An Object Lesson

The word on the street is that there will be another object lesson at Teen Night this evening.

A few weeks ago, Caleb did this experiment involving a candle and two balloons.

First, Caleb talked about the ways we try to be good and earn God's favor: we go to church, we read the Bible, we show kindness to others. Slips of paper with those good and noble actions were put inside a balloon; the balloon was blown up and exposed to the flame of a candle. Let's just say that the loud and explosive result had the attention of everyone in the room!

Next, Caleb talked about having a relationship with the living God, not just doing good things.
That relationship fills you with God Himself -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Caleb used water to represent the Trinity and poured a little water into another balloon and blew it up. When that balloon was exposed to the flame, guess what? There was no ear-splitting bang or pop; it remained intact.

"For My people have done two evil things: They have abandoned Me -- the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all." Jeremiah 2:13

"Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.' " John 7:37-38

Good News from the Inbox

A few unexpected messages were in my inbox this week.

Two came from a former intern and his wife, who are volunteering at a mission in Costa Rica this winter. It was exciting to hear how God is using their little family to serve Him in Costa Rica.

Two e-mails were from a young man who used to live close by and came to Aim Right programs for several years; he is now a college student and interested in volunteering at Aim Right.

Thank God for good news from the inbox!

1st Teen Night and Bible Study

For the first Teen Night of 2014, teens enjoyed a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and made yummy S'more's. It was chilly enough that many of the teens wanted to be near the fire, and that opened up some times of meaningful conversations.

Caleb taught the first Bible study of 2014. Teens discussed positive and negative qualities of a father, and learned about the kind of Father that God is.

Auction Items

You can view select auction items now on our auction website. If you like antiques or vintage finds, we've got you covered. Often you can score some great deals at our annual auction, plus know that you are helping a great cause. That's what I'd call a win-win!

Beautiful hand-sewn items are beginning to arrive, and you can preview those items soon on our auction website as well.

Westcliffe Youth Group

We've been blessed to host the Westcliffe Youth Group from Colorado this week. Taking a winter missions trip to Phoenix is a brilliant idea! There's great weather for outdoor work projects, after-school activities with children, and sight-seeing.

The group has helped with organizing auction items, planned games and activities for Rec Center, and volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul one morning. In addition, they presented a skit and songs at Kids Klub yesterday evening that really engaged the children's attention. The skit was a wonderful variation of Tolstoy's Where Love Is, God Is. This evening, they'll present the same skit and songs to children in the Sunnyslop area who attend Paradise Valley Mennonite's Kids Church.

Here are some photos from the week:

Taste and See

Colby vividly captured the brisk morning air, vibrant fruits and vegetables, eager recipients, and the host of volunteers who made up the first Mobile Pantry of 2014. Enjoy!

1st Kids Klub of the Year

We had singing, memory verse practice, a Bible story about Jesus, a book mark craft, and snacks.

Since the Bible lesson was about the temptation of Jesus, the older classes discussed ways they and their peers are tempted. Categories were written on the board, and they were asked to rate them 1-10, with 1 being the greatest temptation. This is the 4th-6th grade boys' board:

This is the 4th-6th grade girls' board:

You'll notice that both genders put fighting near the top, and wouldn't you know that we had a real-life example of this almost happen last night? While our van was taking load #1 home after Kids Klub, two boys who were in load #2 (the ones waiting to go home) began to exchange words, and the one threatened to fight the other. Staff intervened, and the fight never happened, but the threatened boy was rather upset. Of his own accord, though, the instigator apologized to the other boy, saying something to the effect of, "because I know that's what the Bible says I should do."

Just when you aren't sure the kids are "getting it," a scenario like this happens that is a great encouragement. In this culture especially, it is not the cool thing to do to admit you're wrong and back away from a fight, but it is the Jesus way.