Look to the Clouds

 "While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven."  Luke 24:51

"Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday He will return from heaven
in the same way you saw Him go!" Acts 1:11


"For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout...

then...we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air..." I Thessalonians 5:17

"And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
Matthew 25:30

"Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again."  John 14:28

This was our "object lesson" at Kids Klub on Wednesday when we learned about Jesus' return to heaven.

We have no guarantee that our balloons will ever return. 

However, He promises:

"Yes, I am coming soon!"

Revelation 22:20

A 2nd Chance, Being Different, & Starting with Me

Several weeks ago, before Easter, Kids Klub classes learned about Peter's denial of Jesus.  Now, after Easter, we had a lesson about Peter's 2nd chance when Jesus came to him and asked him to feed His sheep. 

Children were encouraged to wear two of something they wouldn't normally wear.  Can you tell what 2 items she is wearing?

"God wants to give you a second chance" banner that a class made:

Stephanie's 2nd grade class:

At Teen Night on Friday, Caleb's message was about daring to be different.  Some examples he mentioned were Noah and Daniel.

________________________

As a bit of background to the song below, songwriter Tim Timmons says, “I wrote ‘Starts with Me’ a few years ago. I was trying to figure out, how we start a revival. The answer I got was from this devotional I read, that had a story of a young preacher who went to an old pastor and said, ‘Hey how do I start a revival in my town?’ The old pastor took a piece of chalk and wrote a circle on the ground and he said, ‘A revival doesn’t start in your town, it starts with you, on your knees walking with Jesus,’” he explains. “I’ve just found myself in my life saying ‘Jesus, copartner with me in what I’m doing.’ And I think Jesus is saying, ‘Hey guys, let me lead. Just follow me, and I will do great things.’”  You can read the lyrics here.

Pray for the Violence

This shooting over the weekend happened not too far away from Aim Right -- in a parking lot, in front of businesses, on a sunny Saturday afternoon.  The victim was only 23 years old.

That location is a popular spot for families or youth to pass by to pick up a pizza, since Little Caesar's is nearby.  In Staff Meeting this afternoon, we prayed for a request that a teen had written at Teen Night on Friday.  It was about drugs and violence.

I know children who are growing up without fathers because they were killed in shootings, most likely as a result of getting into destructive habits and friendships too deep and too early.  That is a tragedy that continues to affect their lives today.

Evaluate Your Teaching

In preparing an article for our upcoming newsletter, I have been doing some fascinating reading by Corrie ten Boom.  In her pre-Holocaust days, she started and led clubs for largely unchurched teen girls. While much of the club time was recreational or educational, a period of time was also devoted to what she believed was most important -- the spiritual. 

Corrie and the other club leaders would gather for leadership training and critique each other's telling of a Bible story so they could become more effective in their communication of truth.  These are the kind of questions they would use to "grade" each other:

• Was the Gospel clear?
• How was her first sentence; did it attract attention?
• Was there humor?
• What help was there for the girls this week?
• What importance did the story have for eternity?
• Did she describe colors, movements?
• Did she draw clear pictures with good illustrations?
• Was it an inspiration for action, for faith, for endurance?

Corrie and the other leaders recognized that many girls came not to hear the Gospel, but to enjoy the fun activities, and they only had minutes to hold their attention. 

Recently a child confided to me about another child, "You know So-and-So only comes to church because of the snacks!"  That is probably true, and I welcome these insightful questions as helpful evaluations of my teaching.  Perhaps you will find them helpful as well.

Note:  Questions are taken from In My Father's House by Corrie ten Boom 

April First Friday

"Enjoy the spirit and culture of downtown Phoenix as you mingle with thousands of other residents and visitors. Tour art galleries, venues, and related spaces from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. every First Friday of the month."

The event described above (First Friday) is within walking distance of Aim Right and is our "competition" for the attention of teens once a month.  Sometimes we have planned special outdoor events with guest speakers or music, but there still remains a fair percentage of teens who try to sneak away to go down the street.  That is a problem when we have provided transportation for the teen, and their guardian believes they are in our care, not downtown in a crowd of thousands

So....what to do?  The past two First Fridays, Teen Night has relocated to Peter Piper Pizza.  No one has tried to sneak away, and they certainly have not complained about the food! 

After pizza, it was time to work off the calories with a hike up North Mountain.   The mountain has a wide, paved trail to the top and is accessible after dark.  Even those who weren't sure they could make it to the top did, and those who were initially a little apprehensive about hiking in the moonlight quickly grew used to it.

Maybe we'll try this combo again!

The Life Book

Have you heard of The Life Book?

It's what several teens have been studying on Monday evenings. Produced by the Gideons International, Part 1 of The Life Book is a "quick re-telling of the first part of the Bible." Part 2 is simply the book of John. What makes The Life Book unique is its size (5" x 5") and creative layout. Sprinkled throughout the white space of the pages of Biblical text, various fonts are used to display comments and questions from 4 students and 1 adult, "Uncle G." Here's an example: Read The Life Book

A typical Monday evening group at Aim Right can be quite diverse. There's the guy who'd rather be out playing basketball. There's the girl who can't seem to control her giggling. There's the teen who spent the day in juvenile court. There are ones who know several Bible stories; there are those who are learning them for the first time.

At every moment of the teaching time, are they attentive?  Not a chance!  But the 6 or 7 minutes when they are really tuned in, questions flowing, you know that wheels are turning, and the Spirit is working.