The secret of life is to give it back to Jesus Christ.

The greatest evil is to believe other of God than who he is.  All other evils come from this.

Belief...
is a conscious deliberate decision in the midst of doubt;
is a catalyst [something that is required for an event to happen though it itself is not part of that event happening] that allows God to work in our lives, where we respond with faith and God does not disappoint us;
is the mentor of existence;
is pervasive of life, not a spectacle which can be taken off or a discipline which can be optional;
is not simply intellectual assertion, a collection of words no matter how complete, nor is it practice;
is not that which I confess but that which God is confessing in me.

Lord, I give you this day and everything which might happen in it; and I ask the grace to be able to do that.
I ask your help with every person I meet, with every decision I make, and that I honor you in everything I do.
I ask your forgiveness, and that I forgive others the same way.
I ask that you save me from myself.

The basic issue within our denomination is the person and gospel of Jesus Christ.
While his person is still found in the breaking of bread and raising the cup, worship particularly as expressed in many of our hymns is devolving to a subtle unitarianism which sidelines Jesus Christ to one who shows us the way.  Much less than the Lord and Savior I gave my life too...

Congregations are preoccupied with survival...
The problem isn't money -- if a congregation inherited over $100,000 there still might be no noticeable affect to its life, rather its life would affect how the money was used.

My favourite one liners...

For forty-three years I was paid to be good; now I'm good for nothing.
[retired]

I need someone to tell me where to go.
[as a cold introduction with a known or unknown person when I can't find someone/something; evokes a smile and good advice]

I'm in sales, not management.
[when people complain about something under God's purview, like the weather]

children's stories

Five things are required for a good children's story
1. have an object
2. have a story, not a moral
3. try to relate to where the children are [eg. snow with the first snow fall]
4. be involved personally [you are part of the story]
5. have the children participate if possible

And while not part of the story you need the support of the adults

The import of children's stories is children are making the major decisions of their lives some time between the ages of seven and twelve, and while it may not be immediately apparent likened to a little child positioning under a spreading maple tree not yet able to reach the first branch but mapping out how he is going to climb from one branch to the next once he is old enough.....

Paper airplane

[See paper.jpg for folds -- top left corner to right side, top right corner to left side, then the rest is a regular paper airplane; when tearing fold down wings and tear lengthwise through the centre as marked.]

The first time this story was ever told was christmas morning, 1984, in super maximum custody at the Innes Road Detention Centre.

I wondered what you could say on christmas morning in one of the most secure places in all of Ontario; fifteen steel doors to get in, fifteen steel doors to get out.

I shared life is something like a paper airplane.  When you are little you think about what you want to be, what you want to do, when you grow up.  And one day you start putting it together [start folding a paper airplane].

The important thing about this paper airplane is not that it's going the be the best paper airplane in the world, or the biggest paper airplane in the world, or the fastest paper airplane in the world.  The important thing about this paper airplane is that it's me; what I want to be, what I want to do when I grow up.

And one day it's finished [hold up paper airplane].

Like I said, it's not the best paper airplane in the world; but it's me; what I want to be, what I want to do when I grow up.

Sometimes when you are flying your paper airplane [fly paper airplane] someone grabs it out of the air [grab paper airplane out of the air].  Sometimes the person that grabs it is you.  You don't know why you do it, it's your own paper airplane.  Sometimes the person who grabs it takes it and rips it apart.  [fold down wings and tear lengthwise through the centre] and throws the pieces on the ground [throw pieces on the floor]

[Pause... go back in your past and relive the most painful time for real expression while looking at the pieces on the floor.]

It's not just a paper airplane.  It's me... what I wanted to be, what I wanted to do when I grew up... and now it's in pieces... and that hurts.

Sometimes when something hurts you try to hold back the tears.  Maybe you bite your lip.  And maybe before you turn and walk away you take one last look and ask, "where are you God?"

Is God there?  [hand the cross piece to someone and ask them to unfold the piece]

[After it's opened to a cross say]  "surprised?"

Maybe we should open up the other pieces.  [stoop down and start opening up the remaining pieces placing them down to finally spell the letters LOVE]

At first it doesn't make any sense.  Very quickly you find that there are two of every piece.

And it's not until you get the last piece down that you realize you almost missed it.  You almost walked away...

Whenever something hurts God invites you to open up the pieces, to discover that he's there [point to the cross] and second that he loves you.  [point towards the letters LOVE]

[p.s.  the heavies in prison took this from one end of the province to the other, and in 1988 an inmate stopped me in max wing corridor, said "Rev, want to show you something", then went through the whole story missing nothing... it was now coming back.]

Fleecy bottle

[Use plastic fleecy bottle {or similar}, drill hole in cap and glue drinking straw in hole, rescrew cap with straw on.]

Suppose this fleecy bottle was full of bad air.  How do you suppose we could get that bad air out?

Suck it out?  [act surprised when the children notice the straw]

Well, okay.  [noticing the children pointing at the straw, start sucking the air out with the straw]

What!  [pinch straw to prevent air from re-entering; act surprised when the fleecy bottle starts to collapse because of the pressure difference]

It's destroying my bottle!  [continue to suck air out until the bottle is completely collapsed; pinch straw to prevent air from re-entering]

My bottle!

{Aside, "now I have the softest voice in town."}

Well, just need to put good air back in.  [hyperventilate to get all the bad air out of you, and start blowing air back in through the straw]

What! [stop and look at bottle when it starts to make noise and inflate, then keep blowing until the bottle is fully inflated].

I suppose if the bottle had feelings [look at inflated bottle] it would say, "that hurt!"

That's often the way we try to get the bad out of us.

You know, there's an easier way.  [undo the cap and flip it over with the long end of the straw now within the bottle / cap unscrewed and blow]

Doesn't hurt at all...

God never intended it to hurt.  Just take the cap off your lives, let his Spirit blow, and he will change everything...

Four/five piece square

[The four/five piece square is geometric, and can be made by folding one corner of 8½" x 11" piece of paper to side to make two equal sides, folding the side on itself where the corner met and cutting on that fold to make a square, folding the other corner to corner to make two diagonals, folding the square in half to make a rectangle, opening and folding one corner on the short side of the rectangle to the centre intersection of the diagonals, and making a smaller square using half the measurement from a corner to the centre intersection of the diagonals as side.]

The four/five piece square is a puzzle in its own right.  The four piece square is a perfect square; but can also be made as a perfect square with five pieces.  No folding, tearing, cutting; no open spaces, nothing sticking out.  A perfect square similar to the four piece square only larger.

It should be easy, only five pieces.

The quickest this puzzle has been done is twenty seconds.  It took one person a whole week, and half of those who try the puzzle conclude that it can't be done.

The puzzle has a psychological set, the inability to perceive one piece being used in a certain way... it would actually be easier to make the five piece puzzle had you never seen the four piece puzzle.  Typically people go back to the four piece square but that only reinforces the psychological set, making it more difficult to put together the five piece square.

The four/five piece square is also a religious puzzle.

The square represents man.

He looks at himself and thinks, "I'm whole and complete", if you pardon the slang 'a perfect square'.  "I have no need of anything else."

But there is a fifth piece...

The fifth piece represents God and says to the man, "yes, you do look whole and complete but you are missing something; me..."

There are four solutions to the religious puzzle.

The atheist is someone who does not believe there is a god and discards the five piece claiming it is a lie.

The agnostic is someone who believes there is a god but says, "pity" you could never find god by looking so there is no point trying.

The worst solution to this puzzle is the christian agnostic.  That is someone who professes to believe in God but simply adds him to the side of the four piece square.  A very pious form of christian agnosticism says, "let's put God at the centre of our life."  Any fool can see for either solution the four piece square has not changed one bit but simply has God tacked on.

The faith solution says, "I believe", realizing that if one is to find God it means allowing the four piece square to be taken apart, possibly walking for a while without the security of a perfect square, and the fifth piece going not where one might want but where it fits.

[p.s.  some people have a five piece square with the pieces sticking out all over with their critics rightfully saying, "yes, you've found God but your life is a mess."
if you make the four piece square from lined paper the lines of the five piece square will still be parallel, just heading in a new direction.]

Two wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.  He said, "my son, the battle is between 'two wolves' inside us all."

One is Evil.  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good.  It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "the one you feed."

Hole in 8½" x 11" piece of paper that you can put person through

Ask children if it's possible to cut a hole in 8½" x 11" piece of paper that you can put person through [get their responses, then fold the paper in half lengthwise and with scissors first cut several slits from the now touching sides of the paper at right angles to and up to ½" from the fold then repeat cutting slits again at right angles to the fold between the first slits through the fold up to ½" from the touching edges; depending how many slits you cut invite not just one child but all of them to come up and stand together in a group then open up the slitted paper to make a hole large enough to surround the group.

God is not limited by our inability to perceive that there might be a different way...

Soap box discussion

[Requires three different brand soap boxes with top flap open as mouth {ivory "soapy" with a low voice, tide "sudsy" with a regular voice, sunlight "bubbles" with a hi squeaky voice} held from under a table with each jerked up and down while that character is speaking].

soapy      l- hey sudsy, you see that girl over there?
sudsy      r- what girl?
soapy      l- that one [point with box]
bubbles   h- yah, I see her
sudsy      r- who asked you, bubbles?
bubbles   h- well, what about her soapy?
soapy      l- see that stubborn stain she has?
sudsy      r- yah...
bubbles   h- yah, it's a pretty bad one
sudsy      r- who asked you?
soapy      l- think you could touch it, sudsy?
sudsy      r- nope
soapy      l- me neither
bubbles   h- that makes three of us
sudsy      r- who asked you?
bubbles   h- what is it anyways?
sudsy      r- looks like a mad stain from here
soapy      l- nope, looks like a hurt one
bubbles   h- looks like a selfish stain to me
sudsy      r- who asked you?
bubbles   h- well it does
sudsy      r- well none of us can get it out
bubbles   h- I know something that can
soapy      l- bubbles, nothing can get that stain out
sudsy      r- nothing, bubbles!
bubbles   h- love can...  God's love
                 it takes time
                 got to let it soak you know
                 but it works!
sudsy      r- bubbles might be right
soapy      l- yah, and it works for all kinds of stubborn stains
                 but only if you let it soak

Straw

[Required, plastic drinking straws, two raw potatoes.]

Ask a child to shove one of the straws through a potato.  [straw crumples]

Take another straw and grasp it with four fingers around the straw, thumb blocking one open end, and quickly thrust the straw completely through the potato.  [takes a bit of courage the first time; only works if thumb completely blocks the column of air inside the straw -- doesn't hurt the thumb]

It all depends whose hands the straw is in.

In life it all depends whose hands our lives are in.

...I can do all things in him who strengthens me.  [phi 4:13]

Chocolate bar

Do you like chocolate?  [hold up large bar of milk chocolate]

I like chocolate.

So I got this big bar of milk chocolate so we could all have a piece.  [confirming the children's facial expectations]

Before I give anyone a piece I want to taste it.  [break off piece and put in mouth]

Ummm, good.  [then reach into mouth, pull out piece of chocolate, and hold up]

Okay, who wants the first piece?  [reaction typically of disgust]

I thought you liked chocolate?  [put piece back in mouth]

Ummm, that's good chocolate.  [then reach into mouth, pull out piece of chocolate, and hold up]

Okay, who wants the first piece?  [pause...]

Jesus doesn't just want your life when you're finished with it.  He wants it now.

have sometimes added before the last line...

It's my chocolate bar isn't it?  [wait for response]

And I can do what I want with what's mine can't I?  [wait for response]

Well, I want to taste each piece before I share it.  [put piece back in mouth]

Ummm, that's good chocolate; don't know what the problem is  [then reach into mouth, pull out piece of chocolate, and hold up]

...who wants the first piece?  [pause...]

Spot on the wall

[Before service attach a brown paper spot to the sanctuary wall.]

See that spot on the wall?  [point to spot]

That's not a real spot, but there's a true story about a real spot that appeared on a church's plaster wall.

At first people simply painted over it with the same color as the wall to hide the spot, but in a short while the spot was there again.

Then they scraped the plaster, levelled the wall surface, and painted over where the spot was to hide it again.  This time it took longer, but with time the spot was there again.

The people didn't know what to do.  Finally one man said, "you need to dig out the plaster where the spot is to find out where the stain is coming from."

So they did...

It was buried in the plaster.

Seems whoever plastered that wall years before chewed tobacco and while they were mixing the plaster spit the tobacco into the trough and didn't bother to take it out, but plastered it into the wall.  And finally it soaked through.

Repairing the spot on the wall requiring removing what was causing it.

Something like our lives.

We can try to hide things that aren't right but hiding them doesn't work.

Jesus can help you take those things out of your life.  All you have to do is ask.

Tightrope walker

Over one hundred years ago people didn't have televisions or computers, entertainment was live.

There was a famous tightrope walker named Charles Blondin who crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope.  [ask, "do you know what a tightrope is?" and explain if necessary]

160 feet above the water he had walked across, pushed a wheelbarrow across...

On one occasion he asked a friend if he thought it possible for him to carry a man across on his back.  "Of course," the friend said.  "After what you have already accomplished, it should be no problem to cross the Falls with a man on your back."  Blondin nodded his agreement and then responded:

"Will you be that man?"

That man did not cross with Blondin.

Belief is not simply intellectual assertion -- it's entrusting your life to what or who you believe in.

Magic bag of nails

As a little guy used to play with my friends in a vacant lot down the street...

Like my small group of friends building a fort, four boys decided one day they wanted to make a tree fort.  They talked about it most of the day and that evening they went home looking for materials to build a fort with.

One boy's father gave him a bag of nails.  Seeing his son's disappointment with just a bag of nails the father said, "this isn't just an ordinary bag of nails, this is a magic bag of nails -- if you bring them every day, set them down and talk with your friends about the fort, this magic bag of nails will make the fort happen."

A magic bag of nails!

The boy was so excited he almost could not wait 'til morning.

The next morning he jumped out of bed, got dressed, had breakfast, brushed his teeth, grabbed the magic bag of nails, and went to tell his friends.

He set the magic bag of nails down, told his friends what his father had told him, and they talked and talked about the fort.

But the magic bag of nails didn't make the fort happen.

That night the boy expressed his disappointment to his father who told him to keep doing what he told him to do every day and the magic bag of nails would make the fort happen.

The next morning he jumped out of bed a little less enthusiastically, got dressed, had breakfast, brushed his teeth, grabbed the magic bag of nails, and went to see his friends.

This morning a friend brought an old rusty saw and some rope for a ladder.  They set the rusty saw, the rope for a ladder, and the magic bag of nails down and they talked and talked about the fort.  But the magic bag of nails didn't make the fort happen.

That night the boy told his father that he wasn't too sure about the magic bag of nails, but his father told to keep doing the same thing every day and the magic bag of nails would make the fort happen.

The next morning he got out of bed, got dressed, had breakfast, brushed his teeth, grabbed the magic bag of nails, and went to see his friends.

This morning another friend brought a hammer with one claw missing [ask, "do you know what a claw is?"].  They set the hammer with one claw missing, the rusty saw, the rope for a ladder, and the magic bag of nails down and they talked and talked about the fort.  But the magic bag of nails didn't make the fort happen.

The boy told his father that he didn't think the bag of nails was magic, but his father repeated to keep bringing it every day and the magic bag of nails would make the fort happen.

The next morning he almost did not get out of bed.  He got dressed, had breakfast, brushed his teeth, reluctantly took the magic bag of nails, and went to see his friends.

This morning the fourth friend came with a wagon load of boards.  They set the wagon load of boards, the hammer with one claw missing, the rusty saw, the rope for a ladder, and the magic bag of nails down and they talked and talked about the fort.  Then someone realized they had everything to make a tree fort!

The magic bag of nails had made the fort happen!

That night the boy told his father that the bag of nails was magic.

Do you think it really was a magic bag of nails?

Or was the magic if you share hope with others without doubting and bring what you have, yes, it can happen.

Valentine's day

[Requires folding red construction paper lengthwise and cutting the half-heart shape then cutting on the fold, and masking tape.]

How do you fix a broken heart?  [hold up two pieces of broken heart and listen to answers]

After the children have replied take a long piece of masking tape and join the two pieces at the fold... "but that might not be strong enough" so with a shorter length of masking tape cross the first length to make a cross.

"That's how you fix a broken heart."

Map

A three year old's father had just come home from work and wanted to read a magazine.

The three year old kept asking if they could go out and play, now.

Finally the father, noticing a map of the world in the magazine, tore it out, cut it into several pieces, and gave it to his son saying, "here's a puzzle and some tape; when you put it together we can go and play."

Three minutes later the three year old came back with the map of the world flawlessly pieced together.

The father was dumbfounded and asked, "how did you do that?"

His son was only three, how could he know how to put the pieces of the world back together.

The three year old replied, "it was easy daddy, there was a picture of a man on the other side and when I put the man back together the world came out okay."

Unfinished Kite

[Object, kite frame; good time is spring.]

I decided to make a kite; not one that you buy in a store, a real wood and paper kite with a tail.

I wanted this kite to be strong so looked for a long hardwood board to cut the cross pieces from, and after a long search finally found a long hardwood board with straight grain.

Then set up the table saw to cut narrow sticks to make a strong but light frame.

Some of them broke so had to do this a few times before I had two good sticks to make the cross.

Then cut the two sticks the right length and notched the ends for the string which went around the cross pieces, and tied the pieces in the shape of a cross in just the right place.

Now bow the shorter piece with string both to make the frame stronger and give it the best shape.

I finished by fitting string to the notches and tying it tight to give support to the paper covering.  [hold up kite frame]

Was that a lot of work!

So I took a break...

Seems like that break has been a long time now; a few years...

Never did finish that kite.

It wasn't meant to sit in my basement, but to be flown and enjoyed.

Have you started kites with Jesus Christ to be flown that were more work than you thought, and left in the basement of life?

Phone call from God

Hello

Who?

God!

Just calling to check how things are going?

Why I'm not in church today?

It's pretty bad out there...

It was worse yesterday when I went out?

Maybe you're right God

Maybe?

Oh..... right God!

How's my prayer life?

You're rather tired of hearing the same stuff all the time...

You want to know about me, what I feel and think and believe...

Am I reading my bible?

Do I know where my bible is...

I understand God

Do I mention you to my friends?

That isn't quite the way you intended God

Oh...

Try a bit harder eh

Do I praise you?

The time I caught my finger in the linen closet door

Not quite what you had in mind again eh

Well, thanks for calling God; call again...  bye

..... phew!

Ice cube

[Required, ice cube.]

Pass ice cube to child and ask that it be passed to every child.

Did you notice?

It gave a little bit of itself to each person it touched.

And did you notice when it reached the last child and they tried to hang onto it, it disappeared?

Like love it isn't something until you give it away, and it disappears if you try to keep it for yourself.

Bedtime ritual

A family had a bedtime ritual [does anyone know what a ritual is?  explain]

Every night before the youngest went to bed he would ask his father, "daddy, do you love me?" and the father would place his hands apart so far and say, "I love you this much", followed by the son asking, "is that all?", and the father holding his hands further apart, a hug, and the youngest running upstairs to bed.

This one night the family had company so when the youngest appeared the father, embarrassed to share the ritual, said, 'not tonight son, go upstairs to bed."

"Ahhh daddy, don't you love me?"

"Okay, I love you this much.  Now get upstairs, get your 'jamies on, and go to bed."  [placing hands eight inches apart]

"Ahhh daddy, is that all you love me?"

"Okay , I love you this much.  Now get upstairs, get your 'jamies on, and go to bed."  [placing hands fifteen inches apart; voice a bit more stern]

"Ahhh daddy, is that all you love me?"

"Okay, I love you this much.  Get upstairs, get your 'jamies on, and go to bed."  [placing hands two feet apart, voice very stern]

"Ahhh daddy, is that all you love me?"

At this point the father stretched his arms out as far as they could go.  "Okay, I love you this much.  I can't love you anymore."  [pleading voice, very embarrassed -- then surprised looking left to right at outstretched arms]

When you love somebody that much you crucify yourself...

Spirit

[Required, baseball cap, fine fishing line, ceiling hook/cross member/structural support bar; before story position baseball hat tied at top to fish line.]

Tell the children we have a guest today.  [at that point an assistant raises the baseball cap to about 10'; allow a few seconds as children notice]

"Who are you?"  [fish line is jerked as if guest wearing the cap is talking]

"The Holy Spirit!"  [fish line is jerked again as if talking]

Proceed with sharing a conversation relevant to the children's activity right then as if you were taking to someone on a phone and repeating to others what was said.  [alternatively assistant might use microphone]

[the baseball cap is lowered slowly]

"Well, thank you for visiting us."

"Remember the Holy Spirit is always present if you want to talk to him."

Rabbit/duck

[Required, line sketch of a rabbit/duck.]

I'm going to show everyone a picture.

First, I want every child on the right side of the church to close their eyes and the left side look at the picture.  [hold picture in portrait mode, then set it down]

I'm not a very good artist but does everyone know what they saw?  [wait for confirmation]

Second, I want every child on the left side of the church to close their eyes and the right side look at the picture.  [hold picture in landscape mode, then set it down]

Again, I'm not a very good artist but does everyone know what they saw?  [wait for confirmation]

Okay now, what did you see?  [motioning to left side, get response rabbit]

Now you're sure about that?  [get response]

And what did you see?  [motioning to right side, get response duck]

Now you're sure about that?  [get response]

Just a minute, we're going to do that again.

I want those on the right side of the church to close their eyes and the left side look at the picture.  [hold picture in portrait mode, then set it down]

I want those on the left side of the church to close their eyes and the right side look at the picture.  [hold picture in landscape mode, then set it down]

Okay now, what did you see?  [motioning to left side, get response rabbit]

And what did you see?  [motioning to right side, get response duck]

Just a minute, I showed you both the same picture.

What did you see?  [motioning to left side, get response rabbit]

And what did you see?  [motioning to right side, get response duck]

And you're all sure about that?  [get response]

How can that be if I showed you both the same picture?

See, I showed the left side [hold picture in portrait mode] and the right side [hold picture in landscape mode].  [typically laughter]

You see it really matters how we look at things, that we start with the same baseline.  [ask if anyone knows what a baseline is?  explain]

Sometimes we get into arguments with others, and it's not always that one is right and the other wrong; we just might be looking at the same thing in different ways...

Chick

A little girl was playing a different form of hide and seek with her friends -- rather than count to one hundred she was tied to a tree and had to get herself untied before she could look for her friends.

While she was tied a snake crawled up her pant leg.

She froze.

When she didn't come looking her friends came back.  Without moving she said, "go get dad", before they came too close.

When her father came she said anxiously, "daddy, a snake crawled up my pant leg."

Her father asked he to describe the snake -- it was a poisonous snake -- and told her not to move.

In a few minutes he was back with a chick and some string, asked where the snake was, and carefully opening the top of her pants lowered the chirping chick.

There was a quick jerk inside her pant leg as the snake struck the chick.

The chick was silent.

Her father said, "it's okay honey, the snake can't hurt you now" as it had used all its venom when it struck the chick.

The chick died so that the little girl could live.

Jesus Christ died on a cross for us so that everyone that believed could also live.

Scars

[Required, smooth softwood 2x4 6" long, nails {if possible grind four flats of the points to sharp edge}, hammer, large juice can, water.]

Show children the 2x4 block rubbing smooth surface.

Then take several nails and hammer them lightly into the block so that the flats of the points are just below the surface.  [show the block of wood]

If the wood could talk it would say, "that hurts."

Do you think we could ask Jesus to help us take the nails out?  [wait for responses; use a hammer to take the nails out and show the block of wood]

Okay, the nails are out but the wood is covered with scars.  [show the block of wood]

Do you think if we ask, Jesus could take the scars out?  [wait for responses; then place the block of wood in the juice can filled with enough water to submerse the block and place the hammer on top to keep the block submersed -- takes about a minute -- then remove the block and show it to the children]

The scars are gone!

Where every scar was there is a tiny cross.

If we ask Jesus can remove our sin, just like we removed the nails, and heal the scars that are left...

Moody

Story is told of a visit by the famous evangelist Dwight L. Moody.

In the conversation it was argued that one need not go the church to be a christian.

Moody said nothing, but as he listened took the poker and pulled a flaming coal from the fire out onto the hearth and watched as the coal slowly went out.

He then turned and looked at the man without saying anything.

After a long pause the man said, "Mr. Moody, you have made your point!"

Washing elephant

[Mime, nothing required.]

Ask the children to figure out what you are doing...

[Start by setting down an imaginary bucket full of soapy water and an imaginary scrub brush beside an imaginary elephant.]

[significant actions
 when washing legs motion/tell the elephant to lift its foot so you wash the underside; repeat later with other three feet
 when washing ears wash one side then turn to other side like opening a door and wash that side; repeat a minute later with other ear
 when washing trunk hold the end of trunk and go up and down with long sweeping motions
 when washing tail make a face because of the smell
 wash the belly {low} and the back {high}
 finally throw the contents of the bucket on the elephant and walk away carrying the bucket]

Figured out what I was doing?  [most will figure that you are washing something]

Washing and elephant.  [unless child has figured it out]

Often that's the way it is in life.

Others know that you believe something, but unless you tell them what you believe they won't figure it out for themselves...

Decision

When I was seven years old I was one of the big three [does anyone knows what that means?  explain] of a gang of thirty kids.

We weren't a bad gang but we didn't always tell our moms everything we did each day.

This one morning I had walked half a block from where I lived and stopped in front of Bob McClure's house.

Bob McClure was a year older than me, the smallest one of the gang, but he was the leader of the gang because he was the best scrapper.

I was one of the big three because I was the chief comic.  I knew more dirty words and more dirty jokes than anyone else in the gang.

I started asking myself questions...

"Don Anderson, do you go to sunday school?"

"Yes."  Back then just about every kid in the protestant churches went to sunday school.

"Don Anderson, do you believe what they teach you in sunday school?"

"Yes."

"Don Anderson, do you live what they teach you in sunday school?"

"Are you out of your tree!"

"If I lived what they taught me in sunday school I wouldn't be one of the big three."

"I would become a tag along, a make-up when they picked teams.  I would be called a 'browner' or 'twinkle toes'."

And then I thought, that's funny you believe one thing and live a different way.  Either you're going to have to change what you believe to fit the way that you live, or change the way that you live to fit what you believe.

Even as a seven year old it seemed rather backwards to change what you believe to fit the way that you live.

But if I change the way that I live to fit what I believe I wouldn't be one of the big three any more.

That day I decided to change the way that I lived to fit what I believed.

And almost immediately I became a tag alone, a make-up when they picked teams...

There was a lot I didn't understand -- I remember thinking Jesus was a good man; when I grow up I'm going to find out what church Jesus went to and go to that church 'cause he would know which was the right one -- but it was the start of the most important journey of my life.

Fight

I used to be part of cubs.

Even in the winter we all would walk to cubs in our short cub pants.

This one winter my best friend Billy Fabro, myself, and a younger cub were walking home at night after cubs and Billy decided he was going to push the younger cub into the snow bank.

I protested that it was a long way home and the melting snow on bare legs with the cold and wind would be painful.

Billy objected and took a swing at me with his fist, and missed.

I punched him straight in the face.

Well the younger cub wasn't pushed in the snow bank, but Billy really hurt, and we all went our separate ways.

Every morning I used to stop at Billy's house so we could walk together on the way to school, but not the next morning.

I didn't think he would want to be my friend after punching him in the face.

And the next morning I walked to school a different way again.

The third morning I was really missing him and decided to knock on his door.  The worse he could do was tell me to get lost.

His mother met me at the door with, "we were hoping that you would come back" and without either of us saying much besides being sorry we were walking to school together again, friends.

If I had never gone back and knocked on his door...

Pump in the desert

[Requires, glass jar with lid; before story hide the jar close to where story will be told.]

I am going to tell you the story about a man who was walking in the desert.

I will become the man in the story and sometimes I'm going to raise my voice, even yell, so don't be frightened.

Oh, there's one more important piece of information before I start -- the man has used up all his water.

"Phew... it's so hot."  [take off suit coat and throw it over your shoulder]

"And I'm dusty, and itchy, and thirsty.  I'm so thirsty.  I've used up all my water."

"Why did I ever come out here anyways?"

"If I don't find water I'm going to die."

"I don't want to die."  [with anxiety]

"They tell me there's a pump in this desert; beside a tree, the only tree in this desert."

"If I don't find that pump I'm going to die."

"Twice I thought I saw the tree and I ran and I ran... it was only a mirage."  [does anyone knows what a mirage is?  explain]

"If I don't find that pump I'm going to die."  [walk a few seconds]

"The, the tree!"  [point, wipe eyes and look again, start running towards the tree; when you get there look hastily for the pump and start frantically pumping up and down with your whole body until slumping exhausted]

"There's no water in the pump!  There's no water!  [yelling; hit the floor with your hand]

"There's no water in the pump!  I'm going to die!  I don't want to die!  [desperation, slumping down beside the pump; then pointing with trembling finger at a note scratched into the iron casting of the pump]

BEHIND YOU UNDER A ROCK THERE'S A JAR OF WATER  [read the note to the children, then frantically look several places for the jar until you find it and start opening the lid, then stop, on the lid of the jar is another note to read to the children]

FRIEND THERE'S ENOUGH WATER IN THIS JAR TO PRIME THE PUMP
THE LEATHER'S GOOD CHANGED IT THIS SPRING
USE ALL THE WATER DON'T TAKE A DRINK
AND FRIEND LEAVE A JAR FOR THE NEXT PERSON

"I'm so thirsty."  [unscrew the lid, gasping for water; go to different children {and adults} asking]

"Can I have a drink?  Just a little drink?"  [be prepared for someone who will forget and say 'yes'; after the first 'no' go to two more persons]

"Please sir, can I have a drink?"  [pleading]

"Oh ma'am, you're a kind and understanding person.  Can I have a drink??"

"Oh those christians!"  [disgusted with repeated no's]

As he stood there holding the open jar of water with a shaky hand the man realized three things...

He realized how thirty he was; he could almost taste the water.

He realized how afraid he was; without water he would never make it out of the desert alive.

And most of all he realized that there wasn't enough water in the jar to make it out of the desert.  [sigh deeply; then kneel and with trembling left hand start priming the pump while pumping with the other hand, then pause briefly]

"Please sir, can I have a drink?  Just a little drink?"  [pleading, then resume priming and when the jar is empty stand up and methodically pump up and down with your whole body]

"There's no water in the pump.  There's no water.  I'm going to die.  I don't want to die!"  [almost wailing, pumping up and down with a jerking motion]

"Did you hear that?  There's a sound!  There's water!  There's water in the pump!"  [continue pumping for a few seconds then grab the jar with your left hand while pumping with you right hand and fill the jar with water]

The man gulped down the water then filled the jar a second time and poured it over his head...

"Aaaa...

The man drank all he could, filled his water bags, and last of all he filled the jar, screwed the lid on tight, and put it back under the rock.

Some people have said, "That was cruel.  Why put the man through that?  Why not leave enough water under the rock to get out of the desert?'

"Anyone know why?"  [wait for responses]

"'Cause only one person would get out of the desert alive -- he would take all the water leaving nothing."

"What did the man want?"  [wait for responses, most people will say 'water']

"No.  The man wanted to get out of the desert alive.  Water was only a means...

The story is about us too.

Right when we think we have what we want we realize that it isn't enough; we need to let go, prime the pump, else we won't make this journey to its end...

Life saving station

Story is told of a life saving station on the coast of England.

Every storm its members would come, light the beacon, search the darkness for any sign of a ship in distress.

And should there be a ship in distress man the boats, risking their very lives to save others.

After time a newspaper heard of the life saving station and published an article about its work with several persons of similar intent joining.

Very soon the life saving station had to be enlarged and renovated to accommodate the many volunteers.

As much of the time was spent waiting should there be a ship in distress different activities were started for something to do.

Time came when the watch cried, "ship in distress!", and the faithful manned the boats while others stayed within the comforts of life saving station.

When the boats returned with the few cold and exhausted survivors, those who stayed behind refused to allow them to use the new showers but insisted that the make-shift showers of the original life saving station be used, with the result that the faithful build a new life saving station just down the coast.

The dedication of the faithful was again published with several persons of similar intent joining.

The story would repeat itself many times, and today if you go to that part of the coast of England you will find many exclusive clubs and at the very end of them an active life saving station.

One might ask of the church, "Is it a club that has forgotten its purpose?  Or is it still an active life saving station?"

Light

[Requires, trouble light.]

A friend of mine was working with someone else in the crawl space under a house.

His partner, also a christian, kept talking about what my friend had to do as a christian until finally my friend had had enough.

He took the trouble light that was being used to see in the crawl space and thrust it into his partner's face...

"See!  See the light!  Frankly I find it much more useful this way."  [holding it at his shoulder facing what they were working on]

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  [joh 8:12]

Indian thanksgiving

Some of the aboriginal peoples of our country had four things that they would do at thanksgiving...

First, they would have three days fast.

Second, they would clean up the village.

Third, they would take medicine to make them good people.

Fourth, they would forgive others in the village.

It was that fourth action that pleased God the most.

"To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."  [pro 21:3]

Cellophane

[Requires, piece of cellophane, pin or needle.]

Fold a piece of cellophane and ask some of the children to tear it on the fold.  [this one you might even pas to one of the men, even a strong people will not be able to tear it]

[then put a tiny hole right at the fold]

Ask a child to tear it at the tiny hole.  [it should tear easily unless they missed the hole]

That's something like sin.

It may not seem like very much, but it is a weak place that breaks our life just like that tiny hole...

Charlie pane

[Requires, pane of glass, grease, rag.]

Show children window pane with grease smeared on it -- can't see through it until you wipe away the grease.

The grease is like sin until Jesus forgives us and wipes it from our lives.

Lense

[Required, large magnifying glass/lense and 8½" x 11" sheet of paper.]

There's a picture on this sheet of paper.  [show apparently blank sheet of paper to the children, who question if there is a picture]

No, really.  There's a picture on this sheet of paper.  [show it to others, who respond with the same question]

You don't see the picture, then maybe this can help.  [bring window or ceiling light into focus on the paper; maybe have someone wave their hand between the window and the paper...]

The same light was there, just that it wasn't focused so we could recognize anything.

In the same way God is present even though we don't see him.

Belief is a lense which allows God to work in our lives.

"For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."  [heb 11:6b]

Leap of faith

A little girl was walking around the basement of a house being built.

The main floor covered the open hole of the basement except for one place where there would later be stairs into the basement.  The little girl stopped there and peered into the blackness of the basement unable to see anything because of the bright sun outside.

A voice in the basement said, "it's okay honey, jump."

Without hesitation the little girl jumped into the blackness.

It was her father's voice and if daddy said it was okay it was okay!

God has a purpose for our lives if we but believe.

To have the faith of a little child...

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."  [jer29:11]

Fragile and strong

[Required, kleenex/tissue and small stick {popsicle stick}; or can do same story as proverb of the oak and the reed using a drinking straw.]

Which is stronger, the tissue or the stick?  [listen to the answers/rationale from the children]

It really depends upon the situation.

With that give the tissue a glancing blow with your hand several times and observe that it bounces back each time, then do the same thing with the small stick breaking it...

Sometimes strength is not what we think it to be.

Strength has more to do with having the faith to continue on despite the obstacles than being physically strong.

"Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."  [pro 23:18]

Magic

[Required, cloth, stick, and small object {stone}.]

Do you like Magic?  [wait for responses]

Would you like to do some magic here?  [wait for responses]

How 'bout we change this stone into gold.  That would be worth a lot of money, right?  [wait for responses, then cover stone with cloth]

Okay now, on the count of three we're all going to say the magic words, "a la peanut butter sandwiches" and then tap the stone with this stick.

Are you ready?

"a la peanut butter sandwiches."  [have children join in the magic words and one of them tap stone with stick, then whip off the cloth]

Huh; didn't work.  Well, once again.  [replace cloth]

"a la peanut butter sandwiches."  [have children join in the magic words and one of them tap stone with stick, then whip off the cloth]

[sigh, shake head left to right repetitively]

You know, there's no such thing as that kind of magic but often that's what we try to do with our prayers -- asking God to change things to the way we want them to be.

But there is another kind of magic that works.

Rather than asking God to change things to the way we want them to be, asking God to change us...

Church organ

The little organ used to live in a store showroom.

It had never heard about Jesus Christ until it was purchased by a church, and listened...

One sunday it all became personal when the little organ invited Jesus Christ to come into its keyboards, [there was more to the little organ than keyboards but it started there].

The little organ started to play beautiful music its keys going down and up by themselves but at the wrong times, like when the minister was speaking or people were praying.

The church people were very upset and asked someone from the store where the little organ was purchased to look at it.

But the little organ still kept "acting up" and usually at the wrong times.

The church people had a meeting to decide what to do with the little organ, and just as they were about to have someone from the store come and change everything inside the little organ, it turned itself on and started to play beautiful music.

One old man was the first to realize...

Stop! he said.

Don't touch the little organ.

Give it time and a safe place to understand what has happened to it while it remains with us.

And then maybe one day it can share with us what has changed its life to make such beautiful music.

Church that kept growing smaller

The people in the church were very worried.

Their church, which was a very big building, was growing smaller.

At first it wasn't a problem because it was only a little bit smaller.

But growing, which usually means getting bigger, kept getting smaller.

When Mrs. Abernathy, who was a very big lady [motion with hands?] could not get through the front door that made people very worried.

But the church kept growing smaller.

Very soon only a few people were able to get into the church.

But the church kept growing smaller.

Finally the minister, who was a very small man, could not get inside -- the church had grown so small.

The people decided it was time to get the help of an expert [ask if anyone knows what an expert is?  explain] who knew a lot about churches and why they grew bigger or smaller.

When the expert arrived the people were ready with reasons why they thought the church was growing smaller.

The first person said it was all the minister's fault -- his sermons were, well..., and the church was getting even with us for tolerating such a minister by growing smaller.

The second said it was all the organist's fault -- she played too fast or too slow and sometimes no one knew the tune, and the church was getting even with us for tolerating such an organist by growing smaller.

The third person said it was all Mrs. Hazel's fault -- she was such a gossip and a busybody, and the church was getting even with us for tolerating such a gossip by growing smaller.

When the expert had examined everything he told everyone...

Yes, the minister's sermons were, well.., and sometimes the music wasn't the way people wanted it, and, well, there was more than one gossip...

But the church isn't the building; it's the people!

And what it needed was for the people to give themselves and their differences back to God, to forgive each other, and to support each other...

Little church that builds itself

[Required, book, small church made with collapsible hinged cardboard sides roof joined with elastic band and hinged cardboard front and back pieces attached to roof with short string glued to front/back and centre of roof, such that when a book holding the cardboard church flattened is removed the collapsed sides/roof pop up with the elastic band and the hinged front and back pieces pull inside first to stop sides/roof at church shape.]

Do you believe I have a little church under this book that builds itself?  [wait for responses]

I do...  [with that quickly pull off book holding the collapsed cardboard church down so the elastic can snap the pieces into shape]

It would be nice if it was that simple to build a church.  But a church isn't cardboard and elastic, it isn't bricks and wood.

A church is people working together to worship, support, and share their faith with others...

Candles

[Required, three candles of different lengths.]

Which candle is the oldest?  [show very short candle, medium length candle, and long candle to children; listen to their answers]

Children aren't as tall as older people so we associate height with age, but not so with candles.

The shortest candle is the oldest because it has already spent most of its life burning.

The longest or tallest candle is the youngest because it has the most time left to burn.

Similarly, while you aren't the tallest people here, you have the most time left to live for Jesus.

'Tator family

[Required, four potatoes, some wire to make spectacles with, some crepe paper to make hats for the women 'tators, and a paper bag folded down to just higher than the potatoes; before telling the story need to carve faces in the potatoes:
Mr. Dick 'Tator with a tight straight mouth
Mrs. Agi 'Tator with the biggest mouth and crepe paper hat
Mr. Spec 'Tator with big eyes, the smallest mouth, and spectacles
Mrs. Hesi 'Tator plain with a crepe paper hat
crucial that you store the carved 'tators submersed in water as otherwise the potatoes quickly dry and wizen]

Do you believe that I have a family in this paper bag?  [get responses]

I do, and I'm going to introduce you to four members of the 'tator family.

The first member is Mr. Dick 'Tator.  [take Mr. Dick 'Tator out of the paper bag and show him to the children]

Mr. Dick 'Tator has a very tight mouth.  He's used to getting his own way and if not he just makes that mouth tighter and insists that things happen his way;

"My way!" [stamping his foot], what's called a dictator.

He's always been that way and he always will be 'cause he's a 'tator and 'tators can't change.  [put Mr. Dick 'Tator back in the bag]

The second member of the 'tator family is Mrs. Agi 'Tator.  [take Mrs. Agi 'Tator out of the paper bag and show her to the children]

How many of your moms have a washing machine?  That thing inside that turns around is called an agitator.

Mrs. Agi 'Tator has the biggest mouth of the entire 'tator family.  What do you think she does with her mouth?  [one child answered "she does her laundry in it"; had to wait a while for the congregation to quiet down]

She goes around telling stories; doesn't matter whether the stories are true or not, she just likes to get things all frothed up; what's called an agitator.

"Pssst, did you hear about Mr. Sams; pssst, pssst..."  "Pssst, did you hear about Mrs. [start to use name of someone in congregation then stop abruptly and say "oops"]"

She's always been that way and she always will be 'cause she's a 'tator and 'tators can't...  [wait for children to add the word 'change' then put Mrs. Agi 'Tator back in the bag]

The third member of the 'tator family is Mr. Spec 'Tator.  [take Mr. Spec 'Tator out of the paper bag and show him to the children]

Mr. Spec 'Tator doesn't have a big mouth; in fact he has the smallest mouth of the entire 'tator family.

He has big eyes though.  And just to make sure he doesn't miss anything he got a pair of spectacles.  [if you wear glasses take them off and act embarrassed, then put them on]  He knows everything that's going on; but if you wanted to know something don't ask Mr. Spec 'Tator 'cause he won't tell you.  He doesn't say anything.

He's always been that way and he always will be 'cause he's a 'tator and 'tators can't...  [wait for children to add the word change' then put Mr. Spec 'Tator back in the bag]

The fourth member of the 'tator family is Mrs. Hesi 'Tator.  [take Mrs. Hesi 'Tator out of the paper bag and show her to the children]

Mrs. Hesi 'Tator isn't like the other 'tators.  She doesn't have the smallest mouth or the biggest mouth.  She doesn't demand to have things her way.  She doesn't go around telling stories about other people.  She doesn't wear glasses.

You know, three years ago she almost joined the women's group; but, maybe next month...

She's a hesitator.

She's always been that way and she always will be 'cause she's a 'tator and 'tators can't...  [wait for children to add the word 'change' then put Mrs. Hesi 'Tator back in the bag]

You know every time I carve the 'tator family I realize that there is a bit of each 'tator in me.

I do like getting my way.

And, yes, sometimes I've said things that were better left unsaid.

I do wear gasses.

And maybe most of all I'm like Mrs. Hesi 'Tator.

All of them are 'tators; they've always been that way and they always will be 'cause they're 'tator and 'tators can't...  [wait for children to add the word 'change']

But there's one big difference...

I'm not a 'tator; I can...  [wait for children to add the word 'change']

Flashlight

[Required, battery flashlight and several rags with words like "fear", "envy", "hate", "jealousy", "greed", "selfishness"... written on them replacing the batteries.]

I want to show you my new flashlight, it really something else.  [shine flashlight towards children noticing the looks on their faces when it doesn't work]

What's the problem?  I think it's a really neat flashlight.

What do you mean, it doesn't work?  [shine flashlight at yourself]

That's funny, it worked the other day...  [take off end and start pulling out the rags, one at a time]

What this?  [hold up each rag and let the children read what's on them; when all the rags are out except the last one put the batteries back in and the end back on]

Now, what do you think of my flashlight?  [shine flashlight towards children noticing the looks on their faces when it doesn't work]

Still not working?  [shine flashlight at yourself; then take off end, pull out the last little rag showing it to children, and put the batteries back in]

How's that?  [shine flashlight towards children]

Even a little rag could kept my flashlight from working.

And those little words can do the same in us...

Feather pillow

[Required, feather pillow.]

This woman was a notorious gossip.  [ask if anyone knows what the words notorious or gossip mean?]

She was so bad that the townsfolk finally took her before a judge in court.

The evidence was given.

The judge found her guilty and passed sentence; a feather pillow that she was to take outside the courtroom and shake out until not one feather was left, then return with the pillowcase to the courtroom.

The woman went outside and did as sentenced, brought the pillowcase back to the courtroom smiling while she showed the judge it was completely empty, and then turned to leave.

The judge stopped her with, "your sentence isn't finished" for which she protested that there wasn't a single feather left in the pillowcase.

The judge said, "I know, but the second part of your sentence is to now go out and put all the feathers back into the pillowcase."

"But that's impossible!

"It was windy outside.

"Who knows where the feathers have gone?"

The judge replied, "the same with your gossip."

Pardon

The Czar [do you know what a Czar is?  explain if necessary] had found fault with a courtier [do you know what a courtier is?  explain if necessary] and ordered

PARDON  IMPOSSIBLE
TO  BE  SENT  TO  SIBERIA

Knowing that this courtier was a favorite of the Queen he allowed her to attach a personal note for the courtier to his order, but not to change what he had written.

The Queen's personal note was a period

PARDON. IMPOSSIBLE
TO  BE  SENT  TO  SIBERIA

Jesus does not change the order; rather he forgives us so that it might never happen.

Tie a person with string

[Requires ball of light string.]

Can you tie a person up with string?

Nah...  Can't tie a person up with string.  [ask child to tie your wrists with one loop of string]

See...  You can't tie a person up with string.  [breaking string; ask another child to tie your wrists with two loops... then five loops]

You can't tie a person up with string.  [laugh, breaking string; then ask another child to tie your wrists with twenty loops]

You can't tie a person up with string.  [laugh, then try unsuccessfully several times to break the string {it will be hard on your wrists}]

You can tie a person up with string!  [ask child to untie you]

You know, that's like sin.

Sometimes we laugh thinking that it's just something little and we know what we are doing, but with time the little things overpower us...

The bible says, "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  [1jo 1:9; explain what that means]

Vertigo

[Requires blindfold and if possible good swivel chair, otherwise a circle of people to spin standing person.]

Explain that we balance with tiny balls in semi-circular canals inside our ear, but that these balls have inertia [does anyone know what inertia is?  explain] and can be fooled if a person is moving.

What we need is a volunteer to be blindfolded and sit cross legged in chair / stand with head erect.  We will spin you around asking how fast and in what direction you are spinning; then stop the chair / spinning, take off the blindfold, then you are to immediately walk down the aisle and touch the door handle at the back of the church.  [try to maintain a constant speed of rotation]

While spinning the person you ask how fast and in what direction they are moving.  If done correctly they will say they are going slower and slower and stopped; when you slow the rotation the will say they are rotating in the opposite direction faster and faster, and finally very fast when the chair is stopped.  Whip the blindfold off and watch as they stumble down the aisle.  [you might need to intervene so they aren't hurt]

Ask them how it felt...

Nausea doesn't happen from spinning; rather it happens only after you take the blindfold off.  Two senses that you trust implicitly are then telling the brain contradictory information.  The tiny balls for your balance are still spinning with inertia telling your brain that you are spinning very fast in the opposite direction.  Your eyes are telling your brain that you are standing still.  Your brain knows something is wrong and interprets it as lack of oxygen so scavenges for more oxygen with your stomach as the first place.  If you have recently eaten the stomach refuses because it has work to do -- the brain responds by getting rid of the work to do...

There is more happening here.

Once you understand what's happening there is a decision to be made, which sense are you going to believe.

Pilots with instrument training know it as vertigo, loss of spacial perception, requiring that you decide what you are going to believe and not be distracted from that.

In this instance, a deliberate conscious decision to walk only with your eyes.

Most of us know it as faith...

Man touring Spain

A man touring Spain heard of an estate where the owner had not returned for forty years but the grounds were kept immaculately.  [does anyone know what immaculately means?  explain]

He wanted to see the estate so inquired to get directions, rented a car, and drove there.  The last turn was onto a narrow road through the forest that seemed to take forever, and then he was there.

The trees gave way to the mansion and grounds -- they were indescribable!

He stopped the car just after the trees, got out and walked taken in by the beauty around him...

It was more than he imagined.

Finally, off in the distance he saw a man leaning over part of the gardens.  He walked up behind him and stood silently with wonder until the man turned around.

"You must be the gardener."

"That is correct."

"You keep everything so beautiful.  I've heard that the owner of this place has not been back for forty years."

"That is correct."

"You keep it like he's coming back tomorrow."

"No...  Today."

"Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."  [mat 24:42]

Bleach

[Required, two medicine bottles with eye dropper, water mixed with red food coloring in one and bleach in the other, communion glass, water.]

Let's try an experiment.  [partly fill the communion glass with water]

The water in this glass represents us.  [hold up communion glass]

Now I'm going to put in something I call sin.  [put a few drops of water mixed with red food coloring into water]

Notice how even when it was only a few drops sin has changed the color of the water.  [hold up communion glass]

Do you think Jesus could take that sin away?  [wait for responses]

The bible says "the blood of Jesus...cleanses us from all sin."  [1jo 1:7b]

I'm going to add just one drop to illustrate what the blood of Jesus does to our sin.  [add one drop of bleach to the water and wait]

At first it looks like nothing is happening, but then the water starts to clear and finally the sin is gone.  [after water starts to clear gently shake the communion glass to mix the bleach]

That's the same as what Jesus can do in our lives if we ask him to come in and forgive our sin.

"...though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow"  [isa 1:18]

Electromagnet

[Required, electromagnet, either engine valve with retainer or steel pull-off attached to chain.]

Do you believe in something you can't see, can't hear, can't smell, can't touch, and can't taste?  [wait for responses]

Do you believe that something you can't see, can't hear, can't smell, can't touch, and can't taste is powerful enough to overpower a person?  [wait for responses]

Do you think I could show you that right here?  [wait for responses]

I brought a powerful electromagnet.  [show and let children touch electromagnet; show how the steel pull-off can be easily removed from the electromagnet until it is energized letting the steel pull-off loudly snap onto electromagnet]

I can't see, hear, smell, touch, or taste the magnetism but it's there.  [go though see, hear, smell, touch, finally licking the surface of the electromagnet]

I need two volunteers to demonstrate this.  [get two children to help, one holds the electromagnet and the other pulls the chain attached to steel pull-off {alternatively with engine valve retainer held between fingers so as to only pull and not to lever off sideways}]

Now put the steel pull-off onto the electromagnet without it energized -- see how easy it is to remove?

I need to help you with this so you don't pinch your fingers.  [energize electromagnet and let the steel pull-off loudly snap onto it]

Okay, now pull it apart.  [let the children struggle for several seconds]

Okay, pull lightly while I turn the electromagnet off.  [steel pull-off falls away from electromagnet]

Just because we don't see, hear, smell, touch, or taste something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

A friend told me of a conversation with her cousin who said, "I don't believe in anything I haven't seen, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted; to which she replied, "have you ever seen, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted your brain?"  Nor would he want to...

God is present and working in all of his creation.

Belief is a catalyst [that's a big word, anyone knows what it means?  explain "something that's required for an event to happen though it itself is not part of that event happening"] that allows God to work in our lives, where we respond in belief and God does not disappoint us.

Pinocchio

[Required, marionette puppet.]

I brought a real marionette puppet.  {show children marionette puppet; make it walk, wave it's hand, bow]

Does anyone remember the story of Pinocchio?  [wait for responses]

There are "The adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi and the different but more familiar production "Pinocchio" that many of us have seen.

In the story I'm familiar with the woodworker Geppetto wants a son so carves a wooden puppet and names it Pinocchio.

The blue fairy brings Pinocchio to life, not needing strings to make him walk, and tells him that he can become a real boy if he proves himself to be "brave, truthful, and unselfish".

You remember how his nose grew longer if he told a lie?

And how Pinocchio ran away with other boys to join the circus and was forced by the puppet master to perform with the other marionette puppets?

And Geppetto, searching for his son, was ship wrecked and swallowed by a whale.

Pinocchio escapes the circus, but is swallowed by the same whale where he and Geppetto are finally together again.

When they build a fire the whale sneezes them out.

Back at Geppetto's house the blue fairy returns and changes Pinocchio into a real boy.

Pinocchio is not unlike our story where we are created, tempted to get what we want, even run away.

And all through our story God is chasing after us, to find us, and dies on a cross for us so that we too can become real people...

Sleeping church

A congregation got together to consider a serious problem in their church...

People were... well... they weren't really going to sleep but it wasn't much different.

They were just there.

One man suggested bringing in an alarm clock -- maybe that would wake people up.

The others said no...

One woman suggested banging on a large pot with a spoon.

Again no...

One little girl said, "maybe if someone dropped the offering plate full of money."

And the congregation agreed; that could definitely wake up a sleeping church.

The simplicity with which a little child sees things...

[p.s.  other similar story starters children can identify with
rubber boots and the soaker hole
a broken shoe lace... when we are not ready for it
the clothes line controversy between clothes pegs
a broken plate]

Repent

A minister met three girls sitting on a fence.

He asked if they knew what the word "repent" means.

The first girl answered, "it means being sorry."

The second girl answered, "it means being sorry enough to cry."

The third girl answered, "it means being sorry enough to quit."

Sorry enough to quit...

Balloon

[Required, balloon.]

A boy used to tell lies.

He figured telling little lies didn't hurt anyone, didn't hurt himself.

But each little lie was like blowing a bit more into a balloon.  [blow a small amount of air into balloon]

A man who worked in a prison once told me, "you know why I tell the truth... because I have a poor memory."

When you tell lies you have to remember everything that could have been part of what you said.

Each time you blow into the balloon it gets a little bigger and... and each time there's more to remember.  [repetitively blow small amounts of air into the balloon]

And so you keep lying because you have to cover for the other lies.  [blow another small amount of air into balloon; notice the children's faces as they prepare themselves for what's going to happen]

Then...  [the balloon breaks with a loud bang; children will probably laugh]

You've been found out.

And not just for one little lie...

"Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?"  [jer 23:24a]

Cake

Ummm, did it smell good.

Adele walked into the kitchen.

Her mother had just finished baking and icing a big chocolate cake, and now she was cutting it into several small slices for later that day.

"Now don't touch the cake, it's for supper."

Ummm, that cake smelled so good...

Adele wondered how she could have a piece without her mother knowing.

And then she realized ...there were so many small slices if she carefully took one slice out and moved all the other slices around no one would notice, not even her mother.

Brilliant idea!

Later that day her mother said crossly, "Adele, you had some of the cake."

Adele shook her head as if she hadn't but her mother confronted her again with, "yes, you did."

How did her mother know?  [wait for responses; Adele had forgotten to wipe off the chocolate icing around her mouth]

"...be sure your sin will find you out."  [num 32:23b]

Chocolate bar

[Required, chocolate bar left outside front entrance to sanctuary.]

I left a chocolate bar at the front entrance.

Now there's a few considerations before you go to get it...

Would if it isn't true?

You would look rather foolish coming back without a chocolate bar.

...but it is true.

It's just not something you do, getting up in the middle of the church service.

...but this time it's okay.

Up until this point we have had a relationship of trust and hopefully I haven't let you down...

...but what if it is true; he said it is and it is okay to go get it.  [the children now have a dilemma, rather to risk being foolish or to believe there is a chocolate bar; typically one child will look and come back beaming with the chocolate bar]

Believing in God is something like that; being prepared to take him at his word when everyone else is hesitant, and discovering that he is faithful.

"For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."  [heb 11:6b]

Shovelling snow

[Required, snow shovel.]

Have you ever shovelled snow?

I don't mean just after a little snowfall, but really deep drifted snow.

Often you don't even know where a sidewalk is it's so filled with snow.

So you start by lining up with the front door and shovel out at the road, looking for the beginning of the sidewalk.

And when you have found the beginning of the sidewalk then you shovel towards the front door.

This is about a little boy shovelling snow.

After the snow storm he lined up with the front door, found the beginning of the sidewalk, and kept shovelling.

When he got to the house he said, "oh, oh!"

Why did he say "oh, oh!"?  [wait for the children's responses; an adult in one church said, "wrong house!"]

He was so intent on shovelling he had forgotten to keep looking where the door was and missed it by several feet.  [did that once, only once because you don't do it again after the first time]

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."  [heb 12:2a  niv]

Battery

[Required, either actual warped battery pack or picture.]

Any idea what this is a picture of?

All the sides used to be straight, surfaces flat.  [pass picture and wait a full minute for responses {or actual internally shorted/warped battery pack}]

That's what a computer battery pack looks like when it shorts internally and dumps all its energy on itself... warped and twisted.

We usually don't think of it this way but the same thing happens to us if we spend our time and possessions just on ourselves.

It warps and twists us just like this battery when it dumped all its energy on itself.

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  [mat 10:39  niv]

Mirror

Have you ever written anything on a steamed up mirror in the bathroom and then noticed later that what you wrote wasn't there anymore?

At least, until someone showered and steamed up the mirror again, or if you breathe on the mirror.

Everything that wasn't there was looking right back at you.

It never went away.

The only thing that will take it away is if you wipe the mirror clean.

Something the same with us doing things that maybe no one else sees.

They never go away inside until we ask Jesus Christ to wipe them clean, just like we wiped the mirror clean.

"The sins of some men are conspicuous, pointing to judgment, but the sins of others appear later."  [1ti 5:24]

Soap

[Required, bar of soap.]

In our house we have something called dry cleaning.

Do you know what dry cleaning is?  [wait for responses]

In our house before every meal mom would tell the boys to wash their hands.  [hold up bar of soap]

Off they would go...

And return with dry hands!

That's why we called it dry cleaning, because they never used soap and water.  [hold up bar of soap]

Now dry cleaning doesn't exactly work...

They would argue that they had washed their hands yesterday, but that kind of argument doesn't cut it with moms; you've probably already found that out.

Soap and water is something that only does its job if we use it regularly.

Something like walking with Jesus and asking him to keep us clean...

"...the blood of Jesus...cleanses us from all sin."  [1jo 1:7b]

Jar

[Required, jar partially filled with nuts, bolts, screws...]

I have this jar where I keep odd nuts and bolts left over from junked stuff...  [hold up jar]

It has never failed me whenever I needed a bolt or screw with just the right thread, or size, or head; until recently.

I poured it out on the workbench,

sorted through everything,

couldn't find what was needed...

it let me down!

The first time my odd nuts and bolts jar has ever let me down.

Anyone know why it let me down?  [wait for answer(s)]

"Because you've been taking out but you haven't been putting in."  [Deane Gagnon's answer]

Something like life...

We look to our faith in the tough times and it lets us down if we've just been taking out without putting in.

"...they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength"  [isa 40:31a]

Sailboat

[Object, small sailboat w/stick mast and paper sail.]

As a little guy lived not far from Lake St Louis below Montreal island.

I used to make sailboats and sail them at the lake; so much of this story could have been me...  [hold up small sailboat with stick mast and paper sail]

This little boy, like me, made sailboats and took them to the lake to sail.

Like me, he would tie a string to the boat so it could be pulled back to shore if the wind changed and was blowing it further out.

This was a very special boat.

He had worked many hours making it with bow sprite, rudder, keel with ballast, masts with real cloth sails, and rigging... the best one ever.

He would tie the string to it, set the rudder and sails, and watch with pride as it arced out and came back again; each time setting it to go further and further.

The wind had been constant without change so he decided to take the string off and set the rudder and sails to arc out even further.

It sailed so beautifully.

And then the wind changed and blew the little boat out further and further...

Like me he threw stones at his little boat.

He didn't want to but he needed to hit the sails to knock it over so it would drift back to shore.

And finally it was to far to reach with stones.

He just watched it sail further and further away until it got caught and dragged by the current.

He watched until the tiny speck of its sails disappeared on the horizon.

The next days he walked the shoreline for miles, just like I did, looking for his boat but it was gone.  [big sigh]

A few weeks later he went to Lachine with his mom and passing a pawn shop [ask if anyone knows what a pawn shop is], there was his sailboat in the window with a sign saying five dollars!

He went running into the pawn shop and said, "mister, mister, that's my boat; can I have my boat?"  But the man in the pawn shop said, "yes, for five dollars."  "But it's my boat.  I made it!"  "Five dollars."  [might explain that five dollars was worth much more when this story would have happened]

He didn't have five dollars, but he was so excited; that was his boat and it wasn't lost any more.

He told his mom and she suggested that he ask the man to keep the boat until he could earn five dollars, then they could come back and buy it.

So he worked hard cutting lawns and doing odd jobs until he had saved five dollars.

His mom took him back the pawn shop where his boat was still in the window.  He just looked at it for a minute, then went running into the pawn shop.

"Mister, mister, here's five dollars.  Can I have my boat?"

The man took his five dollars then took the boat out of the window and gave it to him.  He was so proud holding his boat again...

As he walked out of the pawn shop he said, "you're mine little boat; you're mine because I made you, and you're mine because I bought you."

Jesus died on a cross to pay a price for our sin and can also say of us, "you're mine; you're mine because I made you, and you're mine because I bought you."

roots

My journey has not been without its moments.....

At five years of age was organizing a strip tease joint, nowhere near faith.

When I was seven years old I was one of the big three of a gang of thirty kids.  We weren't a bad gang but we didn't always tell our moms everything we did each day.

This one morning I had walked half a block from where I lived and stopped in front of Bob McClure's house.  Bob McClure was a year older than me, the smallest one of the gang, but he was the leader of the gang because he was the best scrapper.  I was one of the big three because I was the chief comic.  I knew more dirty words and more dirty jokes than anyone else in the gang.

I started asking myself questions...

"Don Anderson, do you go to sunday school?"  "Yes."  Back then just about every kid in the protestant churches went to sunday school.

"Don Anderson, do you believe what they teach you in sunday school?"  "Yes."

"Don Anderson, do you live what they teach you in sunday school?"  "Are you out of your tree!  If I lived what they taught me in sunday school I wouldn't be one of the big three.  I would become a tag along, a make-up when they picked teams.  I would be called a 'browner' or 'twinkle toes'."

And then I thought, that's funny you believe one thing and live a different way.  Either you're going to have to change what you believe to fit the way that you live, or change the way that you live to fit what you believe.

Even as a seven year old it seemed rather backwards to change what you believe to fit the way that you live.

But if I change the way that I live to fit what I believe I wouldn't be one of the big three any more.

That day I decided to change the way that I lived to fit what I believed.

And almost immediately I became a tag along, a make-up when they picked teams...

There was a lot I didn't understand -- I remember thinking Jesus was a good man; when I grow up I'm going to find out what church Jesus went to and go to that church 'cause he would know which was the right one -- but it was the start of the most important journey of my life.

Some years after that met Jesus, and he wasn't just a good man any more.

At twenty was cramming for third year final exams at the university library and taking the 9:45pm commuter train home, same cost as the bus but a much more comfortable ride.  That night on the train started thinking I could do my hand up in a vise and not feel any pain.  That got my attention because I realized I would not feel any pain.  Then I thought, "Anderson, what's wrong -- normal people don't think stuff like this."

The next night was again cramming at the university library and took the 9:45pm commuter train home.  This night started thinking I could pulverize my hand with a ball pein hammer and not feel any pain.  Again that got my attention because I realized I would not feel any pain.  And again I thought, "Anderson, what's wrong -- normal people don't think stuff like this."

The next night was again cramming at the university library and took the 9:45pm commuter train home.  This night the temperature just dropped and started thinking I could curl up in a ditch and freeze to death and not feel any pain, again both realizing I would not feel any pain and, "Anderson, what's wrong -- normal people don't think stuff like this."

I didn't have time to deal with it then, but promised myself that when final exams were over I would take whatever time it required to figure out what was going on inside me.

The first three days of self-examination left me no closer to understanding.

The fourth day [saturday, interesting how this day would repeat itself] at 10:30am remember thinking, "Anderson, you know what it is, you won't even let yourself think it."  At 12:30pm said to myself, "you know what it is, you won't even let yourself think it.  Say it.  Get it out."

And when I said it, it hurt more than if I did my hand up in a vise or pulverized it with a ball pein hammer.  But the funny stuff was over, instantly.  [This would later become the basis for understanding some of how we function psychologically.]

I spent the next six months praying about it, twelve hours a day [worked as a projectionist at expo '67 and twenty minutes of every forty minutes were waiting for the film to end].  At the end of six months my prayers had meant nothing and by that point neither did my faith.

I was angry with God.

But maybe more importantly I realized my faith was candy.  I had believed in God as long as he took care of a few things, and when he let me down I wasn't sure if I believed any more.

I said, "God, I'm too smart to go on believing for the same reasons but I'm also too smart to give up on you without a fair fight."  It wasn't whether God existed, it was whether I wanted to continue having anything to do with him.  So each morning for the next four months I began the day searching for a credible basis to continue to believe in God.

Very quickly I developed what I called a "chopping block".  Any time I found something that might be a credible basis to continue to believe I would put it on the chopping block.  Typically within thirty seconds it was in pieces.  About three weeks before christmas found what looked like a credible basis to believe: intellectually, historically, scientifically, I believed that there was a person Jesus Christ, that he did the things the bible said he did, and that he was the person the bible claimed he was.  Looked good.  That one took a minute and a half on the chopping block.  Yah, intellectually, historically, scientifically, I believed but that wasn't why I believed.  I was going through hell and I wanted to get out of it, and believing was the only way.  Remember I was angry with God; it wasn't whether God existed, it was whether I wanted to continue having anything to do with him.

I was coming up to the first bad christmas in my life.  And at christmas possibly the worst thing that could have happened happened.  For three days I came out of the hell that I was in only to go back into it and tell myself, "that's what life should be, but it can never be for you."

There was nothing else for the chopping block.

Mid-february I was coming close, figured another two weeks, to where I was going to give God the drop kick in life.  I had given him a fair fight and come up with nothing.  Again it wasn't whether God existed, it was whether I wanted to continue having anything to do with him.

Saturday morning I woke up searching for a credible basis to continue to believe in God as I had done every day for the previous four months.  At 10:30am remembered a dream I had had the night before and thought, "what the heck, haven't had anything for two months, put it on the chopping block", and laughed at it.  To my amazement couldn't chop it!  It was the first thing I had found that I couldn't chop.

When I couldn't chop it started asking myself questions.

The dream was taking me back to meeting Jesus, only in present time.  I was down on my knees in the aisle of the church I grew up in, except it looked like a church two miles away, bawling, with Jesus standing at the front of the church.  I asked myself "why were you bawling?"  The answer took a few minutes.  I was bawling because he was everything I should be but wasn't; and it was hopeless, I could never be like him.  I was bawling because of the hopelessness.  I realized there was a bigger reason.  That took much longer but after several minutes I realized I was bawling because I couldn't understand how a holy God like him could wrap his arms around someone like me with no strings attached.  He wasn't even asking me to stop being angry with him.  There weren't any other reasons.....

Then I asked myself, "what are you going to do about it?"

I can say the words now, but at the time they were the most difficult words I might ever say in my life:

"Jesus, it's hell right now.  It's been hell for the last year.  And if you want it to be hell for the rest of my life and hell when I die I believe in you.  I've never been loved this way before."

And I quit looking for a credible reason to believe.  I had found it.

And also I had learned to believe without candy.....

At that time I called God the "divine manipulator".   He had taken the worst thing that had ever happened in my life and in the space of a few seconds had transformed it into the most beautiful thing that has ever happened in my life.  I might never have found that profound love without going through what I went through.

In spite of my questions, psychologically I had walked on the edge of a cliff for a year believing that not even all hell could shove me over that edge.

Two weeks later, again a saturday, I stopped whatever I was doing and said, "the hell's gone", and then smiled and said, "but it went honestly."  Psychologically one might say I kept it alive by looking so hard.

Some thirty-five years later while with the White Lake Pastoral Charge the absence of any spiritual feeling was triggered after reading about a purported grave of Jesus in Japan.  The two seemed unrelated as intellectually the claims were at odds with history, but I realized that if this spiritual dearth persisted I could not with integrity continue as a minister, so much of my faith was that personal meeting.

For ten days searched for an answer to the emptiness felt, something like the above credible basis to continue to believe, and wasn't coming up with anything.

Finally I looked at my history and asked, "can you believe because of your history?"

Yes.  I could believe on the basis of my history.  I hadn't played games with myself or with God -- there were some difficult honest decisions that had been made through the years.

And so I reached up with my hand and said

"God, my feelings are wiped.  I seem incapable of believing, but I trust the decisions made in the past and I will believe in you because those decisions were made honestly.  God help me....."

With that I realized that some thirty-five years before God had got me past the candy, what I expected him to do for me, and now he had got me past feeling.

About a month later again I stopped.  There was a carrier detect ["carrier detect" is a modem term, it's not the message but electronically necessary for the message to communicate].  "God you're there.  Thank you."

Belief is a conscious deliberate decision in the midst of doubt, the above decisions probably affecting me the most.....

music downloads
(with permission of the copyright holders)

Golden Seeds     Jess Atwell