Something Different from STS: How to Make a Newspaper Mask by Anna Little

My ten year old daughter is super crafty and creative! I came home from church today and she was working on a paper mask for Halloween that is made of a Rice Krispie Treat box and some newspapers.

 Step One: Take a cardboard box and draw a mask shape on it.  Anna says to use the rough side of the cardboard for gluing on the paper when you get to that point. The shiny, printed side won't take the glue very well; things get slippery.

Here she is showing the mask shape she made. . . don't forget to cut the eye holes out!

Step Two: Next cut small squares of newspaper, Anna says the ads work best because they are in color!

Wrap the paper squares around a pencil and dip the end in glue.  

Stick them down on to the mask and wait for them to dry.

Step Three: All you have to do then is attach a string to the mask and you are ready for Halloween!  She is going to be the Mysterious Newspaper Girl! She will expose evil and "write off" crime!  Stay tuned for that picture!  

Welcome Children!

Yesterday was a day full of reminders for me about how many adults around us give of themselves so unselfishly to the children around them. This Sunday's lectionary text is Mark 9: 30-37 where Jesus teaches his disciples to welcome children in his name. Whose life do you invest your life in? Is there a child around you who needs your love, attention, support, mentoring, guidance, love?

One of my best friends has devoted her life to serving young people.  Unfortunately she was never able to have children of her own but here's the thing: she has her own children!  Gobs of them!! Children run to her knees. . . even my own daughter when she sees my friend, flies into her waiting arms, ready to tell her all of the events she's experienced since the last time they saw each other. This precious woman has godchildren that she adores, children in the church she serves that are the light of her days, nieces that are her pride and joy, kids at the school where she lives whose ball games she attends on a very regular basis. . . and on and on she goes. The love she has for children can be seen in her green eyes as they twinkle in a child's presence. She gives her life to them, each and every one of them that desires it. . . and I know for sure that they are better off for having her in their lives!

I have another dear friend who happens to be a member of the congregation I serve.  She is a grandmother, having raised two boys into successful adulthood. She could be done with all of this kid stuff, but no. . . a few years ago she saw a need in the community and so she decided she would become a Girl Scout Leader for the young girls who swirled around her! She faithfully invests herself in their little lives and they flock to her like a sweet mother hen who will look after them and correct them when they need it. They love her! She loves them! She has no reason to invest herself so deeply in these 15 girls' lives other than that is who she is in Christ. . . one who welcomes children (despite the enormous chaos!).

I know a sweet man who waits by the front doors of the church every Sunday to see if his favorite girl will walk through the doors early in the morning. He won't sit down until he sees her and she knows that this fellow is her kindred spirit. . . they got to know one another on a mission trip. Their relationship was solidified through service to others. She brought him back to faith. The love they share benefits both of them and inspires the rest of us to give of our selves to others, to form a bond with another human being and make them feel as special as they are.

Now, all of these kids that I'm thinking about come from good homes. And yet, all kids need someone outside of their genetic tree to tell them that they are worthy, valuable, important, special! Mom and Dad have to say those things you see; other adults do not have to say these things. The impact that you make on a child's life just by consistently being there, showing up, asking them about their life, praying for them, welcoming them into your arms. . . this makes us parents very, very happy! It does amazing things for our kids, trust me! We know we cannot do this alone, we need you to help us! It doesn't matter how "good" a child's home is. . . they still need other adults to be in their lives; if a child has a less than "good" home then they need it all the more!

Today I say thanks to all of you who give of yourselves to kids! Teachers, lunch room workers, janitors, pastors, neighbors, brothers and sisters in Christ, coaches, instructors, grandparents, you name it! You are very, very, very important! God Bless you! Please keep up the good work, we are all depending on you!

Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Have you ever read the The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom? It has been years since I read this true story of a Dutch family that hid Jews in above their watch repair shop and ended up in concentration camps because of their actions. But it is one that I can never forget, especially when I think of the words of Paul who urged believers to "Give thanks in all circumstances." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) In the story Corrie is complaining of how bad things are in the camp and it seems she is losing heart as her sister is ill and they are worried about so many things. Betsy, her sister who is with her in the camp struggling to stay alive, replies with Paul's words.  Corrie cannot understand how her sister can be so upbeat, so hopeful in the face of evil, pain, death and persistently annoying lice that plagued their barracks. She will come to understand later those lice kept the guards away from their crammed quarters which allowed them the freedom to share the Word of God from a tiny bible they managed to smuggle into the camp against their frail, emaciated bodies. This Word of God brought hope, courage and the will to live to many women who otherwise would have certainly given up.

Give Thanks (Photo by Amy Little)

Life can be very hard sometimes.  Circumstances can be very trying. . . especially when they are forced upon us by someone else, when things happen that are not a result of our own doing. Sometimes just living can be a struggle, dealing with demons of the past, or watching things fall apart before our very eyes and realizing that we are helpless to affect the outcome. But Paul instructs us in these matters as well, words that are hard to hear and hard to understand right now, that we are to GIVE THANKS is all circumstances!  ALL circumstances you ask? That's what Corrie asked her sister Betsy.  The answer was "YES! In ALL circumstances." Paul continues by saying, "for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ."

Give thanks, even when we don't feel like it? Yes.

Give thanks when we are in pain and cannot find relief? Yes then too.

Give thanks when our world is turned upside down and we don't know which was is up? Ummm hmm.

Give thanks when it seems there is nothing to be thankful for? You betcha.

Why? Because you don't know what Jesus is doing behind the scenes. Because you need to give up on fixing everything yourself and fully rely in the One who loves you most and who promised to never leave you! Because God has a bigger plan in mind and it is one that you cannot fathom no matter how you try, it's not rational, it's not reasonable, it's not even understandable-- right now that is (and maybe not in this lifetime!) It's a matter of faith, deep faith. . . and even though things are difficult there is always, always, always something to give thanks for in your life! And maybe you will come to find out that the lice that infest your life are just the thing that God is using to create a new thing!

Give thanks to the Lord for his mercy endures forever. Amen.