Conference yukon::christian_v7

	OBJECT(S) : a monkey catcher (a clay jug with handle and which has 
	a bottleneck + 1 peice of string).

	****************
	  *   jug    *
	   *        *
	 *  *      *  *         peice of string              0  you
	*   *      *   *----------------------------------  -|-
	 * *        * *                                     /|
	  *          *
	 *            *
	*              *
	 *     nuts   *
	  *   00000  *
	 **************


	POINT(S) OF LESSON :  we are trapped by our own sin. Only when we
	let go of our greed/desires and surrender to Jesus will 
	we be set free and enjoy the freedom that God wants us to enjoy.
	The more we try to hold on to the things that we want the easier
	it is for Satan to capture us.

	ANY RELEVANT VERSE(S) : 

	DETAIL : Start off by asking the kids if they know what this
	jug is used for. After 20 wrong answers you then tell them
	that its used to catch monkeys. At this point the curiosity
	of the kids rise to a gripping state of confusion .

	This lesson is based on the technique used in the jungle
	(specifically Bolivia) to catch a monkey. The jug is left on
	open land and filled with nuts. A piece of string is attached to
	the handle of the jug and you hide behind the tree holding the
	other end of the string. The monkey then comes along and smells
	the nuts. He then dips his hand into the jug and gets hold of
	as many nuts as possible. Now that his hands are filled with the
	nuts (you've guessed it) he can't get his hand out of the jug.
	Now the monkey will not let go of the nuts so you then pull the
	jug towards you... and still the monkey will not let go. Then
	you pull, pull, pull and still the monkey will not let go of the
	nuts ... and finally you catch the monkey.

	The monkey could have let go and ran away free but his greed
	for all the nuts trapped him and he was captured. This is
	just how Satan gets a hold of us. Only be letting go of all
	our wants and greed will we be free from sin and be free to
	enjoy the good things that God wants us to enjoy. 

	COMMENTS : This is probably one of the best object lessons I
	have used. The kids that we talk to have a very low attention
	span but this one held their attention.

	Erich
    

Get a telephone.

What is this?  A telephone.
What do you do with it?  You talk to someone.
What else do you do with it?  You listen to someone.

How is a telephone like prayer?  It is communication - with God.

Don't forget the receiver end of the phone.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

That's the crux.  I filled the lesson out a lot in a children's minisermon
before my church.  It was for the kids, but the adults, hopefully
received the mesaage, too.

Mark

    I loved both of these object lessons!!  Thanks for putting them in ...
    I can definitely use both.
    
    Nancy

Hide a portable radio under the pulpit or somewhere up front where you can get
to it.

Now tell the kids to be reeeaaaalll quiet, and ask them what they hear.  You'll
get a few answers about outside noises, etc.  Now tell them that right now, in
this room, in the very air around them, there are people singing and talking.
Ask them to listen again.  They won't hear any singing or talking.  Tell them
it's there, they just don't know how to hear it.  Ask them to listen again.
Then ask them if they believe you when you tell them that there *are* people
singing and talking right now.

Now pull out the radio, and tune to a few stations, listening to the music and
talking.  See, this music was here all the time, all around you, but you just
didn't know how to hear it.  But it had to come through the radio before you
could hear it.  Now what would you say if I told you God was here, all around 
you...?  The difference is the *you* are the radio receiver, God will let 
himself be heard through you, and the people around you.

For older children:  Take out the batteries.  Does the radio work now?  Can it
receive the music?  What do you think the batteries represent?  What is it that
we need to put inside us to be able to hear God's voice clearly?  Now turn the
batteries toward the kids, which are labeled: "God's Word"

Paul

    Man I just keep gettin goosey bumpeys all over my arms... 
    
    That was another GREAT lesson!!!

Ask the kids if they know what this is: (A piece of wooden dowel will work 
fine).  Then ask if they know how a relay race works, where the baton is passed.
Now tell the kids you are going to do a relay.  Get the kids to space themselves
out evenly all the way from the front of the church, down one side, across the
back, down the other side, and back to the front.  Explain how this is going to
work, then give the baton to the child nearest you, and have them pass it, one
to another, all the way around the church.  Let the last child keep hold of it,
and have everyone come back up to the front.

Now ask:  How did (name of child with the baton) get the baton?  Who gave it to
him?  Okay, now where did she get it?  Fine, and where did he get it?  I started
passing the baton, but it was passed from one person to another all the way
around until (child) got it.  They have it now, even though I didn't give it to
them directly.

How did you learn about Jesus?  Some child may say: "The Bible."  Yes, but the
Bible is just a book on a shelf unless someone tells us to read it.  Who told
you to read the Bible?  Really?  Did they ever see Jesus face to face?  No?  
Well who told them?...  Jesus lived 2000 years ago, and people have been passing
on their knowing about him ever since.

Now what would have happened, when we passed the baton, if one of the kids had
gotten the baton, and just held onto it, or dropped it, and not gotten it to the
next child?  Would (child) ever have gotten the baton?  What would happen if the
people who knew about Jesus never told anyone about it?

One of our jobs as Christians is to pass the baton of knowing about Him.  After 
Jesus rose, He told his disciples: "You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and 
in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)  And that's 
what I'm doing right now, I'm passing the baton of knowing Jesus on to you.  
What will you do with the baton?

Paul

    I used this one on our church's youth group a few years back.
    
    I had a pitcher of cool, clear spring water and several cups and a can
    of cola. 
    
    I held up the pitcher and cups and offered some water to the teens.
    They had just been playing volleyball so the response was good. 
    
    I started to pour water into the cups, all the while talking about how
    pure it was and how good it was for us.
    
    Next I held up the can of cola and asked if anyone would like some
    cola. Again the response was good. I read the ingredients, stressing how
    it had a pH value of 2.3 and could be used to remove rust.
    
     Now since everyone wanted both cola and water, I poured a little cola
    in everyone's cup and passed them out. This got many strange looks as
    the teens, not used to thinking, tried to figure it out. 
    
     Most did not even try to taste it. Those that did taste it did not
    like it.
    
     I then told them that the cool, pure spring water was like the life we
    get from Jesus Christ. It is pure and healthy. The cola is like sin. It
    is pleasing to our flesh but very unhealthy in the end.
    
      Mixing even a little cola (sin) into the pure water (new life in
    Christ) ruins the water. It only takes a little to pollute the whole
    thing; like the way a little leaven effects a large lump of dough.
    
     I told them that we should avoid sin at all costs, but if we fall we
    can repent and have forgiveness. I then gave them all clean water.
    
     An interesting aside: as I look back there was one kid who took great
    delight in the attention he got by drinking everyone's cola polluted
    water. Within a year he was asked to leave the youth group because of
    an unrepentant heart over sexual sin. The things that make you go hmmm.
    
    Gil

.-1  Not a good one for me.  I love Coca-cola.  %^)

    Yup, Markem is coke addict... see the rumors fly...
    
    :-) :-) :-0
    
    I thought it was great!
    
    Nancy who has the age group to teach and use these object lessons with.
    
    YIPPEEE

    Here is one from a church I attended years ago.  I was not involved in
    this but the person who directed it told me about it.

    In a fairly large room, have a child stand blindfolded at one end of
    the room with an adult at the other end of the room.  Place chairs and
    other obstacles between the child and the adult.  Then tell the child
    that they need to walk, slowly, under the direction of the adult at the
    other end of the room to the person who is directing them.  That adult
    will tell them when to stop, turn, go forward, etc., obviously
    directing the child to avoid the obstacles.  What this represents is
    the child placing their trust in God (even though they can't see him)
    to direct their lives and help them to avoid the obstacles/pitfalls in
    life.  Somewhere along the route, another adult (unknown to the
    blindfolded child) will whisper to the child something like, "Billy, if
    you come this way, instead of the way you are being directed, I'll give
    you a piece of candy."  This represents Satan's temptations.  If the
    child takes the candy, his turn is over.  Keep doing this until one
    child ignores the temptations and completes the course, at which point
    that child is given a much greater prize (a dollar bill was used by the
    person who told me this).

    The point of the lesson, in addition to the part about allowing God to
    direct their steps in life, is that the child will receive greater
    reward in heaven by following God's direction as opposed to Satan's.

    Ron

I have used a flower growing in a pot to illustrate the fall (in a
children's talk in church service, rather than in a Sunday School lesson). 
A daffodil, growing from its bulb is ideal.

In Genesis 2:17, God tells Adam that if he eats from the tree of knowledge 
of good and evil, he will die.  In Genesis 4:4, the serpent says he won't.

And after eating the fruit, Adam and Eve still seem to be alive...!
BUT - they have to hide from God... - something important has changed.

The flower is alive and growing - for everyone to admire.  Then I *PICK* 
it, so it's not attached to any root any more.  It still looks alive.  It 
will seem fine in water for quite a time, but as soon as I picked it, it 
was certain to die.  It was separated from the root, which has life.  If I 
hadn't picked it, its strength ewould have gone back into the root, to be 
used for another year.

As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, they had broken their replationship with
God, Who is the Source of life.  They had died in spirit then as surely as
that flower, and the day eventually came when their bodies died too
(Genesis 5:5). 

How can we be joined back onto the source of life...  If the kids are big 
enough, you can point, say, to Ephesians 2:22-23, or John 15:5/Romans 11:17

							Andrew

    One that I saw goes like this.
    
    The (Sunday school) teacher up in front starts by opening his wallet and
    taking out a $5 bill (maybe $10 today - this was a while ago).  He asks
    if anyone wants it.  He waits.  Finally, someone will come up and take
    it from him, maybe shyly, maybe wondering what the catch is.  That's
    it.  He gets to keep the $5.
    
    The point is that God makes the same offer - He offers us life, it's
    free to us, there's no catch, nothing required other than that we come
    and get it.  As the conversation develops, the teacher asks why it took
    time for someone to come up.  What were the others thinking?  What did
    it feel like to get up and take the money?  Lots of discussion follows,
    and it's real appropriate to close by asking anyone if they haven't
    already done so, to come up afterward and talk about taking Jesus up
    on His offer.
    
    - Don Randall

	Okay, heres another one....

	You tell them that the two best behaved will receive a prize
	at the end. So come the end of the session and you pick the
	two best. You have two prizes, an apple and a potato. You
	ask the first what he/she wants. He/she usually picks the apple.
	The other of course is left with the potato. Once they get back
	to their seats you then tell the rest of them that in the
	potato was 50p coin (approx 1$). The person with the potato has
	ended up being the one with the best prize.

	You can then explain that it is not our outward appearance
	that is important but that God looks and values what is
	inside us (our hearts). On the outside the apple looked
	better but later we have discovered that the potato is of
	more worth as it has something special inside it.


	Erich 
    

>    Somewhere along the route, another adult (unknown to the
>    blindfolded child) will whisper to the child something like, "Billy, if
>    you come this way, instead of the way you are being directed, I'll give
>    you a piece of candy."  This represents Satan's temptations.  If the
>    child takes the candy, his turn is over.

Even better, if the child turns to get the candy, they receive a wrapped-up
rock, or better yet, an old moldy piece of food or something else disgusting.

Not only are Satan's temptations not the equal of God's gifts, but when they
are exposed for what they are - "unwrapped" - they turn out to be of no value
at all and in fact repulsive.

You could tell the children not to unwrap their candy when they get it, and then
have as many children as have chosen to take the candy open it together after
one child has received the real prize.  If the first child stays through to get
the prize, you could still open the "candy" and show him what he would have
gotten if he listened to the temptation.

Paul

P.S. I'm scheduled to do the children's sermon at our church on the 25th, and I
had no idea what I was going to do.  Now I don't know which of these excellent
ideas I want to use!

Have you ever noticed the colored glass in the windows of our church?
Sometimes that called stained glass.

Tonight, I am going to tell you about glass and how some people are
like glass.

Do you know what glass is made of?

Glass is made of sand. They take sand and put it in the fire until it
melts and then they make things with it.

You can make a lot of things with glass, like drinking glasses, com-
puter screens, and windows. And although there are other lessons to
be learned from glass about being a Christian, I want to talk to you
about plain old ordinary flat glass used for windows.

1  Stained Glass

You see, stained glass, like the glass in our windows, or the glass
in very big cathedrals, is nice to look at. But I don't think that's
the kind of person God wants us to be.

Stained glass colors the light that shines through it, because there
was color added to the glass. Stained glass doesn't give you a true
image of what is on the other side.

Some people are like stained glass. They look nice, but only at church
or on Sundays. 

Real glass is transparent. That means you can see through it as if it
wasn't there.

2  Broken Glass

Here I have a piece of transparent glass. But its broken. What good
is transparent glass if it is broken. If this was a window, it would
let cold air in. It doesn't provide a clear view.

Some people are like broken glass. They leak; they have sharp edges that
can hurt people; they're not suited for the purpose intended for them.
Being transparent means being honest, but one can be honestly mean or
useless.

3  Dirty Glass

Here I have a piece of transparent glass. But oh, is it filthy! You
can't very well see through it.

Some people have dirt in their lives. They could be like the clear glass,
but they haven't bothered to ask Jesus to clean them up. God's light
can't get through the dirt too well.

And you know, windows need to be maintained. If dust settles on a piece
of glass, pretty soon, it can become so covered, the light has a harder
time getting through than if the glass was dirty for other reasons.

4  Clear Glass

Here is a piece of glass that is whole and clean. You can see me through
it clearly and I can see you clearly.

Clean glass not only let's light through it, a clean glass also re-
flects light. Ever use a mirror to throw a light on the ceiling?

God wants us to be like clear glass.

o  God wants us to be whole so that we can do what we're supposed to
   do. Broken glass can't do what it was meant to do.  God can make
   broken glass whole, too.  We can't do that, but God can!

o  God wants us to let his light shine into our heart. He also wants
   us to reflect his light onto others. We can't do that if our glass
   is dirty. Light doesn't shine too well through dirt. Light doesn't
   reflect too well through dirt.  God can clean up the dirt.

o  He wants us to function in an ordinary world as ordinary people
   (that is, people who are to be as they were intended to be; but
   not ordinary in the sense of being bland).  God does not want us
   to live life as a Stained Glass Christian only for church people 
   to see.

o  Being clear means being honest and holding nothing back from God's
   sight. It also means seeing God more clearly ourselves.

Jesus can make us clean!

I just thought of something about the radio story that I put in earlier.  It's
kind of obvious, but might not be clear from reading the note.  Make sure you 
hide the radio BEFORE the service, so none of the kids can see it.  You want 
them to rack their brains for how there could be music in the room that they
can't hear, you're hoping that they won't believe you when you tell them there
is music.  If they know there's a radio up there, they'll figure it out too
soon.

Paul

    
    
    This was entry 111.7.  I deleted and fixed the grammar.
            <<< GOLF::DISK$COMMON:[NOTES$LIBRARY]CHRISTIAN.NOTE;1 >>>
          -<  ...by Believing, you might have Life more abundantly. >-
================================================================================
Note 111.7              OBJECT LESSONS for children/youth                7 of 17
ELMAGO::RWRIGHT "Press On!"                          50 lines  14-APR-1993 13:50
                     -< Be still and know that He is God >-
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    I get a magazine from Group that always has object lessons from    
different youth workers.  If interested, I can post the address. 
    
    One that we just used for a worship service on a retreat was..... 
    
    We were outside.  Get the group in a big circle no more than 30.  If    
more than 30, seperate into two circles.  Start one ball.  Through across    
circle to anyone in the circle.  The ball continues until everyone has caught
and throw only once.  The last person throws the ball to the first person. 
The object is to make it as easy as possible for the person to catch.  Do
it again.  Everyone needs to remember who threw them the ball and who they
throw it to.  After going through the circle with no problems.  Start
again, and after the fourth person catches the ball add a ball.  Keep
adding balls. Let the balls go through the circle several times.  As the
balls get dropped just pick them up and continue. 
    
    This is how we are with God.  If we focus solely on the one ball, it    
becomes simpler.  The busyness of life are all the balls around us.  They
are there to distract us.  We can not hear/see God if our mind is elsewhere 
and we drop the ball. 
    
    We continued.  One of the adults slipped away, out of sight, close by
where we had gathered many sticks/twigs.  For the next 10-15 minutes, this
person continued to break the twigs.  We sang a few songs/prayed and I read
the scripture Psalm 46 key verse 10 "Be still and know that I am God."  Many
believe this chapter was in reference to the people "Korah" in Numbers 16.  I 
told them about Korah and asked them to"Be still and know God is God" for a
few minutes.  After I could tell everyone was curious about the twig breaking,
I finished with "Some of you who could hear the twig breaking when we were
singing, praying, etc.  Why?  because you were close to the sound or were
listening to it.  The rest of you needed it to be quiet before you could hear
the twigs breaking.  Why? Because there was more sound from the singing than
the twigs make.  Although the twigs were breaking you did not hear them.  Same
way with God, some of us hear Him although other things are going around.  But
we hear Him more clearly when things stop.  The vast majority of us get too
busy and Satan wants us to not hear God, even though God is speaking.  And we
need to get away from everything and BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD." 
    
    Finally we asked them to worship God in silence as I left and when they   
were ready they got up. 
    
    
    There are numerous verses one could use with this application.  Satan    
being a roaring Lion,  the flaming arrows of Satan, on and on.....     Putting
God first etc. 
    
    Robert

    
    
        I once shared this with 6,7,8th graders :
    
      Have 2 oranges in a brown paper bag , pull 1 out and explain that the
    orange represents a person in the world without Jesus in their life ,
    pull out a knife (sharp enough to penetrate the orange) and stick the
    orange with it as you mention the effects of drugs,gangs,lying etc...
    and soon enough the orange will start to loose all of it's juice and
    will dry up , shrivel . Then pull out the second orange ( this one
    already wrapped in tin foil a couple of times) share with them that
    this is our life with Jesus , and yeah the world attacks us just the
    same but if we not become unwrapped and stay under His covering we will
    not dry up or lose our juice .
    
    
    						Alfonso
    
      P.S. this should not be done in front of little children .
     

My turn.

	"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities
	-- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, 
	being understood from what has been made, so that men are without 
	excuse."  (Romans 1:20)

The following lesson will teach Romans 1:20 and will make child's play out of
the creation/evolution issue.

Obtain two very large glass or plastic jars that have lids.  Sort out two
identical sets of small objects.  They can be blocks, cookies, or anything
else that you could build with.  In one jar meticulously arrange the objects
in some orderly fashion in such a way that there is no question that they were
arranged.  However, the arrangement should not be "interlocking".  That is, 
they should easily be thrown into a disarray by shaking the jar.  In the other
jar, just dump all the objects in.  Screw the lids securely on both jars.

Walk into your children's group with both jars.  Set the "organized" jar on
the table so that they can see it.  But start shaking the other jar that you
just dumped all the objects in.  Just stand there and do this for a while,
to arouse their curiosity and get them to wonder what on earth you could
possibly be trying to accomplish.  (You can devise your own drama and theatrics
to go along with this object lesson.)  After a while, start asking questions. 

"These two jars have the same set of objects in them.  What's the difference 
between the two jars?"  (A:  "One jar has objects that are organized into an
obvious pattern, and the other doesn't.") 

"What do you think:  How long did I have to shake that jar on the table to
get it that organized?"  (A:  "We don't believe that you got it that way
by shaking the jar.  We think you arranged the things in it to be that way.")

"But you didn't see anyone arrange the objects in the jar on the table.  How
do you know that anyone did in fact arrange them?"  (A:  "Because you don't get
things to be that way by shaking up objects in a closed jar.") 

"How long will I have to keep shaking this jar to get it as organized as
the one on the table?"  (A:  "You can shake it all you want, and it won't
do any good.")

"If I take the jar on the table and start shaking it, will I end up with
[name another pattern that you would have had to meticulously arrange]?"
(A:  "Of course not.")  "What will happen to it, then?"  (A:  "It will
end up a jumbled mess, like the jar you are shaking.")

The next set of questions are important, as you relate the object to real
life:

"What is more highly organized, the things in the jar on the table, or
the things in the universe?"  (A:  "The universe.")

"What is more highly organized, the things in the jar on the table, or
your bodies?"  (A:  "Our bodies.")

"If it is obvious that someone arranged the things in that jar on the table
to be the way it is, then is it not obvious that someone arranged the things in
the universe to be the way they are, and arranged our bodies to be the way they
are?" 

	"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities
	-- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, 
	being understood from what has been made, so that men are without 
	excuse."  (Romans 1:20)

Now, kids are not dummies.  They will catch on to your point quickly.  Most of
them have already already been taught to believe in evolution because their
parents were irresponsible enough to send them to public schools.  Be prepared
to answer questions such as: 

"But what about the cave men?"  (A:  "What's wrong with living in caves?")

"But what about the dinosaurs?"  (A:  "Some of them were pretty big, but not
as big as some whales.")

"But what about the fossils?"  (A:  "Some animals got buried and we ended up
with only their impressions in rocks.") 

"But didn't men evolve from the apes?"  (A:  "What did you just learn from
the object lesson?")

"What about the 'big bang'?"  (A:  "What did you just learn from the object
lesson?")

"Well, how come the scientists believe in evolution?"  (A:  "Let's read the
next verse which follows Romans 1:20...")

	"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor
	gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their
	foolish hearts were darkened."  (Romans 1:21)

BTW, Last Sunday for our children's sermon I used the story where you guide a 
child blindfolded, and the "tempter" tries to convince them to change their 
course.  It went over great - the kids loved it and received it, and so did the 
adults.  Instead of a piece of candy, I used a wrapped up present, done up with 
a bow.  When they opened it at the end to see what they would have gotten if 
they listened to the tempter, they found a rotten, moldy, dessicated old 
grapefruit from our compost pile.  It even smelled rotten.

One other thing I added - instead of standing at the goal and directing the 
child who was blindfolded, I walked right behind her as she went.  Then as a 
Scripture I used Isaiah 30:21 "And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying
'this is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to 
the left."

Thanks for the idea, it was excellent.

Paul

    Help!  Does anybody have an object lesson or example on teaching
    faithfulness... such as Timothy... it says that Timothy had followed
    God since his youth, following the scriptures.  Any idea?
    
    Nancy

    
    I had the privledge of watching a children's story/object lesson that
    had all my kids mesmerized.
    
    	The sunday school superintendant invited a captain of a LA County
    Fire Dept.  (who happends to be a member of my church) to speak on the 
    whole armor of God.  To help him get the point across, the fireman
    brought along a few visual aids from the fire house.
    
    	As he began to speak about the different pieces of armour, he would
    don the relevant piece of firefighting gear. It was done very well and
    kept the children (aged from 8 to 12) enthralled on what he is going to
    put on next.
    
    -Rick

    That's wonderful! :-)

    I have a set called something like "Sermons in Chemistry".  I gives
    chemicals and instructions for a number of object lessons.  Most of the
    lessons involve changing colors of the solutions in glasses.  For
    example, one drop of a clear solution (a "little sin") in a glass of
    clear solution (your life) changes the entire glass black.  Then, a
    small amount of a red solution (representing the blood of Jesus) is
    added, and the glass becomes clear again.  (This basic lesson is
    intended as a gospel example).
    
    A subsequent lesson is intended to demonstrate the life of victory. 
    There are 4 glasses of clear "water" (solutions).  A drop added to the
    first glass turns it blue (a Christian getting "the blues" --
    discouragement).  A different drop added to another glass turns it
    green (envy).  Another drop added to the third glass turns it yellow
    (fear).  Then, the red (blood of Jesus) is added to all three, and they
    again become clear.  The fourth glass represents the victorious
    Christian; the same drops which caused the changes in the first 3
    glasses have no effect on it, exemplifying that it is possible to live
    a live of victory over sin.
    
    I can get the address of the kit supplier, if anybody is interested.
    
    Mark L.

 Hmmm...we're always looking for object lessons to use on the bus, 
 but I don't think we'll try that one..Mr Bus Driver will wind up with
 colored water all over himself ;-)

    Some of the best ways is to teach and have them participate in some of
    the Jewish holidays/festivals and draw the parallels to who we know as
    the Messiah.  The symbolism and meanings will give you goose-bumps!
    
    Mike

    re.25
    
    Hi all, I'm catching up on notes. Only 10,000 to go. What is the
    chemical that turns the water black and what is the chemical that makes
    it colourless again.
    
    Thanks  
    
    
    
    Graeme

    I use food coloring and bleach...
    
    red and blue food coloring will make black
    
    and clear water with some bleach in it will turn it white.:-)

re:.20

I just read through all these again as a refresher.  I noted, Garth that you
suggested that the arranged pieces not be "interlocking."  I had done this
object lesson about a month ago, and I used legos to make a little lego man, and
then shook up legos in a jar.  I wound up making the very interlocking nature of
legos a big part of the lesson.

A ***HUGE*** assumption of the evolution idea is that somehow life gets started.
Evolution only tries to explain how life takes certain forms, it doesn't even
address the beginnings of life.  There's just this unquestioned assumption that
somehow random molecules arrange themselves into a form that is alive, though no
one has ever seen such a thing happen.

In the same way, shaken legos NEVER stick together on their own.  You can shake
them a billion times and they won't stick together.  So to believe that the lego
man was just shaken together, you have to start with this assumption that
something that is never observed just "happens."

Paul

The effect of this one can be better at night because you can dim the lights. 
It's not so much an object lesson, as it is a reenactment of one of Jesus'
miracles, but in a way that really sticks with the kids.

As the kids start to come forward, start telling them to stay out of the water,
and come up along the dock, as you indicate where the 'dock' is.  You're going
to create a whole imaginary setup of a boat trip.  The more you can play it up,
the better.  As they line up on the 'dock,' show them where the entry to the
'boat' is, and get them on the boat one at a time.  Add in little "Josh, stop
rocking the boat" sorts of comments to help them get into it.  Then tell them
that they are the disciples, and that Jesus is sleeping in the back of the boat.
Cast off the line and get them to start rowing.  

After they have rowed for a bit, tell them that they hear something off in the
distance.  Have a helper, who is up front with a sheet of metal or formica
(which makes a convincing thunder when shaken) give it a little rattle.  "Uh,
oh," you tell them, "a storm is coming.  See, the wind is starting to pick up!"  

Get the congregation to start making a whooshing sound for the wind.  (you're
going to have to keep encouraging them to keep going, or they will stop on their
own).  Tell the kids that the boat is starting to rock from the waves, and get
them to rock back and forth.  Then pull out a fan (the more powerful and noisier
the better), and start it on the low setting.  "It's getting worse," you tell
them. 

Dim the lights (with occasional bursts of full light to simulate lightning), the
thunder gets louder, you get them to rock more, you turn up the fan, you get the
congregation to make the wind louder.  At some point you pull out a squirt gun
and start squirting them, telling them it is raining.  The goal is to make the
most commotion, and the loudest level of noise, that you can.  Tell them that
they have to call on Jesus, or they will sink and drown.  Get them to yell out
"Help us, Jesus".  The first time or two, tell them it is not loud enough, Jesus
is sleeping and doesn't hear them over the storm.  Then tell them Jesus wakes
up, and commands the storm to be still.  In a matter of a few secons, turn the
fan off, stop the thunder, bring the lights back up, silence the congregation. 
The stillness is remarkable, and is better the more commotion you have made.

Then tell them this is a real story, and that they need to call out "Jesus, help
me" when life's storms are making them fearful, and that if He can tell a real
storm to stop, He can certainly deal with anything we run into.

Paul

    Here are some resources that I've found to be excellent!
    
    Books
    -----
    "Leading Little Ones to God" - Marian M. Schoolland, William B.
    Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan
    
    "The Bible Illustrated for Little Children" - Ella K. Lindvall, Moody
    Press, Chicago
    
    "The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes" - Kenneth N. Taylor, Moody
    Press, Chicago
    
    "The Tiny Tots Bible Story Book" - John & Kim Walton, Chariot Books,
    David C. Cook Publishing Co.
    
    "Outstanding Women of the Bible: Mary" (An ordinary woman through whom
    God gave the world his greatest gift) - Marlee Alex, William B. Eerdmans 
    Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan
    
    "Outstanding Men of the Bible: Paul A Change of Heart" - Anne de Graaf, 
    William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan
    
    Videos
    ------
    The Amazing Bible Series (from the producers of "Music Machine" &
    "Bullfrogs and Butterflies"):
    
    1. The Amazing Book
    2. The Amazing Miracles
    3. The Amazing Children
    
    "Hide 'Em in Your Heart - 13 Bible Memory Songs for Children, vol. 2" - 
    Steve Green, Sparrow Music
    
    "Kids Sing Praise Vol. 2" - a live action sing along video with 17
    songs of praise.
    
    "Bible Buddies: Singin' the Word" - Baptist Book Store
    
    "Kids' Praise 5" - Maranatha! for Kids; Psalty's Camping Adventure...
    Count it all Joy!
    
    "Psalty's Funtastic Praise Party!" - Maranatha! for Kids

 I've been asked to do a short devotion at soccer practice Saturday.  The
 audience is boys and girls from 7-12.  I've never led a devotion with 
 kids...any ideas?


 

 
Jim

How about something like this?  Keying in on the physical activity, show how
God wants us to be fit in every way.  The following is a clip from one of my 
lessons on parenting.

Of course, you'd have to adapt it for your audience.

-------------------------------------------------------------


When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the
Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the
child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace
of God was upon him. Luke 2:39, 40

It is important to note here that Jesus' parents did everything re-
quired by their religion regarding their son's upbringing. These two
verses show us a few things:

o  Physical

   "[He] grew and became strong" As parents, we should give our chil-
   dren the opportunities to develop physically. Watching television
   is not evil unless it is abused by what is watched or sometime how
   long it is watched. We have to be careful to make "couch-potatoes"
   or "sofa-spuds" out of our children.

o  Mental

   "He was filled with wisdom." How does one obtain wisdom? It starts
   with training and learning. True knowledge is an essential ingre-
   dient in our faith foundation. The truths of Scripture need to be
   heard by our children.

   But as for you, continue in what you have learned and become con-
   vinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how
   from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to
   make you wise for salvation in Christ Jesus. II Timothy 3:14, 15

o  Emotional

   But knowledge is not wisdom; it is an element of wisdom. The proper
   application of knowledge is wisdom.

   This tells us that it is important for children to grow in their
   ability to apply their knowledge fruitfully and live effectively
   as they mature in their Christian faith.

   Wisdom has to do with the deep emotional aspects of Christian ma-
   turity because it speaks of our moral values and the application
   of our will regarding these values in living the Christian life.

   We want our children to struggle with the realities of how the truth
   they know must be lived out in their lives. Like mother birds who
   encourage their offspring to fly, we too must encourage our chil-
   dren to experience the freedom and joys of applying Biblical truths
   in our lives.

o  Spiritual

   The grace of God was upon him. this shows that the child exhibited
   the fruit of the Spirit in the life of a maturing Christian. The
   grace of God is a mark of progressing spiritual maturity.

    Hmmm... You could talk about "walking with the Lord" every day.  I did
    this once for this age group.  I asked one of the members of the class
    to follow me around everywhere I went as I walked around the class.
    
    I weaved in and out of kids and once spoke to the person whom was
    following me asking them to help me get through the crowd. 
    
    Then I explained that is how Jesus is with us.  He is with us, but we
    must choose to bring Him into our presence.  
    
    Simple... but can be expounded upon.

    >>>I've been asked to do a short devotion at soccer practice Saturday. 
    >>>The audience is boys and girls from 7-12.  I've never led a devotion
    >>>with kids...any ideas?
    
Jim,
One thing that we do at our club now and again is video them playing
football (soccer) and do some interviewing,etc. It's amazing how 
much children (especially the grown up ones ;-)) love watching 
themselves on video.

Then the following week we play the video of them. On one occassion
this was used as an object lesson. The lesson being that God has
video records of our lives and of everything we have done. 
He sees the cheating. He even sees the things the referee doesn't 
see.etc,etc.
But because of Jesus sacrifice he has erased this recording and
keeps no record of our lives once we have asked for forgiveness.

Keep up the good work Jim. 

Erich

    
    Sorry I missed this question earlier. Here's a good one for next time.
    
     As athletes we are expected to give it all we got on game day. Pushing
    the limit both physically and mentally. Staying focused on the game,not
    letting distractions divert our attention etc...... Relate this to
    Jesus as he gave it all on the cross for us. He gave all to become man
    and because of his love for us he gave it all on the cross, in college
    we called it TRP (Total Release Performance).   Our Christian walk
    should be as intense for Christ as we allow ourselves to be while
    playing a game called soccer.  
    
     This always works well because you can adapt it for whatever age level
    and expand it into many areas.
    
     Dan

 Thanks, Dan...I wound up speaking briefly from 1 Cor 9:24,25 and Colossians
 3:23, adapting the "race" in 1 Cor to the game, and emphasising doing it
 "heartily as unto the Lord" and self control (speaking so the kids could
 understand of course.  They seemed to get it, and one of the adult men who
 was present later came up and said "that was just what I needed to hear
 today"!




 Jim

    It's like the T-shirt "Lord's Gym" that is supposed to look like Gold's
    Gym.  The caption under Jesus bearing the cross on His back reads:
    "Bench Press This!"

    Since Mike brought up T-Shirts...
    
    I have one that says,
    
    "Solid Rock Cafe" instead of Hard Rock Cafe
    
    and has the word "Eternity" below it.  It always gets a response.
    
    Bing

 I bought a hat the other day that has the word "Jesus" written like
 the Ford logo, with "have you considered the Lord...lately?" underneath.




Jim

	Ooh Bing, I'd love one of those... 

	Anyone seen it in stores in these parts (these parts being
	Worcester county in MA) ?

    >Ooh Bing, I'd love one of those... 
    
    >        Anyone seen it in stores in these parts (these parts being
    >        Worcester county in MA) ?
    
    I'll have to ask my sister.  It was a "hand me down" from one of my
    high school aged nephews.  8^)
    
    Bing

    re: -2
    
    Let me know if you find it.  If not, they have it at the
    Christian Apparel store across the street.  I could send
    it to you.
    
    Pam