Author: Patti Loranger

Patti Loranger is a Canadian author, cartoonist and songwriter. She is currently writing children's church curriculum covering the main stories and teachings of the bible. She is also cartooning the bible and those stories can be viewed and purchased at www.cartoonbibleseries.com
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Game Object Game

Object Game

The game leader will name an item that a child might have in their possession, i.e. a certain colour of sock, a shoe lace, a hair ribbon, a watch, a necklace, a running shoe, even a hair (kids are so enthusiastic they pull some hairs out of their head and laugh about it!)  .  If the group is small you might have a race and the first child who brings you that item, wins that round.  If the group is bigger, each team should have an appointed runner who brings the item up.  Recite memory verse between each round.  Award points for each item.  For a real humourous twist, that the kids really get into, ask for a nice crusty booger (green nose mucus).

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

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Game Shoe Scramble

Game SHOE SCRAMBLE

Props required:    Bring a dozen or more pairs of shoes from your home.

Choose 6 or 8 children.   Put all the shoes that you brought in a pile in the front centre of the room.   Tell the children that are picked to remove their shoes and add their shoes to the pile.   Mix up the pile of shoes. Line the children up at the back of the room.   Have everyone say the memory verse, then say “1, 2, 3, go!”  All the children run to the pile and pull out their shoes.   Then they run back to the start line.  The last 1 or 2 people are eliminated from the game, but are awarded with a small prize or a ticket for participating.   The remaining children go back and throw their shoes on the pile again.  Someone scrambles the shoe pile, and the race is run again.   Children are eliminated each round until there are only 2 children left.   The winner is the last person left in the game.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

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Compassion

Compassion

 

1 John 3:17 But whoever has this world’s stuff, and seeing his brother in need, shuts up his heart of compassion from him, how does the love of live God in him?

 

We should be moved with compassion to help those in need.  God is full of compassion and his people for the most part are also full of compassion.   Christians are usually one of the first to respond with help for disasters, poverty and famine.  The closer to Jesus we are, the more filled with concern we become for others.    Also, much as we don’t like it, our own personal pain in life can also become a source of empathy for others.  It is my hope that this lesson inspires kids to begin to see the hurting people in their spheres of influence.  They should be reminded that not all pain is physical.   There is much emotional and mental pain in our world today and kind words can help so much.

 

What is compassion?

(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) Compassion:  To have the bowels yearn, to feel sympathy or pity, inward affection, tender mercy.

 

Compassion is love in action.

God loved humanity so much that he gave his only begotten Son.  Jesus was moved with compassion and he healed.  Jesus saw the people as scattered sheep.   He gathered them together and taught them God’s word.  Jesus gave money to the poor. (John 12:5-6, John 13:29)

 

Ways to show compassion.

Giving stuff to those in need.   These could be things like money, clothing, food, a place to live etc.  (meeting peoples’ physical needs)  Giving your time to visit.   Many people are lonely.  Giving your time to pray.  Some problems only God can solve.   It means so much to know that someone is praying for you.  Stepping out in faith and praying for the people while they are with you.

 

The best motivation to do good, is compassion.

When you do something to help, just because you love people, your motives are pure.  Never give grudgingly or out of necessity.   God loves a cheerful giver.  Never give to impress others.   God is not impressed.  Never give out of guilt.   There is no joy in it then.

 

Who needs compassion?

  1. The Poor. “The poor will always be among us,” Jesus said.  
  2. The fatherless.

3.       The Widows

  1. The Sick
  2. The Prisoners
  3. The broken-hearted and persecuted. Some kids get picked on a lot by bullies.  If you are a popular kid, you could show true compassion and befriend kids who don’t have friends.

 

We are called to be salt and light in the world.

Pure religion (true faith) takes care of people in need.In Bible days widows and orphans were the most needy people.  (James 1:27)  Ezekial 16:49   One of the great sins of Sodom was that they did not take care of the poor people.  (Remind the kids of what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.)  If you really know God you will take care of the poor.  Jeremiah 22:16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy and so all went well.  Is that not what it means to know me? declares the Lord.  (NIV)  1 John 3:17-18  If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  Dear children let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.  The Good Samaritan was more godly than the religious people of his day because he took care of a needy person.   The religious people just passed by and left him there.  Sometimes people even get too busy doing church stuff that they pass by needy and lonely people who live near them.

 

Scriptures to Study:  Zechariah 7:10, John 12:8, Deuteronomy 15:10-11,

Luke 3:11, Matthew 25:31-46

 

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Christ is the Foundation

Christ is the Foundation

“A happy home is more than a roof over your head, it is a foundation under your feet.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

This saying I believe, also goes for your church home.

Churches are meant to be nurturing places, encouraging the discouraged, equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry.  Most times this is the case, but there are times when churches go through great troubles.   Some are financial troubles, leadership who fall into sin, control situations etc.

In my years as a children’s minister, I have seen young people go through traumatic times in their relationship with the church because their parents have gone through traumatic times with the church.   Maybe they hear lots of “pastor stew” at home.  Remind the kids that people are not perfect and if we put our eyes on people, we will be disappointed.  But ,Jesus never changes and his word never changes.  He never disappoints.

I have noticed that when churches run into troubles there are some people who fall by the wayside. But, those whose foundation was firmly on Christ and his teaching, rebound with wisdom and vigor.

We want the kids in our children’s church to be rebounders.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

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Game Labyrinth

Game – Labyrinth

 

This is a really fun game if you have a room with enough space to play.

Divide class into two teams.  One team spreads out evenly unto the floor area.  The other team lines up against the wall.  This team gets to be the runners first.

 

One at a time each player from the team against the wall, leaves the wall and has to try to last 20 seconds running around in between the players out on the floor area.  The kids on the floor area throw a soft ball to each other and try to hit the runner with the ball.  If the runner lasts for 20 seconds without being hit then he/she has earned their team a point.

 

After each player on the running team has had a chance to run, then the teams are reversed and the runners become the players on the floor area.  The other team lines up against the wall and becomes the runners.

 

Team with most points at the end wins.

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Excuses

Excuses

 Isaiah 1:19  If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. (KJV)

 When we procrastinate doing God’s will and give him excuses we move off His plan for our lives.  All of us have things we don’t like to do.  We may put them off for a while, but always they need to be done and there is a great sense of relief once they are accomplished.  Not everything God wants us to do is easy on our flesh.

 What are excuses?

Websters Dictionary definition:  Excuse – The reason offered or pretext (a reason put forward to conceal the real one).

 

What does it mean to procrastinate:

Websters Dictionary definition:  Procrastinate – to put off action, to delay, putting off to a future time

 

Why do people procrastinate or make excuses?

To avoid hardship or inconvenience.  Sometimes God wants us to change and change can be hard.  To conceal the truth

 

Why is it futile to make excuses to God?

He knows all things.  He knows the truth.  He will give us the ability to do anything he requires of us. You might get away with excuses that you use on parents and teachers, but you won’t with God.

 

What are the results of procrastination and excuses?

You won’t accomplish God’s Will for your life.  Don’t waste time.  Time is precious.  Once it is spent you cannot make more time or get that time back.  Be productive with your time.  Each part of our life is important for the end result.  There are very important things to do when you are a kid.  Some of these things are hard to start when you are old and married and have big responsibilities.  Examples:   undistracted prayer time, physical fitness, music lessons etc.  Some people put off receiving the Lord, thinking they’ll do it when they are older.  This is dangerous.  What if a person dies before they receive the Lord?  You develop a sense of shame.  When you know you are supposed to be doing something and you are refusing, you are walking in disobedience.James 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.  Sin brings a sense of shame.  Your confidence and self-esteem suffer.  You begin to see yourself as a failure.  When you rise to the occasion and meet each challenge in your life, your confidence in yourself and in God increases.  You develop bad habits.  Example:  If you put off doing hard things like cleaning up your room and you watch TV instead, you’ll soon become comfortable living in filth.  This could cause big problems when you are older and want to get married.  This kind of stuff could cause lots of spats.  Not everyone wants to live in a mess.  You won’t be able to find things when you need them.  You end up getting stressed out for no good reason.

 

If you put off studying and barely squeak by on tests, you’ll get used to living below your best.  This is a bad habit for the future when you want to get a good job.  Give 100% of yourself to everything you do.  You miss out on the blessing God had planned for you.

 

We can have a complete change of attitude.

Moses became zealous for the very thing he tried to avoid.  Moses’ excuse for not wanting to obey God’s call was that he talked slow.  Perhaps he had a stutter or speech impediment. At least he was honest with God.  We should be honest with God and with ourselves.  God made provisions for him to ease his fears.  God promised to be with his mouth – to give him the words and help him.  God brought Aaron to him and told him Aaron could do the talking for him.  If we be truthful and tell God the real reason we don’t want to do something, God may have a way to make it easier for us.   Moses reluctantly agreed to obey.  As Moses became involved in God’s purpose, he seemed to lose his fear of speaking before people.  By the end of his life, he was giving long orations before the people.  He didn’t need Aaron to do his talking for him.  He went from reluctance to whole-hearted obedience and service to God for the people of Israel.  His father in law told him to spread the work around as Moses was carrying too much of the load.  If we obey even though we are reluctant, we will most likely find that the things we dreaded weren’t so bad after all.  We may become zealous to do the thing we didn’t want to do at first.

 

Scriptures to Study:       Luke 13:6-9, Luke 14:7-24, Exodus 3 & 4

 

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Conscience – A Gift from God

Conscience – A Gift from God

“The most painful wound in the world is the stab on conscience.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

Our conscience is a gift from God, the first way to tell us right from wrong.  It is meant to keep us living the “good life”.

Encourage the kids to never ignore their conscience.  It is their first defense against evil and it is there to protect.  The bible says that when people’s consciences become seared, and past feeling, they become capable of doing great evil.  This in turn leads to judgment and destruction.

Keeping a tender heart starts with heeding the voice of your conscience.  Remind the kids constantly that there is forgiveness with God when we confess our sins.

If our lives were a castle, our conscience is definitely the moat.

Dictionary Definition

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Game Knee Relays

Game – KNEE RELAYS

Play this as a team knee relay game.   The first player from each team puts a book between his knees and rushes off around the room (one clockwise, one counterclockwise).  A dropped book means going back to the start.   Hands may be used only during a changeover from one player to another within a team. The team that finishes first wins.  Recite the memory verse before and between each round.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

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Honour Your Father and Mother

Honour Your Father and Mother

 

Exodus 20:12  Honour your father and your mother.   Then you will live a long time in the land.

 

There are several people to whom the bible commands us to pay proper honour and respect.  Some of them receive this honour because of what they do, and others must be honoured because of who they are.   Parents fall into the second category.  Children must be taught that it is not a choice.   They must honour their parents if they want God’s blessing upon their lives.

 

Honour is deeper than just obedience.

Honour is deep deep respect.  Children are commanded to obey their parents in the Lord.  When we are adults we no longer have to obey our parents but we do still have to honour them (highly esteem them).  Some people have parents who do not follow the Lord.   Some parents are even mean and do bad things to their children.  Although it may be hard, God promises to bless those who honour their parents.  Don’t answer back your parents in a nasty way, even if they are being nasty to you.

 

There are promises attached to honouring our parents.

We will live a long time in the land.  It shall be well with us.

 

Not honouring your parents will stunt your spiritual and social growth.

When Jesus was 12 years old he was doing what he should be doing, studying God’s word in the temple, when his mother burst in and rebuked him for making them worry about him.  (They didn’t know where he was.)  Jesus went home and submitted to his parents.  Jesus grew in wisdom and stature with God and man.  God respects those who honour their parents.  People respect those who honour their parents.  People who don’t take care of their family members are looked down on in society.

 

If we don’t take care of our families we are worse than unbelievers.

Our parents took care of us when we were young, we should make sure they are taken care of when they get old.  The church should not be taking care of old people if they have Christian children to take care of them.  Some people in Jesus day were trying to get out of honouring their parents by saying that anything that may have been used to help their parents, was dedicated to the temple.   Jesus disapproved of what they were doing.  Give to God what belongs to God and give to your parents what should be given to them.

 

When you honour someone you never say anything bad about them.

Some kids say they hate their parents.  Some kids call their parents bad names.

 

Our parents are a gift from God. 

Enjoy them while you have them.  Parents don’t live forever on this earth.  Pray for them.   You can win them to the Lord by your lifestyle.   They are watching you and when they see how much you have changed, it may cause them to come to the Lord too.

 

Scriptures to Study:  Exodus 20:12, Luke 2:41-52, Mark 7:11, 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Timothy 5:16, Ephesians 6:1

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Making the Most of Mistakes

Making the Most of Mistakes

“Mistakes are the accidents of activity and the risks you take to get something done.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

In another blog on creativity I share about how many times I had to re-do the pictures I was drawing in order to cartoon the bible.  As humans we gain satisfaction from our accomplishments, no matter how small they are.  This is a good thing, but it is also a good thing that we are pressing on towards perfection, even though few of us will ever reach perfection on this side of Heaven.

The act of pressing towards perfection though causes us to achieve greater things.  After redrawing all of my earliest cartoons several times, I can look back to my early work and see all of my mistakes.  I don’t look at those mistakes and criticize myself.  I just acknowledge that that is where I was at on the journey.

Encourage the kids to see themselves as “masterpieces” “works of art” in progress.  As long as they never stop pressing on towards perfection they can be satisfied with all of their accomplishments.  When you are pressing on, mistakes are never really mistakes.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

 

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Game Hot Stinky Sneaker

Game – HOT STINKY SNEAKER

This game is similar to “hot potato”.    Have the children form a line across the front of the class.   Pick a child wearing running shoes and ask for one of their shoes.  When the music starts the children pass the running shoe down the line and back again until the music stops.   When the music stops, the child who is at that moment holding the shoe becomes eliminated from the game.   Music starts again and a child is eliminated each time until there remains only one child left – the winner.  Remember to have the children recite the memory verse between each round of play.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

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Kingdom of God Ways

Kingdom of God Ways

 

Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

 

Kingdom of God ways are higher and better than earthly ways.  

Kingdom of God people live by a higher standard. The sermon on the mount covers a lot of things, but the thread that weaves through every verse is that believers in Jesus should be different than the world.  Our differences aren’t necessarily outward in the way we dress, but in the inward man of the heart.  The spirit of God in us will help us to forgive and bless our enemies, go the extra mile and be joyful in hardships.

  

Jesus’ kingdom is a different kind of kingdom than the kingdoms of this world.

 

God’s ways are higher than our ways.  God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts.  In order for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done as Jesus told us to pray, we need to start thinking like God does.

 

God’s Kingdom has higher standards.

Under the old covenant (The Law of Moses) many things were permitted because of the hardness of people’s hearts.  It was never God’s best.   Examples are

  1. Divorce
  2. Retribution and vengeance (eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth)

In order to live by these higher standards that Jesus talked about, we need to have new, soft hearts.  When we ask Jesus to come into our heart, he makes our heart new and it is soft towards the things of God. With Jesus in our heart we are able to do these commands.   Jesus would not tell us to do something we could not do.

 

Human Nature

Human nature is self-centered, and when we are hurt our natural response is to hurt back.  Human nature is very often greedy.  We should not react with our human nature, but respond with our new born again nature (the nature of Christ).  Remember Christ asked Father God to forgive the people who were crucifying him.

  

We need to be filled with God’s Word and Spirit.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind by the Word of God.  By meditating on the bible you will begin to think like God.  You will know how Jesus would act in your situation.  By God’s precious promises we partake of the divine nature. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

 

Scriptures to Study:       Isaiah 55:7-9, Romans 12:2,