Kidzone Archives

Kidzone Contents 1 - 30.

2010-12-28T00:11:00.000-08:00

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Contents.

Kidzone 30.

A Bible quiz.
Story - Cuthbert the clock.
Illusion - Discovering hidden colours.
Laugh break - Two sons,
Your questions answered - Where is heaven?
Answers to Bible quiz.

Kidzone 29.

Story - The old oak tree.
Your questions answered - Can God speak to us with a voive that we can actually hear?
Quiz - Hidden books of the Bible.
Laugh break - A retirement funny.

Kidzone 28.

Story - Jimmy's amazing healing.
Illusion - All wrongdoing is serious.
Your questions answered - Do all religions lead to God?
Laugh break - A children funny.

Kidzone 26.

Story - Doing the right thing.
Illusion - Hitting a target with a balloon.
Your questions answered - Why did Adam and Eve sin against God?
Laugh break - The letter of reference.

Kidzone 25.

Story - Jimmy's big day out
Your questions answeres - Did God make cavemen?
Illusion - Floating a cork on water.
Laugh break - Seven reasons not to mess with a child.

Kidzone 24.

Story - Leo the lion.
- Processionary caterpillars.
Your questions answered - Can I be a Christian even if my parents aren't?
Illusion - Blowing a coin into a dish.
Laugh break - Classic comments (All from children).

Kidzone 23.

Story - "I give you me!"
Illusion - Cutting a banana in half without touching it.
Your questions answered - Where did Cain get his wife from?
Laugh break - Walking by faith.

Kidzone 22.

Symbols of Christmas.
Your questions answered - What proof is there that God exists?
Laugh break - Cats and dogs.
Illusion - Changing the lengths of three ropes.

Kidzone 21.

Story - Message in a bottle.
Your questions answered - Why does God allow suffering?
Illusion - Standing up under pressure.
Lguah barek - Can you raed tihs?

Kidzone 20.

Story - DOG/GOD
Your questions answered - When did God create angels?
Illusion - Colours.
Laugh break - Little Johnny.

Kidzone 19.

Story - The true picture of your life.
Your questions answered - If Adam and Eve were white skinned, how did dark skinned people come about?
Laugh break - A lie funny.
Illusion - John 3.16.

Kidzone 18.

Illusion - Finished files.
Your questions answered - If God knows the future, does that mean that what is going to happen is going to happen?
Story - A free pardon
Laugh Break - All I really need to know, I learned in the kindergarten.

Kidzone 17.

Story - Jesus for tea.
Your questions answered - Do people have more than one life on earth?
Illusion - 23 coin challenge.
Laugh Break - Gems from the classroom.

Kidzone 16.

Your questions answered - If I ask God for something, will He give it to me?
Story - God knows best.
Illusion - Predicting the future.
Laugh Break - "Hold your tongue".

Kidzone 15.

Story - The little monkey.
Illusion - Needle through a balloon.
Your questions answered - Did some people in the Bible really live until they were over 900 years old?
Laugh Break - Even still more of George's favourite jokes.

Kidzone 14.

Story - Honouring your parents.
Illusion - R U E?
Your questions answered - When is Jesus coming back to earth?
Laugh Break - Still more of George's favourite jokes.

Kidzone 13.

Story - The portrait of the son.
Illusion - Blowing a paper into a bottle.
Laugh Break - More of George's favourite jokes.
Your questions answered - Did God write the Bible?

Kidzone 12.

Story - Mine twice over.
Illusion - Three cup challenge.
Laugh Break - George's favourite jokes.
Your questions answered - Why did God use Adam's rib to create Eve?

Kidzone 11.

A story for Remembrance day - Doing your duty.
Illusion - Restoring a cut rope.
Laugh Break - Things young children have been heard to pray.
Your questions answered - Why did God create the earth the way it is?

Kidzone 10.

Jimmy and the six weird witches. 6. - The Screaming witch of hate.
Illusion - Instant calculations.
Laugh Break - Classic comments (All from children).
Your questions answered - Why is water essential for life?

Kidzone 9.

Jimmy and the six weird witches. 5. - Freda Fib.
Illusion - Amazing memory feat.
Laugh Break - Dumb Laws.
Your questions answered - When did God create Dinosaurs?

Kidzone 8.

Jimmy and the six weird witches. 4. - Library Lizzy.
Illusion - Making the right choice.
Laugh Break - Tongue Twisters.
Your questions answered - Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Kidzone 7.

Jimmy and the six weird witches 3. - The Tricky witch.
Illusion - Miracles.
Your questions answered - How do I know the Christian faith is true?
Laugh Break - Things Kids say.

Kidzone 6.

Jimmy and the six weird witches 2. - Old Mother Curseandswear.
Illusion - Jumping elastic bands.
Your questions answered - Why did God make us, and the world?
Laugh Break - Why God made moms.

Kidzone 5.

Jimmy and the six weird witches 1. - Moaning Maggie.
Illusion - Floating a pin on water.
Laugh Break - What is love?
Your questions answered - Is Jesus really God?

Kidzone 4.

Story - A free pardon.
Illusion - a. The meaning of the cross. b. The resurrection of Christ.
Laugh Break - Can you trust your senses?
Your questions answered - Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

Kidzone 3.

Story - Wesley Steelberg.
Illusion - WOW/MOM.
Laugh Break - Body challenges.
Your questions answered - Why is my brother / sister nasty to me?

Kidzone 2.

Story - A modern Prodigal.
Illusion - Faith - A water experiment.
Laugh Break - A success funny.
Your questions answered- Is there life elsewhere in the Universe?

Kidzone 1.

Story - A soldier gives up his life for his friends.
Illusion - Passing a pencil through a handkerchief.
Laugh Break - Advice for Kids.
Your questions answered - Who made God?

Kidzone 30.

2010-12-28T00:07:00.000-08:00

Kidzone 30.

A Bible Quiz

How many books are there in the whole Bible?
How many books are there in the Old Testament?
How many books are there in the New Testament?
In which Testament would you look for the Sermon on the Mount?
In which Testament would you look for the story of Jonah and the great fish?
How many of the New Testament books are called the Gospels?
In what book of the Bible would you read about Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego?
What is the first book in the Bible?
What is the last book in the Bible?
If you opened the Bible in the middle, what book would you find?
(Answers at the bottom of page)

Story - Cuthbert the clock.

Cuthbert was a big, chiming, handsome clock, which the Smith family had purchased for a lot of money. They were very proud of Cuthbert. The problem was, Cuthbert wasn't a real clock, he was a pretend one.

One day Cuthbert thought to himself "I'll have a great time today. I am getting really good at pretending." Only last week he had been slow, and made Mr Smith late for work, and the children late for school. He thought it was great fun. "Today I will be fast" thought Cuthbert. At 6 a.m. Cuthbert chimed 7 a.m., and all the Smiths got up 1 hour too early. They groaned when they switched on the T.V. and found the real time. "Oh that stupid clock" they thought. Cuthbert just laughed, he thought it was great fun. But the Smiths were angry.

When the Smiths looked at Cuthbert, they expected to see the right time. Cuthbert looked like a clock, he chimed like a clock, he had a face like a clock, when they bought him, he even had a label attached, which said "clock". But Cuthbert wasn't a real clock because he didn't keep the right time. He didn't do what he was supposed to do. He was a pretend clock!

The Smiths were going on holiday. They had their aeroplane tickets booked for a 9 a.m. flight. But Cuthbert played "Pretend" once too often. He got everyone up too late, and they missed their flight. They all looked at Cuthbert "He'll have to go" said Mr Smith - and threw Cuthbert away! Cuthbert was replaced by a cheap little alarm clock. It didn't look as handsome as Cuthbert. But it was a real clock and did what it was supposed to do. It kept the right time.

Like Cuthbert, the pretend clock, there are some pretend Christians. They may appear to be good, do and say all the right things, but they are pretending. They don't really know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. But when Jesus returns to earth, only the real Christians will welcome Him, and go to be with Him in heaven. All the pretenders will be found out and left behind. We need to make sure that we are REAL Christians, and not pretend ones.

Illusion - Discovering hidden colours.

The ink that comes from a felt tip pen will appear to be just one color, but in fact it will probably be a mixture of different colors. This is how to discover those different colors Choose four or five different colored felt tip pens. It is best to use fairly dark colors and fairly cheap pens as these will contain more impurities (i.e. colors). Take a strip of white tissue paper (e.g. 15cm. x 8cm.) and make a line of dots with your different pens about 3cm. from the bottom. Hang your paper over the edge of a glass containing about 2 cm. of water, so that the bottom of the paper is in the water and the dots are about 1cm. above the water level. The water will begin to move up the tissue, and when it reaches the dots, capillary action will cause the hidden colors to travel up the paper at different rates.

After a few minutes, although there will probably be some "smearing", you should clearly be able to see three or four distinct colors originating from each dot.

"The Bible tells us that God has given each of us different gifts to use (Romans 12 v. 6). One of the most exciting things about growing up is to discover what special gifts, talents and abilities you have and then to use them to serve God.

You may think that you are only good at one thing, perhaps running, music, reading, drawing etc. When you get older you will find other gifts that God has already placed in you. Some of you may find that you have a gift for teaching, or for looking after small children. Others may discover they have a gift for writing or telling others about Jesus. Some of you may be good at making friends, listening to others, helping people in need, or giving to the poor. Some may find they are good at encouraging people, hospitality, or looking after the sick.

All these gifts, and many more, can be used to serve God. Jesus actually told us that when we are doing good to others, we are actually doing good to Him. (Matthew 25 v. 40). So discover which gifts God has given you. Concentrate on doing what you are good at, and use your abilities to serve God, because there is nothing more important or wonderful than that."

Laugh Break - Two sons.
a
1. A little boy was waiting on his mother to come out of a store. As he waited, he was approached by a man who asked, "Son, can you tell me where the post office is?"The little boy replied, "Sure, just go straight down the street a couple of blocks and turn to your right." The man thanked the boy kindly and said, "I'm the new preacher in town and I'd like for you to come to church on Sunday. I'll show you how to get to Heaven."The little boy replied with a chuckle, "Awww, come on; you don't even know the way to the post office!"

2. A mother always had difficulty persuading her son to go to church. Finally, one Sunday morning, the conversation went something like this :-

Mother. "It's time to go to church."
Son. "I don't want to go to church."
Mother. "Why don't you want to go to church?"
Son. "Because I don't like the preaching, and I don't like the people."
Mother. "But you must go to church."
Son. "Just give me one good reason why I should go to church."
Mother. "Because you're the PASTOR."

Your questions answered - Where is heaven?

Jesus came from heaven to earth, so He knows all about heaven. Actually Jesus didn't say very much about where heaven is, or what it is like. He was more concerned with warning people about the dangers of rejecting him, and so missing out on heaven altogether.

We do know, however, that heaven is beautiful, permanent and that we won't ever die, get old, get sick, hungry, tired, etc. Because everything there is "very good". The best thing about it is that Jesus will be there.

As to heaven's location, the Bible describes heaven as being "Upward", "To the North" and "Beyond the stars". Many Christians believe that heaven is on another planet in another part of, or beyond, our Universe. Other Christians believe that heaven is located right here, but in another dimension, so that we are completely unaware of it. If you have seen the film "The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe" it may be rather like that, when the children passed through a "Door" (in the wardrobe) into a new world existing in another dimension.

We don't need to worry about how we will be transported to heaven. Jesus will take care of that. Just make sure that you are really trusting in him.

Hidden Books of the Bible (Kidzone 29) - Answers.
a
The names of sixteen books of the English Bible are hidden in the text of the following paragraph. Can you find all sixteen of them?
I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu. Kept people looking so hard for facts and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names of the books were not capitalized. But the truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others, it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. One little lady says she brews a cup of tea, so she can concentrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now for there are really sixteen names of books of the Bible in this story.

Answers.
I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It wasa lulu. Kept people looking so hard for facts and for others it was a revelation. Some were in ajam, especially since the names of the books were not capitalized. But the truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others, it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. One little lady says she brews a cup of tea, so she can concentrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now for there are really sixteen names of books of the Bible in this story.

Answers to Bible quiz (Kidzone 30).

Sixty-six
Thirty-nine
Twenty-seven
New Testament
Old Testament
Four - Matthew, Mark, Luke,and John
Daniel
Genesis
Revelation
Psalms

Kidzone 29.

2009-08-14T01:35:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 29.

Story - The old oak tree.

A young man appeared to have an ideal life. He had a good job, a nice home, a loving wife and two adorable sons. There was nothing he liked better than spending tome with his family, and especially playing with his two boys.

But there was something wrong with his life. He was greedy. He thought that his boss didn't pay him enough money. So he began to steal money from the company he worked for. Just a little at first, and then more and more. Eventually, he had stolen quite a lot of money. He thought he had got away with it but, returning home one day, he saw a police car parked outside his house. He immediately realised that he had been found out.

The man was put on trial, pleaded guilty and sentenced to five years imprisonment. He was genuinely sorry for what he had done, and deeply ashamed for letting down his family. "They will never forgive me" he thought as he was led off to prison. "They are better off without me. What will our friends say to my wife when they find out what has happened? How will my sons be treated at school?" Right then that man made a decision to cut himself off from his family. "I have only brought shame to them. They will be better off without me."

Shortly after arriving in prison the man received a letter. He knew from the handwriting that it was from his wife, but he didn't open it. He was no longer part of her life. He kept on receiving letters from his wife, frequently at first, then less and less until, after about a year, they stopped coming. He didn't open any of them.

After three years, the Prison Governor called the man into his office to say that, because of his good behaviour, he was to be released the following week. Normally this would have been good news, but not for that man as he had nowhere to go on his release. He suddenly remembered his wife and sons and how good it used to be living with them. He wondered if in some way they might be willing to forgive him and take him back as their husband and father.

So the man hurriedly wrote a letter to his wife, explaining that he would soon be released, and wondering if she and their sons were prepared to forgive him and allow him to come back home. He explained that he would be on a bus that would pass right through their town and added "If you can find it in your heart to forgive me and take me back home, tie a handkerchief around a branch on that old oak tree at the front of our home. If I see a handkerchief when the bus passes, I will know that you have forgiven me and that I will be welcome. But if I don't see one, I will remain on the bus, and you will never hear from me again."

Release day came and, along with other prisoners, he boarded his bus. The other prisoners were happy upon their release, but the man was looking sad as he wondered if his wife would take him back. He was asked why he looked so sad, and explained the whole story to the other passengers. Many of the original passengers left the bus, but others took their place and were told the man's story. Many hours later, as the bus entered the man's home town, all the passengers knew his story and were eagerly looking to see if a handkerchief was tied round that old oak tree.

The bus turned a corner and entered the street where the man used to live. He eagerly looked out of the window at the old oak tree. But he didn't see one handkerchief - - - - - He saw hundreds and hundreds of them! Every branch on that large tree was covered with handkerchiefs.

That man's wife had never stopped loving him. She had forgiven him straight away for what he had done, and longed for the day when he would be allowed to return home. She was bitterly disappointed when he didn't reply to her letters. But when she finally did hear from him, it was the happiest day of her life.

Immediately she selected the largest handkerchief she could find and tied it on one of the oak tree's branches. But the handkerchief looked so small compared to that large tree. Suppose her husband didn't see it and stayed on the bus? She got her sons to help and rounded up all the material they could find to tie on the branches. But still she wasn't satisfied. She really wanted her husband to know how much he was loved and how very welcome he was. So she went to her neighbours and got more material from them. By the time the bus arrived, the whole tree was covered with material. No-one could possibly miss it.

In the same way God wants us to know how much he loves us and is willing to welcome us into His family. To understand how much He loves us, he asks us to look at another tree. No, not an oak tree, but a tree on which he allowed his Son, Jesus Christ to be crucified for our sins. When we really look at that tree, we know just how much God loves us.

Note. This story was the inspiration for the 'Pop' song "Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree" which was a big success back in 1973. Ask your parents if they remember it?

Your questions answered - Can God speak to us with a voice that we can actually hear?

God can speak to us in many different ways, and these include using an audible voice that we can actually hear with our ears. But this way is not very common. The way He choses to speak to us is not important. The important thing is are we obedient to what God says? Listed below are a number of ways in which God can and does speak to people.

1. The Bible.

This is God's Word, so what the Bible says, God says. This is the main way in which God communicates with people today. Thus, if you neglect your Bible reading, you could well be preventing God from speaking to you.

Although all of the Bible is God's everlasting message to us all, He can take a part of it - perhaps even a single verse - and use it to speak into our lives, by making it 'come alive' to us, so to speak. Thus as we read this particular verse, we get excited and just 'know' that God is using it to speak to us.

God can of course bring to our mind at any time any scripture that we have memorised. Almost every Christian has experienced times when the Holy Spirit calls to mind some scripture or truth at a moment when it is needed. That is why scripture memorisation is so important for all of us.

2. An audible voice.

The Bible records a number of occasions in which God spoke to people this way, perhaps the best known being the boy Samuel. This is not God's usual way of communicating with people today, but that is not to say that He cannot or will not speak to you in an audible voice.

I have never heard God's audible voice, but I know a number of people who have. In most cases, someone's life was in danger. It was as though God had to speak to someone urgently to avert the danger. However, I once taught my children's class about God speaking to Samuel. The following week a girl came up to me and said "God spoke to me a few days ago in an audible voice, just like He spoke to Samuel. He told me to go and tell my Gran. that He loved her." I asked her if she had done it, and she replied that she had. This reminds us that the important point is not how God speaks to us, but whether we are obedient to what He says.

3. An inaudible voice.

Although you may not hear God speaking to you with your ears, if you are trusting in Jesus, God's Spirit lives in you and He can speak to you through your spirit. For example, you may get a 'little voice in your head', a strong desire or impression to do / not to do something, speak to someone, go / not go somewhere etc. The closer you grow in your relationship with God, the more clearly will you be able to recognise this 'inner voice.'

We all have ideas, and we tend to think "Oh, that idea is mine." But perhaps God placed the idea in your mind in the first place!

I once came across an eight year old girl in the school playground, crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she replied that none of the other girls ever played with her and that she had no friends. I told her that I would pray for her and ask God to give her a good friend. As I began to pray, I noticed another girl about 100 metres away begin to run towards us. She arrive just as I finished my prayer and had said 'Amen.' She looked at the girl I had been praying for and said "Will you come and play with me?" An instant answer to prayer! But why did that second girl suddenly run over to the first one and ask her to play? I don't really think that God shouted down into the playground with a loud voice "Hey Jessie, Go and ask Jodie to play with you." No, I think He just put the idea in the mind of Jessie (who interestingly was a Christian) "Why don't you play with Jodie. She's not really all that bad." Therefore, I think that Jessie had heard God's inaudible 'inner voice'. However, the important point was that she was obedient to what God said.

4. Your conscience.

This is one of the things that makes us different from animals. God has given to everyone who has ever been born a conscience. This is God's voice within us all that warns us - by making us feel uneasy or anxious - when we are about to do wrong. God will never take our free will away and prevent us from doing wrong, but He will always warn us when we are about to make a mistake.

We should always listen to our conscience, because if we keep ignoring this "little voice" and continue doing wrong, the voice will appear to get smaller and smaller until we can hear it no more.

5. Older Christians.

By this I mean people who have known Jesus longer than you have. They are often able to give us good advice and help guide us into what God wants us to do.

6. Circumstances.

God can use the everyday events of life to guide us. This can be likened to the opening and closing of doors. For example you may wish to get into the school Rugby team, but you are never chosen. Therefore you start playing Soccer instead - and find you have a greater ability for Soccer than you ever had for Rugby.

When certain events happen at the same time in our lives, it is very easy to just write them off as coincidences. Often it is only as we look back that we are able to see God's hand guiding us through these 'coincidences'.

7. The desires of your heart.

Psalm 37.4 says "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Most people think this means that if you put God first, He will then give you whatever natural desires you happen to have. I interpret this verse in a slightly different way. I believe it means that if you concentrate on "delighting yourself in the Lord", He will then put His desires for you in your heart, so that they become your desires as well.

Probably the strongest motivation for doing something is that you desire to do it. So do you have a strong desire to be something, to do something, to go somewhere? It could be that God has given you these desires because that is His will for you.

8. Through Prophets.

A Prophet is essentially a Messenger. That is someone who hears from God, and takes His message to someone else. There are many Prophets in the Bible. Indeed much of the Old Testament itself is a recording of these ancient messages from God.

There are still Prophets in the Church today, and God may use one of them to bring you a message, perhaps to tell you to do something or to go somewhere. But if someone 'brings a message from God' to you, how do you know that it really is from God? The main thing to remember is that God uses Prophets to confirm what He has already spoken to you about. For example, suppose someone comes to you and says "God wants you to go to China." If your reaction is something like "What me? What a surprise! I have never thought of going to China." Then forget it, this message is not from God. However, if your reaction is more like "Oh yes, I have always been interested in China, I love the Chinese people, I always thought I would go there one day," then this message is almost certainly from God. It is God confirming what he has already spoken into your life, and perhaps enabling and encouraging you to take the next step in your preparation.
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9. Through dreams and visions.

We all know what dreams are, and God can speak to us through them. Visions are often similar to the 'moving pictures' we get in dreams (or they could be just a still picture), but God gives them to you while you are awake. God spoke to many people in the Bible through dreams (e.g. Joseph and Daniel) or visions (e.g. Peter and Paul).

A few years ago, I went to a Sunday school weekend camp. The theme of the camp was 'Hearing from God.' On the Sunday afternoon the Camp Leader gave each child a notebook and pen, and told them to go out and be completely on their own for 30 minutes. They were all told to ask God to speak to them, and write down in their notebook what they thought He said. On their return, all but one or two of the thirty children claimed that God had indeed spoken to them. Many of the children said that they had seen visions, including many of Jesus on the cross.

There was one new boy to the Sunday school at that camp, and no-one knew very much about him. He shared a cabin with three other boys. On returning from their 30 minutes of isolation, these three boys all independently said that they thought God had to them "I will never leave you, I will never let you down, I will be with you always." Their cabin companion then said that that message must be for him. He revealed that his parents were in the process of divorcing, and he felt let down and was worried about what was going to happen to him in the future! Isn't God good! He doesn't speak to us so we can just say "Wow, God spoke to me." No, He speaks to us for our benefit, or for the help and encouragement of others.

How can I know if it is really God speaking to me?

There are two tests that we can apply to any message we think may be from God.

1. Does it agree with the Bible?

God never contradicts Himself. Therefore, if your message doesn't agree with God's revealed Word in the Bible, then it is definitely not from Him. For example, if you think God is telling you to tell a little lie because it will get you out of trouble, forget it! That is not from God, because the Bible says "Do not lie."

2. Do you have 'Peace' about the message?

Colossians 3.15 says "Let the peace of Christ rule (be the umpire) in your hearts." An umpire is the one who decides. And God has given us His Peace as our umpire, so that we may know if something is from Him or not. Thus, if you feel at peace about a message, supposedly from God, then it probably really is from Him. On the other hand, if you feel uneasy or anxious about the message, that is God removing His Peace to warn you that this is not from Him.

How can we hear more clearly from God?

If you love God, your greatest desire will to know Him better and communicate more fully with Him. How can we hear more clearly from God then? Fortunately, the answer is very simple - stay close to Him!

If I was talking in my normal voice and you were sitting close to me, you would hear me very clearly. But suppose I was still talking in the same way and you were at the other end of the room, or even outside the room. Would you hear me so clearly then? No. You may not hear me at all, and if you did, you would probably hear me incorrectly and get the message wrong.

It is exactly the same when hearing from God. If we stay close to Him, we will hear Him clearly. But if we are a long way from God, we are unlikely to hear Him. How then, can we stay close to God? There is no short cut to this. We need to ensure that we spend adequate time in His presence by reading and meditating on His Word, talking to him (prayer) and doing what we know He has already told us to do. Then we will be in the right position to hear from Him when He speaks to us.

Quiz - Hidden books of the Bible.

The names of sixteen books of the English Bible are hidden in the text of the following paragraph. Can you find all sixteen of them?

I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu. Kept people looking so hard for facts and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names of the books were not capitalized. But the truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others, it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. One little lady says she brews a cup of tea, so she can concentrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now for there are really sixteen names of books of the Bible in this story.

How many did you find? This is a pretty tough quiz, so why not let your parents try it out? if you get more than half the books, you are doing well. I will publish the answers in next month's "Kidzone." However, if you don't want to wait till then, you can send me an email at mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz , and I will email the answers back to you.

Laugh Break - A retirement funny.

A local priest was being honored at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish. A leading local politician and member of the congregation was chosen to make the presentation and to give a little speech at the dinner.

However, he was delayed so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited:"I got my first impression of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when questioned by the police, was able to lie his way out of it. He had also stolen money from his parents and his his employer, and taken illicit drugs. I was appalled."But as the days went on I learned that my people were not all like that and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people."

Just as the priest finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies for being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and said: "I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived. In fact, I had the honor of being the first person to go to him for confession.

"Moral: Never, never, NEVER-EVER be late.

Kidzone 28.

2009-07-11T03:04:00.000-07:00

Story - Jimmy's amazing healing.

Jimmy woke up and groaned "Oh no" he said, "It was only a dream." In his dream Jimmy had been having a great time running and jumping about in the hills above Capernaum. Jimmy had groaned because this was something that he couldn't do now. When he was much younger there was nothing that Jimmy liked better than to explore the hills above his home town, but then, little by little, his whole body began to get stiffer and stiffer until it reached the point where he couldn't even climb out of his bed mat on his own. He was completely paralysed.

Bad as things were for Jimmy, they could have been worse, because he had four good friends who came to visit him every day, do his housework, and sometimes carry him out on his mat to go for a picnic. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Come in" called Jimmy, and his four friends, Joe, Matt, Andy and Pete entered his house.

"You look rather glum" said Joe. "Is anything wrong?"

Jimmy told his friends about the dream he had just had. "That is something that I will never be able to do again" he concluded.

"We believe you will" declared Matt. "We believe that God will heal you, and you will then be able to do all the running and jumping you like."

Jimmy replied, "I do believe God does heal people, but if He was going to heal me, I am sure He would have done it a long time ago."

"No, you don't understand" said Andy "Jesus, who people say is the Christ, sent from God, is here in Capernaum. In fact he is having a meeting in a house just down the road. We believe that if we take you to Jesus, he will heal you."

"I am not so sure of that" replied Jimmy.

"Just trust us" said Pete.

And so Jimmy's four friends carried the paralysed man, on his mat, down the road to the house where Jesus was. But when they got there Jimmy groaned "I knew this was no good, you will never be able to get me anywhere near Jesus with all this crowd." Jimmy had a point. Jesus was so popular, that the whole house was crammed full of people. Those who couldn't get in were trying to peer through the windows or push their way in through the door.

"We're not giving up now" said Joe. "I have a plan."

Jimmy lay back on his mat and watched in amazement as his friends carried him round to the back of the house, climbed up the stairs onto the roof and began to pull up the roof tiles.

"What on earth will the owner of this house think" thought Jimmy, as the hole in the roof got larger and larger. "We will all get in big trouble."

Soon the hole was large enough, and the four men lowered Jimmy, still on his mat, down through the hole, right to where Jesus was teaching the crowd.

"Oh no" thought Jimmy. "It is me that will get in trouble for that hole, because I am down here and my friends are still on the roof." But suddenly Jimmy cheered up. Jesus was looking straight at him, and was smiling. He didn't seem to mind about the hole. Jimmy thought "I think I am going to be healed after all. Jesus will probably heal me and tell me to get up and walk."

But Jesus looked at Jimmy and said, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Jimmy groaned. "What have my sins got to do with anything. Doesn't Jesus realise that I am here because I need to be healed?" But Jesus doesn't make mistakes. He knew the paralysed man needed to be healed, but he saw an even greater need - to have his sins forgiven and get right with God.

Suddenly there was a distraction. Some of the religious leaders in the crowd became angry with Jesus, thinking to themselves "Only God can forgive sins. Jesus is making himself equal with God by telling this man that his sins are forgiven."

But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He turned to them and said "What is easier for me to say 'Your sins are forgiven' or 'Take up your mat and walk'? But I have said this that you may know that I have authority on earth to forgive sins." Wow, there Jesus went again, claiming equality with God.

Jesus turned back to the paralytic and said "Take up your mat and walk." Jimmy felt strength seep into his whole body. He began to move his arms and legs. He sat up, then stood up. He picked up his mat and walked out - to the thunderous applause and cries of amazement from the crowd.

Note. You can read this story in your Bibles. It is found in Mark, chapter 2 verses 1 to 12.

Conclusion.

When the four friends lowered the paralytic through the hole in the roof, the Bible says "When Jesus saw their faith, he said "Son your sins are forgiven" and then later on "Take up your mat and walk."

What does the Bible mean by saying 'their' faith? That's right. Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic's four friends. The man was forgiven and healed because of his friends' faith. We can bring our friends to Jesus today - through prayer - and ask Him to meet their needs, if we have a determined, confident faith in Jesus, that He will do what He has promised to do.

What does the Bible mean by saying Jesus 'saw' their faith? How can you see faith? Surely faith is something inside us. Isn't It what we believe? Yes, it certainly is what we believe, but if our faith is genuine, our words and actions will reflect what we believe. Jesus saw what those men did. He saw the great efforts they had gone to get their friend to him. And that is the sort of determined, stop at nothing, faith that Jesus rewards. If we really believe Jesus will meet our needs or the needs of our friends or relatives, then we will be like those four men and our words and actions will match up to what we believe.

Illusion - All wrongdoing is serious.

Many people tend to categorise sin (wrongdoing) into big sins (e.g. murder) and little sins (e.g. a lie). Here is an illustrations to demonstrate that in God's sight all sin is serious.

Hold in one hand a crumpled piece of paper, and in the other a small but heavy object (e.g. a battery). Tell your friends that the paper represents what many people think of as "little" sins like lying and swearing, and that the heavy object represents what many think of as "big" sins like murder and robbery. State that you are going to drop both objects to the floor at the same time. Askyour friends which object they think will reach the floor first? Most will say the heavy object.

Drop both objects. They will reach the floor at the same time. (You may wish to repeat the exercise). State that sin is like that to God. The lighter or smaller sins are just as serious to Him as the weightier ones, for all wrongdoing is sin (see 1 John 5 v. 17).

Your questions answered - Do all religions lead to God?

Some people think that if a person is sincere in following their religion it will eventually lead them to God - no matter which religion they are actually following. Thus they may be Christian, Jew, Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu, or something else. You can imagine God at the top of a mountain with many paths leading up to him. Although the paths start at different points, they all eventually lead to God.

Contrast this idea, however, with what Jesus said. He said "I am the way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father, except by me. (John 14 v. 6). Note that Jesus said "I am the way" He didn't say "I am a way" He said "I am the way." Thus it is abundantly clear that Jesus claimed to be the only way to God.

What it comes down to is: Who are you going to believe? Jesus, the Son of God, or mere humans who don't know everything and often make mistakes.

Laugh break - A Children funny.

"Teacher," announced little Joey, "there's somethin' I can't figger out."

"What's that Joey?" asked the Sunday school teacher.

"Well accordin' to the Bible, the Children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, right?"

"Right."

"An' the Children of Israel beat up the Philistines, right?"

"Er--right.""An' the Children of Israel built the Temple, right?"

"Again you're right."

"An' the Children of Israel fought the 'gyptians, an' the Children of Israel fought the Romans, an' the Children of Israel wuz always doin' somethin' important, right?"

"All that is right, too," agreed the teacher. "So what's your question?"

"What I wanna know is this," demanded Joey. "What wuz all the grown-ups doin'?"

Kidzone 26.

2009-05-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 26.

Story - Doing the right thing.

John Howieson worked as a labourer on a farm in a village just outside Edinburgh, Scotland. One day, whilst working on the farm, he notices a traveller walking past. As he watched, five men suddenly appeared and began attacking the traveller. Without hesitating, Howieson ran to the aid of the outnumbered traveller, and fought so hard that the five attackers all ran off. Howieson took the injured traveller back to his cottage and tended to his wounds.

After the traveller had recovered, he told John Howieson that he worked in Holyrood palace, Edinburgh where the king lived. He told his helper to be sure to visit him next time he was in Edinburgh, and that he would show him around the king's rooms, and even introduce him to the king, himself.

Sometime later John Howieson did visit the traveller at Holyrood palace, and was shown around the king's rooms. The traveller then said "Now we will go into the Great Hall, and I will introduce you to the king." Howieson was rather concerned and said "There will be many fine noblemem in the Great Hall. How will I know which one of them is the king?" The traveller replied "In the king's presence, everyone has to remove their hat. So you will know which man is the king, because he will be the only one wearing a hat."

As Howieson and the traveller entered the Great Hall, everyone removed their hats. Slowly Howieson realised that the only man still wearing a hat was his friend, the traveller! The traveller that Howieson has rescued was actually King James V of Scotland, who had the habit of travelling round his kingdom in disguise.

The king rewarded Howieson for his bravery, and bought him the farm on which he worked. But remember, Howieson came to the travellers help, not so that he would get a reward - he didn't know it was the king he was actually helping - but simply because it was the right thing to do.

The Bible tells us that we will be rewarded for the good things we do on earth, but that should not be our motive. Rather our motive should be the same as John Howieson, and we should do good and help others simply because that is the right thing to do.

Illusion - Hitting a target with a balloon.

Preparation of balloon guidance system (see Figure below).
Take a 6 or 7 meter piece of string, and thread one end through half a drinking straw. Blow up an ordinary round balloon, and tape it with sticky tape under the straw. When you let the balloon go, it will travel along the length of your string.

Illustration.
Challenge your friends to hit a target by letting go an inflated (but not tied) balloon. They start by aiming the balloon at the target (Ideally another stationary person), but once they let it go, it will probably change direction a number of times and completely miss it's target. Let them have a few attempts.

Now state that you will show them how to hit the target every time with a balloon. Bring out your guidance system. Have a volunteer stand behind your target whilst holding one end of the string. Attach your balloon to the straw near the other end of the string as described, let it go - and watch it hit it's target!

Note. Just as the balloon needed a guidance system to help it go the right way and reach it's target, we also need a guidance system to help us go the right way through life and not go off in wrong directions. God has in fact given us two guidance systems to help us. They are the Bible and the Holy Spirit. We need to let them guide us through life.

Your questions answered - Why did Adam and Eve sin against God?

The Bible tells us that in the beginning God made a perfect world, and that His finest creations were people. The first people (Adam and Eve) were made in God's own image or likeness (See Genesis 1 v. 26).

God could easily have made Adam and Eve like robots, so that they were programmed to obey him. But He wanted someone much better than that. He wanted people that would obey and love Him, but because they wanted to. Not because they had to. Thus, God gave people free will - the ability to choose. Thus Adam and Eve could choose to love and obey God, or they could choose not to love or obey Him.

Well, we all know what happened. Adam and Eve made the wrong choice - they disobeyed and rejected their Creator. But when people make bad choices, there is always a consequence, a price to be paid. Probably you have made some bad choices. Perhaps you chose to disobey your mum or dad, for example. And then found that there were consequences for it. Maybe you were punished!

There was a terrible consequence for Adam and Eve's bad choice. God placed a curse on the earth, and the whole world became "bad".

We still see the results of this today all around us. BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS. God still loved His creation and had a plan to make things "good' again. He sent His Son to die on the cross. Now, if we put our trust in Jesus, we are forgiven all our wrongdoing and bad choices. Not only that, Jesus is able to come into our lives and make us clean and new on the inside. Now, although we can still choose to make bad choices, we are much less likely to do so as our desire now is to please God, rather than ourselves.

The Letter of Reference.

"To Whom It May Concern:

"Bob Smith, my assistant programmer, can always be found

hard at work in his cubicle. Bob works independently, without

wasting company time talking to colleagues. Bob never

thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and he always

finishes given assignments on time. Often he takes extended

measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee

breaks. Bob is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no

vanity, in spite of his high accomplishments and profound

knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Bob can be

classed as a high-caliber employee, the type which cannot be

dispensed with. Consequently, I duly recommend that Bob be

promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be

executed as soon as possible."

Delivered a short time later:

"That idiot was standing over my shoulder while I wrote the letter sent to you earlier today. Kindly re-read only every other line."

Kidzone 25

2009-04-12T02:49:00.000-07:00

Story - Jimmy's big day out.

This is a story from the Bible. We don't know all the details, but I imagine it may have happened something like this.

Jimmy was really excited. His mum had finally agreed to let him go on the picnic. But this wasn't going to be any ordinary picnic. Jimmy was convinced that this would be the best picnic ever. Why? Because the man everyone was talking about, the man who was going round from town to town performing miracles and healing the sick, was coming to have a meeting in a large field near Jimmy's own village. And everyone that Jimmy knew was going to be there. Perhaps Jimmy would even see a miracle.

Jimmy got up very early on the morning of the great meeting, had his breakfast, and set off for the field carrying his picnic lunch that his mum had prepared for him. But when Jimmy got to the field, he groaned. "Oh no" he thought "I won't be able to see anything." Even though it was still only about 7 a.m. thousands of people had already gathered to see this famous man, and Jimmy thought that being so small he would not have a good view of what was happening.

Jimmy's size, however, turned out to be to his advantage. Being small and agile, Jimmy managed to weave his way through the large good-natured crowd until he got all the way to the front - and sat down right at the feet of Jesus!

Jimmy listened intently as Jesus began to teach the people about the Kingdom of God, about how he, Jesus, had been sent by God to show people how much God loved them and about he was going to give up his life so that anyone could be forgiven and become God's forever friend. Jimmy didn't understand all that Jesus was saying at the time, but there was something in the way he said it that kept everyone spellbound.

After a while, Jesus asked for any sick people to come to him. Jimmy watched in amazement as Jesus healed them all - the blind, the deaf, the dumb, the lepers. the paralysed - - - - -. Suddenly Jimmy noticed something. It was beginning to get dark. He had been at the field all day long, and he had been so engrossed in what Jesus was saying and doing, that he had even forgotten to eat his picnic lunch!

Then Jimmy noticed that two of Jesus' disciples were talking loudly to each other.. Andrew said to Philip "Phil. What on earth are we going to do?" Philip replied "I have no idea Andy. Jesus has asked us to feed all these thousands of people, but we haven't any food." "I know" Andrew replied "But how can we tell Jesus that we can't do what he asked?" "Wait a minute" said Philip. "I have an idea. Why don't we ask all these people if they have any food that they are willing to share?"

Just then Jimmy remembered his uneaten picnic lunch. Rushing up to Andrew and Philip, he said "You can share my lunch if you wish." looking in the picnic basket, Andrew replied "That's not very much. But at least it's a start. Now, let's go and ask all the other people if they have any food." But nobody else had. They either did not bring any food with them, or if they had, they had eaten it all earlier in the day.

Disappointedly Andrew said "Come on. Let's show this boy's lunch to Jesus. At least Jesus will see that we have tried to get some food." Approaching Jesus, Andrew said "We have asked everyone if they have any food to share, but this boy is the only one who has. It's not very much. It is only two fish and five small loaves." Looking into the picnic basket, Jesus replied "That's enough." Jimmy was stunned. What did Jesus mean "That's enough." His lunch was hardly enough for himself, let alone all those thousands of people.

Jimmy stood and watched in silence as Jesus got his disciples to get the people to sit down in groups of about fifty. Then to Jimmy's astonishment, Jesus took one of his little fish, gave thanks to God for it and broke it in half. But to everyone's amazement, the two halves of the fish were each as large as the original fish! Then Jesus took one of the halves, broke it again - and the two new pieces were still as large as the original fish. Jesus kept repeating the process, and soon there was a large pile of fish. Jesus did the same with the second fish, and then with each of the five loaves.

There was a stunned silence as everyone watched the amazing miracle happening right in front of them. But then Jesus told his disciples to start giving out the food. And the Bible says that everyone had enough to eat. In fact when the whole event was over and the disciples went round collecting up all the scraps of fish and bread, the ended up with twelve basket's full!

My, that was a day that Jimmy would never forget. Wait until he got home and told his mum all that he had seen and heard. All that Jesus had taught them about the Kingdom of God, and all those amazing healings. But the best thing of all was that miracle at the end when Jesus had taken two fish and five loaves and multiplied them into enough food to feed thousands of hungry people. But the very, very best thing of all was that it was his fish and loaves that Jesus had used for the miracle!

Conclusion.

The Bible tells us that God does not Change. Hebrews 13 v. 8 says that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." The way that God works on the earth today is the same way that He worked two thousand years ago when he was here in bodily form. God uses people to bless other people and meet their needs. In the same way that He used that boy's picnic lunch to feed all those people, He uses whatever we are prepared to give him to bless others - if we give it willingly, just like the boy in the story.

You may only have a small amount of money, but if you give it willingly to God, for example put it into the church collection or give it to another good cause, He is able to take it and make even your small amount go a long, long way.

What about your time? Suppose you decide that instead of playing or watching T.V. one evening, you will spend some of your time helping Mum with the housework, helping Dad in the garden, taking a friend's dog for a walk, or doing some shopping for an elderly neighbour - then God is able to use your time to bless many people.

How about your talents? Suppose, for example, you find that you are good at playing the piano. If you say "I am not going to play the piano for my own enjoyment, or to entertain my friends, or even to earn myself lots of money. I am going to give my talent back to God, and let him direct me as to when and where I use my talent - He will be able to bless lots of people through it.

So, you don't have to be old to be used by God.
You don't have to be clever to be used by God
You don't have to be rich to be used by God.
All you have to be is like that boy in our story - WILLING. Willing to give to God whatever you have. If you are, then there is no limit to what God can do through you.

What is the very best thing we can give to God? Better than our money, better than our time, better than our talents? That's right. Our love, or in other words Ourselves. The best thing anyone can do is come before God and sincerely say "God, I give you all of myself. Not just my money, time and talents, but all of me. Whatever you want me to do, I will do it. Wherever you want me to go, I will go." If that is your attitude, there is no limit to how God can use you to help establish His Kingdom on earth - and there is nothing more wonderful than being used in that.

Your questions answered - Did God make cavemen?

Some people believe that long ago there were ape-men, and then the first humans were dumb cavemen. This is not true. There never were any ape-men. And the first people weren't dumb either. They were very clever.

The Bible says that a man named Jabel was the first of those who live in tents and look after livestock - cattle, horses, etc. His brother Jubal invented the harp and the flute. It takes a lot of intelligence to do that, as well as to play them.

Another man, Tubalcain, invented all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. This meant he knew how to extract copper, tin and iron from their ores.

All of this culture, such as farming, making music, and using tools, is proof that the very first people on earth were not ape-men, and not dumb cavemen either. Civilization existed from the very first.

Later on, after God scattered the people from the tower of Babel (see Genesis, chapter 11), some groups lost their abilities and degenerated to become simple cave dwellers, but others continued to live civilised lives, using their various skills.

Illusion - Floating a cork on water.

Fill a glass three quarters full with water. Produce a cork and ask your friends to try to float it on the water, without it drifting to the side of the glass. They will find this impossible to do, as the cork will keep moving away from the centre towards the side of the glass. Now, tell your friends that you will show them how this can be done. Fill the glass to overflowing with water. Place the cork in the centre, and it will remain there, floating in the centre of the glass.

SEVEN REASONS NOT TO MESS WITH A CHILD

Reason #1:A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah."The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"The little girl replied, "Then you ask him."

Reason #2:A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

Reason #3:A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to honor thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

Reason #4:One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother has several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?"Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, "Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"

Reason #5:The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture: "Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer--she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael--he's a doctor.'"A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher--she's dead."

Reason #6:A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, "Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face.""Yes," the class said."Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?"A little fellow shouted, "Cause your feet ain't empty."

Reason #7:The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: Take only ONE. God is watching.Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God's watching the apples."

Kidzone 24.

2009-03-17T01:28:00.000-07:00

Story - Leo the lion.

Leo the lion didn't have to work very hard to catch his dinner. After all he was "the king of the jungle" and much faster and stronger than any of the other animals around. Yes, life was good and easy for Leo. If fact he spent most of his time just lazing in the sunshine. But things were about to change.

One day Leo was snoozing after his mid-day meal, when he felt something being thrown over him. Lazily opening one eye, Leo saw what appeared to be pieces of string knotted together covering him. "Huh" thought Leo, "I'll soon get rid of this string." Leo began to push the string away with his paw, but once he pulled his paw back, the string came back over him. Leo decided that he had better use two paws, then three, then all four. But the harder he tried, the more he became caught up in the knotted string. Eventually he became completely entangled in the net. He had been captured.

What a 'come down' for the 'king of the jungle'. Leo had lost his freedom, and was now confined to living in a den. Things could have been worse though. At least Leo had some other lions for company, and his human captors fed him regularly. But it was not the same as having his freedom, and being able to roam wherever he wished.

Then things got worse. The food supply ceased. After a few days, all the lions were desperately hungry, and even began to think about eating each other. But then, suddenly, the door to the den was opened, and there was thrown in the largest meal Leo had ever seen - a fully grown man! Leo thought "I am going to get my share of that man before all the other lions eat him up." He moved swiftly towards his meal and began to open his huge jaws ready to take a bite. But, disaster, something was terribly wrong, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open his jaws. It was as if someone had stuck them together with super glue. Leo tried prising his jaws open with his jaws, but they were still shut tight. "Oh no" thought Leo, "By the time I get my jaws open, there will be nothing left, all the other lions will have eaten the man." But then he noticed something strange. All the other lions were like himself. They were also rolling around the floor trying to prise open their mouths!

Some hours later, Leo and the other lions were resting on the floor, exhausted from their failed efforts to open their jaws. And the man was sitting in the centre of them, calmly watching. Suddenly, the door to the den opened, a face appeared, and a voice called out "Daniel, are you still alive? Did your God manage to rescue you from the lions?" The man replied "Yes He did. He sent an Angel to bind up the mouths of the lions, so that they would not harm me."

Orders were quickly given for Daniel to be lifted out of the lion's den. "Oh no, thought Leo, there goes my dinner." But then, good news. The door to the den was opened again, and Daniel's accusers were thrown in. And this time Leo and the other lions were able to open their jaws!

"I am sure that you have heard that story before. Daniel was thrown into the lion's den because he refused to stop praying to God, even though the king had ordered him to do so. God wants us be like Daniel, and continue to do the right things - even if that makes us unpopular with some people, and even if it puts us in danger. Remember, just like He did with Daniel, God can protect you.

Story - Processionary Caterpillars.

In South America there are a type of caterpillar called processionary caterpillars. They are so called because they always seem to be marching in procession - all following each other in single file. Once a man came upon such a procession and played a little trick on them. Using his fingers, he manoeuvred the caterpillars so that they formed a complete circle. Now, instead of walking in a straight line, the 'first' caterpillar was now following the 'last' one. The man watched as the caterpillars went round and round, each following the one in front for seven hours!

If you could have spoken to one of those caterpillars and asked it why it was doing such a stupid thing, going round and round, following the one in front, it would probably have said "I know it is a silly thing to do, but I don't want to be different. I just want to be the same as all the other caterpillars. If I broke rank, and went for a nibble at that juicy leaf over there, all the others would notice and think me different. I never want to be different. I just want to be the same as all the others."

Unfortunately a lot of people are like those processionary caterpillars. They don't want to appear different from whatever group they are in - even if that group is doing something stupid or wrong. They just don't dare to be like Daniel and stand up for what they know is right. But God didn't make us all the same, He made us as individuals and wants us to act as such, and always make the right choices, not based on what 'the majority' are doing, but rather on what is the right thing to do - just like Daniel did.

Let me ask you, who are you going to be like? Processionary caterpillars (the same, but silly) or Daniel (an individual, but doing right)?

Your questions answered - Can I be a Christian, even if my parents aren't?

The answer is "YES". You need to understand what a Christian really is. If you ask most people what a Christian is, they will probably reply something like "A person who goes to church", or, "A person who prays a lot and reads the Bible", or, "A person who does lots of good deeds and is always kind to others". All these things are good, but none of them make a person a Christian. Rather, these are some of the things that Christians do - because they already are Christians! Real Christians do these things because they can't help themselves. They are "natural" to them because Jesus has changed them on the insides, and given them a God-given desire to do these things, which is simply an outward expression of their new love for both God and other people.

Of course non-Christians can also do some or all of the above things, but that doesn't make them Christians. Some people do these things to try and please God - because they don't understand that God's forgiveness and acceptance can never be earned, no matter how 'good' they are, or how hard they try. Others do these things to try and impress people, so that they will think well of them, or be good to them in return.

One of the best ways of understanding what a real Christian really is, is to consider the three words :- CHRIST IN PERSON. When you condense these words into one, you are left with CHRISTIAN.

Thus, CHRIST IN PERSON = CHRISTIAN.

In other words, a Christian is a person in whom Jesus Christ is living. And He can only live in you if you invite Him to do so asking Him to forgive your sins (wrongdoing) and to come and take charge of your life.

It is wonderful to have Christian parents, because they can help and encourage you in your new Christian life. But even if they are not, don't let that put you off living for Jesus, because ultimately we are each responsible to God for what we do with His gift of Jesus to us - either to accept or reject.

Why not pray and ask God to bring someone into your life who is able to teach you more about Himself?

Illusion - Blowing a coin into a dish.

Produce a small coin and a fairly shallow dish (e.g. a cereal bowel). Place the dish on a table or desk, and place the coin about 15 cm. away at the edge of the table. Challenge your friends to get the coin into the dish, without touching either of them. It is very unlikely that anyone will work out how to do it.
Now it is your turn to demonstrate how it can be done. Blow a short sharp breath just over the top of the coin. (Have a few practices beforehand). Your breath should lift up the coin, and deposit it in the dish. The secret is to ensure that you blow horizontally, just over the top of the coin. You can then give your friends a chance to see if they can also do it.
Note. It is best to use a fairly heavy dish (not plastic), otherwise your breath might also move it as well as the coin. Alternatively, you may have to hold the dish in place with your hand as you attempt to blow the coin into it.

Laugh break - Classic comments (all from children).

Teacher. "What do you have to be to go to heaven?"
Boy (aged 5). "Dead!"

"Jesus spoke in Aromatic."

"Mary and Joseph could not stay in the inn as it was Christmas, and it was full up."

"David fought the Philadelphian Giants."

"Noah's wife was Joan of Ark."

Teacher. "What did Jesus say to the girl He brought back to life?"
Child. "Wake up! Your dinner's ready!"

Teacher. "What did Jesus promise to make his twelve disciples into?"
Child. "Vicious old men." (Fishers of men!).

Teacher. "Who was the most sorry when the Prodigal son returned home?"
Child. "The fatted calf."

Teacher. "Does anyone know what a Prophet is?"
Child. "Yes. If I buy some lollies at $1, and sell them for $2, that will be a $1 prophet."

Teacher. "Which Commandment concerns how you should treat your parents?"
Child. "Honour your father and mother."
Teacher. "Good. Now which Commandment concerns how you should treat your brothers and sisters?"
Child. " Do not kill."

Teacher. "Give me another name for God?"
Child. "Harold."
Teacher. "Harold?"
Child. "Yes, the Lord's Prayer starts off ' Our Father, which art in heaven, Harold be thy name.' "

Teacher. "Give me another name for God?"
Child. "I think it is Peter. Christians are always saying ' Praise Peter (be to) God.' "

Teacher. "What did the wise men bring to baby Jesus?"
Child. "Gold, Frankenstein and mud."

Teacher. "If Moses were alive today, what would he be famous for?"
Child. "For being the oldest man in the world!"

Kidzone 23.

2009-02-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

Story - "I give you me!"

A teacher wanted to teach his pupils the real meaning of "Christmas". He explained that Christmas was Jesus' birthday, and that as it was customary to give a gift to people on their birthday, he asked all the children to bring in a gift for Jesus on that special day. He explained that he would like the children to all think hard about their gift and that it should be a one that would be worthy to give to Jesus, the Son of God and Saviour of the world.

The teacher placed a large box in the centre of the classroom and, as the children arrived - many of them obviously carrying a gift - , asked them to come out one at a time and place their gift for Jesus in the empty box.

Matthew was the first to come forward, and the other children gasped to see him pushing his bicycle towards the box. Everyone knew how much Matthew loved his bike. He had been saving up for it for months, and after he finally had enough to buy it just a few weeks ago, he was seen riding it for hour after hour. Surely Matthew wasn't going to give his precious bike away? But no. Matthew lifted his bike into the box, clasped his hands together and prayed "Jesus, I give you my bike."

Next to come forward was Amanda. Again their was a gasp from the other children as they saw her carrying her favourite Barbie doll. She was rarely seen without her precious Barbie doll. But she placed it in the box and prayed "Jesus, I give you my Barbie doll."

Next up was Big Joe. Everyone knew how much Joe liked chocolate. But there he was, carrying, a large box of chocolates to give to Jesus. How hard that must have been for Joe to give his chocolates away. And so it went on. Each child had obviously thought long and hard about their gift and gave up something that they were bound to miss.

Finally, there was only Poor Jimmy left. He was know as 'Poor Jimmy' because he obviously was very poor. He never seemed to wear any nice clothes, or have very much in his lunch box. In fact, sometimes, he didn't bring any lunch with him at all. It was said that his father had died, and that his mother didn't have much money to look after Jimmy and his brothers and sisters. What sort of gift would Jimmy give to Jesus?

"It's your turn now, Jimmy" said the teacher. "Bring your gift to Jesus." Slowly, Jimmy got up and started walking towards the box. A few children giggled and whispered "He's not got anything. Look. There is nothing in his hands. Jimmy is carrying nothing to give to Jesus." Eventually Jimmy arrived at the box. He hesitated for a moment, and then jumped right into the box and sat down. "Jimmy, What on earth are you doing" asked the teacher. But Jimmy just put his hands together and prayed "Jesus, I give you me! I give all of my life to you."

Question. Which of those children gave the best gift to Jesus? That's right, Jimmy did.

Jesus told us that when we are giving to others, we are actually giving to Him. Some people give money to Jesus (Perhaps when they give to the church offering, or to a charity), some give up some of their time or talents (abilities) to help others. And that is good. But what Jesus wants each one of us to give to him is all of our Lives, just like Jimmy did. He gave his life for us, and he wants us to give All of our lives back to him. He will never be satisfied with a little bit of our money, time, talents, or anything else we can offer him. No, He wants All of us.

What does this mean in practice? It means living for Jesus. It means putting Him first all the time. It means that our attitude should be not, "What is best for me, or what do I want to do?" but rather "What is best for Jesus. What does He want me to do?" That is giving yourself to Jesus.

Prayer. "Jesus, I give all of my life to you. I may not have a lot, but what I do have, I give it all to you. Help me to use my money, time, talents and everything else I have in a way that pleases you. Amen."

Illusion - Cutting a banana in half without touching it.

Jesus sometimes healed people from a distance - just by speaking a word of faith. In this illustration you appear to cut a banana in half just by speaking and / or by making a 'chopping' action with your hand towards it.

Preparation.

Take a banana, choose a point near the centre, and push a small sewing needle through the peel and most of the way through the soft centre. With the needle still in place, move it in an upwards and then a downwards direction a few times. This action will cause the centre to be cut in half, but leave the peel largely unaffected. On removing the needle, only a small prick should be visible in the otherwise 'normal' banana.

Illustration.

Show your friends your 'normal' (but prepared) banana. Select a volunteer and have them hold up the banana so that everyone can see it. Stand a few metres away from your volunteer and 'command' the banana to be cut in half. At the same time you could make a chopping motion with your hand in the direction of the banana. Finally, get your volunteer to carefully peel the banana. The banana centre should be clearly seen to have been cut into two halves.

Your questions answered - Where did Cain get his wife from?

The most common question that people ask Bible teachers is certainly "Who made God?" (For the answer - see Kidzone No.1). The next most common question is the one asked here.

Adam and Eve were the very first two people. Although the Bible only tells us the names of three of their children (Cain, Abel and Seth), it does tell us that they had other sons and daughters. As Adam lived until he was 930 years, there were probably lots of them.

At the beginning of human history, Adam's sons, including Cain, must have married their own sisters. This is because Adam and Eve were the parents of everyone. After that, their children's sons could have married their sisters or their girl cousins, and had children of their own. Very soon there would have been thousands of people living on the earth.

It is against the law for brothers to marry sisters today, why could they do it back then?

Let's first consider the world today. If brothers marry their sisters, then their children may be deformed or sick or handicapped in some way. This is because in our genes, we all have some 'copying mistakes' that have built up in our family over many generations. Different families have different copying mistakes. When people with different gene mistakes marry, the good genes from each partner tend to override the other partner's bad genes, so that deformities do not appear in their children. But if people with the same gene mistakes marry, then their children are liable to inherit two sets of bad genes, and so they can be handicapped in some way.

This was not a problem with Adam and Eve's children, because God created Adam and Eve perfect, with no genetic mistakes! So there was no problem with brothers marrying sisters.

But then, when sin entered the world, God withdrew some of His power that stopped things falling apart. His perfect creation began to degenerate. There was death and decay, and many genetic mistakes began to develop in all living things. This was minimal at the time of Cain, so intermarriage was okay, but by the time of Moses, about 2,500 years later, genetic mistakes had built up to the point where it was necessary for God to forbid brothers from marrying their own sisters. That is why it was okay at the beginning, but not okay today to marry your close relative.

Laugh break - Walking by faith.

One day a 6 year old girl was sitting in a classroom. The teacher was going to explain evolution to the children. The teacher asked a little boy: Tommy do you see the tree outside?
TOMMY: Yes.TEACHER: Tommy, do you see the grass outside?
TOMMY: Yes.
TEACHER: Go outside and look up and see if you can see the sky.
TOMMY: Okay. (He returned a few minutes later) Yes, I saw the sky.
TEACHER: Did you see God up there?
TOMMY: No.
TEACHER: That's my point. We can't see God because he isn't there. Possibly he just doesn't exist.A little girl spoke up and wanted to ask the boy some questions. The teacher agreed and the little girl asked the boy: Tommy, do you see the tree outside?
TOMMY: Yes.
LITTLE GIRL: Tommy do you see the grass outside?
TOMMY: Yessssss!
LITTLE GIRL: Did you see the sky?
TOMMY: Yessssss!
LITTLE GIRL: Tommy, do you see the teacher?
TOMMY: Yes
LITTLE GIRL: Do you see her brain?
TOMMY: No
LITTLE GIRL: Then according to what we were taught today in school, she possibly may not even have one!

"FOR WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT"
II CORINTHIANS 5:7

Kidzone 22.

2009-01-15T00:02:00.000-08:00

Symbols of Christmas.

At Christmas time we come across many symbols that remind us of the true message of the season. Here are some of them.

1. The Christmas tree.

This reminds us of our sin. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, and Jesus died on a tree to take away our sins by redeeming us from the curse of the law.

Evergreen. The Christmas tree is evergreen, which reminds us of the everlasting life Christ offers all who come to him.

The point. This points heavenwards, reminding us that Jesus came from heaven to be our Saviour.

The Angel. Reminds us that it was an Angel that brought the first Christmas message to some Shepherds, "Fear not, for I bring good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord." (Luke 2.10,11).

The star. Reminds us that God sent a special star to guide the wise men to the baby Jesus.

The lights. Jesus came to give light to those in darkness, and guide us on our way to heaven.

The decorations. Remind us of the beauty of everlasting life obtained through faith in Jesus.

Depository for gifts. (Usually underneath the tree). Reminds us of the first and best Christmas gift - Jesus Christ, God's gift to the world. We are also reminded that for any gift to benefit us, we need to receive it. If we don't personally receive Jesus into our lives then, as far as we are concerned, He might as well never have come to earth.

2. Bells.

Bells are traditionally rung to announce good news. And there is no better news than God sending His Son to earth on that first Christmas day. They are also rung to announce new beginnings, This reminds us of our beginning a new life in Christ.

3. Holly.

The points of the holly leaf remind us that our salvation was obtained through pain, and the red berries remind us of Christ's blood shed for us.

4. Santa Claus.

This reminds us of God's generosity to us. St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) was a third century Bishop who lived in Turkey. He was a generous man who gave gifts to people anonymously - hence his habit of dropping presents down people's chimneys!

5. The wreath.

The Christmas wreath's never ending ring is a reminder of God's eternal love for us. A wreath on a door is a sign of welcome, inviting all to enter in. This reminds us of Christ's invitation for all to come to Him. The middle of the wreath is a bare and empty space - a reminder of what life would be without Christ's love and grace.

6. Christmas candy.

The red and white striped Christmas candy is a reminder of the stripes Jesus took for us. The red is a symbol for His blood, and the white for the spotless New Life He gives us.

Your questions answered - What proof is there that God exists?

Many of our prominent political leaders today say that they do not believe in God, citing "lack of proof" of God's existence as the reason for their unbelief. I have tried to put myself "in the shoes" of these people and asked myself that if I genuinely was seeking proof of God's existence, what proof could God give me that would convince me that He is real? I came up with the following four proofs that God could give to convince me of His existence.

1. Creation. If God is real, I would ask Him to create something, out of nothing, that I could see with my own eyes and touch with my own hands.

2. Communication. I would ask God to communicate with me, perhaps by sending someone, or even writing to me, to tell me things like what He is like, why He made me, what His plans are for me, and if there is there is life after death.

3, Revelation. I would ask God to reveal Himself to us by visiting planet Earth in person. When He was here, I would ask Him to prove His power by doing things we humans cannot do, and that defy the natural laws of the universe. Things like multiplying matter, defying gravity, commanding nature (such as storms) to obey Him, commanding the sick to be healed and the dead to come back to life.

4. Finally, if God were real, I would ask Him if He really loved us humans, and to do something to demonstrate how much He loves us.

I cannot really think of any other proofs that God could give to convince us that He is real. But surely those I have listed above are more than enough. If God did all that, surely nobody could still doubt His existence. The proof would be irrefutable! But then I remembered - GOD HAS ALREADY GIVEN US THOSE FOUR PROOFS!

1. We only have to look around us to see the vast number of wonderful things that have been created (If there is no Creator, they must have created themselves, beginning with nothing. And to believe this requires an unreasonable faith!). - "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19.1.

2. God has sent us many messengers to tell us about Himself - they were usually called Prophets. And He has written us a letter that tells s all me need to know to live our lives the right way. It is called the Bible. - "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways." Hebrews 1.1. "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3. 16,17.

3. Two thousand years ago, God did visit this planet in person. We called Him "Jesus". And while He was with us, He did stop or suspend the natural physical laws that govern the universe. We called these mighty acts "miracles". "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples." John 20.30.

4. God did demonstrate how much He loves us by allowing Himself to be crucified on a wooden cross. "God demonstrates his love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5.8.

I must conclude that God has given us many proofs of His existence. Enough, I would suggest, to convince any person genuinely seeking the truth. Yet many still deny His existence. No, the problem is not with God, it is not a lack of proof. Rather, the problem is with people. Many refuse to believe. To do so would mean that they would have to admit that they were responsible to a Higher Authority, and our selfish nature naturally rebels against that. Jesus put it like this "You refuse to come to me that you may have life (John 5. 40). Or, as the old proverb says. "There are none so blind as those who do not want to see."

So let us continue to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who will listen, and pray to God to open the eyes of the (spiritually) blind.

Laugh break - Cats and dogs.

WHAT IS A CAT?(According to a man)

Cats do what they want.They rarely listen to you.They are totally unpredictable.When you want to play, they want to be alone.When you want to be alone, they want to play.They expect you to cater to their every whim.They are moody.They leave hair everywhere.They drive you nuts and cost an arm and a leg.

CONCLUSION: They are tiny women in fur coats.

WHAT IS A DOG?(According to a woman)

Dogs lie around all day, sprawled on the most comfortable piece of furniture in the house.They can hear a package of food opening half a block away, but they don't hear you when you are in the same room.They growl when they are not happy.When you want to play, they want to play.When you want to be alone, they want to play.They are great at begging.They will love you forever if you rub their tummies.They leave their toys everywhere.They do disgusting things with their mouths and then try to give you a kiss.

CONCLUSION: They are little men in fur coats.

Illusion - Changing the lengths of three ropes.

Here is a great illusion to try out on your friends. It will require a little practice, but will be well worth the effort. Refer to the diagram to see how to operate this rope illusion.
Cut three pieces of string or (better) rope to the following lengths:-

1.23 cm. (Red in diagram)
2. 37 cm. (Blue)
3. 55 cm. (Black)

For clarity, the ropes are different colours in the diagram, but for your actual illusion will be the same colour.

Hold the ropes in your left hand as per Fig. A., with the BACK of your hand facing your spectators. Say "I am going to change the lengths of these three ropes."

Manipulate your ropes as shown in Figs. B,C,D and E. Remember to keep the back of your hand towards the spectators. Essentially, what you are doing is looping the long rope (3) through the short rope (1). With practice, this should only take a few seconds.

Fig. B. Bring the bottom of Rope 3 across the other ropes.
Fig. C. Bring the bottom of Rope 1 up to the top, and hold it next to your thumb.
Fig. D. Bring the bottom of Ropes 2 and 3 up to the top, and hold on the right of your hand.
Fig. E. Grasp the three ends on your right (i.e. the two ends of Rope 3, and what was the bottom of Rope 2), pull horizontally, then release.

The three ropes - from your perspective - should now be as in Fig. E. From the spectator's perspective, they will appear to now be three ropes of equal length.

For added effect, you could then adjust the lengths of the ropes by pulling on each end of Rope 3 to make it shorter or longer.

Conclude by restoring the "original" ropes, either by pulling them apart, or by screwing them up and throwing them in the air.

Kidzone 21.

2008-11-21T23:01:00.000-08:00

Kidzone 21.

Story - Message in a bottle.

An American minister once thought up a very unusual way of sending a message. Firstly he thought, if he was going to send a message in this novel way, what was the very most important message he could send? It didn't take him long to decide. Then the minister, with the help of some friends, made thousands of copies of this message, went down to the beach, put each copy of the message in bottles, and threw them into the ocean.
That certainly wasn't a very efficient way of sending a message as most of the bottles would have been broken up by waves or rocks, or simply lost at sea. However, after a short time, the minister began receiving replies from people who had found his message. They were so intrigued by it that they wrote to the minister to ask for more information. Altogether the minister received over 1,400 replies, from people in many different countries, all eager to find out more about this wonderful message.
What do you think the message was that the minister sent out? It really is the most important message of all, and is taken from the Bible, John, chapter 3 verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not die, but have eternal life.
That is the best and most important message this world has ever received because it talks about a wonderful person, a wonderful fact, and a wonderful gift.
A wonderful person. That's God's Son, Jesus. And there is nobody more wonderful than Him. He gave up his life for us all.
A wonderful fact. God loves you. And there is nothing you could ever do to stop Him loving you, because God Is Love.
A wonderful gift. Eternal life! And there is absolutely nothing that can compare with that.

Your questions answered - Why does God allow suffering?

Because everybody goes through tough times sooner or later, we have all asked a question like this. We might ask "If God is all powerful and all loving, why does He allow suffering? Why doesn't God stop all the trouble in the world?" God's ability is usually not in doubt, but rather the question is why He does not appear to act. Surely the all-loving God as revealed in the Bible would do something?

Only God, Himself knows the complete answer to this. However, we can share some thoughts with those who are genuinely seeking answers to this problem.

1. God does not cause suffering - man does. God created people with free-will. This means we have the ability to choose to either obey or disobey our Creator. Our first ancestors chose to disobey God. This was in reality rebellion against their Creator. As a result of this rebellion (the Bible calls it sin), a curse came upon the whole earth so that everything in it was affected and began to degenerate to the state we find it in today.

Thus, man's original sin first brought trouble and suffering into God's perfect world, and our continuing sin results in continued trouble and suffering.

2. Although God does not cause trouble and suffering, He is often able to use it to get our attention.

The most important thing in life is our relationship with God who we can only know through a personal faith in Jesus Christ. However, if we all lived completely trouble-free lives, most people would never give God a second thought! As Jesus said "What would it profit a man if he gained the whole world and lost his own soul?" (Mark 8.36). It is often through trouble or suffering that God is able to gain our attention and make us aware of our need of Him. Numerous people have in fact only found a personal faith in Jesus Christ after a tragedy in their lives.

3. God is primarily concerned with our characters, that is what we are rather than what we do.

Our character can be defined as a measure of what we have overcome. Thus, as we overcome problems and difficulties, our characters are developed. A trouble-free life would, in fact, hinder this development. And whilst this life lasts for only a short time, our characters are for eternity.

It is an interesting fact that many of the men that God has used the most throughout history have been those that have suffered the most in their lives. The Apostle Paul, Martin Luther and John Bunyon (author of Pilgrim's Progress) immediately spring to mind.

4. God, being all-powerful, could stop all suffering on the earth in an instant if He chose to. But what would He actually have to stop? - People! Suffering is the result of sin, and to remove sin God would have to remove all sinners - everyone! But because He loves us, God would rather transform us than wipe us out. The good news is that through the death of His Son on the cross He has made it possible for that to actually happen.

5. God understands our suffering. He does not ask us to face suffering without having first faced it Himself. This He did on the Cross when Jesus suffered more than anyone. Through that Cross He now provides us with the grace and power to face suffering.

God then has done something about trouble and suffering. The basic problem in the world is us - self-centred people. But through a commitment to Christ, God, by His Spirit, is able to come into our lives and change us, giving us new God-centred natures. Then as individuals are transformed, the societies in which they live are changed. This is verified by reference to history. In times when large numbers of a particular community have committed themselves to Christ (this is called a revival) the crime rate in that community has fallen to almost zero. This then is God's plan for our world - to change individuals who in turn change the world in which they live.

The only real answer to suffering is to become a Christian, for then we have His unbreakable promise that all things (including our suffering) will be working together for our good (Romans 8.28).

6. The complete answer to mankind's problems and the end of all suffering is the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, God has promised, the creational order prior to man's disobedience and rebellion against God will be restored. "The desert shall blossom as the rose, the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, the lame shall leap and the dumb shall sing. The lion shall lay down with the lamb, swords shall be turned into ploughshares, and a government of peace shall be established." These are just a few biblical expressions of the future kingdom rule of Christ. The whole of creation is looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth. This is good news in a world of trouble and suffering.

Illusion - Standing up under pressure.

When things are going well, it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between the person who is trusting in Jesus, and the one who is not. However, when pressure - hardships, troubles, problems etc. - comes upon us, the person who knows Jesus is able to keep standing, whereas the person without Christ often crumples or "goes under."

Preparation. Take two plastic pen tops (Preferably different colours). Attach one or two plastic paper clips to the first top. To make the second top heavier than the first, attach one or two metal paper clips. Take about a two litre plastic clear bottle, and fill about 90% full with water. Drop the two plastic tops (with attached clips) into the water. They should both float. Screw the top on the bottle, and apply pressure to the bottle by squeezing it. A little "trial and error" may be required here. You may need to adjust your tops by adding or subtracting clips to ensure that when pressure is applied, the first top continues to float, whilst the second always sinks, or "goes under." When you release the pressure, the submerged top should rise to the surface again.

Presentation. You could give this demonstration to your friends. Explain that the two same-sized tops represent two people, one who is trusting in Christ, and one who isn't. When things go well (no pressure to the bottle), there is no difference - the tops both float. However, when pressure comes, one continues to float, but the other goes under. Repeat the pressure-on / pressure-off process a few times.

Lguah barek - Can you raed tihs?

I cdnuolt biveiee taht I cluod auiacity uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinevtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Kidzone 20.

2008-10-24T01:58:00.000-07:00

Story - DOG / GOD.

A dog lived with his young master in the city of Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago. Pompeii was located in what we now call Italy, right next to a volcano called Vesuvius. One day in AD 79 Vesuvius erupted violently. Millions of tons of molten lava came out of the volcano, slid down it's banks, and completely buried the city of Pompeii. Some of the inhabitants were probably quick enough to escape, but many more were too slow and were buried by the lava.

Pompeii remained buried and practically forgotten about for centuries, but then about 100 years ago some archaeologists began to examine the buried city. Among their discoveries were the remains of a young boy and a dog, lying together. What was really interesting was that the dog was wearing a bronze collar with an inscription on it. Excitedly the archaeologists took the collar back to the laboratory, cleaned it up, and managed to read the inscription. It said "This is a very special dog, because he has saved his master from fire, drowning and thieves."

Could that dog could have escaped that lava from the volcano when it erupted? Yes, I think it could have because dogs have four legs and can run fast. But it didn't. It stayed right next to it's master. When the lava approached, I think the dog may have thought "I am not leaving my master. Whatever happens I will always stay next to him, as I always have done in the past."

That dog was very FAITHFUL. Most dogs are faithful to their masters - they will stay with them in good times and bad. A second characteristic of dogs is that they are FRIENDLY. It is easy to make friends with a dog. You only have to speak nicely to them, and they will probably run up to you , wagging their tails, and try and give you a lick! A third characteristic of dogs is that they are LOVING. Unlike some humans, dogs will never hold a grudge. Even if you mistreat them (which of course you shouldn't) they will still want to be your friend.

If you write the word 'D O G' backwards, it spells 'G O D'. And just as dogs are faithful, friendly and loving, so is God. These are three of his main characteristics.

Faithful. Our God is a faithful God. He has promised that He will never leave us or abandon us. Even if we do wrong, even if we ignore or disobey Him, He will stay with us because He is faithful.

Friendly. Many people wonder what life is all about. They don't know where they came from, they don't know why they are here on planet earth, and they don't know where they will go when they die. A man once got on a bus, sat next to another passenger and, wanting to be friendly, asked "Where have you come from? Where did you get on this bus?" The passenger replied "I don't know." The man thought "That's very strange", but undaunted he asked "What are you doing here on this bus?" The passenger replied "I don't know." The man tried a third time "Where are you going. What is your destination?" The passenger again replied "I don't know." At this point the man concluded that the passenger was completely crazy - and he was probably right. An amusing story. But many people are like that passenger. We are all on a journey through life, but many passengers have no idea where they came from, why they are here, or where they are going! The answer to these questions is, of course, that we came from God - He created us. Secondly, we are here to be God's FRIENDS - He made us for Himself, so that we could enjoy Him, and He could enjoy us, both now and forever. Thirdly, if we are trusting in Jesus, we are on our way to heaven- that is our final destination and true home.

Loving. God is a loving God. He loves us, not because we are lovable, but because He can't help Himself - because GOD IS LOVE! And God showed His love for us by sending His Son to die for us. I have a son, but I wouldn't give him up to die for you, or anyone. But that's what God did. That's how much He loves each one of you.

Your questions answered - When did God create angels?

The Bible does not tell us exactly when, but it was probably on the first day of the creation week that we read about in Genesis. We think this because Job 38.7 tells us that "all the sons of God" (Angels) "shouted for joy" when God "laid the earth's foundation."

The angels were all created holy (good), otherwise God could not have said on Day 6 that everything He had made was "very good". Therefore it was after the creation week that some of the angels (possibly a third of them) rebelled against God. The leader od these fallen (bad) angels is named Satan (meaning 'adversary').

The majority of angels have always remained faithful to God, and the exciting thing is that God created them so that they could serve and help us humans. Mighty and powerful that angels are, it is only us humans who have been created in God's likeness. And it is only for us humans that God's Son, Jesus died on the cross.

Illusion - Colours.

Look at the chart below, and QUICKLY say the COLOUR, not the word:

YELLOW
ORANGE
BLUE
BLACK
GREEN
RED
YELLOW
PURPLE
RED
ORANGE
GREEN
YELLOW

Note. You could print this out, or make out your own chart, to try out on your friends. You will find that many people will say some of the words, rather than their colours.

Laugh Break - Little Johnny.

A. A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying, "Everyone who thinks they are stupid, stand up!"After a few seconds, Little Johnny stood up.The teacher said, "Do you think you're stupid, Little Johnny?"No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself!"

B. At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs.Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and asked, "Johnny what's the matter?"Little Johnny responded, "I have a pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife."

Kidzone 19

2008-09-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 19.

Story - The true picture of your life.

A Christian once had a dream in which he died and went to heaven. There to greet him was St. Peter, who gave him a quick tour of his beautiful new home. Then St. Peter said "Do you like videos?" Rather puzzled, the man replied that he did. "Good" said St. Peter "I am now going to show you a video of your whole life." St. Peter led the man into a sumptuous room, made sure he was comfortable, and left him to watch the video.

The video really was of the man's life, beginning from soon after he had been born. At first the man enjoyed watching it because it showed him interacting with all his old friends, most of whom he hadn't seen for many years. The video showed all the acts of kindness the man had shown, beginning from when he was only a young boy - sharing his toys, including others in his games, helping out at home and at school, comforting people when they were sad, giving money towards good causes, spending quality time with his children etc. etc. As the video progressed, however, the man began to feel rather uneasy.

The video concluded, and St. Peter returned. "Did you enjoy the video of your life?" he asked. The man replied "But that wasn't a true picture of my life. It showed all the good things I did, but it omitted all the bad ones. It's an edited video. It isn't a complete picture of my life." "Oh yes it is", replied St. Peter "When you did do bad things, the moment you said 'sorry' to God, they ceased to exist. And you can't make a video of something that doesn't exist!" What you just saw really is the true picture of your life.

Your Questions Answered - If Adam and Eve were white skinned, how did dark skinned people come about?

The Bible doesn't tell us what colour God created Adam and Eve, but they would have almost certainly been mid-brown. God is a God of variety. He created the first two humans and gave them the ability to be able to reproduce a great variety of people - as we see in the world today. In the same way God only created (for example) two dogs, but gave them the ability through breeding to produce all the different types of dogs that we see today. But, of course, they are all still dogs, just as people are still people!

The differences between black and white skinned people are actually very small, and all due to a brown pigment (coloring) in our skin called "Melanin". If you have a lot of melanin, you will have very dark skin, if you have a moderate amount, you will have a mid-brown skin, and if you have a small amount, you will have "white" skin.

The amount of melanin you have will be dependent on your parents. If both your parents are dark skinned, you will (probably) also be dark skinned. If both your parents are fair skinned, you will (probably) also be fair skinned. However, if your parents are mid-brown skinned, or if one is dark skinned and the other white, then the colour of your skin will be less predictable. You are most lilely to be mid-brown, but actually you could be anywhere between "white" and "black", depending on which parent has passed on to you the genes (information) that determine skin colour.

The picture below is of twin girls born in England in 2005. Their parents could both be described as mid-brown but, as you see, one twin inherited a "white" gene (very little melanin) , and the other a "dark brown" gene (a lot of melanin).

Thus it is clearly seen that only a few generations after Adam and Eve, there could easily have been a great variety of people on the earth, with many different shades of skin colour.

Laugh Break - A lie funny.

A clergyman was walking down the street when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age.

The group surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting the dog, he went over and asked "What are you doing with that dog?"One of the boys replied, "This dog is just an old neighborhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we've decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog."

Of course, the reverend was taken aback. "You boys shouldn't be having a contest telling lies!" he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, "Don't you boys know it's a sin to lie," and ending with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie."

There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the reverend was beginning to think he'd gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the dog."

Illusion - John 3.16.

Can you work out this famous scripture shown below?

Hints. The hand reaching down from the cloud is the oldest known visual symbol of God - He's reaching down to us from heaven. The needle and thread are for sewing - "so". The face is male, so "he". That's a grave minus r. What does a snake say? what does an owl say? Notice the leaves are plural. The dress shows a hem - "him". A shell - "shall". A knot - "not". 1/2 - "have". The clock, showing time is crossed out, meaning not time but eternity - "eternal" or "everlasting".

Answer. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Kidzone 18

2008-08-28T02:49:00.000-07:00

How many F's are there in this sentence?

Illusion - Finished Files.

Look at the photograph above, and count the number of F's in the sentence. How many did you count? The correct number is shown below.

Your Questions Answered - If God knows the future, does that mean that what is going to happen is going to happen?

Most followers of Eastern religions believe this. They say that our lives are all planned out beforehand for us, and nobody can change their destiny. Thus, for example, if you are destined to have a road accident at age 35, you will have a road accident at age 35! Nothing can change that.

This fatalistic "What will be will be" attitude to life is shown up in many different ways. Thus people may not bother to take care when they are driving a vehicle because they think that if they are destined to arrive safely at their destination, they will arrive safely. But if they are destined to have a crash, they are certain to have a crash - even if they drive carefully. At the Bali bombings a few years ago, most of the native inhabitants of that island just stood back and watched the aftermath. They took the attitude "It must be God's will. If people are going to die, they will die, if they are going to survive, they will survive. Therefore no rescue attempt will make any difference."

God certainly does know everything, including our futures. However the Bible makes it perfectly clear that we are in control of our own destinies. The choices we make today will largely determine what our future lives will be like. However, our eternal, all-knowing God is outside of time as we know it, and is able see the choices we make in the future. They are, however, still our choices. For example, Jesus always knew that Judas was going to betray Him, but that doesn't mean that Judas was not responsible for his actions. No. He made a bad choice! Interestingly, it was actually the "Westerners" in Bali at the time who, after the bombings, rushed to the aid of the injured - thus outworking their belief that what we do can indeed influence the outcome of an event.

So make sure you make good choices in life. And the most important one we have to make is what we are going to do with God's gift of Jesus - to accept Him as our Saviour and Lord, or to reject Him. I hope that you make the right choice. It will affect your eternal destiny.

Story - A free pardon.

This month's story is about a man who made a really bad choice - with deadly consequences!

Back in the 1830's an American by the name of George Wilson spotted a burglar trying to break into a Post office. Wilson pulled out his gun and shot the burglar, who subsequently died of his wounds. George Wilson was arrested and sent to trial for murder. He was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Wilson's lawyers petitioned the President, Andrew Jackson, on his behalf. On considering the nature of the case, President Jackson decided to offer Wilson a free pardon. Excitedly the lawyers took the good news to Wilson in prison. But amazingly the condemned man refused to accept the President's free parden. The country's legal experts weren't sure what to do in these circumstances, but on consideration concluded that, as Wilson refused to accept the free pardon, it was not valid. Therefore George Wilson was executed for his crime.

We have all sinned against a holy God and stand condemned. The penalty is death (separation from God). However because He loves us, God sent His only Son to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross. This means that God is now able to offer each one of us a free pardon. However, just as in the case of George Wilson, that free pardon has to be accepted - otherwise it is not valid and we will have to pay the penalty ourselves.

Illusion - Finished Files (Answer).

Answer. The correct number of F's is 6. If you got it wrong, go back and count them again - there really are 6 F's in this sentence. Don't worry if you didn't get the right number, most other people get the wrong number as well! Most people overlook two or three of the three "OF's" in the sentence, and so only count three or four F's. This is because when we read a sentence, we actually only read some of the letters in the words, and guess the rest of them. If the word, or full sentence, makes sense to our mind, it is satisfied and moves on.

If you wish to make a copy of this sentence to try out on your parents or friends, type and print it out exactly as shown above. Remember - Type it all in capitals, and make sure that the end of each line is as shown in the photograph.

Laugh Break - ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN.
All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten.These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.

Kidzone 17.

2008-07-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

Story - Jesus for tea.

A lady once had a dream. In that dream, her telephone rang, and the voice at the other end said "this is Jesus. I am coming for tea with you this afternoon at 4 p.m."

The lady was highly excited at the thought of Jesus coming for tea with her. But then she thought "What can I give Jesus to eat? I know, I will bake him my favourite chocolate cake. Everybody likes that." And then she remembered that her house needed a tidy up. So she set to work making the cake and cleaning up the house.

At 3.30 p.m. the doorbell rang. "Oh no" the lady thought, "Jesus has come early and I still haven't finished vacuuming the carpet - and my cake is still in the oven." On opening the door, the lady discovered that it wasn't Jesus calling, but rather a man and his wife. Politely, the wife asked "I wonder if you could help us out? My husband lost his job a few months ago, and as we hadn't got enough money to pay the rent on our home we were evicted this morning. We have nowhere to stay, no money for food, and it is bitterly cold out here. Could you possibly give us a few dollars so that we could go and get a warm cup of coffee from McDonalds? The lady replied "I would like to help you, I really would, but I just can't spare you the time. I have Jesus coming for tea at 4 p.m. and I am not ready for him yet. Why don't you go and ask some of my neighbours? I am sure one of them will be able to help you. The lady closed the door and finished off her cleaning.

At 3.45 p.m. the doorbell rang again. "Oh no" the lady thought "Jesus is early. I have finished my cleaning, but my cake is still in the oven." This time the caller wasn't Jesus, but a young girl shivering in the cold in her thin, threadbare clothes. She said "It is bitterly cold out here and my clothes are so thin. I wonder if you have any old clothes you could let me have that would be a little warmer than these?" The lady thought for a moment, then said "I do have some warm clothes in my attic that I think would fit you really well. But I don't have time to look for them right now because I have Jesus coming for tea shortly, and the cake I am making him isn't finished yet. If you come back tomorrow though, I will have plenty of time to look out the clothes for you." The lady closed the door and finished making the cake. Now she was ready for Jesus.

At 4 p.m. the doorbell rang for the third time. "Just as I thought" said the lady to herself, "Jesus is right on time." This time, however, a young boy stood on her doorstep. "Please can you help me" he said, "I have had nothing to eat all day, and I am very hungry. I wondered if you would give me a little food?" The lady replied, "I have just taken a chocolate cake out of the oven. I am sure you would enjoy it - - - - but, I'm sorry I can't let you have a slice right now. Jesus is coming to have tea with me very soon. I have made this cake for him, and I couldn't possibly offer it to him with a slice already missing. If you come back tomorrow though, you can have all the cake that is still left." The lady shut the door and began to wait for Jesus' arrival.

At 4.30 Jesus still hadn't arrived. At 5 p.m. the lady was still waiting. At 5.30 she began to think that Jesus wasn't going to come. At 6 p.m. her telephone rang. The voice at the other end said "This is Jesus." "Oh Jesus" replied the lady "Where have you been? You were supposed to come for tea with me this afternoon. Why didn't you come?" Jesus replied "But I did come. In fact I came three times - and each time you sent me away with nothing!"

CONCLUSION.

If Jesus were to come into your classroom while you were eating your lunch and say "I am hungry", I am sure that all the children would jump up and say to him something like "Jesus, please share some of my lunch. I will be delighted to give you some." If, however, a stranger were to come into the classroom and say "I am hungry", would everyone all still be so willing to share their lunch with him? Probably not. They may say "Why should I share with you?", or "Why don't you go and get your own lunch?"

Jesus taught us that if we give to others, we are actually giving to him. But if we refuse to give to others who are in need, we are refusing him (Matthew 25. 34-36). I have news for you. Jesus is not going to visit you in person. But as you go through life you will meet many people in need that you could help. Remember therefore, if you do give to them, you are actually giving to Jesus, but if you refuse to help them you are really refusing Jesus.

Your Questions Answered - Do people have more than one life on earth?

Many Eastern religions teach that after a person dies he/she is then born into the world again and has another life. Then after they die a second time, they are reborn again, and so on and so on. This belief is known as reincarnation. Most people who believe this also believe that the type of life you are presently living determines the quality of your next life. Thus if you lead a good life, you will probably be born into a wealthy family next time. Conversely, if you lead a bad life, you may well be born into a life of poverty next time round. And if you lead a really bad life, you may come back as an animal, or even an insect next time!

Some people who have allowed themselves to be subjected to the ungodly practice of hypnotism appear to then remember a 'former' life on earth. The interesting thing is most of these people seem to remember being a famous person in the past. Many, for example, claim to have been King Henry V111, or Queen Elizabeth 1. However our common sense should be setting off alarm bells here - They can't all have been Henry V111 or Elizabeth1 !

The idea of reincarnation is attractive to some people because it means that if you make a mess of this life, you will always get a second chance. But the important question is not whether this is an attractive idea, but whether it is true?

The only person who knows everything is God. And He has written us a book called the Bible which tells us everything we need to know concerning our life and what happens afterwards. If you believe something that disagrees with the Bible - you are wrong! You need to change your beliefs so that they agree with the Bible. So is reincarnation true? Definitely not! Hebrews 9 verse 27 says "We die only once, and then we are judged." If reincarnation were true, that would obviously mean dying more than once, and that clearly contradicts the Bible. Therefore it must be wrong.

Thus the Bible makes it clear that we only have one life, and then we will stand before God in judgement. And at that time the only thing that will matter to God is whether we have accepted or rejected His free gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why it is vital to accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour in this life. We won't get a second chance!

Illusion - 23 coin challenge.

Here is a really fun way that you can challenge your friends or parents. If you follow the instructions below, you are almost certain to win.

Take 23 identical coins (or anything that can be used as counters), and lay them down on a table. Your challenger and yourself have to pick up coins in turn. For each turn, you both have to pick up either 1, 2, or 3 coins. Whoever picks up the last coin loses. If you follow the instructions below then, if you go first, you are certain to win. If your challenger goes first, you are still almost certain to win!

To understand how you win, practice the challenge by placing the 23 coins down in rows as shown below :-

0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0

Imagine someone is challenging you, and you are to go first. Start picking up the coins on the top row, and remembering that whoever picks up the last coin (on the bottom row) loses. Pick up the first two coins, leaving five rows of 4 each, plus the last coin. Now it is your imaginary opponent's turn. All you need to remember is that no matter how many coins they pick up (1, 2, or 3), you then always pick up enough coins to complete the row. Thus, if they pick up 1, you pick up 3. If they pick up 2, you pick up 2, if they pick up 3, you pick up 1. Proceed in the same way until all the rows of 4 coins have been picked up - leaving your opponent to pick up the last coin!

If your opponent starts first, it is possible that they may win, but they would have to be either very lucky, or very, very smart. They cannot afford to make even one mistake. Suppose your opponent starts by picking up 1 coin. You then pick up 1 coin, removing the top row and leaving you in control. Then you just proceed as described above. If your opponent starts by picking up 3 coins, you pick up 3 - thus removing the top two rows, and leaving you in control again. If your opponent starts by picking up 2 coins, it is still possible that they could win, but they still cannot afford to make a mistake. In this situation, you have to look for the first opportunity to complete a row of 4 coins. For example, if your opponent picks up 2, you (say) pick up 1, your opponent will have to pick up 3 to stay in control (If he picks up 1, or 2, that gives you the chance to complete the set of 4, and gain control). Even if your opponent picks up the right number of coins on the second row, it is unlikely that he will choose the right number for all of the last four rows as well.

Having practiced with the coins laid out in 'fours' as shown above, it is now time to set them out a different way. This is because if the same person challenges you a number of times, he may eventually realise that to gain control, you have to force your opponent to pick up the first coin in each row of four. To avoid this, set out the coins in a different way. But remember that the way to win is still the same. After you have picked up your coins, ideally you want to leave your opponent with 1, then before that, 5, 9, 13, 17, and 21 coins (equivalent to the last coin plus 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 'sets of four').

I usually lay my coins out this way :-

0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0

I must have accepted a few hundred challenges over the last few years, but have only lost about three times!

Laugh Break - Gems from the classroom.

"In the first book of the Bible, Guinness, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off."

"Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, and a ball of fire by night."

"Samson slew the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles."

"The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple."

"The fifth commandment is Humour your Father and your Mother."

"The Epistles are the wives of the Apostles."

"Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption."

"Solomon had 300 wives and 700 porcupines."

"The greatest miracle in the Bible was when Joshua told his son to stand still, and he obeyed him."

"Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony."

Uncle Maurice at Clevedon.

2008-06-28T01:10:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 16

2008-06-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 16.

Your Questions Answered - If I ask God for something, will He give it me?

God has promised to give us everything we need (read Philippians chapter 4, verse 19) but, like any good father, hasn't promised to give us everything we want. There is a big difference! Some of the things we might need are food, clothes, homes to live in, families to look after us, joy - if we are feeling sad, peace - if we are troubled, patience - if we are waiting for something, and love - if we are finding it hard to get on with someone.

God always wants the very best for His children. However, He will never give us something that He knows would be bad for us. He loves us too much for that. So, the answer to the question is sometimes:-

"Yes" - God really wants you to have what you asked Him for.

"Wait" - God wants you to have that thing, but the time is not yet right.

"No" - God knows that the thing you asked Him for would not be good for you.

There is nothing wrong in asking God for things we want, but very often people ask God for something purely out of selfish motives, rather than thinking beforehand what might be best for others, or what God might want us to have. A better approach would be to ask God for His will to be done in your life, and then ask Him to place His desires in your heart. Then you will be able to pray for something with faith, being confident that it is also God's will that you should have whatever you ask of Him.

Note. Most of the questions that I answer on "Kidzone" were asked by children in some of the "Bible" classes that I take. However, if you have a question you would like answered, you can email it to me at mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz

Story - God knows best.

Many years ago an Irish girl, Amy Carmichael, was born with blonde hair and brown eyes. She wished, however, that her eyes were blue like all her brothers and sisters - she just didn't like looking different from them. One day Amy read in her Bible where Jesus promised to give her whatever she asked for. That night she excitedly prayed, asking God to change the colour of her eyes to blue. The next morning she expectantly looked in the mirror to check the colour of her eyes and, to her great disappointment, found them still to be brown.

Somewhat puzzled the young girl consulted her mother. "Why will God not give me blue eyes like my brothers and sisters?" Her wise mother replied "God knows best. He has given you brown eyes for a reason. God has planned your life out even from before you were born, and perhaps one day you will discover why He chose to give you brown eyes."

The years passed, and Amy became a Missionary to India. To her horror she discovered that young children were working as slaves in a factory near where she now lived. She knew that she must do something about it. Therefore she disguised herself as a native Indian, blackening her blonde hair with boot polish, browning her face and arms with coffee, and putting on a Sari dress.

Boldly the disguised missionary walked past the factory guards and managed to smuggle a number of the smallest children out by hiding them under her loose fitting dress.

Later, when this event was being recounted to some friends, one of them exclaimed "Isn't it lucky that you have brown eyes and not blue eyes like all your brothers and sisters. No-one can disguise the colour of their eyes, so if you had blue eyes you could never have fooled the factory guards by passing yourself off as an Indian!"

Conclusion.

Was it "luck" that that Amy was born with brown eyes? I don't think so. I believe that God gave her brown eyes for a reason. God "knows the end from the beginning." He knew that she would need to have brown eyes all those years later.

Sometimes we may pray and ask God for something. And although it may appear that there is no good reason why He shouldn't grant our request, we don't get what we asked for. At those times we need to trust God and to remind ourselves that, as with the case of Amy Carmichael, He sees "The big picture." Whereas we see only a little part of our lives, God sees all of it - past, present, and future. And only He knows what is really best for us.

Illusion - Predicting the future.

Write out the number "1089 " on a piece of paper, and seal it in an envelope. Ask a volunteer to look after it for you, and to be ready to open it when asked.

Ask for a second volunteer to come and do a maths calculation on a piece of paper (or a blackboard) for you. State that although the numbers will be chosen by your volunteer, you have already placed the answer to their calculation in the envelope which your first volunteer is holding.

Ask your volunteer to - 1. Write any three digit number on the paper or board. 2. Write the same number reversed under the first number. 3. Subtract the lesser number from the greater. 4.Reverse the answer obtained. 5. Add the last two numbers. Your final answer will always be 1089. Get your first volunteer to open the envelope - confirming your correct prediction.

Here is an example : -
825
528
-----
297
792
-----
1089
------

Here is a second example :-
107
701
-----
594
495
-----
1089
-----

Try a few calculations yourself, just to be completely convinced !

Laugh Break - "Hold your tongue."

Many of us have given, or been given, the good advice "If you can't say anything good about a person, say nothing at all." And some of us have at one time said to someone (or been told by someone to) "Hold your tongue." That is actually quite logical advice because, if you are physically holding your tongue (with a thumb and finger) it is difficult to say anything, either good or bad!

Write out some well known sayings, e.g. the first few lines of nursery lines, on pieces of paper. Get volunteers to come out and read those lines out loud while holding their tongues. The listners have to guess the well known saying that is being read (or mumbled) out.

Kidzone 15.

2008-05-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

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.

Kidzone 14.

2008-04-27T00:27:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 14.

Story - Honouring your parents.

The Apostle Paul wrote about the fifth of God's Ten Commandments. He said "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour your father and mother - which is the first Commandment with a promise - that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." (Ephesians 6 v. 1). Honouring your parents means respecting them, treating them well, and never speaking nastily to them or about them. If we do this then God promises that "things will go well for us."

There was once a young man who, from the time he was just a young boy, had his heart set on joining the Navy. His plan was to join the Navy at the earliest opportunity and, he thought, if he worked hard he might even become a ship's Captain one day and be in Command of his own boat.

As soon as he was old enough this young man signed up to join the Navy, and was looking forward to setting out to sea. Just before he was due to set out, his mother came to him saying that she thought he was making a mistake in joining the Navy, she just didn't feel 'right' about it, and asked him to reconsider.

What would you have done in that young man's situation? I think most of us would have said something like "This is my life. I am old enough to make my own decisions, and this is really what I want to do." But this young man went to the Navel authorities and explained that he couldn't dishonour his mother's wishes by joining the Navy.

That young man never went to sea, and he never became Captain of his own boat. But he did become the Commanding Officer of the whole Navy! In fact, he became President of his country. His name? - George Washington.

Would George Washington have still become the first American President if he had disregarded his mother's wishes? We will never know for sure, but I doubt it. And as he kept God's Commandment to honour his parents, he proved God's promise that "all would go well for him."

Illusion - R U E ?

When talking about His return to earth, Jesus explained that the actual date of His return was not important, what really matters is "Are you ready?"

Write out on a card the letters R U E ? (ensure that the "E" is in red). Ask your friends "What does this say? That's right R U E. But what is the colour of the "E"? That's right - red. Now, read the card again, but this time say the colour of the letter "E". That's right R U red E. Now, keep on saying it, faster and faster _ _ _ _ _ _ _ You've got it. It says "ARE YOU READY?" The important question is "Are you ready for when Jesus returns? Are you really trusting in Him?"

Your Questions Answered - When is Jesus coming back to earth?

Jesus' Disciples once asked Him this very question. His reply was very interesting. He stated that only Father God knew the answer to that. This response reminds us that athough Jesus was still God, He left behind some of His Godly qualities - such as knowing everything, and being everywhere all at the same time - when He left heaven to come to earth.

However, Jesus did then on to give us a clue. He said that just before His return (sometimes called His 'second coming') to set up His everlasting Kingdom on earth, conditions here would be very much like they were in the days of Noah. What was it like then in the days of Noah? Well, people were very wicked. They had forgotten about God and His eternal laws, and just did whatever they wanted so that the earth became "full of violence."

Most people would agree that the earth today is becoming more and more like it was in the days of Noah. Each year it seems to get worse with more wars, more violence, more murders, more greed etc. Therefore many Christians believe that the return of Jesus to earth cannot be too far away.

Having given His Disciples this clue, Jesus basically told them that they were really asking the wrong question. He went on to tell them that the really important question in life was not when He was returning to earth, but were they really ready for His return? In other words, are we really trusting in Jesus? Do we really know Jesus as our personal Saviour? If the answer is "Yes" then we are ready for His return, and should be hoping that He comes very soon.

Laugh break - Still more of George's favourite jokes.

1.What dog keeps the best time? - A watch dog.

2. What is the largest type of ant? - An Elephant.

3. What runs round a garden without ever moving? - A fence.

4. Where do wasps live? - Stingapore.

5. How do computers eat? - In megabites.

6. What do you do with criminal sheep? - Put them behind Baas.

7. What do frogs drink? - Croka Crola.

8. What can run but cannot walk? - A tap.

9. Where do you go to find out how much a pie weighs? - Over the rainbow. (Somewhere over the rainbow weigh a pie).

10. Name two days of the week beginning with the letter T? - Today and Tomorrow.

Kidzone 13.

2008-03-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 13.

Story - The portrait of the Son.

A wealthy man had a hobby of collecting very valuable paintings. After many years he had amassed a wonderful collection, which was the envy of many art enthusiasts. This man had a son, whom he loved dearly. But war came, and the son went off to fight for his country. The father, however, was now too old to go to war.

During a fierce battle, one of the son's army friends was shot by the enemy. He lay wounded and unable to move on open ground. When the son saw what had happened to his friend, he ran to his aid, lifted him on to his shoulders and began to run back towards the safety of his own lines. However, as he was doing this, the son was also shot. Nevertheless, he still managed to carry his friend back to safety. The friend eventually recovered from his wounds, but the son died from his.

When the father heard that his beloved son had been killed, he was absolutely devastated. Even his wonderful art collection could not console him. A few months later, there was a knock on the father's door. Standing at the door was a young soldier who introduced himself as a friend of the son. "In fact" he said "I was the wounded soldier that your son was rescuing before he was shot and fatally wounded."

The young soldier continued "I do a little painting. I am not that good, I am only an amateur. But I painted a portrait of your son, and thought that you would like to have it." The soldier gave the portrait of the son to the father who was delighted with it. It clearly wasn't that good a painting, but what made it special to the father was that it was that it was of his son. He gave the portrait "pride of place" in his collection, and it always remained his very favourite.

The years passed, and eventually the father died. In accordance with his last wishes, auctioneers were brought in to sell off the father's famous collection of valuable paintings. Many art collectors gathered, each hoping to purchase a valuable painting. The auctioneer began the sale "The father has instructed that the first item to be sold is the portrait of the son. Now, will anybody start me off with a bid of $100?" There were murmurs among the crowd, and people were heard to say "That's not a valuable painting." "It was obviously painted by an amateur." "It's not even worth $100."

"How about $50 then?" said the auctioneer. No bids. "Will someone give me $20?" No bids. "Surely someone will start me off with a bid of $10?" Suddenly a voice from the back called out "I bid $5 for the portrait of the son." Everyone turned around to see the old gardener who had worked for the father for many years. He explained "The father was very good to me, and so was the son. I would like to have the portrait to remind me of them, but $5 is all I can afford."

"At last we have an opening bid" said the auctioneer. "Now, who will give me an advance on $5?" Silence. At last someone spoke up. "Let the gardener have the portrait of the son, so we can get on with bidding for the valuable paintings That is what we are here for." A murmur of approval spread through the crowd. "Very well" said the auctioneer." If there are no other bids, the portrait of the son is sold to the gardener for $5. He banged doun his gavel to indicate that the sale was complete.

"That concludes today's sale" said the auctioneer. There was an uproar among the bidders "What do you mean? What about the valuable paintings? Why aren't you selling those?" The auctioneer replied "The father left exact instructions in his will. He said that whoever gets 'the son' gets everything else as well! Therefore, all the other paintings, the house and all it's contents, all the father's money goes to the gardener, because he was the one who got the son.

Conclusion. Because the gardener got 'the son', he got everything else as well. It is just like that in God's Kingdom. If you have the son (Jesus) in your life, then all the riches of heaven - eternal life, forgiveness, victory, grace, peace, success, joy, etc. etc. - belong to you as well.

"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5 v. 12).

Illusion - Blowing a paper into a bottle.

Find an empty narrow-necked bottle (e.g. a soft drink bottle). Take a small piece of paper and screw it up into a small ball. Hold your bottle in a horizontal position, and place the paper into it's neck. Get your friends to try and blow the paper into the bottle.

You will find that your friends will be unable to blow the paper from the neck into the main body of the bottle! In fact the opposite will happen, and the paper will be propelled backwards right out of the bottle. The harder someone blows, the faster and further the paper will be propelled away from the bottle.

Explanation. There is already air in your 'empty' bottle, and when someone blows more air into the bottle (whilst attempting to blow the paper in), this will result in the air pressure inside the bottle now becoming higher than that outside - with the result that the paper is forced away from the bottle rather than into it.

Laugh break - More of George's favourite jokes.

1. Why did the Hippo. cross the road? - It was the chicken's day off.

2. Where do cows go on holiday? - cowlifonia!

3. If that is true, how do they get there? - Automoobile.

4. What do snakes learn at school? - Hisstory.

5. What is as big as an elephant, but weighs nothing? - An Elephant's shadow.

6. What does Batman's mum say when his dinner is ready? - Dinner - - - Dinner - - - Dinner - - - Dinner - - - Batman. Dinner - - - Dinner - - - Dinner - - - Dinner - - - Batman.

7.If there were ten cats in a boat and one jumped out, how many would be left? - None. (All the other cats were copy-cats).

8. What is black and white and red all over? - A sun-burnt zebra.

9. When is a piece of wood like a king? - When it is a ruler.

10. What did Adam say to his wife on the day before Christmas? - It's Christmas Eve.

Your question's answered - Did God write the Bible?

The Bible claims to be the inspired Word of God. In other words it was written by God, Himself. (See for example 2 Timothy 3.16 and 2 Peter 1.21). Christians believe that to be true. Here are seven reasons why we believe this.

1. The Bible does not contradict any scientific fact.

The Bible claims to be the TRUTH - and all its scientific statements have proved to be correct! Here are a few examples.

In ancient times, the earth was generally thought to be supported by huge pillars. But this conflicts with what Job said of his Creator 4,000 years ago: "He spreads out the northern skies over empty spaces; he suspends the earth over nothing. " (Job 26.7).

At the time of Christopher Columbus, navigators were concerned that by travelling too far they might fall of the edge of the world. Scientific observation had shown that the earth was flat - water finds its own level, so the sea must be flat! However, some 2,700 years ago Isaiah said of his Creator, "He sits enthroned above the circle (literally ball) of the earth." (Isaiah 40.22).

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus referred to a future event that would happen in a split second (the blinking of an eye). In the same passage (Luke 17) Jesus said that it would be day with people working in the field (verse 31) and night with people asleep in bed (verse 34). How was this possible? It used to be thought that when it was daytime, it was daytime all over the world. We now know, however, that when it is daytime at one longitude, it may be night at another - thus enabling us to understand Jesus' statement.

And so we could go on. The Bible has proved to be remarkably accurate in all of its scientific statements. The people that God used to write down these statements doubtless believed, along with their contemporaries, many unscientific notions. However, God ensured that no such untruths came to be included in His Word,

2. The fulfilled prophecies.

A prophecy is usually a prediction about a future event. Hundreds of prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled, exactly as foretold, often hundreds of years later.

Biblical prophecies are not vague and rambling such as those of Nostradamus and other supposed prophets. Bible prophecies deal with specific places, people and events. Their fulfilments can be verified by reference to subsequent history. For example Isaiah (chapter 53) foretold the death of Christ with minute accuracy more than 700 years before His crucifixion. In fact, over 300 Biblical prophecies about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus have been completely fulfilled.

Biblical prophecy can only be explained by divine inspiration. God, the Creator of time, is outside of time. He is the One who controls the future and, therefore, the only One who knows the future.

3. There are no contradictions in the Bible.

This is quite remarkable when you consider that the Bible is a collection of 66 books written by at least 40 different people over a period of about 1,600 years. You would normally expect such a collection of different books to have many contradictory statements, but the unity of the Bible is extraordinary for every book agrees with all the others, like some gigantic jig-saw.

4. There are no proven errors in the Bible.

Because of its remarkable claims, no book has ever been scrutinised by its critics as closely as the Bible. Yet, despite this, there remain no proven errors in the Bible.

Much of the Bible concerns a record of the conflicts between the Israelites and neighbouring nations. For centuries there was no evidence for these wars outside of the Bible itself, and critics claimed they were a mixture of legend and invention. Today, however, 'myth' after 'myth' have proved to be true history. Archaeologists have discovered numerous cities beneath the sands of the Middle East, together with countless inscriptions, letters and other items all proving conclusively that the biblical accounts are an authentic record and that the characters referred to truly existed at the times stated.

5. The remarkable Mosaic Laws.

Our public sanitary laws date back less than 200 years. The Bible, however, contains a remarkably good sanitary code. Modern public health officers are concerned with public cleanliness, purity of water supplies, dispersal of sewage, clean food, education of the public, and control of infectious diseases. The Mosaic law (The Ten Commandments and other laws that God gave to Moses) covers all these aspects in Leviticus chapters 11 - 16.

When plagues such as the black death swept across Europe in the Middle ages, the Jews, in stark contrast to the other peoples, survived in large numbers. This was because of their healthy habits and high moral standards, as a consequence of their keeping the Mosaic laws. The Jews themselves did not know anything about germs or how diseases spread. Their motivation for keeping the laws was simply "The Lord said." And we know that it was essential for God's plan for the Jews to survive. Their survival and the subsequent formation of the state of Israel was a result of God's protection and the fulfilment of His promises as foretold in the Bible.

6. The Authority of Jesus.

Even a brief glance at the Gospels will convince anybody that Jesus Himself accepted the scriptures (what we now call the Old Testament) as directly from God. Jesus quoted from the scriptures frequently and always treated them as God's Word "which cannot be broken" (John 10.35).

As Jesus accepted the scriptures as God's Word, how can anyone who claims to follow Him not do likewise?

7. The life changing power of the Bible.

Amongst the countless thousands of books that have been written, the Bible is the only one that claims to be alive and have the power to change lives (see Proverbs 4. 20 - 22, Isaiah 55. 11, and Hebrews 4. 12). These amazing claims have been completely vindicated as down through the centuries countless multitudes have found them to be true for themselves. As people have READ, BELIEVED and OBEYED the Bible, their lives have been completely transformed.

The above was extracted from a Booklet "The Bible. The work of man or the Word of God?" that I wrote a number of years ago. If you would like a free copy of the complete booklet and you live in Britain, I understand they are still available from New Life Centre, Prestwick, KA9 2PA, Scotland. If you live in New Zealand, please email me your postal address, and I will send one on to you.

Uncle Maurice
mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz

Kidzone 12.

2008-02-08T22:38:00.000-08:00

Story - Mine twice over!

At Christmas we remember the coming of Jesus Christ into our world. But why did He come? The Bible says that He came to redeem us. Redeem is a very old word that isn't used much today, but it simply means "to buy something back again." Here is a famous old story that helps us understand that Jesus came to redeem us.

A boy once made a toy boat. He was very proud of his boat because he hadn't bought it, he had made it himself. One day whilst sailing his boat on the lake, the wind suddenly strengthened and blew the toy boat out of sight towards the other side of the lake. The boy immediately ran around to the far side of the lake to look for his boat. He searched and searched, but couldn't find it anywhere, the boat was lost. The boy was bitterly disappointed because this wasn't any ordinary boat, this was his special boat that he had made with his own hands.

Sometime later the boy was walking past a shop. He happened to look in the window, and there up for sale was his boat. He knew it was his because he had made it himself and knew exactly what it looked like. Immediately the boy rushed into the shop and paid the asking price for his boat. On leaving the shop, the boy looked admiringly at his boat and said "Now you are mine twice over. I made you, and now I have bought you back again. I have redeemed you."

That is a picture of what God has done for us. He made us and therefore owns us, but because of our sin we became lost and separated from Him. But in His love, God sent Jesus to buy us back, to redeem us. And the price Jesus paid? - His own blood that He shed on the cross. So although at Christmas we remember the coming of Jesus to earth, we must also think of Easter and remember the purpose of His coming, to redeem us to God.

Illusion - Three cup challenge.

Here is a simple challenge you can try out on your friends (or parents!).

Take three identical cups (plastic or cardboard ones are fine) and place them in a row on a table, with the centre cup (cup 2) the right way up, and the outside cups ( cups 1 and 3) downwards. Challenge your friend to turn two cups over at a time (i.e. one with each hand) three times, so that all the cups end up the right way up. Say "I will demonstrate how this is done."

Firstly, turn over cups 1 and 2.
Secondly, turn over cups 1 and 3.
Thirdly, turn over cups 1 and 2.

All the cups will now be the right way up. Try it out for yourself.

Before you get your friend to take the challenge, invert the middle cup (cup 2), leaving cups 1 and 3 the right way up. No matter what your friend tries, they will find it impossible to end up with three cups the right way up!

The difference, of course, is that when you did the challenge, you started with one cup the right way up. When your friends do the challenge they will be starting with two cups the right way up!

Don't people notice that they are starting with the cups set up in a different way? Only very rarely, and then usually only after you have demonstrated 'the right way to do it' a number of times.

After they have had a few failed attempts, you may wish to tell your friends your secret. Or you may wish to leave them guessing!

Laugh break - George's favourite jokes.

If you live in or near Auckland, New Zealand, you may have met my cheeky friend George when he was visiting your school, church or holiday camp. Below are some of George's favourite jokes which he has asked me to share with you.

1. What goes quick, quick, quick, quick? - A duck with hiccups.

2. What goes peck, peck, peck, boom? - A chicken in a minefield.

3. Why did Captain Cook sail to New Zealand? - It was faster than swimming.

4. What never asks questions but gets lots of answers? - A doorbell.

5. Why do skeletons stay home every night? - They have no body to go out with.

6. What's the smallest room you will ever find? - A mushroom.

7. Why are they not making ladders any longer? - They are long enough already.

8. What was the first animal in outer space? - A cow. The one that jumped over the moon.

9. What do you get if you cross a famous detective with a skeleton? - Sherlock Bones.

10. Why is everyone tired on April 1st.? - They have just finished a 31 day March.

If you have a favourite joke (or jokes) why not email it to me at mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz George and I may then include it in a future edition of "Kidzone".

Your questions answered - Why did God use Adam's rib to create Eve?

To make the first woman, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. Then He took one of Adam's ribs and built Eve from it. Eve was to become Adam's helper and wife. The name 'Eve' means 'life', because she would become the mother of the whole human race. Everybody who has ever lived since then has descended from her.

God chose to use a rib rather than one of Adam's other bones because this is the one bone in our body that will grow back if it is removed. Thus Adam would not have to go through life with one rib short. If he had done so, this world would not have been perfect. And God clearly tells us that His creation was indeed perfect in the beginning, before Adam and Eve's later rebellion in the garden of Eden which spoiled everything.

Some people mistakenly believe that because God removed one of Adam's ribs, all males now have one less rib than females. This is completely untrue. We all have 24 ribs each, 12 on each side of our rib cages.

God blessed Adam and Eve and told them to have many children and fill the earth. So it was God who designed marriage of a man and a woman, and the family unit, way back in the beginning.

Kidzone 11.

2008-02-08T22:34:00.000-08:00

A story for Remembrance day - Doing your duty.

November 11th. is remembrance day, when people remember those who gave up their lives for their countries during two world wars. November 11th. was chosen because it was on that date in 1918 that the first world war came to an end. Here is a story from the second world war.

At sixteen years of age Ronald Heys was too young to join the armed forces, but he did want to play his part in the defence of Britain during those dark World war ll days when many towns and cities were under attack from the German bombers. Thus Ronald volunteered to be a messenger between the Fire Service headquarters and the various fire depos, in his home town of Bootle, near Liverpool.

One dark evening when the "blackout" was being enforced, Bootle was under attack from 'fire' bombs. Ronald was given a message for one of the depos. and set out on his bicycle to deliver it. On his way, he crashed into a pile of rubble and glass. Although cut and bruised from his accident, Ronald managed to continue his journey and get his message delivered.

Ronald was then asked to deliver a second message, to which he gladly agreed. This time Ronald crashed his bicycle into an abandoned vehicle, which he didn't see in the dark. However the boy still managed to continue his journey and deliver his message.

For the third time that evening Ronald was asked to deliver a message, to which he readily agreed. This time he crashed into a bomb crater, but once again managed to continue on and deliver his message.

Ronald was fairly badly injured by now, but another message came in and as Ronald was the only person available to deliver it, again he volunteered. This time a bomb fell quite close to Ronald, and he was thrown from his bicycle by the shock wave. But nothing was going to stop Ronald that night, and he managed to deliver his fourth message. Having done that, the first thing he said was "Any more messages, Sir?"

Ronald was awarded the British Empire Medal for his bravery that night. But when anyone commended him for what he had done, he would reply "I was only doing my duty."

Because of Ronald Heys and many more like him who simply "did their duty", Britain was saved from tyranny.

Illusion - Restoring a cut rope.

All that is needed for this illustration is a piece of string or rope at least 1 meter long, and a pair of scissors.
Hold the top of the rope in one hand, and grasp the centre of it with the other. Bring the centre portion of the rope to the top, but as your bottom hand reaches your top, swap the centre for a piece of rope about 10 to 15 cm. from the top. This will take place behind your top hand, so will not be noticed. With a little practice you will soon become proficient. It will appear to your watchers that you are now showing the top and the centre of the rope in your top hand, whereas you will actually be showing the top and a section 10 to 15 cm. below the top.
Cut the rope where it is looped. You have actually cut off just a small top portion, but have appeared to cut it in equal halves. While still concealing the top of the rope behind your hand, tie the small section of rope around the centre, and release for all to see. What your watchers will appear to see are two halves of rope tied together in the middle. What you actually have is one long piece of rope (just slightly shorter than your original one) and a small piece tied round its centre.
Tell your watchers that you are now going to restore the original rope. Hold one end of the rope in your right hand, and begin to wrap the rest of the rope around it with your left hand. As you reach the knot - and while still continuing the wrapping - slide off the knot, and keep concealed in your left hand. Unwrap the rope, showing that it has been completely restored! No one will notice that it is now slightly shorter than at first.

Laugh Break - Things young children have been heard to pray.

Dear God, Please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter. There is nothing good in there now.Amanda
Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother but what I asked for was a puppy. I never asked for anything before. You can look it up. Joyce
Dear Mr. God, I wish you would not make it so easy for people to come apart I had to have 3 stitches and a shot. Janet
Dear God, How did you know you were God? Who told you? Charlene
Dear God, I bet it's very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it.Nancy
Dear God, I like the story about Noah the best of all of them.You really made up some good ones. I like walking on water, too. Glenn
Dear God, My Granddad says you were around when he was a little boy. How far back do you go? Love, Dennis
Dear God, Do you draw the lines around the countries? If you don't, who does? Nathan
Dear God, Did you mean for giraffes to look like that or was it an accident? Norma
Dear God, In Bible times, did they really talk that fancy? Jennifer
Dear God, Please send Dennis Clark to a different summer camp this year.Peter
Dear God, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they each had their own rooms. It works out OK with me and my brother. Larry
Dear God, I keep waiting for spring, but it never did come yet. What's up? Don't forget.Mark

Your Questions Answered - Why did God create the earth the way it is?

God created the earth as it is for the benefit of His 'Special Creation' - us! We are to enjoy it and look after it (including everything that God has created on it, such as the animals) on His behalf.

God made the earth just right for us to live on. Even very small changes in the earth's conditions would make life, as we know it, impossible.

Consider the following ten facts - - - -

1. The earth is about 150 million kilometres from the sun. This is exactly the right distance to hold the temperature between 0 degrees C. and 40 degrees C. on most of the earth. This is the temperature needed to sustain most life. But if the earth were just 5% closer to the sun, not only would it be too hot for us, but the oceans would boil and the water would all evaporate. It has been calculated that even a 2 degree C. rise in the average surface temperature of the earth would be enough to melt the polar ice caps and cause devastating flooding). If the earth were only 5% further away from the sun, the oceans would freeze, making life in them and transport on them impossible.

2. The earth's orbit around the sun is nearly a perfect circle. If, as in the case of most other planets, the orbit were oval shaped (like an egg), the earth would be blazing hot as it approached the sun, and deathly cold as it moved away from it.

3. The earth rotates once on its axis every 24 hours. If it didn't rotate, one side would be day all the time and be very hot, and the other would be night all the time and be very cold. If the earth's speed of rotation were much slower than it is, our days would still be very hot, and our nights very cold. If the rotation were much faster, the wind would blow so strongly that we wouldn't be able to stand up in the open. The length of each day and night is also just right for the amount of sleep we need.

4. The earth is tilted on its axis by about 23 degrees. If it wasn't tilted this way, we would have no seasons. Countries near the equator would be very hot. Those far from the equator would be too cold to grow food - resulting in a world-wide food shortage.

6. The diameter of the earth is about 13,000 Kilometres. If it were only about 10% less than this then, because of the consequent reduction in gravity, most of the oxygen which we need to breathe would escape into outer space. If the diameter of the earth were 10% greater than at present, the increased gravity, and hence air pressure, would cause the polar ice caps to melt - resulting in devastating flooding.

7. Our atmosphere contains about 21% oxygen, which is just right for life on earth. A much higher level would make the planet highly inflammable, but at a much lower level, fire would not burn at all. And we would find it very hard to breathe!

Another type of oxygen is ozone. This forms a layer in our atmosphere which absorbs the very harmful ultraviolet light from the sun and prevents it reaching us on the earth. The problem with ozone is that it is poisonous. So where to we find this ozone layer? About 15 kilometres above the earth's surface, where it can do us no harm.

8. The pull of gravity on the earth by the moon and the sun causes the tides. Tides cleanse the ocean's shores, help put oxygen (that fish breathe) into the water, and help keep the ocean currents moving, preventing the sea from becoming stagnant. If the moon were a little smaller or a little further away than at present, there would be very little tidal action, resulting in even the oceans becoming stagnant and the death of all aquatic creatures. If the moon were a little larger or a little nearer than at present, the tidal action would be too severe, with low lying areas being flooded twice a day!

9. Unlike the earth, the moon doesn't rotate about its axis. This means that the same side of the moon always faces the earth. This side is made up of mostly dark dust, and so it only reflects about 7% of its sunlight to the earth. The other side of the moon is extremely rocky, and therefore very reflective. If this side faced the earth, our nights would be almost as bright as our days, thus making sleeping very difficult.

10. Although we don't know the purpose of all the planets in the solar system, we do know that the two largest, Jupiter (318 times the size of the earth) and Saturn (95 times the size of the earth), with their strong gravities, are in just the right positions to pull many comets and meteors away and prevent them crashing into the earth and killing us all.

What a wonderful Creator we have, who not only made the earth just right for us to inhabit, but He also keeps it that way year, after year, after year.

"God's eternal power and divine nature can be seen from the things He has made." (Romans 1.20).

Maurice Sweetsur

Kidzone 10.

2007-10-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 10 - October 07.

Story - Jimmy and the six weird witches.
(If you missed the earlier parts of this serial, go to www.kidzonearchives.blogspot.com ).

Part 6 - The Screaming witch of hate.

Jimmy was in serious trouble. Following his encounter with Freda Fib, he had panicked and pressed the button to stop his train. When he had heard footsteps coming towards the Guard's van to investigate, Jimmy had jumped out of the train and ran back along the track until he was out of sight. After a few minutes, Jimmy heard the sound of his train starting up and pulling away into the distance, leaving him all on his own right in the middle of the deserted countryside.

Jimmy looked all around but, apart from the countryside, there was nothing to be seen. No people, no roads, not even any houses. Jimmy decided that the best thing he could do was to walk along the train track. He thought that if he was lucky he might come to the next station, and if he was really lucky, he might even be able to catch another train and finish his journey to Seaville.

After walking along the track for a few minutes, Jimmy heard the sound of a train coming towards him.

"Oh no" he thought "This must be my train coming back. They must be looking for me to punish me for stopping the train."

Jimmy spotted a bush near the side of the track, so he hid in it, hoping that he wouldn't be seen as the train reached him. But as the train got closer, Jimmy noticed that it wasn't the train he had been on. This was a single black engine. It was travelling very slowly, and instead of making the usual "chu. chu. chu." train sound, it seemed to be saying "hate. hate. hate. hate. hate. hate." Sitting on top of the engine was the ugliest old woman that Jimmy had ever see, She had a pointed black hat, a long black coat, and long black boots. Her head was moving from side to side as she obviously searched for something near the track. Jimmy instinctively knew that she was searching for him!

This old woman was actually the Screaming witch of hate. She was the oldest and worst of the six weird witched. And sitting next to her on top of the black engine and also searching the track were all the other sisters. There was Moaning Maggie, still muttering "It's a miserable, miserable day." There was Old Mother Curseandswear, littering the track with her scraps of paper, and calling out nasty names such as "Chicken pox." "Break a leg" and "Coughs and colds." There was the Tricky witch, but she wasn't smiling now. She had a big scowl on her face. There was Library Lizzy, still holding onto her bag full of nasty books. And there was little Freda Fib, sitting right alongside her sisters.

Jimmy moved as far into the bush as he could, trying to make himself as small as possible. He prayed and hoped that he wasn't seen by anyone on the hate train. But as the train got closer, it's sound changed from "hate. hate. hate. hate. hate. hate." to "I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him." Jimmy closed his eyes and waited. The train was right next to him now. "I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. - - - - -" . But eventually he heard the sound of the train gradually moving away. As soon as the sound of the train became faint, Jimmy came out of the bush and began to run as fast as he could along the track, determined to get as far as he could away from the deadly hate train.

The track curved round to the right, but as Jimmy turned the corner, there just a few metres in front of him was a big black tunnel. Jimmy peered into the tunnel, but he couldn't see any light from the other end. "There is no way I am going in there," thought Jimmy. He thought of going back along the track in the direction he had just run. But then he remembered the deadly hate train, and immediately dismissed the idea. "I will just have to get off the track" thought Jimmy. But both banks on either side of the track had become so steep just before rhe tunnel, that they seemed impossible to climb. Jimmy just didn't know what to do.

After a few minutes, Jimmy heard a voice. He looked up to see a tiny figure in the distance on top of one of the banks. Jimmy couldn't be sure about this, but he thought that the figure looked like the Friendly Porter. The figure was waving his arm as though he wanted Jimmy to go into the tunnel. But then the figure disappeared.

"I guess there is nothing else for it" said Jimmy as he began to walk into the big, black tunnel. Soon there was no light at all, and Jimmy kept falling over the track as he slowly moved further and further into the tunnel. Jimmy began to think that he had made a mistake in coming into such a horrible place. He moved to the side of the track and began to feel his way along the tunnel wall, which was all slimy. Jimmy was making very slow progress, and still there was no sign of the end of the tunnel.

Then Jimmy heard the one sound in the world that he didn't want to hear - hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him." It was the deadly hate train coming back towards the tunnel. Jimmy flattened himself against the tunnel wall, hardly daring to even breathe. He heard the train enter the tunnel, and as it did so the sound changed again - "I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him." It had almost reached Jimmy when the whole tunnel was filled with smoke from the engine, It went into Jimmy's nose, mouth and eyes. He began to cough and splutter. Suddenly, there was a great screech. Jimmy screamed Ahhh! And then - - - - - Absolutely nothing!

The next thing Jimmy remembered was feeling a large hand grab hold of his shoulder and begin to shake it. A voice from behind him said "Come along young man, or you will miss your train." Jimmy blinked, opened his eyes, and looked around him. He could hardly believe what he saw. He was back on the station platform where he had first started his journey. And a train had just roared into the platform with a great screech. The voice behind him said "Come on, wake up. You are going to Seaville aren't you? This is your train."

Very slowly, Jimmy realised he had been dreaming! When he was on the platform that morning, he had felt tired, and gone over to sit on a bench for a rest. He had closed his eyes for a second - or so he thought. Actually, he had fallen asleep, and dreamt all those adventures about the six weird witches!

So Jimmy got up, thanked the Porter for waking him up, picked up his suitcase, boarded the train, and went off to have a great holiday in Seaville.

Conclusion.

The Screaming witch of hate was the worst of all because hatred lies behind every nasty thing people do. It causes wars, terrorist attacks and all sorts of trouble.

This witch tried to stop Jimmy getting to the end of his journey, and lack of love (which is another name for hatred) is the thing which holds us back most on our journey to heaven. God loves you (read John 3.16), and He wants you to share his love with others. If you are really serious about following Jesus, this is something that you must do. You need to be kind and nice to everyone - even if you find it hard to like them, or think they don't deserve it. That is what Jesus would do.

Illusion - Instant calculations.

Here are two 'instant addition' illustrations that will amaze your friends. They just require a little practice beforehand.

A. Get a volunteer to write any two four-digit numbers on a piece of paper or a board. You then write out the third four-digit number, ensuring that the product of the second and third numbers is 9999. For example, if the second number is 3785, the third number (which you write) will be 6214. Get your volunteer to write out the fourth four-digit number. You then write out the fifth number, ensuring that the product of the fourth and fifth numbers is again 9999. You are now ready to amaze your class by adding up all five numbers instantly. Your answer will be 2, followed by the first number minus 2. i.e. If the first number is 4567, your answer will be 24565. Here is an example :-

Volunteer 4567
Volunteer 4291
Self 5708
Volunteer 6235
Self 3764

Total = 24565

Get your friends to confirm your answer - with their calculators if these are available.

B. Prepare four cards (A,B,C,D), each with a five-digit number on them written from top to bottom as shown.

A B C D

9 6 1 8
1 4 5 7
5 2 4 1
4 7 7 7
2 5 8 4

Get a volunteer to come and stick the cards on the board, in any order they choose, to thus form five four-digit numbers - as per the example above. Remind your friends that there are twenty four different ways in which your volunteer could have arranged the cards.

As soon as the cards are in place, write down the product of the five numbers. You could get your friends to be adding up the numbers with their calculators at the same time - but you will have the correct answer long before them! To get your instant answer, write down 2, followed by two plus each number in your second four-digit number (1457 in above example), except for the last number (7) which remains unaltered. Thus the answer is 23677.

You may wish to get a second volunteer to come and rearrange the cards, and repeat the procedure. If the cards were rearranged C.B.D,A for example, your answer will be 27691.

Laugh Break - Classic Comments (All from Children).

'Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.'

'A layman is someone who lays in bed on Sunday mornings.'

'When a woman has many husbands it is called Pollyanna.'

'When a man is married to one woman it is called monotony.'

'Jacob had a brother called See-saw.'

'Insects is burned in some churches.'

'If God rested on the seventh day, why do we have to go to Sunday school?'

'The Agnus Dei is a woman composer of music.'

'An epistle is the wife of an apostle.'

'The fast days are the days when you have to eat in a hurry.'

'The people of Lystra did not like Paul's message, so he got stoned.'

'I wish my dad was a Pastor so he only had to work one day a week.'

Your Questions Answered - Why is water essential for life?

God certainly made us a lot of water. In fact 70% of the earth's surface is covered with it, although only about 1% of it is ready to drink.

The vast amount of water on the Earth's surface helps keep Earth's temperature fairly steady. This is because it takes a lot more of the sun's energy to warm water than it does to warm land. So the land heats up during the day and cools down during the night more quickly than the ocean does. This gives different air temperatures over the land than over the sea, and this generates winds. Winds keep the air we breathe fresh, as well as bringing clouds and rain to the land.

Without water we would die in a few days. This is because it plays a part in almost every process that occurs in our bodies. Our bodies are mainly water, and water is a major part of our blood.

One of the most important things about water is that it can dissolve many other substances. Because of this, the water in our blood can carry vitamins and minerals from the food we have eaten to the rest of our body, where they are needed for growth, repair and energy.

Water also flushes our bodies of waste products, one of which is carbon dioxide produced by our cells. The water in our blood dissolves this and carries it back to our lungs where we breathe it out. When water evaporates, it absorbs heat from its surroundings. This is why sweating cools us down.

Water contains dissolved oxygen from the air, enabling fish and other water-animals to live in it.

One of the most unusual but important properties of water is that it expands when it freezes (other liquids contract). This is why icebergs float, and why ice forms first on the top of water instead of on the bottom. This means that fish can swim underneath the ice. Otherwise, all the water in a river or lake could freeze and the fish would be killed.

God certainly knew what He was doing when He designed water to be the way it is.

As liquid water is essential for life, that is why space probes have been sent to other planets to search for it. They haven't found any yet, but even if they did, that would not mean that there was life there. Water cannot produce life. Rather, life is the result of a special creation by God.

Kidzone 9.

2007-09-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 9 - September 07.

Story - Jimmy and the six weird witches.
(If you missed the earlier parts of this serial, go to www.kidzonearchives.blogspot.com ).

Part 5 - Freda Fib.

With the help of the Friendly Porter, Jimmy had managed to defeat the fourth Weird Witch, Library Lizzy. He was now on his own, reading his "Visitors Guide to Seaville", which he found really interesting and, in places, quite exciting. After a while, Jimmy realised that he was hungry. He hadn't eaten since early that morning, and now it was early afternoon. He wondered if there was a cafeteria on the train, so went to have a look.

Jimmy soon found the cafeteria, and ordered himself a sandwich and a milk shake. He looked around for somewhere to sit down to have his snack, but the cafeteria was nearly full. In fact the only vacant seat was right next to a young girl, about his own age. Jimmy didn't normally like sitting next to girls, much preferring boy's company. But this girl looked quite nice with her long blond hair and sweet smile, so Jimmy went and sat next to her. After a few minutes, the girl struck up a conversation.

"My name is Freda, what's yours?"
"Jimmy, and I'm on my way to Seaville"
"So am I. My dad's got lots of money, has yours?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Well my dad has millions of dollars, and we live in an enormous house with over 100 rooms, and a Television in every one. We have 10 cars, and my mother has big diamond rings on all her fingers. She wears them all the time - even when she is doing the washing up."
"It's funny to wear diamond rings when you are doing the washing up."
"Well my mum does. How much pocket money do you get?"
"I get $2 a week."
"$2 a week! $2 a week!! I get $500 a week."
"Oh come on Freda, nobody gets that much pocket money."
"Well I do. In fact, some weeks I get $1,000. But it is too much for me. So I end up throwing most of it away."

"Tickets please" came a voice from nearby. Jimmy looked up to see that it was the real ticket collector, so he offered up his ticket for examination. The ticket collector clipped it, then handed it back to Jimmy. Then he turned to Freda. "Ticket please."
"My mummy has got my ticket, and she is in the carriage." said Freda. The collector seemed satisfied with that explanation, and walked away.
"Silly old fool" said Freda. "I always fool them. I haven't really got a ticket."
"You'll get in trouble" said Jimmy.
"No I won't. Because we are going to hide in the Guard's van."
"But, I don't need to hide" protested Jimmy.

Suddenly Freda grabbed hold of Jimmy's arm. Jimmy tried to pull away, but for someone so small, Jimmy found that Freda was very strong. There was nothing he could do but let Freda pull him all the way to the Guard's van.
"No one will find us here" said Freda.
"But I keep telling you, I don't need to hide. I have a ticket" said Jimmy, as he held up his ticket.
"Oh no you don't" replied Freda as she snatched Jimmy's ticket out of his hand and threw it out of the open window.
Jimmy stared at Freda in amazement. "You've thrown my ticket out of the window. I will tell the man."
"He'll never believe you" said Freda gleefully. "You will have to buy another one."
"You're mad" said Jimmy. "You're making it all up. All that stuff about having $500 a week pocket money, your dad being very rich and your mum doing the washing up wearing her diamond rings. You are just a liar."
"Yes. I like telling lies. It's fun and it gets people in trouble. I've made a lot of trouble for you!"

Suddenly Freda's appearance began to change. Her hair became brown and straggly. Her nose became long and pointed, and her face became red and crinkled. Too late, Jimmy realised that Freda was one of the weird witches that he had been warned about (Actually, she was Freda Fib, the well known lying witch). Freda started to move towards Jimmy. Panicking, Jimmy spotted the red emergency button which stops the train. He pushed it, and immediately heard the sound of the train's brakes as it began to slow down.
"I hoped you'd do that. I hoped you'd do that" shouted Freda as she jumped up and down for joy.
"No one will believe you if you say there is a witch on the train. You will be fined $1,000 for stopping the train. You might even be sent to prison." With that, Freda quickly opened the door and ran off, leaving Jimmy on his own.

After a few seconds Jimmy heard footsteps coming towards the Guard's van. "I'll get in trouble for stopping the train" he thought. In panic Jimmy opened the outside door to the now stationary train, jumped out, and ran back along the track until he was out of sight of the train. After a few minutes, Jimmy heard the sound of his train starting up and pulling away into the distance, leaving him all on his own right in the middle of the deserted countryside.

Oh dear. Jimmy is really in trouble now. What will happen next? Will he make it to the end of his journey, or will the weird witches beat him? Come back in October for the final instalment of this serial.

Conclusion.

Like Freda Fib, people lie for a number of different reasons. Here are the main four ones.

1, To show off. Freda Fib told lies about her mum and dad, and the amount of pocket money she got just to boast and show off.

2. To get out of trouble. Freda Fib lied to the ticket collector so she wouldn't get in trouble for not having a ticket. (Jimmy might have been tempted to tell a lie like this if someone had asked him if he had pressed the emergency button to stop the train).

3. Out of pure spite or nastiness to get other people into trouble. If asked, Freda would have probably lied to the ticket collector, saying that Jimmy didn't have a ticket.

4. To get something you are not due, or don't deserve. For example, imagine someone is passing round a box of chocolates. You have already had yours, but you are asked if you have had one - and you say no!

Lies are one of God's enemies favourite ways of stopping people being good Christians. They often spread like measles - you tell one, and then you have to tell a lot more to cover up the first one. And the more lies you tell, the easier it gets, until it becomes a habit. This is true for all sins (e.g. cheating, stealing, swearing, getting angry or jealous etc.), but especially for lies - because once they become a habit, they don't seem to matter any more.

The only way to deal with your lies (or any other sins) is to get rid of them straight away by asking God to forgive you. This is rather like weeding your garden. If I see one weed in my garden, I pull it up, and it is not a problem. But if I ignore the weed, the next time I look at my garden I will probably find that that weed has spread all over - causing real problems.

You should 'weed your garden' every day. When you pray, think back to see if there is anything that you have done, or said, or even thought, that you know was wrong. Then tell God you are sorry (and be sorry, of course), thank Him for forgiving you, and ask Him to help you do better the next day.

Illusion - Amazing memory feat.

Adam was created perfect with a wonderful mind and memory. He had to name all the many different animals that God brought before him, and then would have had to remember all their names. To illustrate this you can then amaze your family and friends by doing your own memory feat.

Have fifty cards, blank on one side and numbered from 1 to 50 on the other. On the same side write , apparently random, six-digit numbers across their centres. State that you are going to memorise all fifty of these six-digit numbers. Flick through the cards as you pretend to memorise them, give them a good shuffle, turn the blank sides upwards and offer the pack to up to about six volunteers who will each choose a card. One at a time, ask your volunteers to tell you the number of their card (i.e. between 1 and 50), and as they do so write on the board the six-digit number associated with that card! You will achieve a 100 percent success rate!

You will have probably realised by now that you don't really memorise the numbers, rather you calculate them from the card number you are given. This is how you do it :-

To the number you are given (i.e. between 1 and 50), add eleven. Reverse this two-digit number. This will be the first two numbers you write on the board. Add these two numbers together to give your third number. However, if this is a two-digit number, ignore the first digit (i.e. "1") and write down the second. Proceed in this way, adding your last two digits together, until you have written down all six digits. Ask your volunteer to confirm this is the number they have on their card. A few of examples will make this clear :-

Card No. 15. Six-digit No. will be 628088.
Card No. 16 Six-digit No. will be 729101.
Card No. 17 Six-digit No. will be 820224.

As can be seen, even card numbers that are close to each other will produce completely different six-digit numbers.

Laugh break - Dumb laws.

For some countries, many National, State, or City laws are simply "dumb." Others are obviously out of date, but are still officially operative, because they haven't been repealed. The web site www.dumblaws.com has published many of these "dumb laws" This list has been compiled mainly from this site.

Scotland.
On Sundays it is illegal to fish, or sell vegetables (except for carrots!).
It is illegal to be drunk in charge of a cow.
If a stranger knocks on your door and asks to use your toilet, you have to let him in.

York (England).
It is legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow, provided you don't do it on a Sunday!

Britain.
It is illegal to stand within 100 yards of the Monarch, if you are not wearing socks.

Bangladesh.
Children can be jailed for cheating in their exams.

Iceland.
It is illegal to own a dog.

Switzerland.
It is illegal to hang out washing, wash your car, or mow your lawn on a Sunday.

Alaska.
It is quite legal to shoot a moose with your gun, but it is illegal to wake one up so you can take it's photograph!

Nebraska.
If you burp in church, your parents could be arrested.

Louisiana (and some other states).
It is illegal to drive your car blindfold.
It is illegal to keep an alligator in your bath.

Your Questions Answered - When did God create the Dinosaurs?

The Bible tells us that God created all the land animals, including dinosaurs, on the sixth day of the creation week. He also created the first people (Adam and Eve) on the same day.

Some people may try and tell you that dinosaurs lived and died millions of years before people were on the earth. But there is absolutely no evidence to support that claim. I choose rather to believe God who, unlike people, was here in the beginning, knows everything and cannot lie.

The word 'dinosaur' (meaning terrible lizard) cannot be found in the Bible, but that is because it was only first used about 165 years ago after bones from these reptiles began to be discovered. However, a dinosaur-like animal called Behemoth is described in Job 40. 15-19. This fits the description of what is called today a Brachiosaurus. And a sea-going monster called Leviathan is described in Job 41. Thus from the Bible, it is clear that man and dinosaurs once lived together.

Dinosaurs were reptiles. The major difference between them and other reptiles, like crocodiles, was the position of their limbs. These came out from under their bodies, rather than from their sides. This gave them a fully erect posture, similar to mammals. Some dinosaurs were small (about the size of a chicken) and some were very large, weighing an estimated 80 tons and standing over 10 metres high. Like many creatures which once inhabited the earth, dinosaurs are now (probably) extinct. Many would have been drowned at the time of Noah's flood. But the few that were saved on the ark may not have been able to survive the dramatic changes in climatic conditions after the flood.

Note. If you have a question that you would like answered, email it to me on mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz

Reminder. Come back to this site in October for the next completely new edition of Kidzone.

Grown ups. Check out my web site for Children's ministers at www.mauricesweetsur.blogspot.com

Kidzone 8 - August 07.

2007-08-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 8 - August 07.

Story - Jimmy and the six weird witches.

Part 4 - Library Lizzy.

With the help of the friendly Porter, Jimmy had managed to defeat Moaning Maggie, Old mother Curseandswear and the Tricky witch. He was now inside New Station, waiting for his later train to Seaville. He noticed that there was a Bookstall in the station, so he wandered over to have a look, thinking that he might be able to buy a book or magazine to read on his long journey to Seaville.

Jimmy made sure that the Bookstall had nothing to do with the Tricky witch, but she was nowhere to be seen. The books and magazines didn't seem very appealing to Jimmy, with titles such as 'Gardening weekly', 'Home decorating' and 'Cooking for beginners'. But then he spotted an interesting sounding book. It was titled "Visitors Guide to Seaville'. Jimmy examined it and thought "I'm going to Seaville, this book could help me find my way around when I get there." So Jimmy purchased his book.

Shortly afterwards Jimmy's train arrived. It was one of those that had separate compartments, with a corridor running down the outside. As Jimmy had had enough excitement for one day, he found an empty compartment and hoped that nobody else would get in so that he could read his 'Visitors Guide to Seaville' in peace. But just as the train was starting off, the compartment door opened, and a very large lady, carrying an enormous handbag came in and sat down opposite Jimmy.

"I hope you don't start talking to me" thought Jimmy. So he got out his 'Visitors Guide to Seaville' and began to read it. But after a few minutes the lady leaned towards Jimmy, and asked "Are you going on holiday?"
"Yes, I'm going to stay with my aunt in Seaville."
"Have you been before?"
"No, but I have this 'Visitors Guide to Seaville' to help me find my way around."
"Let me have a look."
Jimmy handed over the book. The large lady looked at it briefly and handed it back. "That's a funny sort of book for a boy your age to be reading. I thought that you would prefer comics."
"I do like comics, but I think that this book will be very helpful to me."
"Nonsense! This is your lucky day. It just so happens that I run a library for boys and girls your age. I have some of my books with me" said the large lady, as she began to look inside her handbag "I will lend you one of them for you to read instead of that silly book you have."
She handed Jimmy a book. "How about this one 'Screams of Fun - 100 Practical jokes to play on people you don't like.'"
"I don't think I like the sound of that one" said Jimmy.
"Oh but there's a great joke in here. You creep up behind someone while they are sitting down, and when they are not looking tie their shoelaces together. When they get up, they trip over themselves!"
"That doesn't sound very nice to me."
"Never mind. How about this one? You place a bowl of water on top of a door, which you leave ajar. The first person through the door, gets soaked with water!"
"I would get in trouble if I did something like that" replied Jimmy.
"Oh you don't have to worry about that. There is a whole chapter in this book, which tells you how to make quick getaways. And there is another chapter which tells you how to put the blame on someone else."
"I'm sorry" said Jimmy, handing the book back. "I don't like that book at all."
"How about this one then? 'Cross Patch - 200 ways of making people lose their temper.'"
"But I don't like it when people lose their temper. No thanks."
"Well you are certain to like this one. 'Always Right - How to make other people look silly.'"
"No. That book doesn't sound very nice either."
"This is my favourite. Everyone likes this book. '500 Funny and nasty names to call your friends.'"
"If I called my friends nasty names, they wouldn't be my friends much longer. No, I am sorry, but I don't like any of your books" said Jimmy as he handed the last one back.

Suddenly, the large lady's face began to turn redder and redder. She stood up, leaned over towards Jimmy, and began shaking her fist in his face. In an angry voice she began to say "You nasty little boy. You are just a nasty, nasty little boy. Don't like any of my books do you!. Why, I will teach you, you nasty, nasty, little boy."
Far too late, Jimmy realised that the large lady was one of the six weird witches he had been warned about. Frightened, he pressed himself back against his seat as far as he could go. But the witch came even closer "You nasty, nasty, nasty little boy."

Suddenly Jimmy heard the door to the compartment open, and a familiar voice said "Tickets please." Jimmy looked up, and although he was now in a ticket collectors uniform, it was obviously the Friendly Porter. The large lady sat back down on her seat while Jimmy offered his ticket up to be clipped. Then the Friendly Porter turned towards the large lady. "Tickets please" he demanded. The large lady began to look through her bag, but she couldn't produce a ticket. Eventually the Friendly Porter said "Away with you Lizzy." The large lady collected up all her nasty books, stuffed them in her bag, and stormed off down the corridor, slamming the compartment door behind her.

"I'm really glad you came along when you did" said Jimmy. "I think that lady was one of those weird witches you warned me about."
"Yes" replied the Friendly Porter "That was Library Lizzy. She always tries to get people to read her nasty books. I hope you didn't read any of them, Jimmy?"
"No, I gave them all back to her."
"That was the right thing to do. Let me see that book you've got Jimmy."
Jimmy passed over his 'Visitors Guide to Seaville.' "This should help me find my way around while I am on holiday."
"That looks a very good book to me" replied the Friendly Porter as he handed Jimmy his book back "I would stick to reading that one."

The Friendly Porter left Jimmy to read his Guide book, which he found really interesting. And in some places it was very exciting.

To be continued. Come back next month to see how Jimmy progresses on his dangerous journey.

Conclusion. Just like Jimmy had a guide book to help him find his way around, Christians also have a guide book - The Bible. God has given His Word, the Bible to us to help us on our journey through life. If you keep finding out what the Bible has to say to you, we won't go far wrong. However, if you never look at the Bible, or ignore what it says, then you are certain to make mistakes in life, and go off in wrong directions.

God's enemies don't like us reading the Bible, and they have a whole lot of other books and magazines that they would rather us read instead. You need to be very careful about the sort of things that you read. There is a very powerful spiritual law at work in us all. This basically says "Good things in, good things out. Bad things in, bad things out." In other words, if you take in good things (like the Bible) through your eyes and ears, good things will start coming out from you. i.e. You will begin to say and do 'good' things. If, on the other hand, you take in bad things through your eyes or ears, bad things will start coming out from you.

Therefore, be very careful about what you read, what T.V. programmes, films and videos you watch, and what type of music you listen to. You may be thinking "How do I know what is 'Good' or 'Bad'? Very often this is quite obvious. But if you are not sure, test to see how you feel about what you are taking in through your eyes or ears. If you feel uneasy or anxious, that is God warning you through the Holy Spirit that you shouldn't be taking this in. But then, remember, it is still your choice whether you continue taking in that thing or not. God won't send an Angel down from heaven to take your book away, or switch off the T.V.! It is always your choice to do it. But remember, "Good things in, good things out. Bad things in, bad things out."

Illusion - Making the right choice.
A well known "Magician's" trick is to force a volunteer to choose the "right card" from a number of different cards. This technique can be used to ensure a person makes the "right choice" from a number of options represented by different cards.
This trick is very versatile. For example you can pose questions such as "How can we get to heaven?" or "How can we find peace with God?" The right answer is, of course, Jesus. Now, choose seven alternative answers, which some people may give e.g. Prayer, Reading the Bible, Going to church. Keeping the ten commandments, Doing good, Not doing anything bad, Being Baptised, Believe in God, etc. (Other questions you can ask are "Who is the best role model you can follow?" - it is a good idea to choose a mixture of well known "good" and "bad" role models. – or, "Who or what should be the most important thing in your life?").
Take eight pieces of paper and write "Jesus" on one, and the seven alternative answers the others. Put the cards into eight identical envelopes. On the front of each envelope, draw a question mark. However, on the envelope containing the "Jesus" paper, make the question mark slightly different from the others - e.g. have the "dot" slightly nearer the main symbol, or have the "curl" slightly more enhanced.
Choose a volunteer to come and stick each envelope (e.g. with blue tac) - question mark to the outside - on a board. They have complete freedom to stick each envelope wherever they like, provided that they end up with two columns of four cards each. By looking at the question marks, you will know which contains the "Jesus" paper.
Get a second volunteer to come and make what you say you hope will be the right choice. Force him/her to make the right choice as described below. This is a very simple technique, but still seems to baffle the vast majority of people.
Suppose, for example, that the "Jesus" envelope is in the first column. Ask your volunteer to point to either the first or the second column. If they point to the first, say "Fine, that is your choice, so let us now look at the four envelopes you have rejected in the second column." As you open each of these four envelopes, explain why they are wrong choices. If your volunteer points to the second column, say "Fine, you have rejected these four envelopes in the second column", and proceed as before.
You are now left with the four envelopes in the first column. Ask your volunteer to point to any two of the envelopes. If the "Jesus" envelope is one of those chosen, say. "These are the envelopes you have chosen, let's look at the two you have rejected." Obviously, if they don't point to the "Jesus" card, say " The two you have pointed to are the ones you have rejected --------. " I think you will have got the idea by now, ensuring that your volunteer ends by choosing "Jesus."

Laugh Break - Tongue Twisters.

Write out the words below on slips of paper. As you read the words aloud, the idea is to get your friends to guess what is being said. Read the words slowly at first, but then faster and faster to make it easier for the others to guess. You will probably have to give clues to younger children to help them.

1. SAND TACKLE LAWS. (Clue: A fictional character)
2. AISLE OH VIEW. (Clue: A phrase)
3. BUCK SPUN HE (Clue: A fictional character)
4.THESE HOUND DOVE MOO SICK (Clue: A film)
5. TIGHT AN HICK (Clue: A thing)
6. THUMB ILL KEY WAKE OWL LICKS HE (Clue: A place)

Answers. (Just in case someone hasn't worked them out). 1. Santa Claus. 2. I love you. 3. Bugs Bunny. 4. The Sound of music. 5. Titanic.6. The Milky Way Galaxy.
Use a similar procedure to let people try to guess what the following Japanese Phrases mean.
Wa Shing Ka (Cleaning an automobile)
Na Pah King (This is a tow-away zone)
Ai Bang Mai Ni (I bumped into a table)
Tai Ni Po Ni (Small horse)

Your Questions Answered - Which came first the chicken or the egg?
People like asking this question because there appears to be no answer to it. If someone answered 'the chicken', they would say "But the chicken must have come from an egg!" But if someone answered 'the egg', they would say "But the egg must have come from a chicken!"
The answer to the question is - The Chicken. God made the first of each type of creature fully formed. For example, He created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve as mature human beings. God made the first of each type living form, each with seeds within themselves so that they could then reproduce after their own kind. And this is what we find in nature today. Thus oak trees (their seeds are called acorns) produce oak trees, carrots produce carrots, cats produce cats, dogs produce dogs etc. etc. And chickens have seeds, (contained in their eggs) which produce chickens.

Note. If you have a question that you would like answered, email it to me on mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz

Reminder. Come back to this site in June for the next completely new edition of Kidzone.

Grown ups. Check out my web site for Children's ministers at www.mauricesweetsur.blogspot.com

Kidzone 7.

2007-07-20T00:33:00.000-07:00

Kidzone 7 - July 07.

Story - Jimmy and the six weird witches.

Part 3 - The Tricky witch.

With the help of the Friendly Porter, Jimmy was now back on the main road, heading towards New Station, where he would be able to catch a later train to his holiday destination of Seaville.

After only a few minutes, Jimmy came to a large old building. It had a tall steeple, and stained glass windows. There was a sign outside which said "NEW STATION. BEST WAY TO ANYWHERE."

Jimmy thought to himself "This building looks more like a church than a station, but it must be the right place." He was just about to enter, when he noticed a brightly coloured stall right opposite the station. He wandered over to have a closer look, and it was certainly very interesting with lots of toys, games, comics and sweets. There was a little old lady standing behind the stall.

After his encounters with Moaning Maggie and Old mother Curseandswear, Jimmy was a little bit wary of old ladies, but with her bright cheerful face and happy smile, this one didn't look at all like the others. "She looks alright" thought Jimmy as he had a closer examination of the stall's goods.

After a few minutes the old lady leaned over towards Jimmy and said "Have you seen anything you like, sonny?"

Jimmy replied "You have certainly got some good stuff on this stall. But I am going on holiday to Seaville, and I have decided to keep all my pocket money until I get there."

"You don't understand" said the lady as she pointed to a large sign above the stall "You don't have to pay."

Jimmy looked at the sign which said "GRANNY LOVEJOY'S HELP YOURSELF STALL. SWEETS AND TOYS FOR EVERYONE. NOTHING TO PAY."

"You mean everything is free?" asked Jimmy.

"Yes." replied Granny Lovejoy. "Just choose whatever gift you like, and it is absolutely free to you."

"Oh, that's different" said Jimmy, as he began to examine all the wonderful gifts. After a while, Jimmy decided that he would just choose a large bag of sweets.

"Because you have only chosen some sweets, rather than an expensive gift" said Granny Lovejoy, "I am going to reward you. Here is a free ticket to my special super circus. The show is just about to start, and if you hurry, you will catch the beginning."

Jimmy looked at the circus ticket and said "I really would love to go to your circus, but I have already missed one train to Seaville, and I don't dare risk missing another one. I just don't have the time."

Granny Lovejoy interrupted "But you don't understand. This is the best circus ever. It has clowns, acrobats, jugglers, performing lions, dancing dogs and even an amazing tight rope walking elephant."

"A tight rope walking elephant" exclaimed Jimmy. "That sounds amazing, and I really would like to go to your circus, but I just don't have the time."

Just for a second, Granny Lovejoy's smile faded, and she began to say "Why, you ungrateful little - - - - - ." But then her smile returned and she said "Well that's quite alright sonny. Here, have one of my special balloons, instead."

Jimmy was handed a large bright red balloon, tied onto a string. Instinctively, he caught hold of the balloon. But immediately, he felt a strong tug on his arm. Amazingly, the balloon was rising up into the air, and Jimmy was being lifted off the ground by it. By the time Jimmy realised what was happening, it was too late for him to let go of the balloon, which kept rising higher and higher.

Granny Lovejoy was looking up at Jimmy, and shouting gleefully "That will teach you. Don't want to go to my circus eh. You're in trouble now, you ungrateful little boy."

Far too late, Jimmy realised that Granny Lovejoy was one of the weird witches that he had been warned about. He was still rising higher and higher, and had no idea how he could safely get back down to the ground. Suddenly, he felt a tug in his belt. He looked down. There was a large hook in his belt, and attached to it was a long pole, and on the end of the pole, slowly pulling him back down to the ground was the Friendly Porter!

When Jimmy finally reached the ground, he released the balloon, which floated into the air, before exploding with a loud bang. Granny Lovejoy was furious. She kicked over her stall, and all the gifts were scattered everywhere. She then ran off down the road, still in a rage.

"I'm glad you came along when you did" said Jimmy. "I think Granny Lovejoy is one of those weird witched that are trying to stop me reaching the end of my journey."

"Yes." said the Friendly Porter "That was the tricky witch. She sets up her stall right next to the station, to try and stop people going on their journey - and she succeeds with a lot of people. But don't worry, she won't bother you again. Well, here is New Station, and your train will be coming soon, so just go in and wait for it."

"It's a funny looking station" replied Jimmy. "It looks more like a church that a station."

"Yes" replied the Friendly Porter. A church is like a station, because it is the starting point for where everyone wants to get to!"

To be continued. Come back next month to see how Jimmy progresses on his dangerous journey.

Conclusion. Where is it that everyone wants to get to? That's right, heaven! And one of the main reasons people go to church is to to be helped on their way there, by being shown how to defeat any of God's enemies who would try and stop us completing our journey. There are people about like the tricky witch who will try and stop us going to church or Sunday school, knowing that if they do so it will be easier for them to stop us getting to heaven as well. They may try and persuade us that something is nicer or more important than going to church - like lying in bed on a Sunday morning, or watching T.V. Don't listen to them. Don't be put off. Don't let God's enemies defeat you! God is on your side, and He wants to see you complete your journey through life, and eventually arrive in heaven.

Illusion - Miracles.

Here is a simple illustration to demonstrate that with God "All things are possible."

Preparation. Take a piece of cardboard ( about 40x40cm. ) and cut out a round disc (about 15cm. diameter) from the centre. Retain both pieces. Find a solid disc (an ordinary plate is ideal) a little larger than your cardboard disc e.g. about 20cm. diameter.

Presentation. "Sometimes we find that we just cannot do certain things. But we need to remember that God can do absolutely anything. With Him nothing is impossible." Hold up your cardboard sheet and disc. Explain that the disc is just small enough to pass through the hole. Pass the disc through the hole a few times in different ways e.g. face on and side on.

State that if the disc were any larger, it would be "impossible" to pass it through the hole. Your friends should agree. Produce your larger disc and pretend to attempt to pass it through the hole in different ways as before. Remind your friends that what is impossible for us is possible for God, and state that you are now going to demonstrate that by passing the larger disc through the small hole.

Fold your sheet in half, and place your larger disc inside so that the top protrudes through the hole. Grasp this part of the disc with one hand, and with the other pull down on the side of your sheet - this actually stretches the hole - A gentle tug on your disc will ensure that it passes through the hole without tearing it in any way.

Your questions answered - How do I know the Christian faith is true?

We are all exposed to a variety of different beliefs. This can be quite confusing to realise that there are many different religions, sects, denominations etc. You may ask "Do they all differ in what they teach, or do they have beliefs in common?" "How can I be sure of which one is true?" "Does it really matter which faith I choose to follow?"

Firstly, you need to understand the difference between Christianity and Religion. Religion is about us attempting to reach up to God through our own efforts, usually by observing certain rules or doing good works. Christianity is the exact opposite. It is about God reaching down to us through His Son, Jesus.

Whereas Christianity says we can only come to God through faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross, all religions and sects basically teach that in order to gain God's acceptance, we need to improve ourselves and reach God by our own efforts. The second difference from Christianity that religions and sects have in common is that they deny that Jesus is the GOD-MAN i.e. totally God, and totally man in One Person. Some deny Jesus' humanity, but most deny His divinity.

I think that 'religious' people must be the most unhappy people on earth. Their religion teaches them that they are 'sinners', but doesn't offer them the power to change their ways. Thus when they sin, they can't really enjoy it because they are aware that they are breaking God's rules!

Secondly, it is important to understand what a Christian really is. Christianity is not about following a certain set of rules, but rather it is about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A Christian is a "Christ-in-Person". In other words, a person in whom Jesus Christ is living - because He has been invited to do so, following repentance of sin and faith in His substitutionary death on the cross.

Christians may belong to many different types of churches, and these sometimes disagree on some minor issues, but if they accept the Bible as their Final Authority for what they teach, they will agree on the important doctrines (beliefs) such as :-

1.The divinity of Christ. (Jesus is God)
2. The substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross for our sins.
3. The bodily resurrection of Jesus.
4. Our need to be 'Born Again'. (God's Spirit changing us on the inside).
5. God accepts us on the basis of our faith in Jesus alone.
6. The Bible, as first given, is the divine and infallible 'Word of God'. (What the Bible says, is what God says).

Ultimately the important thing is not who is right or wrong about "little things", but whether Jesus is really living in you?

Conclusion. Amidst the great variety of faiths that abound today, how can we know that the Christian one is the true one? The Bible says "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34 v. 8. Or to use a modern proverb, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating." If anyone sincerely tries Jesus out for themselves, then they will 'know' that His way is the true way. If you sincerely invite Jesus to come and take charge of your life, He will give you an assurance that that you are now really part of God's special family.

Laugh Break - Things kids say.
Dear Pastor, I know God loves everybody but He never met my sister. Yours sincerely, Arnold. Age 8, Nashville.
Dear Pastor, Please say in your sermon that Peter Peterson has been a good boy all week. I am Peter Peterson. Sincerely, Pete. Age 9, Phoenix
Dear Pastor, My father should be a minister. Every day he gives us a sermon about something. Robert Anderson, age 11
Dear Pastor, I'm sorry I can't leave more money in the plate, but my father didn't give me a raise in my allowance. Could you have a sermon about a raise in my allowance? Love, Patty. Age 10, New Haven
Dear Pastor, My mother is very religious. She goes to play bingo at church every week even if she has a cold. Yours truly, Annette. Age 9, Albany
Dear Pastor, I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother won't be there. Stephen. Age 8, Chicago
Dear Pastor, I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland. Loreen. Age 9. Tacoma.
Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon where you said that good health is more important than money but I still want a raise in my allowance. Sincerely, Eleanor. Age 12, Sarasota
Dear Pastor, Please pray for all the airline pilots. I am flying to California tomorrow. Laurie. Age 10, New York City
Dear Pastor, I hope to go to heaven some day but later than sooner. Love, Ellen, age 9. Athens Dear Pastor, Please say a prayer for our Little League team. We need God's help or a new pitcher. Thank you. Alexander. Age 10, Raleigh
Dear Pastor, My father says I should learn the Ten Commandments. But I don't think I want to because we have enough rules already in my house. Joshua. Age 10, South Pasadena
Dear Pastor, Who does God pray to? Is there a God for God? Sincerely, Christopher. Age 9, Titusville
Dear Pastor, Are there any devils on earth? I think there may be one in my class. Carla. Age 10, Salina
Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished. Ralph, Age 11, Akron
Dear Pastor, How does God know the good people from the bad people? Do you tell Him or does He read about it in the newspapers? Sincerely, Marie. Age 9, Lewiston

Kidzone 6 - June 07.

2007-06-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

Story - Jimmy and the six weird witches.

Part 2 - Old Mother Curseandswear.

Jimmy was on his way to Seaville, but had met up with Moaning Maggie, one of the six weird witches, who had hidden his suitcase and made him miss his train. However, with the help of the Friendly Porter, Jimmy was now walking down the road to New Station, where he would be able to catch another train later in the day.

Jimmy was feeling better now, he had his suitcase back, all the shops were opening up, and there were lots of happy looking people about. Jimmy walked on and on, remembering that the Friendly Porter had told him to keep on that road, and not to turn off to the left or to the right.

After Jimmy had been walking for about 20 minutes, he began to wonder how far New Station was. He wished he had remembered to ask. Just then it began to rain, and that made Jimmy walk faster - - - - but 10 minutes later, there was still no sign of New Station. Suddenly, Jimmy came to a side road, with a large sign pointing down it, and which said "NEW STATION. SHORT CUT." Jimmy was just about to turn down the side road, when he remembered that the Friendly Porter had warned him not to turn off the main road. He wasn't sure what to do. "Surely this sign is right - - - but I was warned - - - "Just then it began to rain heavier, and that helped Jimmy make up his mind - - - - - he turned down rhe side road.

After a few minutes, Jimmy noticed that the new road he was on was getting very narrow - - - - most of the shops were shut, or even boarded up - - - - - there were fewer and fewer people about. Jimmy began to wonder if he had made a mistake in following the "Short Cut" sign. After a few more minutes, there was nobody else to be seen, all the shops were closed, and the now very narrow road was littered with scraps of paper. Jimmy thought that he had better turn around and go back to the road he had been on. But as he looked back, he saw that the road branched in two, and he couldn't remember which of the branches he had walked down.

"I had better ask someone if this is the right way to New Station" thought Jimmy. But there was nobody around to ask. Then he noticed a figure in the distance, walking towards him. "I will ask this person" thought Jimmy. But then he thought "Oh no I won't," because he now saw that the figure was a little old lady who was bent over a pram that she was pushing. And she was taking scraps of paper from the pram, throwing them on the road and calling out horrible things as she did so - - - - Headaches - - - -Nightmares - - - - Chicken pox - - - - - Toothache - - - - - Coughs and colds - - - - Break a leg - - - - - Measles - - - - Tummyache - - - - Spots before the eyes - - - - ."I think she might be one of those weird witches the Friendly Porter warned me about" thought Jimmy, as he bached into a shop doorway, hoping that he wouldn't be noticed. But as the lady reached Jimmy, she took out the largest scrap of paper she had and thrust it at Jimmy. Jimmy instinctively took hold of the paper, and waited as the lady moved on, still throwing out her papers, and calling out her nasty things.

Jimmy waited until the lady was out of sight, and then he looked at his scrap of paper. It said "GET LOST." Jimmy began to think that he really was lost. He didn't know what to do, so he sat down on his suitcase to think. Suddenly, Jimmy remembered a prayer that he had learned at Sunday school. It was:-
"Angels all along the way,
help me when I go astray."
"That's the sort of prayer I need right now" thought Jimmy. So he prayed it quietly a few times.

"You have got yourself in a bit of a mess, haven't you Jimmy?" said a familiar voice. Jimmy opened his eyes, and there was the Friendly Porter!
"I'm so pleased to see you" said Jimmy, who proceeded to recount all that had happened to him since they last met.
"I think that old lady was one of those weird witches that you warned me about" concluded Jimmy.
"Yes" replied the Friendly Porter. That was Old mother curseandswear. She puts up false signs to make people go the wrong way, and she throws out curses, and she tries to stop people saying their prayers.
"Wasn't it strange that as soon as I began to pray my prayer, you turned up?" said Jimmy. The Porter just smiled.

"Come with me" said the Friendly Porter as he proceeded to take Jimmy back to the main road. "New station is not far from here, and as long as you keep on this road you will soon come to it." said the Porter, as he left Jimmy to continue his journey. "But do watch out for those other four weird witches."

To be continued. Come back next month to see how Jimmy progresses on his dangerous journey.

Conclusion. Just like Jimmy in this story, many people have discovered that God really does answer prayers. Prayer is very, very important. It is simply talking to God. And I am sure that there is nothing God likes better than when His children talk to him. Make sure you talk to God everyday. You can talk to God about anything at all. He wants to share in your lives. Talk to Him when you are happy. Talk to Him when you are sad. Talk to Him when you are upset or angry. Remember, God loves you, He is your best friend, He is always with you, He is there to help and guide you, and He wants the very best for you.

Illusion - Jumping elastic bands.

Hold your right hand in front of your face. Turn it round to face you, i.e. your thumb is to your right.

Take a fairly small elastic band, and place it over your first two fingers, i.e. those nearest your thumb. Using your left hand, stretch the elastic band towards you. While the band is in this position, bend all four fingers of your right hand towards you so that they fit into the band. Release the band with your left hand. One side of the band should now be running across the back of your fingers, near the bottom of your nails.

Finally, straighten all four fingers. The band will now be over your third and fourth fingers - furthest from your thumb. For anyone watching the back of your hand, the band will appear to have magically jumped from two fingers onto the other two.

After you have practiced this trick - it is really quite simple - you can try it with two bands (of different colours). Place Band 1 over your first two fingers, as before, and Band 2 over your third and fourth fingers. Repeat the stretching and bending procedure, as before (ensure both bands run across all four fingers) - and this time the bands will have magically changed places!

Your Questions Answered - Why did God make us, and the world?

We are all on a journey through life, but some people live all their lives without ever finding out why they are here on planet earth in the first place. It is such a shame. Would you get on a train or a bus without knowing where it was going? I don't think so. But for some people, life is rather like being on a journey without knowing where they came from, why they are on the journey, or even where they are going!

The answer to the question is quite easy. God created us to be His friends, so He can enjoy us, and we can enjoy Him, both now and forever. Therefore, we came from God - he created us, He did so to be His friends, and, if we are trusting in Jesus, we are on our way to heaven.

God made the world (in fact the entire Universe and everything in it) for our benefit. He wants us to enjoy it, and to look after it on His behalf. What a wonderful, privileged position God has given us human beings.

Laugh Break - Why God made moms.

(taken from Mikey's Funnies - http://www.mikeysFunnies.com/sub/ )Brilliant answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms works at work and works at home & dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic; they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. My mom says she don't do spare time.
2. Nothing. She pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

[forwarded by Adon Brownell]

Kidzone 5 - May 07.

2007-05-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

Story - Jimmy and the six weird witches.

This month we begin a six-part serial about a young boy's dangerous journey to Seaville. This is based on a novel by Eric Mathieson that was published many years ago.

Part 1 - Moaning Maggie.

Jimmy was really excited because he was about to go on holiday to Seaville, to stay with his aunt for two weeks. But what made it really exciting is that he was going on that long journey all on his own - by train. Jimmy had never been on a journey on his own before, but it was all arranged. Jimmy's mum was going to take him to the train station, make sure he got on the right train, and his aunt was going to meet him at Seaville.

The night before Jimmy's trip, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep. By 6 a.m., Jimmy was up, dressed, washed, packed, and ready to go.
"Is it time to go yet mum?" he asked.
"No it's far too early" came the reply.
At 7 a.m. , Jimmy repeated his question - but it was still too early. At 8 a.m. Jimmy asked again.
His mum replied "It's still too early, but to stop you bothering me, I will drive you down to the station, make sure you get on the right platform, and leave you to wait for your train while I go and do my shopping."

So that is what happened. Now Jimmy was on the Station platform, having a great time watching all the trains come in and out as he waited for his train to Seaville. But when the sun began to rise higher in the sky, and it got a little warmer, Jimmy realised he was tired - after all he hadn't slept at all that night. He noticed a bench on the platform, so went over to it and sat down for a rest. He closed his eyes, just for a second, but was suddenly startled by the sound of a train roaring into his platform.
The porter began to call out "Train to Seaville. Train to Seaville"
"Oh" thought Jimmy "This is my train. I didn't think it would arrive so soon."

Jimmy reached down to pick up his suitcase, but it was not there! He looked all around, but there was no sign of it at all. Meantime, all the other passengers were boarding the Seaville train.
Jimmy ran up to the porter and began to say "This is my train. I'm going to Seaville, but I can't find my suit - - "
But the porter cut him short "I haven't time to be bothered with you right now sonny, I've got this train to get away."
Jimmy watched in dismay as the last passenger boarded the train, the porter shut the door, waved his flag, blew his whistle, and the train drew out of the platform, leaving Jimmy behind.

The porter finally turned his attention to Jimmy. "What's your problem, sonny?"
Jimmy replied "That was my train. I am going on holiday to Seaville, but I can't find my suitcase."
"Oh, somebody probably put it on board for you" replied the porter.
"But, what shall I do now?" asked Jimmy.
"You will just have to catch a later train" replied the porter, as he walked away, leaving Jimmy on his own.

Jimmy returned to the bench to think what to do. "Did someone really put my suitcase on board the train?" he wondered "And when was the later train? Oh, and what would his aunt think when Jimmy's train arrived in Seaville, and he wasn't on board. She would be very worried - - - and then she would ring and tell his mum - - - and she'd be worried as well - - - AND ANGRY. Oh what a terrible start to his holiday this was."

Just then Jimmy noticed that there was a little old lady, dressed all in black, sitting on the other end of his bench.
She leaned over towards Jimmy, and asked "What's wrong with you, sonny?"
Jimmy replied "I an going on holiday to Seaville, but I missed my train because I couldn't find my suitcase, so now I will have to catch a later train."
"Oh no you won't" replied the lady. "There isn't going to be any holiday for you, because there isn't another train. You will just have to go home."
"But my aunt's expecting me. My holiday is all arranged" mumbled Jimmy.
"There will be no holiday for you, you'll have to go home. You're not going to have a good time, your going to have a miserable, miserable time" cackled the old lady as she got up and began to walk away, muttering "This is a miserable, miserable day, oh what a wonderful, miserable day."

"What a horrible old lady" thought Jimmy. But then he noticed, just where she had been sitting - there was his suitcase! "I bet she hid my suitcase with her coat, just to make me miss my train" thought Jimmy. And he began to cry.

"What's wrong with you?" said a cheerful voice.
Jimmy looked up to see a friendly looking porter - nothing like the grumpy porter he had met before. "I'm supposed to be going on holiday to Seaville" replied Jimmy. "But when my train arrived I missed it because I couldn't find my suitcase. And there was a horrible old lady, who I think hid my suitcase to make me miss my train. She said there wasn't another train to Seaville, so I would have to go home, and there would be no holiday for me. She was so, so horrible, I think, I think, I think _ _ _ _ she was a WITCH!"

"That's right" agreed the friendly porter. "That was Moaning Maggie, one of the six weird witches. She is always trying to make people miss their trains and stop them going on their journeys. The only way to beat her is to ignore her. Don't listen to what she says. However, she was right about one thing - there isn't another train to Seaville. At least not from this station. But come with me, and I will show you the way to New Station in another part of town. You will be able to catch a train to Seaville from there later in the day."

The friendly porter led Jimmy out of the station, and pointed down a long, wide road. "Just keep going straight down this road, and you will come to New Station. But whatever you do, do not turn off to the left or the right - just keep going straight down this road. And watch out for Moaning Maggie and her five sisters, because they will all try and stop you completing your journey."

To be continued. Come back next month to see how Jimmy progresses on his dangerous journey.

Conclusion. Like Jimmy, who was on a journey to Seaville, all Christians are on a journey through life. And our final destination is heaven. But God has enemies, who are your enemies as well, and they will do all they can to try and stop you completing your journey. They use people like Moaning Maggie to try and put people off right near the start of their journey.

I know people who have made a good start by putting their trust in Jesus. And then they have begun to do all the right things to help them on their journey through life - like praying, reading and obeying the Bible, and going to church or Sunday school. But then they listened to someone like Moaning Maggie, who may have told them that these things were all a waste of time, and there were better things they could be doing. And they believed her lies!

So don't be beaten by Moaning Maggie. Your journey through life to heaven is much too important. The only way to beat her is to PERSEVERE. That means never giving up. When things are going well in life - follow Jesus. When things appear to be going badly in life (and this will happen sometimes) - follow Jesus. And He will make sure that you stay on the right road through life.

Illusion - Floating a pin on water.
One of the most amazing miracles that Jesus did was walking on water. We all know that one of the natural laws of the Universe is that objects heavier than water (like metal) sink. However Jesus was able to overcome this natural law. We can't walk on water of course, but it is possible to float a pin or a needle on it! You all know that a pin is much heavier than water and usually sinks to the bottom. But there is a way to make it float! Because water actually forms a thin film at it's surface with the air, this flotation can really be done if you lower the pin very gently onto the water in the following way.
Place the pin on a paper tissue, and lower it carefully onto the water. After a few seconds, the paper will have absorbed enough water to make it sink, leaving the pin floating alone.You will need to have a steady hand to ensure that the film isn't broken. And, of course, ensure that nobody knocks the glass during the procedure!
If you have a very steady hand, you may even be able to carefully lower the pin onto the water without the aid of the paper tissue.

Laugh break - What is love?
A group of children were asked the question "What is love?" Here are some of their replies. Which do you think were the best ones?

Question. What is love?

Answers.

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne, and they go out and smell each other." Karl (age 5).

"Love is when you tell a boy you like his shirt, and then he wears it every day." Noelle (7).

"Love is when you go out and give someone most of your French fries, without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy (6).
(There is a lot of truth in that because if you love someone, that means you want the very best for them. You want good things to happen to them, even more than you want good things to happen to yourself. So if you give someone most of your French fries, without asking for anything in return, that is an expression of your love).

"Love is when mummy gives daddy the best part of the chicken." Elaine (5).
(Another expression of love. 'Mummy' is putting 'Daddy's' needs before her own. Jesus told us to love others as we love ourselves. Everyone loves themselves. Do you hit yourself, lie to yourself, or steal from yourself? No, of course not! You all treat yourselves well. If you are thirsty, do you say "Oh I can't be bothered giving you a drink right now" ? No, you just give yourself a drink. In the same way that we are good to ourselves, we should be just as good to others).

"Love is when mummy sees daddy all smelly and sweaty, and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt." Chris (7).

Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and talk instead. My mummy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss." Emily (8).

If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend you hate." Nikka (6).
(A good answer. It is easy to be nice to people who are being nice to you, but very hard to be nice to those who are being nasty to you. But Jesus told us to "Love your enemies." Jesus wants us to be nice to everyone, even to those who are not nice back to us).

"There are two kinds of love, our love and God's love. But God made them both." Jenny (8).
(I think his is probably the best answer. The difference between human love and God's love is that human love is often conditional on the other person loving us back, whereas God's love is unconditional. Suppose you like someone, so start being good to them. If they are nice to you in return, you will carry on being nice to them - wonderful. But if that person is nasty to you in return, do you carry on being nice to them? Probably not. You probably won't want anything to do with that person anymore, or you may even start being nasty to them yourself. God's love is not like that. God's love is unconditional. He loves us because "God is love." He loves us even if we are nasty to others, Ignore Him, or even reject Him. These things all make God sad, but there is nothing anyone could possibly do that would ever make Him stop loving them. He always desires the very best for us).

Your questions answered - Is Jesus really God?

The belief that Jesus Christ is the God-Man, i.e. completely God and completely human in one Person is the basis of the Christian faith. Most people believe that Jesus was human, but some doubt that he was also God. So why then do we believe that Jesus is God Himself? Here are a number of reasons.

1. His self-centred claims. The self-centredness of Christ's teaching marks Him out from other religious teachers. He clearly thought of Himself as distinct from man and one with God.

a. Intimacy with God. Jesus made some astounding claims. For example He said, "I and the Father are one." (John 10.30). and "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14.9). Jesus also called Himself the 'Son of God.' In those days the word 'son' implied 'the same as' rather than 'dependent upon' or 'derived from' as it does today. This oneness that Jesus claimed with God was both unique and eternal (John 8.58).

b. Authority over men. Jesus did not think or speak of Himself as an ordinary man among men. He set Himself apart from the rest of mankind and claimed authority over them - to teach about God (Matthew 7.28,29) - to call men to Himself (Matthew 7.24-27; 10.37) thus making Himself the object of their faith, love and obedience - to forgive repentant sinners (Mark 2.5) - to judge the unrepentant (Matthew 7.21-23, Matthew 25.31-33).

Faced with these claims we cannot dismiss Jesus as just a good man or a great teacher. He was either deluded, a liar or divine. As C.S. Lewis the author of "The lion, the witch and the wardrobe" put it "Jesus was either mad, bad or God."

2. His balanced and humble conduct. Jesus did not behave like a person with delusions His character confirms His claims. Consider this paradox:-

His claims sound like a madman's, yet his conduct was poised and balanced.

His teaching appears proud, ("I am - - - the way, the truth and the life - - - the bread of life - - - the light of the world - - - the resurrection and the life") yet He was humble.

His words were thoroughly self-centred ("Come to me - - - ") yet His deeds were absolutely unselfcentred.

This combination of self-centredness and humility is unparalled in the history of the world.

3. His divine works. The miraculous works that Jesus did do not prove His divine (Godly) nature, but they are in accordance with it, and support His claims that He is God.

4. His bodily resurrection. The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus was considered in the last (April) edition of Kidzone. His resurrection - like His divine works - do not prove His deity, but it is in accordance with it.

5. The claims of scripture. The scriptures clearly portray Jesus as God. Some passages (e.g. John 1.1-3 and Colossians 1.15-19) cannot be explained if jesus is not God.

Summary. The 'acid test' of Christianity stands or falls on the position we give to Jesus Christ. If Jesus is not God, then His death on the cross cannot possibly bring salvation to us. If He is God, His coming to earth, and supremely His death and resurrection is, for every person, by far the most important event in the history of mankind.

Kidzone 4 - April 07.

2007-04-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Story - A free pardon.

Two schoolboys were great friends, doing many things together and generally enjoying each other's company. When they left school, however, their lives diverged. The first boy went to University, studied hard and qualified as a lawyer. In fact, eventually he became a Judge. Things didn't go so well for the second boy. He had little interest in study or work, got into 'bad' company and ended up pursuing a life of petty crime.

One day this second man was caught trying to steal some goods from a store. He was charged and sent to trial for his crime. Not really having much choice, he pleaded guilty. However, the Judge at his trial happened to be his old school friend! What would the Judge do? Would he be lenient towards his old friend and let him off, or would he demand that he pay the penalty for his crime?

Summing up, the Judge declared "You are guilty of this crime, and the law demands a fine be paid of $1,000." Then, to everyone's amazement, the Judge reached inside his pocket, pulled out his wallet, counted out $1,000 and paid the fine himself. Nobody could complain because the full requirements of the law had been met, but the guilty man went free because the Judge himself paid the penalty.

In the same way we are all guilty of breaking God's laws. But God (our Judge) paid the penalty for our sins Himself by becoming a man and dying on the cross. So now, by accepting what He has done for us, we can receive His free pardon and be declared right in His sight. And that is the Good News we remember each Easter time.

Illusions. Here are two illusions to help demonstrate what happened at the very first Easter.

a. The meaning of the cross. This illusion does require the lighting of a candle, so please get an adult to supervise you as you do this.

For this close-up illustration you will need a little coloured water (coloured lemonade or squash will do), a saucer, a short candle, a glass, a small coin and matches.

Presentation. This illustration explains what happened at the cross of Jesus.

State - that the coin represents you or me - place it in the saucer, towards the edge.
- that the coloured water represents our sins (t he wrong things we do) - pour it into the saucer until the coin is submerged.
- that the candle represents Jesus - stand it at the centre of the saucer, and light it.
- that the flame represents the life of Christ.

Take the glass and place it over the lighted candle. Within a few seconds, the flame will consume all the oxygen in the glass and be extinguished. However, it will have created a vacuum, which in turn, will draw the water up inside the glass (thus surrounding the candle) and leave the coin dry.

Summary. 1. The coloured water is drawn to the candle - Our sins were put on Jesus.
2. The flame goes our - Jesus gave up his life for us.
3. The coin becomes dry - Because our sins are now on Jesus, we go free.

b. The resurrection of Christ.

Preparation. This illusion will require a little practice, but it is well worth the effort. You will need a coin (Practice with a small one at first, then you may wish to try a larger one for a better effect), a clear glass, and a piece of thin clear balloon rubber, large enough to cover the top of the glass. (I have found that rubber, cut from a clear balloon, (e.g. Qualatex 'Diamond clear') is a good source of this - check out your local store).

Stretch the rubber in all directions, hold the coin on your finger and press it on the underside of the rubber. When you cease stretching, you will find - with practice - that the rubber will wrap itself a little way under the coin as well as covering the top. The coin will thus appear to be on top of the rubber sheet (actually it is underneath) because the rubber has been stretched so much that it will be almost invisible. Finally, stretch out the rubber and coin on the top of your glass, and secure with an elastic band around the rubber overhanging the top of the glass.

Illustration. Produce your glass, with rubber and coin in place. Ask for a volunteer. State that he/she is now going to push the coin right through the rubber sheet without making a hole, or even a tear, in it. Get your volunteer to push the coin firmly downwards with their finger. The coin will fall into the glass, leaving the rubber sheet intact.

This reminds us of the resurrection, when Jesus came right out of the tomb, while the stone was still in place. It also reminds us that in his resurrection body, Jesus was also able to pass through locked doors without leaving a hole in them! (see John 20.19).

Laugh break - Can you trust your senses?

Sometimes our natural senses - sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste - let us down. However, there is one thing that will never let us down, one thing that is totally reliable - God's Word, the Bible.

Try out these hearing and eyesight tests on your friends or parents to show them that their senses are unreliable.

1. How many of each type of animal did Moses take onto the Ark?
(None. It was Noah who had the Ark).

2. You are the driver of a train. There are 30 passengers on board. At the first station, 10 passengers get off. At the second station, 5 passengers get on. What is the name of the train driver?
(You will probably have to repeat the question, using the right emphasis "You are the driver of a train - - - - " (Some people don't seem to know their own name!)..

3. It is noon. You look at your watch, the little hand is pointing to 3, and the big hand is pointing to 6. What time is it?
(Noon. If your little hand is pointing to 3, and your big hand to 6, your watch must have stopped!).

4. Let's all spell out the word S. T. O. P. together. Then I will ask you a simple question that you have to answer immediately. S. T. O. P. spells STOP. What do you do when you come to a green light?
(Go.).

5. Let's all spell out the word S. I. L. K. together. Then I will ask you a simple question that you have to answer immediately. S. I. L. K. spells SILK. What do cow's drink?
(Water).

6. What do you put in a toaster?
(Bread).

7.If red houses are made of red bricks, blue houses are made of blue bricks, yellow houses are made of yellow bricks, orange houses are made of orange bricks, what are green houses made of?
(Glass).

8. You are in a race. Just before the end you overtake the person who is second. Where do you finish?
(Second).

9. You are shown a bath full of water. You are then given a teaspoon, a cup and a bucket, and told to empty the bath. How would you do it?
(Pull the plug out).

10. Write out the following two sets of words on triangular pieces of paper or cardboard as shown. Show each sentence to your class, and ask them to study it carefully. After about 15 seconds, put the paper away and ask them what it said. Most will get it wrong, missing out a "The" and an "A" respectively.

A
Bird
In The
The Bush

Once
In A
A Lifetime

Your Questions Answered - Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus. As Paul expressed it "If Christ was not raised from the dead, our faith is useless - - - - and we are to be pitied more than all men." ( 1 Corinthians 15. 14,19 ). Conversely, if Christ did rise from the dead, what He said and did is of vital importance to everyone who has ever been born onto this planet. So why do we believe that Jesus really did rise? There are three main reasons.

1. The disappearance of His body.

It is generally acknowledged that after Jesus was crucified and buried, His body disappeared. Three theories have been proposed by doubters to try and explain this.

A. Jesus didn't really die on the cross.

It is suggested that Jesus only fainted and later recovered in the tomb. However, this theory fails to explain how the experienced Roman soldiers at the cross became convinced that Jesus was dead, or how, after such a horrendous beating, Jesus became strong enough to roll away the stone sealing His tomb, and walk out unnoticed by the guards.

B. Jesus' enemies stole His body.

If this were true then, when the disciples later claimed that Jesus had risen from the dead, they would have easily been able to stop such talk by producing the dead body. This they were unable to do.

C. Jesus' disciples stole His body.

This theory fails to explain why the disciples would later risk their lives (by proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead) for something they knew to be a lie.

Such theories do not fit the facts or satisfy human reason. The only feasible explanation is that He rose!

2. The reappearances of Jesus.

The Bible records that after His death, Jesus appeared to more than 500 people on at least eleven occasions in a number of different places over a period of six weeks. These appearances were not hallucinations - for these arise from wishful thinking. In fact the disciples were at first sceptical. After the crucifixion of their leader, they were completely disillusioned and defeated. The last thing they expected to see was Jesus alive again.

3. The change in the Disciples.

This, and the consequent emergence of the church, is regarded as the most convincing evidence of the resurrection of Jesus. Shortly after the crucifixion, something happened to the disciples to change their disillusionment, defeat and fear to courage and conviction. From hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews, these early disciples suddenly began to risk their lives by going out to preach the Gospel to a hostile world. Only the resurrection of Jesus could explain this turn around.

People will always argue over the resurrection of Jesus, but the Bible says "Without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11.6). The only way anyone can discover for themselves whether Jesus really did rise and is alive today is to personally turn from their sins and put their trust in Him. Then they will "know" that Jesus is still very much alive!

Kidzone - March 07.

2007-03-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Story - Wesley Steelberg.

Almost 100 years ago young Wesley Steelberg was on his own in the basement of his house doing his weekly chore - cleaning it up. It was a job he didn't really like, but he knew he had to be obedient to whatever his parents asked him to do. Suddenly Wesley heard someone calling his name "Wesley, Wesley." "That's my Dad" thought Wesley "He's the only other person in the house right now." Ascending from the basement, Wesley approached his dad. "Yes dad, what do you want?" His dad replied "What do you mean, what do I want?" "You called me." responded Wesley. "I most certainly did not " replied his dad, "Now get back down to the basement and finish your chore."

Feeling rather puzzled, Wesley returned to the basement "I'm sure someone called my name, but if it wasn't my dad, who could it be?" thought Wesley. Wesley had hardly started work again when he heard the voice a second time "Wesley, Wesley." "That's definitely my dad this time" thought Wesley as he came up from the basement again. "Yes dad, you definitely called me this time" said Wesley as he approached his dad. Wesley's dad began to look rather angry. "I did not call you" he retorted "If this is some trick of yours to get out of cleaning the basement, it's not going to work. Now get back down those stairs and finish your job."

Back in the basement, Wesley was beginning to feel a little scared. If his dad hadn't been calling out his name, who could it have been? "Wesley, Wesley" came the voice for the third time. A rather frightened Wesley ran up the basement stairs, three at a time! "You've been kidding me" said Wesley as he came up to his dad. "Please tell me you're having a joke with me. You've been calling out my name, and then pretending it wasn't you?"

Wesley's dad was just about to send his son back to the basement when he suddenly remembered a story that he'd read in the Bible about a little boy called Samuel who was about the same age as Wesley. Samuel worked in God's temple for the High Priest, Eli. One night while in his bed Samuel heard someone calling his name. He thought it must be Eli, but Eli said that it wasn't and sent Samuel back to his bed. Twice more, Samuel heard his name being called. On the third occasion, Eli worked out what must be happening. If he wasn't calling Samuel, it must be God! So Eli told Samuel to go back to his bed, but if he heard his name being called again to say "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." That is what happened, and God did speak to Samuel in an audible voice - and told him lots of things that were going to happen to Eli's family.

Wesley's dad thought "If God could speak to Samuel in an audible voice, perhaps He also wanted to speak to Wesley in the same way." Thus Wesley was instructed to return to the basement, but if he heard his name being called again to say "Yes God, what do you want?"

A fourth time Wesley heard his name being called "Yes God, what do you want" he replied. And God did speak to him. He said "I want you to go to your next door neighbour and tell him that I love him and sent my Son, Jesus to die for his sins." Wow! Not only was God speaking to him, He was actually giving him a job to do - and there is nothing more important than being used by God. There was only one problem. Wesley didn't really like his next door neighbour, because he was a bit of a 'grumpy' man. However Wesley reasoned that if God was telling him to go to the man, it must be important, so he was obedient.

Wesley knocked on his neighbour's door, and asked to see the man. However, he was told that he couldn't do so because the man was very sick. In fact, he was not expected to live for much longer. Wesley pleaded to be allowed to see his neighbour, and eventually was allowed into his bedroom to deliver God's message. "God has sent me to tell you that He loves you, and sent his Son, Jesus to die for your sins." On hearing the message, the sick man immediately burst into tears.

As it turned out, that man had lived all his life as though God didn't exist. He just lived a very self-centred life. In fact, he wasn't even sure if God was real. But when he got sick and realised that he was dying, he became very worried because he didn't know what would happen to him after he died. So that very day he had prayed for probably one of the first times ever. His prayer was "God, if you are real, if you really exist, send someone to tell me about you." And God heard and answered his prayer. God didn't send a famous preacher to the man, or even the local Pastor. He sent the little boy from next door!

That night the sick man repented of his sins and gave his life to Jesus. Shortly afterwards he died, and we believe he went straight to heaven, not because he had led a good life, but because, in the end, he had put his trust in Jesus.

When Wesley Steelberg grew up, he became quite a famous preacher, and used to speak to thousands of people about Jesus in his meetings. But God first began to speak to and use Wesley while he was still a young boy. This reminds us that you don't have to be old (or clever, or rich) to be used by God. You only have to be one thing - Obedient, just like Wesley.

Conclusion. God can speak to us in many different ways, the most common one being through His Word, the Bible. But the way He choses to speak to us is not important. The important thing is: Will we be like Wesley and be obedient to what God says?

Illusion - WOW / MOM.

All you need for this illustration is a square piece of cardboard - ideally about 30 cm x 30 cm. On one side of the cardboard write the word "MOM" (The American for Mum) in large letters. On the other side of the cardboard, again write the word "MOM" in large letters, but this time from bottom to top.
Hold the cardboard in front of yourself, with your left hand grasping the top left hand corner, and your right hand grasping the bottom right hand corner. Practice twisting the card over. The secret is to keep your hands still, and let the card make all the movements. Now, change your hand positions. Grasp the bottom left hand corner with your left hand, and the top right hand corner with your right hand. Twist the card over a few times as before. You will note that - depending on where your hands are placed - you can make the word "MOM" appear to either read the same on both sides of the cardboard, or to keep changing to the word "WOW" as the card is twisted.
With a little practice, you will be ready to try this out on your mom (mum). Turn the card in the appropriate way as you say "MOM, whenever I think of you MOM, I have to say WOW, MOM, WOW, MOM. You're so good to me MOM, that I have to say WOW, WOW, WOW, all the time MOM.
Alternative.
On one side of the cardboard draw a large horizontal arrow. On the other side of the cardboard draw a large vertical arrow.
You are now ready to illustrate any story which involves a change of direction (or repentance), e.g. Jonah, Zacchaeus or Saul. I often use this method to share my testimony as follows, changing the direction of the arrow at the appropriate places:-
Once I always went my own way ( <- ) and did my own thing ( <- ) . Nobody, not even God could get me to change my direction ( <- ). But then I heard the good news about Jesus Christ. He said to me what He says to us all - "Instead of going your way ( <- ), you need to turn round and start going My way ( -> ). Instead of living a life centred around yourself ( <- ), you need to centre your life around Me ( -> )." For a little while, I wasn’t sure what to do. Whether to continue going my way ( <- ), or to turn around and start going Jesus' way ( -> ). But then I decided that the best thing I could do was to turn and start going Jesus' way ( -> ), because I saw that His way was the best way ( -> ). For the last 20 years I have been going His way ( -> ), His way ( -> ), His way ( -> ) all the time.
Having tried out your square piece of cardboard a few times, you may wish to try out your story with an Octagon (eight sides). This is essentially the same as for the square, but it has the advantage that - by grasping the shape at two opposite corners - you are also able to make the arrow point vertically upwards or downwards.( With a little practice, you should soon become proficient ).You could then conclude your story as follows :-
Going Jesus' way (-> ) is the best way, because His way ( -> ) leads you Upwards towards God. His way ( -> ) leads you Upwards. But does your way ( <- ) lead you towards God ? No, your way ( <- ) leads you Downwards away from God. So the best thing you can do is to go His way ( -> ), His way ( -> ), His way (-> ) all the time.

Challenge. How tall was the giant, Goliath? If you email the correct answer to mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz , I will send you details of how to do a special illusion.

Laugh break - Body challenges.
Here are some fun challenges for you and your friends to attempt. Some are fairly easy, but others are very hard. You will need to look in a mirror to check whether you can do some of these, or you can get a friend to check you out. Remember - No cheating! I am told that one of these challenges is impossible. See if you can work out which one. Who Knows? Perhaps you will become the first person ever to achieve this challenge.

1. Touch the tip of your nose with your tongue.
2. Balance on one leg for 10 sec., with your eyes closed, without wobbling.
3. Pat your head, rub your tummy and hop, all at the same time.
4. Touch your toes without bending your knees.
5. Wiggle your ears.
6. Wink an eye, without moving your mouth.
7. Lick your elbow.
8. Put your big toe in your mouth.
9. Pick up a pencil with your toes.
10. Twitch your nose.
11. Take a deep breath, then hold your breath for 1 minute.

Scores. I managed to achieve 4. (But I am probably a lot older than you). If you score 6 or 7, that is good. If you score 8, 9, or 10, that is excellent. If you score 11 -YOU MUST HAVE CHEATED!

Your Questions Answered.

Why is my brother / sister nasty to me?
(This is one of the questions I am asked most often.)

"Before I answer your question, can I ask you "How about you ? Are you nasty to your brother / sister ? It is very easy for us to see the faults in others, but very hard to see the faults in ourselves. Brothers and sisters are often nasty to each other, and to understand why, we have to go back to the garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, that brought sin into the world, and spoiled everything. We are all descendants of Adam and Eve and have been born with a selfish nature that wants its own way. Children soon realise that being selfish all the time often gets them in to trouble, so they learn to control their behaviour, especially when they are outside their home environment. However, without Jesus, their selfish nature is still there. When you live with the same persons day after day ( like brothers and sisters ), this selfishness is bound to show itself from time to time, often resulting in "nastiness" to each other.

If your brother or sister is really nasty to you, there are two important things you can do. Firstly, pray that they will hear and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and allow Him to begin to change their selfish nature. Secondly, whenever your brother / sister is nasty to you, then you be nice to them. The Bible tells us that we are to defeat evil, not with evil, but rather with good. (Romans 12.21).That can be a really hard thing to do, but if you persist in being nice to them, then usually they will start being nice to you !

Kidzone - February 07.

2007-03-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

Kidzone 2.

Story - A modern Prodigal.

You probably know the story which Jesus told of the prodigal (or lost) son. It can be found in Luke, chapter 15. Here is a very similar story, but one which happened only a few years ago.

A girl from Glasgow (I will call her Agnes - a good Scottish name!) was unhappy living at home under the rules of her parents. One day she informed her parents that she was leaving home and going to make her own way in the world. Her parents loved their daughter dearly and were very disappointed to hear of her decision. However they saw that Agnes was determined to leave, so didn't try to stop her.

Thus Agnes left her parental home to 'lead her own life', and severed all connections with her parents. She never went back to visit them, never wrote, never phoned and never even sent them a Christmas card. Agnes' parents had no idea where their daughter was or how well she was doing with her new found 'freedom', but they continued to love her and long for her return. The years passed, and the father died. The mother, however, continued to long for the return of her daughter.

Meantime, Agnes has made a series of bad choices. She had chosen the wrong friends, and soon found herself living a lifestyle of alcohol, drugs and gambling. After a number of years Agnes found herself completely destitute, with no job, home or money. Each evening she would go along to a 'soup kitchen' run by a Glasgow church for homeless people.

One evening Agnes happened to glance at the church notice board and saw a photograph of a little elderly lady. She thought "That lady looks rather like my old mother", so she went to have a closer look. To her amazement, it was a photograph of her mother, with a simple message underneath which read. "Agnes, please come home, I still love you." Agnes could hardly believe what she was reading "My mother still loves me and wants me to come home, despite how I have treated her" she thought. Suddenly, just like the lost son in the Bible story, Agnes realised what a fool she had been leaving home, cutting off all communications with her parents and making all those bad lifestyle choices. She determined that she had to go home and see her mum immediately.

It was late in the evening and the buses had stopped running, and of course Agnes couldn't afford a taxi. Thus Agnes walked quite a number of mile all the way back to her old home, arriving in the early hours of the morning. Her first instinct was to knock on the door, but then she thought "No, that might frighten my mum if she hears knocking on the door at this time of the night" Agnes then instinctively reached for the doorknob and turned it. To her amazement, the door swung open.

Agnes began to worry. "Why was the door unlocked at this time of the night? Perhaps burglars have got in? Perhaps something has happened to my mum?" Making her way quickly to the bedroom, Agnes found her mother asleep in her bed. Waking her up, Agnes announced "Mum, it's me, Agnes. I saw your note. I have come home."

Mother and daughter embraced, then Agnes asked "Mum, I thought something bad had happened to you. Why did you leave the front door unlocked?" Her mother replied "Agnes, I have never locked the front door since the day you left - just in case one night you decided to come home!"

Conclusion. No matter how far our wrong choices take us away from Father God, his door is always open to us.

Illusion.
Faith - A water experiment.
Faith is believing in something that you cannot see. Although we cannot see God (or Jesus) because He is a Spirit, we can still know that He is real (mainly by studying all the wonderful things He has made. - You cannot have a creation without a Creator). Something else we cannot see, but is real is the air. With this experiment, we will prove that the air in the room is real.
Pour water into a glass until it is almost full. Place a piece of cardboard, cut to slightly larger than the top of the glass, shiny side down, over the top. (An old breakfast cereal box is an ideal source of suitable cardboard). Hold the cardboard in place, and invert glass. Take away your hand from the cardboard. Explain that gravity is still at work trying to make the water fall on the floor, but that the air - which we cannot see - is stronger than gravity and is keeping the cardboard in place.
Tips. 1. It is best to practice this over the sink at first, until you are confident at doing it. 2. Before inverting the glass, hold the cardboard firmly in place with your second hand, then turn the glass upside-down quickly. If you see any bubbles at this stage, wait until they disappear before removing you hand from the cardboard. 3.Always ensure that your cardboard is flat. You will probably need to replace it after it has been used a few times.
Invite a few of your friends to put their faith in the air - which they cannot see- and walk under the glass. As they are doing so, remind them that they are using their faith - by trusting in something that they cannot see.
If you wish, you could conclude this illustration as follows.
State that you are now looking for someone with GREAT faith. Choose a volunteer. State that you are now going to hold the glass of water over their head as before and tip it upside down, but this time you are not going to use any cardboard! Say you wouldn't want them to get too wet if things went wrong, so you will pour some of the water out of the glass. Pour out water until about 2 or 3 cm. remains. State that you still don't like the idea of wetting their hair - if things did go wrong - so you will hold a cup between the glass and their hair. Pour the water out of the glass and into the cup. Act surprised that the water came out of the glass. State that you have worked out the problem. You weren't really using faith, because real faith in Jesus is trusting in Him alone. Therefore, real faith in the air is trusting in the air alone. Therefore you are now going to invert the cup (now containing the water ) over the volunteer's head, but with nothing in between. Do this. The water will not come out of the cup, because you had previously placed a SPONGE in the bottom!

Laugh Break.
A success 'funny'.
There once was a rich man who was near death. He was very grieved because he had worked so hard for his money and he wanted to be able to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him.An angel hears his plea and appears to him, "Sorry, but you can't take your wealth with you."The man implores the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules.The man continues to pray that his wealth could follow him. The angel reappears and informs the man that God has decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathers his largest suitcase and fills it with pure gold bars and places it beside his bed.Soon afterward the man dies and shows up at the Gates of Heaven to greet St. Peter. Seeing the suitcase Peter says, "Hold on, you can't bring that in here!"But the man explains to him that he has permission and asks him to verify his story with the Lord. Sure enough,. Peter checks and comes back saying, "You're right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I'm supposed to check its contents before letting it through."Peter opens the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, "You brought pavement?!?!"
Note. If any of you are still wondering about that - the Bible tells us that the streets of heaven are paved with gold.

Your Questions Answered.
Is there life elsewhere in the Universe?
Surveys in a number of countries indicate that the majority of people believe that there is other life in the Universe, apart from on earth.
We now know that the Universe is absolutely enormous, with countless billions and billions of stars (our sun is a star). People reason that because there are so many stars, there are probably billions and billions of planets associated with them. And the chances are that millions and millions of these planets will be similar to earth, and therefore capable of sustaining life.
Unfortunately, some people believe that life can form itself by chance processes, and if it has happened on earth - then why not on other planets as well? However life CANNOT form itself. A creation needs a Creator. A design needs a Designer. The only One who can create life is God.
So the question we should really be asking is "Has God created life on other planets?"
The only Person who knows everything about everything is God. And God has written us a book called the Bible, which tells us everything we really need to know about life. Therefore the first place we should go to find out if something is true or not is the Bible. Unfortunately, the Bible doesn't say if there is life somewhere other than on earth, so we cannot know for sure. However, by studying the Bible, it does seem that life (certainly intelligent life) outside of the earth is extremely unlikely.
The Bible makes it clear that our earth (small as it may be) is THE most important place in the Universe. It was on earth that God created the first man, Adam. It was here that Adam sinned and brought God's curse on "the whole of creation." thus bringing it into "bondage to decay" (see Romans 8. 21). If there were extraterrestrials (ET's) on other planets, it would hardly be fair that their world was adversely affected because of Adam's sin here on earth!
It was on our earth that God's Son, Jesus Christ, died for our sins "once for all" and redeemed (bought back) the "whole of creation" to Himself. If Jesus died on earth "once for all", that seems to exclude the possibility of Him then going off to other planets to die all over again!
And it will be to here on earth that Jesus will one day return for those of us who are trusting in him. The Bible talks about us (the Church) becoming "the Bride of Christ". And I can't imagine Jesus having more than one bride!
Although we cannot therefore know for certain that there is not life elsewhere in the Universe, if it does exist, we can know three things about it :-
1. It is younger than life on earth, because God didn't create the sun, moon, stars, and consequently any planets that may be associated with them, until Day 4 of the Creation week, whereas He made the earth on Day 1.
2. There is no need to be worried that the earth may be invaded by ET's who are able to take control because they are more advanced and/or intelligent than we are. No. Any other life forms, if they exist at all, cannot be superior to us, because we humans are made in God's image - and you can't get better than the best!
3. It is not important to us on earth. God tells us in the Bible everything that is really important for our lives. Therefore, as it doesn't mention life outside of earth, it cannot be important to us, if it exists at all. If it were important, the Bible would have mentioned it.
Note. If you have a question that you would like answered, email it to me on mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz

Kidzone - January 07

2007-03-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

Kidzone - January - 07.

Story - A soldier gives up his life for his friends. During World war ll, some British soldiers were taken captive by theJapanese, and made to work very hard building a railway track through thejungle in Burma.One day, the Japanese guards discovered that an axe was missing from thestoreroom. Naturally, they thought that one of the British soldiers musthave stolen it. The camp Commander lined all the British soldiers up, andasked for the man who had stolen the axe to step forward, because they weregoing to take him away and shoot him. Nobody moved."Very well" the Commander said. "I will give you one last chance. If thesoldier who stole the axe doesn't step forward right now, I will choose onesoldier at random and shoot him instead. Then, if the guilty soldier stilldoesn't own up, I will keep on shooting other men until he does so. Will thesoldier who stole the axe step forward now." A soldier took one stepforward. He was taken away and shot.Sometime later, the guards checked on the storeroom again. To their surprisethey found that all the axes were present! They had made a mistake the firsttime they had counted. Nobody had stolen an axe.That British soldier had not stolen an axe. In fact, he had done nothingwrong. What he did do was give up his life so that his friends might live.What do you think the other British soldiers thought of their friend whenthey found out he had given his life that they might live? If, in someway, they could have communicated with him, what do you think they wouldhave said? I think they would have said something like this. "Words cannotexpress how grateful I am to you. You gave your life for me. Now I am goingto give my life over to you. Wherever you want me to go, I will go. Whateveryou want me to do, I will do." I think that would have been the naturalresponse.What a wonderful act it was for that soldier to give up his life for hisfriends. But do you know that Jesus gave up his life for you BEFORE you wereHis friends (Romans 5.8). What is your response to Jesus? Do you say "sowhat" or " who cares." I know what my response was. As soon as I realisedthat Jesus had died for me, I said to him " Words cannot express howgrateful I am to you. You gave your life for me. Now I am going to give mylife over to you. Wherever you want me to go, I will go. Whatever you want meto do I will do."

Illusion.

Passing a pencil through a handkerchief.

Effect. Place a square handkerchief (linen or paper) in a "diamond" shape on a flat surface. Lay a pencil across the centre of the handkerchief. Bring the bottom corner of the handkerchief up to the top, but ensure that it slightly overlaps. The pencil will now, of course, be covered. Place a hand on the pencil through the handkerchief, and tightly roll it up until the lower corner flips over. Unroll the handkerchief, and you will see that the pencil is now on the top. i.e. it appears to have penetrated the handkerchief from inside to outside. Try it out. It is much simpler than it sounds!

Explanation. By rolling up the handkerchief until one corner 'flips over', you are actually turning it inside out, and thus bringing the pencil from the inside to the outside. The critical part is ensuring that only one corner flips over. If both ( or no) corners are flipped, the pencil will remain on the inside.

Application. This illustration can be used to illustrate that obedience brings success.

Example. Once you have practiced this a few times, you can try it out on your friends. Say "If you obey me, you will be able to pass this pencil from the inside to the outside of this handkerchief. What I want you to do is roll it up tightly, tap it three times with your finger, unroll it, and the pencil will have passed through the material - you will be successful. Wait a minute! First let us see what will happen if you are disobedient, and you tap the pencil four times? (Ensure that the rolling stops just before the flip over). Oh dear. You were unsuccessful because you were disobedient! This time you can be obedient (Ensure the bottom corner flips over). Wonderful. Your obedience has brought success!"

You may wish to get a few more volunteers to try it out. All you need to remember is that you control the flip overs, depending on whether you want the person to be successful or not. It is very rare for any volunteer or spectator to notice the differences in the three ways you can roll up the handkerchief - i.e. no, one, or two flip overs.

Laugh Break.

Advice for kids.

1.Never trust a dog to watch your food.
2. When your dad is mad and asks "Do I look stupid?" Don't answer him.
3. Never tell your mum her diet isn't working.
4. When your mum is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair.
5.Never let your little brother in the same room as your homework papers.
6. You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
7. Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick.
8. Don't pick on your sister while she is holding her hockey stick.
9. When you get a bad mark at school, always show it to your mum while she is on the phone.
10. Never try to baptise a cat.
11. When feeding seagulls, always remember to wear your hat.

Your Questions Answered.

Who made God?
(This is the question I am asked most of all).

"If I told you the answer to that, I know what your next question would be. You would say "Who made the person who made God ?" Then, if I told you that , you would ask "Who made the person who made the person who made God ?" Then, if I told you that, you would ask "Who made the person who made the person who made the person who made God ?" etc. etc.

No, the answer is NOBODY made God. God is eternal. That means He has no beginning or end. He has always existed. In fact, there was a time when there was no matter (solid things), no space, and no time, only God Himself. Then God spoke and by His power brought everything in the Universe into existence. The exciting thing is that although we have a beginning, God has made each one of us eternal as well. That means the "real you" - your Soul and Spirit will never die.

I know this is hard for us to understand, because we are used to living in time, with beginnings and endings. But let us consider the alternative. If there is no God (or Creator), that means that everything in the Universe must have created itself - beginning with nothing. Our common sense tells us that nothing can make itself - it has to have a maker or creator. That is why most people in the world believe in a Creator (God). It requires far,far too much faith to believe that everything made itself out of nothing. It is far easier to believe that there always has been a loving God who created everything.

Note. If you have a question that you would like answered, email it to me on mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz