Lizards, Greensnakes, Tiny Tree Frogs
Down by the Creekbank
By the old holler log.
I'm sure that lots of people can recall a time when their church did Down by the Creekbank. It's been around long enough by now to be considered a classic. Well, FBC used it this past week as our theme for Creative Arts Camp. Kim Shaw managed the whole program, Vanessa Rhodes and Erin Oliver did the music and movements, and others like Rhonda Woody, Kim Sexton, and Kathy Sizemore took care of the exterior art and set designs.
Unlike last year's CAC, which featured quite a few activities separate from the theme, loose as it was, this year's tightened things up with the theme more pronounced, and nearly all activities having something to contribute to it. Well, except for Drama. I once again was asked to teach drama for the kids, and once again, I had no agenda to use for help. Craig was sick on Monday and Annie Ruth needed him the next day, and my assistance from Youth Drama never materialized; most of them must have left for Beach Camp or were otherwise preoccupied. So that left me by myself to plan my own thing. All things considered, I feel I did an okay job with the time and resources at my disposal. I have to give a shout out to Brenda Stephens, my high school drama teacher, and my friend Will Swinson. The main focus of my drama class was a 5-minute skit entitled "The Pit," loosely based on the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible. It had a lot of inspiration from a similar play that I helped with in Mrs. Stephens' class, but I altered the ending somewhat to pay homage to Will's version. Combined, both versions worked well!
One thing I discovered this week was that as a leader, you need to keep the kids stimulated as often as you can. This was especially an issue with the 1st and 2nd graders, many of whom are still working on their reading skills. A kid that age can get frustrated easily if he's slow to read drama skits or has trouble pronouncing a lot of words. Even worse, there's the danger of leaving too many other kids to sit around fidgeting on the Sanctuary pews, and the temptation is there to get distracted or wander away. Thankfully, I discovered a solution to this on Tuesday. Knowing that I would likely see a lot of these kids again in my music class at VBS (I'm also teaching the 1st and 2nd graders), I decided to devote a good part of my class to teaching them the Arctic Edge theme song. So by the end of the week, quite a few of them could not only sing the song, but they knew the motions nearly by heart. I pushed the theme as much as I reasonably could (but not enough to get confused with the over-arching Down by the Creekbank theme) so that they would know it come July. In essence, I was not only promoting Vacation Bible School, but still teaching drama - interpretive movement counts as drama, right? It was a classic "two birds with one stone" activity.
In the midst of the Creekbank craziness, we had our regular Wednesday night G-Force meeting with the 1st thru 5th graders. Oh my gosh, this was definitely a high point of my week. The lesson was supposed to be on Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount, or the Beatitudes. One thing we've kept doing is setting out a treasure box with three items inside that have something to do with the lesson. For example, last week's lesson was about the devil tempting Jesus in the desert. So the box had items like a loaf of bread, a crown, and a hand-made lifesaver (our resource room was my lifesaver last week!). The kids would pull them out, and we would ask how they related to what we were studying. Well, this week, I included items like two foam people holding hands to represent the peacemakers mentioned in the Beatitudes, and three copper pennies as a symbol of the meek and the poor. But the last item? Until the last minute, I didn't know what to use. Then in the resource room, it hit me. I used a cross.
Going into my lesson preparation that evening, I turned to God in deep prayer. I told Him that I was stuck, that I didn't know how I was going to do it with my inability to organize it the best I could. Time seemed to run out on me. Somehow G-Force got pushed to the backburner while I worked on CAC, and when it came up, I was left with little time to pull something together and make it sound coherant. I won't deny it, I was scared and worried. I didn't want to let the kids down. I wanted to look like I had it all together, but only then did I remember the one valuable lesson I learned this past year. It's when you admit to God that you don't have it all together, that you're out of options and are ready to quit spinning your wheels in the dirt, that He takes over and goes to work in you. And I began to feel the Spirit of God in my prayers. He gave me the simplest answer: "David, just tell them about Me. Talk about who I am, tell them what I do, how I change lives and can change theirs. And just let Me do the work. That's all you have to do. Tell them about Me." Suddenly, there was no choice. The cross was perfect.
As our G-Force meeting began at 6:30, I could tell immediately that something felt different. It wasn't just that we had three new kids in our group. It was more of a sense that God was taking control. This meeting would not be about a mere lesson with worksheets. The Holy Spirit was at work. I could feel it. As I talked about the Sermon on the Mount, God gave me the words and brought me clarity, somehow stopping me from getting jumbled and stumbling over things, as I'm prone to do sometimes. The kids all sat up as we introduced the treasure box. The discussion took a poignant turn as Gracie Strawhorn lifted out the little wooden cross. And Armando and I start talking about Jesus. His death on the cross. Will Shaw, Kim's son who was sitting next to me, described what it was like to die on a cross, showing how Jesus' hands and feet were nailed in place, and the crown (he called it a hat) of thorns was shoved on his head. Detail by detail, we explained the plan of salvation carried out by Jesus' death on the cross, and his resurrection three days later. We told how Jesus died for our sins, the things we do wrong, the things that grieve God, and we explained that when we do bad things, there are consequences, just like when we get in trouble for breaking a rule. But Jesus died for us so that we wouldn't have to face that, and that He wants a relationship with each of us. He loves us deeply and wants to know us personally, and to live in our hearts. Then we talked about how to accept him. Many of the kids knew the steps already; I think Rachel said we first have to tell God we're sorry for our sins. Gracie said we then have to believe in who Jesus is, the Son of God, and our Savior, and ask him to save us. Then I talked about what happens next: telling others about Jesus, and played a short video about a pair of missionaries in Kamchatka who shared their faith with the natives who, not long ago, couldn't even talk of God.
Armando must have somehow sensed what I was going to do. He walked out into the hall at the midpoint of our discussion. I saw him leave out of the corner of my eye, but I kept going. He was gone for a few minutes, and I wondered: what could he be up to? He then returned with a big box in his hands. The box contained little Bibles for the kids that he passed out, and the plan of salvation was printed on the very last page of each one. And I'm thinking, no way. We were never in touch this week. How could he have known I was going to talk about this? Again, that's how God works. Armando is one incredible servant who gives his all to the Lord.
The very next morning, Annie Ruth talked to the CAC kids and went over the salvation plan. They filled out little green cards with two choices: I want to know more about Jesus, or I have asked Jesus into my heart today! At the top of the card stack, I found Will Shaw's name. That Thursday morning, Will accepted Jesus as his Savior.
PRAISE GOD!!!
Wow, what an unbelievable moment that was. God used a lesson I had spent no more than a single afternoon's worth of time on, and He used it to reach Will and the others just the same. Incredible. That's the God we serve.
Pray for a girl named Aleisha. She came into my room as I was reviewing the missions video, and said she was looking for Pastor Randy. She's struggling with a lot of personal issues in her life, and had come down to church without her family's knowledge, just looking for someone to talk to. I spoke with her for a while and she let me pray with her. So please pray that she'll find the answers she needs and be comforted and encouraged by God.
Well, I'd better go for now. Big day tomorrow - I'll need to be at church by about 7:30. Thanks for all of your prayers and support, all who stop by this blog! I'll be posting more updates as the weeks pass! God bless!!
By the old holler log.
I'm sure that lots of people can recall a time when their church did Down by the Creekbank. It's been around long enough by now to be considered a classic. Well, FBC used it this past week as our theme for Creative Arts Camp. Kim Shaw managed the whole program, Vanessa Rhodes and Erin Oliver did the music and movements, and others like Rhonda Woody, Kim Sexton, and Kathy Sizemore took care of the exterior art and set designs.
Unlike last year's CAC, which featured quite a few activities separate from the theme, loose as it was, this year's tightened things up with the theme more pronounced, and nearly all activities having something to contribute to it. Well, except for Drama. I once again was asked to teach drama for the kids, and once again, I had no agenda to use for help. Craig was sick on Monday and Annie Ruth needed him the next day, and my assistance from Youth Drama never materialized; most of them must have left for Beach Camp or were otherwise preoccupied. So that left me by myself to plan my own thing. All things considered, I feel I did an okay job with the time and resources at my disposal. I have to give a shout out to Brenda Stephens, my high school drama teacher, and my friend Will Swinson. The main focus of my drama class was a 5-minute skit entitled "The Pit," loosely based on the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible. It had a lot of inspiration from a similar play that I helped with in Mrs. Stephens' class, but I altered the ending somewhat to pay homage to Will's version. Combined, both versions worked well!
One thing I discovered this week was that as a leader, you need to keep the kids stimulated as often as you can. This was especially an issue with the 1st and 2nd graders, many of whom are still working on their reading skills. A kid that age can get frustrated easily if he's slow to read drama skits or has trouble pronouncing a lot of words. Even worse, there's the danger of leaving too many other kids to sit around fidgeting on the Sanctuary pews, and the temptation is there to get distracted or wander away. Thankfully, I discovered a solution to this on Tuesday. Knowing that I would likely see a lot of these kids again in my music class at VBS (I'm also teaching the 1st and 2nd graders), I decided to devote a good part of my class to teaching them the Arctic Edge theme song. So by the end of the week, quite a few of them could not only sing the song, but they knew the motions nearly by heart. I pushed the theme as much as I reasonably could (but not enough to get confused with the over-arching Down by the Creekbank theme) so that they would know it come July. In essence, I was not only promoting Vacation Bible School, but still teaching drama - interpretive movement counts as drama, right? It was a classic "two birds with one stone" activity.
In the midst of the Creekbank craziness, we had our regular Wednesday night G-Force meeting with the 1st thru 5th graders. Oh my gosh, this was definitely a high point of my week. The lesson was supposed to be on Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount, or the Beatitudes. One thing we've kept doing is setting out a treasure box with three items inside that have something to do with the lesson. For example, last week's lesson was about the devil tempting Jesus in the desert. So the box had items like a loaf of bread, a crown, and a hand-made lifesaver (our resource room was my lifesaver last week!). The kids would pull them out, and we would ask how they related to what we were studying. Well, this week, I included items like two foam people holding hands to represent the peacemakers mentioned in the Beatitudes, and three copper pennies as a symbol of the meek and the poor. But the last item? Until the last minute, I didn't know what to use. Then in the resource room, it hit me. I used a cross.
Going into my lesson preparation that evening, I turned to God in deep prayer. I told Him that I was stuck, that I didn't know how I was going to do it with my inability to organize it the best I could. Time seemed to run out on me. Somehow G-Force got pushed to the backburner while I worked on CAC, and when it came up, I was left with little time to pull something together and make it sound coherant. I won't deny it, I was scared and worried. I didn't want to let the kids down. I wanted to look like I had it all together, but only then did I remember the one valuable lesson I learned this past year. It's when you admit to God that you don't have it all together, that you're out of options and are ready to quit spinning your wheels in the dirt, that He takes over and goes to work in you. And I began to feel the Spirit of God in my prayers. He gave me the simplest answer: "David, just tell them about Me. Talk about who I am, tell them what I do, how I change lives and can change theirs. And just let Me do the work. That's all you have to do. Tell them about Me." Suddenly, there was no choice. The cross was perfect.
As our G-Force meeting began at 6:30, I could tell immediately that something felt different. It wasn't just that we had three new kids in our group. It was more of a sense that God was taking control. This meeting would not be about a mere lesson with worksheets. The Holy Spirit was at work. I could feel it. As I talked about the Sermon on the Mount, God gave me the words and brought me clarity, somehow stopping me from getting jumbled and stumbling over things, as I'm prone to do sometimes. The kids all sat up as we introduced the treasure box. The discussion took a poignant turn as Gracie Strawhorn lifted out the little wooden cross. And Armando and I start talking about Jesus. His death on the cross. Will Shaw, Kim's son who was sitting next to me, described what it was like to die on a cross, showing how Jesus' hands and feet were nailed in place, and the crown (he called it a hat) of thorns was shoved on his head. Detail by detail, we explained the plan of salvation carried out by Jesus' death on the cross, and his resurrection three days later. We told how Jesus died for our sins, the things we do wrong, the things that grieve God, and we explained that when we do bad things, there are consequences, just like when we get in trouble for breaking a rule. But Jesus died for us so that we wouldn't have to face that, and that He wants a relationship with each of us. He loves us deeply and wants to know us personally, and to live in our hearts. Then we talked about how to accept him. Many of the kids knew the steps already; I think Rachel said we first have to tell God we're sorry for our sins. Gracie said we then have to believe in who Jesus is, the Son of God, and our Savior, and ask him to save us. Then I talked about what happens next: telling others about Jesus, and played a short video about a pair of missionaries in Kamchatka who shared their faith with the natives who, not long ago, couldn't even talk of God.
Armando must have somehow sensed what I was going to do. He walked out into the hall at the midpoint of our discussion. I saw him leave out of the corner of my eye, but I kept going. He was gone for a few minutes, and I wondered: what could he be up to? He then returned with a big box in his hands. The box contained little Bibles for the kids that he passed out, and the plan of salvation was printed on the very last page of each one. And I'm thinking, no way. We were never in touch this week. How could he have known I was going to talk about this? Again, that's how God works. Armando is one incredible servant who gives his all to the Lord.
The very next morning, Annie Ruth talked to the CAC kids and went over the salvation plan. They filled out little green cards with two choices: I want to know more about Jesus, or I have asked Jesus into my heart today! At the top of the card stack, I found Will Shaw's name. That Thursday morning, Will accepted Jesus as his Savior.
PRAISE GOD!!!
Wow, what an unbelievable moment that was. God used a lesson I had spent no more than a single afternoon's worth of time on, and He used it to reach Will and the others just the same. Incredible. That's the God we serve.
Pray for a girl named Aleisha. She came into my room as I was reviewing the missions video, and said she was looking for Pastor Randy. She's struggling with a lot of personal issues in her life, and had come down to church without her family's knowledge, just looking for someone to talk to. I spoke with her for a while and she let me pray with her. So please pray that she'll find the answers she needs and be comforted and encouraged by God.
Well, I'd better go for now. Big day tomorrow - I'll need to be at church by about 7:30. Thanks for all of your prayers and support, all who stop by this blog! I'll be posting more updates as the weeks pass! God bless!!
posted by david @ 5:51 PM
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