SPLINK for the Week of March 11th

Tug of War Items Needed: rope or towel (for tug of war) Masking tape Mark a point on the floor or ground. Line up two family members (about the same size) on either end of the rope.  Tell them to start pulling when you say go. Ask: Do you think God and the devil are in a battle? Who do you think will win? Do you think the devil is as strong as God? God is all-powerful; the devil is not. There is NO doubt that GOD will win! Even though the devil is stronger than we are, he is NOT stronger than God. Choose the smallest member of the family and put the rest of the family on the

How could I have missed this?

So there I was, drying my hands with one of those crazy blow dryer thingys, all the while thinking why they don't just hang up a pair of pants instead because that's what we all end up using anyway... when I discovered something that in all my hand-drying years have never known...

This may be the single, most important discovery I have made in at least 16 months... Something so amazing it has the potential to be life altering, world shattering, yes, maybe even world-peace attaining...

You mean we're THERE already?

This Saturday my daughter and I are going to our church's 7th Annual Father Daughter Feast.  This event is a great time for dads and daughters to eat spaghetti, laugh with each other, run in The Amazing Chase, and get their pictures taken.

Now, even though I'm the children's pastor, I have absolutely no part in preparing the feast or designing the activities.  This is by design... because for that particular night, I am not Pastor Beau... I'm Madison's dad and she gets my undivided attention for a full night.

With 6 years of Father Daughter Feasts behind us Madison and I have 6 different pictures, each depicting a special moment suspended in time.  As I was working today I began looking at some of these pictures and was struck by a reality that I didn't particularly like.

My little girl isn't so little anymore.

Next year Madison will be a 6th grader... I mean really, a 6th grader!  Am I really old enough to have a 6th grader for a daughter?!  For crying out loud, I still feel like a 6th grader... at least in my head :)

Now, if I sat down and really dwelt on the fact that Madison is getting older, if I allowed my mind to play

SPLINK for the Week of March 4th

1. Surprise Guest

Kids started a new series about the miracles of Jesus. Long before Jesus came to earth, God promised to send One who would deliver them from sin; He them many clues so they would recognize Him.

Invite a special guest (family, friend or neighbor) to drop by your house at a specific time in the evening. Tell the kids at breakfast about the special guest, but don't reveal his or her identity.  Give them clues about the person throughout the day, starting with general clues and ending with more specific ones. (It's a person. It's a man. He has two eyes. He wears glasses. He is tall. He has gray hair. He is kind. He will play a game with you; choose your clues to fit the person.)

When the person arrives, ask:
Did the clues help you figure out our guest's identity? Why or why not? (They helped us to recognize him when we saw him)

How did God give clues to the people BEFORE He sent Jesus to the earth? (The prophets gave many facts or clues

Something to do on Saturday...

Most of you know that I LOVE making paper models... I'm fascinated that something 2 dimensional can become 3 dimensional with a bit of folding and glue :)

During my constant quest of finding great stuff to make I stumbled across My Little House - an awesome website created by a children's book illustrator that is full of wonderful paper toys that are not only cute, but very easy to make as well.

Since Easter is coming up soon I thought I'd highlight a very cool set of toys that when put together tell the story of Jesus' resurrection!

How cool is that?

PLUS... and here's the best part... IT'S FREE!  All you have to do is print, cut, fold, and glue!

This is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday with your kids...

For best (and longer lasting) results use cardstock instead of regular paper.  If you want to go all out, I use Canon Matte Photo Paper... but you can certainly use Walmart brand cardstock for similar results :)

For younger kids the rocks, trees, and tomb are the easiest to cut out and fold.

Parents, I'd suggest that you put the people together as some kids may find certain parts a bit fiddly.

Hint:  After you've built the set, have your children retell the story of Jesus' resurrection in their own words using your new Easter diorama.

And as always, if you make anything with your kids please send me a picture of your creations!

Don't forget to check out all of the other great things to make from this site as well!

On the journey with you,

Pastor Beau

Not too young to teach or too old to learn...

My son is 6.  I'm a bit older than 6.  And yet, what I learned from him yesterday was huge.

Wilson got three cavities filled, yesterday.  Not one, or two... but three.  The days leading up to his appointment he had heard dentist horror stories from his sister (thanks Madison), the "good luck and hope you live" wishes from his friends at school, and the "you're going to be just fine" from his mother and hypocritically from me.

A little back story on me is in order, I suppose.  I had a few really bad experiences at the dentist when I was younger... and those experiences and residual fears that resulted have followed me into my adulthood.  Even though I tell myself that I'm a big boy now, that the dentist isn't out to hurt me, and that all he really wants to do is help me... I still get sweaty palms just thinking about it... Sheesh, my grandfather was even a dentist.  He was loved by all and even though I never got to be a patient of his, he wasn't a scary grandpa so I'm pretty sure he wasn't a scary dentist either.  And yet dentists still scare me.

Deep down I know that dentists are good people :)  And there comes a point in every father's life when he has to put childish fears aside in order to not influence his child's impression of a given experience.  To say that another way... I don't want Wilson (or Madison for that matter) to be scared of somebody who is clearly God's chosen way to help fix our teeth, even though I am...

The night before, during our nightly prayer time I asked Wilson if he was nervous about his visit the next morning.  He told me that he was and then I asked him if he wanted to pray about it.  As I prayed for courage and peace for Wilson I couldn't help but pray the same for myself.

In the morning on the way to the dentist I asked Wilson if he was still nervous.  He looked at me and said. "Why would I be, dad?  We prayed right?"

Wow.

Yes, we did pray.

And just like that, he walked right in to that dentist's office and up on the table.  He wasn't scared in the least... because we had prayed for courage and peace... because he knew that God would grant him courage and peace if we asked for it... because Wilson believed whole heartily that God would do what He says.

Lord, help me have faith like my son.  Thank you that through our children we can become better followers of you.  Sometimes I forget that you are all powerful... help me to have faith like a child once again.

What can you learn from your children this week?

On the journey with you,

Pastor Beau

More Comedy... it must be Friday!

John Branyan is another great, clean comedian.

I especially identify with the clip below :)



My wife found this last clip of John and I think it's hilarious!  Where DID all of our words go?  (Just in case you were wondering... that's a fake cigarette :)




Have a great (and funny) Friday... I'll see you on Sunday!

On the journey with you,

Pastor Beau