PARENTS

This week I had a chance to really start thinking about dependability and what it means.  My main obstacle was not how to get kids to apply the concept to their lives but to actually get them to understand what it means to be dependable.  Thankfully I found a picture of a moldy sandwich.  I promise, this will make more sense.

TOTAL RECALL

KIDS: Don’t forget to remember this for February 7th.

Don’t just do the minimum to get you by. Do your best.

Colossians 3:22-23

Message

OK, back to the moldy sandwich and how it relates to dependability.  To be dependable is to be trustworthy and reliable.  It is how your actions shape others perception of you so, it is to say, What you do is how you are known.

We depend on a lot daily, not just people but things.  For the adults, some of us depend on our morning cup of coffee, or our car to get us here and there.  For kids, we depend on the TV to to work when we watch it, or the playground equipment to stay together when we climb on it.  We even depend on out own bodies to work, out heart to pump and out lungs to breath.  These are things we don’t usually think about because they just work, everyday, without having to get involved very much.

Your still asking yourself, what about this moldy sandwich.  Hold on, I am getting there.  In life we also depend on people.  Police, Firemen, Pastors, & Parents.  All of these people we have learned to trust.  Sure there are some bad apples (hmmm, apples, thats not a sandwich but its food.  We are starting to bring it around) but between a perfect stranger and one of these people we would choose one of the above in a crisis.  They have proven themselves reliable in a moment of need.  Now to the sandwich.

When I started looking for a way to illustrate being dependable I found this picture of a moldy sandwich.  I thought to myself, “Thats gross, I would never eat that”  and that is how an undependable person is thought about.  Not that they are gross, but, “Hey, I would never call on that undependable person”  That sandwich probably had some delicious ham, lettuce, tomato, mayo, maybe even bacon….mmmm bacon. But due to the condition of the sandwich we can’t see past the mold.  The sandwich is still there, but now it is known as a moldy sandwich.  Even if we had a magic wand that could make the sandwich edible, would you want to, knowing it was all old and moldy.  I wouldn’t, and being undependable is like that.

Application

Lucky for us, we are not moldy sandwiches.  We are people, and we can change.  Jesus provided us a magic wand that can make us new, both in Spirit and in mind.  We can change the way people perceive us by changing the way we think. That can be done by taking time and reading the Bible.  In changing our thoughts we change our actions, and when our actions change the course of our lives are changed. In the end we can help change the lives of those around us. You can depend on it.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Good Samaritain from J Doss on Vimeo.

The Message

This week we talked about kindness and went over the story of the Good Samaritan. Our goal was not just to teach the kids how to be kind because, quite honestly, The Quest has some of the greatest and kindest kids I know. It was also meant to teach them to be kind on purpose, to look for opportunities to be kind. Much like the story, the religious leader was probably a very kind person…when people were there to see it. The church helper might have been a super kind person, when he was told to do so. But the man from Samaria, who saw an opportunity to give without any recognition or being told to do so gave out of his own pocket. There was no expectation to be paid back or the favor returned. This is who Jesus says our neighbor is.

Application

When we asked the kids, “who is your neighbor, one of the kids responded, “This crazy lady who lives next door to us”. Others responded similarly, but not quite as funny. The kids were asked to put themselves in place of the person needing help. the question was asked again, who is your neighbor. At that point they were able to recognize the Samaritan as a neighbor.
This week the kids have been given a handout to help them be purposeful in the kind choices they make. The instructions are easy.

I know what you are thinking, “if you are teaching to be kind without expecting a reward, why are you offering Quest Cash?”.  But the purpose is not expect the kids to live this out perfectly after one Sunday, but to motivate the kids to experience the natural rewards that come with living out a kind lifestyle.

Total Recall

This weeks Total Recall comes from Luke 10:28b (I put the (b) in there so the kids know it is the last half of a whole verse)

KIDS: Memorize this one.  Who knows, you may run into someone who needs help and could use a neighbor of their own.

(PARENTS: The kids were advised to always ask a family member or teacher before getting involved with helping others.)