Outdoor Object Lesson 107: Some More Life With God

Key Text

“Governments make plans, but the Lord checks them. He does not let people do everything that they want to do. The plans that the Lord makes will always happen. His ideas will always be with us.” Psalms‬ ‭33:10-11‬ ‭(EEB)

Lesson

If you have ever had a s’more than you know why they got their name, because you always want some more! S’more treats are synonymous with camping and backyard hot dog roasts. Have you ever wondered where they came from? Sadly we don’t know the name of the genius that gave us such a tasty treat. The first record of a s’more treat prepared over a fire is a recipe from 1927 found in a Girl Scout how-to book.1 The Kampground Of America (KOA) chain of campgrounds helped to popularize the treat through the middle of the 20th century. And now s’mores are the most popular dessert recipe in the U.S.A.

What is it that makes them so irresistible? The marshmallow of course. Before the s’more sandwich recipe became popular, marshmallow roasts were all the rage as far back as the 1890’s. These sticky, gooey treats are best when held to the flame. But what is the best recipe for a s’more? How long should you hold the marshmallow above the flame? Is it more tasty if you catch it on fire then blow it out quickly, or slowly let it turn to a golden brown? Are they better with milk chocolate or dark? Is it ok to eat the marshmallow off the stick and the crackers and chocolate separately as some people prefer, or must you always eat it as a sandwich? 

The best thing about s’mores is that however you answer these questions you are correct. There is no incorrect way to make or eat a s’more. Every s’more is your own unique creation and you get to make it the way you want. You can roast the marshmallow and eat it right off the stick, or forego the flame and eat it raw between graham crackers and chocolate. 

The s’more shares a lot of similarities with life. Every s’more is messy and challenging. So is life. There is a general recipe but each one is unique. If you don’t follow other people’s method all the time, that’s ok. A good s’more takes patients to make. Most importantly, both are better after going through the fire. Life is not meant to be perfect and predictable. God created life to be full of surprises. He doesn’t expect you to know everything. In fact, God “does not let people do everything that they want to do” because he wants us to learn to trust him. This world is full of sin and it’s going to get messy. Life with God will require patience. But God is infinite and promises to bring good out of the mess. 

No two lives are the same. God created everyone to be different and unique. As you grow in Him you will find your own identity in Him and learn that it is ok to be different. Pray and seek what unique life God has in store for you. Lastly, God will bring you through the fire. He does this because he knows it will make you better, the best you can be. If you let him, he will lead you to trust him. Life with God will be messy at times but if you have patients you will learn to say, “Lord I’d like s’more!”

Questions

Do you think God wants you to have an easy or a hard life?

Does the Bible promise God will give you everything you want as long as you follow him?

Is it ok for a Christian’s life to be messy, or should it go as planned?

How do you react to the difficult or messy times in your life?

Sources

1. Rebecca Rupp, "The Gooey Story of S'mores," National Geographic online, August 14, 2015, assessed from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/food/the-plate/2015/08/14/the-gooey-story-of-smores/.

Written by David F. Garner

Photo credit: Free-Photos via www.pixabay.com

Outdoor Object Lesson 80: Autumn Joy

Key Text

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21‬ ‭(WEB‬‬)

Lesson

Autumn is my favorite season of the year. The beautiful colors of the changing leaves. The cool weather. The flocks of migrating birds. Seasonal flavors like apple and pumpkin. The warm glow of a fire. All these things help make this time of year special. Fall is not just my favorite season though. It has been a time of celebration for many centuries in many cultures. This is because fall is the time of harvest. Farmers and gardeners have worked long hours through the rain of spring and the heat of summer to till fields, plant seeds, remove weeds, and water crops. All that hard work pays off in the fall during harvest.

Of course many crops are harvested at other times in the year. But the most are harvested around the months of fall. This is a happy time of year because the farmer and gardener reap the rewards of their hard labor. They now have crops that they can sell at the market. But they are not the only ones who are happy. All the people who depend on the farmers and gardeners for their food are also joyful in this season because they have plenty of food as well. It is a time of much rejoicing. Many cultures have celebrated a harvest festival in the autumn. It is still popular today in the form of Thanksgiving.

Having plenty of food is not the only reason everyone is happy though. They also celebrate because now they have plenty of food stored to last through the cold winter. Little food will be able to grow during the winter months so everyone will depend on the food harvested in the fall. It will need to last until the next spring. So how disappointed would a farmer be with a tree or plant that she worked hard to grow all spring and summer that produced no fruit in autumn? I think extremely disappointed.

The Bible only refers to autumn a few times. The Bible uses autumn to represent harvest. In Jude 1:12, false teachers are compared to “autumn trees without fruit.” False teachers are disappointing because they seem like a good tree that will produce much fruit in the fall, but when harvest time comes they have nothing. As Christians we are all teachers according to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). We are to teach others about Jesus and his love leading them towards him. This is the fruit we are to produce. But many Christians are like trees that produce no fruit. Jesus warned his followers sternly about this in the key text. He said not everyone who calls me Lord will enter heaven. Only those who do God’s will.

In Revelation 14:14 Jesus is described as holding a sickle at the Second Coming signifying he is coming to reap the harvest. This is the autumn of the world. Autumn should be a fruitful season, the most abundant of the year. But not all the trees and plants will have a harvest for Jesus to reap. Many Christians may look very fruitful now. But some are false teachers that don’t actually produce anything good. These will be gathered up and discarded. Only those that do the will of God and work to teach others about Jesus will be gathered with the harvest to live in Heaven. Only those who work now in the spring rain and summer heat will have joy in autumn. Which type of tree will you be at the last autumn?

Questions

What is your favorite thing about fall?

Does the key text mean that we have to convert other people to our religion to get to heaven?

How do we go about teaching others about Jesus?

How can you teach others about Jesus even if they don’t want to talk about him?


Written by David F. Garner
Photo credit: giani via www.pixabay.com

Outdoor Object Lesson 76: Joy Not Fear

Key Text

“For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”

2 Timothy 1:7 (WEB)

Lesson

Pumpkins are almost synonymous with fall and especially Halloween. Have you ever wondered why we carve pumpkins for Halloween? Some can be pretty scary. Halloween is an old holiday that was originally celebrated by pagan people in the British islands. Those people believed that on Halloween or Samhain (pronounced ‘sow wan’) as it was called in Irish, spirits of the dead and evil spirits came to wander the earth. 

Out of fear, some people carved scary, ugly faces into gords, turnips, and other pumpkin like food. They put hot coals or candles inside to make them glow to be seen at night. They believed these ugly carvings could scare away evil spirits and protect them on Halloween.1 This is where we get the term jack-o’-lantern.2

In modern times people still carve pumpkins at Halloween. Most people don’t do it to scare away evil spirits. They may carve ugly faces in pumpkins to scare other people. As children of God we no longer need to fear evil spirits. Not at Halloween or any other time of year. Jesus came and defeated Satan and his evil spirits long ago. When we pray and ask for him to protect us he will. We also don’t need to be scared of what other people do (Romans 8:38-39). They may try to scare us with carved pumpkins or other decorations at Halloween. They may try to do other things to scare us too. But Paul said in the Key Text that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love. No matter what we face we can trust God instead and give him our fear. 

God’s love comes from the light of joy that Jesus places inside us when we accept him into our hearts. It can turn our fear into joy. This Halloween, let other people see what it looks like when you have God’s light inside. Carve a pumpkin with a happy, smiling face or perhaps a cross or message of joy on it. Put a candle inside and set it outside to let everyone know that you have joy instead of fear on Halloween and every other night.

Questions

What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Is Halloween a holiday Christians should celebrate? Does how we celebrate it matter?

What do we do if we ask Jesus to take our fear but still feel scared?

Did Jesus ever feel scared? Why or why not?

Written by David F. Garner

Photo Credit: www.pixabay.com

Sources:

1. “HISTORY OF PUMPKIN CARVING AND HALLOWEEN (SAMHAIN).” (10/28/2017). Stair na hÉireann/History of Ireland online. Accessed October 19, 2018 from https://stairnaheireann.net/2017/10/28/history-of-pumpkin-carving-and-halloween-samhain-2/.

2. “The History of 'Jack-O'-Lantern'.” (2018). Merriam-Webster.com. Accessed October 19, 2018 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-history-of-jack-o-lantern.

Autumn And Winter

 

Autumn And Winter

I.

Beautiful Autumn is dead and gone--
Weep for her!
Calm, and gracious, and very fair,
With sunny robe and with shining hair,
And a tender light in her dreamy eye,
She came to earth but to smile and die--
Weep for her!

Nay, nay, I will not weep!
She came with a smile,
And tarried awhile,
Quieting Nature to sleep;--
Then went on her way
O'er the hill-tops grey,
And yet--and yet, she is dead, you say!
Nay!--she brought us blessings, and left us cheer,
And alive and well shell return next year!--
Why should I weep? 

 

II.

Desolate Winter has come again--
Frown on him!
He comes with a withering breath,
With a gloomy scowl,
With a shriek and a howl,
Freezing Nature to death!
He stamps on the hills,
He fetters the rills,
And every hollow with snow he fills!
Frown on the monster grim and old,
With snowy robes and with fingers cold,
And a gusty breath!

Nay, nay! I shall give him a smile!--
For I know by the sleet,
And the snow in the street,
He has come to tarry awhile.
Ho, for the sleigh-bells merrily ringing!
Ho, for the skaters joyously singing--
Over the ice-fields gliding, swinging!--
So let the Winter-king whiten the plain!
Fetter the fountains and frost the pane,
His greeting shall be--
Not a frown from me,
But a smile--a smile!

  By Mrs. J. C. Yule

Source: Poems of the Heart and Home By Mrs. J. C. Yule

Photo Credit: