Olympic Gold!

I knew it would happen and it has…Last night was the 1st night of VBS (titled Journey Kids Klub) at my church…and of course I have to write about these kiddos because they bring such joy to my very existence.

Another young lady and I are ‘doing’ crafts with the kids and YES that’s a perfect match for this Martha-esque crafter who can be heard stating: ‘Crafts…they’re a good thing!’ on most any day.

I sometimes think to myself if there were a ‘crafting’ Olympic Team…I’d represent the U.S. in a BIG way! I don’t doubt I could actually medal in crafting…no pun intended. About the time I start to picture myself on the elevated ‘gold’ podium, and I can a l m o s t hear the Star Spangled Banner somewhere in a distance…I fall out of my bed with a thud because this already exists…and it’s called…the Oklahoma State Fair!

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I feel like Charlie Brown who has had the football yanked from beneath his, oncoming, momentum gaining foot…Just before one toe makes contact with the little pigskin, Lucy, in all her controlled-rage, yanks it away. No…I’ve never entered anything in the Oklahoma State Fair and frankly I think the judging may be a bit biased like perhaps some Olympic Judges in Ice-Skating not so long ago…Seriously have you seen the ‘crafts’ at your own State Fair. My MIL did a seed-bead replica of Our Lady Guadalupe’ and it didn’t even get accepted. I honestly think it was TOO good. It is an incredible work of art.

No offense, but in Oklahoma if it ain’t crocheted, canned, or pastry-covered, it ain’t winnin’ and it probably ain’t even gonna get displayed.

Wow…I had no idea how strongly I felt about all that…I’m not bitter!

So…last night, Kids Klub Kraft’s…yeah…back on track! The theme of our VBS is “Superheroes” so last night we decorated masks. Children are so incredibly creative. I’ve mentioned before how sometimes that creativity is a bit stifled as children enter school and expectations are set about how things SHOULD look. The younger children 3,4,5 year olds just set themselves free and their whole goal, in my estimation, is to cover as much of the mask as they can (sometimes even the eye holes…to which we had to make some adjustment for visual purposes) and still hold the thing on their little heads.

I wish I would have taken my camera…perhaps Pastorman’s Wife will email me some pictures and I can include them. My own mask was simple as my Superhero name is “Eagle Eye” (I’ll email a pic of it later in the week perhaps). The second group of 6 & 7 year old children were a little more affirmation ‘needy’ and wanted input about HOW it should look, but the third group…the 8 & 9 year olds…they didn’t want anything that would make their mask look imperfect.

No stickers for them. No fuzzy noses…They painted their masks. They painted and painted and painted and painted. They ‘erased’, with Kleenex, things that didn’t look right; colors that didn’t work. Their masks are beautiful! They still don’t have any names for their superheroes! The younger set either re-used existing superhero names or they came up with things like: “Beauty-Girl” or “Spider-Girl” or just plain old: “SuperHero”!

The bottom line for me is the constant reminder from God that I am to come to Him as a child…free of all the world’s inhibitions and expectations and just throw myself at Him and in the midst of all my imperfection and unlearned-ness (is that a word?) He not only accepts me…He embraces me and laughs right alongside me!

You gotta’ love a God like that!

This morning, I THANK GOD for joy and for childhood and for children that see the world in such an incredible way! I thank God for showing me through these little ones how He wants to see me live!

Happy Tuesday!

P.S. Tonight we’re making musical instruments…harmony sticks and rain sticks…I’ll keep you posted!