If you’re a user of the Tru curriculum, you are already very familiar with the 10 Environments. I love how RockHarbor built the idea of the 10 Environments right into their everyday decor. Take a look at some of the artwork lining the halls in their children’s wing:
Pretty cool, huh?
How do you keep your vision front and center at your church?
Do you use Tru? How do you highlight the 10 Environments?
We’re learning all about Patience this month during Wednesday night Kids Club and I thought I’d share a post I wrote over at 3 Boys and a Dog. Hop on over to Kelli’s blog to read about 5 ways to teach kids patience and pick up a free handwriting practice sheet of Psalm 27:14!
Also, be sure to check out the Kid’s Quest blog — they were using 252Basics back in 2010 as well and have some great graphics and posts about patience on their sight. Check out this cool virtue sign:
Here’s some more great tips about teaching patience in this 252Basics Video:
252Basics Preview – Patience (May) from Otterbein Church on Vimeo.
Though I was not able to attend the Prayer Experience this year at the Gathering, I heard countless stories from others who did and really enjoyed it. Being guided through prayer is often a great way to break out of “going through the motions” and experience God in a fresh way. Here are the pictures and instructions from each of the stations in case you are thinking about recreated something like this in your own home or church.
Thanksgiving and Praise Station
Prayer of Restoration Station
Prayer of Confession Station
Prayer of Lament Station
Prayer of Petition Station
Prayer of Scripture
These stations aren’t in any particular order. The idea is for participants to wander and dwell at their own pace, so there isn’t a set order for the stations. Hope you can use these ideas to enhance your own prayer life!
Also, if you were at the Gathering and have better pictures (or different ones), I’d love to use them! Apparently, but camera didn’t take the best pictures. Leave me a comment so I can get in touch with you!
I finally got a chance to catch up with Amy Naluai here at the Gathering to talk about her prayer experience from Wednesday (find her on twitter here). Amy lives in California and has been using Tru for about a year now. She was able to drive in to The Gathering with a few members of her team. However, on the night of the prayer experience, Amy ended up going through the stations alone without her team. At first, she was concerned because she was hoping to have someone to talk with and process things with, but it ended up being a blessing because she was really about to focus and enter into the experience without distraction. In addition, Amy was so grateful to be able to simply experience prayer without having to prep for anything.
She explains, “So often, I running here and there and trying to make things happen. I have to facilitate things and gather props, and it was so nice to be to just experience something that really fed my soul. I just loved it and a few times I really felt like this was the moment I came to the Gathering.”
Amy especially liked the Prayer of Perspective station which highlights the Lower Story and the Upper Story (or as I like to say, the moment in time and the Big Picture) as well as the Confession station. She shares, “There was just something about writing out my sins with a red sharpie on white wood… the physical nature of writing it out and seeing it… it was just so freeing.”
If you’d like to experience something like the prayer stations as well, stay tuned for a post detailing instructions and pictures.
Thanks for sharing, Amy!
Man has invented some pretty cool things — the light bulb, the internet, and the iPhone for instance. Yet, no matter what we do, we cannot create life. Only God can do that. So, how do we receive life from God? How do we, like the dry bones found in Ezekiel, get a fresh breath of life? In order to do that, we need to:
Stop Running
Start Receiving
Start Living!
Do we really find life in the gospel? Does it stand strong when times get hard?
Megan shared a beautiful story about her ninety five year old Grandma who was to be a bridesmaid in Megan’s wedding. Megan asked her in August and in September, Grandma had a stroke. As Megan headed to school to teach that day, not knowing whether or not Grandma would be okay, she was broken. As she looked out at her students, she threw her notes to the side and asked the pointed question: “Does the gospel really give you life? It is strong enough to hold you during hard times?”
The students remained speechless, looking down at their desks, not able to truly articulate the effect of the gospel on their lives.
However, after the students filed out of the classroom, they started writing emails to Megan. Emails of confession… one student struggles with people pleasing and can’t embrace her identity in Christ… one can’t break free of addiction even though he intellectually know that God will free him. The emails continued and it was apparent that these students were so busy running from this to that to this in order to try to grasp a breath of life. They need to:
Stop Running
Start Receiving
Start Living!
Too often, we find ourselves running, carrying the burden of our sins here and there, simply getting tired.
Let’s take a minute to imagine a class exercise Megan experienced with her students….
The students were all assembled outside. White t-shirts were handed out and students were encouraged to write their sins on the backs of the shirts. They were handed rocks and heavy backpacks to represent the burden of sin and told to RUN up a nearby hill. Megan and her colleagues stood at the base of the hill, yelling “Run harder! Try harder! You can do it!” The students ran up the hill and then back down. Up the hill and back down… carrying the burden of sin. This continued for fourteen minutes and the students didn’t stop. They didn’t protest, they just kept running. Finally, a preassigned person, designated to represent God began walking the hill, whispering to the students. ”Why are you running?” he asked. One girl stopped and said, “Because they told us to.” God responded, “Don’t you know about my son? About what I have done?” In a sudden moment of clarity, the girl’s eyes lit up as she realized, “I’m free! I can leave these sins!” She readily accepted the grace God was extended to her, but she didn’t stop there. She turned around and shouted to her classmates, “They lied to us! You don’t have to carry those! Stop running!” Her friends didn’t stop, so she ran to one, grabbed her arm and dragged her to the God representative. She continued in this way and soon all the classmates were free.
We can receive that same freedom. We don’t have to keep running. We don’t have to keep carrying those burdens.
Stop Running
Start Receiving
Start Living!
I have to admit, it was hard to take notes during Megan’s talk because I was leaned in the whole time, listening intently. Her lesson was beautiful and touching and so meaningful. I hope a video is soon available on the Tru website, because it’s something you will definitely want to check out.
P.S. Grandma ended up being okay and was a bridesmaid in Megan’s wedding!
Megan Fate Marshman is the Director of Development and Production for TRU at David C Cook and also serves as Director of the Women’s Ministry at Hume Lake Christian Camps. It is Megan’s passion to communicate the gospel and empower others to do the same.
For tonight’s night on the town, I met up with my college-friend Kalyn for some California fun! To start, we hit Umami Burger which was absolutely delicious. I love the servers there — so friendly and helpful and of course, the burger was supreme!
Next, we headed to Ikea! I have frequently browsed the catalog but have never actually made it to a store.
It was a blast checking all the home decor and I picked up a few things to take back home to the kids. Now, I just have to get them to fit into my suitcase! Should be okay, right?
Looking forward to some more great sessions tomorrow at the Gathering!
Lindsey Whitney is the Children’s Ministry Director at East Lake Road Alliance Church in Erie, PA. She manages the Children’s Church program, mid-week Kids for Christ program as well as special events and mentoring programs. She has an excellent volunteer team and is grateful for all the support and encouragement the church members provide. Lindsey has been married to her wonderful husband for over five years and together they have two fun, energetic kids. She operates a family home day care and loves the interaction with kids she has both in the home and at church. She operates Growing Kids Ministry, a Children’s Ministry blog and recently served as one of the contributing authors on KidMin1124. She has been published by Children's Ministry Magazine and Stuff Christians Like and hopes to do more writing in the future. In her spare time, she loves to see the sites in Erie, watch the Steelers with her husband, read books and magazines, visit with family and sneak in a few stops at the local coffee shop. You can find her on Twitter @lrwhitney or on Facebook. You can also email her directly at lindsey@growingkidsministry.com.
