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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

The Armor of the Lord - the Helmet of Salvation

clip art courtesy of fotosearch.com


This year, our church's Vacation Bible School theme is "The Armor of the Lord" (taken from Ephesians 6). I have been asked to write a series of character lessons to go along with the theme and thought that you might find these stories useful. Oh, yes, the stories are written for children ages 3-6, but you could surely adapt them as needed.

Here is my story relating to the helmet of salvation.


Just in Case

Eager to ride his new bike, Jonathan raced toward the door. Mother had said that he could ride it until suppertime in thirty minutes. Just as he opened the outside door, however, Mother called his name.

“Jonathan!”

Jonathan reluctantly stopped.

“Yes, ma’am?” he answered.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Mother asked.

Jonathan was puzzled. What could he possibly need to ride his bike?

“Your helmet?” Mother gently prodded.

“Aw, Mom! I’m just riding on our street; nothing will happen to me. Do I really have to wear my helmet?” Jonathan complained.

“Yes, Son, you do, “Mother answered. “Accidents can happen at any time to any one. Wear your helmet – just in case.”

Sighing heavily, Jonathan trudged back to put his helmet on. He didn’t understand what the big deal was about wearing a helmet; he already knew nothing was going to happen to him! After he put on his helmet, he once again raced outside to his shiny new bike. Soon, he was happily riding up and down the street. Suddenly, the bike’s front wheel hit a stick. Jonathan flew through the air, skinning his cheek when he landed face first on the sidewalk. As quickly as possible, he wheeled his bike back home, heading straight for Mother.

“Jonathan!” she gasped, “Are you okay? What happened to you, Son?”

Jonathan couldn’t help crying a little as he told Mom about his accident.

“Thank you for making sure I was wearing my helmet, Mom. If I hadn’t been wearing it, I might have been hurt even worse. I’m just glad I only scraped my cheek,” Jonathan ended.

“Oh, Honey, I’m so glad you obeyed me and put on your helmet!” Mother exclaimed as she doctored his scrape. “You know, this reminds me of the helmet mentioned in Ephesians 6. Do you remember that?”

“Oh, right - the helmet of salvation. We learned about that in Vacation Bible School. Why did you think of that, Mom?” Jonathan wondered.

“Well, Jon, your helmet protects your head from injuries that could seriously hurt - possibly even kill - you. The helmet of salvation protects you from eternal death. Also, do you remember how you were so sure you weren’t going to have an accident that you didn’t even want to wear your helmet? Some people feel that way about salvation. They are so sure that they will live a long time that they don’t think they even need to be saved. Just like your helmet protected you during your accident, if you were to die today, you would be safe in Heaven because you are protected by the helmet of salvation you ‘wear’,” Mother explained

“I see what you mean now, Mom, and I’m glad that I put on the helmet of salvation a long time ago. Don’t worry any more about my not wearing the bike helmet, either. I’ve learned my lesson, and from now on I’ll be protected both in eternity and here on Earth!”

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Sunday, May 27, 2007

You Might Be A School Employee

My friend Karen K. sent this to me in an email. I thought you all could use a laugh today.

You might be a school employee if:

  • you want to slap the next person who says, "Must be nice to work 8 to 3:30 and have summers off
  • it is difficult to name your own child because there's no name you can come up with that doesn't bring high blood pressure as it is uttered
  • you can tell it's a full moon or if it going to rain, snow, hail, anything without ever looking outside
  • you believe, "shallow gene pool" should have its own box on a report card
  • you believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, "Boy, the kids sure are mellow today."
  • when out in public, you feel the urge to snap your fingers at children you do not know and correct their behavior
  • you have no social life between August and June
  • you think people should have a government permit before being allowed to reproduce
  • you wonder how some parents MANAGED to reproduce
  • you laugh uncontrollably when people refer to the staff room as the "lounge"
  • you encourage an obnoxious parent to check into charter schools or home schooling and are willing to donate the UHAUL boxes should they decide to move out of district
  • you think caffeine should be available in intravenous form
  • you can't imagine how the ACLU could think that covering your students chair with Velcro and then require uniforms made out of the corresponding Velcro could ever be misunderstood by the public
  • meeting a child's parent instantly answers the question, "Why is this kid like this?"
  • you would choose a mammogram over a parent conference
  • you think someone should invent antibacterial pencils and crayons, and desks and chairs for that matter!!!
  • the words "I have college debt for this?" has ever come out of your mouth

Ok, some of these may be a little extreme. (Well, I guess that depends on which school district you're working in. lol) I can relate to the one about naming my children and the one about snapping my fingers at other children. Hope you got a good laugh today. :)

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Thursday, May 24, 2007

A.C.E. (Accelerated Christian Education)

As a former student and graduate of an A.C.E. (Accelerated Christian Education) school, I am quite familiar with this program. The curriculum creators designed a course of study that centers around Christ and Christian values. The premise of this curriculum is that each child is an individual and learns at his own pace.

Here is their promise to parents as stated on their About page:

Based on these principles [Five Basic Laws of Learning], the A.C.E. curriculum assures parents of:

  • A solid, mastery-based, back-to-basics education for their child.
  • A course of study diagnostically individualized to meet a student's specific learning needs and capabilities.
  • A program incorporating Scripture, Godly character building, and wisdom principles.
  • A curriculum using advanced computer technology to help ensure the finest education possible in today's high-tech climate.
The A.C.E. curriculum offers courses for preschool through college prep. Full details are available through the Home School Scope and Sequence. The A.C.E. home school online tools include a Free Online Diagnostic Test and their Home School Catalog. Home School options include the distance learning program, which means that the child is enrolled as a student of Lighthouse Christian Academy (the parent essentially functions as a tutor), and the independent home school option (the parent assumes full responsibility for the child's education). Home school support includes Home School Conventions and Motel Meetings.

To see what other homeschoolers are saying about this program, click through to read the many Testimonials at A.C.E.'s site, or visit Home School Reviews and choose ACE (School of Tomorrow).

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Thursday, May 17, 2007

"We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming"


... to bring you this announcement.

One of my best "blog friends" is Linda. She is a prolific blogger with several blogs. Her newest blog is Mama's Coffee Corner. Linda and I were talking when she had the bright idea for us to hold a joint kickoff contest for Mama's Coffee Corner and RS Designs, my design blog.

The contest will be held for one week beginning today (May 17-24). Winners will be announced May 25.

Prizes:
  • Linda is offering your choice of either a $20 gift certificate from Amazon.com or a Brazilian Goody Box to be sent to your door.
  • I am offering a free custom header from RS Designs.

How to enter:
  • Write a post about the contest and link to both Mama's Coffee Corner and RS Designs.
  • Sign the Mr. Linky at the blog offering the prize you would like to win. If you would like a chance to win both prizes, sign up at both blogs.
That's all there is to it. I wish you all the best.

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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Letter W crafts and activities

Today, we make our way on to the letter W.

Here are some good W words:

clipart courtesy of fotosearch.com

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Sunday, May 13, 2007

Happy Mother's Day

To all of you mothers, I wish you a wonderful day. There is nothing so sweet as a loving mother. Praise the Lord for you ladies who are shining examples of why mothers are so deeply loved!

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Monday, May 7, 2007

Mother's Day

Only a couple of days until Mother's Day?! How did it catch me unaware?

Mother's Day is the perfect time for your child to get creative and for you to emphasize the importance of thinking about others. Encourage your child to make something for the special women in his/her life (grandmothers, aunts, teachers, etc.).

Here are some of my favorite presents I have received for Mother's Day.

  • black and white photos of my children in a black wooden frame with a white mat
  • anything with my girls' hand prints on it - I love to see how their hand size changes
  • books - I love to read!
I thought these were good and simple activities for Mother's Day.
I hope every one of you has a wonderful Mother's Day.

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Saturday, May 5, 2007

My girls


These are Pookie Bear (4 years old) and Miss Muffet (2 years, 11 months old ). They love each other and their little sister. In fact, they wanted to make a picture of Pookie Bear hugging Miss Muffett hugging Baby Bear, but Baby Bear declined to pose for any more pictures!


This is vintage Baby Bear. She will be 2 in a couple of months. When she is tired she likes to suck her thumb with one hand while twirling her hair with the other.

These are my darlings - the reasons I created this blog. Would you like to share your reasons for visiting this blog?

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