What is in your heart? (Balloon in a Bottle)

Like boiling lava in a volcano, what goes in your heart will come out if put under enough pressure. What is in your heart? What is going to spew out of you when the pressure is on? Here is a little experiment to help demonstrate.

Supplies: 2 empty/clean 2 liter bottles with a tiny hole in the bottom (make hole bigger until you can feel air coming out when you blow in the top), 2 water balloons (preferably different colors), approx. 1 tablespoon of confetti, approx 1 tablespoon of runny green slime and a small funnel.

BEFORE CLASS
Clean out two, 2-liter soda bottles. In the very bottom, puncture a small hole. You will need to cover this hole with one of your fingers, so make sure you cut it in an accessible and comfortable spot. Place a balloon with the mouth stretched over the opening of the bottle and the mass of the balloon hanging inside the bottle. Using a small funnel, pour confetti into one balloon. Using the small funnel, pour the green slime inside the other balloon.

TIP
Use water balloons. They are smaller and work really well when you push the inside, outside.
Blow up the balloon a couple of times to stretch it out before putting it in the bottle. This will really make it easier when it is time to blow the balloon up in the bottle.

Presentation
Like boiling lava in a volcano, what goes in your heart will come out if put under enough pressure. What is in your heart? What is going to spew out of you when the pressure is on?

So here I have a bottle with a balloon in it. (pick up bottle with the confetti). We are using our imaginations here. This bottle represents you and the balloon is your heart. What is inside your heart? If you are reading the Bible (take finger off hole in the bottom, careful not to inhale confetti, and blow up the balloon. Put finger over hole to keep balloon filled), if you are praying, if you are studying your AWANAs, then your heart is probably filled with some pretty good stuff. Let’s see. (take your finger off the hole. The bottle will reshape and the balloon will empty of air.) We are not done yet. A time will come when your heart controls your actions. What will your actions be? (cover the hole of the bottle and squeeze the bottle. The balloon will turn inside out and shoot the confetti.) Good thing you had Jesus in your heart!

What if you are filling your heart with scarey movies and violent video games and mean talk about other people. (pick up bottle with slime in it. Blow up the balloon. Careful not to inhale. Place finger over the hole to keep the balloon inflated.) If you don’t take care of your heart and fill it with good things, bad things will get into your heart. If you don’t control sin, sin is crouching at your door, ready to control you (Genesis 4:7). (move your finger and let the air out of the balloon then put your finger over the hole, squeeze the bottle until the balloon flips inside out and watch the slime run down the bottle). EEWWWWWW

Bible Story, Genesis 4:1-12
Cain and Abel are a good example of what is inside comes out. Abel's heart was filled with love and thanksgiving. When the pressure of picking the right sacrifice for God was upon him, he chose to give his very best. Cain's heart was not filled with love or thanksgiving and he did not give his best. God scolded him. Cain then filled his heart with anger and jealousy. When pressure was placed on Cain, he killed his brother. God didn't just scold Cain this time. This time God punished Cain saying never would the ground bare him fruit again and that he would forever be a restless wanderer.

Resources
- “Balloon in a Bottle” Steve Spangler Science, on-line, http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/content/experiment/00000166 , Sept. 2009