I once saw a saying that really spoke to me: “Be like Jesus; rebuke the storm, and if it persists, walk on it.” How many times have storms taken control of our lives?
Flame: God as our Anchor Craft and Prayer Activity
July 7, 2020 by
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!
Connections 01.20.2019: The Best Is Yet to Come
January 13, 2019 by
“Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now” (v. 10). That’s what the steward of the wedding feast, who has just tasted the water that Jesus turned into wine, says to the bridegroom.
Connections 04.15.2018: The Source
April 8, 2018 by
The Flint River flows not far from where I live in Central Georgia. Its headwaters are in Hapeville, Georgia. The river begins as groundwater seepage that goes into a concrete culvert and then under the runways at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Fifty miles or so later the water from several creeks has joined with that seepage to form the beautiful Flint.
Connections 08.13.2017: To Be Bold…
August 6, 2017 by
Surrounded by adoring, needy crowds, Jesus is bold enough to tell them enough is enough; it’s time for them to go home and move forward with their lives. He needs to recharge on his own with the Lord. I love many things about this brief story.
Formations 07.30.2017: Life-giving Water
July 23, 2017 by
In the previous lesson, Judah’s restoration was described using the metaphor of the life-giving breath of God. Here, it is described as a river of water that flows from God’s presence. Where before, God’s presence had departed because of the people’s sins, now God has returned to a rebuilt temple with life-giving power.
Connections 01.08.2017: Going Under
January 1, 2017 by
I was watching a made-for-television film about Jesus. In its depiction of Jesus’ baptism, he joined John in the Jordan River. As they stood in the river, which came up to their waists, John poured water over Jesus’ head.
Connections 01.24.2016: A Wedding in Cana
January 17, 2016 by
Jesus didn’t make it a regular practice, so far as we know, to protect people from party disasters. Still, John viewed this miracle as so important that he put it right up front in his story of Jesus and went out of his way to point out that it was Jesus’ first miracle.
Uniform 03.03.2015: Baptized by the Spirit
February 22, 2015 by
Do you have a baptism story? I do. I was ten, and I remember facing my baptism with a mixture of excitement and dread.
Uniform 12.28.2014: Faith for the Unexpected
December 21, 2014 by
One of my favorite movies to watch at Christmas is The Bishop’s Wife. In it, a frazzled bishop, played by David Niven, prays for God’s guidance as he struggles to raise funds for a new cathedral and maintain a healthy relationship with his wife (Loretta Young).
Uniform 11.16.2014: The Presence and Character of God
November 9, 2014 by
Water covers 71 percent of the surface of the Earth. Without it, life here is impossible. It’s fitting, then, that God gives Ezekiel an image of water to help him understand the far-reaching presence and the dynamic character of God.