A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." His son asked, "What happened to the flea?"
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First give each child a deflated balloon. Each time the leader pauses in the following prayer invite the children to blow gently into their balloons. Get them to hold them carefully but not tie them.
Now say this prayer ( or use your own), pausing at the end of each line. " Thank you, God, that you are with us always. Thank you for the Holy Spirit, who gives us power to live our lives for you. Help us to follow you this week and to do the things you want us to do at home, at school, and with our friends." Finally invite the children to call out "Thank you God!" and let their balloons go. You may like to give them another balloon to blow up and take home. Write on it in 'texta' pen, 'God is with me."( As a reminder of God's presence and power for them this week). A Sunday school teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem. A young girl answered, "because they couldn't find a babysitter?"
In today’s world we seem to be running faster than ever, trying to do it all and have it all, or at least avoiding being run down from behind. According to TIME magazine, we’re smack in the middle of a “time famine” and no one has any idea of when it will end. Who knows? Time may end first. Meanwhile, life seems set on “fast lane “and we don’t dare slow down.
We dash through life, and our daily routines seem to allow little or no time for God in our busy lives. I think actually that God is never left behind. In fact, He is far ahead of us. The only way we may ever catch up is to learn to slow down, live in the moment, and focus on the “one thing” that is truly necessary. That “one thing” is a quietness of our souls which Henri Nouwen calls “moving to the center, where all other things fall into place.” |
AuthorDon Stott- 'Aussie' teacher, pastor and children's worker. Archives
October 2024
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