Another Good Samaritan

Here is another story that I wrote for this year's street camp in Galveston. This is another one of the good Samaritan story written for children.

As with any of my stories, you have my permission to use this however you feel it will be helpful in working with children. Please do not put anyone else's name on the story. While it didn't cost me anything to write the story, it did take my time, effort and thoughts.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10

The scripture is copied and pasted from www.biblegateway.com

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Who is your neighbor? written by Judy Johnson

Ask the children, “Who is my neighbor?” Allow them time to reply. Then ask, “Are people that live in Houston your neighbor? How about me? I live in _______________. Am I your neighbor? I'm going to tell you a story that Jesus told about who our neighbor is.”

One day, a man that we will call Daniel was traveling to another town. Now back in those days they didn't have cars like we do today so most people had to walk everywhere they went. Now Daniel had been walking for quit a while and he was probably tired already so he was walking a little slower. All of a sudden, 5 robbers jumped out from behind some rocks and started attacking Daniel. They were beating him up pretty badly and had knocked him out. They stole all of his clothes and all of his money. They took everything Daniel had and left him lying in the ditch to die.

Later Preacher Bob was walking down the same road. The robbers had already left. Preacher Bob could see that there was something bloody in the ditch up ahead. He looked and saw that it was a man. “Oh, no,” Preacher Bob said. “I can't take the time to do anything about this. I've got to be a my church in time for our church dinner. Besides, I don't know anything about medicine anyway. I couldn't do anything to help him.” Preacher Bob walked across to the other side of the road so that he wouldn't have to look to closely at how bad Daniel was hurt.

Next, Lawyer Johnson was walking down the same road. He could see that there was someone in the ditch that was hurt. “Oh, no,” said Lawyer Johnson. “ I've got to hurry. I have to be at the court house by 11 o'clock. I don't have time to do anything for him. Besides, I'm a lawyer, not a doctor!” Lawyer Johnson walked across the road to the other side so that he wouldn't have to look at poor Daniel laying in the ditch bleeding.

Even later, a man named Sam was walking down the road. Sam was from another country called Samaria. He hadn't been this way before and didn't really know anyone in this country. He saw Daniel laying in the ditch and Sam felt sorry for him. He knew that if he were laying somewhere knocked out and bleeding, that he hoped someone would stop and help him. So Sam stopped so see what he could do for Daniel. Sam didn't have a lot of things with him but he did have a donkey that he would ride when he was tired of walking. Sam picked Daniel up very carefully and laid him across the back of the donkey. Sam walked with Daniel on his donkey for a little ways until he saw an inn where he could stay for the night. He took Daniel to a room and washed his cuts and let him sleep in the bed overnight. The next morning, Sam told the owner of the inn, Simon, that he was going to leave Daniel there. He asked Simon to take care of him and feed him until Daniel was well enough to travel on is own. Sam gave Simon all the money that he had saved for his trip to use to take care of Daniel. He told Simon, “ I'm traveling to the next town to get a job. After I work for a while, I will come back here to see how Daniel is doing. When I come back, I will pay you whatever extra it cost to take care of Daniel.”

Which of these three people, Preacher Bob, Lawyer Johnson, or Sam from another country, do you think was a neighbor to Daniel, who had been robbed and beat up?”

Let the children respond on what they think about their neighbors. Explain how Sam, the foreigner, showed mercy on Daniel. Tell the children how much God loves us and how He showed mercy on us when He sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us.

Modern Day Builders

Here is one of the stories that I wrote for this year's street camp in Galveston. It is the story about the wise and foolish builders found in Matthew 7:24-28.

As with any of my stories, you have my permission to use this as you work with children. I only ask that you do not put anyone else name as the author. I don't see myself as the world's greatest children's author but I did put my time and thought into this story and did not copy it from anyone else.

I did not make any puzzles or games to go with this as the format of the street camp has changed.


scripture was copied and pasted from www.biblegateway.com

The Wise and Foolish Builders Matthew 7

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

The Two New Houses written by Judy Johnson

One bright, sunny summer day, two friends, Isaiah and Joshua, were walking along the beach. The water looked cool and refreshing as Isaiah ran on ahead. When he stopped, Isaiah jumped up and down and called out to Joshua, “This is it! This is the place!”

Joshua looked at Isaiah, puzzled and asked, “The place for what?”

“The place we are building our new house. See, over there,” Isaiah said pointing, “that's where my bedroom is going to be. All I'll have to do is just walk out the door and jump into the ocean to go swimming. It will be great fun to live so close to the ocean.”

Joshua shook his head back and forth and frowned. “I heard my dad talking about someone building a new house right on the sand. He said that's not a good idea. Dad said that a house needs a solid foundation or it won't stand during the storms. When the storms come, your house will crash down. That won't be good.”

Isaiah stalked off mad. He yelled at Joshua, “You're just jealous because your dad didn't think of it first.”

Joshua called back for Isaiah to wait. “Come with me.” he said. “Let me show you where my dad is building our new house.”

Isaiah followed Joshua as they walked away from the beach. They walked a long time before Joshua looked at Isiah and said, “This is where my dad is building our house.”

“Here?” questioned Isaiah. “This is a long way from the beach. This is just a big, old rock. I mean, it's huge. Who wants to live here? This won't be a fun place to live. It's way too far from the beach.

“It is a long way from the beach,” Joshua agreed, “but our house will be on a solid foundation. Nothing is going to blow this rock away. When the storms come, we will be safe.”

Weeks past and summer was almost over. The houses were almost finished being built. A few small rains had come and Isaiah was happy that nothing had happened to the house they were building on the beach. “See,” Isaiah said to himself. “Joshua doesn't know what he's talking about. Our house on the sand is just fine.”

One day, a short time later, Isaiah and Joshua saw each other at school. They were both very excited. “We move into our new house tomorrow!” they both exclaimed at the same time. The houses were both finished and they would all start moving tomorrow.

“I'll be able to go swimming every day,” Isaiah said excitedly. Joshua just shook his head.

That night, as they were all at their old houses, packing boxes to get ready for the move, a big storm came. The rain came down hard for a long time. The wind was blowing and the boys could each see the wind whipping the trees around outside their windows. Both boys worried about there new houses. They knew a storm like this could cause a lot of damage to even the strongest of houses. The storm went on all night long.

The next morning the sun came out and the rain stopped. The wind wasn't blowing any more. There were puddles on the ground but they would still be able to move to their new houses. All of Isaiah's family and all of Joshua's family loaded up their things ready to move. When Joshua's family got to the huge rock where their house was built, Joshua was relieved to see that the house on the rock stood firm and strong.

Joshua looked down the long way to the beach to see if he could see Isaiah's new house. He couldn't see anything. Later, when there was time, Joshua and his dad walked to the beach. There they found all of Isaiah's family sitting in the sand. There was wood and stones all over the beach around them. Isaiah's mom and his sisters were all crying because the house on the sand was not able to stand.

Joshua's dad talked to Isaiah's dad. “Why don't you come and build a house next to us up on the solid rock. We have plenty of room next to us for your house too.”

Not only should we build out homes on a solid foundation, we should also build our lives on a solid foundation. The best foundation for our lives is Jesus Christ.

Storyteller take time to tell the children how to know Jesus as personal savior.

Joy Devotional

I gave this devotional on a monthly conference call for volunteer area coordinators for Operation Christmas Child. Feel free to make changes and use as would be of help  to you.


The past 6 weeks has been somewhat stressful for me and I'm sure for many of you, also. This is my first year as area coordinator so count down event was a big thing for me. We got that done and I thought I would be able to slow down for just a bit. Well, my church's project leader is still recovering from surgery and chemo so I took over the things she had been doing. Then my cousin passed away after an illness. My brother was in a very serious accident, in a coma for 8 days and still has a very long recovery ahead. I just learned that my baby girl will be haing surgery in a week in NC. She's 44 years old, but she's still my baby. We've got floor problems at our house because of a plumbing problem. Needless to say, I've kind of gotten a bit depressed. I've felt somewhat overwhelmed with everything.

When Mark called me and asked me to do this, I started thinking about what scripture to use for the devotional. Every scripture that came to mind was about joy. One of my life scriptures is Phil. 4:4: "Rejoice in the Lord always and I will say it again, rejoice." So with everything goin on in my life right now, what do I have to rejoice about? Well....Everything! God has completely blessed me. I have a wonderful husband and family including a great church family. I get to serve the Lord through Operation Christmas Child! That is a huge blessing.

God's word is full of scripture about joy and rejoicing.
Zechariah 10:7 says, "Their children will see it (and to me that has to be the shoeboxes they see) Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord."
Nehemiah 8:10 tells us "for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
Psalm 47:1 says "Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy."
Psalm 92:4 "For you makie me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for you at what your hands have done."
There are liteerally dozens and dozens of scriptures about joy. God wants us to have joy even when Satan is attacking us with problems.
And now, back to Phil. 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Then a little further down in that same chapter Phil. 4:9 gives us assurance. "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, so seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." He promises us peace. So during this busy, busy time, let's all remember that whatever is goin on around us, God promises us peace and joy!

For more information about Operation Christmas Child go to www.samartianspurse.org or google Operation Christmas Child.

A Fab Blog to Look at

I just found this blog about "I hate church." Naturally, I was interested in what the man had to say. Why would he hate church. I love church. I love my church. I love my Jesus who, IMO, spends a lot of time at my church. Go ahead and click on this link. I Hate Church This man of God has some very eye opening, insightful things to say. Read it. Think about it. If your church is like the ones he is talking about, then decide what you can do about it.

Joseph Goes to Egypt word puzzle

This word puzzle was made from the Discovery Education web site and my words and definations. It's a good web site for  making all kinds of puzzles the easy way.

Joseph, his brothers, and Egypt puppet skit

This puppet play is about Joseph in Genesis. There is so much to tell about Joseph that his life could be a study all by itself. I've written this play focusing on Joseph's relationship with his brothers and how God forgives us and loves us no matter what. Look for a word puzzle to go with it tomorrow.

Joseph

Genesis 42-45

You will need a coat of many colors for the Joseph puppet.
Background--country scene with some sheep to one side
Narrator or puppet 1: Joseph was the next to the youngest in a very big family. There were 12 brothers and their father, Jacob, loved Joseph the most. Jacob had a special coat made for Joseph, because he loved him so much. Every time Joseph wore that special coat of many colors, everyone who saw him knew that he was Jacob’s favorite.
Jacob: Joseph, I want you to go out to the fields to check on your brothers and make sure they are ok. They are out near Shecham with the sheep, letting them eat.
Joe: Ok, Dad. I’ll go right now.
Jacob: Be sure to wear your coat of many colors. I don’t want you to get cold.
(Three or more people puppets and some sheep puppets are on one side of the stage. Joseph is on the other side of the stage. Joe is moving like he is walking but not advancing yet.)
Brother 1: Oh look, here comes Joseph. (sarcastic) I’ll bet he’s going to tattle tale to Dad again if he doesn’t like what we’re doing.
Bro 2: You know that’s right.
Bro 3: And look. He’s got on that special coat of many colors. I think he just wears it to show off that he’s dad’s favorite.
Bro 1 & 2: Yeah…
Bro 1: Hey! I’ve got an idea. (excited) Let’s get rid of him. We can kill him and tell Dad that a wild animal ate him. We can smear some blood on his coat to show to Dad. Then we won’t have to worry about the tattle tale.
Bro 2: (pointing) Look, over there. There’s a caravan coming, a group of travelers. Let’s not kill him. Let’s make some money. We can sell him to those travelers and they will take him to Egypt.
Bro 3: He’ll never come back from Egypt. That sounds like a plan.
(Joe walks over to them. The brother puppets jump on him and wrap rope around him like they are tying him up. They pull Joe off the stage toward the caravan.)
The brother puppets come back with Joe’s coat of many colors.
Bro 1: We’ll take his coat to show to Dad.
Bro 2: Yes. We can still tell Dad that a wild animal ate him. He’ll never know the difference.
Bro 3 (carries some paper play money that they from the sell. The brothers walk off the stage. Puppet looks at the money and laughs.) Ha, ha, ha.
(Backdrop changes to show some pyramids in the background.)
(While the narrator is talking, put Joe’s small crown on him.)
Narrator or puppet 1: So the people who bought Joseph took him to Egypt which was a long, long way off. When they got there, Joseph became a slave to some of the people of Egypt. Well, Joseph was really smart and he worked really hard and he really loved God a lot. After a long, long, long time, Joseph wasn’t a slave anymore. He had worked so hard and had done everything that God told him to do. He became the vice president of all of Egypt. The only person who had more power than Joseph was President Pharaoh.
Joe talking to Pharaoh: Pharaoh, God told me that there’s going to be 7 years when everything is going to grow really well. We will have lots of food and things will be great.
Pharaoh: That’s fabulous!
Joe; Well…the problem is that after that there’s going to be 7 years when nothing will grow and things will be really bad.
Pharaoh: Oh no! that doesn’t sound good.
Joe: No, it’s not. It will be that way all over the world. Not just in Egypt.
Pharaoh: Well, then, we’d better make some plans. I’ll put you in charge of it all.
Joe: God has already told me what to do. We will store up and save grain and food during the 7 good years. Then we will have plenty for the bad years.
Joe & Pharaoh walk off the stage making their plans.
(Brother puppets & Jacob come on stage from the other side.)
Bro 1: Dad, we’re running out of food. What are we going to do. I’m hungry.
Bro 2: I heard that the people in Egypt have plenty. They are even selling it to other countries.
Jacob: Well, go to Egypt and buy some. We have the money. There’s just no groceries here to buy.
(Jacob leaves stage. Brother puppets begin walking without getting anywhere to Egypt. As the narrator talks, the backdrop changes to one with pyramids in the distance.)
Narrator: The brothers take their money to buy food from Egypt. When they get there, Joseph recognizes his brothers but they don’t recognize him.
(Brothers walk up to where Joe is standing in front of pyramids)
At first the brothers bow down to Joseph. (Puppets bow down in front of Joe.)
Joseph lets them tell him about how hungry they are and about their family back in Canaan. (Puppets look like they are talking to Joe but no one talking except narrator) Joseph pretends he doesn’t know who they are. Then he decides to tell them.
(The brothers start to walk away)
Joe: Wait guys. Look at me. Don’t you know who I am?
(Brothers look at Joe & each other & shake their heads.)
Bro 3: (slowly) No. it can’t be. He’s dead.
Joe: It’s me. Joseph. (pause) Is my father still alive?
Bro 1: But we sold you.
Bro 2: Aren’t you mad at us?
Joe: No. I was sad at first but then I learned that God sent me ahead of you so that our whole family could be saved. I know that God planned this for good and I forgive you for your evil plans.
`Go home now and get my father and the rest of the family. Bring all of your animals and I will give you the best of all the land in Egypt. You will all live here and we will all be happy together. God has taken of me and He will take care of you too.
(All the puppets come together in a group hug.)
Group leader comes forward:
Did you like the story of Joseph? Sometimes bad things happen that really turn out to be good for everyone.
1. Which one of the brothers was Jacob‘s, the dad’s, favorite? Joseph
2. What did Jacob give to Joseph that showed everyone that Joseph was the favorite? A coat of many colors
3. What did the other brothers think about Joseph? They didn’t like him. They thought he was a tattle tale.
4. What plan did the brothers come up with to get Joseph out of the way? They would sell him to travelers.
5. Even though Joseph was a slave when he first got to Egypt, what job did he get after he had worked hard for a long time? Vice president or first assistant to Pharaoh
6. Why did Egypt have food when none of the other countries did? God told Joseph ahead of time what was coming. They planned and saved food to have during the lean years.
7. Did Joseph pay back his brothers when they came to get food? No. Why not? Joseph knew that God had sent him ahead so that their whole family could be saved.
Joseph forgave his brothers of the bad that they had done to him. Joseph loved his brothers because he knew that God loved him and God loved his brothers too. Sometimes, it seems really hard to forgive someone when they are mean to you or do something that hurts you. But we do mean things to other people too. No on is perfect. We all do bad things sometimes. We might fight with our brother or sister or tell a lie to someone. Those things are called sin. God loves us but He doesn’t love our sin. Jesus died on the cross so that we don’t have to. Jesus paid the price for our sins. Jesus died on the cross so that we don’t have to be punished for our sins. He died and He was buried in a tomb or a kind of grave. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead and walked on earth again. Jesus took the punishment for our sin so that we don’t have to. What we have to do is to believe that Jesus died for our sins and ask him to come live in our hearts. He will live with us forever and ever. If any one would like to talk about asking Jesus to come into your heart, tell your group leaders when we break into small groups. They will ask someone to talk with you.

Abraham and Isaac maze

This is a simple maze that can be use with the story of Abraham and Isaac as they go to Mount Moriah. This is designed for young children in kindergarten or first grade.
Use it in whatever way you find beneficial in your children's ministry.