Vacation Bible School 2008

It’s been one week since Vacation Bible School. My job is grade school crafts. It takes me about a week to recover from the week. I don’t know what it is that makes VBS week so tiring. I guess it could have something to do with the 300 plus kids in attendance.

I so look forward to VBS every year. I guess because I didn’t get to go that much as a kid. At least not when I was old enough to remember it. The one year I do remember going to VBS, we made treasure boxes. It was probably around 1973 or 75. We were given a cigar box, pieces of macaroni and glue. The idea was to glue the macaroni to the cigar box. The next day when the glue was dry the leaders spray painted the boxes with silver paint.

I’m sure there was a wonderful lesson from the Bible that coincided with making the treasure boxes. Maybe something like this one:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Matthew 6:19-20

I really don’t remember the story, but I do remember that shiny silver macaroni covered box that was, I’m sure, eventually thrown in the garbage. I also remember giving my heart to Jesus around that same time—coincidence? I don’t know. One thing I do know is that fourteen kids made professions of faith in Jesus Christ this year in VBS. And that’s a treasure worth taking to the bank.

Here’s a link to a slideshow of our 2008 VBS:

http://blip.tv/file/1037064

He Knows My Name

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). John 20:10-16

It struck me as strange that Mary didn’t recognize Jesus when she met Him face to face, at the tomb. Why didn’t she know who He was? This same Man that befriended her, that cast demons from her—that loved her, wasn’t even recognized by her. He even asked her a question and she still didn’t know who He was…
Then Jesus said something very important…Mary. That’s all He had to say, and immediately she knew who called her by name.
Even today people don’t recognize the Christ. Still, He continues calling people to Himself. Listen closely, He knows your name.

Bowel Wars

“Jedi Master Skywalker, this is Rebel Base, we have just received a communiqué from the Supreme Ewok Ruler that Imperial forces have set up an enemy fortress on their home planet of Endor.”
“Roger that, Rebel Base. Gold Leader, Red Leader, chart a course for Endor. We’re going in. Vader and his men won’t be taking control of that planet today. Not as long as I’m in charge.”
“Master Skywalker, this is Gold Leader, I have a visual lock on the Imperial stronghold, awaiting orders to blast.”
“Red Leader here, I’m locked on target and prepared to blast on command.”
“Gold Leader, Red Leader; fire at will, fire at will! May the force be with you.”
“Master Skywalker, Rebel Base here. We are receiving distress signals from Rebels stationed on the planet of Endor. Cease fire! I repeat, cease firing!”
“Skywalker to Base, what’s going on here?”
“Rebel Base here, it appears that we have been seriously deceived! That communiqué did not in fact come from the Ewoks it came from the Empire itself! We have mistakenly killed hundreds of Rebel troops with…friendly fire!”
“NOOOOOOOOO!”
This is a layman’s illustration of what it’s like to have Crohns Disease. The planet of Endor represents more than a foot of my small bowel. Skywalker and his forces represent my overactive immune system that innocently, and yet callously attacks my Endor, er I mean ileum, er I mean small bowel. You see, my immune system views my small bowel as an enemy that needs to be taken out. And apparently I have a pretty darn good immune system because it’s doing quite a number on my bowel. At this point in time, my Endor is suffering severe casualties, and there’s nothing left for it to do, but evacuate. I spend countless hours in the evacuation chamber hoping that I remembered to purchase the extra soft variety of T.P. and not the extra strong variety.
It pains me to think that one part of my being would cruelly attack another part of my being. I don’t know what might happen if I failed to take my medications to suppress my immune system. It may very well try to take over the world! But that’s how it is when we willfully allow sin in our lives. It’s like giving Satan an open invitation to set up housekeeping in your soul. Only he’s not a good houseguest. He won’t be making brownies for you. He’ll set up traps for you to fall into…traps that you can’t get out of on your own.
So don’t give Satan any opportunity to create a foothold in your life. Fill your soul with Jesus, and he will keep your “Rebel Base” safe from all harm. In the mean time I’ll go take more meds to suppress this “Imperialistic” immune system of mine. I wouldn’t want to put an end to the world as we know it!