Ideas You Can Use

Jonah Chapters 3 and 4 (for youth)

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My goal for this final time with Jonah was to share the end of the story and include time for a recap of the whole story. I decided today to do this by sending the youth to stations set up around the space.

Here’s how we did it. We divided up into two groups. Each group went to the stations in any order and did what was stated on the information sheet at the station. Then, they took their station information sheet and went to the next station. The stations can be competed in any order. This is because the final step is assembling the story in order using the information sheets from each station.

Station 1-Call from God!

I would have loved to have a telephone with a prerecorded message when they picked up the phone with God’s call to Jonah. What I had was a picture of a telephone and one person was asked to be the voice of God and call Jonah!

Station 2-Build a Boat!

If Jonah is going to flee on a boat, he needs you to build him one. Make a boat using the materials on this table. The boat must float for 10 seconds.

For this station, I sent out a big bowl of water and a random assortment of items from the craft closet (popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, small cups, glue, etc).

Station 3- Rock, Paper, Scissors

While on the boat, the sailors cast lots which could be something like rock, paper, scissors to see who was causing the problem on the boat. Play rock, paper, scissors until someone is the winner-this person is your Jonah and needs to be thrown overboard.

Station 4-Jonah into the Fish

This station requires a cup, string, tape, a tiny figure to be Jonah. I borrowed this idea from somewhere online that I cannot find again to give them credit. The goal is to catch Jonah in the cup, so you need to tie the string around Jonah and then attach the string to the cup. Each person takes a turn being the fish who swallows Jonah.

Station 5-Write a Prayer in the Fish

Working together as a group, talk about how Jonah might have been feeling inside the big fish for three days and three nights. He didn’t know God was going to save him. Pretend you are Jonah and write a prayer to God together.

Station 6-Go to Nineveh!

God called to Jonah a second time. Be like Jonah and walk all around the city (or this room) yelling, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”

Station 7-Repent with the People of Nineveh!

Instead of sitting in ashes, we sat in scraps of paper. And in place of sackcloth, we used old painting shirts from the craft closet.

Have someone read out loud-The people heard Jonah and changed their ways. They promised not to eat (fast). They put on sackcloth (old, not fancy clothes) and sat in ashes. They hoped God would see the changes they made in their lives and forgive them. And guess what? It worked. God saw their changed behavior, and God forgave the people of Nineveh.

Station 8-Sit Under a Tree

You might think Jonah would be happy that God was kind and forgave the people of Nineveh. Nope! He got mad. Jonah said, “God, I know you are merciful. I didn’t even want to come here because I knew you would forgive them.”

Take turns sitting in this chair under the tree being grumpy like Jonah was. Remember that God forgives us and loves us just like God forgave the people of Nineveh and grumpy Jonah too.

Once all eight stations have been completed, it is time to put the story in order and tell it to the awesome adults waiting to hear the story.

Jonah Chapter 2 (for youth)

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So, friends for chapter 2 of Jonah we need to get ourselves into the belly of a big fish (some people still say whale and I think there are better things to argue about than fish vs whale).

You can search online and find great plans for huge tarps that you inflate with a fan. This sounds like a bunch of fun. I didn’t have the time, energy, or budget to make this happen.

My cheaper option required 18 blue plastic table cloths, blue duct tape, painters tape or masking tape, a ladder and a hallway at church!

Step 1-Hang up your table cloths!
Keep on hanging them until your whole space is blue.

Next, you need a mouth, so you can get swallowed by the big fish.

I was told it looked like a monster at this point.
Finished fish!

The hard work is done. Now on to the lesson for the youth. Begin by reviewing what happened in Chapter 1. Last time we left Jonah floating in the sea, and now he gets swallowed by a big fish.

Everyone into the fish. You can sit or stand for this part. Ask wondering questions. I wonder what Jonah was thinking? I wonder what you are thinking since you are now in the belly of a fish? I wonder what Jonah did to pass the time? I wonder how you would spend your time in here? I wonder what it smells like in the belly of a fish? (It was suggested that I place open cans of tuna fish around the room to help create the ambiance. I didn’t. You can if you would like).

Read Chapter 2 of Jonah out loud. You can divide it up and have different youth read. Stop before Jonah gets out.

Ask the youth what they would have said or prayed in this situation?

And then together, get vomited out of the fish back onto dry land like Jonah. Give thanks to God for caring for us and sharing Jonah’s story with us. Encourage the youth to come back next week to hear the rest of the story!

Jonah Chapter 1 (for youth)

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My youth asked for ways they could be Jonah, so for three weeks we are making Jonah’s story come to life.

Week 1 was chapter 1 (except the last verse). We left Jonah floating in the water with a to be continued and come back next week.

So for chapter 1, my friend and I built a boat.

We used cardboard and paper and tape from church. We used empty boxes from church as the cargo to be thrown overboard.

And then I rewrote the chapter into a youth friendly play. One of their favorite things they took from the lesson was that casting lots was something like rock, paper, scissors. We are doing more rock, paper, scissors now since they see the connection to the Bible.

We had a great time enacting the story and learning more about God through Jonah’s story.

A Prayer for the Lollygaggers

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A friend sent me a card in the mail recently where she talked about the joy of lollygagging. This is a word I love to use in a positive way. I think we need more time to lollygag! (Also, I just learned that it is sometimes spelled lallygag. I am sticking with the way I have always heard it).

On some recent time away from my normal routine, I took time to lollygag! It was glorious. I read in the morning instead of jumping out of bed and hurrying to the shower. I drove down a two lane road even though a four lane highway was near by and would have had me at my destination faster. I sat in a comfy chair at a bookstore and read part of a book that I then purchased. I played board games with my husband! It turns out that I am good at lollygagging when I let myself do it.

So give yourself permission to lollygag, whatever that might look like for you! Move slower. Look around at creation. Linger over a cup of tea (or coffee, if you prefer).

God! You taught us to rest and we are often not good at it! Slow us down. Help us to make time to lollygag. Remind us that life is to be enjoyed and not just hustled through from one task to the next. Show us that we are enough as we are. It is okay to put our work down at the end of the day. It is good to laugh with loved ones. It is necessary to spend time in conversation with you. Bless us as we lollygag, Gracious God. Amen.

Book Review-Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Kid Doesn’t Have to Heal From by Meredith Miller

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You should read this book! I keep talking about it to anyone and everyone.

This book is my recommendation for the parents to read at the church I am serving. Let me tell you why!

This book is very readable. In Part 1 (Chapters 1-4), she encourages families to find their own way to be faithful families. We are not given one right way to live our faith. Instead we are encouraged to live out our faith in our families and communities in ways that work for us. One of her ideas that I love is replacing the idea of a wall of faith that we build higher and higher with a web where the strings support each other and it grows stronger by connections. If your web has a string that gets weaker or breaks (a new understanding or change in your theology), your web is still strong and able to adapt unlike a wall that would tumble. She also pushes us to use all Bible stories to focus back on God instead of as a lesson toward obedience by children or adults.

In Part 2, she gives us 6 examples of what this looks like with different attributes of God (God is Good, Powerful, Just, Joyful, With Us, and Lord). In each chapter, she highlights a characteristic of God with a Bible story, ways to live out this characteristic of God, and suggestions for answering the hard questions.

I encourage you to read this book and let it nurture your faith while you prepare to nurture the faith of the children/youth in your care!

Sink or Float (Matthew 14:22-33)

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Helping make the Bible understandable and relatable can be a challenge. Here’s a fun way I encourage our children/youth to engage in this story of Jesus walking on water from Matthew 14:22-33.

So I did this both as a kid’s sermon in worship and as a longer outside activity for youth on our family faith night. Both were fun!

You will need a clear pitcher or clear bowl if doing this inside during worship or a kiddie pool if attempting outside during youth group. And a bunch of things you are okay getting wet as we are going to drop them in the water to see if they sink or float. I recommend looking around your space and finding a variety of things.

Invite all gathered to guess whether each object will sink or float and then have them place it into the water.

Then read the story from Matthew 14:22-33. I recommend reading it twice. The first time read it as written. The second time read it while pausing to ask questions. Notice that Jesus took time to be quiet in prayer (Matthew 14:22-23). Do you ever need time to be by yourself in silence? Jesus was walking on the water toward the boat (Matthew 12:25). Try to imagine how you would feel if you saw someone walking on water. Peter asks to join Jesus on the water (Matthew 12:28). If you were in this story, would you do the same or would you be like the other disciples watching from the boat? Peter notices all the scary things around him and begins to sink (Matthew 12:30). When have you ever become frightened when you saw where you were and what you were doing?

This story reminds us to trust in Jesus even when we feel like we are sinking or are overwhelmed or scared. Jesus never leaves us. (This is where I ended the kid’s message in worship).

For the youth activity, we made “ourselves” as a reminder that with Jesus we float and can handle the big waves of life. We used a collection of random items from the supply closet including styrofoam balls, rubber bands, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes. Everyone had fun creating and then took their creations home as a reminder of that night’s story.

And a prayer to end the night-

God of the Wind and the Waves and Silence, you never leave us. You never abandon us. Even when life is hard or scary or unfair, you walk beside us on the water and lift us up when we start to sink. We are grateful for your constant love and support. Give us the strength we need for today. And thank you for this community of faith which supports and loves us too. Amen.

Wedding Reception Prayer

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Later today I will be celebrating the marriage of two lovely people. And as I was preparing a prayer for the reception, I thought I would share it here in case it would be helpful to anyone else who is needing a prayer for a wedding reception.

Loving God, On this day when love brings us together, we thank you for your constant love for us. We thank you for bringing —— and —— together and blessing their love today. Continue to guide and support them as they begin this new chapter of their life together. God, we thank you for this joyful feast. Watch over all of us and keep us safe as we celebrate the gift of love and especially the love between —- and ——. Amen.

Post-it Countdown

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I love post-its. I love countdowns. What is the best? Obviously, combining these two loves together. I am nearing the end of my first semester back at school. To celebrate and motivate myself, I made a post-it countdown. As of today, 4 more classes and 5 more assignments are between me and a few weeks off before summer classes! Woohoo!

So, when you are nearing the end of your energy or excitement for something, why not try a countdown? It feels good to physically remove the number from the stack and know that you are closer to the end!

I have used post-its for Lenten countdowns in church (great time to use purple). I made my niece and nephew a countdown when they were driving to see me four years ago. There is no limit to how many ways post-it countdowns can help motivate and inspire you.

Inspiring God, some days we need an extra push. Some days we need an extra reminder that we are moving on the right track and this season isn’t forever. Thank you for post-it countdowns and other fun ways to help us keep on going! With your help, we can do this. Amen!

A Silent Retreat

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Have you ever attended a silent retreat? I would highly recommend it, and I also think that they might not be a fit for everyone.

A dear friend invited me to join a silent retreat she was leading at her church. It was held on a Saturday from 10am to 4pm. And I loved it.

We gathered together to talk about the plan for the retreat. She gave us time to center ourselves and then one last chance to speak…and then the quiet began.

I had packed a bag with letter writing supplies, a spiritual book, a journal, and coloring book/colored pencils. My goal was not to feel like I had a to do list which is so hard for me because I love a good list.

I started reading some of my favorite Scripture verses Lamentations 3:21-26. I read these verses slowly and from different translations. Then I wrote them down noticing the words that were similar and different. I was wondering how long it had been since I read the book of Lamentations, so I read it too!

I went for a walk outside slowing my pace and noticing the sounds and sights around me. All of the sudden I thought of how my sister and I used to walk on parking lot lines and painted curbs like they were balance beams. And so, I did this. I giggled out loud (whoops, sorry silent retreat). I slowly walked all around the church property feeling young. And then the bells started playing hymns. They were announcing it was noon and time for lunch. I sang along in my head to words inscribed on my heart from my childhood.

Lunch felt awkward. To sit around tables with people and not talk was hard. Do I make eye contact? Do I look away? What should I do? Maybe read the ingredient list on my food to pass the time.

After lunch, time for coloring and prayer and writing letters and reading and sitting and walking. The time passed so much more quickly than I imagined. It felt like a gift to spend this much time in silence with God.

I encourage you to try something new to you to stretch your spiritual muscles.

Renewing God, we pray that you renew us as we try something new. Give us courage and patience as we stretch our spiritual muscles. Remind us that you will be with us as we embark on things previously undone. In silence and peace, we come before you. Amen.

My Lenten Practice for 2023

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When I started working with hospice in 2015, I received a name badge. Nothing out of the ordinary as it is one way to identify myself as I go into people’s home and facilities. Earlier this year, my original 7 year old name badge broke. Instead of getting a free new name badge, I placed my old name badge into a plastic holder that was too big and wore it. I did this for weeks until one Friday afternoon I looked down and saw this!

My first question was how long had I been walking around wearing this with no name badge. I retraced my steps to see if it had just happened. And found nothing. So, I did what I should have done weeks earlier and got a new one!

And that seemed like the end of the story. Until I was given an envelope a few days later. Inside was a note saying found near such and such address and…

My original name badge was back. Someone found it on the street. This person then took the time to mail it to my work address. They got a stamp, addressed an envelope, and placed it in a mailbox. They could have ignored it. They could have picked it up and planned to return it. No, this anonymous individual went out of their way to do something kind.

This experience has inspired my Lenten Practice for this year. I want to be more aware of opportunities to be kind and more aware of seeing kindness lived out in others. So, I am keeping myself open for opportunities for kindness. I would like to express thanks when kindness is extended to me and offer kindness when the opportunity arises. And this idea all began when someone took the time to notice a name badge on the street.

Originator of Kindness, You created us to be in relationship with each other and with you. This Lenten Season open us to opportunities to receive and share kindness. Ignite our awareness of the people around us and how we may meet a need in their life. Surprise us with the kindness we can live out. With thanksgiving for the many ways you share your kindness in our lives, help us to notice and do and say thank you. Amen.