With a love for Children's Ministry and a skill in Marketing, Danika LaBrant has founded Designed Service, designing services for messages that matter in ministry and marketing. There is a blog spot on the website. Visit http://designedservice.com and click the "blog" tab. Danika LaBrant will be posting object lessons and other Children's Ministry news on DesignedService.com.
What happens to this blog? It is a curious thing. With the anticipated launch of Google+ the buzz is Blogger will be rebranded. Other than a name change, what other changes will occur? Google is not talking. For now, this blog will remain.
We hope you will find the information available on DesignedService.com beneficial. Ms. LaBrant is available as a guest speaker for AWANA nights, Disciple Now Weekends, special events, retreats, etc.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Acension Awe
In Children's and Preschool Ministry, my favorite lessons are Christmas and Easter. There are a ton of resources for Christmas, but not for Easter. The death and resurrection of Christ is a difficult lesson to teach to a four year old. Through the years I have stumbled across a couple of really good and fun object lessons that put AWE into Ascension. Here are a couple of fun ones....
1. Ping Pong Ball Ascension - Supplies: a ping pong ball, a hair dryer and a toilet tube role. What to do: turn on the hair dryer (cool air if possible) and point it to the ceiling. Place the ping pong ball in the airflow and watch it balance there. This is a good time to review Jesus was resurrection and appearances on the Road to Emmaus ( Luke 24:35-37) and the 40 days he appeared alive after his death (Acts 1:3). With practice you can even walk around balancing the ball in the air stream. But of course, we want to end with a HOORAY! Jesus is risen. So after you talk about the ascension (Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9), place the toilet role over the ball. The channelled air will move faster and force the ball to pop out the top. Preschoolers love it. Children want to try it themselves.
2. Breaking Free Baking Soda - Supplies: empty water bottle, lemon juice, water, baking soda, one square of toilet paper, a cork, and an aluminum baking tray or craw fish plate to catch the fizz. Prep: fill about an 1" of lemon juice in the bottom of the water bottle and then add water until about 1/2 full. This is a good lesson to talk about the resurrection. The lemon juice is the oils used to treat the body of Christ. The baking soda is the body of Christ placed in the toilet square which is the linen cloth. They placed the body in the tomb (pour the baking soda into the bottle) and then rolled a great stone in front of the tomb (do it quickly after the pour, cork the top). Then three days later Jesus was resurrected (the pressure builds until the cork is forced to pop out. depending on how much baking soda you use and how tight the cork is in, determines how high the cork will fly.) If you can't find the right size cork, you can try to make one with play dough. It didn't work so well; never popped. But the fizz created did leak out and the discussion became how Jesus's love just keeps flowing. Jesus loved us so much He went to the grave, broke out of the grave, and pours His continued love and forgiveness on us even today.
3. Resurrection Explosion - this one is great fun and an outdoor experiment. It can be used on Easter Sunday as something special for an exciting day or you can use it on Ascension day as the climax to a multi-week study of Easter. All this is is the Mentos experiment which you may have seen on the Steve Spangler, the Science Guy website. Supplies: 2 liter bottle of cheap diet soda, a roll of mentos mint candy, and optionally a geyser tube which you can get on the Spangler website at http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/ or check the discovery section of some toy stores or Hobby Lobby sometimes carries them in their impulse buy section by the cash registers. You don't need the geyser tube but it sure makes it easier. Anyway, I recommend having multiple bottles and multiple rolls of Mentos. I keep the kids back since this makes a huge mess so I holler out, "Can death keep a good man down?" Student reply, "No!" I holler, "How many days was Jesus in the tomb?" Student reply, "Three!" I holler, "What happened on the third day?" Student reply, "He rose." I holler, "Let's count! One, two, three!" Then release the mentos into the soda. The explosion is quick so wear a poncho or have an umbrella for you. Kids will squeal with glee. Then I repeat the holler, student reply. Review is always important, and the kids are having so much fun, they don't realize they are learning.
I love the Ascension Lesson. The kids have fun, and we get to celebrate life. Best wishes for success in your Children's program.
1. Ping Pong Ball Ascension - Supplies: a ping pong ball, a hair dryer and a toilet tube role. What to do: turn on the hair dryer (cool air if possible) and point it to the ceiling. Place the ping pong ball in the airflow and watch it balance there. This is a good time to review Jesus was resurrection and appearances on the Road to Emmaus ( Luke 24:35-37) and the 40 days he appeared alive after his death (Acts 1:3). With practice you can even walk around balancing the ball in the air stream. But of course, we want to end with a HOORAY! Jesus is risen. So after you talk about the ascension (Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9), place the toilet role over the ball. The channelled air will move faster and force the ball to pop out the top. Preschoolers love it. Children want to try it themselves.
2. Breaking Free Baking Soda - Supplies: empty water bottle, lemon juice, water, baking soda, one square of toilet paper, a cork, and an aluminum baking tray or craw fish plate to catch the fizz. Prep: fill about an 1" of lemon juice in the bottom of the water bottle and then add water until about 1/2 full. This is a good lesson to talk about the resurrection. The lemon juice is the oils used to treat the body of Christ. The baking soda is the body of Christ placed in the toilet square which is the linen cloth. They placed the body in the tomb (pour the baking soda into the bottle) and then rolled a great stone in front of the tomb (do it quickly after the pour, cork the top). Then three days later Jesus was resurrected (the pressure builds until the cork is forced to pop out. depending on how much baking soda you use and how tight the cork is in, determines how high the cork will fly.) If you can't find the right size cork, you can try to make one with play dough. It didn't work so well; never popped. But the fizz created did leak out and the discussion became how Jesus's love just keeps flowing. Jesus loved us so much He went to the grave, broke out of the grave, and pours His continued love and forgiveness on us even today.
3. Resurrection Explosion - this one is great fun and an outdoor experiment. It can be used on Easter Sunday as something special for an exciting day or you can use it on Ascension day as the climax to a multi-week study of Easter. All this is is the Mentos experiment which you may have seen on the Steve Spangler, the Science Guy website. Supplies: 2 liter bottle of cheap diet soda, a roll of mentos mint candy, and optionally a geyser tube which you can get on the Spangler website at http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/ or check the discovery section of some toy stores or Hobby Lobby sometimes carries them in their impulse buy section by the cash registers. You don't need the geyser tube but it sure makes it easier. Anyway, I recommend having multiple bottles and multiple rolls of Mentos. I keep the kids back since this makes a huge mess so I holler out, "Can death keep a good man down?" Student reply, "No!" I holler, "How many days was Jesus in the tomb?" Student reply, "Three!" I holler, "What happened on the third day?" Student reply, "He rose." I holler, "Let's count! One, two, three!" Then release the mentos into the soda. The explosion is quick so wear a poncho or have an umbrella for you. Kids will squeal with glee. Then I repeat the holler, student reply. Review is always important, and the kids are having so much fun, they don't realize they are learning.
I love the Ascension Lesson. The kids have fun, and we get to celebrate life. Best wishes for success in your Children's program.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Very Bad, No Good Day, but Still Loved
Reading the Old Testament, it is amazing how many times the Israelites disobeyed God. Unlike today where faith and prayer are the way to a personal relationship, they actually got to see God and hear God verbally. He spoke to them and appeared in clouds and fire. Today His miracles are usually subtle like a great parking spot or a lost job just in time to earn a great job, but back then His miracles were miraculous. Plagues that ravaged the land did not touch the Israelites. They walked on dry land through the middle of a sea. When they complained about that boring old manna everyday, God sent them quail to eat. To be that close to God and to just turn your head and disobey? I don't get it.
So what is the good news? The good news is that God's continued forgiveness, continued blessings for the Israelites offers a great picture of a loving father. The old testament demonstrates again and again the character of God as patient and loving.
How to express God's character to Preschoolers? This is hard for them to understand, but easily described through their relationship with their mom and dad. How many times has a preschooler spilled something on the floor? How many times have they "accidentally" broken a toy? How many times did they spill their dinner down their shirt? Mom and Dad may have gotten mad, but they didn't stay mad. They still love you.
Have you ever had a very bad, no good, day? When you woke up, you got caught in the sheets and tripped, falling out of bed. Since you were so tired and surprised, you had an accident and did not make it to the potty. Mommy was sad, but she still loves you. You didn't like what you got for breakfast and when you pushed the dish away, you pushed too hard. It fell to the floor and made a mess. Mommy was mad, but she still loves you. You watched cartoons nicely but became bored. You decided to be a helper and decorate the wall with your crayons. Mommy was mad you colored the wall, but she still loves you. Mommy sent you outside to play. You enjoyed following a lady bug, but soon the bug flew away. You decided to dig and see what other bugs you could find. How were you supposed to know that was her favorite kitchen spoon that you used for a shovel? Mommy was mad but she still loves you. After lunch you had a play date. You shared your toys but your friend would not share their toys. You had to bonk them on the head to get them to share. Mommy was mad, but she still loves you. Dinner went much like breakfast. Broccoli, yuck. Didn't shove them on the floor, but mommy did not like you pushing them off your plate and onto the new table cloth. Mommy was mad, but she still loves you. Bath time and we are out of bubbles. Ho hum. Bed time finally, Mommy reads a book, sings a song, says prayers and kisses you good night. Mommy loves you.
For every time we say Mommy, we could also say Daddy. Daddy sometimes gets mad, but Daddy always loves you. God is the same. He loves us no matter what happens.
A fun visual aid is a pet. If it is o.k. with your church, bring a child loving pet. Pets make mistakes. They don't make it to the potty. They chew things that are not food. They scratch furniture, floors and walls. Pets have very bad, no good days, but we love them anyway.
So what is the good news? The good news is that God's continued forgiveness, continued blessings for the Israelites offers a great picture of a loving father. The old testament demonstrates again and again the character of God as patient and loving.
How to express God's character to Preschoolers? This is hard for them to understand, but easily described through their relationship with their mom and dad. How many times has a preschooler spilled something on the floor? How many times have they "accidentally" broken a toy? How many times did they spill their dinner down their shirt? Mom and Dad may have gotten mad, but they didn't stay mad. They still love you.
Have you ever had a very bad, no good, day? When you woke up, you got caught in the sheets and tripped, falling out of bed. Since you were so tired and surprised, you had an accident and did not make it to the potty. Mommy was sad, but she still loves you. You didn't like what you got for breakfast and when you pushed the dish away, you pushed too hard. It fell to the floor and made a mess. Mommy was mad, but she still loves you. You watched cartoons nicely but became bored. You decided to be a helper and decorate the wall with your crayons. Mommy was mad you colored the wall, but she still loves you. Mommy sent you outside to play. You enjoyed following a lady bug, but soon the bug flew away. You decided to dig and see what other bugs you could find. How were you supposed to know that was her favorite kitchen spoon that you used for a shovel? Mommy was mad but she still loves you. After lunch you had a play date. You shared your toys but your friend would not share their toys. You had to bonk them on the head to get them to share. Mommy was mad, but she still loves you. Dinner went much like breakfast. Broccoli, yuck. Didn't shove them on the floor, but mommy did not like you pushing them off your plate and onto the new table cloth. Mommy was mad, but she still loves you. Bath time and we are out of bubbles. Ho hum. Bed time finally, Mommy reads a book, sings a song, says prayers and kisses you good night. Mommy loves you.
For every time we say Mommy, we could also say Daddy. Daddy sometimes gets mad, but Daddy always loves you. God is the same. He loves us no matter what happens.
A fun visual aid is a pet. If it is o.k. with your church, bring a child loving pet. Pets make mistakes. They don't make it to the potty. They chew things that are not food. They scratch furniture, floors and walls. Pets have very bad, no good days, but we love them anyway.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Big or Small, God Uses Them All (Balls and a Cup)
Object lessons are a fun way to grab students attention and engage them in the story and/or life application. Last Sunday our Bible story was of the poor woman who gave a few coins unlike the many coins the rich people gave. Jesus pointed out that the poor woman gave more than the rich people because she gave all she had and the rich people only gave some. There are other life applications for this story but with our 4 and 5 year olds we focused on, "Big or Small, God can use them all." Here is the object lesson we had fun with to bring home the life application.
Supplies...3 or more small balls of different sizes and a one pint size, clear plastic cup
Presentation...Each person gave an offering to God. The rich people gave big offerings (hold up the big ball), regular people gave regular offerings (hold up the medium size ball), and the poor woman gave what little she had (hold up the small ball or a marble).
Each person gave an offering to God. The money we give the church does not actually go up to heaven to God. The church uses the money to show God’s love here on earth.
So this cup is kind of like the church. (drop the big ball in the cup) Can God use this big thing to share love on this earth? Will this ball make it up to God, grab some of his love and then share God's love down here on earth? (place the cup in the palm of your hand and make a circular motion until the ball starts to rise in the cup) This big offering is climbing, I think it is going to reach heaven, (spin until it flies out of the cup). Wow, there it goes into the world to share God’s love.
Could a regular old offering do the same? (pick up the medium ball) Could just an ordinary offering reach up to heaven and bring down to earth a piece of God’s love? (spin the glass) It looks like it is rising. I think it is going to make it. (spin until it flies out) Wow, an ordinary offering can share God’s love just like a big offering.
But this is such a small offering. (pick up small ball or marble) Surely, this tiny offering could not share God’s love. It is so small and God is so big and the world is so big. (start to spin the glass) But I see this tiny offering climbing. (spin it faster) This tiny offering is going to reach heaven? (spin until if flies out) Wow, that tiny offering made it to heaven and back to earth and shared God’s love.
It does not matter what size your offering is to God. Big or small, God can use them all. If you give an offering, no matter what size big or small, God can use your offering to share His love on this earth.
Supplies...3 or more small balls of different sizes and a one pint size, clear plastic cup
Presentation...Each person gave an offering to God. The rich people gave big offerings (hold up the big ball), regular people gave regular offerings (hold up the medium size ball), and the poor woman gave what little she had (hold up the small ball or a marble).
Each person gave an offering to God. The money we give the church does not actually go up to heaven to God. The church uses the money to show God’s love here on earth.
So this cup is kind of like the church. (drop the big ball in the cup) Can God use this big thing to share love on this earth? Will this ball make it up to God, grab some of his love and then share God's love down here on earth? (place the cup in the palm of your hand and make a circular motion until the ball starts to rise in the cup) This big offering is climbing, I think it is going to reach heaven, (spin until it flies out of the cup). Wow, there it goes into the world to share God’s love.
Could a regular old offering do the same? (pick up the medium ball) Could just an ordinary offering reach up to heaven and bring down to earth a piece of God’s love? (spin the glass) It looks like it is rising. I think it is going to make it. (spin until it flies out) Wow, an ordinary offering can share God’s love just like a big offering.
But this is such a small offering. (pick up small ball or marble) Surely, this tiny offering could not share God’s love. It is so small and God is so big and the world is so big. (start to spin the glass) But I see this tiny offering climbing. (spin it faster) This tiny offering is going to reach heaven? (spin until if flies out) Wow, that tiny offering made it to heaven and back to earth and shared God’s love.
It does not matter what size your offering is to God. Big or small, God can use them all. If you give an offering, no matter what size big or small, God can use your offering to share His love on this earth.
Monday, February 28, 2011
God Can Use Me
So, I have set a goal to read "The Bible in 90 Days." That is the name of the book and it is the Bible just with headers every 12 pages to mark the start and stop of the reading for the day. Don't think I will finish in 90 days, but I am determined to do the reading anyway.
So, I have finished Genesis and Exodus officially and searched for words to share. The story of Aaron keeps coming to mind. Aaron was Moses brother. When Moses whined about public speaking and being the leader of the Israelites out of Egypt. God empowered Aaron to help Moses. Aaron spoke to the masses, to Pharaoh and performed some miracles. When they were freed and wondering the wilderness, Aaron was still there doing the public speaking and serving God and Moses. When God and Moses had to have some quiet time to talk up on the mountain, Aaron was the one that watched over the people and served as leader.
God was so pleased with Aaron that he wrote on stone tablets that Aaron and his sons were to be priests. God gave great detailed instructions on how Aaron and his sons were to be readied for service, adorned in special garments and given a portion of the sacrifice. But even as God was giving these lengthy instructions on how well to treat Aaron, Aaron was sinning against God. The people had become restless and sinful and asked Aaron to create for them an idol to worship, and he did. When Moses came down from the mountain, he broke the tablets and asked Aaron how he could do such a thing. Aaron was weak and admitted it. He repented. After some punishment of the people and other events, Moses met with God again and again God detailed these elaborate instructions for the temple, for the priests including Aaron and the ten commandments. It took some time, but the people got on track and followed the instructions and built the temple, or at that time it was a tent, and honored Aaron and his sons as the first official priests.
I suspect that is my life story too. Even as God is saying what a good and faithful child I am, I am sinning. Instead of inheriting my reward right away, I have to pay for my sins; I have to repent. I want to be a minister for God, to share His word and share His light in this world. But I am weak. I want the masses to like me. I don't want to present false idols, but will they like me if I don't. In my heart, I know it does not matter if they like me. It matters if I serve God's will.
If Aaron, who saw God's miracles first hand, who survived great tragedy, who knew God personally, can falter and still get back up and serve God's plan. I suppose I can too. If God can forgive Aaron for such a grievance, God can forgive me. If God can forgive and still use Aaron in his plan, then God can still use me.
So, I have finished Genesis and Exodus officially and searched for words to share. The story of Aaron keeps coming to mind. Aaron was Moses brother. When Moses whined about public speaking and being the leader of the Israelites out of Egypt. God empowered Aaron to help Moses. Aaron spoke to the masses, to Pharaoh and performed some miracles. When they were freed and wondering the wilderness, Aaron was still there doing the public speaking and serving God and Moses. When God and Moses had to have some quiet time to talk up on the mountain, Aaron was the one that watched over the people and served as leader.
God was so pleased with Aaron that he wrote on stone tablets that Aaron and his sons were to be priests. God gave great detailed instructions on how Aaron and his sons were to be readied for service, adorned in special garments and given a portion of the sacrifice. But even as God was giving these lengthy instructions on how well to treat Aaron, Aaron was sinning against God. The people had become restless and sinful and asked Aaron to create for them an idol to worship, and he did. When Moses came down from the mountain, he broke the tablets and asked Aaron how he could do such a thing. Aaron was weak and admitted it. He repented. After some punishment of the people and other events, Moses met with God again and again God detailed these elaborate instructions for the temple, for the priests including Aaron and the ten commandments. It took some time, but the people got on track and followed the instructions and built the temple, or at that time it was a tent, and honored Aaron and his sons as the first official priests.
I suspect that is my life story too. Even as God is saying what a good and faithful child I am, I am sinning. Instead of inheriting my reward right away, I have to pay for my sins; I have to repent. I want to be a minister for God, to share His word and share His light in this world. But I am weak. I want the masses to like me. I don't want to present false idols, but will they like me if I don't. In my heart, I know it does not matter if they like me. It matters if I serve God's will.
If Aaron, who saw God's miracles first hand, who survived great tragedy, who knew God personally, can falter and still get back up and serve God's plan. I suppose I can too. If God can forgive Aaron for such a grievance, God can forgive me. If God can forgive and still use Aaron in his plan, then God can still use me.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Sexy Bible Characters
The Bible, the B-I-B-L-E, is a long book. I have heard the Bible. I have read many parts of the Bible, but I have never read the whole thing cover to cover. Since I recently lost my job and have some time on my hands, I have decided it is time. I am through Genesis and anticipate finishing Exodus tomorrow, but what keeps going through my mind is Indiana Jones.
Now Harrison Ford, the actor who plays Indiana Jones in the movies, is one of my all time favorites with his quiet charm, sexy good looks and adventerous spirit. Now Indiana Jones, some of the movies were awesome and at least one should have been left on the cutting room floor, but still the romantic notion of it all stirs excitement within me. So I am reading the Bible and I am getting the same feelings of quiet charm and sexy characters and fellings of adventure and wonder about the romance and excitement of the era.
Sexy Bible characters? A romantic and exciting era? Yes, I have had some trouble with that too. But put aside your culturally developed stereotypes and think about how many children these guys had. The twelve tribes of Isreal were fathered by one man and then the head of each tribe fathered a nation. That is a lot of kids. An angry ogre would not swoon the ladies. How exciting to see the birth of a civilization! But how dynamic these fathers had to be to bestow trust and loyalty among their budding nations.
Adventure, have you read the story of Moses? Wow! What a plot! Baby survives the river to be adopted by a princess. The baby grows into a man who upon the revelation of his roots is thrown into a course of events that include murder, natural disasters, a mass exodus of people, miracles and face time with God himself. He was a leader but a coward as well who had to utilize the talents of his brother to speak to the people. How cool is that! God was miffed with Moses for all his whining, but God still found a way for Moses to do his job through his brother Aaron. The moral of that story, you will fulfill your purpose in God's plan regardless of your fears and failings.
Aaron must have been just like Indiana Jones, charming, sexy and adventurous. Charming, he spoke with the masses and the masses believed and followed. Sexy, he had several sons, who like their father, were leaders and were eventually appointed priests by God himself. Adventerous, Aaron never complained or whined when Moses told him of Gods plans to send plagues instead of just leading them out of Egypt. He didn't complain when it was time to leave Egypt and walk through the dessert and the wilderness. But why are there not stories of Aaron like there are stories of Moses? Perhaps because Aaron got so caught up in pleasing the people he was suppposed to be leading; he sinned against God by creating a golden calf and letting the people get out of control. The moral to that story, keep your eyes on God. Do not fall to pleasing people.
It is an exciting book, the Bible. I am glad for this time to read it cover to cover. I hope you get time to enjoy the quiet charm of the characters and the sexy adventerous tales of their lives.
Now Harrison Ford, the actor who plays Indiana Jones in the movies, is one of my all time favorites with his quiet charm, sexy good looks and adventerous spirit. Now Indiana Jones, some of the movies were awesome and at least one should have been left on the cutting room floor, but still the romantic notion of it all stirs excitement within me. So I am reading the Bible and I am getting the same feelings of quiet charm and sexy characters and fellings of adventure and wonder about the romance and excitement of the era.
Sexy Bible characters? A romantic and exciting era? Yes, I have had some trouble with that too. But put aside your culturally developed stereotypes and think about how many children these guys had. The twelve tribes of Isreal were fathered by one man and then the head of each tribe fathered a nation. That is a lot of kids. An angry ogre would not swoon the ladies. How exciting to see the birth of a civilization! But how dynamic these fathers had to be to bestow trust and loyalty among their budding nations.
Adventure, have you read the story of Moses? Wow! What a plot! Baby survives the river to be adopted by a princess. The baby grows into a man who upon the revelation of his roots is thrown into a course of events that include murder, natural disasters, a mass exodus of people, miracles and face time with God himself. He was a leader but a coward as well who had to utilize the talents of his brother to speak to the people. How cool is that! God was miffed with Moses for all his whining, but God still found a way for Moses to do his job through his brother Aaron. The moral of that story, you will fulfill your purpose in God's plan regardless of your fears and failings.
Aaron must have been just like Indiana Jones, charming, sexy and adventurous. Charming, he spoke with the masses and the masses believed and followed. Sexy, he had several sons, who like their father, were leaders and were eventually appointed priests by God himself. Adventerous, Aaron never complained or whined when Moses told him of Gods plans to send plagues instead of just leading them out of Egypt. He didn't complain when it was time to leave Egypt and walk through the dessert and the wilderness. But why are there not stories of Aaron like there are stories of Moses? Perhaps because Aaron got so caught up in pleasing the people he was suppposed to be leading; he sinned against God by creating a golden calf and letting the people get out of control. The moral to that story, keep your eyes on God. Do not fall to pleasing people.
It is an exciting book, the Bible. I am glad for this time to read it cover to cover. I hope you get time to enjoy the quiet charm of the characters and the sexy adventerous tales of their lives.
Friday, February 18, 2011
The Birth of a Ministry
Reviewing my blog, I have noticed a trail of ups and downs including the death of my grandmother, the death of my stepfather, and ups in steps of faith, kitchen science experiments and more. I am befuddled by this path that I am on. I have felt an urge to enter ministry since I was a kid, but event after event has shown me I am not ready. I have prayed for years for God to reveal His plan for me and to make it simple for I am a simple person. I guess when my boss fired me last week; that was a pretty simple, "you are in the wrong place. get moving!"
So again I am faced with which path to take. Do I continue my pursuit to be a professional marketing person with expertise in copy writing and event planning? Do I pursue a career in ministry? Do I go back to school and get my teaching certificate? What is God's plan for me?
Since I have some time on my hands and really want to get this right this time, I have decided to commit to read the "The Bible in 90 days" a Zondervan Bibles publication. I have finished Genesis and the whole thing about circumcision has struck me. So God tells Abraham in Genesis 17 for every male to be circumcised, young and old alike to seal the covenant between God and Abraham. To seal a deal with God, a super good deal where they get a bunch of blessings, all the men say, "Sure." I am not a man, but ouch. But they did it and they were blessed.
Now later in Genesis 34, there is another story of circumcision that did not end well. Jacob, the father of nations, also had a daughter named Dina who was violated by a man from the city of Shechem in Canaan. Jacob was sad, but her brothers were furious. The brothers tricked the men of Shechem. They said if they all got circumcised then they would live peacefully among them and become one people sharing livestock and wealth. The men of the city said, "Sure," and were all circumsiced. Now the brother's new of the pain of circumcision and on the third day after the procedure, the brother's entered the city and killed all the men who were still in pain from the circumcision. I guess the moral of the story is if you desire to seal a deal with God, then no price is too high; but if you desire to seal a deal with man for wealth and privilege, check his motives.
So what does that have to do with the ups and downs of this blog? I desparately want to seal a deal with God, but I don't know what the deal is. I have decided I must pursue my desire for ministry but definately not for wealth and privilege though I wouldn't frown on it if it came my way. I just pray that my desire is given to me by God. I pray to fulfill His purpose for me.
So what's next? I plan to offer myself as a guest speaker. I have more than 10 years of experience in Children's and Preschool Ministry and feel strongly that I can provide age appropriate, fun and relevant faith messages to youth, parents, and women's organizations. I have been in development of the DesignD ministry for more than a year. I have friends that are willing to partner with me, and friends who will be supporting me. The time has come to seal the deal and step out on faith. Soon I will be providing more information on DesignD and how you too can book me as a guest speaker at your next engagement.
So again I am faced with which path to take. Do I continue my pursuit to be a professional marketing person with expertise in copy writing and event planning? Do I pursue a career in ministry? Do I go back to school and get my teaching certificate? What is God's plan for me?
Since I have some time on my hands and really want to get this right this time, I have decided to commit to read the "The Bible in 90 days" a Zondervan Bibles publication. I have finished Genesis and the whole thing about circumcision has struck me. So God tells Abraham in Genesis 17 for every male to be circumcised, young and old alike to seal the covenant between God and Abraham. To seal a deal with God, a super good deal where they get a bunch of blessings, all the men say, "Sure." I am not a man, but ouch. But they did it and they were blessed.
Now later in Genesis 34, there is another story of circumcision that did not end well. Jacob, the father of nations, also had a daughter named Dina who was violated by a man from the city of Shechem in Canaan. Jacob was sad, but her brothers were furious. The brothers tricked the men of Shechem. They said if they all got circumcised then they would live peacefully among them and become one people sharing livestock and wealth. The men of the city said, "Sure," and were all circumsiced. Now the brother's new of the pain of circumcision and on the third day after the procedure, the brother's entered the city and killed all the men who were still in pain from the circumcision. I guess the moral of the story is if you desire to seal a deal with God, then no price is too high; but if you desire to seal a deal with man for wealth and privilege, check his motives.
So what does that have to do with the ups and downs of this blog? I desparately want to seal a deal with God, but I don't know what the deal is. I have decided I must pursue my desire for ministry but definately not for wealth and privilege though I wouldn't frown on it if it came my way. I just pray that my desire is given to me by God. I pray to fulfill His purpose for me.
So what's next? I plan to offer myself as a guest speaker. I have more than 10 years of experience in Children's and Preschool Ministry and feel strongly that I can provide age appropriate, fun and relevant faith messages to youth, parents, and women's organizations. I have been in development of the DesignD ministry for more than a year. I have friends that are willing to partner with me, and friends who will be supporting me. The time has come to seal the deal and step out on faith. Soon I will be providing more information on DesignD and how you too can book me as a guest speaker at your next engagement.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Love Part of Me, Love All of Me
OMG, when was my last post?! Well, in honor of Valentine's Day, an object lesson about love. I am a Large Group leader of our Preschool worship and have tested this with our 4 and 5 year olds. LOVED IT! Definitely, solidified my love of teaching children.
I have several containers full of different things from my kitchen (supplies and preparation are at the end of this post). I will ask volunteers to come up and take a guess of what is inside. Some of the things are easy to guess: granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, chocolate chips. Some things are not so easy to guess: flour, baking soda, vanilla.
In addition to asking my volunteer what the item is. I also ask them, "Would you like to take a spoon and eat some of the (butter)?" Some items, the volunteer is very happy to take a spoon and eat. Some items, not so much. I do not actually have the volunteers taste the item.
So some of these things are very tastey by themselves, but some of them are not. BUT if you put all these things in a bowl and stir them up really well, then press the mixture out on a pan and put it in the heat of the oven; in time you will have a very wonderful chocolate chip cookie.
This is a lot like how God made me and how God made you. Inside you are some super great things like knowledge, love, kindness, generosity, and lots of other great things (not the verbiage I used in preschool but it works here). Inside you are some not so great things like impatience, jealousy, anger. God knows about all the good things and all the bad things. God knows that when you put all these parts together He gets all of you, a wonderful person.
God wants to mold you into something fantastic, and to make you that wonderful person, He will put you through the fire to assure you become one fabulous person.
God knows all about the good, all about the bad, all about the pressure you are under, all about the fires you've been through, and He loves you, all of you. So no matter what it is that you do not like about yourself, know that God knows all about that and loves you anyway. No matter what hardship you are suffering, God knows and He still loves you. No matter what fire seems to be consuming you today, God knows all about it and He loves you. He will turn whatever this trial is into something fantastic and you will become a greater whole.
In Jesus Name, I pray for you a Happy Valentines Day!
Supplies: 9 or 10 small clear containers (baby food bottles or Tupperware), masking tape, marker, ingredients listed below, and at least one (1) chocolate chip cookie. Optional: chocolate chip cookies to share with the kids
Preparation: label and fill each container with one of the following: 2 ¼ flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 1 cup butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 eggs, 2 cups chocolate chips, and optionally, 1cup nuts. NOTE: exact measurements are not necessary unless you plan to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
I have several containers full of different things from my kitchen (supplies and preparation are at the end of this post). I will ask volunteers to come up and take a guess of what is inside. Some of the things are easy to guess: granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, chocolate chips. Some things are not so easy to guess: flour, baking soda, vanilla.
In addition to asking my volunteer what the item is. I also ask them, "Would you like to take a spoon and eat some of the (butter)?" Some items, the volunteer is very happy to take a spoon and eat. Some items, not so much. I do not actually have the volunteers taste the item.
So some of these things are very tastey by themselves, but some of them are not. BUT if you put all these things in a bowl and stir them up really well, then press the mixture out on a pan and put it in the heat of the oven; in time you will have a very wonderful chocolate chip cookie.
This is a lot like how God made me and how God made you. Inside you are some super great things like knowledge, love, kindness, generosity, and lots of other great things (not the verbiage I used in preschool but it works here). Inside you are some not so great things like impatience, jealousy, anger. God knows about all the good things and all the bad things. God knows that when you put all these parts together He gets all of you, a wonderful person.
God wants to mold you into something fantastic, and to make you that wonderful person, He will put you through the fire to assure you become one fabulous person.
God knows all about the good, all about the bad, all about the pressure you are under, all about the fires you've been through, and He loves you, all of you. So no matter what it is that you do not like about yourself, know that God knows all about that and loves you anyway. No matter what hardship you are suffering, God knows and He still loves you. No matter what fire seems to be consuming you today, God knows all about it and He loves you. He will turn whatever this trial is into something fantastic and you will become a greater whole.
In Jesus Name, I pray for you a Happy Valentines Day!
Supplies: 9 or 10 small clear containers (baby food bottles or Tupperware), masking tape, marker, ingredients listed below, and at least one (1) chocolate chip cookie. Optional: chocolate chip cookies to share with the kids
Preparation: label and fill each container with one of the following: 2 ¼ flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 1 cup butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 eggs, 2 cups chocolate chips, and optionally, 1cup nuts. NOTE: exact measurements are not necessary unless you plan to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
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