The journeys of Abram

My new curricula is still making me happy at church.  It's got good visuals and puzzles and games that can keep a kid's attention.  It's called "On the Way" and published by Christian Focus.  To prepare, I drew pictures of Abram's family.  Keep in mind, God gave me many talents like singing, teaching, but drawing is not one of them.  I consider myself an abstract artist.  So, without further ado, here's Tereh:

Nahor and his wife Milcah

Abram and Sarai

Haran

Haran's son, Lot.

For my teen, she's 12 years old until September, I read the passage.  I also read from Hebrews 11 about Abraham and Sarah.  Then asked some questions.  Then we played a quiz game where I asked a question, and if she got it right, she picked up a card with either an arrow or nothing and had to get on a map from Ur to Haran to Canaan using six arrows.  It wasn't a fair game because she was the only player.  But she answered enough questions to even go round trip back to Ur.  Then I taught her "Father Abraham" which she had never heard before and loved.  Since she comes only every other week, I sent her off with a notebook of Scriptures to read each day and questions to journal.  I think she's really excited about it.

For the kids, I had the same lesson, but they had pictures to either glue or tape onto the map.  They then colored the maps.  I had 6 kids!  I was so blessed yesterday.

Video will be on separate post.

Pre-Blessed

This is still a favorite video.

Un-PCing Wikipedia

It all started when I read Project Ezra.  They had this special post for Ramadan calling us to pray for the top 30 countries in the world with the most Muslims on each day in August.  We will pray for their salvation so that they won't remain Belial, or useless.  Along with that we'll pray for the compromisers in America, Britain, and all Europe who have some kind of Stockholm Syndrome to the Muslims. 

Now, I don't know if Project Ezra should have used the epithet, Belial, as it will only rile up people who are normally riled up, but I did feel the Muslims on my heart this week.  It may be true, but I would have been Belial had God not saved me, and so would all his people.  Somebody named Mohammed added me on Facebook this week, and I accepted because I want to be a kind light to the Muslims as to all people.  So I decided to take the list, read the Wikipedia entry on each country, and pray for them that way.  I was awakened to how PC Wikipedia has become.

First off, Indonesia.  Off the bat, they mention this Java Man who was some early form of humanoid that proves evolution.  He was discovered from a thigh bone and a huge skull cap that were no where near each other.  They weren't even from the same skeleton, and possibly not even the same species.  Even if he was some early human, he would have still been a human, descended from Adam, created in the image of God, and less the 6000 years old.  Here's an article from Answers in Genesis on him.

Then, they go through worries about global warming and men cutting down trees in their geography section.  They even have the audacity to say the islands have family planning (in which I read family destroying) but the population still grew.  My edit, "we hate people and don't believe God can save this planet."  That's what I hear every time I hear some Al Gore whining about too many people and too few trees.  God made this planet for people, his crown and glory creation.  He gave us the trees to use.  What these Green Goblins are doing is killing innocent people and taking advantage of the poor.

Next, Pakistan.  Great political history.  Not one mention of Osama bin Laden who they held in safety in comfort while our people lost their lives in Afghanistan to find them.  Pakistan is supposed to be our allies and Wikipedia conveniently glossed over the fact that they betrayed us by harboring him at the cost of young lives.

Bangledesh has the same PC moanings as Indonesia about too many people and too few trees despite family planning destroying tactics.

Finally Egypt.  Because of AiG, I'm well aware that evolutionists, despite scientific evidence to the contrary, blindly cling to their millions of years of death and suffering that created the world because they won't be taken in by a God that is higher than themselves.  This has led them to brainwash public schools into believing that millions of years of death created our world, that we are only rearranged pond scum (term stolen from Jason Lisle), and there was no flood (even though we see billions of dead things buried in rock layers laid down by water all over the earth).  This brainwashing has clearly led them to erase the salvation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

First, they say Egypt started in 6000 BC (which is generous for them), which is odd since that's the year God created the earth.  They have many dynasties which AiG has realized might not have been there.  They mention the Hyksos and even Mubarak, but they hardly even talk about the Pyramids or the religion, though I assume they do in other articles.  Here is an excellent explanation from AiG's pyramid article.

Really, I'm not sure why the PC can live without belief in a loving God who created a perfect world, that death and suffering only happen because man sinned, that dinosaurs lived up until at least the King James Bible's publication in 1611 (how else would so many cultures have dragon legends?), and that He saves us not only from Egyptian slavery, but slavery that we brought on ourselves because of our love for sin nad hatred for God.  Why do they want to believe that they are their own authorities?  I would feel so lost and probably would not be alive if I thought like them.  But I know that my Redeemer lives and on the earth again shall stand and I will continue to push for belief in the Bible as it is written in Genesis and Exodus and throughout, and I will support the birth of many children and the cutting down of many trees to keep them alive.

Slangin' on the Telephone (apologies to Blondie)

I planned a wedding, it's the one with me and you.
You went commercial and then prayed, "Boogity Boo."
I'm not a child, I am the King of Kings and true.

I won't keep hangin' on the telephone
I won't keep hangin' on the telephone

I'll leave a tip for you, don't prance before my throne.
If I forgive you then you can't keep sinning on.
What are you yellow? Leave your old life alone.

That's why we can't talk again.
No, 'cause you ain't left your sin.
That's why we can't talk again.

I won't keep hangin' on the telephone.
The world will end and you'll be in the cold.

Okay, so it's not the most Calvinistic thing I've written.  But I do get tired of people treating God as if he was a puppy and not the Lord of Lords and King of Kings who could throw us into hell without tarnishing his justice.

Teen lesson for Sunday: Abram's call

First we will read Hebrews 11:8-19.  Then I will ask these questions.

11:8 –How do we know Abraham had faith in God?  (When God called him, he obeyed without question.)

11:10—What did Abraham look for?  What is this city?

11:11 – What else did Abraham believe?  Why did he believe this?

11:17—What did Abraham do that showed he believed in God?  Why did he do this?  Did he think that Isaac’s death would be the end?

Abe had faith in God because when God called, he obeyed without question.  He also had faith simply because God gave it to him.  Abram looked for a city that was not in this world.  He died before his promises came to pass.  This city is the New Jerusalem, the one Jesus will prepare for all of us.  He also believed God would keep his promises.  He had no proof of it, but God called him and that was proof enough.  His faith enabled him to become a father, and all of this was not anything he did, but what God did.  He didn't always have this faith because after a while, both he and Sarai gave up and had a child with Hagar.  But because God told him the promised seed would come through Sarai, he still believed and performed his duty for Sarah.

Then we will read Genesis 11:27-12:20.  While someone reads, someone else will keep a family tree.  I will read a few verses than ask a question.

11:31 -- Who all headed to Canaan at first?  Could it be possible that God called the whole family?  Why did they settle in Haran?  (11:28?)

Not only did Abram start out for Canaan, but so did his father Terah, along with Sarai and Abe's nephew Lot.  I think that God called the whole family.  It must have been after Haran died.  Then at some point Terah died, and they all got stuck in a city called Haran, possibly named for the deceased son.  

11:32-12:1-3. Now God is reminding Abram that he needs to go to Canaan as originally planned.  What 1 thing did God command in verse 1?  What 2 things did he promise in verses 2-3?

God promised him the land in verse 1, and then lots of children and grandchildren who would live in that land forever, and also that those children would bless all people on the earth.  This supports my idea that God saves some people so that they can save others, although I'm still reformed and believe that God still saves only those who he wants to save.  Still, there'd be no Great Commission if God did not want us to bless others with the eternal life he's given us.

12:4—What is Abram’s response?  Who went with him?  (Lot and Sarai)  How were they related?

 Abram obeyed again.  Just like when we get lost in the original plan God had, he still reminds us and we need to obey him.  Lot and Sarai still went with him.  Lot is Abram's nephew.  Sarai is his wife.  I'm really not convinced that she is his half-sister like he tells Abimelech.  In that situation, he's still trying to cover for the lie he told the king.  When I read Genesis 11, Sarai is mentioned with Milcah who is said to be Haran's daughter and Nahor's wife.  I get the idea that Sarai is also Haran's daughter, so she would be Lot's sister.  But it's not important.  Sarai is related to Abram closely.

12:6-7—What has happened that God said would happen in verse 1?  

God's first promise comes to life.  Abram reaches his land.  Abram's going to go much longer before the one promise happens, and will die before the last one is fulfilled.

12:10—Now that Abram was in the right land, why did he leave?  Didn’t God say he would give him children and his nations would bless the earth forever?

I think Abram's trip to Egypt was another lapse in Abe's faith.  God said he would take give him many nations.  Abram had to live for that to happen.  

12:11-13—Does Abram demonstrate trust in God in these verses?  What did God promise in verse 2?

God is still faithful, even when Abram goofs.  Abram put his wife in danger of defilement, but God protected her and revealed the truth to Pharaoh.  God promised that they would have children.  That would be endangered if Pharaoh had had his way with Sarai.  

12:14-20-- How can we see God working in this situation?

Why did God call Abram?  Was it because Abram was a good faithful man?   

Read Joshua 24:2.  No, Abram worshipped idols just like his culture.  God didn’t call Abram because he was faithful.  Abram was faithful because God called him.

After this we will play some quiz game where they answer questions and draw a card.  They will have a map of Abraham's journey from Ur to Canaan.  Each card will have an arrow or be blank.  The first person to reach the promised land wins.

Winnie the Pooh

I got to see the film in theaters over the weekend.  We have the old VHS tape of the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and I remember my brother watching it over and over again.  It's one of my favorites, too.

That being said, this new movie isn't nearly as good.  It's just not the old Winnie the Pooh with Sterling Holloway or Paul Winchell.  In all the recent Disney movies that have music, none of the songs are memorable.  And in this one, it's like all the characters were less noble.

Pooh for instance.  It's like the writers of this movie thought, he's yellow and fat, Homer Simpson is yellow and fat, so let's make Pooh more like Homer Simpson.  All he cares about is getting his honey.  He will abandon the rest of the gang to pursue honey.  He will even fall into a trap for a honey pot that he knows is a decoy.  When the narrator says he's going to do something, he says, "I am?"  It's like, he's really dumb and just wants honey.

Owl used to be really smart, but in this movie he's smart and arrogant.  He insists that Christopher Robin's not says he was captured by a Backson, when it just said he'd be back soon.  They all get stuck in a pit.  Owl can't seem to remember that he can fly out and perhaps even fly the rest of them out. 

I did like that they brought back the old plot of finding Eeyore's tail.  (Even this Eeyore is way more depressing than the old Eeyore, but he's still my favorite.)  I kinda miss the Ephalunts and Woozles.

I think my main disappointment was that I thought Keane would have music in it.  You know, that British band?  They are amazing.  They had a song on the preview for it.  But no Keane music in the film.  Don't they know music is the number one thing that gets me to see a movie?  Zooey Deschanel, however, could not have done a better job singing the theme song.  It was quite adorable. 

I just want Disney to re-release the old Pooh movie.

Church 7/31/11: Soli Deo Gloria and Tower of Babel

Church went okay yesterday.  I had Emily for Sunday School.  I'm trying to get her to remember from two weeks ago about Sola Scriptura, or at least the meaning.  No use.  I did tell her the answer, though.  With enough repetition, it may happen.  She is only 7.

I repeated last week's lesson about the next three Solas.  I had to spoon feed her all the answers.  She was even having a hard time remembering that it's only under Jesus's name that you are saved.  I'm ashamed because if you learn nothing else in church, you should learn that.  Then I had her match the first four Solas to their English meanings on the board. 

Then we went into the lesson about Soli Deo Gloria.  I did better with this one.  It was easy to just ask a bunch of questions with the same answer: it was for God's glory.  Then I had her draw a picture of something beautiful and how it reveals God's glory.  She drew a parakeet (it was pretty), and ocean, and a girl in a boat.  I drew mountains, a lake, a sunset, and people next to a boat.  I also tried to explain the meaning of glory.  Who is a celebrity that she likes?  Justin Bieber.  If you met him what would be your reaction?  I'd freak out.  This is how you should react to God, except you should love him even more than Justin Bieber or any celebrity.  This is glorifying God.

For children's church, I had more kids.  A man and his family are going to Prague on long-term mission, and he preached.  He had with him his wife and three boys.  Two of the boys, Zeke and Luke, age 10 and 7, joined us for children's church.  I had fill in the blank quiz on the board.  Genesis one, God created the _____.  Genesis 2, God made ______.  Genesis 3, the people ______.  Genesis 6-8, God sent a _____.  The two boys got all the answers right.  Actually, Emily got the second one right because she remembered that two weeks ago she made a man out of Play-Doh.  Then we read the story of Babel.  Then I showed them pictures of the results of Babel, namely that all the people moved to different places and developed different skin colors and looks.

For example, a white girl was born, not adopted, but born to two black parents.  There are also cases of twins born where one is black and one is white.  This shows that there is no such thing as race or different skin color.  We are all related to each other.

I also had a battery operated globe that would quiz on geography, but after replacing the batteries, it still wouldn't work.  The boys still had fun with that, then the kids played with Legos and the rest of the toys the rest of the time.