The Creation Story

During the week of Pandamania Vacation Bible School, a Bible story will be told to the children each day reinforcing each of the five verses that they are encouraged to learn. For the next five days I will be studying each Bible story.

The first Bible account is found in the very first book and chapter of the Bible: Genesis 1. It is the Creation Story.  As I study this chapter in the Bible, the verse that speaks to me the most is verse 31.

"God saw all that He made and it was very good."

Genesis 1:31

God obviously had a great deal of fun creating the world for us. I would love to have been there to see His smile and the twinkle in His eyes as He brought into existence everything we see today. The diversity in the kinds of animals, birds, fish, trees, plants, and flowers are astounding! The colours are breathtaking! And just to think, God did all of this with us in mind!

Then God viewed all that He made and was very pleased with the results. He should be! Everything He created revealed His brilliance, ingenuity, magnificence and majesty. There is no doubt that we are not here by chance.

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Yesterday I went for a walk in my neighbourhood and took pictures of God's creation for this blog. My favorite pictures were of these two prairie dogs, one of God's many delightful creatures.

I have never seen a prairie dog until I moved here two years ago. When I first saw one, I thought it might be a squirrel, until I noticed it didn't have a bushy tail. Then I thought for a moment it was a chipmunk, but it didn't have any black and white stripes. I gave up guessing and asked an old-timer walking by. He told me they were prairie dogs. Prairie dogs?! I have no idea why they are called "dogs". I looked on the internet and found out that they are called dogs because their warning call sounds like a dog's bark. For the two years I have lived here, I have seen hundreds of prairie dogs, and never have I heard them bark. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't question Wikipedia.

Prairie dogs sure have cute faces.

They have such sweet eyes.

However, the farmers around here think I am crazy admiring them. Apparently, prairie dogs are one of their worse enemies. They sure don't look like enemies to me, but I'm not a farmer either.

My other favorite picture I took was of wild daisies in a field.

Wild daisies are my second most favourite flower. My first are daffodils. I am easy and not expensive to please when it comes to giving me flowers. Most women love roses, carnations, etc. I love daisies and daffodils.

I think the reason I love daisies so much is because as a child I would  run through large fields of wild daisies, then lie down and hide from the world in them. I thought it was paradise!

God has created so much for our enjoyment. Take time each day to enjoy the things God has given us in creation for they truly are beautiful!

Your Hand of Blessing

The last verse on day five of Pandamania Vacation Bible School is:

"You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand

 of blessing on my head."

Psalm 139:5

I placed this panda bear in my apple tree that I planted two years ago when I first moved to this new house. I still don't have any apples yet, but the tree is growing nicely despite the cold winters here.

This last verse tells us that God goes before us and after us to protect and defend us against our enemies. We don't need an army. We have the almighty God!

God is so near us that He places His hand of blessing on our heads to give us the power and providence to proceed in the travels of our lives. We never have to be afraid! God is for us! Who cares who is against us! There is no power on earth that can stand against the forces of God.

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Yesterday was Canada Day and I enjoyed seeing the small town in which I live in celebrate this special day. There were lots of fun activities planned throughout the day for all the children and their families. Then the day ended with a magnificent display of fireworks

I remember the first time I ever saw a fireworks display. It was actually on July Fourth in the United States after I completed my first year of Bible College. A bunch of other Bible college students were there also because the border was so close by. I know it was crazy. Here we were Canadians, celebrating the Fourth of July with Americans, only three days after Canada Day; but at that time Canadians weren't as patriotic as Americans were. Despite the fact that I was a Canadian, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the fireworks demonstration very much! It was a spectacular night! After all, we are neighbouring countries, eh? I even ended up marrying an American.

Everlasting Life

The day four verse of Panda Mania Vacation Bible School is:

"Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me 

along the path of everlasting life."

Psalm 139:24

I love taking care of flowers. I can't wait until Spring of every year, so I can plant my favourite annuals. I have two flower beds in my front yard that I enjoy making beautiful every year with different varieties of flowers of all colours. I placed this panda bear near one of my Geraniums. I liked this picture because it looks as if he is holding a pretty bouquet of red flowers to give to a loved one.

As the above verse states, Jesus Christ is the only way to truth, godliness and eternal life!

Salvation is simple. One must first acknowledge that he/she is a sinner and has committed offences to God who is all holy.

Secondly, one must believe that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a Cross to pay for those sins that we have committed.

Lastly, one must accept this gift that God so lovingly offers. Then confess to others that you now belong to God and have chosen to live for Him.

This is the most important decision any human on earth can make! Where you spend eternity depends on  it. Until you take your last breath, it is never too late!

If you once gave your life to God and then with time disregarded Him, God is there waiting with open arms for your return.

I Cannot Hide

The third day Pandamania Vacation Bible School verse is:

"But even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you

 the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and 

 light are the same to you."

Psalm 139:12

Matthew spotted this authentic Chinese rickshaw hat in a local used store. Chris will be wearing this hat for the dramas I have written. With his black hair, he looks the most Chinese.

God is everywhere! It is impossible for us to be in a place where God isn't present. Even when we have forgotten God or deny His existence, He is still there. 

God sees everything! He sees those tears that fall from your face, even in the solitary darkness of your room. He feels your sorrow and He feels your pain.

God notices you! When you feel so lost in a capacious crowd, you are not, for you stand out to God, a beacon in the darkest of night.

God delights in your happiness! He sees your laughter, all your smiles and the way you dance or act in joy. Those moments bring such pleasure to His loving heart. God knows what makes you happy and He longs to fullfil those desires of your heart.

Always remember, that you are never alone, forgotten, lost or unnoticed. God is there and His watchful eyes are upon you!

God Knows Us

The day two verse of Pandamania Vacation Bible School is:

"You know what I'm going to say even before I say it, Lord."

Psalm 139:4

I arranged the two stuffed panda bears on my grass to make it look like they are having fun wrestling together. Aren't they cute?

God knows us better than we know ourselves, so much that he knows what we are going to say even before we say it. Therefore, nothing we do or say surprises God!

It is comforting to realize that we can turn to God for understanding and wisdom during those times when our thoughts are confused leading to such agonizing frustration and anxiety.

It is reassuring to note that God is there waiting for us to seek Him for the answer during those times when a decision has to be made, and we just don't know what to     do—fearful of making the wrong choice. But God knows what decision is best!

Pray to God. He will always hear, even the most silent prayers. And just as certain as He hears, He will answer!

Wonderfully Complex

For each day of the week at Pandamania Vacation Bible School, the children will be encouraged to learn one verse, for a total of five verses by the end of the week.

Yesterday, I had a brainstorm. I obviously can't take real pictures of pandas, so I decided to take several pictures with my camera of two stuffed pandas that I bought recently.

Isn't this panda adorable! It almost looks real. I think my neighbours perceive me as crazy, taking pictures of two stuffed pandas in my yard. Oh well, I won't deny it.

I bought the bamboo poles from a dollar store for effect. I then had Matthew put the different verses on the five chosen pictures. I plan on giving them out as rewards to the children who have successfully learned all five verses at the end of the week. I even found bamboo frames to put the pictures in.

The first verse the children are to learn is as follows:

"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous — how well I know it."

Psalm 139:14

Our physical bodies are so incredibly made. They are amazingly unique and complex. Just pondering this fact alone gives assurance that there must be an intelligent Designer. And that Creator is God! We all know it, but some will acknowledge it and others will deny it. May the eyes of the blind be opened in our world. May people be zealous to seek the truth, instead of being quick to believe a fatuous fabrication.

Noah Puppet Show

I wrote a puppet show for the children this Sunday about Noah building the ark. My son, Tim, got to use one of my new puppets. He was Noah.

Here is the puppet show below.

To view a larger version of the puppet show, click the "YouTube" link on the bottom-right corner of the video.

I can't believe I wrote those comments about marriage. The scary part is that the children even laughed at them. I wrote them to poke fun at my bachelor sons.

"But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, 

male and female to keep them alive with you."

Genesis 6:18-19

  

If it wasn't for the righteousness of one man, who had the willingness and strength to stay faithful to God in a selfish and wicked society. none of us would be here today. I look forward to meeting this man one day! I wonder if he saw our puppet show, he'd laugh. I can't imagine Noah being 600 years old when he built the ark. However, he lived another 350 years after the flood.

The postcards that I made for the children were well received. It was a joy to see their sweet faces in receiving them. They loved the cute animals attached. At the end of children's church, each child was asked the question, "What is your favorite animal and why?" The answers were so diverse and thought-out that I extremely enjoyed listening to their answers. It is truly astonishing the perplexity of all the different animals God created for man's delight!