Outdoor Object Lesson 106: River of Kindness

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“To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown from his friend; even to him who forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” Job‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭WEB‬‬

What is the longest river on earth? Most people have probably heard the Amazon River in South America or the Nile River in Africa is the longest. The answer really depends on how you define river. One dictionary defines a river as a body of water flowing towards the ocean. This means the river doesn’t necessarily have to be above ground. The Rio Hamza is a subterranean river in South America. It flows from west to east 13,000 feet (4000m) below the ground. It is estimated to be about 4000 miles (6000 km) long!1

Rivers are one of natures most amazing features. They are the lifelines of the land. They deliver precious live giving water to everything. Animals go to the rivers to drink. Life is always abundant on the banks of a river. The Nile for example flows through a desolate desert. But along its banks life has flourished for thousands of years, watered by its never ceasing gift. Rivers only run in one direction. It is their nature to give continually. They cannot flow in the other direction. They do not take back what they have given. 

This is the manner in which God desires us to share kindness. Jesus gave us the perfect example. From him flowed never ceasing kindness. Even as he was being nailed to the cross, kindness coursed from him as he asked the Father to forgive his killers. We are to share kindness no matter what. It will flow from us in one direction. It is not something we are to hold back or try to take back. It is to be as a river flowing from us continually to spread life giving joy. 

I once came across a perfectly named river in the Cherokee National Forest in East Tennessee. Bearing the name Goforth Creek, this body of water represents how we are to live. Kindness should go forth from us continually to everyone we meet just as water continually goes forth from that creek. This is not something you can do on your own however. It is not our nature to give kindness continually. We often desire to withhold kindness from those who are unkind to us, or perhaps even hurt them. Every river gets its supply of water from other sources. If we want kindness to flow continually from us like a river, we must be connected to a Source greater than ourselves. 

Questions

Do you find it hard to be kind to others at times? Why?

What is the point of giving kindness continually even when someone doesn’t deserve it?

How do we act kind towards those who we would rather not be kind to?

Will God reward those that are kind to others? Defend your answer with a Bible verse. 

Sources

1. Richard Black, “Subterranean Amazon river,” (August 27,2011), BBC online, accessed from

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-14693637.

Written by David F. Garner

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

Outdoor Object Lesson 79: A Thanks Giving Turkey

Key Text

“Oh give thanks to the God of heaven; for his loving kindness endures forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭136:26‬ ‭(WEB‬‬)

Lesson

“Gobble, gobble.” That unique sound is unmistakably the sound of a turkey. Turkeys are most notably associated with the Thanksgiving holiday. If you have ever had the pleasure to see live turkeys then you know they are interesting birds. Wild turkeys live all over the North American continent. They are native to this land. They usually live in wooded habitats and like to frequent fields and meadows. They spend most of their day looking for food which includes seeds, grass, insects and most anything they can eat. At night they roost up in the branches of trees safely above their predators. You may be surprised to learn that turkeys can fly. They can run 25 miles per hour (40.2 kph) and fly as fast as 55 miles per hour (88.5 kph)!

In the spring time hens (female turkey’s) make nests on the ground often at the base of trees to raise their young. After poults (turkey chicks) hatch they grow quickly and are big enough to roost in trees at two to four weeks old. The poults join their mothers in her flock. Turkeys separate themselves into different groups called flocks based on gender and age. The mature gobblers (adult male turkey) are in their own flock, the young hens with chicks are in another, the older hens are in a third flock, and the young males are in a forth. Each flock is a close group that stick together and watch out for one another. These smaller flocks move independently through the forest but stay close to the others forming a large flock.

As the flocks roam the forests looking for food they continually gobble to each other to keep track of their flock-mates. They also work together to watch out for danger. When danger is sensed the entire flock becomes very silent to avoid detection. During mating season in the spring there is much gobbling by all the turkeys and especially the males. Their gobble is the most distinct.1 Turkeys gobble a lot to communicate about various things. It is hard to decipher exactly what turkeys say when they gobble. An interesting connection is how the weather affects their gobbling. Some recent research seems to suggest that turkeys gobble most between the mild temperatures of 60-69° F (15.6-20.6° C). They also gobble most with a light breeze between 3-6 mph (4.8-9.7 kph) and are almost silent with winds over 12 mph (19 kph). They also gobble less when the barometric pressure drops to levels that indicate rain and more when it indicates mostly clear sky’s. It’s as if the turkeys can’t help but give thanks to the Creator for good weather. They talk the most during cool temperatures with a slight breeze and little to no rain. What creature could live outdoors and not give thanks to God for every moment of good weather!2

Perhaps we can all learn a lesson from the turkey about giving thanks. It is not something to do only once a year at the Thanksgiving holiday. Nor is it something to do only when we receive a big blessing or have our prayers answered the way we want. We receive numerous blessing each day from our Father. We can be thankful for each of those blessings every day, even simple blessing like good weather. We always have a reason to give thanks to God. One good reason is that God’s love for us endures forever, just as it says in the key text. We should give thanks to God no matter what, even for the difficult things we go through (1 Thessalonians 5:18, James 1:2). God brings the good weather and the storm and he is with us in both. That is reason enough to praise him every day!

Questions

Where did you see your first turkey?

How do you give thanks to God?

Should I give thanks to God even if I don’t feel like it?

What can a Christian do when they don’t feel like God is near?



1. “Wild Turkey Behavior.” (2018). National Wild Turkey Federation online. Accessed November 22, 2018 from https://www.nwtf.org/hunt/wild-turkey-basics/behavior.

2. David Hart. “The Science of Gobbling.” (2018). National Wild Turkey Federation online. Accessed November 22, 2018 from https://www.nwtf.org/hunt/article/the-science-of-gobbling.

Christian Outdoor Object Lesson 67: Wind Unseen

Key Verse

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,” Galatians 5:22 WEB

Lesson

Can you see the wind? Of course not. Can you hear it? Nope. That might surprise you. We often talk of hearing the wind. In actuality, we are only hearing the affects of the wind. When the wind blows by, the air itself makes no noise. The sound comes from the air interacting with objects it meets. You only hear the affects of wind.

Air can cause sounds in many ways through its interactions with different objects. It can cause a kite to flap making a distinct noise. It can rattle the windows in your house. When the wind blows past your ear or through a whistle it creates yet another sound. All these interactions cause the air to separate rapidly creating pressure waves. These pressure waves are what make the sound of the wind. On its own, wind cannot be seen or heard, but when it affects an object it is quite obvious.

It is similar with the Holy Spirit. It cannot be seen or heard. Its movements are unknown to us until it affects a person. When the Holy Spirit interacts with a person, and that person is receptive, the affects are often quite obvious. Galatians 5:22 tells us what to look for – the fruit of the Spirit. When a person is changed by accepting Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes into their heart and begins to make them more kind, patient, loving, joyful, and good. Watch for the affects of the Holy Spirit in your life and those around you.

Questions

In what other ways does the Holy Spirit change people?

How has the Holy Spirit affected you?

Can we affect what the Holy Spirit does? If so, how?



Written by David F. Garner

Photo Credit: @mostafawagdi via www.twenty20.com