In response to my new iPod being named “Steve” after my dad, my mom had some thoughts that got me laughing. She emailed me:
I can just hear the conversations now…
“Carolyn, have you seen Steve anywhere?”
“Man, that’s a cool song — I’m gonna download it on Steve.”
“The time just flew by — I was listening to Steve.”
Those conversations would be made even more amusing by the fact that Carolyn’s dad is also named Steve.
There’s an AA group that’s been meeting weekly at our church for 18 years. I finally made it out there last night to meet some of them. Over the last few months I’ve talked with the group’s leader several times by phone and email, but this was the first time I’d met him in person. It seems like a really neat group of people! They invited me to join them for their meetings, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to make it from time to time. It’d be great to get to know them better.
Today my baby brother turns 31. That’s just weird.
I can clearly remember standing in the living room of our house at 12125 Rennick Lane in Silver Spring, Maryland, on the night of December 11, 1980. We’d just moved to Maryland from Arkansas a couple months earlier. It was three days after John Lennon had been killed. Jimmy Carter was still the President, but Ronald Reagan was the President-elect. And I was in kindergarten at Jackson Road Elementary School.
From the bottom of the steps, I heard my dad tucking Dylan in and saying in his Arkansas drawl: “Now Dylan, this is your last night being three.”
When that same amount of time passes again, Dylan will be turning 58. He could easily have teenage grandchildren.
When people talk about how quickly life passes, they ain’t lyin’. Here’s a picture of Dylan as he exits age 30:
Sike. That’s our uncle Hugh. Here’s Dylan for real, at his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame:
Happy birthday, baby bro! 31… unbelievable….
My new iPod arrived today! It’s an 80 GB classic, sleek black. When you first hook up a new iPod in iTunes, you have to give it a name. In honor of my dad who bought me this amazing gift, I named the iPod Steve.
Here’s a view of Steve the iPod:
Ahh, so nice to be iPodded again!
On Sunday at CrossWay we celebrated Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist (if you’re from a really fancy church!).
We looked at how there are many normal situations in which people don’t connect with each other–they don’t even talk. For instance, the common etiquette on an elevator requires that you stare straight ahead and don’t talk. Weird, but that’s how it is. But if that elevator were to get stuck for an hour, you can be pretty sure there’d be a lot of getting to know each other. Whenever things break down and normal experiences become unusual experiences that we share with other people, we connect with others and build a common bond with them.
In a similar way, the broken body of Christ brings His followers together through shared experiences. By trusting in His work on the cross for us, believing that He died personally for our sins, we share in the experience of Jesus’ crucifixion. We share in His resurrection by placing our hope in the eternal life He promises to those who place their faith in Him. Jesus sends His followers out on the same mission He began–another common, shared experience that brings us together. And when we participate in the local church, the family of God, the body of Christ–we share in a common experience as we build connections and relationships with other Christ followers.
Matthew 26:26-29 tells us about the origins of the Christian ordinance we know as the Lord’s Supper by recounting what we know as the Last Supper. On His last night with His friends before He was killed, Jesus told them to remember His body broken for them and His blood shed for them. The opposite of “remember” is not merely “to forget”; the opposite of “remember” can also be “dismember.” The body of Christ has been dismembered, but we can re-member it by sharing in these experiences of crucifixion, resurrection, mission, and church.
We remember all these things, and re-member the broken body of Christ, through the reflection and celebration of Communion, which is another shared experience that ties together all these other shared experiences. In taking Communion together, we connect with one another and unite with God and with other believers.
On Saturday at CrossWay we held our first Christmas KidsFest. It was awesome! We had 25 kids from 12 families, ranging in age from one to seven. The kids were all from families that are part of the Training Station, the preschool we have at CrossWay. There were 17 volunteers from church who worked really hard to make it a huge success!
I’m not sure who had more fun–the kids, the workers, or the parents who left their children with us for four hours! (But I suspect that those of us from CrossWay had the best time!) I don’t want to sound hokey or patronizing or anything, but as a pastor, I was extremely proud of our folks from church for pouring so much of themselves into this event.
It was still a little rainy when the kids arrived, so we played inside for a while. We went to the sanctuary and brought in a bunch of toys, but the best part was the sock-snowball fight. When you use balled up socks for snowballs, it levels the playing field. One-year-olds, four-year-olds, 32-year-olds, and 70-year-olds were all on equal ground when it came to pinging each other in the best “snowball” fight of the year.
Then we headed into stations, where the children were divided into smaller groups and ate lunch, made and decorated cookies, created ornaments with their pictures on them, and all kinds of other cool stuff. We all went out to the playground for a while since it had dried up, then came inside and watched a Veggie Tales Christmas video. The day ended with one more small groups station, then it was 3:00, the parents came back, and we had to call it a day.
We took a lot of pictures and Carolyn used them to make a video. We showed it in church yesterday and we’re giving a DVD of it to all the parents whose kids came. (I wish I could post it on here, but of course in today’s world we can’t for safety reasons.)
Since we had such a good turnout of volunteers I hesitate to single anyone out, but I’m especially touched by the dedication of Terri and Grace. They’re both teachers at the Training Station (Terri is also the director) who work there with these children five days a week, yet they were the first ones there on Saturday and were the last ones to leave! We had others, like Steph, Carolyn, and Christi, who teach kids during the week but eagerly came out on Saturday to throw a serious Christmas party for these kids. And Josh and Diana also work in local schools. I could go on and on about Josh washing dishes and five youth working so hard the whole time and all the diapers that had to be changed….
It was such a great experience for us all that it’s hard to express it here. All the feedback I’ve received, from parents, kids, and CrossWay people, has been tremendous. I think we’re all looking forward to doing it again!
What is it with these dominant NFL teams trying to make things dramatic by trailing until there are only a few seconds left, then scoring a touchdown to put away the win?
In true copycat fashion, the Cowboys did a great mimic of New England’s last-second triumph over Baltimore on Monday Night Football. Dallas made a great comeback against Detroit on Sunday, scoring on another Tony Romo TD pass with only 18 seconds left to win by one. You can read about it here.
Oh yeah, 12-1!!!
I’ve discovered that several people have found this blog by exploring the search engines looking for a script for a Christmas puppet show for kids. If anyone is interested in seeing the script I used for the puppet show described in a recent post, just email me by clicking the link near the top right of this blog’s homepage and I’ll be happy to email it to you.
It’s not a great script and it was written for a specific audience (and using certain puppets–a rooster and a cow), but those things can easily be tweaked to adapt it for a different audience. I spent so much time searching the Internet in vain for a suitable script, so I just had to write one. If I can spare someone else that trouble, I’d be more than happy to!
Update: My wife pointed out that there’s no reason to require this extra step for anyone wanting to check out the script. So I’m adding it below to this post. There are a few details that are specific to our setting that you’ll want to change if you use it, but that should be simple enough by copying and pasting it into a word processing program. Feel free to use it any way you want. Just FYI: Calvin is a cow puppet with a deep voice, and Brewster is a rooster who talks like a California surfer dude. It’s about 8 or 9 minutes long. Here it is:
Christmas Story Puppet Script
[Open by mentioning last week's story about Gabriel appearing to Mary. Say that I have some friends who want to help me tell the story, then go behind the curtain for puppet show.]
Calvin: Hey kids! [Pauses.] I said, Hey kids! [Pauses.] My name is Calvin, and Pastor Nathan asked me to help him today. Have you seen him? [Pauses.] Where? [Looks around.] Hmm, I don’t see him. Oh well, that’s okay. He wanted me to help him tell you a true story about the birth of Jesus Christ. But first, now that you know my name is Calvin, I wanna know your names. So on the count of three I want all of you to shout your name. Okay? Ready… one, two, three. [Pauses while kids yell.] Well, great to meet you [say all of kids names]. So, you wanna hear a story? [Waits for answer.] Good. It’s a very mooooving story, so I’m sure you’ll like it. My friend Brewster’s gonna give me a hand… [Brewster appears]… well, a claw.
Brewster: Hey kids! [Pauses.] Hey Calvin!
Calvin: Hi Brewster. How’re you dooooing?
Brewster: Great, man, like, totally cockadoodle, dude!
Calvin: [Stares at Brewster.] Anyway, what do you say we tell our friends here about the story of Jesus’ birth like Pastor Nathan asked us tooooo?
Brewster: Sounds great! Like, where do we start?
Calvin: Well, last week Ms. Grace told them about the angel Gabriel who appeared to Mary.
Brewster: What did the angel say to Mary?
Calvin: He told her that she was gonna have a baby.
Brewster: You mean like, a real live kid?
Calvin: Naturally. Well, not quite naturally, as a matter of fact. You see, Mary didn’t have a husband yet, so she didn’t know how she could become a mom. It seemed, shall we say, udderly ridiculous.
Brewster: Oh yeah, like, I totally remember now. So then the angel said that God was gonna like, put a baby in her, and He would be the kid’s dad, right?
Calvin: That’s right.
Brewster: So what happened next?
Calvin: Well, Mary and her husband-to-be, Joseph, had to leave their home in Nazareth and travel far away to pay their taxes.
Brewster: Far away…. You mean, like, to Salisbury?
Calvin: No, Brewster-much farther than that.
Brewster: Umm, like Baltimore?
Calvin: Wrong again, my friend. More like, umm….
Brewster: Florida?
Calvin: Yeah, real far away, kinda like Florida. Except it was called Bethlehem.
Brewster: Cool! Did they go to Disneyworld?
Calvin: [Shakes head.] No silly, of course they didn’t go to Disneyworld. Mary’s about to have a baby, remember?
Brewster: Oh yeah. Hey, I wanna go to Disneyworld! Have any of you kids been to Disneyworld?
Calvin: Brewster?
Brewster: Yes?
Calvin: Focus! Before I get a real craving for some chicken noodle soup.
Brewster: Yeah yeah, right, sorry. So, Mary and Joseph traveled far away from the town of Nazareth to Bethlehem. Then what happened?
Calvin: Then Mary told Joseph that the baby was about to be born! But they had a big problem.
Brewster: What was their problem?
Calvin: Their problem was that all the hotel roooooooms were full. There were no vacancies at all, so they had to sleep in a barn.
Brewster: [Stares at Calvin.] They had to sleep in a barn?
Calvin: Yeah, they had to sleep in a barn.
Brewster: Calvin, where did you sleep last night?
Calvin: In a barn. But-
Brewster: And where did I sleep last night?
Calvin: In a barn, but-
Brewster: So what’s wrong with sleeping in a barn?
Calvin: We’re talking about people, Brewster! Of course we sleep in a barn-we’re animals! But a barn is no place for people to sleep. Especially when one of them is a pregnant woman. And especiallyer when one of them is a pregnant woman who’s having a baby.
Brewster: Like, whoa! You mean she like, totally gave birth to her baby, right there in the barn?
Calvin: Yep, right there in the barn. And they named the brand new baby-hey kids, do you know what they named the baby? [Waits for answer.] That’s right, good job! They named the baby Jesus, just like the angel told them to.
Brewster: Well, did they like, go to Wal-Mart and buy Him some baby clothes, a blankie, a nice new crib, and SpongeBob Square Pants pajamas?
Calvin: No, they didn’t have any of that stuff. After the baby Jesus was born, they wrapped Him in an old piece of cloth and placed Him in a manger.
Brewster: A what-ger?
Calvin: A manger!
Brewster: What’s a manger?
Calvin: It’s like that big wooden thing I eat and drink out of.
Brewster: You mean like a feeding trough?
Calvin: Exactly.
Brewster: Well why didn’t they, like, put Him in a crib or something?
Calvin: They didn’t have one. So they put Him in a manger.
Brewster: Oh. Then what happened?
Calvin: Well, while Mary and Joseph were admiring their new little baby, there were some fields nearby with some shepherds.
Brewster: Shepherds? What’re shepherds?
Calvin: Shepherds are like farmers, but they take care of sheep instead of cows.
Brewster: Shepherds are like sheep farmers?
Calvin: Yeah, only shepherds have to stay with their sheep all the time, because…well… frankly, sheep are not as smart as us cows, and they have to be watched constantly, like a little brother or sister, so they don’t get into trouble.
Brewster: Oh. Who knew? Okay, so like, what about these shepherd dudes?
Calvin: Well, there were shepherds in some nearby fields. It was nighttime, and they were watching over their sheep. Suddenly, an angel appeared!
Brewster: Like, whoa!
Calvin: Yeah, no kidding. That’s what the shepherds said! There they were, just watching their sheep like any other night, and suddenly an angel appears and the whole sky lights up with the glory of God!
Brewster: Wow! Were they afraid?
Calvin: You betcha. So the angel said to them, “Hey, it’s okay! Don’t be such chickens!”
Brewster: Hey!
Calvin: Oh, sorry, no offense. So anyway, then the angel said to the shepherds, “Great news guys! Today Jesus Christ was born nearby in Bethlehem. He is God’s Son, a gift sent to you from God. He will rescue people so that they can be friends with God!”
Brewster: Sweet!
Calvin: Yeah, the shepherds thought so too. Then a whole bunch more angels suddenly appeared, and they told the shepherds to go to Bethlehem, where they would find Baby Jesus wrapped up tight in an old cloth and lying in a manger.
Brewster: What’d they do?
Calvin: They went there, of course. And they found Him, just like the angels said. They told Mary and Joseph what the angels had told them about Jesus, and it made them a really happy mommy and daddy. Then the shepherds went around telling everyone else the good news about Jesus being born! And people everywhere worshiped God.
Brewster: Wow, that’s like, totally exciting! God gave His own Son, Jesus, so that we could be God’s friends! That sounds so important, we should probably celebrate it!
Calvin: Um, we do celebrate it, Brewster.
Brewster: We do? We celebrate Jesus’ birth? I didn’t know that.
Calvin: These kids probably knew it. Hey kids, do you know when we celebrate Jesus’ birth? [Waits for answer.] That’s right-Christmas!
Brewster: Whoa, cockadoodle dude! You mean Christmas is not about Santa bringing us lots of presents?
Calvin: That’s right. We celebrate Christmas to thank God for giving us Jesus.
Brewster: Wow, that’s cool. I guess there’s only one thing left to say.
Calvin: What’s that?
Brewster: Merry Christmas, Calvin! And Merry Christmas to you too, kids!
Calvin: Thanks, Brewster. Merry Christmas to you toooooo! Well, kids, that’s all for now. We’ll see you next time. Meanwhile, eat more chicken! [Disappears.]
Rooster: Hey, I heard that! [Disappears after Calvin, then reappears.] So long, kids!
[Reappear, ask if they've seen Calvin & Brewster, look for them but don't find them, shrug it off. Say, "Well, let me tell you a story about the birth of Jesus Christ. Have you heard this one before? Oh, you have?" Do you remember who Jesus' parents were? Where was Jesus born? Why do we celebrate Christmas? Why did God give us Jesus? Close in prayer.]
Today is Christmas KidsFest at CrossWay! We’re having close to 30 children for a kids Christmas party. We’ll make crafts, play games, eat lunch, watch a Christmas video, play outside, and other cool stuff!
Well, I survived my first puppet show.
A group of about 25 kids gathered for the morning Bible story, when Calvin (a cow) and Brewster (a rooster) made their first appearance to tell the kids the biblical story about Jesus’ birth. Then in the afternoon a class of about 15 assembled for the same story.
Puppeteering is so much harder than I thought! In the first time around, my voice about went out, my arms were so tired I could barely hold them up, my hands got so worn out I could barely move the puppets’ mouth, and it made my legs so wobbly that I’m still having some trouble walking right. Wow–who knew?!? Oh yeah, and I realized halfway through the story that I was inhaling each time a different puppet talked, so I never actually exhaled, and I felt like my lungs were going to burst. Weird stuff.
The second time around I made some adjustments and it seemed to help. Only problem was I accidentally knocked into the script, which was spread on the table in front of me but behind the curtain, with my body–and with puppets on both hands, there was nothing I could do about it. So a little improvising was necessary to cover for the words I couldn’t see!
Okay, that was the hard part. The great part is that the kids seemed to be into it, and it was so cute listening to them interact with the puppets! The afternoon group asked if Calvin and Brewster would be coming back. I’m looking forward to having another opportunity for them to return! (Next time, however, I’m doing research on how to position myself properly, and I’ll try to recruit another puppeteer!)
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you the embarrassing part. The second Bible story time ended as parents from another class were arriving to pick up their kids… except that one of them arrived early. She heard something going on in the sanctuary, and when she peeked in, there’s the pastor on his knees with a cow that sounds like James Earl Jones on his right hand, and a rooster that sounds like a surfer dude on his left hand. When I walked out of the sanctuary, she was sure to let me know she’d seen my puppeting in action! How embarrassing.
|
