Archives by: John Wilks

MATERIALS NEEDED: unsharpened pencils (enough for all the kids); one foam brick (which can be found at any craft store or Wal-Mart).
THE LESSON: Pass out the pencils. If possible, have a variety of pencils designs and let them choose. Then challenge them to stand them on the unsharpened end. This works well with them sitting in a circle on a hard-surface floor. Give them about five minutes to try. Some will get them to stand, but blow them down as soon as it stands for a few seconds. Then begin asking questions like “Why couldn’t you get the pencil to get/stay up?” Spend a few minutes discussing the concept of foundations. Ask the kids to list some good and bad things people use for foundations. You may get answers like: “God”; “Alcohol”; “Friends”; “Sex”; etc…
Ask a member to read Matt 7:24-27. Then get out the brick and have them jab the pencils into it. Have a discussion about what it means to let Jesus be there foundation. Close the session with prayer. As presented here, the lesson is most effective with groups that have down little application of Scripture in there lives; however, it can easily be beefed up to the level appropriate for your kids.