A biography is a true story written about someone else. A biographer is the author of a biography. In order to write a biography, an author must study the subject of his book. It is said that the best biographers write a story after living with a person, watching their every move and listening to what they talk about, who they love, and where they go. It is true that an author can write a biography on a person whom they have never met, but that is much harder. This day is named in honor of an English writer, Hames Boswell, who wrote about the life of another biographer, Samuel Johnson in 1763. There is a popular series of children's books on the school library shelves that are biographies. It is called the "Who Is/Who Was" series with over 150 titles. It includes titles like, "Who Was Lucille Ball?", "Who Was Mother Teresa?", "Who was Winston Churchill?" and "Who Was Davy Crockett?". They are very easy to read and we can learn so much about a person, from the author's point of view. If someone was to write a book called, "Who is Jesus?", who would be the best person to write such a book? Maybe one of his disciples who lived with him for 3 years? Maybe someone who lived at the same time and watched Jesus' life? Maybe someone who was a good friend of Jesus? All of these are correct, and you can find 4 biographies about Jesus at the very beginning of the New Testament written by people who knew Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are the best kind of biographers: people who knew him, lived with him, traveled with him, and personally listened to him speak. It makes their account of his life very believable, especially when their stories are verified by other people and historians. Over 40 authors wrote parts of the Bible. Many were biographers, reporting the stories of another person's life. We can believe the whole Bible, so today would be a great day to read one of the biographies in the Bible. Maybe start with the book of John.
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Even though June 20 is the first day of summer, today is Straw Hat Day which is an early sign of summer. In years past it was very common for men (and women) to wear heavy wool hats through the cold months. But on May 15, the wool hats were stored away and the cooler straw hat was brought out as the preferred head covering. Straw hats are worn in almost every culture and social class. President Roosevelt was known for his "Panama" straw hat. But there was an unwritten rule in the early 1900's that you were NOT supposed to wear a straw hat beyond September 15. If you spotted someone wearing a straw hat after September 15, it was "accepted" to knock the person's hat off and stomp on it. Some people took the ritual so seriously and in 1922 a riot broke out in New York and many people ended up in the hospital or in jail. The riot and fight started over someone stomping on someone's straw hat. That's really too bad. What started out as just a change of hat for the season, ended up hurting a lot of people. Is there a spiritual lesson to think about today as you find your straw hat? What comes to mind is the verse in Ephesians 4:22-24 where Paul tells us to put off your old self and put on the new self that was created after the likeness of God. Put away your old things (wool hat or your old sinful ways) and put on something new (like a straw hat, or start your new life in Jesus.) 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that when we start a new faith walk with Jesus that the "old is gone, the new is come." Maybe your hat can remind you today that you are a new person in Jesus. Buttermilk biscuits are a lot like bread except that biscuits are made with baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. You can mix them up and pop them right in the oven; no need to let them raise before you bake them. This makes biscuits a favorite, especially with gravy or jelly. McDonald's has great biscuits and you can order them with just jelly. That's my favorite -- a warm biscuit and grape jelly that drips through my fingers. Anyone want to run to McDonald's with me? Now when I think of a quick "bread" to eat, I think about the story of the Hebrew people who left Egypt in such a hurry that they didn't have time to let their bread rise so their bread was flat, almost like a cracker. Why did they leave in such a hurry? Do you remember? It was because Moses (and God!) had convinced Pharaoh to let the Hebrews leave their lives of slavery to go back to the Promised Land. It took a lot of plagues and disasters, but Pharaoh finally agreed. So they left quickly. Every year as a way to remember leaving Egypt they celebrate with a Passover meal with that same flat bread. Jesus ate that Passover meal the night he was betrayed by Judas before He was crucified. And we still remember that Last Supper that Jesus had with our celebration of communion. We take that little cup of grape juice and a little piece of flat cracker and thank God for what Jesus did for us on the cross and for his forgiveness of our sins! Buttermilk biscuits are a lot like that communion bread. A bread that doesn't use yeast, eaten with grape jelly (just like the grape juice we use for communion). Think about this today: If you haven't said "thanks" to Jesus recently for his forgiveness, this would be a great day to do that. Maybe you and your mom could whip up a batch of biscuits to celebrate this day. Post a comment below. Today is Frog Jumping Day and it reminds of a frog jumping contest that I went to when I was a kid. Much like the turtle races, everyone lined up their frog on a circle and encouraged their frog to jump to the outer circle. There was lots of noise and clapping and stomping to encourage the frogs to move. It's pretty amazing how high and far a frog can jump when he wants to. There are 14 different kinds of frogs in Minnesota in three categories: toads, tree frogs, and true frogs. They like to live in wet lands and in the evening they "sing" really loud. It is a fun reminder when spring and summer is really here. We listen for the frogs. Do you remember the frog story in the Bible? It was one of the plagues that happened in Egypt before the Hebrew people left with Moses. Pharaoh wouldn't listen and God covered the land with frogs. Before this, the Egyptians worshiped frogs. Really? really. But when God sent the plague of frogs they filled every home in the land. The Bible says they even got into the ovens and the dishes, and when the frogs died they piled them up in stinky piles. Gross! The Egyptian people worshiped a frog-headed god, and our God showed that He had control over even something that they worshiped. There is nothing that is more powerful than our God, and nothing that is worshiped by anyone, anywhere is better than our God. He is the God over all gods! Something to think about: listen for the frogs and think about things that some people think is more important than worshiping God. Is it fishing, or hunting, or snowmobiling? Is it sports or hobbies or family? Is it nature or frogs? Tell God today that you will worship ONLY HIM. Probably never before has so much attention been drawn to the important work that nurses do. This COVID-19 pandemic has made all of aware and appreciate the work of a nurse! We are so grateful for their work. This special day, National Nurses Day, was established in 1952; May 12 was chosen because it was the birthday of Florence Nightingale who was the founder of modern nursing. Do you know any nurses or anyone who works in the medical field. Nurses work at nursing homes, clinics, medical offices, and even schools. They do very important work from taking temperatures to giving shots and medicines. I can think of several nurses (at various levels from CNA to RN) who attend our church. Can you think of any? Today would be a great day to send them a quick email or phone call to say thanks. God uses medicine and people who have studies medicines and our bodies to bring healing to us. Sometimes he works through therapy, casts or splints, medicines, and medical machines like respirators to heal our bodies. Sometimes God does miracles and heals us without medicine. I've seen medical miracles, have you? Jeremiah 30:17 says, "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD". Do you know of anyone who needs healing from sickness or pain? Spend a few minutes today talking to God about healing, and thank Him for any nurse you know. And sometime today ask your parents to tell you of any medical healings they have seen. This is the one day in the year that you have my permission to eat whatever you want, except things you are allergic to. Please note, I did not say, "eat whatever quantity you want of whatever you want." I always wondered who said that pancakes are for breakfast, pizza is for supper, hot dogs are for picnics, and ice cream is only for special occasions. Today is the day that meatballs for breakfast are A-OK. Bananas with a peanut butter is OK for lunch, and if you don't want to eat brussel sprouts, today you get a pass. In the Old Testament, God set up several dietary laws on what His people should and should not eat. Many of these rules were God's way of keeping His people healthy as they moved across the desert to find the promised land. These laws were very different than the food rules we have today. Now we have special dieticians who help us understand the balance of food that we should eat every day. They have very good reasons for their rules and it really is best to try to follow their rules including a balance of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. We want to have balance because our body really belongs to God! I Corinthians 6:19 says, "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God. You do not belong to yourself." Our body is where the Holy Spirit lives and we should try to keep our bodies healthy with our food and exercise. So today, when you celebrate this ONE day of eating what you want, think of one thing you could do better to stay healthy and let's start that new habit tomorrow. What will it be? It doesn't always happen, but this year Clean Your Room day lands on Mother's Day. That seems like a fitting match, maybe even a Mother's Day gift. But the truth is, this holiday isn't only for kids. I know plenty of adults who have a room that needs to be cleaned up. Our rooms are filled with so many possessions! So today as you clean your room remember to thank God for every single piece -- as they get put in the dresser, closet, or maybe even in the trash. And thank Jesus for his forgiveness in our lives and clean-up work he has done in our hearts. Oh how fun it is to go to someone's house and sleepover. Not because you need a babysitter, or because your parents are out of town. But to sleepover at a friend's house, just because you're friends -- now that is fun! Sometimes you get to stay up late and eat popcorn or watch a movie. Sometimes you get to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag, but you don't really sleep because you tell stories late into the night. Raiding the refrigerator at someone's house is fun, too. And you get to make funny combinations of stuff when their parents have already gone to bed. Have you ever had peanut butter in your ice cream at midnight, or a banana sandwich? It is fun just thinking about it. It is a fun way to see how other people live. What is it like to eat supper with another family? How do their parents talk to each other when they think no one is listening? And you get to see your friend's toys and house and bedroom and pets and books and bed and all the other stuff they have. But after all of that, usually it is fun to go home to your own bed where you can really sleep. And the food your mom cooks is more familiar. It's fun to visit our friends, but our own home is best. Can you imagine what it was like to leave your home in HEAVEN where everything was perfect, and come to live in Bethlehem. Earth was a nice place to visit, and Jesus came here for a very important reason. John 1:14 says that Jesus "moved into the neighborhood." But it wasn't just for a sleepover so he could see our pets and our houses, he came here to forgive our sins so we could go to heaven to live with him someday. His place is perfect, and I'm excited to think about going on a "forever sleepover" with Jesus and all of the other Christians in heaven someday! Something to think about: What do you think heaven is like? Talk to your parents today about people they know who have gone to heaven. If you are not sure that you will go to heaven when you die, ask your parents to help you understand how you can know for sure. Heaven will be a perfect place to live someday!! Today is the day that you officially get to drag out your flip flops, your sandals, or totally just go barefoot! It is No Socks Day! This fun day was invented by people who wanted to promote less laundry and more freedom. Seems like a kinda funny day, but I will thoroughly enjoy going all day without socks! I wonder who invented socks. When I looked it up on Google it seems as if there were socks long before Jesus was here. They were pretty funny looking, with just two divisions for toes so they could be worn with sandals. That reminds me of the socks I have seen where every toe goes in it's own slot, they were called "toe socks" and most people thought they were very uncomfortable. But, what is the purpose for socks anyway? What do you think? I would guess they were invented for warmth, or to keep our feet clean. I'm sure whatever the reason, they were created for a really important purpose. So were you! You were created for a very important purpose. It says in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are called according to his purpose." Are you following God purpose for you? He plans, or purposes, for you that you will follow after him and seek to do his will and when you do, all things will work together for your good. (Even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes we have to trust the heart of God who loves us and created us.) Here's a challenge for today: Find the basket of socks that don't have matches that your mom has stuck away somewhere. See if you can find some matches out of the pile. And while you are working on that, think about God's purpose for your life -- to live for him and share the gospel with others -- and enjoy going sock-less today! Since we live in the center of beautiful Minnesota, we maybe understand what "tourism" is more than other parts of the country. Tourism is when a city or an area feature something special about themselves so that people will come and see and spend money. In our part of the state, people come to see our beautiful lakes and rivers. Then restaurants and businesses try to get those people to come to town and buy stuff. That's tourism. Can you think of other tourism things in our area? Here's some ideas: people come to see our forests, our bike trails, our Paul Bunyan things. People come here to fish and hunt and ski and snowmobile and watch birds. There are so many cool things where we live, and many people drive lots of hours just to get to where we live. Sometimes it is easy to forget how beautiful it is around here and how people are drawn here because of its beauty. The Bible talks about a different kind of tourism. It doesn't use the word "tourism", but it says that people should be drawn to God because of you. In 2 Corinthians it calls us a "sweet fragrance of Christ". Just like people are drawn to Minnesota because of its beauty, people are drawn to Christ because our beauty (sweet fragrance). I guess that means we are all in the tourism business -- the work of drawing people to us to see the beauty of Christ. Can you think of some practical ways we can do that?? |
AuthorWriten by Sue Van Hal, Children's Church Leader Archives
July 2020
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