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

Christian Outdoor Object Lesson 31: Bicycle Journey

Key Verse

“looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 WEB

Lesson

Most every kid wants a bicycle at some point. They are great fun. Few experiences compare to that of riding down a hill and feeling the wind rush past you. Did you know that bicycles have been around for a long time?

Some historians believe early contraptions with similarities to the bicycle are depicted in Egyptian and Pompeian drawings.₁ The first inventor of the modern bicycle is unknown. The earliest patent for a bicycle like machine was granted in 1790 to Comte Mede de Sivrac of France. He called it a Celerifere. But it had no pedals or steering.₂ It was propelled by foot similar to a scooter. 

The bicycle is a great form of transportation and we can learn these four lessons from it about our spiritual journey. First, balance is always important. Too much of anything, no matter how good, can be bad. Action without prayer, justice without mercy, faith without love, all require balance. Balance is always important in our spiritual lives. Second, patience is necessary. We did not learn to ride a bike or do tricks on it over night, and neither do we become Christ-like overnight. We need patience with others and ourselves.

Third, riding a bike is not always blissful fun. There are hills that require hard work and concentration to get up. Then we can enjoy the ride down. Our spiritual journey is the same; there will be hard times and easy times. We will be tempted and tried and other times we will be filled with praise, gratitude, and love. Forth, we must stay focused on what is ahead. If we take our eyes away for too long, looking back or down, we will fall. We must continually look at the goal that is ahead, and Heaven is our spiritual goal just as it says in Hebrews 12:2.

Questions

Do you still enjoy riding a bike? Why?

Is riding a bike worth the pain and difficulty of learning to ride and going uphill sometimes?

Can you think of any other similarities between riding a bike and our spiritual journey?

Written by David F. Garner

Photo Credit: David F. Garner

Sources

1 http://www.history-magazine.com/bicycles.html

2 http://web.pdx.edu/~lesseg/Project%201/index.html