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Teachable Moments by 6th graders

Compiled By: Dr. Kent McClain

Created by his 6th grade class

            The following Teachable Moments were created and written by Dr. Kent McClain’s sixth grade class. Teachable Moments are stories that teach concrete Biblical truth.  The Teachable Moments your children have written, demonstrate their sincere desire to bring to their own generation worthwhile values and lasting ethics. Please read carefully what they have written. What they think and say will eventually lead to what they will do. What they will do may change the course of history. With God by their side, perhaps they can turn the tide of human events.

 May God bless you as you ponder these wonderful Teachable Moments.

 Table of Contents

 1.            Kent McClain

2.            Benji Earl

3.            Dominique A. Roskilly

4.            Aubrey Nare

5.            Jonathan Obest

6.            Erin G. Balogh

7.            Warren Lukesh

8.            Nicole Rachel Harris

9.            Ethan Forward

10.         Sarah Molen

11.          Paul Tait

12.         Tiffany Davis

13.         Ashlee Du Bois

14.         Ryan David Purvis

15.         Chad Mason

16.         Tiana DaShawn Jajko

17.         John Sparks

18.         Kristina Morales

19.         Brian Criscuolo

20.         Nicole Kaplan

21.         Shawn Mason

22.         Armando Cardiel

23.         Janai Montoya

24.         Adam Walker

25.         Scott Sparks

26.         Robert Mitchell

27.         Ian Paul

                

 

The Teachable Moment of Playing Monopoly

By: Dr. Kent McClain

Visual Aid: Monopoly Game Board

 The Idea: That each person must give up the control of his life in order to receive salvation form God.

 The Scripture: Matthew 13:45-46 “Again the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

          The game of monopoly has been played by every generation. It is a board game that includes deeds, dice, chance cards, etc. The purpose of the game is to bankrupt all the opposing players by gaining property and money. Usually the winner ends up with the valuable pieces of property like Park Place and Boardwalk. In my experience of playing monopoly I always sought the opportunity to buy Park Place and Boardwalk as soon as I could. I would mortgage everything I had in order to make this purchase. In the end, I would gain it back when someone would land in this valuable property. They would have to pay me in full, consequently I was able to recover all the money and property I risked in order to own Park Place and Boardwalk.

          Jesus taught many great lessons on how to be right with God; he called it his kingdom message. In Matthew 13 he told his disciples about the right relationship with God through some stories which we call Teachable Moments. In this Teachable Moment he said that finding God was like a ship merchant who bought a great pearl by selling all that he had to obtain it. In monopoly the principle is the same, I was willing to give up all that I had in order to obtain Park Place and Boardwalk. Jesus’ message was simple, all those who believed in Him would have eternal life. The gift of salvation was free with one hitch. You have to give up the control of your life to Him. He said if you do, you will have an abundant life, one that will bring peace in the midst of tribulation and eternal life with God when you die. Like the sea merchant or the monopoly player we must take that risk and give up all that we have in order to be saved and be right with God. In the end we will gain everything back that we held onto so tightly. Jesus later said, “Seek ye the first the kingdom of God, all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6)

 

 

The Teachable Moment of Football

 By: Benji Earl

Visual Aid: Football Field

 The Idea: To get the Word to Non-Christians

 The Scripture: Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

          My game is football. The object is to get the football from your end of the field to your opponents scoring area, their end zone, as quickly and as many times as possible.

          The rules are that you can’t catch the ball out of bounds, or beyond the end of the end zone. So the quarter-back must throw the ball accurately for his receivers to catch it.

          One of the most spectacular plays in football is when a team has the ball behind their own 25 yard line, then the quarter-back takes a big chance in calling the play. When the ball is “snapped,” the quarter-back throws a long bomb pass to his receiver in the end zone, and he catches it.

          Whenever you see a play like this, pretend that you are the quarter-back who is a Christian, the football is the Word of God, and your receiver is a non-Christian. If and when you throw the ball to him, you tell him about God, but you have to throw the ball accurately, or deliver a good message to him for him to catch, or accept the Word. But if you throw inaccurately, or deliver a bad message, he might not catch the ball, or accept the Word of God. Let’s try to make a long-bomb completion for God this week.

 

 

The Teachable Moment of Mountain Climbing

 By: Dominique A. Roskilly

Visual Aid: Rope, shoes

 The Idea: God will not let you fall!

 The Scripture: Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

 1 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.”

          Mountain climbing can be fun but dangerous thing to do. Some people like this activity, but as for others they are afraid of heights or think it’s too dangerous. In this activity you need a strong rope, special climbing shoes, and each foot and finger must move skillfully so you won’t loose a foothold and fall.

          The spiritual lesson is that if you climb toward God in a way that you love others and follow Him; He will not let us fall away from Him or fall into Satan’s hands. If you have strong faith and courage in the Lord as your goal in your Christian life, God will be there with you to guide and protect you whether its in a low valley or on a high mountain.

 

The Teachable Moment of Freeze Tag

By: Aubrey Nare

Visual Aid: Hands

 The Idea: God is with you wherever you go.

 The Scripture: Matthew 28:20 “… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

          In playing freeze tag you have to choose a person to be “it”. All the other people run around and the person who’s “it” tries to tag you. If you get tagged, you’re stuck in that place until another person comes and unfreezes you. If you get tagged three times then you’re “it”.

          The spiritual lesson is that sometimes believers are not faithful to God, and they do not act faithful. These people might pretend they’re your friends but then they lead you into situations where you need Gods help. So you ask for His guidance and wisdom and He will send someone to come and help you out of that situation. If you keep falling in the unfaithful people’s traps, you too might become unfaithful to God.

 

The Teachable Moment of Spy vs. Spy

 By: Jonathan Obest

Visual Aid: Briefcase, umbrella, bucket of water

 The Idea: Satan sets traps to keep you form your goals, but god protects you form harm.

 The Scripture: Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.”

          In the game Spy vs. Spy you must collect three items to win. These items are a key, a briefcase and a bag of money. You collect items by searching in many rooms. The other spy can plant traps to stop you form getting the items you need to win the game. There are also items that disable these traps.

          In life your goals are the items needed to win. Satan is the other spy that sets the traps, and God is the one who supplies the items for protection. An example of how god helps you is this; Satan pays a bucket of water on a door, God supplies the umbrella that stops Satan.

          When you first start, your goal seems easy, but as you get closer to your goal Satan sets traps to discourage you. If you have God to help you, the traps will be easier to overcome. If you don’t have God, Satan’s traps will stop you.

 

 The Teachable Moment of Soccer

By: Erin G. Balogh

 Visual Aid: The coach and the disobedient player

 The Idea: Following through with God’s plan. What happens if you do not follow God or listen to God?

 The Scripture: Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”

          Soccer is a fun game, but it is also challenging. The game is made up of two teams with 11 players on each side. There is required a ball and a goal box for each team. How it is played is that each team must run down the field, kicking that ball into the opponent’s goal net to score.

        Like Christians, soccer players are to know which goal to run in order to score. There is a coach for each team. The coach gives directions and teaches the game strategies to the players so that his or her team may win. God, in a Christian’s life, is that of coach. He tells us which way to kick the ball. If we don’t listen to God, then we are like the soccer player who does not listen to his or her coach. If the player doesn’t listen to the coach he or she belongs to, then that player might get confused and run the bal into the wrong goal, scoring a point for the other team. The player has two choices of goals, his goal or his opponent’s goal. As Christians, we have two options as well, one is heaven the other is hell. We as Christians need to listen to the coach who is god, if we are to know which goal to score in.

          Hell would love to win by tricking the Christian into scoring for them. After awhile, the Christians score so many goals for Hell that they begin to think they are apart of their opponent’s team. Remember, Hell is not for us. As Christians we must keep listening to God if we are to win for the right side.

 

The Teachable Moment of Golf

By: Warren Lukesh

Visual Aid: Caddy, sand trap

 The Idea: To have god in your life to help you out of problems and erase them.

 The Scripture: Psalm 32:1 “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.”

          Everyone has heard of golf. It’s the sport where golfers hit a ball with a golf club and try to get in the hole. If you’ve ever watched a game of golf you have seen someone walking with the golfer. There are also things called sand traps in the game of golf. They are placed in many different areas on a golf course. They are very hard to get out of. When hit incorrectly, there is a chance the ball will end up in a sand trap. Once the golfer hits the ball out of one, the caddy takes a rake and covers the marks in the sand.

          There are sand traps in our life to. Those sand traps represent problems. Sometimes we create those problems because of our sinful actions. This is where God comes in. He is like a caddy. He will give us advice on how to get out of a problem. Once we get out, God will cover the scars so it seems like the problem was never there. He forgives our mistakes. Some people don’t have the Lord as their caddy. When they find themselves in a trap or problem they might not know what to do. Without the Lord as their caddy they may be able to get out of the problem, but the scars aren’t gone. Ask the Lord into your heart. We all need a caddy.

 

The Teachable Moment of The Game of Life

By: Nicole Rachel Harris

 Visual Aid: Game board wheel

 The Idea: Don’t seek for the material things in life, the Lord will provide for all your needs.

 The Scripture: Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

          In the Game of Life, you are to try to be the person with the most money, (more money than the other players). You also try to get to the end of the game where you can retire. The game board has squares representing different stages in a person’s life. Some squares instruct you to take specific actions, receive cash rewards, or pay debts you owe. The Lord is where you retire and that’s like being in Heaven. We are at the starting line, we Christians, and the non-Christians are at the starting line too. We are going against each other.

          The non-Christians try to get all the money and possessions as they go along. The Christians try to get to the Lord, so that they can go to Heaven, so their hearts can be cleansed of sin.  

In the end, the non-Christians discover that material possessions are not life’s greatest reward. Then if the non-Christians want to believe in the Lord, He will forgive them of all their sins. The non-Christians then find the true meaning of life here on earth, a real relationship with the Lord.

 

The Teachable Moment of Motorcycling

By: Ethan Forward

 Visual Aid: Riding Gear

 The Idea: God gives us the confidence to do anything. 

The Scripture: Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

          Motorcycling can be very fun, but it can be very dangerous. When you are riding you should always wear gear, especially when you are going over a jump, if you don’t you could be seriously hurt. 

         The spiritual idea of this is that jumping can be very scary or dangerous, that’s why you should wear gear. Your gear is like the armor of God, and without it you can get hurt. God will give you confidence and if you put your mind to it, you will be bale to go over that jump. That is the same for everything. No matter what, just have confidence in God and you can do almost anything.

 

Teachable Moment of Swimming

 By: Sarah Molen

 Visual Aid:

 The Idea: Being a Christian is not that easy

 The Scripture: Romans 5:3, 4 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;.”

          Swimming is a fun sport. It takes a lot of time and effort. The goal is to prepare for the race and to hopefully win the prize. Being a Christian is a lot like swimming. You will never get better if you give up or if you slack off. The Lord says that He will be with us even through hard situations. When you swim you need to obey and listen to your coach. It is the same with God. We should listen and obey no matter how hard things seem to be. You will never finish the race if you give up.

          Just like practicing makes you better, going through hard situations makes you stronger. Don’t take the wrong path, or the easy way out. You will mess up your whole life and miss out on a lot of blessings that God has in store for you. Being a Christian can be fun, too, knowing that God wants the best for us even if things are difficult sometimes. Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” That should be the example for all of us. It is the best time for us to learn to know God better, and experience His blessings. Hang in there.

 

The Teachable Moment of Basketball

By: Paul Tait

 Visual Aid: Basketball Team

 The Idea: The body of Christ

 The Scripture:  Ephesians 4:4 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.”

          The goal of a basketball team is to get the ball into the basket. The basketball team must work together in order to win. The team has five players. Player #1 is the team captain or leader. He is in charge on the court. He handles the ball most of the game. He makes the decision on where to pass the ball. Players #2 and #3 can either shoot or pass. Players #4 and #5 are under the basket waiting for a ball to be passed or to get a rebound. The team coach is the person who makes all final decisions.

          The body of Christ and the Church can be compared to a basketball team. The church has a Pastor who is like the captain of the basketball team. They are both teachers and are responsible for the people under them. The players on the team each have a certain job just like the members of the body of Christ have ministries. Some are nursery workers and others teach the children. If one person in the body does not do their part the body of Christ can fall apart. But thankfully God is the Coach and in control always.

 

The Teachable Moment of Baseball

 By: Tiffany Davis

Visual Aid: Baseball Bat, baseball, glove

 The Idea: Being ready and properly equipped

 The Scripture:  1 Corinthians 12:11, 12 “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.”

 Most of you have probably played baseball or watched a baseball game at one time or another. There are always two teams. One team is in the outfield and the other team is at bat. In my Teachable Moment the team in the outfield represents God’s team. God is the Captain of His team and the players are His followers (Christians). The team at bat represents Satan’s team. Satan is the captain of this team and the players are his demons.

                  When Satan’s team hits the ball, God’s team field’s it and throws it to the base that the runner is running to. In order to field the ball properly each member of the team must work together to successfully make the play. Team members must practice before the game and be properly equipped with baseball bat, gloves, cleats, and uniforms. If the players on God’s team catch the ball and tag the runner before he gets to the base, he is out. Occasionally, the runner gets to the base before the players on God’s team can field the ball. When this happens, the runner stays on that base.

Satan tries to hit sin and temptation to is as members of the body of Christ and tries to negatively affect us. Sometimes he is successful, but most of the time his is not. Because we are members of Christ and are properly equipped and have Him as our Captain, he directs us to throw the sin back to Satan and his demons. When we make errors (sin), He shows us how to make the play successfully the next time. We have to trust Him and direct us when we fail. As members of His team we always want to make the right decision and He makes the possible to do.

 

The Teachable Moment of Weight Lifting

By: Ashlee Du Bois

 

Visual Aid: The weights

  The Idea:  If you believe in God He will help you lift the weight of sin.

 The Scripture:  Romans 6:17 and 18 “But thanks be to God that through you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

          In weight lifting there is a man who lifts weights. If he can’t lift the weight there is a spotters, the spotter to help you lift the weight back up.

          In my Teachable Moment the weights are like your sin. Sin is what is holding you down. Jesus is the strength that will help you lift up the weight. If he can’t lift the weight there is a spotter, the spotter in my Teachable Moment is the Holy Spirit.

         You must have the Lord and Holy Spirit in your heart so that they can help you lift the weight of  sin off our heart, mind, and body.

          You will be unable to lift the weight of sin without the help of God.

 

 

The Teachable Moment of Basketball

By: Ryan David Purvis

 Visual Aid: Referee

The Idea:  Do not judge other people.

 The Scripture:  Matthew 7:1-2 “Do not judge lest you be judged.” “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by you standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”

          Basketball is a fun and easy sport. In basketball you try to get the ball form the other team without fouling. The you dribble down the court and try to score with the other team blocking you.

          If you get fouled while you’re shooting, and the referee doesn’t see it, then stay calm and keep playing. If a player stars yelling and calling the referee can call a technical.

          The referee stands for the Lord because he judges what people do. A technical or a foul is like a sin. If you get mad at the call and start calling the referee names, them it’s just like calling God names. Calling people names is just like judging someone. In Matthew 7:1-2 it says, “Do not judge lest you be judged.”

 

The Teachable Moment of Chess

 By: Chad Mason

 Visual Aid:

 The Idea: Do not be fooled by decoys that seem good, but take you away from your Lord instead.

 The Scripture: Matthew 16:22-23 “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

          In the game of chess the object is to get the other player’s king in a checkmate position. This happens when your castle, pawn, bishop, knight, or queen captures the king. The king’s guards, however, can keep you away from the king. Sometimes, in order to get the king, you must use a decoy, or a pawn, to lure the guards away from their king. The pawn may seem worthless but it is worth a great deal if it takes away the guards form their king so he can be captured.

          In the Christian life, Satan acts as a weapon and tries to lure you away form your King, or Lord, with great things. Try to resist that temptation by knowing what is right and to stay with your Lord, This will make you a great Christian.

 

The Teachable Moment of Rise Dead Man Rise

By: Tiana DaShawn Jajko

 Visual Aid: Dead leaves, blanket or sand and clock

 The Idea: To be prepare when Jesus returns

 The Scripture: Mt. 25:13 “Watch therefore; for ye know neither the day now the hour wherein the Son of the man cometh.”

 2 Co. 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

          Rise Dead Man Rise is a game that is played in the fall of the year when dry leaves are plentiful, or a blanket or sand could be used at other times.

          This game is suitable for three or more players. One person is chosen to be the “dead man.” This player then lays on the ground and is covered be leaves or a blanket. The other players walk around the person chanting, “Rise dead man rise!” When the “dead man” suddenly rise, the other players run and try not to get caught. When a player is caught, that person is then “it.” The game can be played over and over again, but let’s think about a spiritual lesson.

          There are a few spiritual meanings for this game, but let’s focus on one. The “”dead man” represents time. You don’t know when Jesus will return, so we must watch and be ready. The players who run, represent the many who will not want to receive God’s judgment, and the player that is caught means you won’t be able to escape.

          We must be prepared for Jesus’ return be living a life that is pleasing to Him. The Bible teaches us the things we must know and do to make it into Heaven. We must do good and live a life that is pleasing to God. The Bible also tells of the many events that will take place right before He comes. When we see these things, we know the time is near. So watch and be ready.

 

The Teachable Moment of Billiards

 By: John Sparks

  Visual Aid: Cue stick, cue ball, striped and solid balls.

 The Idea: Good causes all things to work together for good.

 The Scripture: Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Good, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

          Have you ever played billiards? If you haven’t, what you do is rack the balls on a pool table, hit the cue ball with a cue stick, and try to hit the solid or striped balls into the pockets. The person that hits the “8” ball and all the solid or striped balls into the pockets first, wins!

                 God loves us, and is always trying to get us to do the right thing.

          Imagine this, God will be the person trying to hit all the striped balls into the pockets. We are the striped balls. The pockets are the good things in life. The solid balls are the obstacles in the way of getting us the good things. Satan is the “8” ball.

          This means that God is always trying to put the circumstances on us to do the right things. When God uses His tools He can overcome Satan, even when Satan and all of his non-believers are trying to block God’s shot. That will never work since God’s a pro at the game! All God has to do is hit the stripes in just the right pattern and all of the solids will have no use. God will eventually make all the balls in, and when He is done getting us in, He’ll sink Satan too!

 

The Teachable Moment of Basketball

 By: Kristina Morales

 Visual Aid: Guard    

 The Idea: If you miss the basket, God is always behind you.

 The Scripture: 1 John 5:4,5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

          In the game of basketball there are many players. Some are on one team and some are on the other team. On each team there is a guard (or defense) who tries hard during the game to stop the ball from getting in the basket. There are a lot of ways you can get the ball in the net: jump shot and lay up, etc.

          These are a lot like the ways Satan’s team tries to win. Satan is the player-coach because he coaches and plays on the team. He is trying to get non-Christians, or some of your friends, to join his team. God is the guard who is there when we don't the shot. We (Christians) are the players trying to shoot good things into the basket (non-believers).

          Every time we don’t make it, we have to have faith in God to pick us up. We also have to have faith in God so we can have victory and overcome Satan.

 

The Teachable Moment of Hurdles

 By: Brian Criscuolo 

Visual Aid: Hurdles

 The Idea: Do not let obstacles get in your way of being a Christian.

 The Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-11 “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you might be able to stand firm against the schemes of the Devil.”

          My game is track and field. I like the hurdles most of all. In the hurdles the hurdler has to start when he hears the starting gun. Then he has to jump over all the hurdles in his way. He also has to run as fast as he can without knocking over the hurdles. If he hits the hurdle, then he gets slowed down because of it. He finally reaches his goal, the finish line.

          The hurdles and the hurdler are like Christians getting slowed down by obstacles. When a Christian first starts out being a Christian, it is like the hurdler starting the race. Then the Christian might get slowed down by obstacles like drugs and alcohol. Satan still might put other things that could make you sin. Satan is going to keep putting obstacles in your way to stop you. Btu if you keep getting through all these obstacles he puts in your way, you will finally reach your goal.

 

The Teachable Moment of Bunji Jumping

By: Nicole Kaplan

 Visual Aid: Bunji cord, jumper, and bridge

 The Idea: If you have faith in God you will be protected and save on the day of judgment.

 The Scripture: Hebrews 11:16 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that is a rewarder of those who seek them.

          In bunji jumping you need a jumper, a bunji cord, and a bridge. First you need  a brave person that is the jumper. Then a special cord called the bunji. This is a rubber cord with a band to hold you. You can put it around your waist or ankles. Then you find abridge and “JUMP.” But just like Peter you have to have faith that you don’t fall. Just like Peter was in the boat and he saw Jesus walking on the water. Then Jesus said, “Come”, and Peter got out of the boat and walked to Jesus. Then Peter saw the winds and got scared and began to sink. Peter cried out, “Lord, help me!” Immediately Jesus stretched His hand and grabbed Peter. Then Jesus said, “Oh you man of little faith, Why did you doubt me?” This relates to my story because in the day of judgment God can make everyone jump off a bridge with a bunji cord. If you are a believer, God will make your rope strong so it doesn’t brake. If it doesn’t brake you will go heaven. If you have no faith you rope will be weak and break like you don’t even have a rope. This happens because if you have no faith your rope will break and you will go to hell.

 

The Teachable Moment of Checkers

By: Shawn Mason

 Visual Aid: Checker Board

 The Idea: When you become a Christian, your job is to bring non-Christians to believe in God, but Satan will always try and stop you.

 The Scripture: Matthew 16:2-23 “And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to you,’ but he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

          You all have probably played checkers. Checkers is played with two players. Each player sets up his checkers on the first three rows of black squares on the opposite sides of the board. The object of the game is the capture all of your opponent’s checkers and to get your checkers to the other side of the board to be kinged.  

         The Spiritual lesson is that god is the player with the red checkers which are his followers. Satan is the player with the black checkers which are his helpers. When a Christian “captures” a non-believer, it is like bringing the non-believers to God. God moves us to make non-believers believe. Satan moves his helpers so they can try and stop you.

 

The Teachable Moment of Water Polo

 By: Armando Cardiel

Visual Aid: Water polo ball and two goal nets

 The Idea: When Satan tries to throw sin into our hearts, God is always there to block sin from getting into our hearts.

 The Scripture: Matthew 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. [For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen]

          The Teachable Moment I did is water polo. In water polo, you are in a swimming pool with two other teams. The tow teams try to compete with each other to get the water polo ball. Whoever gets the ball will try to get the ball into their opponents goal net to score a point. If a goalie is good at blocking, he won’t let the other team score a point. If he is bad at blocking, he’ll let the other team score a point.

          Like the goalie in water polo, God and we have to help block Satan and sin from getting into our hearts. If we don’t help block Satan and sin, we are not doing our part of the job by blocking Satan and sin from getting into our hearts. Nothing can get past God if we have him in our hearts; and by having God in our hearts, we have the success and privilege of helping God block Satan and sin from getting into our hearts. Nothing can get past God.

 

The Teachable Moment of Bowling

 By: Janai Montoya

 Visual Aid: Bowling Balls

 The Idea: Getting people to know about Jesus.

 The Scripture: Romans 10:1-3 “ Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

          Have you ever been bowling? Well, if you haven’t today I am going to tell you about it. First you must get the right kind of bowling ball. Now there can be foam balls, rubber balls, and confetti bowling balls. They can all look like the real thing. First let us try the rubber bowling ball. Oh no, it bounced away! Now lets try the foam bowling ball. Oh no, this one fell and broke! Now lets try the confetti bowling ball. Oops, it shattered! All these bowling balls won’t work. They all would break or bounce away. There is only one kind of bowling that really works. That is an official bowling ball. That is the way it is with Christ. He is the only official way to salvation.

 

The Teachable Moment of Football

 By: Adam Walker

 Visual Aid: A Football 

The Idea: Temptation-Don’t let Satan tempt you to go the other way.

 The Scripture: Matthew 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, Amen. “

          In the game of football there is an offensive team and a defensive team. The captains of the teams call the plays, then the players do what the captains say.

          The offensive team captain stands for God, calling the plays so we can get past all the obstacles Satan is using to stop us from doing good. Satan is the defensive team captain, He tells his players to tempt us to do wrong. The blockers for Gods team stand for the Christians, helping there team to score a touchdown.

          If you think you can stand up to all the defensive players that are trying to tempt you to do wrong without the help of God, then think again. Even the best players are tempted to go on there own without the plays the captain calls, but if there smart, they would stay with the play so they can score a touchdown.

 

 The Teachable Moment of Jousting

                     By: Scott Sparks

  Visual Aid: Jouster, horse

 The Idea: God is like the armor that knights use to protect themselves against the opponents lance (or Satan) that will cause them death.

 The Scripture: Ephesians 6:14-17 “Stand firm therefore, Having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breast plate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith which you will be bale to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.”

          Jousting was a game from the medieval period. Knights would ride towards each other with lances which were used to kill or knock off the other rider. After they were knocked off the knights would fight with ball and chains or swords. When they were fighting with swords they would aim for each other’s legs.

          After the legs were cut they wouldn’t be able to move, so it was a perfect time for the other knight to kill him. That is why some knights would use things to protect their legs so they would never be at a disadvantage to get killed. Sometimes they would wait for the other knight to get tired from swinging their sword and kill them.

          God is like the armor on the knight’s legs that would protect him by not allowing the Devil to kill him by putting him at a disadvantage, by cutting his legs off or killing him. God is also like the shield of faith that we can use to wait for Satan to use all his tricks (or energy), then we can use the sword of the Spirit and destroy Satan or his helpers so we can lead a Godly life and stay on the right path.

 

The Teachable Moment of the Bowling Ball

 By: Ian Paul

  The Idea: God will help us in time of need.

 The Scripture: “God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble.” (Psalms 46:1)

          The idea of Bowling is to roll a heavy ball down a bowling alley, and try to knock down the pins. If you are beginning, you might roll the ball into the gutter. You have to get a strike or a spare. A strike mean that when you hit one of the front row pins, the rest of the pins fall down in one shot. A spare is when you roll the ball down the alley and you knock a few pins down. Then you roll the ball down the alley again and you hit the rest of the pins.

          The spiritual aspect is that Jesus is the person that is bowling. The ball is you. The front pin symbolizes Satan, and the back pins are his helpers. The gutter is Hell. God will help you get past Satan. You have to ask God for help and be willing  to get past Satan. You’ve got to knock down Satan and get him out of your life. Satan will try to pull you down to do the wrong thing, but you have to love god and ask him for help to get past Satan, and his helpers.