Friday, December 08, 2006
Schools Update
Every day when we go into the scripture classes, its a unique experience. Every class is different, even when we cover the same material. In most of the classes at Model Farms we've been continuing to share from the story of the Firey Furnace from Daniel, as it has been well received and given us good launching pad to discuss some important topics with them such as that miracles like that still happen today (we gave examples from our lives and the lives of people we know), doing the right thing even in the face of opposition in the form of peer pressure, and why perhaps God might sometimes rescue, but in other cases allow someone to die. Its not an issue of whether God is capable, and that's a huge message to these kids.
One thing that has worked well was something Daniel started to do in a couple of the classes, if the kids were disruptive, he'd pick out the most disruptive kid to "be" King Nebuchadnezzar in the story. "King Nebuchadnezzar, you're supposed to be mad right now" and have them get actively involved in the story. The kids loved that. Though in a number of the classes, the kids were just so amazingly attentive we didn't have to reign in their focus.
They have definitely been listening to our message, and asking lots of highly relevant questions. In several of the classes in the past couple days we've been asked whether drinking or smoking marijuana are sins. These are the kind of issues many of the kids are facing around them. It was a great opportunity to share with them about temptation and being enslaved to snares of the flesh, versus the freedom in Christ. The idea that the kind of fun God wants them to have doesn't have negative concequences like hangovers was one we presented to them.
Other kids wanted to know why having pre-marital sex is wrong--and its quite a change of paradigm for the kids to answer that one from a perspective that isn't "because God doesn't want you to have any fun" but from the perspective of God wanting good things for them, wanting to spare them pain and suffering, wanting them to enjoy sex the way he designed it (in marriage), rather than letting ourselves lie to ourselves that we "know better" than God how his design should work. Physical union is designed to bring people together as "one flesh"--tearing that apart is very painful and has a lot more concequences relationally than a lot of 13 year olds realize.
After one of the classes today one of the boys in the class approached me to say he'd made a mistake and stolen something last week (he had gotten caught), and he felt really broken up over it, he knew it was a bad thing to do, and felt so bad about the poor choice he'd made. It was such a blessing to be able to share with him what the bible says about repentance and God's forgiveness.
In one of the other classes today another boy asked to receive Christ and didn't seem to mind if some of his classmates might have been watching when Diana and John prayed for him in the front of the room. Every kid we've encountered is really special and God has a unique heart for them, and we could see a lot of unique struggles and successes.
As we say goodbye to the classes when we find its the last time we'll be seeing them, the kids were sad to see us leaving and were hoping we might come back next year.
One thing that has worked well was something Daniel started to do in a couple of the classes, if the kids were disruptive, he'd pick out the most disruptive kid to "be" King Nebuchadnezzar in the story. "King Nebuchadnezzar, you're supposed to be mad right now" and have them get actively involved in the story. The kids loved that. Though in a number of the classes, the kids were just so amazingly attentive we didn't have to reign in their focus.
They have definitely been listening to our message, and asking lots of highly relevant questions. In several of the classes in the past couple days we've been asked whether drinking or smoking marijuana are sins. These are the kind of issues many of the kids are facing around them. It was a great opportunity to share with them about temptation and being enslaved to snares of the flesh, versus the freedom in Christ. The idea that the kind of fun God wants them to have doesn't have negative concequences like hangovers was one we presented to them.
Other kids wanted to know why having pre-marital sex is wrong--and its quite a change of paradigm for the kids to answer that one from a perspective that isn't "because God doesn't want you to have any fun" but from the perspective of God wanting good things for them, wanting to spare them pain and suffering, wanting them to enjoy sex the way he designed it (in marriage), rather than letting ourselves lie to ourselves that we "know better" than God how his design should work. Physical union is designed to bring people together as "one flesh"--tearing that apart is very painful and has a lot more concequences relationally than a lot of 13 year olds realize.
After one of the classes today one of the boys in the class approached me to say he'd made a mistake and stolen something last week (he had gotten caught), and he felt really broken up over it, he knew it was a bad thing to do, and felt so bad about the poor choice he'd made. It was such a blessing to be able to share with him what the bible says about repentance and God's forgiveness.
In one of the other classes today another boy asked to receive Christ and didn't seem to mind if some of his classmates might have been watching when Diana and John prayed for him in the front of the room. Every kid we've encountered is really special and God has a unique heart for them, and we could see a lot of unique struggles and successes.
As we say goodbye to the classes when we find its the last time we'll be seeing them, the kids were sad to see us leaving and were hoping we might come back next year.
