Toy Box Christianity (All Show No Go)...

...The Rocking Horse is pretty much a universal toy. It is not limited to any particular country and is the toy with the longest history in our look at Toy Box Christianity. Because it's the most "mature" toy, we can assume it comes with a lot of wisdom.

Think about it for a second...the rocking horse is a lot of work with no production, except maybe a little friction. You can summarize this toy with one simple phrase..."All Show and No Go." This isn't much different than the life of a believer. What about your life? What about your student's life? How are you helping your student's life with Christ be all GO and less SHOW? Tonight we took a hard look at how we can live a life of going.

Read Matthew 25:14-30

• This history of the Rocking Horse goes a little something like this...It all started with the Hobby Horse which is nothing more than a horse head (fake) on the end of a broomstick. You can still find this predecessor of the rocking horse all Wal Mart. This led to the Barrel Horse. Not to be a downer, but this doesn't seem as fun...it's simply a log with wooden legs...no motion at all...what you see is what you get. Now we have the Rocking Horse...some were super elaborate and some were simple, but they all have the same function...rock, rock, rock...
• It moves but it doesn't go anywhere. Discuss what this would look like in the life of a believer...(go to church, go to church, go to church, but no desire to grow with Christ)
• Jesus is looking for practical obedience, but what was it that led the one servant to hide the talent? (Fear)
• The question might arise..."Why did he give more to some and just one to the last one...did he love the last servant the least?" That's not the case at all...the King entrusted the servant with what he believed the servant could handle. You don't give a 1st grader algebra homework...it's the same with this parable.
• Discuss the understanding of entrusting someone with something (it is the handing over to)
• What did Jesus entrust to us? (The Gospel, Love, The Spirit)
• EVERY believer is entrusted with some responsibility...what do we do with it?
• Why is investing a "risky" thing to do? How risky is it when we're investing what Jesus has given to us? It's not that risky when you live by faith.
• Look at the response of the disobedient servant (v24)...it was a 43 word response...but those who obey really required no explanation.
• That's the life of the No Go...so what does the life of a person On The Go look like W/O HESITATION (V16)...GOOD & FAITHFUL (v21)...RECEIVES THE GREATEST REWARD "WELL DONE" (v21)...SHARE IN THE JOY OF CHRIST (v21)
• The life of an obedient servant stands in dramatic contrast to that of one who lives in disobedience.

Spend some time praying as a family...ask God to help you be a family on the go and for the Holy Spirit to reveal the aspects of your family life that may not live up to what God has called you and your family to.

JM

a link for parents...

...everyonce in a while I'll put a link up here as well to help parents in the ongoing job that is "parenting." Here's an article that I came across that I thought I would share...hope it helps.

http://tonymorganlive.com/2010/11/15/parenting-teenagers/?utm_source=wordtwit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wordtwit

JM

Toy Box Christianity...

...What walks downstairs alone or in pairs

& makes a slinkity sound?

A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing,

Everyone knows it's slinky.

It's slinky, it's slinky, for fun it's a wonderful toy

It's slinky, it's slinky, it's fun for a girl and a boy.

This probably brings back some fond memories...I know it does for me! Tonight we talked about the Slinky®, more specifically we discussed the Slinky® Dog. What can a toy like this teach us about our walk with Christ?

The following TalkPoints will help you continue the conversation with your student. A lot of the following information is stuff your student has heard tonight, but this will give you a little background and hopefully foster an environment of discussion on you being the example for your child and your child being the example for others...because here's the truth...our example is either leading others closer to Hell or closer to Christ...

• Discuss some of the history of the Slinky...Invented by accident, first toy to have it's jingle released as a pop music single in 1963, 1st toy to be used in zero gravity, first toy to have it's own postage stamp
• On the Slinky® Dog, the front leads and the tail follows.
• The main focus of the message tonight is about the example of the students in our student ministry both inside and outside the walls of Wallace.
• 1 Timothy 4:12 - Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
• What do you understand this to say?
• Break it down: LET NO ONE DESPISE (LOOK DOWN ON) YOU FOR YOUR YOUTH. Spiritual maturity is not set to chronological age...apathy and immaturity can be found in the young and old alike. How can this be encouraging to your student?
• How does your life encourage others NOT to look down on you?
• Like the Slinky® Dog, your life should be the example...if you don't want others saying, "aw, they're just young", then you live your live being lead by Christ.
• YOU SET THE BELIEVERS AN EXAMPLE: As you are lead by Christ, you lead the way.
• How can you go wrong if you're being lead by Christ?...How can others mock you if you are following Christ. Then Paul goes on to mention different areas of life in which you can lead by example.
• Speech and conduct/life: The observable aspects of life...this is what people visibly see.
• Love, Faith, Purity: The essence of life...These make up who you are in Christ.
• How is your student leading by example?
• How are you fostering your student's being lead by Christ...and how are you encouraging them to lead others?
• Our outward walk with Christ cannot be separated from our inner devotion to Christ
• How are you (parent) setting the example for your student?
• How are you leading...where are you leading...who are you leading...who's leading you?

Spend some time as a family praying for one another and their relationship with Jesus. Ask God to help you be the example for your family and for others.

JM