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.

Abraham and Isaac

This is the puppet skit that I wrote for Abraham for our Galveston mission trip. As with any of my original works, you may use them free for work with your children's ministry. Please give credit where credit is due by printing my name of web site with the materials. Use them for God's glory and for our Lord Jesus Christ.

Abraham and Isaac

Genesis 21-22

　

(Backdrop of a desert with a mountain in the distance)
Narrator puppet: Abraham had listened to God years earlier when God told him to move to a new land. He and his wife, Sarah, had followed God’s plan. Now they lived in this new land and had a son named Isaac. They tried to do all that God told them. They tried to obey God.
(Abraham stands looking around at the audience when God talks from above.)
God: Abraham.
Abe: Yes? Here I am. (looks up)
God: Abraham
Abe: Is that You God? Are you talking to me?
God: Yes, Abraham. I have something for you to do. Take your son, Isaac, and go to the mountain called Moriah. There you will offer your son Isaac as a burnt offering.
Abe: Are you sure that’s what you want me to do, God?
God: Yes. Now go.
Abe: Ok. If you’re really sure.
(Change backdrop to one with the mountain close.
Abraham, Isaac, donkey and 2 male puppets walk across the stage; then back again. Stop at the mountain.)
Puppet man 1: Abraham, how much longer are we going to walk?
Puppet man 2: Yes. I’m tried. We’ve been walking for 3 days.
Abe: Well, sit down and rest now. We are here.
Isaac and I will go over there to worship God. (2 puppets & donkey drop down)
(Abe & Isaac walk to the other side of the stage where an altar is drawn on the backdrop. Abraham carries a torch, and a knife. Isaac carries wood.)
Isaac: Father, look. Here we have the wood and the fire but where is the lamb for the offering. (Isaac lays the wood by the picture of the altar.)
Abe: Isaac, here, lay down on the wood.
Isaac: What? (pause) Well Ok, Dad. Whatever you say. Where is the lamb?
Abe: The Lord will provide a lamb for the sacrifice.
(Abe raises his knife above Isaac.)
Angel of the Lord puppet: Abraham. Stop. Don’ hurt your son, who you love.
(Abe puts the knife down.)
Angel: God know that you will obey Him now since you were willing to give your son to Him.
Laamb in bushes: Baa, baa.
(Abraham walks t the lamb and brings it back to the altar.
Isaac gets up and stands beside Abraham. Abraham lays the lam on top of the wood.)
Abe: We will call this place “the Lord will Provide” because God provides the lamb for sacrifice.
(Other puppets and donkey pop back up where they were before.
Abraham and Isaac walk back to the other puppets & donkey. They all leave together.)
Group leader:
Review questions:
1. Who talked to Abraham? God
2. What did God want Abraham to do for him? Take Isaac to Mt. Moriah to be sacrificed. The children probably won’t get this just right but anything along that line & leader can add to it as necessary.
3. How long did it take them to get to the mountain? 3 days
4. What things did Abraham and Isaac take to the altar? Torch/fire, wood, and knife
5. What animal did God give them to sacrifice? A lamb or sheep
6. Who provided a lamb for the sacrifice? God
7. Did God really want Abraham to kill Isaac? No. God wanted to see if Abraham would obey Him.
God provided a lamb for Abraham to use for the burnt offering. Did you know that God always provides for us? Does any of you know of a way that God has provided for you or your family? (Allow children time to tell about something. If no responses, then you tell about a time God provided for you & your family.)
How many of you have ever done something wrong? Maybe you didn’t do what your mama or daddy told you to do or maybe you didn’t tell the truth about something. Have you ever had a fight with someone? Those things are wrong to do. When we do wrong things, that’s called a sin. God loves all of us. He loves each one of you but God doesn’t love sin. When you do something wrong and your mama or daddy finds out, you get in trouble, don’t you? You get punished. Just like God provided a lamb for Abraham to sacrifice instead of Isaac, God has provided someone to take our punishment for us. God’s son, Jesus, came to earth and died on a cross to pay the price for our sin. Jesus died. He was buried in a tomb, a kind of grave, and after 3 days, Jesus rose from the dead and walked on earth. Jesus took the punishment for sin so that we don’t have to. All we have to do is to tell Jesus that we believe that he died for our sins. We ask him to come live in our hearts. When we ask him, he will live with us forever and ever. God will always provide for the things that we need. (Ask if anyone has any questions or if anyone would like to talk to someone about asking Jesus into his or her heart.)

Noah and the Flood puppet skit

I went to Galveston with our area Baptist association in June on our annual mission trip. Our street camps were lots of fun. We had a group this year who wanted to do puppet shows, so I wrote up the puppet skits to go with the scriptures we were using. This one is the story of Noah and the flood.

This picture is from www.freebibleimages.org. They have lots more pictures that you can use.

Noah & the Flood

From Genesis 6-8

Narrator or puppet 1: Yesterday we saw how God created the earth and people. The first people were named Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve had children and then they had children and on and on. There started being more and more people on the earth.
(3 or 4 puppets walk around)
The people started doing bad things, taking things others, fighting over things and doing other bad and evil things. God looked at the way the people were acting and He was sorry that He had made man on earth. Then God saw Noah. (Noah puppet comes on scene.)
Two puppets start talking:
Puppet 2: Look over there. There’s Noah. He thinks he’s so good!
Puppet 3: Yeah, he goes around praying to God and helping other people all the time. What’s with that?
Puppet 2(sarcastic) : Hey, Noah. What you doing? Talking to God again?
(Noah ignores them and prays to God. Puppets 2 & 3 leave. Noah’s wife puppet comes up to Noah.)
Noah: Wife, God has told me He’s going to get rid of all the creatures He made on earth. No one is listening to Him or doing what He wants them to.
Wife: Oh no. We try to do what God says. What will we do?
Noah: Don’t worry, wife. God told me He would take care of us because we have followed Him. He told me to build an ark.
Wife: An ark? What’s an ark?
Noah: It’s a great big boat. God has told me exactly how to make it. I will need you and our sons to help me.
(Noah starts building the ark. Need picture/backdrop of a partially finished boat.)
Shem (Noah’s son) carries wood/sticks on stage: Hey dad. Where do you want me to put this lumber?
Noah: Lay it down on the other side of the boat. (Shem goes off stage with wood, comes back with other family members to work on boat, at least one more puppet to work on ark.)
Puppets 2 & 3 come on stage laughing and pointing at Noah and the boat.
Puppet 2:(laughing) Ha, ha, ha. Would you look at Noah. He’s got his whole family building a boat.
Puppet 3: Well, that’s just plain crazy since we’re a long way from any river! (both laugh) Ha, ha, ha.
Puppet 2: Hey, Noah, how are you going to get that boat to the river? You don’t have any wheels! Ha, ha, ha. (both laugh as they walk away)
(Noah shakes his head and keeps working.
Change backdrop to show a finished boat.)
Noah talks to his family (wife & 2 or 3 other puppets):
Noah: Ok, now that the ark is finished, we’ve got to start filling it with hay, feed and other food for animals. God is going to send 2 of every kind of animal to get on the boat with us. We’ve got a big job to do.
(Family puppets shake heads in agreement)
Shem: Ok, Dad.
Wife: Let’s all get busy now. There’s lots of work for everyone.
(puppets look like they are bringing hay, feed sacks, etc to boat.)
(Animal puppets start coming. Start them walking from one side of stage towards the boat and then off stage, like they are getting on ark.)
Noah: We’re all here now. Let’s get on the ark and close it up now. It’s going to start raining soon.
(Change backdrop to rainy background. Water prop starts rising like it’s beginning to flood)
Puppets 2 & 3(frantic): Hey Noah, Let us in! We can’t swim.
Noah(from above or top of boat or behind backdrop): I’m sorry. You should have listened when God tried to talk to you.
(Puppets 2 & 3 slowly sink down but don’t make this too dramatic. This is for children. Water continues to rise.)
(From off stage/on the boat we hear Noah, wife & Shem talking. Have the water prop moving back and forth to show the boat is moving with the water.)
Shem: Dad, how much longer is it going to rain?
Wife: Yes, Noah. Did God tell you how long?
Noah: It shouldn’t be much longer It’s been almost 40 days and 40 nights now.
(Backdrop changes from rain to sunshine. Water sinks back below stage level. A rainbow shows across the entire stage above the ark.
Animals and Noah & family leave the boat. Animal puppets walk across stage looking around as they go and then off stage.)
Noah talks to wife and family:
Noah: Look at the rainbow. That is the sign of God’s promise that He will never again destroy the whole earth by a flood. (All puppets leave stage.)
Group leader now talks to children and asks questions. Allow children a chance to answer.
1.Why did God want to destroy all of the people and animals that He had created? (they had become evil/ did bad things)
2. Why was God not going to destroy Noah & his family? (Noah was a good man who honored God. He was righteous. Children may not know what righteous means.)
3. How did the people treat Noah and his family as they were building the ark/boat? (They laughed at them and made fun of them.)
4. Who did Noah take on the ark? (his family and 2 of every animal. Actually, he took 7 of the clean animals but you probably won’t have time to explain the difference in clean and unclean animals)
5. How long did it rain? (40 days and 40 nights)
6. What did God send as a sign that He would not destroy the earth by flood again? (a rainbow)
God does not like evil or bad things that people do but He does love people. Because He loves people, God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to earth to save us. Jesus never sinned or did any bad things but some of the people were afraid. Because they were afraid, they had Jesus killed by hanging Him on a cross until He died. They buried him in a tomb, a kind of grave, but on the third day Jesus was raised from the dead and he walked on earth again. Later he rose into heaven where he lives to this day. Even though Jesus never did anything bad, he let them hang him on the cross because he love all of us. He loves you and he love me. He died on the cross to pay the price for our sin. Just like the people of Noah’s time sinned and did bad things, we all sin. Jesus loved us enough that he paid the price of death on the cross so that we don’t have to die. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, then we can live in heaven with him forever when it is our time.

As with any of my original Bible stories, plays, etc., you are free to use this in your children's ministry. Just please give credit where credit is due. Do not use or print my items without my name or web site. Thank you.

Jesus and the Donkey Ride

This is another of the stories that I wrote for the 2012 Galveston mission trip street camp. As soon as I have time, I will post some activities to go with the story. This comes from Mark 11.


Jesus had been teaching and preaching throughout Israel for about three years. He had taught the people many things about loving each other, helping one another and about loving God.  He had performed miracles of healing sick people and feeding people. He had even made one little boy's lunch of 2 fish and 5 small loaves of bread be enough food to feed 5000 people. Jesus could truly do things that no one else could do. These miracles had to come from God. Jesus could do God's miracles because He was God's son.
   Now it was a week before Passover. Passover was a very important holiday for the Jewish people in Israel. Many, many Jews came from all over the world so they could be in Jerusalem at Passover time. Jesus was getting ready to go into Jerusalem too. He and his disciples were coming to a small town outside of Jerusalem called Bethphage to rest and wait for a little while.
  Meanwhile, out at the edge of the town, at the gate of the village, there were two donkeys waiting. A mama donkey and her kid donkey, called a colt, were tied there. The two donkeys started talking to each other. Now, we all know that donkeys or any animal can't really talk so that people can hear and understand them unless God opens their mouth like he did Balaam's donkey. But animals can communicate and understand each other in ways that people don't. So the donkeys were talking to each other like donkeys do.
   "Mama," the kid donkey said, "When will they come to get us?" She was looking forward to being able to serve God's Son. This was a very special privilege for her.
   "Be patient, my child," the mama donkey replied. "The men will be here at the time that God has chosen for us."
   "But mama, I want to be sure I am ready when Jesus calls.You know that no one has ever ridden on my back before."
"You are ready," said her mama. "You are a strong young donkey and you will serve God's Son well." So the donkeys waited.
   As Jesus and his disciples waited, Jesus knew what needed to be done. He sent two of his disciples to the edge of the village, at the village gates, to get the donkeys for him.
   The disciples asked him, "But what if someone asks why are taking the donkey?"
   Jesus told them, "Just tell them that the Lord needs them for a while. We will return them later."
   So the disciples went to the edge of the village to look for the donkey. When they got there, the donkeys were standing there just as Jesus had said they would be.
   "Oh, Mama," said the colt. "Is it time? Is one of these men Jesus?"
The Colt's mama looked at the two men who had come. "Yes, my child, it is time but no, neither of these men is Jesus."
   "Then who are they? I want to go to serve Jesus."
   "They are two of Jesus' followers. They serve Jesus much the same way that we will serve Him. They do what Jesus asks them to do." the colt's mama told her.
   The two disciples started to untie the donkeys when some men came up. "What do you think you are doing with my donkeys?" one of the men asked.
   The disciples replied, "The Lord Jesus has need of it."
   The man who owned the donkeys stepped forward and helped to untie them. "I have heard of Jesus. I am honored that He will use my donkeys."   So the disciples took the colt to Jesus and the mama donkey followed them.
   When they got back to where Jesus waited, the disciples threw their coats/cloaks over the back of the colt and Jesus climbed on. He then started riding the colt to the gates of Jerusalem.
   As he got near to Jerusalem, many people saw Him coming. They knew this was the Son of God who had come to save them all. The people started throwing their coats, cloaks and jackets on the ground in front of Jesus and the donkey. They spread out leafy branches and palm leaves that they cut from the fields onto the road in front of Jesus. They wanted it to be like a soft carpet for the Son of God to ride on.
   As He rode by they shouted out to Him, "Hosanna" which means "save us now." They were all rejoicing and praising God for all the great and mighty things that God had done. "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest,"  they shouted to Jesus.
   This was a glorious time for Jesus and the disciples. It was a wonderful time for the donkey colt. She rejoiced that she had been ready to serve God's son when He needed her.

The Rest of the Story
Now, as happy a time as this was when Jesus rode the little donkey into Jersulam, just one week later was a sad time. The Jewish leaders and the Roman government took Jesus and hung Him on a cross to die. They said that He was causing too many problems when all He ever did was love and help others. Jesus knew that this had to happen. He knew that He had to die in order to pay for our sins, yours and mine. He died because he loved all of us. Three days after that, Jesus rose from the grave to live again. Today, he lives in heaven with the Father and also, in the hearts of all who believe.
To receive salvation in Jesus Christ there are 3 steps to take.
A. Admit that you are a sinner.
*Romans 3:23 (ESV)
*" for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
B. Believe that Jesus died for your sins.
*John 3:16
*"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
C. Confess your sin and be willing to give Jesus control of your life.
*Romans 10:9
 *"if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Mazes for Balaam's donkey

These were hand made by me. They are not professional but they are what I am able to do. You may print them for use by children.

The maze was created with an on line maze maker/creator. Since I did this last summer and I didn't save the maze maker in my favorites, I don't remember the web site. You can google mazes, maze creator, etc to find one. There are many of these tools on line.



More activities for Balaam's Donkey

These are activities that can be done with any camp for children. I wrote them specifically for the Galveston street camp that we did in 2012 but they are activities that can be used with anything. Most of the activities are the types of things that I have done in Vacation Bible schools and/or in my 2nd grade classroom when I was still teaching.


Scripture memory: Do one verse each day.
John 3:16

English Standard Version (ESV)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 15:16English Standard Version (ESV)
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Younger children can learn the first part “you did not choose me, but I chose you.” and understand the meaning of it. Older children can learn all of it if they want or if teacher feels it is appropriate. (Understanding the meaning is the most important part.)Memory activities: (about 30 minutes) 1. Discuss meaning of the scripture. Be sure the children understand what this means and not just some words to learn.
2. Repeat the scripture with the children several times, as a group and individually, to help them learn it.
3.. Make a puzzle with the scripture on it for each child. Have the child put the puzzle together. You might consider having a picture on one side of the puzzle and the scripture on the other side to make it easier.
4. Print the verse in a large font and cut apart. Place one or two words inside each of enough balloons to do the entire scripture. Blow up the balloons before class starts. Ask different children to sit on the balloon to pop it and get the paper inside. When they get the words in the scripture, they put it together. If there are enough children and balloons, you can divide into teams and have the teams race against each other to see who can put the verse together first.
5. Children complete fill in the blank worksheet of the scripture.
6. Children can take turns saying the scripture and reference. Praise each child for their effort.
　
　
　
Recreation: (20 minutes + 10 minutes refreshments) 1. Imitate a donkey sound. Heehaw
2. Divide into teams & do a donkey relay. The first person in the team gallops like a donkey to a predetermined line, turns around and gallops back. When he/she touches the hand to the next team member in line, that child gallops like a donkey to the line and back. Continue this until all the children have galloped. The first team to finish wins.
3. Play pin the tail on the donkey. Have a large picture of a donkey attached to a wall. Blindfold a child, spin him around a time or two and have him pin the tail on the donkey.
4. Other races, relays or active games as seem appropriate for the age of the children.
Crafts: (about 30 minutes)Day one: Make beaded necklaces. Have large zip lock style bags and a Sharpie pen available so that if the children do not finish this, all their things can be placed in the bags & their name written on it to finish either on day two or at home. Some children finish this fairly quickly and others are much slower. The ones who finish early can help those not finished.
Materials needed:
Papers in the colors black, red, white, yellow, green and purple, cut into long, slender triangles.
Craft/white glue (like Elmers school glue)
One straw for each child
A length of yarn about 24-30” long for each child, one end of the yarn should be dipped into glue & allowed to dry ahead of time. This makes threading the beads easier.
The colors each have meaning & should be discussed as the beads and necklaces are made.
Black-We have sin as black as night.
Yellow- But Jesus is our light.
White- He came to wash us white as snow.
Green-In Jesus every day we grow.
Red-Since Jesus gave his blood we shout and sing.
Purple-Jesus is the Son of God, a royal King.
Starting at the wide end, wrap the paper triangle around a straw. About half way down in wrapping the bead, run a line of glue on the inside of the triangle. Continue wrapping until you reach the tip. Hold it together for a few moments for the glue to day slightly. Slide the bead off of the straw. Thread it onto the yarn. If you have small wooden beads available, they can be used as spacers between the beads. Continue making the beads until each child has at least one bead of each color on his/her necklace. If boys complain about making a necklace, tell them that they can give it as a gift to their mother, grandmother, sister, etc.
Day two: Tape or glue the scripture verse to the back of the three opening frames provided. Each child will decorate the frames by gluing painted puzzle pieces to the front of the frames. Point out to the children that we all pieces that fit together in God’s plan.
The puzzle pieces are painted blue to represent the water of our baptism.
　
　
　　
Music: (30 minutes) There are no songs written for this program as I am not a musical person. There are many songs that children will enjoy. Any person who has worked with children in church music should have several that can be used.


Scripture Memory activities:
Fill in the blanks with the words below.
For God so _________________ the ________________, that he gave his
only _______________, that whoever ___________________ in him
should not ____________________ but have __________________ life.
John 3:16
　
　
eternal world believes perish loved
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
You did not __________________ me, but I chose ______________.
John 15:16
　
choose you
　
　
　
　
　
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
　
You did not choose me, but I chose you. John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:16
　
　
　
　
Cut each phrase from the verse apart and place inside a balloon before it is blown up. Blow up the balloons and have the children pop them by sitting on them. When they get the slips of paper, they race to put the verse together. This can be done in teams or as individuals, depending on the number of children.
　
For God so loved the world, You did not
　
that he gave his only Son, choose me,
　
that whoever believes in him but I
　
should not perish chose you.
　
but have eternal life. John 15:16
　
John 3:16
　
　
　
　

Balaam's Donkey lesson plans and overview

What You Can Learn From A Donkey

Objectives:Day 1: Be ready to listen to God’s message or word to us even when it comes in unexpected ways.

Day 2: Jesus chose a lowly animal, a donkey, to serve him. We should be ready to serve Jesus because He loves us far more than He loved a donkey.Scripture John 3:16English Standard Version (ESV)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 15:16English Standard Version (ESV)
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
　
Bible Story (about 30 minutes for story and activities)Day One

Balaam’s DonkeyNumbers 22 English Standard Version (ESV)
Balak Summons Balaam1 Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. 6 Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12 God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” 13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” 14 So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”
15 Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, 17 for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.’” 18 But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more. 19 So you, too, please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.” 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.
Balaam's Donkey and the Angel22 But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”
31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” 35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border. 37 And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?” 38 Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.” 39 Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 40 And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him.
41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.
You can read Numbers 23 & 24 for the complete story.
　Children’s story of the Balaam‘s donkey and the angel: (15 minutes for telling story & asking questions; 15 minutes for written activities & games) God’s people, the Israelites, lived in Egypt for about 400 years. During that time they multiplied greatly--that means that they had lots of kids who grew up and had more kids. When the time came for the Israelites to leave Egypt, God sent Moses to show them the way. It took them a long time because they had to walk the whole way. During that time they had some battles with other people but because God was with them, they won a lot of the battles.
Balak was the king of a country called Moab and Balak and the people of Moab were afraid of the Israelites since they had heard about some of these battles that the Israelites had won. Now, Balak sent a message to Balaam because he had heard that Balaam was sort of a magician. Balaam could bless someone and good things would happen to them or he could curse them and bad things would happen. This was how Balaam mad a living because he got paid for doing this for people.
King Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites so that bad things would happen to them and the people of Moab wouldn’t be afraid of them. King Balak sent some of his princes to Balaam to give him some money so would do this for him.
Balaam told the princes that he would pray to God and see if he should do this. God told him no. God said, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” (Num. 22:12) So the next day Balaam told the princes that he could not do this for them. Well, King Balak sent even more princes and offered Balaam even more money to curse the Israelites. Finally, Balaam agreed to do it.
Balaam got up the next morning and saddled his donkey and took off to Moab. When he did this, it made God really mad at Balaam. God sent an angel to stand in the way and stop Balaam. Balaam couldn’t see the angel but his donkey sure did. The angel was standing in the road with his sword drawn. Donkeys are pretty smart and she didn’t want to try to go against an angel so she turned off the road and went into a field. What do you think Balaam did? (give kids a chance to answer) He took out his whip and whipped the poor donkey! Balaam got her to go back to the road.
This time the angel was standing in a narrow path with grape vines/vineyards and a wall on each side. The donkey pushed against the wall to try to stay away from the angel. When she did, Balaam’s foot was smashed against the wall. Wow! This made Balaam really mad this time so do you know what he did?(time to answer) That’s right. He whipped the poor donkey again.
The third time the angel of the Lord found a narrow place, where there was no way to go either left or right. Since she had no where to go to get away from the angel, the donkey just lay down on the road right under Balaam. This was the third time now. How mad do you think Balaam was now? Yes, he was furious! He took a big walking stick/staff that he carried with him and started beating the donkey with it.
Then something Balaam never expected happened. Can you guess what that could have been? (give kids time to guess) God let the donkey open her mouth and start talking to Balaam! She said, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these 3 times?” (vs. 28) Now, I think I might have passed out if a real live donkey started talking to me but Balaam didn’t. He told her, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” (vs. 29)
The donkey asked him, “Haven’t I been your donkey that you’ve ridden on for many years? Have I ever treated you like this before?” (paraphrased vs. 30) Balaam looked at her and said no.
Then God opened Balaam’s eyes and he saw the angel standing in the way with his sword drawn. The angel spoke to Balaam and asked him, “Why have you been beating your poor donkey? I have come to stop you because what you are doing is wrong/bad/evil. The donkey saw me and turned aside three times to save you. If she had not, I surely would have killed you and let her live.” (paraphrased vs. 32-33)
Balaam told the angel of the Lord, “I am so sorry that I sinned. I didn’t know you were standing in the road. If it is bad/evil for me to go to Moab, then I will turn around and go home.” (paraphrased vs. 34)
The angel said, “No, don’t go home. Go to King Balak but only say what I tell you to say.” (paraphrased vs. 35)
So Balaam went to the King but would not curse the Israelites. He would only say what God wanted him to say and not what King Balak asked him to say.
How many of you have seen donkeys and other animals talking in cartoons? Have you ever seen a real animal talk? Have you ever seen a cat or a dog talk? Real animals can’t talk but this donkey was a real, live animal, not a cartoon. Why do you think it was able to talk?
When God works in our lives, we can do amazing things. It’s important to be ready to listen to God speaking to you, even when He uses something you’re not expecting to give you His message.
　
Comprehension questionsLet’s see what you remember from the story.
1. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and they had to have some battles? Who won the battles? (the Israelites)
2. Why did they win? (God was on their side, they were following God)
3. Why were the people of Moab afraid of the Israelites? (they had heard of the battles the Israelites won)
4. What did Balaam do to make money? (blessed or cursed people for others) Do you think this was a good way to make money? Why or why not?
5. What did King Balak want Balaam to do for him? (curse the Israelites)
6. Why did Balaam say no the first time? (God told him not to because the Israelites were blessed)
7. Why did he say yes later? (he was greedy)
8. How many times did the donkey stop? (3)
9. Why did she stop? (she saw the angel standing in the way)
10. What did Balaam do to the donkey when she didn’t go where he wanted her too? (beat her)
11. What did the donkey finally do that surprised Balaam? (talked to him)
12. Why did Balaam say he had beaten the donkey? (she had made a fool of him)
13. How do you think Balaam felt when he saw the angel?(no wrong answer, maybe foolish, afraid, bad)
14. What would the angel have done to Balaam if the donkey had not turned away? (killed Balaam)
15. What did Balaam tell the angel? (I’m sorry.)
Do you know another word that means I’m sorry? (repent)
Spend a few minutes talking about repenting and how Jesus can save us from our sins.
Distribute worksheets/fun sheets for the children to do word search, maze or other games.
Play Bible concentration.

I will put the Day Two story and activities on my blog as soon as I have time.

Balaam's donkey game

Here are some game cards that can be printed out and used as a matching game, such as concentration or Old Maid. Print each card 2 or more times. Again, these are not to be sold in any form. Please just use them in working with children.

Balaam's donkey

This was written to be used for working with children. It is based on the scripture in Numbers 22. This may be used in working with children anywhere but please do not pass it off as your own work or try to sale it in any form.

God's people, the Israelites, lived in Egypt for about 400 years. During that time they multiplied greatly--that means that they had lots of kids who grew up and had more kids. When the time came for the Israelites to leave Egypt, God sent Moses to show them the way. It took them a long time because they had to walk the whole way. During that time they had some battles with other people but because God was with them, they won a lot of the battles.
Balak was the king of a country called Moab and Balak and the people of Moab were afraid of the Israelites since they had heard about some of these battles that the Israelites had won. Now, Balak sent a message to Balaam because he had heard that Balaam was sort of a magician. Balaam could bless someone and good things would happen to them or he could curse them and bad things would happen. This was how Balaam mad a living because he got paid for doing this for people.
King Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites so that bad things would happen to them and the people of Moab wouldn't be afraid of them. King Balak sent some of his princes to Balaam to give him some money so would do this for him.
Balaam got up the next morning and saddled his donkey and took off to Moab. When he did this, it made God really mad at Balaam. God sent an angel to stand in the way and stop Balaam. Balaam couldn't see the angel but his donkey sure did. The angel was standing in the road with his sword drawn. Donkeys are pretty smart and she didn't want to try to go against an angel so she turned off the road and went into a field. What do you think Balaam did?  He took out his whip and whipped the poor donkey! Balaam got her to go back to the road.
This time the angel was standing in a narrow path with grape vines and a wall on each side. The donkey pushed against the wall to try to stay away from the angel. When she did, Balaam's foot was smashed against the wall. Wow! This made Balaam really mad this time so do you know what he did? He whipped the poor donkey again.

The third time the angel of the Lord found a narrow place, where there was no way to go either left or right. Since she had no where to go to get away from the angel, the donkey just lay down on the road right under Balaam. This was the third time now. How mad do you think Balaam was now? Yes, he was furious! He took a big walking stick/staff that he carried with him and started beating the donkey with it.
Then something Balaam never expected happened. God let the donkey open her mouth and start talking to Balaam! She said, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these 3 times?"  Now, I think I might have passed out if a real live donkey started talking to me but Balaam didn't. He told her, "Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you."
The donkey asked him, "Haven't I been your donkey that you've ridden on for many years? Have I ever treated you like this before?" Balaam looked at her and said no.
Then God opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel standing in the way with his sword drawn. The angel spoke to Balaam and asked him, "Why have you been beating your poor donkey? I have come to stop you because what you are doing is wrong. The donkey saw me and turned aside three times to save you. If she had not, I surely would have killed you and let her live."
Balaam told the angel of the Lord, "I am so sorry that I sinned. I didn't know you were standing in the road. If it is bad for me to go to Moab, then I will turn around and go home."
The angel said, "No, don't go home. Go to King Balak but only say what I tell you to say."
So Balaam went to the king but he would not curse the Israelites. He would only say what God wanted him to say and not what King Balak asked him to say.