint: God is With Us All the Time with your child.




God was with Paul when he was sent by ship to Rome. God was with Paul during the storm. God sent an angel to remind Paul that he was not alone, and to encourage him. Talk about a time when you or your child may have felt scared or alone. Discuss some of the feelings Paul may have felt being on the ship, away from his friends, and in a bad storm. Ask questions about what Paul and the other people may have felt as the ship crashed. Talk about how we can use the story of how God was with all 276 people during the shipwreck and brought them to safety to remind us how God cares for us and is always with us.


September 21-27, 2024

WEEK 12


THE ACTS 27

Paul Sails for Rome
1It was decided that we would sail for Italy. An officer named Julius, who served in the Emperor’s army, guarded Paul and some other prisoners. 2We got on a ship and left. The ship was from the city of Adramyttium and was about to sail to different ports in Asia. Aristarchus, a man from the city of Thessalonica in Macedonia, went with us. 3The next day we came to Sidon. Julius was very good to Paul. He gave Paul freedom to go visit his friends, who took care of his needs. 4We left Sidon and sailed close to the island of Cyprus because the wind was blowing against us. 5We went across the sea by Cilicia and Pamphylia. Then we came to the city of Myra, in Lycia. 6There the officer found a ship from Alexandria that was going to Italy. So he put us on it. 7We sailed slowly for many days. We had a hard time reaching Cnidus because the wind was blowing against us. We could not go any farther that way. So we sailed by the south side of the island of Crete near Salmone. 8We sailed along the coast, but the sailing was hard. Then we came to a place called Safe Harbors, near the city of Lasea. 9But we had lost much time. It was now dangerous to sail, because it was already after the Day of Cleansing. So Paul warned them, 10“Men, I can see there will be a lot of trouble on this trip. The ship and the things in the ship will be lost. Even our lives may be lost!” 11But the captain and the owner of the ship did not agree with Paul. So the officer did not believe Paul. Instead, the officer believed what the captain and owner of the ship said. 12And that harbor was not a good place for the ship to stay for the winter. So most of the men decided that the ship should leave. The men hoped we could go to Phoenix. The ship could stay there for the winter. (Phoenix was a city on the island of Crete. It had a harbor which faced southwest and northwest.)

The Storm
13Then a good wind began to blow from the south. The men on the ship thought, “This is the wind we wanted, and now we have it!” So they pulled up the anchor. We sailed very close to the island of Crete. 14But then a very strong wind named the “Northeaster” came from the island. 15This wind took the ship and carried it away. The ship could not sail against it. So we stopped trying and let the wind blow us. 16We went below a small island named Cauda. Then we were able to bring in the lifeboat, but it was very hard to do. 17After the men took the lifeboat in, they tied ropes around the ship to hold it together. The men were afraid that the ship would hit the sandbanks of Syrtis. So they lowered the sail and let the wind carry the ship. 18The next day the storm was blowing us so hard that the men threw out some of the cargo. 19A day later they threw out the ship’s equipment. 20For many days we could not see the sun or the stars. The storm was very bad. We lost all hope of staying alive—we thought we would die. 21The men had gone without food for a long time. Then one day Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, I told you not to leave Crete. You should have listened to me. Then you would not have all this trouble and loss. 22But now I tell you to cheer up. None of you will die! But the ship will be lost. 23Last night an angel from God came to me. This is the God I worship. I am his. 24God’s angel said, ‘Paul, do not be afraid! You must stand before Caesar. And God has given you this promise: He will save the lives of all those men sailing with you.’ 25So men, be cheerful! I trust in God. Everything will happen as his angel told me. 26But we will crash on an island.” 27On the fourteenth night we were floating around in the Adriatic Sea. The sailors thought we were close to land. 28They threw a rope into the water with a weight on the end of it. They found that the water was 120 feet deep. They went a little farther and threw the rope in again. It was 90 feet deep. 29The sailors were afraid that we would hit the rocks, so they threw four anchors into the water. Then they prayed for daylight to come. 30Some of the sailors wanted to leave the ship, and they lowered the lifeboat. These sailors wanted the other men to think that they were throwing more anchors from the front of the ship. 31But Paul told the officer and the other soldiers, “If these men do not stay in the ship, your lives cannot be saved!” 32So the soldiers cut the ropes and let the lifeboat fall into the water. 33Just before dawn Paul began persuading all the people to eat something. He said, “For the past 14 days you have been waiting and watching. You have not eaten. 34Now I beg you to eat something. You need it to stay alive. None of you will lose even one hair off your heads.” 35After he said this, Paul took some bread and thanked God for it before all of them. He broke off a piece and began eating. 36All the men felt better. They all started eating too. 37(There were 276 people on the ship.) 38We ate all we wanted. Then we began making the ship lighter by throwing the grain into the sea.

The Ship Is Destroyed
39When daylight came, the sailors saw land. They did not know what land it was, but they saw a bay with a beach. They wanted to sail the ship to the beach, if they could. 40So they cut the ropes to the anchors and left the anchors in the sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that were holding the rudders. Then they raised the front sail into the wind and sailed toward the beach. 41But the ship hit a sandbank. The front of the ship stuck there and could not move. Then the big waves began to break the back of the ship to pieces. 42The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so that none of them could swim away and escape. 43But Julius, the officer, wanted to let Paul live. He did not allow the soldiers to kill the prisoners. Instead he ordered everyone who could swim to jump into the water and swim to land. 44The rest used wooden boards or pieces of the ship. And this is how all the people made it safely to land.




God’s protection of Paul was evident when the poisonous snake bit him, and no harm came to Paul. Share with your child about a time when you felt God’s protection over you. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as a snake bite, but perhaps a car accident, an injury, or God’s protection as you traveled somewhere. Discuss how the people around Paul reacted when they saw this event happen and their reaction to Paul’s safety. Talk about how God was present with Paul through the many difficult things that happened to him. Paul continued to trust God’s plan.


Go to each room in your house. Talk about the different things you do in each room. What are some things we do in the kitchen? Your list may include fixing meals, coloring, and baking cookies. What are some things you do in your bedroom? Your list may include sleeping, reading books, and praying. Ask your child in each room, “Is God with us in there?” The next time you are riding in your car, ask your child if God is with you in the car. Continue to ask your child that same question as you visit different places (the park, the grocery store, the library, etc.).



Sept 28 - Oct 4, 2024

WEEK 13


THE ACTS 28

Paul on the Island of Malta
1When we were safe on land, we learned that the island was called Malta. 2It was raining and very cold. But the people who lived there were very good to us. They made us a fire and welcomed all of us. 3Paul gathered a pile of sticks for the fire. He was putting them on the fire when a poisonous snake came out because of the heat and bit him on the hand. 4The people living on the island saw the snake hanging from Paul’s hand. They said to each other, “This man must be a murderer! He did not die in the sea, but Justice does not want him to live.” 5But Paul shook the snake off into the fire. He was not hurt. 6The people thought that Paul would swell up or fall down dead. The people waited and watched him for a long time, but nothing bad happened to him. So they changed their minds about Paul. Now they said, “He is a god!” 7There were some fields around there owned by a very important man on the island. His name was Publius. He welcomed us into his home and was very good to us. We stayed in his house for three days. 8Publius’ father was very sick with a fever and dysentery. But Paul went to him and prayed. Then he put his hands on the man and healed him. 9After this, all the other sick people on the island came to Paul, and he healed them, too. 10-11The people on the island gave us many honors. We stayed there three months. When we were ready to leave, they gave us the things we needed.




While Paul was on the island, he healed not only the island chief’s father, but also some of the people who lived there. In return, they gathered supplies for Paul and the others to have on their journey to Rome. Have your child think about some basic things they use and need every day (toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, water, food, etc.). Discuss how sometimes a person or family is unable to purchase these items because of financial difficulties. Purchase some of these items and, together as a family, place them in gallon-sized plastic bags to donate to a rescue mission or other organization.


God’s influence on Paul was shown to the island people through his words and actions. In fact, the impact was so great that the island chief invited Paul to stay in his home. What did Paul do for the island chief while he was in his home? He healed his father. Paul also healed many others on the island. Paul knew God was with him. Discuss the different ways we can know God is with us. Remind your child God is always with us. God is with us in the morning, during the day, and at night. There is never a time when God is not with us. Throughout the week, say the Heartprint: God is With Us All the Time with your child.


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APPLICATION VERSE

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September Song

Sing this song to the tune of “London Bridge”


God is with us all the time,
All the time,
All the time.
God is with us all the time
Morning, noon, and night.