The Reflectionary

Assembly – Running the Race

July 8, 2016

use the double-sided medals to tell the story of two Japanese pole vaulters at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Their names were Shuhei Nishida and Sueo Oe.

The winning height was 4.35m, cleared by an American athlete, and he won the gold medal. Nishida and Oe both cleared 4.25m and so the second place was a tie. The Olympic rules said that one person had to beat the other to win the silver medal, but the two athletes were friends and did not want to compete against the other. Neither would be happy to win if it meant that their friend would lose. … More Assembly – Running the Race

Luke 10:38-42 – Labyrinths

July 4, 2016

Mary was focussed on the process, the journey, the who she was going with, not the where she was going. She walked the labyrinth. … More Luke 10:38-42 – Labyrinths

Activity – Life Lines

July 1, 2016

We are creatures both of time and eternity. This activity explores these two lives in a tactile way. You will need yarn of two different colours. Each person will need a short length (about 15-30cm / 6-12″) of one colour and a much longer length, several metres, of another. Wind the longer length into a small … More Activity – Life Lines

Luke 10:25-37 – The Good Samaritan

June 27, 2016

They were Rangers supporters if you’re Celtic. They were United if you’re City. Lancaster if you’re York. French if you’re English (they’ve never forgiven us for Waterloo). Surely, surly, someone had mentioned this before? … More Luke 10:25-37 – The Good Samaritan

Activity – Immeasurably More

June 24, 2016

An Activity You will need a sheet of paper, coloured pens, a glue stick and a pair of scissors. Cut the paper in half longways, then cut each of those in half again to make 4 long strips and each of those in half again to make 8 long thin strips. Using the coloured pens, … More Activity – Immeasurably More

2 Kings 5:1-14

June 20, 2016

But who would listen to a slave? Who cares what a foreigner has to say? Who pays attention to a child – and a girl at that? In terms of social status we really are in the gritty bits at the bottom of the bathtub. … More 2 Kings 5:1-14

Activity – First Things First

June 17, 2016

This activity is a well-known illustration of priorities, and has many applications. There is a set of pictures you can use as well. You will need a tray and a glass jar. To fill it find something large, like ping-pong or golf balls; something medium-sized, like dried beans or gravel or nuts; and something small, like … More Activity – First Things First

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

June 13, 2016

We try to live well because we are forgiven, not so that we will be forgiven.

Free From: free from needing to save ourselves by trying to be good enough. Why?
The bad news: We’ll never be good enough.
The good news: We’ll never be good enough. But that’s OK because God loves us anyway, imperfect as we are. … More Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Isaiah 1:21-31

June 10, 2016

This is the text of a pair of essays submitted as part of my course at Spurgeon’s College for the module ‘Reading and Using the Bible’. The first part is an exegesis, the second part has application with children’s activities. The first part was formative (not for credit), the second part was my grade for … More Isaiah 1:21-31

Psalms 42 and 43

June 6, 2016

One of my favourite aspects of this song (psalms 42 and 43 are one song) is how the writer alternates between what his heart feels and what his mind knows. He is in a dark place and he does not hide that. He does not pretend everything is alright when it is not. … More Psalms 42 and 43