Planning Ahead
Day 2 of Creative Arts Camp went just as well as day 1, maybe better. The first part of our morning wasn't too busy at all, really. My partners and I just spent the time talking about random things and growing closer together. Have I mentioned how much I love these three kids? They work so perfectly together because their personalities play off each other so well. Justin is the hyperactive clown, Lauren is the quiet, gentle soul, and Lynn often plays the mellow person or the peacemaker. These three are only just entering high school, but they are so wonderful to work with. I'm glad God has blessed me with a team like this.
Anyway, we helped to supervise music and movement this morning. So far, that has been the most fun class to sit in and observe. The kids learned a cute limerick involving McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Pizza Hut, which I promptly changed to Chick-Fil-A. Hey, I gotta stick up for my work place :) They also learned the lyrics for "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" in Spanish, and they did another song in Swahili. They did so well that the teacher's aide had to buy the music instructor coffee on a bet. You can't lose with odds like those.
We had delicious bon bons and blue raspberry punch for snacks, and then my group met up at the drama room to rehearse the next scene of our skit. I was really anxious about today's scene because this is where the story really connects to the main message this week of showing the love of Christ to all the nations of the world. The message is that we all have our differences, every one of us. We like different things, we come from all kinds of different backgrounds, we speak different languages, we have differing beliefs, etc. But we as Christians can't let ourselves be scared of other people, nor should we look down on them simply because they're not like us. We must always follow Jesus' example and share His love with every person we meet. Our differences should never polarize us; they are how God made us to be special and unique individuals. We are ALL crafted in the image of our Creator, yet we can boast of nothing except our victory over sin by the blood of Christ. Knowing this, our goal is to challenge the kids to live out the Great Commission that Jesus gave to his disciples, to go out and lead all the nations to follow God. And this is the really cool part. You don't have to be a preacher or a minister to do that! You can show God's love by example, by living positive, moral lifestyles, being willing to serve rather than be served, having compassion for those around us, and living every day in obedience to God's will. Just doing that affects other people; God's Holy Spirit moves through us and radiates out from us, drawing other people in by our example. I was truly encouraged by how the kids responded to the message today. They picked up every theme and really paid close attention. That made me feel so good. In all honesty, I don't care if they forget about the games we played, the tongue twisters, the rhymes, or even the skit by itself. Those things are all definitely fun, but they are secondary to the real message at work here. If they can grasp that, then I'll be happy beyond words.
I spent the evening at the house of Rodney Norvell, my campus minister at Furman. It was great to see him and some of the old BCM gang again. Andrew, John, Liz, Will, and Bryan were all there. We had hamburger meat, tacos, and homemade ice cream with fruit (thank you, Liz!!) as we shared funny conversations as well as prayer requests and missions updates. Please pray for Rodney and his missions team as they get ready to head down to Cuba tomorrow. Pray that Tropical Storm (soon-to-be-hurricane) Emily will stay far away from them instead of following in Dennis' trail like the forecasters are saying it will. :( Again, it was great to see those guys again, even though it meant giving up one Bible Study with my Sunday School class. Oh well. It'll be the last time I'll see any of them for the next few weeks. Please slow down, summer. I'm not ready to think about classes just yet...:P
Song of the Day: Philips, Craig, and Dean - "Friend of God"
Verse of the Day: "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13:3
Anyway, we helped to supervise music and movement this morning. So far, that has been the most fun class to sit in and observe. The kids learned a cute limerick involving McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Pizza Hut, which I promptly changed to Chick-Fil-A. Hey, I gotta stick up for my work place :) They also learned the lyrics for "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" in Spanish, and they did another song in Swahili. They did so well that the teacher's aide had to buy the music instructor coffee on a bet. You can't lose with odds like those.
We had delicious bon bons and blue raspberry punch for snacks, and then my group met up at the drama room to rehearse the next scene of our skit. I was really anxious about today's scene because this is where the story really connects to the main message this week of showing the love of Christ to all the nations of the world. The message is that we all have our differences, every one of us. We like different things, we come from all kinds of different backgrounds, we speak different languages, we have differing beliefs, etc. But we as Christians can't let ourselves be scared of other people, nor should we look down on them simply because they're not like us. We must always follow Jesus' example and share His love with every person we meet. Our differences should never polarize us; they are how God made us to be special and unique individuals. We are ALL crafted in the image of our Creator, yet we can boast of nothing except our victory over sin by the blood of Christ. Knowing this, our goal is to challenge the kids to live out the Great Commission that Jesus gave to his disciples, to go out and lead all the nations to follow God. And this is the really cool part. You don't have to be a preacher or a minister to do that! You can show God's love by example, by living positive, moral lifestyles, being willing to serve rather than be served, having compassion for those around us, and living every day in obedience to God's will. Just doing that affects other people; God's Holy Spirit moves through us and radiates out from us, drawing other people in by our example. I was truly encouraged by how the kids responded to the message today. They picked up every theme and really paid close attention. That made me feel so good. In all honesty, I don't care if they forget about the games we played, the tongue twisters, the rhymes, or even the skit by itself. Those things are all definitely fun, but they are secondary to the real message at work here. If they can grasp that, then I'll be happy beyond words.
I spent the evening at the house of Rodney Norvell, my campus minister at Furman. It was great to see him and some of the old BCM gang again. Andrew, John, Liz, Will, and Bryan were all there. We had hamburger meat, tacos, and homemade ice cream with fruit (thank you, Liz!!) as we shared funny conversations as well as prayer requests and missions updates. Please pray for Rodney and his missions team as they get ready to head down to Cuba tomorrow. Pray that Tropical Storm (soon-to-be-hurricane) Emily will stay far away from them instead of following in Dennis' trail like the forecasters are saying it will. :( Again, it was great to see those guys again, even though it meant giving up one Bible Study with my Sunday School class. Oh well. It'll be the last time I'll see any of them for the next few weeks. Please slow down, summer. I'm not ready to think about classes just yet...:P
Song of the Day: Philips, Craig, and Dean - "Friend of God"
Verse of the Day: "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13:3
posted by david @ 8:29 PM
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