Serpent Scroll used for children's story

Rochelle, a Mum who reads the scroll books to her kids did something awesome recently. Have a read!

"I took a children's story and used, from the Serpent Scroll, the story of Adam and Eve and then told the children they could get this book out of the library to read more.

It's nice to get some feedback that even the really young children were listening with rapt attention as I told/read the story - so hopefully the 4 copies at the library will be taken out by heaps of children from the church and community!"

When I asked her if I could post this on my blog, she went on to say:

"No probs. I'd be really happy for you to do so. My daughter, Paris, who you may remember from when she was a baby at camp, (now almost 8) has loved your books so much, we have read 2 with one to go and she just can't wait to read each chapter, so they are books that HAVE to be shared with our community too!!"

How are you using the Serpent Scroll, the Lamb Scroll, and the Kingdom Scroll to bless the children in your world?

Stump Pastor Dave

In the JETS shed at Tassie bigcamp the kids put questions in a box and I answered them during the meeting. I was so impressed with the questions! They made me laugh, love, ponder and wonder. Here they are… (I'll leave you to ponder the answers!)

General Questions:
If Giants aren’t real, why are they in the Bible?
What was Jesus’ Mum’s Mum’s name? What was Jesus’ Dad’s Dad’s Name?
Why can’t pigs fly?
What was in between the angels on the Ark of the Covenant?
If God can do anything then why isn’t the future predestined? Because if it is then God cant change it – He can’t do anything.
If you had to choose, why did the chicken cross the road?
If Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit are three in one then why couldn’t God the Father die on the cross?
How did words get to be called what they are?
When we die and go to heaven and then to the new earth, when we die and go to heaven will that happen all over again?
Why did God make animals that can kill you?
When we go to heaven and come back to earth what age would we be?
Can we have babies in Heaven?
God wants us to be happy, right? The why do things happen that can make us extremely sad?
Who was Noah’s father and mother?
How long did it take to recite the Torah?
Where did God come from?
It is said, Jesus sweated blood. Is that scientifically true?
Explain the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.
Please sing ‘There’s no one like Jesus’ with all the actions.
If we have the freedom of choose then how can God see the future? Because if He knows the outcome before we make the decision we don’t really choose.
What are the three wise man’s names and what are their backgrounds?

Personal Questions:
Why did you become a pastor?
What is your favourite girls name in the Bible?
Are you going to come to big camp again next year?
If you did not write books what would you be doing in your life?
Why do you like watermelon?
Will you miss us?
What has been your favourite thing at camp?
What is your favourite colour?

Jan 14: 4H-SS Teachers

Lesson Title: Glimpses of God – In the Beginning
Lesson Date: January 14

Sabbath School teacher’s 4H questions
Good questions are worth their weight in gold. Questions are most useful when they probe the edges of our knowledge base or comfort zone. Here are some questions to get you thinking beyond the box as you prepare to teach this Sabbath’s lesson to your class.

Head
building a foundation of knowledge

1. Sunday’s lesson mentions Ps 14:1 “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” This verse implies there were atheists in David’s day and that he thought the idea was foolishness. What might it have been like to be an atheist in a world rampant with belief in gods of all shapes and sizes? How might the plight of the atheist in David’s day have been similar to that of the monotheist?

2. When is recreation re-creation? Often holidays leave us more tired than revived. What times of recreation truly re-create you — physically, spiritually, emotionally?

Heart
learning to love what God loves

1. Monday’s Lesson explores Job 38:4-7. This passage considers the planning and preparation that went into creation and the joy this brought the angels. Continue reading verses 8-11. How do tsunami’s show sin’s effect on Creation? How must they affect the heart of God?

2. How is Sabbath a day of recreation helping you relax and unwind?
How is Sabbath a day of re-creation helping you heal and renew?

Hands
choosing to act as God desires

1. The second half of Monday’s lesson compares God’s love to a mother bird preparing a nest and teaching the babies to fly. God prepared a nest for Adam and Eve and (similarly to most birds) they were ejected from it. For many birds, there are no gentle flying lessons repeated over time. It’s a jump or a push and a new life – of flight.

How do these two examples (Eden’s exit and leaving the nest) reflect your reality? Have there been times when you jumped or were pushed into the next phase of life? What did this act of “forced re-creation” create in you? Have there been times when you were gently shaped over time? Which do you prefer?
Consider times when you were involved in shaping other people – Have you shaped through both gentle moulding and tough love? How do these acts of re-creation of life reveal our connection to and reflection of God?

2. What Sabbath habit could you maintain that would re-create (renew) you personally each week?
What Sabbath tradition could you practice that would re-create (renew) your family each week?

Horizon
exploring the Kingdom beyond my walls

1. Sunday’s lesson explains the void/filled paradigm of creation week. Day 1 to 3 created environments, which were filled on day 4-6 (1/4, 2/5, 3/6). This ordering of space and then filling of it is also used by liberal Christians (who believe in evolution) to show that God is a God of order – gradually preparing ahead of time what he was planning long in the future. How could you use this common ground to develop a friendship with a liberal Christian? How could the Sabbath be a day of celebration to both ways of thinking?

2. In the new-Earth what re-creation (creation made new) are you most looking forward to? Why?
In the new-Earth what recreation (enjoyable moment or event) are you most looking forward to? Why?

2012 SS-Challenge
As your conference Sabbath School Director, it is my SS-Challenge to your Sabbath School to start a midweek small group meeting. To assist in this endeavour, I have created a study guide for your use. This study guide explores the 28 core teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church using the 4H model. It is open, inclusive, discussion oriented and non-judgemental. People of all ages and spiritual levels will enjoy your “28 Stories Small Group.”

The 4H approach to Bible study was developed while preparing the 28 Stories small group guide/journal. Here is an excerpt from Study 15 – “Very Good”.

Jesus extended a hand to Adam and helped him to his feet. Then draping His arm across the shoulders of His new creation, the two of them looked out over the glorious Garden of Eden. The sun shone full from behind them causing the river and everything beyond to shimmer and shine in it’s reflected brilliance.

The Creator spoke, turning to place His free hand on the man’s chest, “Adam, you are but shadow and breath,” and then with a sweeping gesture taking in all that was before them, He finished, “And yet, for you the universe was made!”

Jesus and Adam walked through the Garden. Jesus explained to Adam the amazing things that had taken place in the last six days. The entire world around them had taken shape—light, land, sea, sun, moon, rivers, trees, day and night.

Then Jesus said, “But today is special, Adam! Today I created and named you.”

“And I thank you,” Adam said. “I am greatly honoured to live in your paradise and care for your Creation.”

“And I am honoured to have you as my servant,” Jesus answered. “Serve me faithfully—with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul—and you will be fulfilled and happy.”

The 28 Stories Study Guide is available from the Adventist Book Centre.

Jan 7: 4H-SS Teachers

Lesson Title: Glimpses of God – The Triune God
Lesson Date: January 7, 2012

Sabbath School teacher’s 4H preparation
Good questions are worth their weight in gold. Questions are most useful when they probe the edges of our knowledge base or comfort zone. Here are some questions to get you thinking beyond the box as you prepare to teach this Sabbath’s lesson to your class. This is not meant to be a discussion guide but a thought prompter for you, the teacher, so your lesson time will be creative and thought provoking.

Head
building a foundation of knowledge

1. The “prove-it” hijacker: One of your Sabbath School regulars comes prepared with every bit of paper and websites they could dredge up to prove that the SS topic is wrong. (This week, their argument would be that the Trinity is not Biblical.) What will you do with their demands for proof that threaten to derail your Sabbath School lesson?

a. Come prepared with your own pile of verses and quotes, ready for the hijack attempt. (This shows you are willing and ready to sacrifice Sabbath School class time for this discussion.)

b. Silence the hijacker with a rebuke or have them physically removed. (This shows you do not value the topic or the person.)

c. Let them speak and then move on. (This is a common way of dealing with over-talkative or “pet (topic) lovers” that come to Sabbath School. We’ve all done this, but has this approach ever helped your lesson develop in the direction you planned?)

Suggestion: As a proactive Sabbath School Superintendent, in the prelims (or as a class leader, at the start of the discussion) explain the lesson has been prepared to explore the current Seventh-day Adventist understanding of scripture on the topic of the day. Establish that other people believe differently and are free to do so. Ask that respect be given to the teacher and the prepared topic.
If they persist, suggest the hijacker organise a discussion time with the pastor and interested participants on the topic they have prepared. (This honours their right to be heard and invites them to do the same.)

2. You don’t need to wait for a Sabbath School Hijacker to discover the conundrum of the Trinity. The Bible itself – in both old and new testaments talks about God as both singular and plural. In Genesis 1:26-27 God creates humanity in “our image” and then in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) God says “The Lord is One.”

a. What is your favourite way to explain this conundrum?

b. With a story? (Christian minister and comedian Mike Warnke says cherry pie filling, when made right, is like the Trinity. The filling stays liquid, flowing throughout the pie. You can therefore cut a cherry pie into three distinct slices, but underneath the surface there's only one united area of filling.)

c. A science experiment? (The triple point cell where ice, water, vapour all exist in one container).

d. Do you have another way of explaining it?

3. Which Biblical depiction of God are you most and least comfortable with? A Father? A breath? Marriage? A Voice? A Hen? A Rock? A Dove? Jesus? The Holy Spirit? (Why?)

Heart
learning to love what God loves

1. In Exodus 3:13-15 why doesn’t God just answer with a name? (Yahweh, Elshadai, etc) – Why the history lesson? God ties His name to a story. Why is it important to have a story attached to God’s Name? How do we attach stories to our name and the names of those around us? Why is this important?

2. After the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4, why did God tell His people to tell their children about God and His presence in everyday life? What do families have to do with the Shema?

3. In Monday’s lesson a list of verses is given showing moments when Jesus was worshiped.

a. Compare and contrast the stories of worship in these verses with your experiences of worship. How does this challenge you?

b. When have you had a Glimpse of God and been compelled to worship in the way these people were?

Hands
choosing to act as God desires

1. How can we give the world around us glimpses of God by putting the Triune nature of God into action?

a. How will I be the hands of the Father, Life-Giver and Merciful Sustainer, to the world around me?

b. How will I be the hands of Jesus, Creator and reCreator, to the world around me?

c. How will I be the hands of the Holy Spirit, Comforter and Guide, to the world around me?

2. The lesson dedicates an entire day (Thursday) to the prayer of Jesus for his followers (John 17!). Jesus’ main desire is for His people to be One as He is One with the Father. How are we doing at being one? Are we “as tight as the trinity” or do we have a way to go?

a. How healthy are our relationships with others in our local church?

b. What personal character development is needed?

c. What community commitment is needed?

d. What must be put aside?

e. Why is the oneness of the Trinity so important?

f. Why is the oneness of believers so important to Jesus?

Horizon
exploring the Kingdom beyond our walls

1. From the Lesson: “Some early Adventists struggled with the doctrine of the Trinity. Today, the church has taken a firm stand on the doctrine.”

a. There are numerous anti-Trinitarians in Australian Adventist churches. How can we minister to these people without excluding them or encouraging their views?

2. It is part of the human condition to want to understand and explain the nature of the Divine. In the Bible, God is explained with metaphors, concepts and names. Why is this desire to understand God so prevalent?

a. Muslims are vehement monotheist. Yet they have the 99 names for God to help them explain God’s unfathomable nature.

b. Hindu’s have one God and a Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva), which each represent aspects of their singular Supreme God. All of the many other Hindu gods are similarly representative of aspects of the Supreme God. Hinduism is monotheistic polytheism!

3. What other terms, stories and characters in the Bible reveal the nature of God to you?

2012 SS-Challenge
As your conference Sabbath School Director, it is my SS-Challenge to your Sabbath School to start a midweek small group meeting. To assist in this endeavour, I have created a study guide for your use. This study guide explores the 28 core teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church using the 4H model. It is open, inclusive, discussion oriented and non-judgemental. People of all ages and spiritual levels will enjoy your “28 Stories Small Group.”

The 4H approach to Bible study was developed while preparing the 28 Stories small group guide/journal. Here is an excerpt from the introduction.

Far to frequently, faith is reduced to “I believe” and belief is reduced an intellectual nod of the head. Faith is so much more. True faith is beyond belief! Beyond the head faith, which we Adventist are good at, there is so much more. These studies will take you on a faith journey in which you will explore the head, heart, hands and horizons of your faith story.

Each of the 28 studies in this journal follows the pattern of:

Bible Story – Rewritten to connect you to the Biblical character and to direct your thoughts toward a particular aspect of the doctrine in consideration.

My Reflection – Finding yourself in the Biblical narrative.

My Story – Finding the principles of the Biblical narrative in your experience.

My Assurance – Strengthening your faith by encouraging your heart.

My Commitment – Challenging your faith by considering what you can become.

My Outlook – Expanding your horizon of your God, your world or yourself.

My Response – Acknowledging the doctrine and considering it’s importance.

The 28 Stories Study Guide is available from the Adventist Book Centre.

Blood of the Lamb

“Is it really necessary for us to kill something just because we make a mistake?” Enosh asked as he walked next to Father.

“It is the way of forgiveness,” his father responded. “It is what God asks of us.”

“How did it start?” Enosh asked, stepping quickly to keep up with Father’s long stride. “I mean, I know who made the first sacrifice, but why does it have to be like this?”

Father shifted the position of the lamb he carried on his shoulders. “You know this, Enosh! You tell me why?”

“Because God said so.” Enosh stated.

“Yes, but why?” Father asked.

“Because Adam and Eve broke the rules.” Enosh said.

“The first sin,” Father said. “And the first sacrifice.”

“But why?” Enosh asked again. “Look! The city!”

They had just come around a corner on the mountain trail and now the city of Jerusalem lay in the clearing below them.

“Look at the temple!” Father said, pointing to the middle of the city. The temple’s white marbled splendour was hard to miss. It was like a pile of fresh snow in a dirty city.

Father gave Enosh a gentle shove and headed down the trail. “Come on, let’s get down there!”

Enosh took one last look at the city. Coming up behind Father, Enosh studied the lamb draped across Father’s shoulders. The lamb’s little head peered over the edge of the precipice, down at the city.

“He has no idea,” Enosh said as he fell into step with his father.

“Hmmm?” Father said.

“The lamb,” Enosh said, looking at the small legs father was holding loosely against his chest. “He has no idea that his throat is about to be slit from ear to ear.”

“That’s a bit gruesome,” Father said.

“But it’s true,” Enosh said. “Isn’t it? The priest is gonna hold him down on the altar and pull a knife against his little neck and all his blood will spurt out and he’ll die.” Enosh said all of this with a matter-of-fact seriousness, trying to act like it didn’t bother him.

“True enough,” Father said. “That is what will happen.”

“I still don’t get it,” Enosh said. “Why does our lamb have to die?” His voice betrayed him, cracking, as he spoke. “Or any lamb? They didn’t do anything wrong.”

Father stopped on the side of the trail and squatted down. He lifted the lamb off his shoulders and placed it in front of himself. Enosh came around the other side of the lamb and ran his fingers through its soft coat.

“Enosh,” Father said.

Enosh looked up and blinked against the tears. He looked across the lamb into his father’s eyes. “Yes, Father?”

“Offering a sacrifice teaches us three things,” Father explained. “First, we give one of our own animals, not a stray or a wild animal, so we feel the loss. By giving up something we value, we take ownership of what is about to happen.”

Enosh looked down at the lamb and slowly back up to his father. “But it’s sad. It hurts in here,” Enosh pushed his fist into his stomach. “It’s hard to breath.”

“That’s what sin should do to us,” Father said, “every time.”

Enosh nodded.

“The second thing we learn,” Father continued, “when we offer a sacrifice, is that God wants to forgive us. But it’s a difficult thing. Sin is like death. It takes God’s breath away, too. Only through a blood sacrifice can sin be forgiven. I don’t think I understand it any better than you do, really. But God said it, and so we do it. One day we will all understand.”

Enosh was surprised to hear his father say he didn’t understand. He thought his Dad knew everything! He explored his father’s face. “So, you mean, it hurts God when we sin, just like it hurts us when we make a sacrifice?”

Father nodded.

“That makes me like God a bit more,” Enosh said. “I mean, a lot more than when I thought He just wanted us killing animals all the time.”

Father smiled. “And that, my son, is the third thing every sacrifice teaches us. God wants us as close as possible. By forgiving us, God is able to invite us closer. And we are able to approach Him.”

Enosh and Father tussled the lambs fur awhile longer and then father lifted it onto his shoulders and stood. Silently he walked toward Jerusalem. Enosh followed.

When they arrived at the temple, Father left Enosh by one of the courtyard gates. He was only ten, too young to go in. From where he stood, he could clearly see the altar.

It wasn’t long before it was Father’s turn. He lifted the lamb off his shoulders and handed it to the priest. The priest laid the lamb on its side and held it down firmly with one hand. With the other hand he drew a knife quickly and deeply across the little lamb’s throat.

Enosh saw blood gush out, into a bowl, and past the bowl onto the ground. The lamb twitched and jerked before going deathly still. The priest dipped his fingers into the bowl and applied blood on the horns of the altar. Then he poured the rest of the blood across the top of the altar.

Enosh shook his head sadly and a shiver ran up his spine.

Father nodded at the priest and walked toward the gate. Enosh quickly spun, putting his back against the wall outside the gate. Soon father emerged.

“Come along, Enosh,” father said, “All done.” Then after a pause, Father added, “Well, until next time.”

Saving Hamsters

When I was in Year 7 I decided to raise a little money. I bought two hamsters. A boy hamster. And a girl hamster. When they were old enough the girl hamster had babies. I had talked to the local pet store and they had assured me that they would buy the babies from me once they had hair.

The morning after the first litter of hairless baby hamsters were born I carefully added food to the dish and water to the bottle on the side of the cage. As I was leaving my room to head off to school I realized that it was quite cold on my desk in the corner where the aquarium with the little family in it was resting. So, I quickly picked up their home and moved it over to the window where the morning sun could warm the babies and parents.

When I returned from school I was heartbroken to find that the sun had mercilessly cooked all of the baby hamsters. The mum and dad were fine. But the heat had been too much for the fragile newborns. They were all dead. All seven of them. I felt horrible. It was my fault. If only I would have left them on the desk. If only. I knew they needed sun. But they also needed protection from the sun.

When the next litter was born I devised a plan. I arranged the aquarium so that only half of it would get sun. Then they could get some sun, but still have the freedom to move away from the sun. But the little babies didn’t get the point. They didn’t see the grand plan and they just sat there in the sun. And cooked.

So, with litter three I added a new phase to my plan. I went to the fridge and got a small piece of cheese. Then I went to the spice rack and got the black pepper, some coriander and a pinch of salt. I rubbed each spice into the cheese. It was perfect. I went and arranged myself so that I was leaning over their aquarium. And then I ate the cheese. It worked. Slowly… But it worked. The mixture was perfect and I began to shrink. Soon I was only the size of one of the parent hamsters and I was sitting on the edge of the aquarium swinging my legs. I dropped into the aquarium, making sure not to land on any of the third litter. I curled into a ball and the final phase of my incarnation medication kicked in. I grew fur, four little pink feet and a really cute wiggly nose. I was a hamster! Yes! But I still had all my human super smarts. I had a plan and it was in full swing.

I went to the little baby pinkies and said, “Hey guys, spend a bit of time in the sun and then move over into the shady side. Don’t get cooked like those who have gone before you.” They just stared back at me – with closed eyes and wiggling noses. I tried again, “The sun is hot! The sun – that big round thing out the window – it gets real hot. It’ll warm you up. But, then you’ve got to move! Ok?” They squeeked in my general direction. Had they understood? I couldn’t tell.

By this time their parents had come to check out the new hamster that had dropped from above. They waddled up to me and nuzzled me for a bit. Suddenly I had a thought, These are the parents! The guardians of the little ones. I’ll tell them! So, I did. They didn’t seem impressed. Their response baffled me. They said, “Nope. That’s not why the babies die. They just die. The have all died. Death is inevitable. Nothing we can do about it. And we reckon, why not die warm. So, we put them in the sun while they die.” I was dumbfounded. I tried to correct their misconceptions. It’s the sun that’s killing them! They didn’t like my ideas. Who was I to correct them anyhow?

I went and began picking the babies up in my little bucktoothed mouth and carrying them to the cool corner. The parents began squeaking uncontrollably. After I dropped a baby in the shade and headed back to pick up the next one, the mother would grab the one I’d just dropped and move it back into the sun. It was useless, but I kept trying. And trying. And they kept ruining every attempt I made.

Then I had another idea. I began furiously pulling out all of my hair. The two adult hamsters stopped scurrying and watched me in fascinated horror. I ripped out every bit of hair that I could reach with my teeth. Then I explained, “You are adults. You have hair. Your hair protects you from the sun. Watch.” Then I went over and laid down in the sunny corner. On top of the babies. Protecting them from the sun that was bearing down on us. I began to get hot. Very hot. My breath started to speed up. My back stung where the sun seared my hairless skin. My breath became like breathing fire. Finally it was too much and my little hamster body died. The parents saw me stop breathing. They approached carefully and sniffed. I was dead. They pushed their noses against me and rolled me off of their little ones. Then they buried me with the sawdust that covered the floor of their home.

Moments later my dead body began to pulse. It began to swell. Life returned to me. But I was stretching out of my hamster shape. I was back to the shape of a boy. As I grew tall enough I grabbed the side of the aquarium and climbed over onto the desk. I continued to grow until I was back to my normal size. I hopped off the desk and knelt down to look through the glass. What effect had my example had. Had my death accomplished anything? I watched in overwhelmed happiness as the father and mother hamster gently picked up their babies and moved them into the shade. It had worked. My death had given life to my little creatures. And my example had changed the worldview of two little furry parents.

When did you stop believing my story? How much of it was true? I did raise hamsters when I was in year 7. I did cook a cage full of them in my window. But, I had to solve the problem in a different way. Every day I had to move the aquarium into the sun for an hour and then back to the shade. The parents didn’t understand. And I wasn’t able to become one of them to teach them, to die for them, to show them how much I loved them.

But Jesus did. He had that power. He became one of us. He, the God of the universe – our Creator – took on our broken form and allowed himself to be crucified so that we could live. This is foolishness. Foolishness to the world. But it is life to us who are being saved.

I would rather be a fool for Christ – praising his name, exposing my faith and inviting the world to him. I would rather be a fool for Christ, than the wisest man on this fireball waiting to happen. I choose life. I choose Jesus. What about you? Will you be a fool for Christ? Your story will be unbelievable. And people will tell you so. They will call you a fool and your story a pack of fairytales and lies. But, the more you tell it and the more the Holy Spirit works on the hearts of your listeners the more fruit you will see. People will come to Jesus. They will come out of the fiery future that awaits them without Christ and they will live. If…. If… If you are willing to be a fool for Christ.

Men Like Jesus

I recently wrote this while waiting for my kids to get out of school. I put it up on facebook and was amazed at the amount of conversation it generated. What are your thoughts?

-----

Do you know any men like Jesus?
He was never home (he said he didn't even have one). He was always out with his mates.
He had long chats with prostitutes and ignored his mother. He had so few personal boundaries that he had to pray when everyone else was asleep.
He chose the wrong crowd. When he needed them, his friends failed him. They fell asleep while he was crying and ran away when he was being beaten up.
Jesus fought and died for a cause only he understood.
Know any men like Jesus? Why not tell them you love them just the way they are? Jesus does — because he understands them. He's been there, done that.
Jesus is just one of the guys. Gotta love Him!

Telling in the Park

I recently went to preach in the lovely town of Echuca.

A couple of days before I came, one of the church elders called me with an idea.

"We've been letterboxing a commission housing area," he said. "There are lots of kids that play in the park situated in the middle of the houses. I know how much you love to tell stories. What would you think of telling stories to the kids in the park?"

I thought it was a great idea!

"How will you get the kids there at the right time?" I asked.

"We can make a flyer and letterbox the area the day before."

And they did.

These are the kids that showed up. We had great fun.

I told a few values-based stories and we had a few laughs.

I've always thought it would be fun to stop at random parks when kids are playing and put up a shingle - "Storyteller - 10 mins!" and see what happens.

Now I am more tempted!

If I could change the world (Mikey's year 6 speech for tomorrow)

I wonder what I would do if I could change the world. Would I stop world hunger, make world peace, or something different altogether? Well…I’d prefer to combine all three.

Most people think world peace is a great idea. I agree, but I like to take it up a notch.

So if I could change the world, this is what I would do:

Guns will turn into carrots as soon as they are fired.

Grenades turn into apples just before the explosion.

Bombs turn into watermelons just before impact.

This is just the first dish I’m thinking of serving.

The nuclear reactors in the USA would turn into giant tubes of tomato sauce.

All the Middle eastern tanks would turn to bread, that roll into circle bases.

The landmines in Pakistan would turn into jalapenos as soon as they are activated.

All the German air force would be in trouble, because as soon as the planes took off, they became anchovies.

Aussie Missile Jeeps would turn into pineapples and their missiles would turn into sausages.

The swords of the Japanese samurai would turn into long, juicy spears of capsicum.

All of the bricks on the military walls throughout the world would start turning into olives, making the walls collapse.

All of the Russian submarines would turn into fried chicken.

All remaining military supplies would be turned into shredded cheese to top it all off.

Think about that! Once all the weapons and military supplies were turned into food, no one in Africa would be starving anymore! And when there are no more weapons, the entire world is at peace! But that isn’t where my story ends…

Once everyone realizes what has happened, they will bring all the food bits to the middle-east and store them in large metal containers.

As I said earlier, Most people think world peace is a great idea. And yes, I do like to take it up a notch. Some of you may know what this was all leading up to, others won’t. But at the end of the day, the entire world would come together not only to make world peace, oh no, they would come together to make world pizza!

Thank you for listening to my speech and I hope you enjoyed it.

It's Only Me

Since meeting the serpent in the Garden, humanity has been prone to hiding in fear when God approaches. Is it our relative nakedness – both spiritual and emotional – that drives us away from His presence?

And yet, at every visit, God repeats, “Do not fear!” He said it to Abram, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac, Jacob… The list goes right through the Old Testament. Finally, at Jesus’ birth the angel choir bursts on stage with a mighty, “Fear not!”

When God or an angel enters human sight, the inevitable opening line is, "Do not be afraid." Why is this? Is it the brightness of the new arrival in comparison to the darkness on Earth? Is it the unexpected nature of the appearing? Is the human fear justified?

After Jesus’ mission on earth was finished and He stood ready to return to Heaven, His parting words were, "I am with you always." What happened between the "Do not be afraid" heralding Jesus' life on earth and His "I am with you always" farewell? How was it that He no longer needed to say, “Do not fear?” How did Jesus replace the fear of God’s appearance with longing for His presence?

Jesus was a beacon of God’s love. He revealed the true nature of God’s character to the world through His compassion for the broken and His desire to seek justice for the downtrodden. Jesus was God in humble human flesh. Children flock to Him and yet demons flee at His command. What manner of love is this?

To know Him is to love Him. To know who He is without desiring Him is to be truly terrified. The demons believe in Jesus and yet tremble because they do not desire a loving relationship with Him. Jesus revealed in relationship the joy of knowing God. Between His “Do not fear” entrance and His “I am with you always” exit, Jesus’ threw His arms open and embraced humanity – broken and fearful as it was – saying “It’s only me!”

Jesus, took his disciples well beyond their “faith pay grade” by walking on water in front of them. They panicked, screamed and looked for somewhere to hide. Jesus soothed his disciples saying, "Do not be afraid" ... "Its only me." what does this imply about His relationship with the disciples? They had become comfortable with Jesus’ human nature but when divinity peeked through He had to remind them who He was.

During our spiritual journey, we all experience things that take us beyond our “faith pay grade" which scares the "Do not be afraid" out of us. Just when we thought our relationship with God was fully embraced in the gentle arms of Jesus an new unexpected experience of faith shocks us. Something – a Bible verse, a youth rally, a sermon, a personal retreat, a prayer group – it can be anything. Something approaches us, walking on the water, and we hit the deck in fear and trembling. It is then that we need to know we are not alone.

When we Christians begin to speak to a nonbeliever about our faith, we often begin with a "Do not be afraid" statement or setting. A chat at a cafe. A conversation that uses "real life" stories. Our goal is to lead people from a "Do not be afraid" introduction to a joyful "I am with you always" experience. The temptation is to take them to the last page before they’ve read the book. A butterfly helped from its cocoon will never fly. The struggle develops strength and readiness for the next stage. Like Jesus, we need to stay close enough for them to know who we are through the entire journey.

It is only by maintaining a healthy and long-term friendship that we can get to the "it's only me" phase with our young-in-the-faith friends and family. When they have that spiritual experience that challenges their faith, how can our presence be a reassuring and comforting one? Our “it’s only me” will only calm them if we mean something to them.

The disciple-making journey is a gentle process of handing them over to Jesus. Our reassuring “it’s only me” is heard less and they begin to hear, “it’s only Jesus.” And when they hear that, when they hear “It’s only Jesus” and they relax – then we know we have done our job. They have Jesus and us for eternity. Then we can decrease while He increases. Our friend in the faith continues hand in hand with Jesus and we seek out another to whom we can say, “Do not be afraid.”

Be patient. Jesus took more than three years of daily relationship before He moved from "Do not be afraid" to "I am with you always." Surely there were many “it’s only me” moments before they relaxed into His presence.

Be patient. Be authentic. Be loving. And be present. Your example will speak volumes to those walking with you between "Do not be afraid" and "Jesus is with you always."