The Dry Spell

 I think we've all, unfortunately, hit the proverbial wall at least once in our teaching careers. When we find ourselves feeling tired, dry, exasperated, and frankly questioning if this is all worth it or not. It is a time that more often than not is due to us simply not taking care of ourselves spiritually. 
 As children's ministers we can often overlook our own spiritual need for those of our students. Which is a never a good thing since it usually leaves us spiritually dehydrated. Contrary to the popular belief you should always think of yourself first...at least when it comes to spiritual needs anyway. lol 
 Think of it like this, what if you tried to feed all the hungry in the world by giving up all of your food. Well, if you look at it naturally it looks really great, you've helped tons of people, but eventually you start starving yourself. By doing so you can no longer help any of the hungry. You end up losing your health doing something that looked right. 
 Well, it's the same way spiritually. We can end up getting so caught up giving out our time and talents that we forget to give God any of our time. Slowly but surely we spiritually starve to death. Which in turn renders us useless to our class. It's like trying to feed the homeless while you starve to death. 
 So, is it possible to bounce back from something like that? Yes, of course! 
 It's so simple to do too. Get in God's Word first and foremost! My dream is to be like a spiritual sponge for my students...I want to soak up God's Word all week and then just ring it out all over them on Sundays. Curriculums are great, but if you're not teaching them the Bible then you're really not teaching them anything are you?
 Also, pray....pray...what was that other thing? Oh yeah...PRAY! 
Prayer is key. It's literally communicating with God. It's not some hokey religious tradition, it is a God given blessing so we can keep in constant communication with our Heavenly Father. You will get your most valuable teaching guidance that way, I think. I am a strong believer when it comes to the power of prayer. I think the majority of any problems you have can be answered through prayer. No I don't necessarily mean a great audible voice echoing from a golden beam shot down from Heaven as doves fly out...hey if God ministers to you that way then great. But He tends not to be so in your face when it comes to me. Often times He may not even say a word, but a few days later someone may pop up with just the answer I was looking for, or when confronted with the situation I may just know what I need to do or say. It's really that simple. 
  Lastly, if you are really concerned with this dry spell you're dealing with consult your pastor. Don't do it to complain, but do it to explain your situation and seek some guidance. Sometimes God will use other people to communicate what He wants us to know. Because sometimes we just DON'T SHUT UP long enough for Him to get a word in edge wise...not that I've ever done that...ha yeah...not me...ok maybe once...or twice...ok three times tops.
 So, to finish off my main advice is, never neglect your relationship with God. It's great to want to do tons of stuff for God, but never to the point that you lose your relationship with God because of it. I think this advice applies to anyone in ministry no matter what your station. Our relationship with God has to be strong so that we can help strengthen others. 

God Bless,
Faith

The Popcorn Game

 This is an easy, fun, and inexpensive game for a lesson about hearing God, being close to God, or the importance of prayer. It's called, simply, the popcorn game.

All you need for this game is,

1. Popcorn (Obviously)
2. An Even Number Of Kids (If you don't have an even number feel free to stand in yourself.)
3. A Big Open Space
4. A Broom (To clean up after.)

Instructions

 To start off have the kids stand in two straight lines, facing each other. The kids will be paired up in teams of two. Once they're in position hand one piece of popcorn to each team. Standing ten feet or so apart have the kids toss their piece of popcorn to their partner. 

 Now obviously they wont be able to catch it. So, when this happens tell them that they may take one small step toward their partner. Have them keep doing this until their partner catches the popcorn. 

 Also, tell them that anyone who eats their popcorn piece loses. I didn't think to make this rule the first time we played this game, and needless to say we ran through a lot of popcorn that day...Boys...*rolls eyes*. lol

Tie In

 For my lesson I talked about hearing God. If you're doing that or something similar here is a little excerpt from some pieces of notes I used.

 Our relationship with God is similar to the game we played. It's really hard to hear God when you're far away from him. But in James chapter 4 verse 8 it says to draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto you. 

How do we draw nigh unto God?

• Read Our Bible
• Pray
• Go To Church Regularly
• Be Faithful In Tithes and Offerings
• Praise and Worship God
• Obey His Commandments
• Have A Daily Time Set Aside For God

 Now, this game is super versatile, and can be used as a just for fun game or a lesson game. It's totally up to you, but be prepared to clean up a bit of a mess after. It's totally worth it though. Hope you have as much fun with it as we did!

God Bless,

Faith <3

Prayer Reminder Poster

 I think teaching our kids to pray is one of the greatest favors we can do for them.. Recently I've done a whole series on prayer, and one of the learning tools/crafts I liked was the prayer reminder poster.
 I hate wasting time, money, and supplies on crafts that kids either leave in the classroom or will throw away when they get home. So, I try to do things that they can use, wear, hang in their rooms, that are very thought provoking, or present a challenge. Like this...

The Prayer Reminder Poster

Supplies

1. Praying Hands Coloring Page
2. Construction Paper
3. Glue
4. Markers
5. Crayons
6. Scissors
7. Stuff To Decorate (Glitter, Stickers, Foam Cut Outs, etc.)

Here is a link to the praying hands coloring page I used.

Praying Hands Coloring Page

Step 1.

Color praying hands using markers, crayons, or colored pencils

Step 2.

Cut out praying hands. You can let the kids do this or you can do it yourself.

Step 3.

Glue hands to the piece of construction paper...the praying hands...not the kids hands though I have had that happen before. Note: Always keep baby wipes and a first aid kit ready at a moments notice. lol

Step 4.

Have the kids write "Pray" at the top of their poster.

Then have them write a thing to pray for on each finger. Give them 5 fields to choose from, one for each finger.

1. A Ministry Or Group (Police, Church, Military, Missionaries, etc.)

2. A Person In Their Life (Parent, Grandparent, Friend, Aunt Uncle, etc.)

3. A Country (America, Africa, Japan, China, etc.)

4. A Spiritual Thing (Peace, Joy, Wisdom, Help Witnessing, etc.) 

5. A Material Thing They Want (Xbox, Dog, Dress, Movie, Bikes, etc.)

Step 5.

Let the kids go crazy with glitter, stickers, foam cut outs, and whatever else you have on hand. Just let it be fun. Remember this is something they will hang in their room, so the crazier the better usually.

The Finished Product!!

 This is a very simple craft, but it is very impacting. Tell your kids to think of it as a homework assignment for the week. They will hang the poster in their room to remind them to pray for their 5 things every day. By next week's class you should be able to discuss how things went. 

Was it hard to pray every day?

Did they see anything thing happen due to their prayers?

Will they continue to pray every day?

Why is it important for them to pray every day?

Did praying help them feel closer to God?

I hope this craft will help you minister the power of prayer to your class!

Is there another theme you need a craft for? If so leave them in the comments below, and I will try to work up something in a new blog.

Good Luck,

Faith