Children's Gems In My Treasure Box: May 2013

Monday, May 13, 2013

The Lemon Of Bitterness - Puppet Show And Lesson - Restored August 19th, 2014

The Lemon Of Bitterness

( A Lesson On Bitterness)

Susan Y Nikitenko

May 13th, 2013

I Wrote The Puppet Show About 15 Years Ago

But This Lesson Was Written This Morning -

Age: Junior Age And Up

This Lesson Can Be Modified For Younger Children

Puppet Props Needed:

2 lemons - 1 cut in half

monkey mouth puppet

----------

Hello boys and girls,

Today I brought someone I think you will enjoy meeting. His name is Charlie. Charlie is such a busy little fellow. He's always doing the funniest little things. Charlie will be visiting us off and on during the year to help me teach you some valuable lessons about life.

Come on up here Charlie,

(Charlie pops up with a lemon in His mouth. Charlie moves around being funny like a monkey making monkey sounds, but keeps the lemon in His mouth.)

Charlie has a little problem but He really doesn't even know it. He has been holding on to a lemon all morning and He won't let it go.   The problem is he thinks the lemon he is holding is a banana.

Charlie, I've told you that it's not a banana and if I give it to you, you're not going to like it.

(Teacher tries to take the lemon from Charlie but he won't let her. Just make sure it stays funny. )

Charlie, I promise you that it is a lemon. Do you want me to prove it to you? (Charlie shakes His head yes) Teacher has a lemon already cut in half in a plastic baggie.

I have a lemon I've cut in half. See it's the same as what you are holding in your mouth. Here taste it.

(Charlie puts down the lemon in his mouth to taste the lemon she is holding in her hand)

(Charlie makes a sour face and makes funny reactions and sounds)

See Charlie, I told you, you wouldn't like it. Here Charlie, how about a banana?

(Charlie shakes his head yes and happily plays with the banana and exits while the teacher starts to teach the lesson.)

Today's lesson is about bitterness. There are many things in life that hurt us. When hurts or disappointments happen in life we have a choice how to react to them.   When someone has hurt us or disappoints us we sometimes feel angry.   We want to hold on to that anger, just like Charlie held onto that lemon. Anger in the heart can make one a very hard person and a very unhappy person. it puts an ugly expression on our face and silently kills our joy inside. It robs us of being the best person we can be.

God doesn't want us to stay angry . It doesn't mean He never wants us to be angry because anger is good when it's under control and used to make good decisions and making plans on fixing a problem, but when anger makes you do something wrong like holding a grudge, or gossiping, or hating, or hurting someone else to get even it becomes a very dangerous sin.

God doesn't want us to go to bed with anger in our heart, He wants us to pray about our anger and forgive anyone who has hurt us or put whatever problem it is into His hands. God knows that anger in someone's heart becomes bitterness. The Bible describes bitterness as a root. Anger grows like a tree and the longer it is left in the soil of our heart the deeper the root grows and the harder it is to dig out.

Bitterness causes bad attitudes that effect other people and it causes other people to be upset and to suffer around us. Bitter people tend to strike out at the people that have been good to them. Bitter people destroy themselves and the people they love. They are hard to live with and they don't even like themselves.

This is what bitterness left to grow starts to look like.

I'm glad Charlie decided the lemon didn't taste good. We need to see that holding onto the lemon of bitterness. Has to be dealt with before the sun goes down or the root will grow deeper into the good ground of our heart and it will grow like a weed choking out the happiness in our lives and also in the lives of those around us.

If we have been having a hard time forgiving someone, we know that we need to get that taken care of. So let us bow our heads today and ask ourselves " Is there anyone I need to forgive?"
If so, we need to make a decision with God's help just to let it go. We need to confess the sin of unforgiveness and to ask God to heal our hearts because bitterness hurts ourselves the most.

Dear Father In Heaven,

I have been very angry and I know it is wrong to stay angry. Please do not let any root of bitterness take control of my life and actions towards other people. I know Father you have forgiven me even though I have not deserved any of your mercy. I want you to use my life for your honor and glory. I know I cannot stay angry and be completely be used of you. Forgive me Lord and give me the grace to forgive and love others the way you would have me to do.

In Christ name I pray, Amen

Scripture References:

Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At "treasurebox18@yahoo.com" All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Link To This Blog. Thank-You.

Poem Suggestion : Let Go

Let Go

Children's Poem

Funny little monkey;
Climbing in the tree.
Finds a different coconut;
It has a hole you see.

He peeks inside and sniffs.
Mmm, it smells sooo good.
He sticks his little hand inside;
Just like a monkey would.

He finds a yummy treat.
He holds to it, real tight.
When he pulls to bring it out;
He pulls, he jerks, he fights.

Funny little monkey;
He's stuck, he can't get free.
Determined now, to keep the treat;
He won't let go you see.

Funny little monkey;
Trapped in a hunter's snare.
Doesn't see the danger;
And is taken unaware.

Listen, children listen.
Don't let sin keep your hold.
Trapped your life is useless;
When in bondage you are sold.

Let go and let the Lord;
Give strength in sins attempt.
To take away your freedom;
Just like this little chimp.

~ Susan Y Nikitenko ~
Copyright © 2009
All Rights Reserved

memory verses

coloring sheets

2Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

No Weeds Please!

No Weeds

No weeds please;

Within my garden bed.

No weeds please;

I think enough is said.

I love flowers;

but I don't like weeds.

Soooooooooooooo!

No weeds please.

cute song

Susan Y Nikitenko

May 5th, 2013

Plant The Seed Banner, Schedule, Memory Verse - Lessons, Poems

Song Flashcards:

Plant The Seed

Cover

First Verse

Chorus:

2nd Verse

Chorus:

Plant The Seed Bible Memory Verse

Include Link

This Flash Card Set Can Be Used Directly From Your Computer
In A Small Setting. Just Click The First Flashcard Once For The Preview Then You Will See The Other Cards At The Bottom. Select To The Next Card When You Are Ready To Go On. You Will Need To Print The Guitar Chords...If You Decide To Use Them In This Way.

To Make The Flashcard Book - Put These Flashcards In A Publisher Program And Print Them Out On Cardstock Sheets.
I Used A Binding Machine. But You Can Be Creative About It If You Do Not Have A Binding Machine.

Sowing The Word Coloring Sheet

This Is For The Memory Vrs Chart
Cut Out The Words And Scramble On The Chart

Parable Of The Sower = The Sower And The Seed Interactive Lesson

Esther Joy Travis

True Story About Planting Seed And A Little Girl

Who Was A Missionary To The Hospital

The Story Of Esther Travis

We Personally Knew This little Girl:

The Little Seed

Teacher: Hello boys and girls we have a special guest for you today. She is well known for her artistic work with flowers at our local zoo. She has a very interesting story for us today about a very special seed.

Let's give a special welcome to Angelica Flowers. ( Lead Class In Clapping Hands And Welcome)
Good morning Angelica and welcome to "Our Garden Party".

Angelica: Well, Thank-you for having me.

Teacher: Angelica we have heard that you have a story about a very unusual seed.

Angelica: Yes, I found a seed and it was very tiny. I was hoping to see it grow but a storm came and my seed washed away down into a storm sewer. The funny thing is I could hear the seed singing as it washed away.

Teacher: Are you sure you weren't just hearing things or had too much caffeine or something?

Angelica: No I sure enough heard the little seed. It was kind of funny but the seed seemed quite happy.

Teacher: Well what in the world was it singing?

Angelica: It kept on repeating - "Sailing, sailing over the ocean blue. " And as it washed down you could hear a little echo down in the storm sewer saying . Don't worry about me I have a very special place to grow.

Teacher: This is the most fascinating story ever. So What did you do?

Angelica: Well, I kept it in my heart for a long time and I wondered what ever happened to the little seed. I imagined it grew into the most beautiful flower. Then I imagined it grew into a vibrant vine. Then I thought it would grow to be a tree filled with golden apples.

Teacher: But how would you ever really know?

Angelica: Listen, if a seed could really talk - if it tells me it's going to grow I'd believe it. Because it would be a miracle it talked in the first place.

Teacher: So your saying the story is not true then?

Angelica: That's right, but I told you this story to teach you something that is true.

Teacher: That's good I thought you'd gone a little over the deep end or something . ( Teacher makes the crazy sign.)

Angelica: The point is - when you plant a seed you may never know where grows. It works the same way when planting the seeds of the Word.

Teacher: Oh, I get it. God's Word Never Returns To Him Void.

Angelica: Sometimes we may never see the fruit of our labor. But God does and that's all that really matters. We just need to be busy planting the precious seed of Truth.

Teacher: You know something Angelica, Thinking about the story you told about the little seed. It's interesting it sang over the ocean blue. It makes me think about our Missionaries who do bring the seed overseas.

Angelica: Just goes to show you. We need to be out their faithfully working in the garden of God.

His Word will grow...if we never see it here. We will see it in heaven. You may never know where it will grow but if it's sown in faith it will grow. Either here in the heart of the believing or it will grow in the heart of God.

Teacher: But the Bible teaches some seed will be choked, and some will wither.

Angelica: But if sown in faith if it dies here - it will be counted as righteousness in the sight if God.

God's Word never returns to Him void.

Teacher: How true and how encouraging to all of us. It is very hard when we do not see the fruit of our labors- but if done in faith we can have hope in knowing this: We may never know..w here it will grow, but it will grow because God says so. His Word says, " His Word will not return to Him void."

Teacher: Thank-you Angelica for this fascinating interview. Boys and Girls let's give our guest a hand and thank her for visiting with us today. Buy Angelica thank- you for a fantastic interview .

Angelica: Thanks, You all, have a good day. Exit

Puppet Show: The Little Seed

By: Susan Y Nikitenko
April 24th, 2013

Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At "treasurebox18@yahoo.com" All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Link To This Blog. Thank-You.