Tonight was the last night for Free Chapel Youth's "Friday Night Lights," a pretty good series that's been going on the last four Sunday nights. Maddie wasn't going to miss this one, even though it was a pretty long day up until then. We actually stayed there a little later too, just talking and hanging out with a few others until it was time to head back home.
This afternoon, we were doing some more ghostbusting, and now that's getting tougher for us. But we still made it past a few levels, although we ran out of time. Maddie got a shower, and got out the door. I dropped her off at FCY, and then headed back to relax a bit with Mom and Nana, watching another adventure with Dexter Riley in "The Strongest Man in the World." We skipped over the middle movie of that classic trilogy, "Now You See Him, Now You Don't," mainly because it's not on Disney+. But no worries - we'll catch up with that one later because we have a copy of it in the basement on DVD. These movies are old-school fun, and by the time we were done with that, I was out the door to get Maddie again.
One of the reasons I was chilling a bit was because the earlier part of the day was a lot more intense. I was getting all these bags of sand for the fire pit area, and in fact we got the entire area filled with a layer of sand. Next comes the pea gravel. Up and down that hill with bags of sand really got me worn down a bit! I'm still managing the treadmill too, staying on there 45 minutes to an hour, walking along and looking at all this scenery as I do. Lately, I've been watching a guy walk through parts of Alaska, and it's been pleasant to do while listening to music on my own.
Tonight before bed, we watched another episode of "Star Wars Visions," these great new animations released recently by Disney. We also watched "Toy Story of Terror" and "Mater and the Ghost Light," just a few short things before heading off to bed where we read from Kingdom Keepers again. Tonight's chapter had characters fleeing from deadly dive bombing birds by jumping into the AquaDuck to escape. It was a thrilling chapter before prayers and bedtime.
This morning we were at KidPak, of course, and I have to say how thrilled I am with this dinosaur-themed series. Each week, the kids really get dinosaurs, with strong messages and bottom lines based on Biblical principles. Today, I was the one bringing the message, and it was a movie message based on "The Good Dinosaur."
The movie has has a great theme to it about courage, and I scripted out this outline below to go with the message. It went really well for both services, and the kids got to see some dinosaurs on the screen without being too scary. It was a good morning at church. In fact, I think I'll close today's entry with the outline I typed up for the message as I close up here. Goodnight!
KidPak Adventures: Lost World
The Good Dinosaur
CUE SLIDE: “LOST WORLD”
HOST: “Hello and welcome back to the Lost World! A few years ago there was a dinosaur movie that came out, one called ‘The Good Dinosaur.’”
CUE SLIDE: “ THE GOOD DINOSAUR”
HOST: “ Did anyone else see this movie? I was expecting the standard dinosaur movie. Some crazy event happens and everyone has to flee and go some place new where they’re safe. Until the next big disaster happens.”
HOST: “But that didn’t happen here. This movie is modeled after a western movie, of all things! It even has cowboys and even farmers too. And it’s on one farm that a special little dinosaur is born, as you’ll see here in our first clip.”
CUE CLIP 1: ARLO
CUE SLIDE: BABY ARLO
HOST: “As you can see, Arlo is loved by his parents. But you can see something else right away. Arlo is a little scared of new things. And before you start laughing too hard at this little guy, I want you to think of something you’ve been frightened of before. It’s a part of life, really. And it’s something we all have to face. Let’s see how little Arlo deals with it in this next clip.”
CUE CLIP 2: MAKING YOUR MARK
CUE SLIDE: MAKING YOUR MARK
HOST: “Somehow Arlo wants to make his mark. And that’s where I want to stop for a moment. You see, we are all here to make our mark in life. In fact, that’s our first point.”
CUE SLIDE: POINT ONE - IT’S TIME TO MAKE YOUR MARK
HOST: “It’s time to make your mark. God has us each marked for greatness, and we’re all designed by Him to do something big with our lives. In every case, it’s something different. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to change the world.”
HOST picks up an Arlo stuffed animal.
HOST: “Here’s the problem. Arlo is scared. And we get scared of doing new things too. Maybe it’s a new school. A lot of people are scared right now of where our country could be heading to. Whatever it is, we need to remember this: fear is the opposite of faith. When you fear anything but God, you’re saying you don’t trust in Him enough to handle it. But let me share this scripture from the book of Psalms.”
CUE SLIDE: “Psalm 56:3-4 NIV
HOST: “It says, ‘When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’”
CUE SLIDE: LOST WORLD
HOST: “Our Heavenly Father has a mark on us, a mark for something great. And if God is on our side, what do we have to fear? Fear just holds us back from all the promises of God. It’s holding us back from so much good that’s waiting for us. And as you’ll hear in this very next clip, sometimes you just have to get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side.”
CUE CLIP 3: SEEING THE BEAUTY ON THE OTHER SIDE
CUE SLIDE: FIREFLIES
HOST: “Arlo would never get anywhere or see anything if he just spent his whole life afraid. But that’s not what God wants for any of us, and I doubt it’s what you want either. No, point two says what we all need to do.”
CUE SLIDE: “POINT TWO – STAND UP, AND STAND OUT”
HOST: “Stand up, and stand out. Ours is not a spirit of fear! We’re entering a season now where everyone celebrates fear and darkness. But the Bible tells us that ours is not a spirit of fear. And the Bible tells us that God made us to be a light of the world.
HOST: “In fact, the Bible says a whole lot of things about having courage. Here are just a few places where the Bible tells us not to be afraid..”
CUE SLIDE: “Psalm 31:24 NIV”
HOST: “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”
CUE SLIDE: “Timothy 1:7 NIV”
HOST: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
CUE SLIDE: “John 14:27 NIV”
HOST: “Jesus told us, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.’”
CUE SLIDE: “1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV”
HOST: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
CUE SLIDE: “Psalm 27:1 NIV”
HOST: “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”
CUE SLIDE: “Psalm 112:7 NIV”
HOST: “They aren’t afraid when bad news comes. They stand firm because they trust in the Lord.”
CUE SLIDE: “Romans 12:2 NIV
HOST: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
CUE SLIDE: “Ephesians 6:10 NIV”
HOST: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and His mighty power.”
CUE SLIDE: LOST WORLD
HOST: “I could go on and on, because the Bible is filled with encouragement when you’re afraid. In fact, you can find the phrase “Do not be afraid” in the Bible time and again and again and again! The point here is simple. God doesn’t want you to be afraid. So turn to your neighbor and say, ‘I ain’t skeered!”
Let audience respond.
HOST: “Now turn to your other neighbor and say, ‘I ain’t afraid of nothin’!’”
Let audience respond.
HOST: “In our movie, little Arlo needs to get to that point too. And I want you to pay close attention to this next clip, because he’s about to get a lesson in courage as he helps out some new friends he just made along the trail.”
CUE CLIP 4: GETTING THE HERD BACK
CUE SLIDE: ROARING BACK
HOST: “I saw this again recently, and I saw myself in that little dinosaur standing out there. And it’s you too. I want you to picture yourself in that same situation. Kind of scary, yes. But you just knew that the little dinosaur was going to be okay – and why’s that?”
LET AUDIENCE ANSWER
HOST: “Because there were three great big T-Rex there behind him, just out of sight! And you know something? You have a secret weapon too, hidden just behind you as well. That’s point three.”
CUE SLIDE: POINT THREE – YOU’VE GOT A SECRET WEAPON
HOST: “You’ve got a secret weapon! Just like Arlo had a strong force behind him to guide him and protect him, we’ve got something even better. God is not a T-Rex, of course. He’s something even greater. Much, much greater! And when we stand up for Him, even if it appears we’re all on our own… we’re not. He’s right there now with you, and He’s telling you the same exact words He told Joshua many years ago.
CUE SLIDE: “Joshua 1:9 NIV”
HOST: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
CUE SLIDE: LOST WORLD
HOST: “Look at that last part. He will be with you wherever you go. When you’re feeling afraid? Yes, He’s right there beside you.”
HOST: “Now I want you to see something else in that clip. That first time Arlo did something brave, he was kind of reluctant. But when he saw Butch in trouble, what did he do?”
LET AUDIENCE ANSWER
HOST: “That’s right, he ran to protect his friend. Normally, he’d never do that. But this time? He charged right out there into danger, and came to the rescue.”
HOST: “That’s how you make your mark: by standing up and standing out to help others. You see, there are many out there that are being dragged down by all kinds of problems. That’s why you need to overcome your fear. You can help. You can charge in to save the day. The big question is, will you do it?”
Let audience reply.
HOST: “Of course you will. Don’t just sit back and let fear take over. God has you marked for greatness, and if you feel a little scared sometimes, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Let’s watch this last clip together.”
CUE CLIP 5: CAMPFIRE
CUE SLIDE: CAMPFIRE
HOST: “If you ain’t scared, you ain’t alive, kid! Everyone feels fear. Everyone hears that voice that tells them things might not turn out so well for you. But before you do anything, what you really need to do is listen to that other voice too, the one from God.”
CUE SLIDE: LOST WORLD
HOST: “And when you do that, and when you break through that fear, just like Arlo’s dad said, you’re about to see the beauty on the other side.”
HOST: “Or as Butch said, ‘You’ll be alright, kid.’ Let us pray.”
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