Monday, September 14, 2009

Children's Sermons, Object Lessons & Puppets


Over the past years I've done dozens of object lessons and puppet skits in different areas of children's ministry. After reading a recent post on children's sermons by IMonk, I decided to make some of my material available to others who could use it in their own ministries. It is copyrighted and may not be used commercially, but you are welcome to make a copy for your own use.
I'll be posting material every week or so on my new blog "Speaking Objectively". Just follow the link to the first object lesson "Two Books--Do It Yourself, or Done It For You". I would appreciate your comments--Let me know if these are helpful and if you are using these resources.
Hopefuly, I'll get some puppet scripts posted, too, so keep checking back if that is something you are looking for.
I'll be waiting to hear from you...and I'll be looking for you at Speaking Objectively.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Rap For The Man

The-olergy—A Rap for the Man

He loves to argue the the-ol-er-gy,

But his praxis doesn’t always match his orther-doxy.

Knows a lot about Creation, though it happened long ago,

Got a timeline of God’s plan for man, I guess it must be so…

He’s studied all the prophets, knows The Book from A to Z,

Taken correspondence courses Johnny Mac to Johnny P.

And he loves to argue the the-ol-er-gy,

But his praxis doesn’t always match his orther-doxy.

He tosses in the Hebrew and the Greek, you see,

Reads another church’s letters from the early A.D.

Talks a lotta ‘bout the Writer like he knows Him so well…

Doesn’t talk about His Son, Who died to love me out of hell.

He loves to argue the the-ol-er-gy,

But his praxis doesn’t always match his orther-doxy.

Sends his dollars off to missionaries far across the sea,

Doesn’t care about the planet or his neighbor down the street.

He knows the poor he’ll always have, he doesn’t know their names.

He sings the songs, he prays the prayers…I think he’s playin’ games.


Ya know ya gotta wonder ‘bout the-ol-er-gy

When the praxis doesn’t seem to match the orther-doxy
©Kathleen Wynveen
Any Comments on this?

Monday, June 22, 2009

Truth in Labeling

Internet Monk has a really great post up on his blog today about the dangers of labeling people.

This post should be required reading, not only for those who tag people with socieo-political stereotypes, but for anyone who sees people through a theological lens. Calvinists, Baptists, RC’s do not all think as a bloc. Neither do all homeschoolers or creationists/evolutionists.

Labeling is based on fear. As Lucy told Charlie Brown, “If we can find out what you’re afraid of, we can label it.” We’re afraid of the things we don’t understand, so we distance ourselves from them by attaching labels. Then we become elitists and controllers…but that’s a whole new set of labels.

Go read IMonk. He's nailed another one.

http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/a-person-not-a-label

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Father's Day Without Dad

I've been thinking about Father's Day tomorrow. Cards will be given. Men will be taken out for breakfast or lunch. $$$$ will have been spent on everything from t-shirts to electronic gadgets to hunting gear. Sermons will be preached...in many cases to dad's who aren't even in the audience.
And I've been thinking about my own father...Eugene Oppeneer. Last Father's Day, my husband and I took him and my mother for a ride past the farm where he had lived for over 85 years, the home they had to leave when living there became too hard for them. During the time they'd lived in an assisted living facility, I'd driven him to regular therapy and doctor's appointments. We'd spent a lot of time together in my car.
I wish I could take him for a ride tomorrow. He'd have liked to see the corn growing in his old fields and look at the neatly cut grass on the lawn. But I won't. Last August, he went to be with The Father, before the corn and beans were ready to harvest.
Today would have been my parents' 67th wedding anniversary. I thank God for making me part of their family.
Happy Father's Day, Dad. I miss you.

Friday, April 03, 2009

What's Your Gear?



Even though I haven't been posting for months, that doesn't mean that I don't read and reflect on other blogs. Today Internet Monk posed an interesting question on his blog. What is my "gear"? What things do I use to draw my attention to the Lord, to remind me to pray, to shift my focus from the everyday to the eternal?
Good question.
Although I don't carry aluminum crosses (70's fad) in my pocket, use beads to pray, or even read a daily devotional, I do have a picture in my computer room that qualifies as "gear", I think. It isn't something I bought or was given to me...It's something I created.
Several years ago, I took an intro to drawing class at the local college. A state university, not a "Christian" school, not a "Christian" class, but a place where I was encouraged to share my beliefs through art. What a surprise when our instructor challenged us to draw our concepts of heaven and of hell! It was a thought-provoking challenge for me to work out my theology with charcoal and paper instead of propositional debate. And it was a great opportunity to explain to others why I drew what I did.
The cross, the door, the nail-scarred hand inviting me in to meet the Father...I look at that crude drawing and I reflect, not only on heaven and how to experience a relationship with God, but on the cost. John 14:6 says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
His gift, represented by my gear.
What gear do you use?