The Man With The Rotten Feet

Last Sunday I had a group of five little girls in Bible Class.  After we got through checking out everyone's dresses, shoes, nails, and hair, I got them settled down to start class.  We always begin class with the 

B-I-B-L-E song so afterwards, they know to settle down and listen to me tell the story.  

This week's story was about the crippled man who was brought to Paul & Barnabas for healing. 

I talked at first about what being crippled meant.  "A" kept saying that if you couldn't walk, you had to use a "crowch".  I corrected her by saying it is a crutch.  She got up to get the little crutch I have in class and said, "This is a "crowch" and my sister hurt her foot and had to use one."  I don't know how many times the word crutch was used by me and some of the other kids, but to her, it was still a "crowch"!  She was very interested in my visual aids, especially the one with the crippled man laying on his mat.  Whenever I said he was crippled, she would say that his feet looked rotten!  I said that they weren't rotten, but just didn't look right or work like other people's feet worked.  Over and over she kept saying, "They're rotten.  They look rotten. I think they're rotten."   Well...alrighty then!  There was no changing her mind..on anything!  I imagine she went home saying that a man had to use a "crowch" because he had rotten feet!  

These girls LOVE to color!  

At the end of class, we were getting ready to pray and I asked if one of them wanted to say the prayer.  One little girl said that she would say the prayer.  

She prayed, "Dear God, thank you for everything you give us.  Please be with us when our family goes through hard times. In Jesus name, Amen."  Oh. My. Goodness.  I'm not at liberty to tell what is going on in her family but this little prayer brought tears to my eyes and I could hardly talk for a minute after she finished. I'm so proud of her for knowing that she can talk to God about anything and I hope that's a comfort to her during her hard times.

"...and all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."  Matthew 21:22

The Devil Made Me Do It

A few weeks ago, our Bible Story was about Saul being blinded on the road to Damascus.  I began telling the story of how Saul was a bad guy and that he went about killing Christians.  The kids talked about how bad that was to do that to good people.  It must be because of the Devil they thought.  The talk went on with them saying a bunch of bad things that the devil tries to make us do...lying, saying bad words, not obeying and such.  I agreed with them that those were all bad behaviors that we should not do.  "B" said, "Well, I think that "C" (her brother) must be the devil because he's always trying to get me to say bad words."  It was so funny except for the fact that she was SERIOUS!  She really thought he must be the devil!  I assured her that "C" is not the devil but that she still should not do any bad things that he might try to get her to do.  This idea of the devil is so hard for them to grasp at this age because they really want to put a face on him.  I told them that we really don't know what he looks like.  I was quickly corrected by "P".  He said, "I know what he looks like!  He's red and has horns and that tail with a pointy thing on it."  I couldn't convince him otherwise!  

Anyway, back to Saul...I told them how he was on the road to Damascus when a bright light from heaven came down and he was blinded! The story goes on with Jesus speaking to him, telling him to go on to the town and that someone there would tell him what he needed to do. Saul was blind for three days before Ananias met up with him and his sight was restored and he was baptized.

We acted out the story later on in the class time.  

We laid out carpet squares to make our road.  I'd brought a flashlight to be the bright light to blind Saul.

They took turns being Saul and his friends on the road.  I shined the light on them and they fell to the ground, blinded.  Oh my, they got so dramatic with their falling down!  I figured they would want a turn to be "Jesus" and get to shine the light in someone's eyes but no one asked to do that!  I couldn't believe it!

"...and he regained his sight, and got up and was baptized."  Acts 9: 18

The Camel With Three Humps

Happy Daylight Savings Time!  Although I hate losing an hour of my precious sleep time, I do LOVE the longer days with more daylight at the end of the day rather than the beginning.  At church this morning, I guess everyone remembered to set their clocks forward because we didn't have any late comers, as we usually do!  

Two of my darling girls showed up bright and early for class.  They just can't wait for class to get started.  "B" immediately grabbed a Bible and asked if we were still in Acts for today's lesson.  I didn't even have my things out and ready and here she is wanting to know where to open her little Bible to.   

Our lesson was about the new Christians in Antioch helping Paul & Barnabas prepare to leave on an important job.  I asked if they had jobs at home to do.  Both of them started saying things like folding clothes and putting them away, cleaning up their room and also picking up sticks to put on the brush pile.  Since we had such a terrible ice storm earlier in the winter, there are plenty of sticks to clean out of yards.  Anyway, while they were talking about cleaning their rooms, "B" said that her room is always clean and that she likes a clean room.  "A" said that she cleans her room, too.  "B" looked at me with a funny look on her face and said, "No, she doesn't clean her room.  It is so messy that you can't walk across the floor without tripping over stuff."  "A" had an "uh-oh" look on her face as if she'd been caught! 

The Bible story went on with the Christians fasting, praying and laying on hands as Paul & Barnabas got ready to leave on their journey.  The girls didn't quite understand the idea of fasting because "if you're hungry, you just need to eat something".  I stressed to them that Paul & Barnabas could only take a few things with them as they traveled.  I asked them if they remembered how the people in the Bible days did their traveling.  "B" said, "They walked and rode on donkeys and horses."  I asked, "What about when they came to water?  What did they do then?"  She answered, "They rode in a boat.  OH, and they also rode on camels."

  I agreed with all of her answers.  She then added, "If they had a camel with three humps, then Paul can ride on one hump, Barnabas could ride on the next hump and they could just hang their bags on the third hump."  She thought she had the solution for sure!  I cracked up!  It's just too hard to keep a straight face sometimes.

We made praying hands and they were to draw things that they should pray for.  It's always interesting to see what is really on their little minds.

"B" drew a variety of things-home, her daddy, food, sunshine.  "A" drew only people and expected us to identify each one she drew...haha  It took us a while to come up with the right names since everyone looked alike!

"And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on the, they sent them away."  Acts 13:3

The Bible is the 'goodest' thing to share!

It was a bitterly cold day here in Oklahoma!  I'm so ready for winter to be over and to have sunshine and warmer days.  I had three little girls in class today and they were so eager to see what the story was about. "B" is learning to read and lately has been asking where in the Bible our story is from.  She has learned to quickly find the scriptures all by herself in her Bible and then finds it for several of the others.  So, so sweet!
Today's lesson was about the first Christians sharing.  We learned that Saul had his named changed to Paul after he obeyed God and was baptized.  He then went on to preach and teach throughout the area.  "B" asked me, "What was Steve's name before he became a Christian and a preacher?  Steve is our local preacher.  I had to giggle a bit as I told her that I'm sure his momma named him Steve when he was born and that he's always been named Steve.  You just never know what's going on in these little minds!   I went on to explain that the people were baptized and first called Christians at the town of Antioch.  They all know about baptism and that people become Christians when they are baptized.  

They story goes on with the prophet Agabus warning Saul & Barnabas about a famine and that the people wouldn't have food or money to buy food.  The new Christians in Antioch brought money to Saul & Barnabas to take to the needy people.

Our application story was about a tornado going through a town and a family waited the storm out in a cellar and were safe.  None of their property was damaged but in a nearby town, there was much damage and destruction.  The children in this family overheard their parents talking about the loss of houses and such.  The children asked if they could give some of their toys and clothes to the storm victims.  My girls started naming things they could give to people in times like this-toys, food, money, and clothes.  I then told them that something else we can always share with others is the Bible.  "B" said, "The Bible is the goodest thing to share."  What a profound statement coming from a 5 year old little girl! 

"...and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch."-Acts 11:26