A Cardboard Jericho

I snuck into the kindergarten classroom at Kids Klub tonight, and this is what I found:

Troy building Jericho

They had already heard the story once, but it was time to act it out -- with the cardboard boxes!

First, they went

around and around...

Then, on day #7,
the walls came tumbling down!

Finally, it was time for

Q & A with Troy

Troy definitely wins the creative teaching prize for the evening!

30 Hours of Famine

The rules were this:

1. Raise at least $30 for World Vision.

2. Start fasting at 8 a.m. on Friday.

3. Drink ONLY juice or water. That means YOU MAY NOT EAT FOOD!!

4. Be at the church at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Fourteen teens valiantly endured throughout the 30 hours and came away with a heightened awareness of those who go hungry on a regular basis, as well as a greater appreciation for the comforts they experience here.

On Friday evening, Wilbur Hochstetler shared some insights with the group. Wilbur has experienced living in primitive conditions in Asian countries, where 3 meals a day of sticky rice and fish quickly became less than appealing. He challenged the teens to guard against spiritual famine and not settle for "snack foods," but to intentionally feed themselves with the meat of the Word. One young man participating in the Famine later commented: "How pathetic we are when we rely on food [physical food] when we should be relying on spiritual food."

A few highlights from the weekend:

Juice Breaks!

Keith challenges the group

Small group devotions

Food collection game

[mad dashes around Phoenix to collect non-perishables for our food pantry]

Work project -- painting a block wall on the property

Work project -- tearing out a chain link fence

Team games -- "Endurance"

[identifying with those who have to carry their water]

And...breaking the fast at 2 p.m. on Saturday!!

Youth raised over $450 for World Vision -- enough to feed 15 children for one month.

How Not to Pray

When Jesus taught on prayer, He said, "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen of others..." (Matt. 6:5)

That context will be helpful as you view these short videos of some Kids Klub children explaining what they learned yesterday evening:

Video #1

Video #2

And...just for fun, a few "Killer Prayer Tips" from Johnny and Chachi.

Indescribable

in·de·scrib·a·ble (ĭn'dĭ-skrī'bə-bəl) adj.
impossible to describe; exceeding description

God is big. Really big. Really, really big. So big that He's indescribable. In contrast, we are small. Really small. Really, really small. But not so small that God deems us insignificant. Rather, God considered humanity on tiny planet Earth so significant that He came to us in human form and "humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Wow.

That's the jist of Louie Giglio's Passion talk Indescribable, which Aim Right's teen Bible studies viewed last evening. Louie is a gifted communicator whose energetic style enables him to combine astronomy, Scripture, humor, and stunning visuals of the heavens for a presentation that causes you to say:

"Wow."

Did I mention that we watched the video outside, underneath a sky that was proclaiming the glory of God? Granted, in Phoenix, the nightscape isn't all that spectacular , but there were still plenty of visible twinkles. Keith & Emily hosted the evening at their home, graciously providing pizza, setting up a screen and projector, and leading a time of worship around the fire after the video. Thanks so much, Keith & Em!

Journey through Ephesians

Ephesians. Verse-by-verse. For about 4 months.

This is the the journey our teen girls' Bible study has been taking, and it has been quite a ride. In the first chapter appears that little word with a huge meaning that will blow you away--"grace"--snuggled in tight with bigger words like "predestined" and "redemption" and "the guarantee of our inheritance." Let's just say that we have had quite a few vocabulary lessons through the weeks!

We have learned that there is a God who loved us first -- gave us grace, forgiveness, and mercy--and rescued us from our old life to not live for ourselves, but to love Him back. We have learned that the church is not a building, but His body.

We are learning to walk in light, to live in love, to "put off" and to "put on." It is interesting how specific Paul is when he begins to list sins, especially if you realize he is writing the letter of Ephesians to believers...in a church...you know, those saintly folks. Folks who unfailingly deliver the truth with love, never get mad, always give generously, never get impatient, never have an impure thought...yeah, right. We need to look into the mirror of the Word and be convicted that while we say we're Christians, we don't always look like Christ.

Ephesians 6 is still to come, but we will be taking a 4-week break to join the guys' study in viewing the 4-part "Passion Talk Series" by Louie Giglio.

Kids Klub Fun Night

Play-dough
+

Movie & popcorn

+
Obstacle course

=

A crazy Kids Klub Fun Night!

Every so often, we plan a Fun Night for Kids Klub, something out-of-the-ordinary and unexpected (i.e. not advertised, lest we have more kids than we can manage). There were a few, though, who knew a "surprise" was coming and were fairly convinced they would be hunting for Easter eggs! Not this time...

Here is a group enjoying funny movie clips, popcorn, and lemonade in the basement:

Trying to keep the golf ball in the spoon while doing the obstacle course:


And, finally, making play-dough from scratch:

Proud of the finished product:
If you're interested in doing a play-dough project with your family or church group, here's the super simple, el cheapo, single-serving, no-cook recipe we used. Disclaimer: I have no clue as to the life expectancy of this dough, but it does hold up nicely during a 10-15 minute craft session.

Prepare a small plastic bag for each child that contains:

- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

- 2 Tbsp (1/8 cup) salt

Give each child a spoon and a small bowl, and instruct the children to pour the contacts of the bag into a bowl.

To each bowl, add:

- 2 Tbsp (1/8 cup) water

- 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

- 1 or 2 drops of food coloring

Stir the mixture with a spoon until a ball forms, then remove the dough from the bowl and knead it until smooth and a nice consistency. More flour or water can be added as needed if the mixture is too sticky or dry. Play with the dough, then plop it back into the baggie to take home!

Christian...or Not?

Enroute to Kids Klub yesterday evening, a conversation occurred that went something like this:

Child: "What kind of church is this?"
Me: "Christian."
Child: "Good! I'm a Christian, not a Catholic."
Me: "So how do you know you're a Christian?"
Child: "I have a godmother and a godfather."
Me: "So Christians have godmothers and godfathers, but Catholics don't?"
Child: "Yes..."

Where did she come up with this? I have no clue, and I only had a few minutes to quickly explain to her how one really becomes a Christian before dealing with other distractions on the van.

Please be in prayer for next week's Kids Klub, when children will be learning about Jesus' death and resurrection in their classes. Many are already familiar with the story, but our prayer is that the story might become real in a personal way this Easter, as they begin to see that Jesus died to bring Fernando and Patricia and Ignacio and whoever believes in Him eternal life.