Treasure Hunters!

We read over Acts 17:1-14 tonight and discussed the differences in the way the Thessalonian Jews received Paul and Silas and their teachings about Jesus and the way the Bereans received them. We talked about the importance of being more like the Beareans who "received the Word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily". We talked about how we need to be treasure hunters just like the Bearans, and how the Bible we hold in our hands everyday is a great big treasure box full from cover to cover with hidden treasure...treasure far more precious than X Box's, Wii's, fancy clothes, gold and silver, new cars, whatever!

We gave each of the kids their own treasure rock then. It was really a great big ball of Plaster of Paris. Inside however, each one contained 8 hidden "treasures". For each treasure the kids found, we sent them to a concordance to look up the name of what they uncovered. Then they read a Scripture or two that had that word in it. For example, there was a small plastic heart inside the rocks. We read Scriptures like Psalm 19:14, Psalm 31:24, Proverbs 21:2, and James 4:8. A craft "google" eye led us to Genesis 6:8 and Matthew 9:28-30. Gold and silver (beads) were found in 1 Corinthians 3:11-13. A plastic number was hidden in each rock, which reminded us of Scriptures like Luke 12:7 and Acts 1:26. A lily flower took us to Luke 12:27-29 and a small tree branch uncovered the treasures found in John 15:7 and 12:13. A seashell brought to mind a beach and sand...Genesis 32:12 and Revelation 12:17. Lastly, some "precious" gemstones were found in 1 Chronicles 29:8.

The kids had fun breaking into their stones and digging for their buried treasures. We pray though that they had even more fun breaking into their Bibles and digging for the treasures hidden in God's Word. No hammer and screwdriver required either! We ended with Psalm 19:7-10.

Carrots, Eggs, & Coffee

We started the evening off reading Acts 16:16-34 and discussing where Paul and Silas were led on their missionary journey.

Then I took out two carrots, two eggs, and some instant coffee. I asked one of the kids to use a butter knife and fork to try and cut one of the raw carrots. It didn't cut easily! One of the kids then broke open one of the eggs and we saw how its thin outer shell protects its liquid insides. We looked at the coffee grounds then too and talked about how, as they are, they don't taste very good and aren't very impressive looking.

We set three pots of water to boiling then and put the carrots, the second egg, and the coffee each in their own separate pot to cook for a few minutes. While they were boiling, we read over the parts of Alberto's testimony again from Sunday, as some of the kids were not in the sanctuary to hear it. We told them that Alberto was a former member of FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a group of rebels famous for their inhumane acts of torture, rape, and even murder in Colombia.

We asked the kids if they remembered Bob and Noel Rich, the missionaries who visited a few weeks back. We told them about their son Mark who was also a missionary and who went missing in 1992 while serving the Lord in Colombia. Alberto and five of his FARC friends were his captors. After being held prisoner for 3 1/2 years, Mark and his two missionary companions were killed by Alberto and his men.

We read then about how Mark and his friends responded to their imprisonment and how similar it was to the way Paul and Silas responded to theirs. More importantly, we read about how Alberto and his friends responded to them.

Now it was time to check on our carrots, egg, and coffee. After draining the carrots, we asked one of the kids to once again use the same knife and fork as before to try cutting the carrots. They were soft and much easier to cut this time. We cooled the egg under running water then and had one of the kids break it. Inside the shell, the egg was hard-boiled. Next, we poured the coffee into a cup and passed it around for the kids to smell. Some of them even wanted to taste it.

Each one of our subjects faced the same adversity...boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. After being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. But after sitting through the boiling water, its insides became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique however. After they were in the boiling water, instead of them being changed, they changed the water.

Paul and Silas and Mark and his missionary companions all faced the same adversity...imprisonment. They could have chosen to be like the carrots, entering prison strong in their faith and unrelenting or unwilling to give up. But then after a time amidst their circumstances, they could have become hopeless, weak, and not so sure of their faith or the God they once served so fervently. "I can't believe this is happening to us. We're servants for God. He's supposed to be blessing us, not letting harm come to us. Where is God's protection? Where is He? He's just left us here to rot in this prison. Maybe He's not sovereign and in control of all that happens to us after all. Poor us!"

The prisoners could have entered prison like the egg, with a malleable heart, one that God could easily shape and form into something that would give Him great glory. But then, after a time in their difficult circumstances, their outsides still looked the same, but their insides became hardened and stiff with bitterness and resentment. "I can't believe we were here to serve God and do His work and this is how He repays us...with prison sentences! Why God? What's the point and how on earth can you use this for your glory? We sure wasted our time in following the call to be missionaries. We're no good sitting in this jail cell rotting away like this. If we ever get out of here, we're going home. Forget this! We serve and this is the reward? I don't think so!"

Paul and Silas and Mark and his friends did not choose to be carrots or eggs though. Instead, they chose to be like the coffee beans. They changed the hot water...their captors...the very people who were bringing them their pain. Coffee reaches its peak flavor at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The hotter the water gets, the better the coffee tastes. When things were at their worst for Paul and Silas and Mark and his friends, they got better and, as a result, they made things better around them. Because of their faithfulness and steadfastness in their difficult circumstances, the very captors who made their lives miserable became their brothers in Christ and received the inheritance of an eternity in heaven worshiping the King of Kings and Lord of Lords right beside them. Hallelujah!

We ended our time asking the kids to think about the last time they faced a difficult circumstance, a trial of some kind in their lives. We asked them if they responded in such a way that made them a carrot, an egg, or a ground coffee bean. We challenged them to keep those visuals and examples at the forefronts of their minds the next time they faced storms of adversity in their lives.

Game Night!!

It's been a few months since we've had a game night and so that's what we did tonight. Jenga, Farkle, Sorry, tag, amoeba, and karate circle. The kids had fun fellowshiping, playing, laughing, and just hanging out with each other. We did memory verses tonight too and everyone did GREAT! I think we have to make them longer!!

By the way, did I mention that my awesome kids surprised me with cards and a huge homemade chocolate chip cookie cake for my birthday. Best of all were the hugs. I love these guys. They are all such blessings. Thanks guys!

WinterJam 2012

S.T.O.M.P. and Zero Gravity combined forces to storm WinterJam with 30 people last night. Ten bands, $10, and 8 hours later, we were hoarse and tired, but blessed by the fellowship, music, and ministry the tour brought to Tampa. We couldn't take cameras inside this year, but here are some pics of the gang outside passing the time beforehand.

The Potter and the Clay

We started out flying Jonathan's Air Hogs remote control helicopter around the room tonight. It's a very cool little gadget and a bit touchy on the controls and so you have to be careful and gentle in how you pilot it. On the table behind us, we placed different clay pots, bowls, cups, and vases for the kids to be looking at.

We began talking about God's direction for our lives and how, when we pray, we often are asking God to follow us and the direction we are going in...to join us in what we already have planned for our lives. We talked about how sinful having this attitude is on so many levels! It's prideful to think that we know what's best for our lives and futures and that we're capable of planning them. It's lacking in faith to not trust God with our lives and futures. He knows what's best for us and has every single minute of our lives planned out from conception to the day we die! He is sovereign and everything He does and allows in our lives is ultimately for His glory, not ours.

So often though we pray for God to bless OUR plans, OUR ways, what we WANT to do. And when God doesn't seem to be in agreement with us and our plans and He begins to close those doors and attempt to lead us in a different direction, we ignore his answer of "no" or "not yet" and instead choose to believe that we just haven't heard from Him. In the meantime, we are missing out on something so much better....His will for our lives, which is ALWAYS better than anything we ever could have imagined.

Ephesians 3:20 says, Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

He can do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think! Be still and let Him!!

We watched a short YouTube then that was a little over the top, but showed visually a potter working with clay while excerpts from Isaiah and Jeremiah were read and discussed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_vf7D_n-4o&feature=related

To help the kids relate more, we watched a few clips from the movie Evan Almighty. Evan Almighty is a hilarious movie with several usable discussion clips. This story is about Evan (who we met first in Bruce Almighty), now leaving his job as a TV news anchorman in Buffalo, NY to become the newly elected congressman in Washington D.C. Evan’s campaign promise and slogan was to “Change the World.” Although he had his own plans to accomplish that, God (Morgan Freeman) shows up, and Evan is given the task of building an ark, just like Noah.

In the beginning of the movie, prompted by his wife, Evan decides to pray and ask God for His help in changing the world. His prayer goes like this...

Hello, there. Hi. This is Evan Baxter. Um… just wanted to say thank you for everything. Thank you for the new car and for the house. The house is great. I love it. I mean, I picked it out, but you created matter and everything, so… I just wanted to say that I think Joan makes a good point, and that I am now in a position of great power, and I know that with great power comes great responsibility. So, God… (ahem) …please help me change the world. Okay. That’s it. I’m hanging up now. God bless… Well, you. Okay.

Now as we soon see, the way Evan wants to change the world and the way God chooses to use Evan to change the world are two completely different plans! Evan gets angry with God at one point and even challenges what He is doing in His life. But as everyone discovers by the end of the movie, God's ways, though not understood by Evan, were much greater than Evan, his family, and everyone involved ever could have dreamt possible. God did use Evan to change the world, just not the way Evan thought he would.

We gave the kids the words to The Potter's Hand then and read them carefully while we discussed what they meant.

The Potter’s Hand

Beautiful Lord, Wonderful Saviour

I know for sure, all of my days are held in your hands,

Crafted into your perfect plan

You gently call me into your presence guiding me by Your Holy Spirit

Teach me dear Lord to live all of my life through Your eyes

I'm captured by Your holy calling

Set me apart, I know you're drawing me to yourself

Lead me Lord I pray

Chorus:

Take me, mold me, use me, fill me

I give my life to the Potter's hand

Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me

I give my life to the Potter's hand

You gently call me into your presence

Guiding me by your holy spirit

Teach me dear lord to live through your eyes

I'm captured by you holy calling

Set me apart, I know your drawing me to yourself

Lead me lord I pray

During our whole discussion, the kids were molding and shaping homemade clay we gave them at the beginning of class. We asked them who was in control of what they made of the clay...them or the clay. We pointed out all of the different clay vessels we had brought in to display and reminded them that, like no two clay creations were the same, God's plans and ways for each of us are just as different...and still just as marvelous. He is the Potter and we are the clay.

We also made sure the kids knew that God's ways and plans for our lives didn't mean smooth sailing or easy living all the time either. We talked about Paul and how he was persecuted, Jim Elliott and his martyrdom for the Kingdom of God, and the countless others who have suffered all according to God's will and still for His glory.

We ended our time in prayer for each other and that we would each allow God to mold us, use us, and fill us....according to His will, not ours.

Different, But the Same

We asked the kids to answer a few questions for us tonight. We started out with easy questions like favorite color and food. We asked about the style of music they liked to listen to and their favorite artists. We asked them about whether or not they had pierced ears, what they wanted to be when they grew up, what their favorite movies are, and what their favorite video games or apps are. We also asked them about whether or not they like short or long hair and what were their favorite kinds of clothes to wear.

We talked about what it looks like when we judge each other based solely on personal likes and dislikes. It doesn't look like love at all. We talked about how, though each of us appears different on the outside and in our interests and personal choices, as believers in Christ, we all look the same on the inside because of the Holy Spirit dwelling there.

We talked to the kids about a few of the Old Testament laws in the Bible.

Leviticus 7:26-27 - 26 Moreover, you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places. Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.”

Leviticus 19.27 forbids shaving and cutting your hair short. “Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.”

Deuteronomy 22:5 - A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.

We asked them then if it meant that the men they knew who didn't have beards were sinning or if it made someone a law breaker to eat a steak that was still pink inside. And are girls who wear pants an abomination to the Lord? Naturally, they found these laws to be outdated and silly now.

We talked about the differences between each of them based on their answers to our questions and what God's word has to say about what we wear, what we eat, what we watch/listen to/play. Does it give God glory? If it doesn't, is it "bad"? Is country music bad music to listen to just because it isn't "Contemporary Christian"? Are shorts and a t-shirt less glorifying to God to wear than pants or a skirt and a blouse? Is it a sin to watch a television show that isn't considered "Christian", even if it is rated G and has no cursing, sex, or other offensive things in it? Is it okay to play a particular game or wear make-up and jewelry and paint your nails black?

There is so much gray area here, but our main goal was to show the kids that to the degree we rely on Christ, that's to the degree we are blessed. When we start relying on "rules" and "laws" that are man-centered and not Christ-centered, we are cursed and can wrongfully judge others based on outward appearances rather than the heart. We don't have to all agree on specific genres of music, styles of clothes, or favorite games. You cannot judge a book by its cover and a measure of grace needs to be extended to everyone, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. After all, God extended more than a measure of grace to each of us when He sent His only Son to die for our sins. We also explained to the kids that grace does not equate to tolerance and that, certainly if we see a brother or sister stumbling in their walk with the Lord and blatantly sinning we need to confront them in love.

Our differences are okay to have so long as we don't flaunt them in front of others so as to make them stumble or feel bad. For example, if you go out to eat with someone you know is a vegetarian and does not eat meat, you would be a good friend and sensitive not to order a 16 ounce steak...rare! Romans 14:1-23 (We gave the kids some real-life examples we've faced as well.)

To give the kids a visual example of this lesson, we took 3/4 cup of milk colored with food coloring and mixed it with 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. No matter how hard we stirred, the milk and oil always ended up separating. We explained that the milk and oil represent two people who are having a hard time accepting each other's differences. Then we added a cup of flour to the milk and oil and watched as it bonded the two ingredients and no longer allowed them to separate. The flour, we explained, is like the Holy Spirit living inside each of us...regardless of our external differences. And how, God can use each of us together as His body, to glorify Him and make something magnificent. (We brought them a loaf of homemade raisin bread using some of the same ingredients in our experiment.)

We ended reminding the kids of the two most important laws in the Bible. Matthew 22:37-39 says, And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." In essence, if we love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, we will we glorify Him with what we wear, watch, eat, listen to, play, etc... And if we love our neighbor as ourselves, we will not judge them and always be ready to extend that measure of grace when differences arise. Following these two commandments, we can never go wrong!