The Weight of Pain

Why does pain almost always seem to weigh more, to have more substance, to impact us more powerfully, than joy? For many people, the moments that have been most life-changing have been, not the moments of joy, but the moments of pain.

Flame: Esther’s Strengthened Heart

Esther showed great love for her people and for her uncle Mordecai, but she also showed that she had a great deal of courage in her heart. Ask the children to think about times when they have needed to show love to others or needed to be brave so they could help others.

Formations 10.23.2022: I Am Strong

This week’s passage includes one of my “favorite” mistranslated Greek words. And by favorite, I mean I hate it, because the correct translation is actually far more comforting.

Flame: Strength in Christ Yarn Craft

This craft is very messy, requires some patience and is very effective for exploring the idea of Jesus giving us the strength we need (e.g when looking at verses such as Philippians 4:13).

Flame: God as our Anchor Craft and Prayer Activity

Here is a prayer activity that older children could do independently to help them think about trusting in God for their strength. It could be used especially if you were exploring stories that involve the sea or storms!

Crossroads: Praise the Lord!

Our youth group had a saying that we used to end our meetings each week: “God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!” Good is good all of the time.

Formations 11.01.2015: Fragile Things

Think about strong, permanent things. What are they made of? How big are they? I think of stone structures that stand for centuries. When we want to build something that lasts forever, we consider materials even stronger than stone and wood.

Crossroads: Deborah – Human Strength vs. God’s Strength

I’ve never been the strongest person in the room. There are many things that I simply cannot pick up. So as frustrating as it may be, I’ve learned not to rely on my own physical strength. But relying on God for other types of strength isn’t as easy.