Welcome to Tent Peg Theater...

And the "Scary, Gross, and Weird Stories of the Bible" just keep getting stranger. Last week's story from Judges, chapter 4:1-23, was a big hit.  I imagine that had something to do with the fact that we were eating Baskin-Robbins at the time, but more on that in a minute.

In this story, Jael and Deborah crank up the girl-power!  Deborah was a judge- she settled disputes between her countrymen and helped organize the people in times of disaster or military campaigns. She is the only female we are aware of that held this position of respect. (You go, girl!)

She was also a prophetess- she gave the Jewish people messages from God. Barak, one of Israel's generals, asked Deborah to come with him to fight Jabin, King of Canaan, and his general, Sisera, because of Deborah's position and ability to rally the people. She agreed, but told Barak God would deliver Sisera into a woman's hands instead of Barak's.

Jael was that woman- read the Bible to find out what happens next. As you are reading, imagine the 6th grade putting on a skit on Baskin-Robbins patio about this subject. It was great- and I guarantee we were the first to ever do "Tent Peg Theater" there.

One of the things I always like to ask the kids is "What is it about this story that God wants us to understand? Why is it in the Bible?"  I think a big reason for this story is one that is repeated time and again in God's story. Courage that is based on faith in God is important- God's strength can get us through any tough time this world throws at us. And of course, God loves to show that strength through the most unlikely of people. In this story, it is two women vs an enemy army- Deborah and Jael. In other stories, it's David vs. Goliath, Moses vs. Pharaoh, or Jesus vs. the world which largely was not ready for him.

For more, check out the below link for some cool Lego pictures of this and other Bible stories (warning for parents: not all the Lego pics on this site are as child-friendly as others; there are of course some Bible stories best saved until kids are older)
http://www.thebricktestament.com/judges/massacre_of_the_canaanites/jg04_21b.html

Indescribable, Uncontainable...

 

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 

If you have not gotten to take the time to enjoy God's creation lately, take 5 minutes today to go outside and be still in His presence. Know that He is God, He has only good plans for you, and He would love to visit with you. The housecleaning, dinner preparations, homework, or paperwork can wait a few minutes. 

 

We remember...

 Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive;

and let thy widows trust in me. Jeremiah 49:11

 

 

 

 

 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Help! There's a Puppet in my Church!

Last Sunday was an awesome day for me as a children's ministry director. In children's church, we had a puppet skit performed by two of our 6th grade boys. It was short, sweet, and taught about love as a fruit of the spirit for kids.  Two puppets, a raccoon and a fox, discussed the fox's day at school.  He had tried show "love" to the school bully by kissing her, and gotten punched for his trouble! The raccoon had to explain that love was not the kissy stuff we see in movies, but treating others the way Jesus wants us to. Our puppet friends were returning visitors from past VBS performances, who have patiently sat on shelves in my office since their summer in the spotlight.

 As for our fancy schmancy stage? Two tables stacked, with a blue tarp over them. About as low-tech as you get. We admittedly had not put the amount of time practicing the skit that I would have liked, and I wondered how it would go over. My answer came when one of our older preschool boys turned to me and in a loud whisper, with a giant grin on his face, said "Ms. Angela? This. Is. Great."  I like a little man who is easily impressed!

This is a brand-new way at our church to teach children, and it is off to a small, but energized, start! 
Coming up on September 17 at 6 pm, anyone interested in helping get this ministry off the ground is invited to come to Fellowship Hall. You can get involved as a puppeteer, idea-generator, volunteer stage/puppet maker, or chaperone for younger puppeteers. 

Why puppets? It's different, engaging, and non-threatening to small children. Kids who clam up when an adult puts them on the spot will happily chatter away with a fuzzy, colorful creature, or a puppet who looks like a smaller version of themselves.  Puppets can present life lessons for kids in ways humans cannot. 

Come find out what all the fuss is about! See you September 17.  Here is a taste of what puppets can do in church!

 

We're All Related!

We Are Family :)

 

Did you know we are all related?  You're at least 50th cousins with EVERYONE on earth! Watching the above video, I could not help but think about the implications of this for us as a family of believers. (I love this guy's videos, by the way. They are all educational and mostly kid-friendly- a break from the norm on YouTube.)

 

 

Sunday's message for children in the Connection service was about God's love. Does God only love us when we are good? If so, we are ALL in trouble, since Jesus has been the only perfect person.  Romans 3:10-12 tells us that:

"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
 
Sounds pretty inclusive, using "all" and "no one" so much!

Thankfully God loves us no matter what, even when He's not happy with our behavior.  To me, that is awesome, that God knows everything I have ever done, said, or thought, and loves me anyway.  If He can forgive me even when I have a hard time forgiving myself, that's incredible grace!

Receiving that gift of grace, though, comes with a catch- we gotta pass it on. We can't be selective, since God isn't. Sometimes I have a hard time with that, and I need God's help to love people the way He does. Songs always say it better than I can:

How can we teach our kids the concept of grace?  Here's a great simple example from a Christian teacher. Teaching Grace

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

-Angela <><