Has this ever happened to you?
Has this ever happened to you? I was super excited about this winter process art. My assistant and I got everything ready, we laid out plastic wrap to contain the water, we had the snowcone machine making snow and we had cut up tons of tiny tissue paper squares. What could go wrong? The kids laid out their designs and when they were ready, we brought them little cups of snow. We explained that when they put the snow on the tissue paper, as the snow melted it would cause the tissue paper to leave behind color and they would have beautiful pictures.
Bleeding Tissue Paper
Who knew that the inexpensive tissue paper from the dollar store doesn’t bleed? You need “bleeding” tissue paper! All that we were left with was some wet paper… hmmm! What were we going to do? The class project failed! I called all of the kids over and we had a discussion. I explained what happened and asked them what they thought we should do. It was decided that we should take pictures of their creations and then I could throw away this sopping wet mess. Little did we know a few months later we would be living in a real-life, sopping-wet mess of a time called Coronavirus. And, just like this project we had to ask ourselves, “Now what?” As I prepare for the new school year I don’t want to continue existing in this storm of unknown.
This year is going to be joyful. This new set of children I am about to meet, deserve to have the best of me. I refuse to approach this year with a mindset of what I can’t accomplish due to Covid and I want to embrace new ways to move forward and not let 2020 steal my Joy!
There is a prophet in the Bible, Jeremiah, also known as the weeping prophet or the reluctant prophet. If I asked you to quote a verse you might go straight to 29:11-
“For I know the PLANS I have for you” declares the LORD “plans to PROSPER you and not to harm you, plans to give you a HOPE and a FUTURE.”
That is such a sweet and uplifting verse. But, let’s go to the beginning of Jeremiah; God calls him to spread his word and Jeremiah’s reaction was Oh No! I can’t do that! I am too young! But, God had a different plan. He said, “NOPE, Don’t tell me that! You will!” Then for the next 20 chapters, he quotes the Lord and speaks to the people. In Jeremiah 20:7 he is arrested and beaten. His reaction is,
“You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me.”
Duped! Some versions say deceived but I like duped! I don’t want to tell God, “Nope, I am not going to share your word with the people” And God doesn’t want to hear that I am not knowledgeable enough to share his word… even in the year 2020. This is why I felt it was necessary for me to start a blog.
This is why I call my blog Joy and Sunshine;
Here are two of my favorite kids’ church songs which bring me back to MY days in VBS, sitting in the church basement, drinking Kool-Aid or Tang with some flower cookies on my fingers. Getting ready to recite the Pledges, I can picture Mrs. Barb sitting at the church piano for music time.
All the feels and all the smells…
Down in My Heart -Cedarmont Kids
I have the joy, joy, joy, joy,
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart,
I have the joy, joy, joy, joy,
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart to stay.And I’m so happy, so very happy
I have the love of Jesus in my heart.
(Down in my heart)
And I’m so happy, so very happy
I have the love of Jesus in my heart.
This Little Light of Mine -Gospel Dream
This little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Bring it Back to Jesus
Bring it back to Jesus In my Sunday school class, at the end of each lesson, there is a Christ Connection. When I am done reading the lesson I say to the class “Now we…” and they bring one hand to the other, clap, and say “Bring it back to Jesus!” So, I will end each story by bringing it back to Jesus.
Matthew 16:23 But Jesus turned to Peter and said “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Then Jesus told his disciples “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and pick up his cross and follow me.”
“So… Satan you can get behind me as I start this new school year because I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart to stay! I am going to take my non-bleeding tissue paper and go have some fun with my class!”
So sweet