Flashpoint 27-FEB-2011

Flashpoint is on tomorrow and with all good new years intentions, the planning has been left till the last minute

Matthew 6:24  Children's Bible Talk / Object Lesson)
6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

We put a piece of 50mm square x 1500mm long piece of wood down on the dais.
Then balanced a piece of 24mm thick 1200 x 1200 ply on it.  Like a see saw.
Invited the kids to come and stand on it and get it to balance.  Then tried to get them to move aorund while having it balanced.
Then got them all to move to one end of the see saw piece of wood.  Now we are not trying to keep it balanced.  Then asked some to walk around on it.  Do not worry about the balance.  Now it is easy to walk.
The Message - Get your priorities right.  Put God as your first priority.

FLASHPOINT Based on  Isaiah 49:8   Object Lesson / Children's talk
"Thus says the LORD: In a time of favor I have answered you, on a day of salvation I have helped you"

Got everone round the ute.
Asked them to lift it.  They could lift the tray up somewhat but the wheels stayed ffirmly on the ground.

Asked what we could do to make it easier.  (Had hoped someone would say take some of the stuff out of the tray (It was loaded up with a PA system).  But there were some kids (notably my own) who knew what was coming and so they jumped strait to suggesting using a lever.

So out with some pieces of wood.
A lump to use a fulcrum
A long and very strong lever.
Then the kids got on the lever and lo and behold they could lift the wheel off the ground.

If you are replicating this, note a few things - The wooden blocks on either side of both front wheels (to stop the car moving)
The lever is under the plate where the springs bolt to the axle.  The bits of the U bolt that point down sort of trap the lever so it is less likely to twist.  Especially handy when the kids are jumping off or getting on.

Later on after we had the Isiah bible reading had a little talk where we pointed out
1.  From Matthew reading - Make sure God is your #1 priority
2.  Then God will help you to do the big things that He wants you to do.  With God's help (like the lever) you can do much bigger things than you can do on your own or even with your friends.

 
Then sang some songs.

Paul read a story "I Can Do Anything That's Everything All On My Own (Charlie and Lola)".

Then we stuck these really tricky spring out box things together so we have something to remind us of when flashpoint is on and also somewhere to stick our memory verse reminders.