Walking with Jesus in His Passion

Yesterday afternoon, 12 people gathered for a walk through the Biblical account of the Passion of Jesus Christ. In the center of the room were objects significant to the week. Each person had 1 or 2 scriptures to read and then they found the object and passed it around the room. There were 15 total...including; a sword, wine/bread, water basin, perfume, palm branch, crown of thorns, a rubber rooster, a cross, and many other objects that were significant to the last week of Jesus' life. It was a powerful time where we talked about how gruesome the sufferings of Christ were. We also talked about Jesus as our servant and how instead of being a military conquerer, Jesus came in as a servant to pay for our sins and love us in a way no human being is capable of doing. When we were finished, we prayed together and enjoyed a delicious soup supper. Becca, the leader of the ministry, played a significant role in the teaching time. We are looking ahead to Global Impact in a few weeks where we can all serve others and the Lord together.

Narnia has ended

St. Alban's had a great end to the 6-week Journey to Narnia series. The group engaged in a Narnia Party. They came in costume, dressed as characters from the movie. We had a couple Lucys, and Edmund, St. Nicholas, Susan, and several warriors and generals. We watched the end of the movie and talked about how God is changing us just like the children in the movie were changed. The evening ended with a battle and there were only minor injuries to speak of. The children are looking forward to next year's lent series. They are already talking about themes! Stay tuned!!!

Prayer Chapel

This year I've started to like setting up prayer chapels to have a quiet, reflective place to hang out with God. The re:mix prayer chapel was a great experience this year. Abram Kielsmeier-Jones and I worked on prayer stations. At re:mix Dave, Evan, and I set up the chapel and Jack Gabig helped coordinate spiritual direction. It was an important, but relaxing responsibility. The people who participated were blessed, as were those who coordinated it. I'm looking forward to setting up future prayer chapels.

re:mix '08 rap contest

The video speaks for itself! What do you think?

Godly Play

Evan is starting to really enjoy church. I think the main reason is that he gets a snack and there are toys he doesn't see every day to play with. It's interesting to try to figure out how to develop a devotional life in a 2 year old. It's very hard for him to sit still. In fact, this morning, his behavior at church was probably the worst I'd ever experienced since he came. During the sermon, there is a small portion of time for children's instruction called Godly Play and Evan really enjoys it. He hears a story, plays in the "desert," works on an art project, and then eats a "feast" with the other children. I think he gets something out of the opportunity to interact with God and the Bible on his level. As we left church today, Evan said "bye, bye Jesus." Do you think a 2 year old experiences the presence of a true, living, and present God when we go to church? I think he has some understanding of Jesus...at his level. It's precious to see.

Watch out for invisible cows...

This is a picture of one so you will have no trouble identifying them if you come across one. If you have any questions about this post, please e-mail me.

Leap Day Eve Party

St. Martin's is having a Leap Day Eve party this Thursday. Please be praying as they literally walk through an "ancient story" together and do activities based on this "story." Their group is going to have a BLAST!