Kidzone 15.
Story - The Little Monkey.
This is a story about a little monkey who came home from school one afternoon, and said to his mum "Can I go out to play?"
His mum replied "Yes, but don't go anywhere near the river."
"Why not?"
"The crocodiles live in the river."
"What do crocodiles look like, mum?"
"They have little beady eyes that pop out of the water and stare at you. They float like a log. They have big sharp teeth like needles. And they have a big jaw, which will go 'snap' and eat you up little monkey. So don't you go anywhere near the river."
So the little monkey went out to play.
The next afternoon, the little monkey came home from school, and asked his mum "Can I go out to play?"
His mum replied "Yes, but don't go anywhere near the river."
"Why not?"
"The crocodiles live in the river."
"Remind me. What do crocodiles look like, mum?"
"They have little beady eyes that pop out of the water and stare at you. They float like a log. They have big sharp teeth like needles. And they have a big jaw, which will go 'snap' and eat you up little monkey. So don't you go anywhere near the river."
So the little monkey went out to play.
This went on day, after day, after day. So one afternoon, coming home from school, the little monkey said to himself "If I go home today and ask my mum if I can go out to play, and she says to me one more time "Yes, but don't go anywhere near the river because of the crocodiles. They have little beady eyes that pop out of the water and stare at you. They float like a log. They have big sharp teeth like needles. And they have a big jaw, which will go 'snap' and eat you up little monkey. So don't you go anywhere near the river." I'll - - , I'll - - , I'll- - . I know. I will run away from home. Yes, that's what I will do, I will run away from home.
So the little monkey got home, and asked his mum "Can I go out to play?"
His mum replied "Yes, but don't go anywhere near the river because of the crocodiles. They have little beady eyes that pop out of the water and stare at you. They float like a log. They have big sharp teeth like needles. And they have a big jaw, which will go 'snap' and eat you up little monkey. So don't you go anywhere near the river."
The little monkey thought "Right, that's it!" So he went into the garden, climbed over the garden fence, and ran off into the jungle. He hadn't been going long, when he came upon a big animal. It had big, floppy ears, and a long, long nose which reached almost all the way down to the ground. What was it? That's right, an elephant. The little monkey looked up at the big elephant, and asked "Please Mr. Elephant, can you tell me the way - - - - - to the river? The Elephant looked down at the little monkey, and said "Oh, little monkey, you don't want to go anywhere near the river."
"Why not?"
"The crocodiles live in the river. They have little beady eyes that pop out of the water and stare at you. They float like a log. They have big sharp teeth like needles. And they have a big jaw, which will go 'snap' and eat you up little monkey. So don't you go anywhere near the river."
The little monkey looked at the big Elephant and said "You're just like my mum." So he kicked the Elephant on the leg, and ran off further into the jungle.
After a while, the little monkey met another animal. It had long legs and a long, long neck that stretched almost to the top of the trees. What was it? That's right, a giraffe. The little monkey looked up at the tall giraffe, and asked "Please Mr. Giraffe, can you tell me the way to the river? The Giraffe looked down at the little monkey, and said "Oh, little monkey, you don't want to go anywhere near the river."
"Why not?"
"The crocodiles live in the river. They have little beady eyes that pop out of the water and stare at you. They float like a log. They have big sharp teeth like needles. And they have a big jaw, which will go 'snap' and eat you up little monkey. So don't you go anywhere near the river."
The little monkey looked at the tall Giraffe and said "You're just like my mum as well." So he kicked the Giraffe on the leg, and ran off further into the jungle.
After a while, the little monkey met another animal. This animal was going ha, ha, ha, he, he, he, ho, ho, ho. What was it? That's right a hyena, sometimes called a laughing hyena because of the noise they make. The little monkey looked up at the hyena, and asked "Please Mr. Hyena, can you tell me the way to the river? The Hyena looked at the little monkey, and said "Sure I can, little monkey. I will tell you the way to the river."
"You will?"
"Yes, I know where the river is. I will tell you how to get there."
"But - - - But - - - But - - - But, what about the crocodiles?"
"There's no such thing as crocodiles."
"There's not! Well, if there's no such thing as crocodiles, why is it that my mum always tells me never to go down to the river?"
"Your mum knows what a good looking, handsome, little monkey you are. And she knows that if you see the reflection of your face in the water, you will see for yourself how handsome you are. And she doesn't want you to know that."
"So that's why my mum never wants me to go anywhere near the river. Quick, Mr. Hyena. Tell me how to get there."
"You see that big, tall, tree. Climb to the very top. When you're there, in the distance you will see a huge rock. Climb down the tree, go through the jungle to the rock, and climb on top of it. On the far side, you will see some long, thick, grass. Climb down the rock, go through the jungle to the grass, and go right through it. On the far side, you will see a big, wide, river. And then you will be able to look at your face in the water."
"Thanks very much Mr. Hyena" said the little monkey as he began running to the big, tall, tree. But as soon as he had gone the hyena went "ha, ha, ha, he, he, he, ho, ho, ho".
The little monkey, being a monkey, was a great climber, so he climbed up the tree in no time at all. He looked around, and sure enough, there was the huge rock the Hyena had told him about. He climbed down the tree, made his way through the jungle and climbed on top of the rock. On the far side, he saw the long, thick, grass. He climbed down the rock, went through the jungle until he reached the grass. It was so thick and tall that he couldn't see through it. So, he pushed it aside, and pushed it aside and pushed it aside until he was through it. And there about 20 metres in front of him was a big, wide, river!
The little monkey ran down to the bank of the river, desperate to see his reflection in the water. But a hippopotamus and her family had just passed by and muddied up all the water. The little monkey couldn't see his face in it. He was so disappointed. But then he looked out to the centre of the river where it was nice and still and clear. He thought "Oh, if I could just get to the centre of the river, then I could see my face in the water. I need a way of getting to the middle of the river." Then he had an idea. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw floating down the river was a log.
The little monkey thought "If that log comes close enough, I will be able to jump on top of it, and paddle my way to the middle of the river. I just need the log to get a little closer."
The log came nearer, and nearer, and nearer. The little monkey thought "Right, after three, I am going to jump on the log ." He counted 1 - - - 2 - - - 3 - - - The little monkey went flying through the air. He was about to land on the log, when the big crocodile opened it's jaws, the little monkey went flying in, and the crocodile went snap, snap, snap. And that was the end of the little monkey!
Summary.
Why was the little monkey eaten by the crocodile? He got in trouble because he didn't listen to his mum. You should always listen to your mums, and do what they say, because they have lived longer than you and know better than you what is good or bad for you.
Who does the little monkey stand for in this story? - That's right, us.
Who does the little monkey's mum stand for? - Our mums, who give us good advice.
But, who does the elephant and giraffe stand for? Who else might give us good advice, apart from our mums? - Dads, Grandparents, older brothers and sisters, teachers etc. Any adult that you know and can trust, and wants the best for you.
Who does the hyena stand for? Remember the hyena didn't eat the little monkey (the crocodile did that). The hyena lied to the little monkey. - It could be a stranger who wants to harm you, or it could be Satan, who is known as "the liar" in the Bible. There is no need to worry about Satan though, because Jesus has beaten him. All you need to remember is - Don't listen to his lies. For example, if you get a thought in your mind "Go on, steal that boy's lunch. He deserves it for annoying you, and nobody will ever know it was you." DON'T LISTEN TO IT!
Finally, who does the crocodile stand for? What is our worst enemy of all? What is the only thing that can separate us from God? - SIN, all the wrong things we do.
The Bible tells us that sin is like a trap. It might look nice or harmless, but it is very, very, dangerous. For example, you may go home, find a plate full of your favourite cakes on the table. As nobody is around - you eat them all. You may think "They were delicious." But then your mum comes in, and you get in trouble for stealing the cakes. And then you get a sore tummy for being too greedy. Sin works like that. Eventually, we usually have to pay the penalty for it.
The little monkey's sin was being disobedient to his mum - that's what got him into trouble. I am not saying that if you disobey your mum, you will be eaten by a crocodile! (One young boy actually told his mum that I said this would happen to him if he disobeyed her! I make sure the children understand better now). What I am saying is that if you keep on doing wrong, and don't do anything about it, you are placing yourself in a very dangerous position. So keep away from sin.
Ephesians 6.1. says "Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honour your mother and father, which is the first commandment with a promise - that all may go well with you, and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
It starts off "Children", so this is especially for you.
"Obey your parents." That means do what they tell you. The only time you shouldn't obey them - and I hope that this never happens to any of you - is if they tell you to do something that breaks God's laws, like stealing or lying. But don't argue with them. I would just say something like "Jesus wouldn't like it if I stole." All other times you need to obey your parents, even if they tell you to do something that you don't like, like washing the dishes. You may not like washing the dishes, but that is not breaking God's laws!
"Honour your father and mother." That is more than obeying them, That is respecting them, treating them nicely. Never say anything nasty to your parents. Never say anything nasty about your parents (even if you think they deserve it). That is dishonouring them. For example, if your mum says to you "Go and clean up your bedroom" and you go to do it. That is good, you are about to obey her. But as you go you grumble to yourself "This isn't fair. I didn't make the mess in my room. My mum is always blaming me for things. I don't like her." That is not honouring your mother!
If you do obey and honour your parents, God's promise to you is that "All will go well with you, and you will enjoy long life on the earth." In other words, as you go through life, you will be successful, good things will happen to you.
Illusion - Needle through a balloon.
Punctuating an inflated balloon with a pin or needle, without it bursting, will always fascinate your friends. There are two ways you can achieve this :- 1. Place a small piece if clear sticking tape on the inflated balloon. You can then pierce this without the balloon bursting. 2. Pierce the balloon where the rubber is thickest i.e. near the hole and at the opposite end. In fact, by using these two locations, you should be able to pass your needle right through the balloon. Hints. Don't inflate the balloon too much. Use a sharp needle. Smear a little grease on the end of your needle.
Your questions answered - Did some people in the Bible really live until they were over 900 years old?
A better question would be "Why do people live such short lives today?" The important thing to remember is that when God first created the earth it was completely different from what it is like now. God called it "very good". The Bible indicates that the original climatic conditions on the earth were perfect for life, and that there was no pain, sorrow, sickness or even death. All these 'bad' things (including death) only came into God's perfect creation as a result of Adam and Eve's disobedience in the Garden of Eden.
Thus Adam only died because of his disobedient act. He died spiritually - in other words he became separated from a holy God - immediately. But it took 930 years for him to die physically. Likewise Adam's early descendents mostly managed to live until they were over 900 years of age, the oldest recorded one being Methuselah who survived until he was 969. But eventually they all died.
About 1,700 years after creation came the great flood at the time of Noah, with consequent major changes in the climatic conditions. Now the earth was a much more hostile place in which to live. In particular many Bible scholars believe that the protective water vapour canopy, which had once surrounded the earth, collapsed at the start of the flood leaving all life forms exposed to harmful radiation from the sun, and therefore much more likely to have shorter life spans.
The Bible record indicates that this did indeed happen. Although Noah managed to live until he was 950 years old, his son, Shem, only survived for 600 years. A few generations later, when the effects of the dramatic climatic change had really taken hold, we read that Abraham only lived until he was 175. At the time of King David (about 1,300 years after the flood), this decline in life spans had levelled out to the present average of about 70 years.
The Bible describes death as "the last enemy". The good news is that God has promised that one day Jesus will completely defeat this "last enemy", and He will create a new earth when, as in the beginning, there will be no more death.
Laugh break - Even still more of George's favourite jokes.
1. What do you get when you pour boiling water down a rabbit hole? - A hot cross bunny.
2. What animals are always found at a cricket match? - Bat, Duck, Cricket.
3. What lies on its back one hundred feet up in the air? - A dead centipede.
4. What do you get when you cross a bear with a skunk? - Winnie the Phew.
5. Where is the best place to park a dog? - In a barking lot.
6. What do you call a bull taking a nap? - A bulldozer.
7. How do you count a herd of cows? - With a cowculator.
8. What did the dog say when asked "What's on top of the house?" - Roof.
9. Why do giraffes have such long necks? - Because their feet stink.
10. Why is the sky so high? - So birds won't bump their heads.
11. What do you call an artic cow? - An eskimoo.
12. What do tigers have that no other animals have? - Baby tigers.
