Mystery Outing Goes On In Spite Of Stormy Weather

We had a special "Mystery Outing" for my Sunday School class yesterday that I went along on.  This is a fun event because the kids are not told ahead where they are going.  Normally we go to a park where we have a cookout, play some games, and then hike on hills and in between rocks in search of the "ice box" cave at Virginia Kendall Park.  This is the standard Kids Day Out day every year for those going into 6th grade in the fall.

Since it stormed and rained yesterday, it also became a real mystery outing for me.  The forecast was rain all afternoon and it started around 10 a.m.  That pretty much made it easy for those in charge to determine to use the rain plan instead.  What are they going to do that would especially fun for the kids for 5 hours? I was disappointed because I knew the kids would have really enjoyed hiking at Virginia Kendall; however, our summer interns who assist with children and youth ministry for the summer did a fantastic job on coming up with an alternate plan the kids really enjoyed.

As they arrived, they were invited to join in a game of "spoons" using popsicle sticks. Then they worked on creating a container to protect an egg from breaking when they dropped it from a balcony.  They came up with all kinds of different ideas.

We had hotdogs, munchies, fruit gummies, and veggies for lunch.  By the time we finished lunch, it stopped raining so we went in the van to a nearby park.  As we rode, we saw a group of 5 or 6 raccoons cross the road and go into the bushes--they were sooo cute!  (That was the highlight of the day for me!)  We went to West Creek  Park and the kids each got a list of things to try to find along the way as we walked on the path.  Then it started to drizzle again so we headed for the building where there is interactive exhibits about water.  There is also a big room with comfortable seating, large windows and a fireplace where we had a devotional on God's creation and why we were created.  It rained hard while we were in the building but finally let up.

The minister of children really was eager for the kids to be able to be outside so we started out once again.  This time, almost as soon as they left, it poured down rain again before all of our group even left the building.  They ran down to the other little pavilion to take cover.  By the time the ones left in the building borrowed some umbrellas to go rescue them, they were headed back the other way and got pretty wet.  They boys loved it!

Egg Drop Winners

Back to the church we went to do the egg drop. Two of the kids and one of the interns successfully dropped their egg hitting the target without it breaking.  We'll never know if Joshua's broke or not because he had it wrapped so tightly with painter's tape that he gave up trying to undo it.  My personal favorite was the one protected with playdough which was a winner (created by boys in picture on the right). 

First stir up the food coloring concoction

Then mix with bottle of glue

Then they made some slime using a whole bottle of glue, some water, Borax and food coloring. Some turned out very well and all the kids seemed to have fun making it.






 
The sun finally came out around 3:00 when we headed for Steak-n-Shake for milkshakes for everyone.  Two girls in our group never got their shakes until everyone else was finished so they finished theirs on the van heading back to the church.

It turned out to be a fun time after all!

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Community Dinner--My First Experience

Yesterday I posted that I was looking forward to helping with the community dinner our church did so thought I would report on how it went.  We set up 50 tables with 8 chairs at each in half an hour and all were used except for about four tables.  Not all were filled, but there were a LOT of people.  Most of them arrived before 6 p.m. when it started.  It really was wild.

I wish I had pictures of the kitchen crew busily preparing the plates of food for the servers to take in, all the guests who came and the grocery distribution as the people left but I was too busy!  I could have gotten one while I was waiting the server line to get food for my tables but I didn't think of it then.

In theory, each table was supposed to have one church member at it to sort of be the "host" but I think we were a few short.  Each server was supposed to serve the tables that matched the border color on our name tags, but in reality, that didn't happen.  I'm not sure why--maybe because we had more servers than sections? 

This was my first time doing it so was a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect and trying to remember everything I was supposed to do:  keep their cups full, bring them all their food, clear the junk when they were done, bring them pie, watch for new arrivals and wait on them, greet and smile!  It was fun to serve the people, but I guess I was overly concerned about how long it was taking.  Hopefully, the guests weren't in a hurry--it didn't seem like they were.

Most of the people started clearing out between 7:00 and 7:15.  Some stayed and chatted and some still arrived as late as 7:20 p.m.   Out of curiosity, I checked the grocery giveaway area to see how much was left and there was quite bit.  There were lots of pumpkin pies left too, but the apple were all gone.  I don't know what they'll do with all the leftover food but my guess is it will most likely be donated to a local food bank.  I know I only got one slice of pumpkin pie at the end of the night.

I'm glad I volunteered to help, I sure felt useful and needed and it was great seeing so many new people come in to our church.  I hope they enjoyed the experience and will come back again!

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I'm Excited About Tonight--Our Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Church!

I am so happy to be a member at a church that actually puts faith into action and helps and encourages its members to do the same by providing lots of opportunities.  I grew up in a very small church and had some reservations about joining a large church such as Parma Heights Baptist (800-900 Sunday morning attenders is large to me).  I was concerned that there would not be a need for my service.  I wanted a church where I could serve the Lord and be actively involved in ministry.  I did not need to be concerned because there are lots of opportunities to serve others at Parma Heights Baptist.

Tonight we as a church are inviting the community to attend a free Thanksgiving meal.  We did this last year and had about 250 attend but I was not involved.  This year, they said they needed more help because we are expecting around 500!  I am taking the day off so I can help with this and am so excited to see how we are going to feed that many people a good hot meal!  Don't worry, I am not one that will be in the kitchen cooking.  I will be waiting on tables so I hope I don't drop anything.  This morning, I will help set up.

This is a picture I took early Sunday morning of just one of the areas where we have sorted the food brought in by our members to give away to each family attending the dinner.  By the time I left, there was another area of tables set up right across from this that was full too.  Then last night, I saw another bunch of tables filled with groceries for the giveaway.

As of yesterday at noon, here is a list of what was brought in for tonight's community Thanksgiving dinner:

• 2,825 items have been donated just for the food drive alone!
• 214 people are currently signed up to help out in some way tomorrow night.
• 117 pounds of potatoes will be peeled and mashed.
• 60 pumpkin and apple pies will be consumed.
• 14 twenty-three pound turkeys have given their lives. :-) Thanksgiving isn't fun and games for everyone!

Parma Heights Baptist Church's mission statement is "To help people find and follow Jesus Christ."  If you are seeking God or a place to worship and serve him in the Cleveland area, I invite you to come and join us.  Sunday services are at 8:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a..m.  Growth groups for all ages are at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m.

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A Surprise For My Pastor

Sometimes people can be very stubborn.  A few months ago, our Pastor nicely asked the people who attend our 8:15 a.m. service to sit in the middle section because we are so spread out.  We have a fairly large sanctuary and only about 50 people in the early service who sit all over.  My husband and I used to sit on the right side near the doors, but moved to the center the week after he asked and have sat there since.

8:15 service on Dec. 4, 2011

I don't understand why people refuse to move.  This seems like such a little request to me and yet, very few have cooperated.  I would think this would make him feel so discouraged and unappreciated.  Isn't it sad how people get so set in their ways that they refuse to budge?  I felt like standing by the door and reminding people that the Pastor would like for us to sit in the center and so I think it would be a nice surprise for him if we all did it today.  Do you think they would?

I decided to go ahead and do it last Sunday.  I wrote up a little note and handed to the people as they arrived. Here is what it said:

LET'S SURPRISE PASTOR DAN TODAY


Several months ago he asked us to sit in the center section at the 8:15 service so let's all do it today. He'd be shocked and encouraged, don't you think? It'll be fun o see his reaction and would be a cool surprise that doesn't cost us anything! --Karen Zemek

8:15 service on Dec. 11, 2011

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Marty Mouse Goes To Church

Our youth pastor spoke about how God has chosen us before the creation of the world to be His adopted children with the help of Marty, his mouse.   Ephesians 1:4-5 says:

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love; Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

I loved his object lesson and having the mouse up there next to him as he preached helped keep our attention.  The mouse was cute and very active, walking around his cage and spinning on his little wheel.  Gerard was impressed that he actually went to buy a mouse to assist with his sermon.

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Sunday Snippets: Why Praise God?

Praising God somehow brings about an inner satisfaction.  Praise gets our focus on God and off ourselves which can greatly improve our mood. 

My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. Psalm 63:5 (New American Standard Bible "NASB")

You can always praise God for His love because nothing can separate us from it.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Rom. 8:38-39 (NASB)

You can always praise God for his help. 

For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.  Psalm 63:7 (NASB) and

so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID,  WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?" Hebrews 13:6 (NASB)

You can choose to always praise God like David did:   

I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:4 (King James Version)

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see a good illustration of how this really works in my life.  

 

Source:  10/23/11 Sermon Notes, message by Pastor Dan Barfell.

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Craft Time: Making a Baby Blanket Without Sewing

She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.--Proverbs 31:20 
This was the key verse for our W.O.W. (Women of Wonder) meeting at Parma Heights Baptist Church this month. So, for our craft using our hands, we made baby blankets to donate to the Cleveland Pregnancy Center which were very easy to make—no sewing involved which is the best part! I think it would make a nice baby shower gift so I tried making one on my own. I guess this has been around for a long time but it is new to me. I bet I'm not the only one who didn't know about this great craft! Watch the video to see how easy it is (our pets all made an appearance but did not steal the show--they were very good!):

Instructions:

You need two pieces of soft material, preferably one print and one solid color.
Pin them together in the middle.
Mark a chalk line 4 ½” all around the edges.
Cut 1” strips up to the chalk line all around.
Cut out 4 1/2" squares from all four corners (I forgot to mention this step in the video), sorry.
Tie a knot with the top strip and the bottom strip directly under it and pull tight. Do every other one and then go back and do the rest.
Remove the pins without poking yourself, being careful not to leave any out where your pets or children could step on them!
Pull the sides of the blanket to stretch it out.

They also told us how to make cake pops but that involved baking so I wasn’t interested in that. Sorry, I should have paid attention just so I could have shared it with you.

What do you think of this craft? Have you made any crafts lately?

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Serving a Meal To The Homeless at the City Mission

They all enjoyed the meal very much and were very polite and grateful!

Every month, Tim and his dad from our church go to prepare a nice meal at the City Mission for the homeless and I’ve wanted to go with them for a long time. The thing is that they go before I get home from work and I don’t want to drive there myself. Last Wednesday, our Bible study group went to the City Mission to help serve a meal to the homeless which was the perfect opportunity for me to go with others. I’m so glad I did and would love to go do it again!

When we got there, we saw several tiny kittens outside the door who greeted us. By the time we arrived, Tim and his dad and a couple others had everything prepared so all we had to do was serve it. By the way, Tim is a very good cook who often puts together great meals for large groups. At the City Mission in Cleveland, the homeless sit in a service first, eat and then those who want can spend the night. Each night a different church is responsible for providing the meal.

I got to deliver the food!

About 50 men came the night I went, mostly black. Their faces lit up when we brought them the food and many expressed their appreciation. Some of us filled the plates while others carried them to the men at the tables. We served a bowl of mixed fruit, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, a veal patty, a brownie with whipped cream on top and punch. They could have more as long it there was food left. Some had three helpings! There were just enough brownies for each to get only one. Some of the comments I overheard were:

“This is an all-you-can-eat buffet for free!”

“This is very good! “

Could I have another brownie?

I felt bad when I had to tell him they were all gone. I really would have liked to been able to chat with them more, but we were in a hurry to get back to the church on time. I suggested our driver bring her GPS in with here but she didn’t. I was relieved that it was still there when we got out!; I had prayed it would be. It certainly was different from my usual evenings!

Homelessness is a problem that tugs at my heart. After reading Breakfast at Sally’s by Richard LeMeux, a homeless man’s memoir, I realize homelessness can happen to anyone, especially in hard economic times.  I am so thankful for our home! Two more good books about homelessness I recommend are: Can’t Get There From Here by Todd Strasser (YA), Gideon's Gift by Karen Kingsbury and Breaking Night From Homeless to Harvard  by Liz Murray (non-fiction). All these give good insight into the real problems the homeless have and are very interesting books.

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What I Like About Cleveland, Ohio

Welcome to Cleveland, Ohio, Blogtrotters!

We actually live in Parma, a suburb of Cleveland which is another good thing about Cleveland--it has lots of suburbs.  Cleveland/Parma has a lot of things that I like and is a good place to live in my opinion. I like having things so conveniently accessible. Churches (all kinds from which to choose), libraries, schools, tennis courts, ball fields, stores, fast food chains, donut shops, a bowling alley, Laundromat, restaurants and ice cream places are all within walking distance of my house. You don’t have that in the country! Everyone isn’t as well located as we are, but I’m pretty sure most Clevelanders could get to all these places by car in a half hour or less driving.

With the Regional Transit Authority, I can take the bus to work downtown or to special events and places of interest. There are at least four major highways that make traveling by car convenient too. From what I hear, our rush hour traffic is not near as bad as Chicago, New York or Los Angeles.

Cleveland has much to offer in entertainment such as theaters, rec centers, and professional sports teams, including the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns, and Cleveland Cavaliers.  We also have a minor league hockey team--the Lake Erie Monsters. Youth sports is big here in Cleveland too and includes baseball, softball, volleyball, basketball, football, swimming, tennis, golf and hockey. If you are into drinking, there is no shortage of taverns and sports bars around. There are plenty of neighborhood movie theaters too.  If you have younger children, you must take them to our amusement for for little kids--Memphis Kiddiepark.  It was opened in 1952 and is still going strong.  It is small with just fun rides for the little ones, except for the carousel and Little Dipper.  Bet you didn't know there was an amusement park in Cleveland!  

The Cleveland Zoo is very big with lots of animals--a fun and relaxing place to bring a family. The Cleveland Metroparks are throughout the city and provide plenty of woods for hiking, bike trails, creeks, hills, and even horseback riding, swimming, sledding, and tobogganing at certain locations.

There are also many special events that come to Cleveland, such as the circus, concerts, big ships, air show and fairs. Even dog sledding which Gerard paid $5 to do.  One day one of the dogs that played the part of Marley in the movie "Marley and Me" even came to Cleveland and let people get their picture taken with him at Tower City downtown.  I took off work early that day so I could go.

There are several colleges and museums including the Art Museum, Museum of Natural History, Money Museum, the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. For those who love the country, Parma even has Stearn's Farm, an historical landmark right on a main road down from Parmatown Mall, just about 15 min. from our home.

If you like the beach or just like watching the boats, Cleveland is right by Lake Erie. I can actually walk to the pier during my lunch hour if I want to since I work downtown. I have a view of the lake from my office windows. Edgewater park provides a beach, swimming and fireworks over the lake on July 4th.

It is also nice to have a hospital close by with a Cancer Unit affiliated with The Cleveland Clinic, one of the best hospitals worldwide! Cleveland has quite a few hospitals and plenty of police and fire stations around. I like the fact that if we would ever have an emergency, help is very close by. There are both public and private schools that give parents lots of choices as well as preschools throughout the city, as well as an extensive network of home schoolers.

We have a variety of weather during the four seasons. Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes are seldom seen in Cleveland. We do get a fair amount of snow during December-March and usually one snowstorm in April but on the whole, Cleveland weather is pretty nice most of the year. The only downside to Cleveland is the snow and even that provides some fun if you want to look on the bright side.

What city do you live in and what do you like about it?  I wrote this post because I was asked to write about Cleveland for Blog Trotting.  Links contained in this post will lead you to posts directly related.  So, click some links and enjoy your visit with us in our city!

I added this to Saturday Samplings at Half-Past Kissin' Time. Check it out for more "posts of the week."


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Meet Bill and Jeff--Two Christians Who Left the Homosexual Lifestyle (Part 2)

This a Part 2 of the “Tough Question--A Christian Response To Homosexuals?” This was the sermon Pastor Dan preached on August 30, 2009 at Parma Heights Baptist Church. After his sermon, he then interviewed two Christian gentlemen who left the homosexual lifestyle they were in. This post picks up with their stories which I found both fascinating and mind boggling. Both these men sought help from The Way Out non-profit ministry to gain freedom from homosexuality and found it.

Bill’s Story:
Bill had a background of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. He was an Eagle Scout. By the age of 10 he had been abused by eight different men. Growing up, he began to notice boys but thought it was just a phase--it wasn’t but it didn’t feel right to him. In college he became actively involved in the “Lifestyle Choice” group. He went to church and heard Romans 7 preached talking about the inner struggle the apostle Paul had and identified with that.

Jeff’s Story:
He grew up in a loving Christian home. At age 9 he was molested by an older boy. He was saved at the age of 10 but had feelings towards other boys. He felt God rejected him and that he was an abomination to God. He went about seeking to earn God’s love by going to a Bible college to become a Pastor. He thought certainly God would love him then. In college, he got a homosexual roommate and so he continued in that lifestyle and did not become a Pastor. Then he figured if he got married and just had a “normal” home, that would do it. He got married and lived a double life for 15 years. He went to a men’s conference and got counseling.

Here are the questions Pastor Dan asked them and their answers:

1. As a Christian who has/is struggled with same-sex attraction, what message does the church need to hear?

Jeff: Show love and kindness to homosexuals.

Bill: Don’t say homosexuality is a choice because it just proves you really don’t understand. Show patience, compassion, love and try to understand that it is an urge that we don’t control but that we don’t have to give into and act on it.

2. How can the church (Christians) minister to those struggling with homosexuality?

Jeff: The myth is that we’re born this way and can’t change.

Bill: Realize that acting out is a sin but thinking and desiring men is a temptation, not a sin. Help by realizing a change in desire is necessary. I turned from desiring to act out on my urges to desiring to develop a relationship with Jesus. The opposite of homosexuality is not being straight, but being holy.

3. How do I respond to a homosexual family member who is living with a partner? Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, family get-togethers… I don’t want to condone or accept their lifestyle, but Christ calls us to reach out in love and compassion. How do we do that? What does that look like?

Jeff: Let Jesus shine through you and realize that everyone is entitled to God’s grace.

So, be nice, people! I must admit I find it creepy if I see two guys or two women kissing, but condemning them or labeling them and name calling is certainly not acceptable. I admit I don’t understand homosexuality but do know that God loves them too!


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Things We Like About Parma Heights Baptist Church

· Didn’t fall asleep during the sermon—was interesting.

· Preached the Word of God, used Bible.

· Used PowerPoint slides to show announcements, words to the songs, sermon points.

· Lots of people involved in ministry.

· Programs for wide range of people: families, big youth group, singles, seniors, widows, lots of different small group Bible studies.

· Big parking lot.

· Clean, neat, orderly and everything was well-organized.

· Friendly people.

· Opportunities to participate in ministry as a part of a team.

· Three service times on Sunday morning.

· A great sounding choir.

· Good music.

· Padded pews more comfortable than what we were used to having.

· Had an Adult Bible Fellowship (ABF) class for newly marrieds taught by a funny man. There were several other older couples in there as well so Gerard and I felt very comfortable in there.

· Building and grounds well maintained, nice looking.

· Big nursery and Jr. Church for the children.

· Felt good when we left and weren’t upset like we were after services at our other church.

· It has a puppet team that we are a part of.

· Their Statement of Faith reflects is in line with what I believe to be true.

Visit their blog and www.phbaptist.blogspot.com and their web site at www.phbaptist.org


What made you choose your church? What things do you like about it?

How Vacation Bible School Has Changed!

Although this video doesn't show it, we also had songs that went along with teaching the memory verses for the week which were I John 3:1 (Jesus accepts us), Isaiah 41:13 (Jesus protects us), Romans 10:10 (Jesus saves us) Psalm 86:5 (Jesus forgives us) and Ephesians 2:10 (Live for Jesus.) Crafts consisted of a journal, verse plaques sponge painting a t-shirt and a necklace. The kids had homemade cookies for a snack each day, rec time outside, and prizes. In grades 4-6 they got tickets for attending, bringing a Bible, saying the verse, bringing someone new, etc. and at the end each day if their number was called, they got to choose a prize. The last day everyone got a chance to choose something. Of course, we had teams competing for points all week. We had over 130 kids in just grades 4-6. Thursday and Friday we had 800 kids attend! That's the most we ever had!

This is very different from when I was a kid. I remember the whole Bible School had only about 100 kids. We had paper crafts except for one year I remember we made a sundial which I liked. We didn't have any outside time except for the one I went to with a friend one year. They had a snack the last day outside. As a kid, I really wasn't big on going to VBS. One year I remember there was about seven or eight of us in a class and we had a real old lady for a teacher who told us we couldn't leave until we said the verse. Most of the years I went as a kid were no fun at all and it almost turned me off memorizing scripture. The worst part was we had to dress up for it. It's so much better now allowing the kids to come in shorts or jeans.

Only one year I really enjoyed it and that was when I was I finished 6th grade and the couple in charge of our group actually tried to make it fun and interesting. We got to play tic-tac-toe! Whoopee! That was exciting back then compared to what we were used to. I can't remember ever having a skit growing up.

The worst year was when we had the Pastor as our teacher and I finally got my best friend to come. That week, all our lessons were all about the denomination and nothing about salvation the entire week! I was so mad and disappointed!

When I had the opportunity to run the Vacation Bible School a couple years at the Brooklyn Christian & Missionary Alliance Church, I had team competition, one key verse for the week, a softball game in the afternoon between the teams, quizzing between the teams and crafts that the kids had a choice of which to ones they wanted to make and gave out candy.

What are some of your memories of VBS? Do you think kids have it better now than we did growing up? I sure do!

Will God Forgive Abortion?

Last Sunday our Pastor answered one of the tough questions that was submitted to him by a member of our congregation that was “I had an abortion. Can God forgive me?” My initial quick response was “Yes, how is he going to have a whole sermon on that?”

He invited two women who have had abortions to come and share their story of how they found forgiveness when they attended a HEART workshop and it was very interesting! First though, he made the point that in God’s eyes, sin is sin and all sin separates us from God, whether it’s just a lie or a murder. This is based on lists of sins found in Galatians 5:19 and also in Proverbs 6:16-19.

Pastor Dan pointed out that abortion is a sin because life begins in the womb as indicated in Psalm 139:13-14. “Do not kill” is one of the commandments (Exodus 20:13). The penalty for sin is death, eternal separation from God but the gift of God is life through God’s Son, Jesus.

For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23 and But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NIV)

Jesus died for everyone while we were still sinners and paid that price. If we accept Christ death on the cross was for us and repent of our sin, we can be forgiven!

These women shared that they felt guilty after the abortion and participated in self-destructive behavior such as drugs, alcohol, divorce and even attempted suicide which are all common among women who have abortions. The one woman got actively involved in pro choice in order to help herself feel better. Both these women had a hard time forgiving themselves for aborting their babies. Both had different reasons. One did it because after her first baby, she just didn’t want to go through the pain of having another so aborted her second child. The other woman who shared was from a troubled home and looked for love in the wrong places. When she got pregnant with a man’s child who she did not love, she did not want to keep the baby because she didn’t think she could love it.

Both these women shared that they found a workshop called Healing Effects of Abortion Related Trauma connection with The Cleveland Pregnancy Center. Through this 7-week confidential, Christ-centered workshop designed for those who have experienced abortion, they found forgiveness. I John 1:9 says that, “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” No exceptions! It doesn’t say, “except for abortion or murder or lying.”

By thinking God would not forgive them, they were told that they were ascribing more power to the sin than to Christ’s shed blood which really got their attention. "Christ died once for all, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." --I Peter 3:18

These women explained that most keep the fact they had an abortion to as few people as possible and really don’t want anyone to find out about it. That is why this workshop is strictly confidential. If you had an abortion and feel your life is messed up and there’s no hope, give the Cleveland Pregnancy Center a call at 440-243-2520 and just ask about the HEART workshop. There is forgiveness and help for you available. I hope this post will help someone find it.

Pastor Dan of Parma Heights Baptist Church is preaching on tough questions submitted to him by members of our congregation for the summer. I thought this was a great idea and submitted a couple of my own (this one wasn't mine if you're wondering). Most likely, I'll post summaries each week on my Zemeks' Updates blog under either the "Parma Heights Baptist Church" or "Life Is Tough but God Is Good" sections. Only the exceptionally good ones will make it to this blog.

Things I Learned This Week of Sports Camp-Part 25

I was one who took my vacation to do Sports Camp and be an assistant coach for flag football and I am so glad I did. The day flew by (unlike at work)and I learned a lot about keeping kids involved, encouraging them, teaching them different skills and I even learned what a sweep football play is and how to diagram plays. Some of the most fun was on the sidelines of our game just playing a "mini" game with those waiting to go in working some on skills and getting a better understanding of the game. We had over 600 children involved in our camps this week! Praise the Lord!!

Below is a video of just the flag football area that I worked in.


I got a great tan and enjoyed the picnic and awards celebration for all the campers and their families last night! Our key verse for the week is Philippians 4:13 which says, "I can do all things because Christ strengthens me." For our program we had the Victory Strength Team present amazing feats of strength: Gary "The Rock" Kanaga (The head of our Sports Camp) bench pressed 225 lbs. of 30 reps! Then at the end he broke threw a stack of 7 1" bricks with his bare hand! Greg "Mighty Mouse" Page weighing 160 did 13 squats at 500 lbs.! Gary "The Hulk" Bess did dead weight lifts of 600 lbs. 10 reps! Michale "Popeye" Kling did 10 reps of 135 lb. bar curls! It was remarkable and the kids loved it as the cheered them on.

This was a huge undertaking for our church to do, with planning and preparation going on for a whole year. This was a step of faith on the part of our church as a whole because it is the first time we've done this just using our own congregation. We also didn't know how many would come to football since we just added this sport. Our church family is extremely excited about this outreach ministry into our community and it is so much fun being a part of it.

The staff that worked both the morning and afternoon sessions enjoyed fellowship while eating lunch together that was provided for all of us at the church. It was also encouraging to me to find out that some of the boys I had in my 5th grade Sunday School class two years ago were helping as assistant coaches and even leading some of the devotions in their group.

For complete coverage of Sports Camp, visit the official blog of Parma Heights Baptist Church at http://phbaptist.blogspot.com/.

Having Fun Playing Softball Again--Like Night and Day

We played softball last night against two teams from North Olmsted Friends Church; it was like the difference between night and day. This is the first game we played in our new team shirts so we at least looked like a team. It was a gorgeous day as opposed to our previous game days of being cold and rainy. We got a picture of Gerard and me as well as the team afterward, but I wasn’t looking at the camera! I thought I was. My head is turned in the picture though, don’t know what I was looking at.

We looked liked Charlie Brown's team or the Bad News Bears, (take your pick) the first game of our double-header, losing 20-0! (Something like that.) It was HORRIBLE! Some of our problems were:

• Had a woman at short who doesn't play short and who couldn't get anything.


• We kept making outs and when we did get on base, didn't have a third base coach and Ed was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple.


• We were throwing to the wrong bases.


• I played first and got a grounder, thinking our pitcher would come over to cover the bag, but he didn't. By the time I realized it, I couldn't get there fast enough.


• Some of us got some good hits, but not enough together to score a run.


• The other team had great hitting--most of them could really give that ball a ride and the few who couldn't were scrappy and fast enough to be able to run out infield hits. Plus, they had black shirts which were intimidating and mean looking.

The three highlights:

1. We nailed one of the guys at the plate with our woman catcher, Elly! She did great, even when he tried bulldozing her over and should have gotten thrown out of the game according to the umpire who mentioned it to me the second game. This is a "fun" church league--not a competitive, die-hard league, after all, they had 20 runs!


2. The second highlight for us was when Gerard threw out the runner to me at first on a grounder to him. It made us feel good that we contributed in a positive way since our hitting is so pitiful.


3. The other team had a little cute dog in the stands near first base that I could see which always made me smile.

The second game we actually won 2-0! We looked like a completely different team, setting the other side down in order several innings. Things I feel made a difference were:

• We rearranged some positions, bringing in one of our young guys to play short.


• We clumped all our good hitters at the beginning of the lineup.


• By this time we had our base coaches figured out too.


• The team we played the second game wasn't very good either.

I almost got a hit, a blooper up the middle, but no, their girl second basemen ran over quick and made a leaping catch to snag it. She really made a great play on the ball but then doubled off the runner at second too--frustrating for me! Can I get any worse? Yes! I also got called out on strikes on a pitch I thought was low and outside (we only get two strikes in this league to keep it moving). That made me feel really stupid. I'm still looking for my first hit! Cory, the young guy we moved to short, nailed a runner at home where Elly again stood her ground, giving us our first shut out as well as our first win!

We look forward to our next game on June 20 at 3 p.m. against Columbia Road Baptist Church.

Key To Teaching: Get The Kids Involved In The Lesson

Sunday School can be very boring. I remember my early years hearing the same stories over and over, often with the same flannelgraph year after year. When I started teaching Sunday School, I determined not to ever have it become boring. If I get bored, I know the kids are bored. One method I found to liven things up now and then is to let the kids use puppets to review the lesson.

The video below is one my 5th grade boys Sunday School class made this morning using finger puppets to review the lesson. They liked doing it and I think they did a good job on it considering it was only their first time and we only had about 10 minutes to do it. I added the titles in later. The lesson was on Acts 4:32-5:11. Too bad we only had four there today, but that way everyone got to do a puppet. I wish more came because I think they would have enjoyed it. What do you think?

Free Drama Workshop at Parma Heights Baptist Church

Our church drama team has begun to have some Saturday morning workshops. The one we had this month was so much fun, that it made me consider taking a college drama class.

It started with a good breakfast. We had about 18 people attend including some girls of parents who participate in drama. Our church uses drama to make announcements of special events, to do some short sketches to introduce the Pastor's message and sometimes special Christmas and Easter presentations.

Annie and Georgine led some improv exercises that were a blast. I never knew actors actually did warm up exercises. These were helpful because they included general relaxing techniques to help you focus as follows:

Lie down with your eyes closed and just listen to the sounds in the room. Tense up, and untense.

Another was to roll your neck slowly from side-to-side.

A third was to bend over reaching for the floor and swing your arms like a monkey. Slowly, one vertebrae at a time, straighten up. Imagine 18 people doing this at once--it was pretty funny!

They also shared some vocal warm up exercises which included just talking gibberish as fast as you can while making funny faces. My favorite one though was to start making a very low sound and gradually getting higher and higher and then gradually coming down lower and lower again.

The improv exercises were taken from on of the college books Annie had called Improvisation For the Theater by Viola Spolin. We did three exercises from this that were all very fun:

1) Circle Story--We all sat in a circle and one by one would add a word to make sentences which made a story. I forget what it was now, but it was just ridiculous. The point though was to just stay in the moment and improvise. There was no planning ahead, no scoring, no competition and no winners or losers.

2) Mirroring--The point of this exercise is to connect with another person which helps to focus on the other actors that you are acting with. We each faced a partner and looked into each other's eyes the whole time. One partner would do a motion and the other would try to do the same thing opposite them at the same time as best we could to create a "mirror" image. After a little bit, we switched roles and the other partner led. Then, the real fun came when we could add sound as well as movement. It was a lot of fun.

3) Human machine--The purpose of this was teamwork. I liked this very much. One person starts by standing in the middle of the circle and making a motion and noise. Then another stands next to them adding a new motion and noise. And then another, and another, and another until everyone is doing some sort of motion and noise all at the same time! I was across from a young girl who was beeping. I stood opposite her and jumped and said "bop" after she beeped. When everyone was involved, then we were told to gradually get louder as a group. Then as a group, gradually get quieter. To end, they called out one at a time.

These things may sound stupid but they were really fun to do as a group.

Puppets Come To Life With Helping Hands

One unique activity Gerard and I are involved in at church is the puppet team. We use scripts that are on tape and Jim runs the sound and does the lighting. Different scenes are painted on sheets for background and the stage is made of a wood frame with sections on hinges for easy storage with material stapled to it.

We use a double stage with a front and back row. Puppeteers in the front kneel on old sofa cushions for foam rubber to protect their knees and the puppeteers in the back row can stand. This enable elderly people to still be able to do it.

The youngest member of our team is 5th grade. We have several 6th graders and then it jumps to an 18 yr. old, then people in their 30s, 50s, and 70s. A very wide range makes this a unique group. Pam, the children's minister at Parma Heights Baptist Church is our director who has been doing it for years and years. She is a visual thinker, well organized and easy to work with. She is very patient and always has a picnic for the puppet team at her house in the fall and a party at her house in January.

Here are the basic rules of our puppet team:
1) Always wear gloves when working the puppet.
2) Never let kids see a "dead" puppet (one that is laying around).
3) Do not let anyone know what puppet you have so that if someone goofs up, no one knows who it is and so that the audience will watch the whole production and not focus on one certain puppet.
4) Everyone helps set up and tear down.
5) Attendance at practices is mandatory (unless sickness or death).



Last Sunday we performed a Christmas presentation for the children in grades 1-6 during the 11:00 service. At the end an invitation was given to trust Jesus as their personal Savior and be forgiven. About 10-12 children prayed for forgiveness and accepted Jesus as their personal Savior! God has used this particular ministry to speak to children's hearts. Even some parents hang around to watch and are usually impressed by what an elaborate production it is.