This week's theme: We need to spend time with God

Goals: To teach the children that:

1. The Bible is our guide for living

2. God wants each of us to spend time with him.

3. We learn how to live right when we spend time with God.

4. The more time you spend with God the more you will grow to become what God wants you to be.

Chef Skit:

The Swedish chef comes in to the room crying. He is not his usual bubbly self. He has an uncooked angel food cake in his hand. He is sobbing because his cake isn't big and fluffy and delicious like the one in the picture from the box. He is very upset that his cake doesn't measure up to the one pictured. He can't figure out what went wrong. He thinks of all these reasons that it isn't like it's supposed to be; like too much noise, too little air, etc. The leader tries and tries to explain to him that he hasn't baked it yet, but he continues to interrupt with his reasons. Finally the leader gets his attention and explains to him that in order for the cake to become like the picture is for it to spend time in the oven. When it spends time in the oven it will grow and change and become big and fluffy. The chef excitedly leaves to bake his cake.

The leader explains to the kids that likewise, we as Christians need to spend time in God's presence in order to grow and become what God wants us to become.

The Bible is full of stories that tell us how to live and what to do. And it is full of stories about people who spent time with God. Spending time with God is important. It helps us grow and become stronger Christians. One of the best recipes for successful Christian living is to spend time with God.

Crazy Moose story: Cocoa the crazy moose pops out in the puppet stage. He tells the leader that he knows all about two ladies in the Bible who had a disagreement about just that! Their names were Mary and Martha. They were good friends of Jesus. He explains that Jesus was traveling and one day he stopped to see Mary and Martha and their MOUSE. The leader corrects with he stopped at their house. The moose continues and tells about how much they loved Jesus. Mary was so excited. She went right away and sat down next to Jesus... MEAT. The leader corrects with sat down next to Jesus' feet. The moose continues to tell that Martha was very busy. She was cooking and cleaning and setting the table. She was running around like a whirl wind while Mary just sat there and did nothing but listen to Jesus teach. Martha started to get angry and smoke started to come out her ears. The leader stops the moose and tells him that part is a stretch because smoke doesn't really come out people's ears when they are angry. She explains that Martha was very upset though and asks the moose if he knows why. He answers that Martha was upset because Mary wasn't helping with the work. Then he asks if he can continue his story without interruption. The leader apologizes and tells him to continue. He tells that Martha came running into the room and asked Jesus to make Mary get up off her seat and onto her feet to help. Jesus answers Martha by telling her that Mary was doing the most important thing of all. Cleaning and cooking are important to do, but spending time with Jesus is the most important choice.

The leader is impressed that the moose knows this story so well. She thanks him for sharing it with the kids. Then she discusses the meaning of the story with the Moose. It is important to work and get things done. God doesn't want us to be lazy, but the most important thing we can do is spend time with God.

Cool Clyde's death defying double dare:

Cool Clyde comes out to teach the memory verse. After teaching the verse he challenges the kids to his death defying double dare. This dare involves eating something really gross that he has cooked up. One child from each team comes up and takes the item out of Clyde's lunch bag, put it in their mouth and eat it and then recite the verse.

This week Cool Clyde has angel food cake with sardine frosting.

Psalm 42:1 As a deer thirsts for streams of water, so I thirst for you, God.

Write each word of the memory verse on a small Dixie cup and fill it half way with water or Kool aid. Have the kids read the verse and then select a child to drink one of the cups of water and remove the cup. Continue this until all the cups have been removed.

Game Fishing

You will need two sets of plastic fish and two plastic fishing poles. Select one child from each team and give them a fishing pole. Pour out the fish in front of the players. On go each player begins fishing trying to catch as many fish as possible in 60 seconds.

After playing the game discuss the following:

1. What do you have to do to catch fish?

2. How many fish will you catch if you never put your hook in the water? The more time the hook is in the water the more chance you have of catching fish. If you never put your hook in the water you will never catch fish.

3. How is this like spending time with God? If we never pray and spend time with God we are never going to grow. If we want to grow we need to make sure we spend time in God's presence just like the hook needs to spend time in the water if it wants to catch fish.

Closing object lesson:

The Swedish fish comes up with a picture of his old best friend. He asks the leader to please throw it away for him. The leader inquires about why the fish would want to throw away a picture of his best friend. The fish explains that years ago they were bestest friends. They did everything together. They spent time together, they played together, they talked to each other all the time. But then they got busy and they stopped spending as much time together and eventually they forgot all about each other. As the years passed their friendship just sort of disappeared because they didn't take time for each other or time to grow their friendship.

It is much the same in our relationship with God. Our relationship with God grows from spending time together. When we get busy and stop making time for God our relationship with him suffers. Just like spending time with friends is important to maintaining those relationships, spending time with God is important to maintaining our relationship with him.