God Loves Children

(Chp. 12) Tweens: Power Tools

Posted on by Sharon

Devil: Did you see what she did? She began to move us back with her prayers. Those praises shook our very foundations. I’ve got to put a stop to this!

Imp: Kill her.

Devil: Can’t. She’s protected by the Lord. There are too many angels surrounding her anyway.

Imp: Strike her down with an illness then.

Devil: You kidding me? That’ll give her more time to pray! She’ll prop herself up in her bed, get out that wretched book and begin to declare healing scriptures. Then, that will ignite a flame inside her to start proclaiming other good things over her life.

Oh no! She’s finished her chores and she’s making her way upstairs to praise and pray in…that language!

Imp: Oh Master, that’s the worst of all! We don’t know what she is saying and once she starts, the Holy Spirit gives her strength to continue! Besides, this way, she will be praying what He wants, so there will be no blubbering, selfishness or distractions. Can’t you make her have an accident?

Devil: Well…it’s funny you should say that. What hits a parent harder than an attack on themselves? Striking their precious children of course. She’s not prayed for protection for her family yet. This morning God woke her up early to commune with him, but she was too tired to get up and so stayed in bed until it was time to rush around doing the school run. And when she got home, we managed to convince her again to get her priorities muddled up, so she began tidying up the kitchen instead of going to her prayer closet.

Imp: Yea, and wasn’t it good of me to show her all that dirt that she had not noticed before? It delayed her even longer. And I really laughed when she glanced at the oven door on her way out. What a hoot to see her turn back and grab a cloth!

Devil: Well done. That works every time. What I had in mind was to make her daughter have an accident so bad, that it demands hospital attention. And at the same time, we’ll hit on a few others so that the casualty department will be busier than usual. That will keep her away from God for a while. The whole day in fact – she doesn’t do evenings. ‘Gets distracted doing irrelevant things that have no effect on the kingdom, no eternal value; and by the time she picks up her bible, she’s falling asleep on the chair.

Imp: Ha ha! And doesn’t she just love YouTube! You should see the amount of silly stuff I added to her feed, which is now in her ever-growing ‘Watch Later’ pile. She’ll be distracted for hours! But surely, right now she will be talking to God, asking him to heal her daughter and give her comfort?

Devil: Oh, they will be just quick, panicky prayers, but very weak ones, as I shall fill her with guilt, and I shall also try to put doubts in her mind about God’s protection.

Imp: Couldn’t you just kill the girl? Go on, make her have a fatal head injury.

Devil: There’s nothing I’d like better but, I don’t have authority to take her life. There are angels protecting her and even if I make her fall, there’ll probably be one underneath her head to make sure she doesn’t get concussed. Blooming father! Always asking God for her safe keeping. Always stroking her brow and interceding for her well-being!

Imp: So, you gonna do it then Master? Come on, come on, before she starts to pray!

Devil: Chill. Look, she hasn’t even warmed up in praise yet. See…there are no vapours ascending to Heaven. She’s still thinking about herself.

Imp: Well, when you do it, can I help?

Devil: Yes. I will do the physical damage and you can work on the girl’s mind and emotions. Find some fickle, insensitive teacher who will stand over her and declare that she thinks her nose is broken. That will not only put fear into the girl’s heart, but also give her a long-lasting bad memory.

Imp: And because a teacher has authority over a child, if she says the broken nose thing enough times, it will come to pass?

Devil: Umm…I’m not sure we’ll get away with that one, for as soon as the stupid mother hears about the accident, she’ll start praying that her nose is not broken and that will counteract the teacher’s words. But we’ll give it a go anyway. The more damage, the better eh? Let’s get on with it.

Imp: Wow! That was some fall! You managed to hold her hands back so she couldn’t protect herself. She fell flat on her face. That will hurt. Yippee! They’ll be in the hospital the whole day! Great job Master!

Devil: Yes, I love it when a plan comes together. But what’s this? Husband and wife talking nicely to each other, sharing lunch in the waiting room and praying silently for their daughter? Unity! I simply HATE unity! The mother’s gone all humble and soft and is agreeing on everything. She’s even walked off to the canteen and left her husband in charge! Wives are not supposed to trust the dads to be in control during moments like these. She is showing trust! Letting her husband speak to the doctor by himself is giving him a self-esteem that will serve to strengthen their marriage!

Imp: But dads forget things. They are not as into the detail like mums are. She will want the doctor to know every single fact about the accident.

Devil: Oh, I wish you were right but, it seems like she he doesn’t care about all that. She is allowing him to be the head of the family and showing complete trust in his ability the take the lead. Uggh! This tragedy is bringing them together! They will get home later and pray together like one big, yukky Christian family. Ew! I Want to spit at someone!

Imp: So…your plan didn’t really work then, Master? The mother has realised the ‘first things first’ principle and is going to make more effort to seek the Lord at the beginning of the day. The child feels more secure because she didn’t expect her daddy to rush home from work and spend the rest of the afternoon with her. On top of that, she is excited about going for an Xray.

As for the mother, who is far too observant for my liking, she spent the entire time in the waiting room pointing out that hundreds of people are in worse situations than them and began praying for all the sick! She even asked God to heal that man who got soldering sparks in his eye. You were going to make him lose his sight then get depressed over it and eventually kill himself. Drat! Why do Christians interfere so?

Devil: Tell me about it! It’s like this whole incident is a holiday for them. I’m just waiting for her to fall into sin, so I can get her back for all that. Keep your eye on her, won’t you?

Imp: Master, look out!

Devil: Agh, sickening! Absolutely sickening! She’s singing victory songs again. And proclaiming that Jesus is Lord over all the earth!

Imp: And she’s quoting that verse that you really hate:

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue will declare that Jesus Christ is Lord…”

Devil: How I hate it when people know the truth! If only I could slash through her wrist and make it hurt so bad, she’ll think it is permanently damaged. Then at least she cannot write about me and tell the whole World Wide Web what a clutz I am. I don’t want people to know my strategies and discover I’m a loser. Some are so deluded, that they don’t believe that I even exist. Except…at Halloween.

Imp: Well, that’s not too far away now, is it Master?

Devil: Umm, good point. Let’s give up on those three for now and go find some fools who think that dressing-up their kids to look like us, is harmless fun. Come on you, we’ve got work to do.

God Loves Children

(Chp. 13) Tweens: The Mystery of the Disappearing Boy

Posted on by Sharon

Contrary to what you might think, my title was not inspired by Enid Blyton. This is a true story about a boy who really did vanish before my eyes.

I was depressed. I felt abandoned. It seemed like God was not listening to me. I thought he did not care. Thus, I was having one of the biggest pity parties of my life.

Deep down, I knew I was verging into dangerous territory. Being a little sad is one thing, allowing oneself to become bitter because of impatience is another.

I headed to my favourite spot in London to take time-out to speak to the Lord. I needed his comfort but also, I wanted answers. Why had he taken so long to give me what I’d asked for? Was he having a long nap, oblivious to my needs? My faith was at an all-time low.

As I made my way towards the serene seating area outside a large train station, I fished in my bag for my sunglasses. I had already begun to cry and did not want to draw attention to myself. Behind dark shades, I could bawl my eyes out and no-one would notice.

Suddenly, a young lad appeared in front of me. He looked about 12 years old. As he stood facing me, it seemed like he had a learning disability of some sort. He was wearing spectacles that had very thick lenses – the type that make one’s eyes look really tiny. Despite this, he was desperately trying to give me eye contact, but they kept darting around. He had a mop of dark, messy hair and he was wringing his hands nervously. His shoelaces were undone and they kept flapping on the pavement as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

He did not hesitate to speak:

“Excuse me. I really need your help.”

Something about that simple, but humble sentence, hit the core of my being. He had my full attention. It startled me how direct he was being. Despite all the possible warning scenarios that could have played inside my head, somehow, I knew he considered me to be his only hope. I don’t mean that arrogantly, after all, there were many other people around. But it felt like my response would determine whether he would have the confidence to approach anyone else.

“Okay.” I said.

He pointed in the general direction of a double-decker bus that was passing by.

“I missed my stop and I need to get home. Driver told me to get off. I need to catch a train to get home. But I don’t have any more money. Can I have some money please?”

“How much do you need?” I asked.

“Two pounds forty-seven.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes please.”

“Are you sure that’s enough?”

“Yes please.”

I knew there was a possibility that this boy could have been working for a gang – a group who would be waiting to pounce on me as soon as I pulled out my purse. But I wasn’t worried. Something about this lad’s vulnerability made me not care about my own.

I searched through my change to see what I had and was disappointed that I could only give him a £1 more than he had asked for. I emptied my purse into his hands, and he thanked me promptly. As I placed my purse back into my handbag, a sadness washed over me. I would have given him much more if I’d had it, because all I could feel was compassion for this lonesome child who seemed quite frightened and in need of immediate assistance. I quickly looked up, so as not to lose sight of him, for I was going to offer to accompany him to the station. I not only wanted to make sure he bought the correct ticket, but to enquire whether he needed me to travel with him to his street.

I had visions of an anxious mother wondering what had happened to her precious son and I decided that even if I had never travelled to his destination before, I would endeavour to make sure he got home safely.

To my surprise however, his departure was so sudden that that I could not see where he had dashed off to so quickly. There were no bushes, trees or concrete posts blocking my view.  We were a good 10 metres away from the station entrance, as it is set back quite a distance from the road and I could see the front doors clearly. If he had darted to the right, I would have seen him dashing down the road. He could not have got into a car nor mounted a bicycle. There were no air balloons in the sky, and he hadn’t been holding a skateboard.

I frowned and looked around. There was a telephone box on the other side of the road, but I’m pretty sure it was not a TARDIS.

I trotted in the direction of the station, but I knew he could not have got there so fast even if his bashed-up trainers had been Heelys. Not to mention, his laces would have tripped him up.

And then it hit me. No, he was not an angel. Despite the fact that he seemed to have dematerialised, he was not an alien and we were not on the set of Star Trek.  He was not a figment of my imagination, nor was I on any medication. To this day, I do not know where this boy disappeared to so rapidly and how, but what I did know there and then, was that the Holy Spirit had used that situation to chastise me and comfort me all in one go.

As I made my way back to the benches, the Lord, whispered in my ear:

“So, a pure stranger asks you for help and without a second thought for your own safety, you not only respond to him immediately, but you were willing to put yourself out to assist him further. You would have given him more money if you had it and you would have accompanied him home, risking getting lost yourself. Yet you struggle to trust me? You struggle to believe me when I say I care for you?  You did not know that boy, but I know you intimately because I created you.

You had compassion on him, yet you are doubting mine?

 If you, being evil natured, know how to give good gifts to your children… His very first sentence struck you to the core, yet you have asked me for help many times. Don’t you think that I am moved with compassions for your needs also?

‘I really need your help.’

“Come to me with that same sentence and see how much I want to have mercy on you.”

I found my spot, sat down, and cried like a river. But this time, not because I was feeling sorry for myself, but because my loving Father had taught me a valuable lesson using an innocent child who was there one second and gone the next.

God Loves Children

(Chp. 14) Tweens: Swollen Rivers

Posted on by Sharon

The Sandman dresses in white clothing. Like Wee Wille Winkie, he wears a pale gown that trails to his ankles with long sleeves and 3 buttons just below a rounded collar. He has a matching white cap which flops to one side and there is a bell on the end, which makes a little tinkle sound as he moves about stealthily. He has white slip-on shoes that make him look like he’s just stepped into a pile of snow. His nose is long and sharp which would make him look very mean if it wasn’t for the big wide grin and twinkle in his beady eyes that are displayed whenever he’s on duty. He enjoys his job immensely and he’s a night worker of course.

As he enters a bedroom, his bony hands carefully twist the doorknob while he purses his lips in concentration. Mustn’t be seen or heard. He slips his hand into his little white pouch and with forefinger and thumb, he grabs a portion of sand. Then as quick as a flash, he pours the fine crystals across the eyes of the person who’s lying in bed with their eyes closed, but not yet asleep. That’s the most exciting bit for him – knowing that the deed is completed without so much as a stir from the victim.

He jumps off the bed, bends his back like an old man and rushes off into the night. A little giggle always escapes as he thinks about how clever he is to finish his deed without being caught. It’s not a wicked laugh; more like one of accomplishment. In the morning, the recipient rubs their eyes and wonders why they are so crusty. Sorry to be disgusting, but those bits stuck to your lashes are the granules of sand that the pale imposter planted on you the night before. He is not a malevolent creature really. The sand is to seal your eyes to help you get to sleep.

This was the story told to my husband when he was an infant and he believed every word of it. His grandmother knew how to use the correct intonation to make the whole event seem more real.

Anwar in turn, takes delight in sitting down with his family to retell the tales of this little man’s nocturnal adventures.

Between you and me, I think The Sandman is still in business, but has expanded his field of expertise. Recently, I have spotted quite a few floodsacks (sandbags) lined up outside the houses of local residents. Unfortunately, this new venture has not been as successful, because they have proved useless in sealing the doors and outbuildings of our neighbours. Subsequently, dirty water has seeped into their houses, destroying everything it has touched.

This has been a regular occurrence across the country. The news programmes have shown many British towns submerged in several feet of sludge, while heavy sacks are piled-up in vain against garden gates, fences, and entrances.

Yep, in England it rains. It cascades. It floods. People get wet. Their shoes become soaked within 2 minutes of a downpour. Worse still, lakes with high water levels overflow, ponds with poor drainage gush into the threshold of low-lying houses and rivers with inadequate defence barriers burst their banks and flow out like miniature waterfalls.

One Saturday, Anwar met Sarah and I in town, to take us home in the car. When he had dropped us off in the morning, the weather had been glorious, but a surge of rain soon appeared, and we faced an afternoon of plump puddles. Not wanting to pay for parking, he had left the car on a side street several minutes’ walk away. Although the land is fairly flat in the town, it seemed like nearby residents had already taken precautions because large, beige hessian sacks were stacked high in many doorways.

“Expecting a flood?” shouted a postman as he handed soggy mail to a lady who was stood at the entrance of her house in a warm fleece.

We ran along the pavement with our heads bowed, jumping over little pools that blocked our way. Like most children, Sarah didn’t mind the torrent because puddles are great fun to jump into. But the deceptive morning weather had inspired her to put on cloth shoes, not the wellington boots she needed right then. Suddenly she stopped, unable to keep up with the pace of her sprinting parents. Anwar said, “Jump on my back and I’ll carry you.”

Like a chimpanzee desperate for safety, she flew onto his back and clung on with all her might. As her dad trotted along, spine bent with the extra weight, she looked like an overgrown koala that had found the last standing eucalyptus tree.

I marvelled at how she tucked her head inside her fluffy hood then rested it on her father’s shoulders so that her face could not be seen. The burden of having to run had been lifted. The terrible weather remained constant, but she was suddenly warm, protected and being carried to her destination.

This father/child relationship was reminiscent to me of how our God desperately wants to carry us when the journey gets too much.

How he desires to lift us up during the storm and protect us from the cold wet splashes!

Sometimes, we need to get wet in order to grow like plants, but at other times, like when the rivers burst their banks, he wants us to run to him, so that the waters do not drown us.

I love the idea of clinging onto my daddy, in total surrender, just like Sarah was doing on that drippy morning.

The bible says:

I will be your God throughout your lifetime, until your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. (Isaiah 46:4 NLT)

For I hold you by your right hand. I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, don’t be afraid – I am here to help you. (Isaiah 41:13 NLT)

Of course, the Sandman doesn’t really exsist, so we cannot credit him for aiding our slumber. He is just the result of Danish folklore and I am glad I never knew about this Scandinavian darkness creeper when I was little, because I would have not slept any night, tired or not.

In reality, a pleasant night’s sleep is a gift from God, but it is also connected to other good things he bestows upon us, such as peace, health and provision.

We cannot expect him to bless our rest if we have failed to follow his wise advice about casting all our cares on him and giving him our anxieties. One of the reasons he tells us to not fear or worry is so we can have an undisturbed kip. The subject of sickness and hunger is a complex one and it’s not appropriate to start talking about those subjects here, but it is true that when we are not well, comfortable or fed properly, we will struggle with frequent insomnia also.

My prayer is that you will first learn to rely on God for everything, including peace of mind, so that you can have the blissful rest he promised.

There’s a debate as to whether the Sandman originated from Demnark or Germany. One thing is certain in my mind – both these nations love their lager – so I’m guessing in those days it was so strong, it produced some kind of freaky hallucination.

That aside, the next time you are feeling overwhelmed with life’s burdens, look up, Isaiah 43:2. Part of it reminds us that when we pass through the waters, God will be with us and when we pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over us. Isn’t that great! It helps me to sleep and wake up feeling refreshed, ready to face the challenges of the day ahead. I hope you will know this joy too.

Writing

Are You Still Whole in the Bowl?

Posted on by Sharon

Years ago, when subsidy publishers were popular, would-be authors would flock to them in the hope that they would give them a publishing contract.

The publisher would always respond with,

“We’ve read your manuscript and think it is just the right thing and we would love to work with you. We are happy that you want to publish your book with us.”

Then, they would bleed them dry by demanding they hand over every penny they had.

Why, you ask, did so many authors choose this route? Well, ordinary publishers wanted nothing to do with layman writers. They became inundated with so many A4 sized parcels that most of them went straight into the bin. The few manuscripts that were read, were mostly anthologies of boring poetry, or badly written children’s stories. They had had enough, and very soon, all mainstream publishers decided that unsolicited manuscripts should be submitted by nobody, not even if your friends thought you were the next Shakespeare, Agatha Christie or Danielle Steel.

Even when they did find a great tale submitted by a trusted literary agent, it was far too risky to take that author on board. Put simply, if a million people did not know you as a renowned author, a million people were not going to buy your book.

“But I’m a member of a large slimming club / church congregation / golf club / dance mom posse!” they would wail.

Alas, writers did not understand that the most cost effective process for mainstream publishers, was to print off at least 200 copies at a time. Added to the cost of paper, ink, electricity and wages, was the bill for proofreaders, copy editors and marketers. Lastly, they had to make lucrative deals with bookshops and these places often had the upper hand. Some stores would accept 2 copies, but many said, “No thank you, this author’s unknown to this area.” Which left the remaining bundle taking up space somewhere in the publishing house. Now, multiply that bundle by 450 submissions a month.

All in all, it simply wasn’t financially feasible for publishers to take such a big risk with a newbie author, especially those writing in a category that was already overcrowded (children’s books), or the least popular (poetry).

Therefore, the motto became,

“Written a book? Then publish it at your own expense.”

I decided to do that myself. After submitting the paper manuscript (no internet back then, she says, pulling the blanket over her knees and searching for her knitting needles) it was only a matter of days before I received the official letter in the post.

The acceptance letter was full of the usual diatribe about how they thought I definitely should work with them and where had I been hiding all this time? I was hooked.

I signed the contract, paid the extortionate fee and waited.

Three weeks later, I received a phone call from the manager.

“I’m very sorry, but there was a fire in the Editor’s office and your manuscript was the one he had been working on at the time. It’s been completely destroyed. You’ve got another copy of it haven’t you?”

Silence.

Oh come on! Who would be so foolish to not have a duplicate copy of their manuscript? Even if it’s not stolen and plagiarised by a malignant post office employee, it could still get lost in transit!

Well…of course I’m not stupid – not ever so much. I did have a duplicate, but at the last minute, I had changed so many poems (Oh, didn’t I confess that I was one of those weird dudes who write poetry when depressed, then hide their ramblings under the bed?) I had been too lazy to copy it all out again.

So alas, there you have it. The most up to date copy of my work was stupidly submitted without there being any proof to show what I had penned.

What do you think my reply was? I did the thing that most silly Christians do. I lied.

“Oh yeah,” I fibbed. “of course I have a copy. But I was thinking the other day, that I’d like to make some changes here and there, so would you mind ever so much if it takes about another month before I send it to you?”

“Sure, no problem. Take your time.”

The gracious response was tinged with light relief. They had another 449 manuscripts to work on.

After the call, I fell to my knees. I was faced with the mammoth task of re-writing the entire book again from scratch.

I wondered why God had allowed this to happen. He had seen how hard I had worked putting the whole thing together.

I turned inwards and did some soul reflection. Had I become proud about my gifting? Was I getting too big for my boots? Was I one of those deceived followers of Christ who thinks they are working for him but in reality, he wants nothing to do with it? Is that really where my manuscripts belonged – in the flames?

Words began to rise up in me as I imagined myself as a tiny orange, sitting in a fruit bowl among other exotic delicacies. A poem called, “I’m a Proud Little Orange” was born.

The most astounding thing about this was that after adding this new title to my revised manuscript, it became the poem that everybody said was their favourite. I had considered it to be a bit juvenile and a tad out of place compared to the other prose, but all my readers loved it.

Even now, 30 years on, (hear those needles clatter) I am still getting comments about that poem from that tiny little book that is now out of print.

So, I realised that sometimes tragedy is necessary in order for new things to be born and like that proud little orange who felt so smug that he was still whole in the bowl, while other fruit had been sliced and diced, sometimes our lives are more beneficial to God when we let him squeeze us so hard, that we produce fresh orange juice through the pain.

God Loves Children

(Chp. 15) Tweens: Sly Moves

Posted on by Sharon
what's the score?

I gritted my teeth as my twelve year old daughter grinned at me exuberantly. I had lost another game of Connect 4.

Somehow, oblivious to the positions of her red counters, I had allowed Sarah to yet again place one in a slot that meant she had a diagonal line of four in a row. Looking at the plastic board, I could see my pathetic array of yellow counters blocked by hers as soon as there was just two of mine lying together. Even when it was ‘my serve’ (the one who starts first should have an advantage), I found that instead of being on the attack, I was just constantly in defence, trying to block where she was planning to go. The score was now 18-1 and there was no indication from her that she wanted a rest.

“Let’s play again!” she proposed, as the 44 counters crashed downwards into the tray.

“Er…I’m tired.” I replied, trying not to show my annoyance as my pride and competitive streak were being attacked on every side.

She insisted she wanted another game and went on to beat me another four rounds.

Over the following weeks, Sarah followed me around the house with the board in her hands. I’d be in the kitchen washing a pile of dishes.

“Game?” A blue board was shoved in my face as I tried to rinse a plate.

“Game?” I was on the desktop computer trying to send an email and all I could see was her hands holding…that blue board.

Importunate as ever, she followed me to the bathroom.

“Look! You’ve already beaten me 56 times, aren’t you satisfied that you’re better than me? Haven’t I told you enough times that you are the Connect 4 Champion? You’re fantastic, okay? Now, please leave me to go to the toilet in peace.”

As I dried my hands on the towel, I could hear plastic clanky noises from outside the door.

A week later, things changed. We played another few rounds, but Sarah was not so eager to continue. Her smile had turned to narrow-eyed vexation. Ten games in, she decided that was quite as enough for one week.

So, what prompted this abrupt change of heart?

I had finally gotten used to her strategy and the clever moves that used to bring her victory, didn’t work for her anymore.

I tried not to look smug as I read out the score: “So, that’s, 8-2… to me!”

Wow, it makes so much difference when we are aware of what our opponent is up to!

Jesus has given us a game-plan to beat the devil. This enemy of our souls never tires trying to beat us daily and drag us down. One of his biggest schemes is to get us over-focusing on ourselves and our circumstances until we have no hope.

Having no hope leads to discouragement and discouragement unchecked, leads to depression, which is closely linked to hopelessness.  Then he’s won.

We don’t have to let him have the victory. Jesus has already given us a way out:

…get to know your enemy’s tactics so you can not only block his every move, but also be on the attack yourself.

 Be sober, well balanced and self-disciplined, be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion – fiercely hungry, seeking someone to devour. (1Peter 5:8)

So, submit to the authority of God. Resist the devil; stand firm against him and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

In the meantime, beware of any child that approaches you, asking if you’d like to play a few rounds of their favourite game. Your ego may be in for a thrashing!

what's the score?

God Loves Children

(Chp. 16) Teenage Years: Paranoid Parent

Posted on by Sharon

I sat mesmerised, staring at the television screen. Erin from The Waltons was positioned on a swivel stool, facing a large board that was double the width of her desk. The board was covered in tiny holes, and some had been plugged with what looked like sticks attached to string. Every now and then, she would pull a stick out and place it into a different hole. As this oblong piece of metal entered a new orifice, a tiny bulb would light up to confirm a connection had been made. Eventually the wires would cross over each other like a giant game of Cat’s Cradle, but this meant that many people were satisfactorily connected to each other and communicating. I gathered from my dad that the contraption she was playing with was a telephone switchboard and she was known as a telephonist, which in later years, became described as a switchboard operator. It was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen.

Sometimes she pulled a connector out too soon which meant she cut off the call too early and would have to face an irate customer shouting at her through the headphones she was wearing. It was indeed a pretty fast paced job, but I decided then and there that this is what I wanted to do when I left school. I was about ten years old at the time, but had my mind made up: I was going to be a telephonist.

Years later when my own daughter was 12, I was reading information about the revised examination requirements for 15–16-year-olds. Every test was going to be harder, and Science and Geography would contain more mathematical questions.

All modern foreign language papers would now be submitting their questions in their native tongue and course-work for all subjects would only contribute to a tiny percentage of the final score. This meant that children who were better at practical work rather than written tests, would have to face the fact that it’s now all about memory recall in a stressful atmosphere of silence and adjudicators, rather than taking the time to decide how to display a beautiful presentation of research and ideas, which they’ve had time to plan throughout the year.

I sat back on my chair and breathed hard. Sarah was not even a teenager yet, so why the panic? I looked across at myself in the mirror and wondered if I was becoming my mother.

The thought of this gripped me with more fear than that of my offspring leaving school with no qualifications.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Lord, help me! Please don’t let me morph into my mum!”

I could hear the cries of parental woes in my head: “The pressure on children today is phenomenal and the fight for college places and vocational courses is getting fiercer.”

But, when I began this story, I had something else on my mind: my experience of living with a paranoid parent.

With all due respect, my dear mum meant well. But she’s always been a bit of a panicker and struggles to trust in the Lord’s providence, owing to past bad experiences where she failed to recognise his hand in the situation. He turns all bad around for good if we let him, but when we choose to forget this, it turns us into worry-worts and the devil has fun filling our head with ‘what ifs’.

Most black kids – ‘African American’, if you’re from across the Atlantic – are brought up with the notion that ethnic children have to work harder, be smarter, more assertive and more alert than their white counterparts. A pushy negro parent is going to drum this into their nappy-head offspring till it’s ringing in their ears.

Unfortunately, I was no exception and was frequently told by my mother, “Black people must make the effort to get ahead.” I was rather nonplussed about all this and was happy to just play with my white friends in the school yard without any notion that they will get better jobs than me or have their C.V.s placed on top of mine. Plus we were Christians. Christians don’t panic…do they?

I scratched my head in confusion, dislodging a bunch of hair from the decorative comb that was at the side of my temple. Big clumpy strands stuck up erect, pointing to the ceiling like a devil’s horn. Maybe this was why black kids were pushed aside. With hair that stayed upright once the wind blew it that way, maybe some cream skinned people were nervous that we might be little brown imps put on this earth to cause havoc in every corner. Vaseline (petroleum jelly) used to be the substance Caribbean parents used to try to keep strands horizontal. Great big dollops of it would be smeared across the scalp in an effort to moisten the brittle locks and make them look smooth.

In reality, it clogged our pores, and the modern replacements such as Blue Magic, smelt horrible. At least Vaseline was odour free!

Because of this, I did everything I could to draw people’s attention away from the top of my head. There was an Italian girl 2 years older than I, who at school, would occasionally stop in the corridor and enquire, “Do you comb your hair with a fork?”

A rough boy in my class called, Michael McDonald used to revel in throwing racist jeers at me to make his buddies laugh. Thus, each morning when I entered the class he would say,

“What’s the matter? Never mind. Go to bed and you’ll be alright in the morning.”

Well what’s wrong with that? He never pronounced it like that. His version was,

“Wogga matter? Nigga mind. Go to bed and you’ll be all white on the morning.”

I suspected that these were the type of people my mother wanted me to supersede, just to teach them a lesson, if nothing else.

So, when I reached the tender age of 13, my mother decided it was time to take serious action.

“You need to apply for a job. Then, when you are 16, you will have one already lined-up for you.”

She made me sit down and apply for two jobs. I don’t mean weekend posts. I am talking about ‘jump ahead of those white kids by starting your career now’ jobs. The first letter I was made to write was to a bank (TSB) the other to British Telecom, because of my fascination with Erin Walton.

I was okay with the salutation, but cringed when she made me sign off the letters by saying,

“I humbly look forward to a reply.”

I don’t think they were convinced I was humble. They certainly must have thought I was unhinged.

Nevertheless, both managers graciously replied by thanking me for my interest and suggested that I write to them again in 3 years’ time after I had completed my exams.

I breathed a sigh of relief that my life could return to normal again. But my mum was not satisfied. I saw her coming towards me and feigned tiredness.

“I think I’ll go to bed now.”

I ran to my room and searched for the grease-stained cloth I used to tie my unruly curls down with at night. There was no time to plait it in like I needed to if I was to have a free half hour before leaving for school the next day. I decided I would just have to stick a metal comb on the gas hob and try to straighten the spools. The cloth was covered in hair pomade and smelt of lanolin. Tough. No time to search for a clean one – I had to jump into bed quickly.

“Sharon, wait a minute – before you go to bed – I need to you write this address down somewhere. Do you have a notebook?”

Nah. No phones in those days. No fancy diaries. Just odd bits of paper and…

“Ah, I know…” said Mum too enthusiastically. “your knicker drawer.”

“Eh?”

“It’s got good solid wood at the base and the pen won’t rub off on there. Here…write this address on the bottom of your drawer. You’ll never lose it then.”

So there I was, dragged out of bed to go and push my undies aside so I could use the base as a notepad.

Mum stood over me as I carefully wrote:

Mr. D.G.Waring

Personnel Manager

Trustee Savings Bank

34 Market Place

Reading

Hertfordshire

The only thing I cannot remember as I write this today is the postcode, but it began ‘RG’.

For many years, each time I was running out of underwear, I saw this note staring up at me reminding me that mummy was ever so keen on wanting to tell all her friends that her Sharon was a banker, and TSB if you please!

I did actually secure a job in a bank 4 years later and I started the job on the Monday after I left school. Yes, this was a blessing to jump straight out of education into a highly esteemed job, but it wasn’t what I had really wanted to do.

It was more the respectable thing that gives mummy and daddy something to be proud of when people ask, “What’s your daughter doing now?”

Anyway, I decided to not follow in my dear mother’s footsteps and just leave my Sarah to decide on her own future. It’s okay to do that when you are walking with the Lord, because,

any worries or fears are shared with him and left there at his feet, so we don’t have to carry them around.

I also learnt a few things from my own childhood experience:

  1. God responded to my mum’s prayers which were more effective than trying to get me to do silly, competitive things.
  2. Don’t live your life out in your children – it never works.
  3. Be pleased for them no matter what they end up doing.
  4. Don’t waste time wanting to be better than everyone. My mum was mortified at the thought of me ending up working in a supermarket, but what if I had done? Let boasters boast and mockers mock. I actually liked Michael McDonald, and when I remember his racist ditty, it doesn’t upset me – it is a fun memory of the silliness of childhood. I found the Italian girl more annoying, but looking back, she was just 16 and very vain. I loved the Italians in our area because most of them were really friendly. She was just an exception.
  5. Our children’s happiness is more important than our ego.
  6. Friends who mock your kids for being in a less fortunate position than their kids, are not really your friends, so remove them from your life.
  7. Don’t be paranoid. Encourage your children to do their best but recognise it’s not healthy to try to instil competitiveness in them all the time.
  8. If you are going to follow in my mother’s footsteps, do not use the kicker drawer. Invest in a nice notebook, or pretty diary or bless your tween with a modern smartphone to record all the addresses they’ll need in 5 years’ time.

Thankfully, I ended up enjoying my time in banking, where I remained for 16 years. But I had no desire to climb the corporate ladder, nor strive for promotion and was happy to remain doing the tasks I loved. Who cares about status? No matter how far we go in our careers, nobody cares when we die. Somebody else will take our place and no memorial plaques will be put up in our remembrance. And even if they did, it means nothing in the light of eternity. We live, we die, so at least exist for what you enjoy doing according to what brings God glory and strive to bless others in the process.

Finally, leave your 13-year-olds to decide what they want to do when they’re older and let them apply for jobs at a more appropriate time, even if you are black.

The only time you should ignore this advice is if they invent a hair pomade formula that softens kinky heads without making your pillowcase stink. In this case, get them on ‘Dragons Den’ as soon as possible.

God Loves Children

(Chp. 17) Teenage Years: Remember Charlie?

Posted on by Sharon

(You may need to refer to the Glossary)

Finally, I had one! My mum bought me a ‘Harri’! Now I was going to be one of the stylish 14-year-olds who possessed the coolest jacket of the decade. With its token red-tartan lining and tight elasticated sleeves, I now had the pluck to swagger through the school gates with my head held high.

Not any old Harrington would do – they had to be black. And wearers had to like pop groups such as The Specials, Madness, Bad Manners and UB40. In reality, Ska music was a bit too ethnic for me and I secretly preferred the New Romantics. All my friends were white, so there were no black kids to hang out with and be tribal. Each time ‘Red, Red Wine’ was played in the lunchtime social rooms, kids expected me to begin dancing with my head like Ali Campbell and crew did, which infuriated me. No, it was Hungry Like the Wolf, Don’t You Want Me Baby? and Vienna that got me moving. So, to match the music genre a Harrington wearer was supposed to be into, I settled for Madness and bought an ‘I love Suggs!’ badge, which I wore with pride on my trendy collar.

I was being delusional however, for my stylish jacket was accompanied by a calf-length pleated school-skirt. Waist-up, I was a modern teenager; waist-down, an old age pensioner. Skinny legs have never looked graceful under a pleated skirt, especially when it’s almost down to your ankles. To top off this granny look, my mum had insisted that I wear ugly, flat, brown shoes that were a size too big for me. She had become exasperated that my footwear wore out too quickly, so in her frugal wisdom, she procured a pair of what can only be described as miniature boats. The soles curled up at both ends, which meant that when my feet were not inside them, they would rock from side to side at the slightest gush of wind. Worst still, ‘female boy shoes’ did not come into fashion until 9 years later, so my peers wore pretty feminine heels, in all colours of the rainbow.  

No kid likes to be different. I had wanted to be like the others and with my new outer garment, I had deceived myself into thinking I was.

The token tight mini-skirt or drainpipe trousers which were normally worn with Harringtons, graced the legs of every other female who possessed one. Theirs also smelt of cigarette smoke and rebellion.

Being oblivious to this fashion faux pas, when I looked into the mirror, all I could see was my top half and boy, didn’t I look snazzy!

Now, there’s nothing like one of your peers to bring you down a peg or two:

Especially if it’s a teenager.

Especially if it’s at school.

Especially if it’s another girl.

One day, I mustered the courage to take the quicker route to the Science block. This meant passing the bicycle shed. The bell had not yet rung for the next lesson, so there was still a waft of smoke that could be seen rising from the top of the old brickwork. As I approached it, the ‘tough brigade’ peered at me suspiciously through their nicotine fog and looked me up and down.

I pondered on whether to give them a jovial “Watcha Mate!” (hello) or to just walk past briskly. As most of the stares remained in the down position, thus focussing on my lower half, I decided on the latter.

My hideous boat shoes struggled to keep up with my stride and subsequently lolled off my heels as I dashed to class. Flip flops would have been quicker to walk in and suddenly the thought of my Science lesson seemed very appealing.

“Oi!” Came a shout from behind.

I grabbed a bubble gum from my pocket and turned up my collar, as casually as possible. If only I had smothered some more eyeliner on during the break! That always made me feel more confident, but then, that’s what Jezebel did and she was evil.

“Oi! You!”

I turned around wishing that my gum wasn’t still so sweet, as I needed to blow a big bold bubble to boost the tough-nut image I was desperately trying to convey.

“What?” I replied as dauntlessly as I could.

The girls were still looking down at my legs. Smirks, grins and giggles were not welcome by me, but that’s what I was getting.

“Charlie’s dead.”

Our eyes met. I was mortified and jealous at the same time. The cringe came from the fact that she was referring to my underwear. The jealousy was because her jaws had already been masticating gum for quite some time and she blew an enormous bubble.

“Thank you.” I replied and giggled nervously.

The phrase ‘Charlie’s dead’ dates back to when King Charles 2nd died, and mourning women lowered their petticoats in respect – similar to flying a flag at half-mast. So, when your petticoat or half-slip was showing from under your clothes, people would let you know by reminding you of King Chuck’s demise. It was always done very loudly.

In my school days it was common for girls to wear half-slips, which were basically satin under-skirts. There were even ones with slits in to be worn with pencil skirts. I don’t know why we ever wore them at school, for our skirts were never see-through or cold. And of course, the wretched things would never stay where they were, but would ride down past your hem as if you’d forgotten to remove your nightie.

As I glanced down, my offending garment was near my ankles. No amount of bubble blowing would make me look cool now. I made a feeble attempt at singing one of my favourite songs. I couldn’t bust out, ‘Heart and Soul’ like Carol Decker, but the gutsy melody helped relieve my anxiety. I placed my hands beneath my skirt and grabbed the slip’s waistband, yanking it upwards with all my might.

 “Pop!”

The coveted gum.

My mocker glared at me expressionless, while flicking her tongue out to retrieve the pink mess that was stuck to her top lip.

“He’s still dead.” She said, chewing slowly.

Sure enough, it was still hanging beneath my skirt hem and it took several adjustments before it disappeared.

It was too late to avoid ridicule. As I dashed off to class, I could hear chants of, “Charlie…Charlie…Charlie!” in a high-pitched voices.

I’m so glad half-slips have gone out of fashion, together with its irritating phrase.

Sayings come and go. We often hear the older generation complaining that words have lost their original meaning; ‘Sick’, ‘gay’ and ‘wicked’ being just a few.

But it is comforting to know that God’s words never change.

He means what he says and his promises last forever. What brought consolation and reassurance years ago, still do today:

The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of the Lord endures forever. (1Peter 1:24-25 & Isa 40:8 NLT)

Charlie died along with the saying associated with droopy undergarments, but I am glad that in a time of turmoil and chaos, I can trust that when God says “Do not fear.” he means it, so I don’t need to bite my fingernails or grow a stomach ulcer through worry.

God Loves Children

(Chp.18) Teenage Years: Tested Friendship

Posted on by Sharon

At my high school, the sixth formers were allowed to wear their own clothes. If you’re from the USA or another country that doesn’t have uniform rules, this will seem trivial to you. Similarly, if you’re from the UK but transferred to a separate college at 16, you may also find this fact of little consequence.

However, many schools south of the London border, ran vocational and A level courses; thus, once we completed our first exams, we continued going to school, studying in the same classrooms as we did in our former years. The only difference was that we now had the privilege of wearing what we liked. It seemed like it was a big jump to go from adhering to a strict uniform to picking a casual outfit out of our wardrobes, so much so that we often arrived at our lessons inappropriately dressed. We couldn’t seem to just do the ‘American thing’ and turn up in a hoodie and jeans. There was a gay guy in one of my classes who would always wear a cream suit with a red bow tie, but he got away with it by being so camp.

One day, I entered my form room to see my best friend Joanne, looking agitated. The attendance register was about to be taken before we all dispersed to our various lessons, but as the teacher was late, Jo wanted to take advantage of this by dashing into the corridor.

“Follow me out of the door. Keep really close behind me! Very close!”

She glanced across shyly at a group of boys who had gathered near the teacher’s table. They appeared engrossed in a magazine and were not taking any notice of Joanne, but nevertheless, she seemed very keen to get away from them as quickly as possible.

I frowned at her intently.

“Eh? Why? What are you up to?

“Please!” Came her desperate reply, “Just follow me out really closely!”

I’m sorry to say that I was not a very loyal friend to poor Jo. I knew she must have done something daft and assumed that if I obeyed her instructions, I’d miss it.

So, instead, of dutifully acting like her dance partner, I hung back to peruse the view from behind.

It was a chilly day in March, yet she was dressed like she was going to a summer ball. She had on a 1950’s party dress, with a tight bodice and one of those skirts that splayed outwards like an umbrella. At the back of the dress, there was a deep V-shape cut in the material. Showing through the V was white lace and it was evident that this was not part of the original garment. I wondered if her mum was pacing around at home, furious that someone had stolen her net curtain. It was indeed a bedroom curtain that Joanne was wearing. She had always been creative and had thought that stuffing her mother’s drapes under her dress would make it look classier.

The net had shifted and was trailing way beneath the hem of the dress. *Charlie had truly died and gone to Heaven.

When she explained her haberdashery endeavours of the morning, I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt for the rest of the day. One thing bugged me though: I hadn’t covered her ‘shame’.

She had entered the classroom knowing she looked ridiculous. Efforts to shift the lace back into place hadn’t worked and while she had kept her back to the wall, thoughts of me coming to her aid had given her hope. I had let her down. She’d been relying on me to protect her from further embarrassment, but instead,

I had refused to be the friend she needed me to be.

What is a true friend? One who laughs with you is great. One who doesn’t get offended when you laugh at them, is even greater. But better still, is one who not only watches your back, but supports you in times of desperation. One you can reply on to protect you by walking closely beside you or behind you, just at the right time.

*See previous chapter

Writing

Do You Want to Write a Book? You Can Do It!

Posted on by Sharon

Words are churning in your head and you are excited about the thought of them being formatted into some sort of order that would describe it as your first book. Go for it – I know you can do it.

But yea, it’s easy to say that when you’ve already done it. To master just the page layout can be feat in itself and you don’t know if you’ll have the patience to display your thoughts in a way that compliments your style.

Sorry to sound a little casual, but this really isn’t your biggest problem. In my humblest, humble opinion, the hardest hurdles are pertaining to the mind itself, not the book.

The article below is my take on how to overcome the biggest mental challenges. Some snippets of advice are for everybody, but some parts relate solely to Christian writers, because their faith will be at play also.

Whoever you are and whatever you believe, this one notion is true for everybody:

Technicality is secondary to mindset. Get your thoughts right first, and the rest will not be as hard as you imagined.

There are nine basic human desires that I believe can stand in the way of emotional success if not kept regularly in check.

We don’t go around consciously declaring:

“I want to be liked.”

“I want to be understood.”

“I want to be heard.”

“I want to be appreciated.”

“I want to be taken seriously.”

“I want to be trusted.”

“I want to be believed.”

“I want to be accepted.”

“I want to be admired.”

but that is what we all think in varying degrees, and for some of us, it is a daily subconscious declaration.

It shows itself in the way we behave towards others and in the decisions we make. All of the statements have the power to become too much of a stronghold in our lives and that is where things can begin to go wrong.

1: I want to be liked.

Everybody has opinions and they will often differ from yours. Accept it. Don’t fight it. Don’t try to make people like you by being something you are not. Yes, by all means continually strive to improve your own personality (the Epistles are perfect for highlighting weakness and sins) but don’t become a people-pleaser or a sycophant. Remember, Jesus said that you are not greater than your master. If people hate him, they will hate you, no matter what you do to try to appease them.

2: I want to be understood

You can take two hours clearly explaining your thoughts and the listener hears, but hasn’t grasped what you were trying to put across. Accept that they are wired differently to you and may never see your point of view even if they lived another 100 years.

An author friend of mine was rejected by a mainstream publisher because they thought her book was written in a way that southern people would not understand. She refused to change the dialect and local jargon because she wanted the northern humour to be authentic. I read it and it was indeed too vernacular for me, and I didn’t understand the subtle northern humour at all. I was brought up in the south and so many incidents and phrases in her book could not be appreciated by my brain. Although I admired her for sticking to her guns, it turns out that the publisher was right. When I read it, I could not hear the accents, mannerisms and idiosyncrasies of the area she was portraying. It took me 6 years to realise why certain things were said in the way they were. It’s a shame because it was a fantastic story.

If people cannot identify with certain things you are saying, they may not understand your book as much as others. But that doesn’t matter in the long run. Even though the publisher my friend spoke to was right, there may be one day when a northern playright is looking for a story just like hers, and she will become an overnight success. She was happy with the choice she made and you need to do the same, even if it means less people like your work.

3: I want to be heard

People want a voice, but there are times when we must stop talking and hear what others are saying.We have to ask ourselves, “Is what I am saying more important than what that person is trying to say to me?”

So, how does this relate to writing? Your topic may not be a favourable one. You are getting your point of view across in print, but it may be emotionally difficult to read. Think about how different people are going to perceive your words and accept that not everybody is going to want to hear them at this moment in time.

God doesn’t always want us to display ourselves in the way we are trying to, and left unchecked, we can come across as attention-seekers. Regarding Christian books, “This is me.” Is not as important as, “This is He.” But, even when we are promoting Jesus, others don’t necessarily want to hear that, no matter how eloquently he is presented. Accept that it was the wrong time and that you may be given an opportunity to try again at a later date.

4: I want to be appreciated

So, you stayed up late to finish your last chapter. Your neck hurts, your eyes are sore and your wrists are stiff. You missed time with your family, your favourite TV show and precious hours of sleep. The world cries, “So what?”

You spent hours on YouTube trying to find a tutorial on how to number pages correctly, set margins, prevent text from wandering off the page, add headers, keep line spacing consistent, find all the hidden typos, and add page breaks, but the videos you found may as well have been in Greek.

By the time you managed it, you had missed 3 meals and are seeing double. The world cries, “So what?”

You went into the woods with your new camera to find the best snapshots for your front cover. When you tried to insert the picture, it was all misaligned. The pigeon in the bottom of the photo was taking centre stage, leaving 2 petals from the beautiful dahlias up in the far corner. It made you scream, then you wept till dawn. The world cries, “So what?”

Our desire for appreciation although valid, can turn us into insecure people. When unfulfilled, it can make us angry and at worst, depressed. Not everyone will give you validation for the effort you made. They are busy working hard themselves. Be proud of yourself, but stop expecting others to be.

5: I want to be taken seriously

Who likes to be regarded as a fool or uncool? When Jesus was teaching in the temple, his neighbours from his hometown couldn’t take him seriously because all they saw was the boy whom they grew up with from an insignificant family, living a mediocre life, in an insignificant district. It doesn’t matter if you never got a grade in English language or struggle with dyslexia. It you believe you can write a book, then you can.

If you are writing humour or memoirs with lots of personal confessions, there will always be the risk of others misunderstanding your wit, or not being able to cope with your blatant honesty – thereby judging you to be somewhat stupid. Don’t let the fear of people’s wrong conclusions about you, hold you back. If people accuse you of being daft just because you are happy to be yourself, let them. They are the fools for being too proud to see that God is not impressed with airs and graces of any kind.

6: I want to be trusted

I am a stickler for credibility and I’m sure you are too. Our natural human inclinations mean we are liable to judge people wrongfully owing to not being able to see past the obvious. For example, if Dougal MacTavish wrote an Indian curry cookbook, it may well be the best one around. In the bookshop, seeing Dougal’s book next to that of Rakesh Singh’s, which one am I likely to buy? With not much information to go on, I am going to grab Rakesh’s book. Likewise, if Rakesh learnt how to make the tastiest haggis in town, but Dougal’s haggis cookbook is sitting next to his on the shelf, I am going to buy his.

With this in mind, don’t be offended if people are put off buying your book because there are not many Amazon reviews. Telling them they can get a refund if they don’t like it, does not register in some minds – it’s not much hassle, but it feels like it is, and therefore, this is not much of an incentive to make a purchase. Added to this is the fact that we don’t read as much as we used to, nor do we have the space for another book in our house. Now, some people love books and prefer having items in print. But they might not be keen on your genre. Personally, I am wary of anything sci-fi or fantasy and I’m not too keen on romance novels. However, I decided to buy a fellow writer’s fantasy book and it was brilliant. I also borrowed a book from the library that was recommended by a stranger on YouTube and I loved it. But not everybody likes to take that risk. Accept it and move on.

7: I want to be believed

Many Christians encounter supernatural experiences that they are excited to share with the world. Unfortunately, because there are a myriad of deceivers out there, some people may be wary of any stories that involve miracles. Your testimony is your testimony, but know that there will always be folk who struggle to believe the accuracy of your tale.

My own mother enjoyed my book, “God Loves Children”, but she struggled with the chapter entitled, The Mystery of the Disappearing Boy. I have never told her the story, so that was the first red flag for her. She is naturally somebody who questions everything, so the fact that she found this story unbelievable was heightened by the fact that I had never mentioned it.

She said to me one day, “Is that story true?” Everything in me wanted to scream, “How could you doubt me, your own daughter, as to whether I made that up or not? Of course it is true! Where on the back cover is it mentioned that this is a work of fiction?”

I suddenly realised I was feeling insulted and disrespected, so I took a deep breath and laughed.

I gave myself as pep talk: “If my own mum wants to doubt the validity of a story, so what? She enjoyed the book didn’t she? Don’t I question things if they sound far-fetched? Be thankful that you know this was true and that if people have a hard time believing it, it confirms how miraculous it really was and how blessed you are for being chosen by God to encounter such an experience.”

Even Jesus’ own siblings didn’t believe he was the Messiah, so brace yourself – you are not as wonderful as him, so it’s likely that there may come a time when close friends and family doubt some of the things you say. Don’t take it personally just because they know you well.

A good example of how we are desperate to be believed is evident in the popular televsion shows, “The Traitors, UK/USA/Australia”. It doesn’t matter which one you watch, the psychology is the same – people hate being doubted.

It starts off with 3-4 people who have been assigned as traitors and the remaining 18 are genuine members of the ‘good pack’. However, because nobody has any clues as to who the secret traitors are, there is a natural inclination to suspect innocent members of the team as being the deceivers, and they are subsquently falsely accused.

It’s only a game, but human reasoning dictates that when you’re being accused of something you are not guilty of, you will forget it’s just a game and take it badly. Thus, in each show, viewers witness emotionally mature men displaying uncontrollable anger and the coolest of men bursting into tears.

Viewers at home are shouting, “Get a grip! It’s not real!” But to the one being falsely accused, it is taken personally.

You have no control over who is going to doubt you – just don’t doubt yourself.

8: I want to be accepted

You may try to get your manuscript accepted by a mainstream publisher because of the genre or some other reason. If they don’t accept it, it will more than likely be for the reasons I stated in my post, Are You Still Whole in the Bowl? Don’t take the rejection to heart. It doesn’t mean you are no good, nor does it mean that you are not as good as those authors who have copies of their books gracing the shelves of popular bookstores.

Never let rejection cause you to feel defeated. Think of the amount of people you know who can sing beautifully. Are they all recording artists? Have they been offered  a 10 year contract with a record label? Have they been welcomed into the world of theatre and do they receive regular job offers for the next big performance? Even those who have managed to secure a place on a TV talent show end up being sidelined by the winner and rarely heard of again. That doesn’t mean they didn’t have amazing talent.

It may be that the genre you write in doesn’t seem to match who you are. A young male author may be laughed at for writing children’s stories. An elderly author may be considered strange for writing youth fantasy. A goth may be  ridiculed for penning soppy poetry. An obese person may be mocked for their passion for producing cookbooks on Vegan recipes and a middle aged businessman may have to keep it quiet that he loves to churn out romantic novels.

Follow your writing passion no matter if there is a risk of it producing derision. Being who you are is far better than conforming to the mould people expect you to fit into. If it’s not a sin, then jump right in!

9: I want to be admired

Ah yes, it feels lovely to be admired. Even Christians who are ever aware that pride comes before a fall, go just as gooey inside as anyone, when somebody gives them a compliment. Accept any approbation received, graciously, but don’t make that your goal. Know in yourself that you have done a good job, but that the glory ultimately goes to God. He is the one who gave you the talent. He is the one who kept your brain active and your creativity in full flow. He is the one who gave you sleep to be refreshed and food to stay physically strong. He is the one who allowed all those negative and positive experiences to happen in your life, to give you either stories or a passion for a certain field of interest. Enjoy what you do, but admire the One who inspired you to do it.

Admiration when received in excess is not good. We humans simply cannot handle it in abundance.

I could name hundreds of thousands of people who became crippled under the weight of human glory:

Elvis Presley, Marilyn Munroe, Whitney Houston, Charlie Sheen, Amy Winehouse, Robin Williams, Britney Spears, Matthew Perry.

These make up one tiny drop in the massive bucket of success. You could name far more than me, I know. You are welcome to draw up a longer list.

As a writer, don’t ask yourself, “Do I want to be admired?” You are human and therefore, you already do. As yourself a better question: “Why do I want to be admired?”

Ask God to reveal any insecurity and pride in you and to help you become more secure in who you are as a person. Even better, ask him to allow a situation to happen whereby somebody lies about you, criticises you, or puts a negative spin on someting good you did. How did you react and how do you feel? That in itself will identify how much your desire for admiration has gone too far. Then, you’ll be able to get back on track.

I hope this has helped you a little. It is wonderful to be able to have a collection of memories or reflections all in one place that you can return to as often as you like. Make your book for you, not for profit or accolade. If you get both of those things, be thankful, but never take your eyes off the fact that writing books is firstly a fun way to express yourself, for yourself, and if you are fortunate enough to fulfill your desire to bless others in the process, that’s a remarkable added bonus.

I wish you all the best. Let me know how you get on.

God Loves Children

(Chp. 19) Teenage Years: Victory Over Victor

Posted on by Sharon

I was feeling rather anxious. My teenage daughter was singing along to a song on Capital Radio. The day before, I had been bobbing up and down in the driver’s seat to the same song, but had stopped when my ‘all too fussy Christian head’ warned me that I should perhaps find out what the lyrics were before I give my parental approval.

On checking the words, my suspicions were confirmed. The non-radio version of this song contained F-words and such and I wasn’t keen on Sarah liking it, even if the version being played in the car was cleaner.

She scowled as I lowered the volume. She grimaced even further when I switched it off. She pouted when I began my ‘Christian mother’s wise explanation.’

As she emerged from the car and headed towards her school, my stomach flipped as my eye scanned rebellious-looking girls in their 3 inch-long, skirts. Tight as a bandage on a bruised arm. I thanked God that Sarah was too self-conscious to wear one, as she considered her legs to be too slim. But, if she had been happy to wear a skirt, how I would get her to hold her head high in a knee-length, A-line one was beyond me.

“It’s their parents’ fault.” I would tell her. “They should set an example by submitting to authority. The school’s rule is that skirts should reach no higher than the knee and be loose on the legs. As Christians, we need to honour the instructions we’ve been given and show respect by obeying the guidelines. Geesh, if I was a boy, I would love going to this school!”

She’d heard this, many times. I knew what she was thinking:

“Only the geeky girls wear pleats. You know, those who are into computer coding and spend their break times in the library. And a few Muslims, but most of them wear trousers.”

I sighed as I turned the car round and drove past a row of black-nylon thighs.

“Be anxious for nothing…” I heard inside my head.

“…but in everything, with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God…”

I thanked the Holy Spirit for the timely reminder and begun to pray.

“I’m so worried Lord. She doesn’t show any interest in the things my sister and I did at that age and her church is much more vibrant than ours was. We didn’t have…”

My comparisons drifted away as I realised that I was sounding like a mithering old lady.

“…and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Was I at peace? No. I was letting fear have control instead of asking God for parental wisdom, then trusting him to take the lead.

There are times in my life when halfway through a panicky prayer, I sense the Holy Spirit coming up behind me with one eyebrow raised. I then sense one of those clearing of throats that people do when they are trying to get someone’s attention. Right there in the car, there was a very high eyebrow in my imagination and the throat-clearing was so loud, I knew a rebuke was coming.

“So…you have forgotten, haven’t you?”

“Forgotten what, Lord?”

“What you were like. At that age.”

“Umm?”

“No, I’m not talking about your school skirt. I know you looked like a granny. I’m talking about your taste in secular music.”

“What, Madness?”

He shook his head.

“That dodgy song by The Specials?”

“No, that isn’t what I’m referring to. Though you’re catching on, I see. You’ve remembered how you loved blurting out that undesirable lyric at the end of their song, but it’s the song from another group which I’d like you to focus on. Think harder.”

The penny dropped. Blondie. Her song, ‘Victor’.

“Oh yes. You’re there. Now, remember how much you loved that song because most of it was just screaming? And how loudly you would play it in your bedroom? And that particular line you used to shout out along with Debbie Harry? With glee? You would screw up your nose, close your eyes and bellow together, a phrase, which if your daughter sang it, you’d be aghast.

Then, the head-banging near the end of the song when the rhythm changed? You remember, don’t you?”

I smiled guiltily as I recalled the passion with which I played that song over and over again. I had hollered, thrashed my head about and revelled in its air of insurgence.

“Now imagine that Sarah comes home tonight, goes into her room and plays that song with the same gusto you did.”

I got his point. ‘Victor’ sounds like the type of song one would only like if one was suffering from deep mental disturbance. Yep, despite the foul language in the one Sarah was enjoying earlier, it was a nursery rhyme compared to this.

“And you turned-out okay, didn’t you?”

“Er, yea. Kind of.”

“Because?”

I hadn’t yet learnt the lesson he was trying to teach me.

“Ah. Because I had…praying parents. A mum and dad who were a little worried, but who brought their concerns to the foot of the cross and trusted You to sort them out.”

Later on, I shared this chastising revelation with my husband and laughing, he said,

“At least you weren’t into the Sex Pistols like I was.”

He blinked his eyes rapidly like he does when his mind is flicking back to the past and he warbled a line in a weird cockney voice,

“God…save…the Queen!” then chuckled as he walked away.

I realised that we cannot shield our children from the world around them. They may indeed at some point, have odd friends. Yes, bad company corrupts good morals and while our children are young, we should endeavour to steer them away from those we know aren’t suitable companions; but there will come a time when they are old enough to make their own choices and all we can do then, is pray for them and be willing to give gracious advice when asked. But also, those unsuitable peers can become pillars of society years later, ending up being good, strong role models who will lead our very own children onto the right paths.

God can use anybody to do anything.

I realised also, that God wants us to persevere. Don’t give up. Never stop praying and trusting him to perfect the outcomes.

He promises us that, ‘The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man is able to accomplish much when put into action and made effective by God. It is dynamic and can have tremendous power.’ (James 5:16)

If you have a child who is unteachable, wayward and totally uninterested in the things of God, take heart, it’s not over. If your child is an adult now and still shows no signs of becoming the person you prayed them to be, take heart still. God is not deaf. He’s not senile and his memory is excellent. He remembers all the cries up to Heaven you have forgotten about.

It’s never too late to continue.

In the meantime, we mustn’t forget to thank him for all the good he’s already done and the stuff that he’s working on behind the scenes.

As I nipped onto YouTube to bring up Blondie’s hits, I thanked God for my parents and for the prayers they prayed for me that I didn’t even know about.

I found ‘Victor’ and pressed the play button. It still sounded like it should only be enjoyed by those who see demons in the kitchen, but knowing I was of sound mind, I decided that so long as I don’t make this choice of music a habit, I could have fun laughing at the memories it conjured up. Just memories of being young and innocent. I had no intention of habitually playing this kind of song, as I was well aware of how music is influential in the unseen spirit realm and how the devil likes to use it to manipulate the minds and emotions of the unsuspecting.

Nevertheless, I played it as loud as I could without causing the neighbours to bang on the wall. I felt a little guilty after it finished. Not because I had blasted it out at top volume, but because for some strange reason, I still like it.

 

 

God Loves Children

Glossary

Posted on by Sharon

I appreciate that the era and place where you were born and raised, may mean that some of my vocabulary and phrases are alien to you, so, here’s a little dictionary to help you along.

Preface

Jelly Tots: Little round pieces of fruit-flavoured candy made out of gelatine. Made specifically for young children, but I’ve spotted many an adult covertly popping one into their mouth.

Toddler Years: Giving in to Fear

Cadbury’s Crème Eggs: A chocolate in the shape and size of a chicken egg, Inside the hollow shape is a mass of thick, white, sticky, vanilla flavoured cream with a yellow centre of the same substance; designed to look like the yoke and albumen of a real egg. Sickly sweet, but delicious.

Pogo stick: Google definition: A toy for jumping about on, consisting of a long, spring-loaded pole with a handle at the top and rests for a person’s feet near the bottom.

I still want one.

Space hopper: Google definition: A toy for sitting on and bouncing around, consisting of a large orange (mine was yellow) ball made from rubber and having flexible projections at the top to hold on to.

Those, flexible projections, were not projected enough and my fists would often slide off them as they became sweaty. Hence the broken vases and bruises.

Katie Kopycat Doll: She was amazing! This doll sat at the opposite end of a table to yourself with a pen and paper and copied everything you wrote down. I still don’t know how she did it.

Primary Years: Quality Time

Kit Kat: A delicious chocolate bar with three thin layers of wafer in the middle. Originally packaged as four sticks, but owing to public obesity fear, they are now mostly sold in twos. For the sake of nostalgia, I tend to stick to the original four-stick consumption policy.

Tweens: Power Tools

Bible verse: Philippians 2:9-10 NLT

Tweens: The Mystery of the Disappearing Boy

TARDIS: Stands for: ‘Time and Relative Dimensions in Space’. (As if you care – I don’t either.) A science fiction time-travel machine from UK Sci-Fi drama, Dr. Who. It is a long, narrow black object, similar to an old, English phone box, yet upon entering, it was magically ten times the size inside. It had the power to disappear into thin air and resurface elsewhere.

Heelys: a sports shoe that looks like a trainer, but has one or more wheels embedded in each sole, so that the wearer can skate at considerable speed along the pavement, by placing their weight onto their heels.

Tweens: Swollen Rivers

Wee Willie Winkie: A character from a Scottish nursery rhyme who had annoying nocturnal habits similar to those of The Sandman.

Tweens: Remember Charlie?

Ska music: This originated in the 1950’s, but the SKA music of the early 80’s were mostly bands that consisted of young white boys who sang like they were bored and had a little bit of reggae infused in their tones. The most popular ones in the early 80’s were: The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat, Madness and Bad Manners. SKA actually stands for Skills, Knowledge & Ability, which when you listen to any of their songs, you may consider all three adjectives to be debatable.

Suggs: The lead singer of 80’s pop group, Madness.

Ali Campbell: The lead singer of white-reggae group, UB40 and the only person I know who can sing while chewing gum at the same time.

Bicycle shed: An outbuilding where pupils can safely store their bikes. More often used for clandestine kisses and a puff on a cigarette.

New Romantics: A type of music culture most dominant in the 1980’s although it began in the 70’s as it has its roots in Punk Rock. The music is characterised by the use of synthesized keyboards which were programmed to mimic the sound of conventional musical instruments.  The hairstyles were typically long fringes draping diagonally across one eye. Men had pale faces owing to make-up and they often wore eyeliner and lipstick. The clothes consisted of, smart trousers that were exceptionally baggy on the thigh, frilly long-sleeve shirts and also, smart suits with oversized shoulders. The female artists wore a variety of brightly coloured baggy clothing and typically had permed or spiky hair, no matter the length.

Hungry Like the Wolf: A hit by New Romantic band, Duran Duran.

Don’t You Want Me?: A hit by New Romantic band, The Human League.

Vienna: A hit by New Romantic band, Ultravox.

Red, Red, Wine: One of UB40’s most popular songs.

Heart and Soul: An 80’s song by pop group T’Pau. Carol Decker was the lead singer.

Jezebel an evil queen from the bible days who was manipulative if she didn’t get her own way. One day a man was approaching her about a serious matter, from which she knew she may not survive, so she dabbed kohl eyeliner onto her eyes in the hope that her beauty might dissuade him from punishing her.

Teenage Years: Victory Over Victor

Capital Radio: A regional radio station located in London.

Blondie: An 80’s pop group lead by singer Debbie Harry. She was very blonde.

‘Be anxious for nothing’ bible verse: Taken from Philippians 4:16 – Amplified Version

Sex Pistols: An English Punk Rock band from the 70’s, whose lyrics were so obscene that they were banned from being played on the radio. They encouraged rebellion and revelled in stirring up a spirit of anarchy amongst their avid followers.

Cockney: An east London accent, commonly associated with those from a working-class (low-class) background.

Various chapters

The Holy Spirit…is not some freaky, religious ghoul, peering at us through two holes in a white sheet. Jesus is physically in Heaven and the Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus on earth. Don’t get too hung up about it. Like water, steam and ice, God is three persons in one, but with different roles. Ice is still water, but in a different form and one of its main functions is to preserve and cool. Water helps things to grow, cleans things and quenches thirst. Steam releases creases, opens pores, sterilises and cooks in a way that preserves vitamins.

Likewise, Jesus was the one who physically died on the cross for our sins and God, who remains in Heaven, is the one who sent him down to earth to pay the penalty for our sins. The Holy Spirit is most commonly known as, The Comforter.  Both him and Jesus were with God when he created the universe.

God Loves Children

Epilogue: About You

Posted on by Sharon

He hasn’t taken his eyes off you. He’s looking at you even now. It’s not a surface stare; he’s seeing deep into the core of your being. Whether you like the thought of what he’s viewing or not, it doesn’t faze him. The ugliness, the dross, the yukky bits that you think outweigh the beauty.

Don’t squirm. He’s the one person who sees you in your entirety and can bear it. Nothing turns his stomach, because he loves you. Yes, it saddens him when you hurt his feelings by ignoring him, but he’s not ignoring you.

You’ve forgotten some parts of your childhood, either owing to natural causes, age or deliberation. Most likely, all three.

But he was there. In the good times and bad. In the trauma and with the laughter and celebrations. In the disappointments and fears, fun times and tears.

The day when you became a zygote, he knew you intimately. Every cell was carefully put together, alongside your basic personality and he loved you. Yes, he loved you from the very start and despite how you’ve been since, he loves you still.

His compassion for you is not like that of mankind. It is not conditional on your love for him, the good things you do or how you’ve turned out to be.

No matter who ignores you, you are worth listening to. No matter who thinks you’re boring, you are interesting. No matter who finds you irritating, you are accepted. No matter who dislikes you, you are cherished. No matter who’s given up on you, you are constantly on his mind.

His intense focus on you is as if you were the only human he ever created.

I hope your childhood was a good one. Millions cannot look back on those tender days with joy. Whatever your memories, know this one thing: The One who put your body together knows about every single second of your life.

Whether you’re a child or 106, we are all regarded by him as precious. He wants to be your father, but you must come as you are. Don’t wait until you have perfected certain things about yourself, because you will never get there.

Come to him as a little child would run to its daddy, bleeding, after it touched something it knew it was forbidden to touch.

He’s big enough to help you put things right.

Isn’t it wonderful that we don’t have to present him with our intellect and talents? Children have food stains on their chest, but we still hug them. (Well, I don’t if it’s not my child – who wants to nuzzle a soggy bib? But you get what I mean don’t you?) They wee on the floor like puppies, but we still love them. (Again, let’s just focus on our own children.) They crawl across the floor towards us, dragging a book that they want us to read and explain. We pick them up, not giving thought to the torn pages and teeth marks on the edges. We don’t care that they are having a bowel movement while they sit happily on our laps. Hey, you do realise that I’m referring to babies, not teenagers? I’m not sure if I clarified that earlier.

So, God wants us to come to him with a childlike heart. Like my sweet Sarah on the next page, he wants us to look up to him with complete trust. He wants us to be uninhibited with him like a toddler streaking on the beach, running excitedly towards the sea.

If you wish to have your sins forgiven so you will escape going to Hell when you die, God has made it easy for you because he wants you to be in Heaven with him. Our sins have separated us from a holy God who originally created us to be perfect but knew we would mess up. Getting right with God is called, ‘being saved’ and the process of getting saved is called salvation. Christians use those terms a lot.

The Bible says,

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Here’s a simple prayer that covers everything you need in order to be saved from your sins. We were all created to be a team, so I am delighted to share with you a prayer that the singer Ce Ce Winans used in her YouTube song, “I Have a Savior”.

“Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of your son, Jesus. I believe that he died on the cross for my sins. And I believe on the third day, you raised him from the grave. I confess I’m a sinner, but I believe you’re my Saviour. Forgive me of my sins. I invite you into my heart. Be the Lord of my life for the rest of my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit so I would be empowered to live a life that’s pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”

It’s wonderful that God wants us to have a relationship with us and that he beckons us to approach him like a child. It’s great, it’s fantastic, because we already know…

…God loves children!

Why You Make God Smile Vol 1

Butchered Ice-creams (Preface)

Posted on by Sharon

Why You Make God Smile (despite your faults and weaknesses) Vol 1: Preface

There is an easy way to tell that you have reached your old age. When holding
an ice-cream that’s nesting on top of a cone wafer, what is the first thing you
do? If you sink your teeth in, leaving a moon-shape dent where it was once
rounded and smooth, you’re officially old.

As a child, I could never understand why adults did that. How could someone prefer
to shove a large dollop into their mouth instead of gliding their tongue slowly around the icy dome?

How could they gulp it down instead of letting the creamy delight drift
like a stream, past the lips onto eager tastebuds? Why would anyone not want to
take the time to enjoy the cold sweetness as it trickled down their parched throat?
The latter method forces the eyes to close for two seconds while one silently thanks God for creating cows.

My curiosity over this apparent grown-up gluttony would turn to anger when my
own personal ice-cream was the target. An adult would demand, “Let me have a
lick.” And I would have to oblige, so not to appear selfish. But I knew all along that
they were lying. Adults never, ever lick. They bite. Deep chunks would be snatched
from my prize possession like a hungry shark when it’s spotted a limb that has
travelled out too far.

The offender would then add insult to injury by taunting me with unnecessary jibes
pertaining to their dissatisfaction that: the nuts are stuck in their teeth, the
chocolate chips are soapy, the mint flavour isn’t strong enough, the strawberry
pieces are soggy, the toffee is too sweet, it’s not Cream of Cornish.

I would stare forlornly at my wounded dessert knowing that enjoyment of it would
never be the same since being butchered by a fully-grown person who lied about
their intentions towards my treat.

Patches of red lipstick would sometimes be seen dotted around the rim of the cone.
On days I dared to give it further scrutiny, I would occasionally spot a tiny blob of
clear elasticated fluid sitting on the top of my chocolate flake, reminiscent of what’s
commonly known as saliva.

I thought the ‘ice-cream felony’ was the worst misdemeanour that could ever happen to my reluctantly shared titbits – that was until one day, an adult asked me for a lick of my ice-lolly. I knew that by the time I would receive it back, it would look like a deformed lump on a stick, but nothing prepared me for the horror that was to come. Yes, they did indeed take a chunk out of it with their teeth, but it had also been sucked! Like Dracula himself, this wicked person had sucked my lolly so hard, that the top 2 inches had turned white. Having been drained of all its colour, I was left with a tasteless piece of pitted ice. Lollies were supposed to be coloured, and in my case, red! Anger prevailed and my juvenile brain decided there and then that nobody was ever going to share any type of food of mine again.

When we finally become adults ourselves, there is a nasty shock. People are still deceiving us and taking great big chunks out of the things we treasure; only now the gaping holes are in our dignity, our hopes, our finances, our self-esteem, our time, our happiness. They are also trying to suck us dry with negativity, mistruths about life, false stories, inappropriate entertainment and unfounded fears.

This book is dedicated to all those who are wanting to reconnect with the reason we are alive. Jesus did not promise a life without pain, but he did promise to walk closely with us through all the disappointments that come our way.

I have put together some short, true stories and rhyming reflections (I dislike the word ‘poems’) to help remind you that he is beckoning you to come and see all the good he is doing right now. He wants to be part of your life and to make you into the person he created you to be.

If you like fluffy-puffy poetry about trees, birds and cascading waterfalls, this book is not for you. If you are easily offended about topics such as sins, death and Hell, this book is for you, but you will hotly disagree with me about that. I would suggest in these cases, that you either use the pages to make origami shapes or demand a refund from Amazon. If, however, this book was a gift and the giver is at some stage going to ask you if you’ve read it…tough. I’m not helping you with that one.

books by sharon butt


The Rhyming Drama Book

Through the Roof: Director’s Notes

Posted on by Sharon

Jesus, the Pharisees and the 20 people are inside ‘the house’. Half the people are at the back (UP CENTRE to UP LEFT) facing the audience. Jesus is standing in front of them facing the same way. The rest of the people are standing with their backs to the audience, in front of Jesus from CENTRE to LEFT CENTRE. A space is left on the left-hand side for the ladder to be put up at the side of the house. Jesus can barely be seen as the people with their backs to the audience are pushing and shoving to get closer to him. It is evident that some people cannot see over the top of the head’s of others as they are moving about from side to side and jumping to get a better view.

When the lights go up at the beginning of the play, the two friends enter from UP RIGHT carrying the paralysed friend on a stretcher. They walk straight to DOWN RIGHT then turn and stop DOWN CENTRE. The man with his arm in a sling (who shall be called the Doubting Man), approaches them from the back of the crowd and is making his way DOWN RIGHT.

There is no barrier separating the house from the outside so it is the actors who indicate the boundaries.

When the two friends decide to let their friend down through the roof, one of them climbs up the ladder and begins to take imaginary tiles of the roof. The ladder is at an angle so the audience can see what is happening. It is not necessary for the person on the ladder to be level or higher than the people below. He can stay as low as he is comfortable on the ladder even if realistically he may not be ‘roof height’. The stretching up and miming the removal of tiles is more important than him actually being high up on the ladder. If he is a considerable distance away from the people below, then he will appear higher up when removing the tiles. On a small stage, extra care must be taken to ensure that the ladder is not placed too near any perimeters.  He hands the tiles to his friend below who carefully places them on the floor. As more tiles are removed, the people ‘inside’ the house begin to notice and react accordingly. One by one, they look up at what is going on and they start to brush dust off their clothes. Others try and hide for cover because they don’t know what is happening.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Through the Roof: Suggested Summary & Prayer

Posted on by Sharon

To be conducted preferably by either:

A group leader.

A church leader.

The Narrator.

Thank you for sitting patiently, watching and listening while our students brought this great story to life by their excellent performance.

We hope that in this short time, you have gained a deeper insight into how amazing God is when we let him work in our lives.

Like the paralysed man, some of you may be going through a time where you feel helpless and desperate for someone to deliver you out of an awful situation.

Others may not have realised the extent to which Jesus desires to bless us and help us in every circumstance.

Like the man’s friends who could not get close to Jesus, some of you may need the faith and boldness to do something a little different in order to get what you need. This may simply be taking the lid of your shameful secrets that you think God hasn’t seen and just talking to him about them. Or it may be anger and resentment that you have buried that needs to come to the surface and be confessed to God so you can be free from these painful emotions. Or it may simply be taking the lid off your heart and asking God to fill it with his love so that you can be free to get up and walk with him.

If you would like the opportunity to get to know Jesus better and have a close relationship with God the father, there is a simple prayer you can pray right now.

We have to first acknowledge that we need to be forgiven of our sin. Sin is anything we do think or say that is displeasing to God, which includes living life independently of him.

When you become a Christian, your problems do not just suddenly go away. There will still be enemies to face, debts to pay, sickness and pain, fear and loneliness. But the difference is that you will have the King of kings walking alongside you to help you, guide you, comfort you, deliver you, strengthen, and give you hope and peace. Best of all, you will have the assurance that when you die, you will be taken in God’s kingdom, Heaven, to live with him forever.

So now we will talk to God. If you mean what you say, God will hear you. Don’t look for outward signs of feeling different or crying. Some of you may, but some may not. That’s okay because God is concerned with your heart.

Also, some of you may feel embarrassed to admit you have prayed this prayer and some may be concerned about what your friends will think. Remember two things. 1. You came into this world on your own and you will die on your own. Nobody else will be able to save you, so it really is nobody else’s business what you are doing right now. When you stand before God at the end of your life, those friends whose opinions you were afraid of, won’t be there to help persuade God to let you into Heaven.

Secondly, you may not have another chance to get your life right with your Creator, so please take this opportunity to sort things out with God right now.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving us the story of the healing of the paralysed man to show us how much you want to help us. Thank you that we can have the hope that one day at the right time, you will deliver us from our awful circumstances, heal us and restore broken relationships.

Thank you that in the meantime, if we give our lives wholeheartedly to you, we can receive, strength, peace, wisdom and comfort. I desperately want those things and I want to be free from the guilt of my sin, so I humbly come before you now to give my life to you.

I am sorry for the wrong things I have done in my life, which you call sin.

I acknowledge that I was born a sinner, which means that it’s in my nature to do things that displease you. I know that this includes the deepest thoughts and attitudes of my heart and the real motives behind everything I do.

Please forgive me for those sins and especially for the sin of keeping you out of my life.

Even though you love me, I know that because you are a God of justice and holiness, if I die without having my sins forgiven, I will spend eternity without you, in a terrible place called Hell.

I acknowledge that I need you and I want you in my life.

I believe that Jesus Christ is your son and that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I believe he rose again and is the living power that can take the Devil’s hold off my life. Please come into my life now and touch my heart with your forgiveness and love. I want to have a relationship with and get to know you more. My very being was created for this purpose and without you, my hunger for peace and happiness will never be satisfied.

I give you my life now. Please lead me to people who will help me become a good strong Christian and who will show me how to relate to the things of God. Help me to find a Bible that suits my understanding and a church that I can call home.

Thank you, Lord. I believe by faith now that you have answered my prayer. I believe that no matter how bad I may feel about myself in the future, you have forgiven me and saved me from my sins. Thank you. Amen.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Through the Roof

Posted on by Sharon

DOUBTING MAN

I hope you’ve not come to see Jesus.

You’ll never get through that door.

You’re better off staying outside.

Put your friend down on that floor.

I’ve tried to get in myself,

but people pushed me away.

I wanted healing, but I suppose,

I could come back another day.

FRIEND 1

He’ll not be here tomorrow.

He’s off to another town.

DOUBTING MAN

Well, it seems like you’ve wasted your time.

You better put your friend down.

PARALYSED MAN

No. I want to see Jesus right now.

I’m desperate for his touch.

I know if I saw him, he’ll heal me.

I’ve been wanting this so much!

DOUBTING MAN

It’s no use, there are too many people.

It’s no use, he’s too busy today.

(critically)

You’re not the only one in need.

Just accept it and be on your way!

FRIEND 2

Our friend is hungry for Jesus,

We’ll help any way we can.

Going away is not an option.

Besides, I’ve a clever plan.

(Friend 2 starts whispering to Friend 1, who nods excitedly. They both bend down and start talking quietly to the paralysed man. Friend 2 then goes UP LEFT and comes back with a ladder which he sets up LEFT CENTRE. He climbs the ladder and begins moving tiles off the roof and handing them to Friend 1 who is waiting below. After the fifth tile has been removed, people in the house begin to notice and react. After the tenth tile has been removed, the owner of the house comes outside and stands by the ladder with his hands on his hips.)

HOUSE OWNER

Thieves! They’ve taken the tiles!

Vandals! They’ve ruined the roof!

Who’s done this to my house?

DOUBTING MAN

(picks up a tile)

These men and here’s the proof.

FRIEND 1

We’ll pay for any damage,

We’ll come back to do repairs.

We just want to get him in

and onto the floor downstairs.

(Friend 2 removes three more tiles then beckons for the paralysed man to be lifted up towards him. When he’s about head-height, people inside the house get ready to help bring him down into the room.

When the paralysed man is safely on the floor, Jesus bends down to him and places his hand on his forehead. The people move to the sides so the audience can see what is happening.

The Pharisees push themselves forward so they are standing by the paralysed man.)

JESUS

Son, your sins are forgiven.

PHARISEE 1

Blasphemy! Blasphemy!

Did you hear what he said?

He’s speaking heresy

to the man on the bed!

ALL THE PHARISEES

Who do you think you are?

these people call you Lord,

but you are an impostor!

(all the Pharisees point to Jesus)

This man is a fraud!

PHARISEE 2

Your irreverence to God

is getting worse!

You’re not the creator

of the Universe!

ALL THE PHARISEES

Who do you think you are?

these people call you Lord,

but you are an impostor!

(all the Pharisees point to Jesus)

This man is a fraud!

PHARISEE 3

As a man of the church,

I can’t bear any more!

This person called Jesus

is breaking the law!

ALL THE PHARISEES

Who do you think you are?

these people call you Lord,

but you are an impostor!

(all the Pharisees point to Jesus)

This man is a fraud!

PHARISEE 4

You need to be…

duly apprehended!

We are shocked!

Your words have offended!

ALL THE PHARISEES

Who do you think you are?

these people call you Lord,

but you are an impostor!

(they turn around to walk away)

This man is a fraud!

JESUS

Blasphemy you say?

You don’t like my talk?

Is it easier to forgive

or to make him walk?

I’ll prove I have authority

to save the sins of a soul,

for before he leaves this room,

this man shall be made whole.

(turns to the paralysed man)

Stand up young man, stand up.

Pick up your bed and go.

Your legs are as strong as a lion,

your sins are as white as snow.

(The paralysed man sits up slowly, and everyone gasps loudly. People put their hands to their mouths and others stare at Jesus, amazed. He then moves his arms about then swivels so his legs are hanging off the bed. He gets up slowly and stands, looking down at his feet for a while. Then he looks at Jesus and smiles. He walks towards Jesus and puts his arms around him. He lets go, starts to laugh and tries a jump. Finally, he pushes past people and runs outside, facing the audience.)

PARALYSED MAN

I can stand, I can walk,

I can leap, I can run!

Praise to you Jesus,

for what you have done!

(he turns around and looks back at Jesus)

Thank you Jesus!

I’m truly amazed!

You are worthy

to be thanked and praised!

Today, you have been…

(he looks at the Pharisees)

disrespected.

Yet, you’ve given me more

than I expected.

(his friends come out of the house and put their arms around him)

You received dirty looks

and a verbal attack,

for healing my legs

and my broken back.

FRIEND 2

Our friend can walk! Praise God! Hooray!

BOTH FRIENDS

We have seen amazing things today!

FRIEND 1

(looking back at where the Pharisees were stood)

You did create the universe!

You made every star!

Yeshua Hamashiach –

that’s who you are!

FRIEND 2

No mortal man

Could do what you’ve done.

We were waiting for the Saviour,

You are the One!

FRIEND 1

This mighty miracle

Certainly reveals,

You’re Jehovah Rapha,

The One who heals.

FRIEND 2

Those blind Pharisees

Are greatly misguided.

You’re Jehovah Jireh

Because you provided.

PARALYSED MAN

You’re the long-awaited king.

You’re my sin purifier.

I’m healed and whole

Because you are the Messiah!

(everyone except for the Pharisees, turns to Jesus, and raise their hands in the air, then they all drop to their knees and bow their heads as the lights dim.)

-The End-

The Rhyming Drama Book

Through the Roof: Cast, Costumes, Props Duration

Posted on by Sharon

Topic: Jesus heals a paralysed man (Based on Mark 2:1-12 / Luke 5:17-26)

Main theme: Faith in action

Approximate duration: 8 mins

Cast

Cast: 30 characters

Paralysed man

Friend 1

Friend 2

Man with broken arm

Jesus

House owner

Pharisee 1

Pharisee 2

Pharisee 3

Pharisee 4

Non-speaking parts

20 people (men & women) who are inside the house watching Jesus.

Suggested Props & Costumes

1 camp bed, stretcher or inflatable single bed

1 long free-standing A-shape ladder

A long bandage to wrap around at least half an arm

A sling for an arm

A long thick piece of rope to be attached to the sides of the bed.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Who Is This Man? Director’s Notes

Posted on by Sharon

All the disciples are standing up in a diagonal position across the stage, from UP LEFT to DOWN RIGHT. The chairs are positioned diagonally around the outside of the disciples to

give the impression that they are inside a boat. The chairs will also help the characters have something to hold onto and fall onto as they are being tossed about the boat in the storm.

The Narrator remains offstage and reads the script using a microphone. While this is being done the disciples are on the boat looking out to sea, so they are staring at whatever is facing them ahead. They are miming as if talking to each other while looking out to sea. They are also rocking slightly.

Jesus is positioned behind the disciples (UP LEFT) lying on the floor so he cannot be seen at the beginning of the play. However, if he can be seen once the characters start moving about, it does not matter as it will be evident that he is asleep and unperturbed by what is going on around him. When Jesus is woken up, he gets up and moves slowly towards the front of the stage (DOWN RIGHT) but stands sideways so his face can be seen by the audience.

The storm is coming from the direction of DOWN LEFT, so the disciples are faced in this direction as the dialogue begins. At various stages, the disciples duck to avoid the waves and some put their arms up to cover their eyes. A few of them hide behind someone else and others cling on to each other out of desperation.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Who Is This Man? Suggested Summary & Prayer

Posted on by Sharon

To be conducted preferably by either:

A group leader.

A church leader.

The Narrator.

Thank you for sitting patiently, watching, and listening while our students brought this great story to life by their excellent performance.

We hope that in this short time, you have gained a deeper insight into how amazing God is when we let him work in our lives.

Like the disciples, some of you may be going through some very scary times that have left you feeling insecure and fearful of the future.

Others may not have realised the extent to which Jesus desires to bless us and help us in every circumstance.

It may seem like your life is a tiny boat with giant waves raging all around you and that Jesus is not aware of what is happening. But we can get to know him better so that through him, God will turn towards us and deliver us from being anxious and worried.

Some problems do not go away immediately but God will give us the strength to face them, go through them, and come out dry the other side. Other trials will require attention straight away and, in those moments, God wants us to have the faith to believe if we cry out to him, he will hear and calm our storms.

If you would like the opportunity to get to know Jesus better and have a close relationship with God the father, there is a simple prayer you can pray right now.

We have to first acknowledge that we need to be forgiven of our sin. Sin is anything we do, think, or say that is displeasing to God, which includes living a life independently of him.

When you become a Christian, your problems do not just suddenly go away. There will still be enemies to face, debts to pay, sickness and pain, fear, and loneliness. But the difference is that you will have the King of kings walking alongside you to help you, guide you, comfort you, deliver you, strengthen, and give you hope and peace. Best of all, you will have the assurance that when you die, you will be taken in God’s kingdom, Heaven, to live with him forever.

So now we will talk to God. If you mean what you say, God will hear you. Don’t look for outward signs of feeling different or crying. Some of you may, but some may not. That’s okay because God is concerned with your heart.

Also, some of you may feel embarrassed to admit you have prayed this prayer and some may be concerned about what your friends will think. Remember two things. 1. You came into this world on your own and you will die on your own. Nobody else will be able to save you, so it really is nobody else’s business what you are doing right now. When you stand before God at the end of your life, those friends whose opinions you were afraid of, won’t be there to help persuade God to let you into Heaven.

Secondly, you may not have another chance to get your life right with your Creator, so please take this opportunity to sort things out with God right now.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving us the story of the calming of the sea to show us how you are with us during scary times. Thank you that we can have the hope that one day at the right time, you will deliver us from our awful circumstances, heal us and restore broken relationships.

Thank you that in the meantime, if we give our lives wholeheartedly to you, we can receive, strength, peace, wisdom, and comfort. I desperately want those things and I want to be free from the guilt of my sin, so I humbly come before you now to give my life to you.

I am sorry for the wrong things I have done in my life, which you call sin.

I acknowledge that I was born a sinner, which means that it’s in my nature to do things that displease you. I know that this includes the deepest thoughts and attitudes of my heart and the real motives behind everything I do.

Please forgive me for those sins and especially for the sin of keeping you out of my life.

Even though you love me, I know that because you are a God of justice and holiness, if I die without having my sins forgiven, I will spend eternity without you, in a terrible place called Hell.

I acknowledge that I need you and I want you in my life.

I believe that Jesus Christ is your son and that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I believe he rose again and is the living power that can take the Devil’s hold off my life. Please come into my life now and touch my heart with your forgiveness and love. I want to have a relationship with and get to know you more. My very being was created for this purpose and without you, my hunger for peace and happiness will never be satisfied.

I give you my life now. Please lead me to people who will help me become a good strong Christian and who will show me how to relate to the things of God. Help me to find a Bible that suits my understanding and a church that I can call home.

Thank you, Lord. I believe by faith now that you have answered my prayer. I believe that no matter how bad I may feel about myself in the future, you have forgiven me and saved me from my sins. Thank you. Amen.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Who Is This Man?

Posted on by Sharon

NARRATOR

Jesus got into a boat with his disciples in order to travel to the other side of the shore. He was very tired after a busy day and began to feel quite sleepy, so he went and lay down his head. Very soon he was fast asleep.  The boat began to move more rhythmically than usual. Then it began to sway.  Then, as if the waves were trying to tip the boat upside down, it began to rock it very fast from side to side. The sea was angry. The wind had a temper. It rained and soaked everything in sight. This would make most people wake up, but not Jesus. He was having a peaceful sleep.

ANDREW

Look out you guys,

the sea’s getting rough.

PHILIP

Oh, I wouldn’t worry,

this boat is quite tough.

PETER

(points)

But see that big wave,

it’s heading this way!

JOHN

Now that’s a surprise.

It’s been such a fine day.

ANDREW

But this weather has changed.

We’ve run out of luck!

JAMES 1

Look, here comes a wave.

Quick everyone! Duck!

(They all go flying towards the right and as they get up, they start brushing the water out of their eyes.)

JUDAS

Ah, ah! That was awful!

THADDEUS

Oh! I am all wet!

ANDREW

Don’t dry yourself off,

it’s not over yet.

PETER

Look, another one’s coming,

higher than before!

JAMES 2

Everyone, take cover!

Lie down on the floor!

(Everyone crouches down except for Bartholomew, who turns towards UP CENTRE and points to an imaginary mast.)

BARTHOLOMEW

Oh no! The mast!

It’s broken in two!

(Everyone crouches down except for Bartholomew, who turns towards UP CENTRE and points to an imaginary mast.)

THOMAS

How can we fix it?

What shall we do?

MATTHEW

The wind’s too strong.

Just stay where you are.

SIMON

Can we turn back?

JAMES 1

No, we’ve come out too far.

THADDEUS

If this carries on,

we won’t keep afloat.

There’s too much water

flooding the boat.

PHILIP

The boat is tipping!

We’re all going down!

THOMAS

Every one of us

is going to drown!

JOHN

Where’s Jesus?

MATTHEW

He’s sleeping.

JUDAS

(With contempt)

Yea, he’s nice and warm!

THOMAS

What? While we’re drowning

in this terrible storm?

(Everyone moves aside so the audience can see Jesus on the floor.)

SIMON

Well, go and wake him!

Tell him to rise!

PETER

Tell him the boat

is going to capsize.

(John pushes his way to Jesus and bends down to where he is laid. He pushes Jesus’ shoulder vigorously in order to wake him.)

JOHN

Jesus, we’re in danger!

JESUS

Oh really? Tell me why?

JAMES 2

Can’t you see the storm?

We’re all going to die!

JESUS

(Looking totally unfazed and smiling at the disciples)

So, how are you all?

Are you enjoying the ride?

BARTHOLOMEW

Eh? Lord, can’t you feel

this raging tide?

MATTHEW

I’m going to be sick!

JUDAS

I feel rather ill!

JESUS

Oh, you of little faith.

(He raises both hands towards the left.)

Peace! Be still!

(There’s a silence as all the disciples stand still and move their eyes from one side to the other, then very slowly begin to move their heads around while looking up at the sky. They then start to look at Jesus in amazement. While they begin talking to each other, their eyes are fixed on Jesus who is tidying up the boat.)

THADDEUS

Oh! What happened?

SIMON

Well, he raised his hand

and the sea obeyed

his one command.

BARTHOLOMEW

Who is this man?

What did he say?

How did he make

the waves obey?

PHILIP

Who is this man?

What did he do

that the powerful wind

obeyed him too?

THOMAS

Who is this man

who protects and saves

by ruling the wind

and the mighty waves?

PETER

We ran to him

and raised the alarm,

and in the next second,

the whole sea was calm!

MATTHEW

We were so frightened!

JOHN

I was terrified!

THOMAS

If he hadn’t calmed the sea,

we all would have died!

SIMON

Who is this ma…

JESUS

(interrupts)

I did say we were going

to the other side.

If you didn’t trust me,

why did you come for the ride?

(They all sit while Jesus remains standing.)

I really need those

who believe what I say,

who won’t turn around

and go their own way.

You must serve God

with all your heart,

which means trusting

from the very start.

Learn to follow me

wherever I lead.

I’m your refuge and strength

in your time of need.

When your life is shattered

to pieces of rubble,

remember I am present

in the time of trouble.

(Jesus sits down and puts his arm around the two disciples either side of him. He is chatting quietly. John gets up and moves DOWN CENTRE facing the audience.)

JOHN

Who is this man

who is opening my eyes

with boldness, authority

and words so wise?

There’s power in his hands,

There’s power in his speech,

but there’s something else

that he wants to teach.

There’s power in his love,

so, we should be prepared

to face all things

and never be scared.

-The End-

The Rhyming Drama Book

Who Is This Man? Cast, Costumes, Props, Duration

Posted on by Sharon

Topic: Jesus calms the storm (Based on Matt 8:23-27 / Mark 4:35-41 / Luke 8:22-25)

Main theme: Jesus is all powerful/ Jesus can be trusted

Approximate duration: 10 minutes

Cast

Cast:13 characters + a narrator who remains offstage

Jesus

Andrew

Philip

Peter

John

Judas

Thaddeus

James 1

Thomas

Simon

Bartholomew

Matthew

James 2

Suggested Props & Costumes

Several chairs to act as the general circumference of the boat.

The Rhyming Drama Book

The Trap: Director’s Notes

Posted on by Sharon

All the cast are sitting on chairs facing each other – see layout above.

The Narrator is not opposite anyone. Throughout the dialogue, the Narrator looks at the person who is currently speaking but makes no facial expressions to show agreement with anyone.

When each actor points to somebody else, their body remains in the same position – it is just their arms that move. They look at the person they are pointing at, directly in the eye.

Whenever somebody is accusing, there needs to be an emphasis of mockery in their voice and at times, a quick laugh at the beginning of the sentence, like a ‘huh!’

At Point (A), Actor 1 who is wearing jeans, frowns and looks down at their legs.

At Point (B), Actor 7 begins to cry silently and wipe their eyes with their handkerchief.

At Point (C), Actor 5 swivels on their chair to face the audience. While Actor 5 is speaking, the other actors begin gesticulating at each other with frowns and scornful expressions:

  • Some are wagging their forefinger side to side at the person sitting opposite them.
  • Some are leaning away from the person sitting next to them as if they are trying not to catch something.
  • Some have got their hands on their hips and are shaking their heads.
  • Some have an arm stretched out in front of them with their palm facing the person (like ‘talk to the hand’) Their head is turned in the other direction and their eyes are closed.
  • Some are silently mouthing accusations at each other.

The Narrator watches them all without showing any emotion.

At Point (D), Actor 2 stops their gesticulating and swivels on their seat to face the audience. Actor 5 remains facing the audience but turns their gaze towards Actor 2.

Everyone else is still gesticulating at each other silently.

At Point (E), Actor 4 gets up and slowly walks around the outside of the chairs in an anti-clockwise direction, watching everyone while ‘he’ speaks. Actors 5 & 2 now swivel back round to face each other. They stare at each other crossly and narrow their eyes. Both have their arms folded.

At Point (F) everyone stops gesticulating and watches Actor 7. They stare at Actor 3 and Actor 1 as he points at them.

At Point (G) the actors reach for their bibles which are stored underneath their chairs. They put them on their laps, open them up to a random page, and appear to be reading them, with their hands resting under each thigh (palms touching the chair) Actor 6 does not look down at ‘his’ bible but is watching Actor 1.

At Point (H) Actor 1 looks up at Actor 6 and Actor 7 puts on his headphones which have been around his neck. ‘He’ closes his eyes and smiles, swaying slightly. Everyone else is still reading their bibles apart from Actor 8 who is now watching Actor 7.

At Point (I) everyone looks up and stares at the person opposite. The Narrator is still looking at Actor 5 when he begins speaking. The other actors remain to appear uncomfortable with each other and while Actor 2 and Actor 5 are doing their last bunch of lines, the facial expressions of the other actors indicate that they can identify with the attitudes being described.

At the end, the Narrator gets up and heads to the front, in an anti-clockwise direction. He does not begin speaking until he is positioned between Actor 5 and Actor 2, but standing further forward, facing the audience. As he begins to speak, the actors behind him bow their heads and look towards the floor. They remain in this position right through to the end of the prayer.

The Rhyming Drama Book

The Trap: (Including Narrator’s Summary)

Posted on by Sharon

ACTOR 1

(Points to the narrator)

You don’t agree on the ‘End Times’,

or baptism with full immersion,

nor how to counsel someone

after their conversion.

(Points to Actor 7)

Alcohol’s avoided

like poison in a glass.

ACTOR 2

(Points to Actor 8)

(A) and she says wearing jeans to church

just shows you are low-class.

ACTOR 3

(Points to Actor 7)

(B) You think he has a demon,

because he’s manifesting greatly,

but at other times, he walks about

unnaturally sedately.

ACTOR 8

(Points to Actor 3)

Well, I disagree and say

That really can’t be true.

If anything, my concerns are

what I see in you!

ACTOR 5

(Looks at the audience)

(C) There’s no physical fight,

but disagreement and debate,

while the Devil laughs aloud

because we’ve grabbed the bait.

We’re all signing up

to join the Squabble Squad,

while people are waiting

to be introduced to God.

ACTOR 2

(Looks at the audience)

(D) Lost souls are watching

disunity arising,

as we stick to our beliefs,

with no hearts compromising.

One person says, “It’s obvious!”

as arrogance creeps in.

Others are resentful,

but both are in sin.

ACTOR 4

(Gets up and walks around them anti clockwise)

(E) If our doctrines don’t match,

or our views are diverse,

becoming irritated

will only make things worse.

Our relationships

need to be restored,

for, many souls are dying

while we are in discord.

ACTOR 7

(Points to Actor 3)

(F) Who cares if he waves his arms

while worshipping the Lord,

(Points to Actor 1)

while the man on the other side,

stands rigid as a board?

(Arms in the air, palms upwards)

(G) Who cares if the Anti-Christ

is sixty or just two?

If he’s a Russian, or a Muslim,

or a Messianic Jew?

ACTOR 6

(Points to Actor 1)

Someone gets out their bible,

you say, “Don’t read that version!”

The translation’s been corrupted,

the text, full of perversion.

The reader gets quite angry.

ACTOR 1

(Looking at Actor 6)

(H) I’ve had this since my youth!

And even if you’re right,

how dare you speak the truth!

ACTOR 6

(Looks at Actor 7)

The music is beautiful.

you’re lost in serene praise,

then a brother comes along and says,

ACTOR 8

(Looking at Actor 7)

Understand the Devil’s ways.

He’s the inspiration

behind the rhythm in that song.

ACTOR 6

(Still looking at Actor 7)

He knows that he is right.

You know that he is wrong.

ACTOR 5

(Looking at the group, from one to the other)

(I) The relationship turns sour

as you grate each other’s nerves,

(Points to the ground)

while the one who inspired you,

jumps for joy as he observes.

He loves it when we fall out,

with our obstinate display,

for he knows there’ll be no power

next time we go to pray.

(pause)

ACTOR 2

(Looking at the audience)

It’s not so much the doctrine,

but the attitude of heart.

The contempt we are feeling

when we see we’re miles apart.

Someone gets confirmed

and we know they’re not saved yet,

for, they’ve come out with just a sprinkle

and their body is not wet.

We laugh at their ignorance,

and their structured, bible ways,

following a liturgy

that puts us in a haze.

But while we are assuming

they don’t know God that well,

their devotion to Jesus

has got them out of Hell.

Not because they’ve done things

in the way it’s documented,

but because their heart was pure

and have correctly repented.

ACTOR 5

(Looking at the audience)

And some of us think those

who jiggle to the beat

will be quivering in fear

at the Mercy Seat.

For, it must be a devil

that’s making them so sprightly

and we know the Holy Spirit

doesn’t take these matters lightly.

We say church is for the stoic,

the placid girl, the docile fellow.

Perfect reverence is shown in

the congregation that is mellow.

And what about the church

where many folks have left,

Leaving the poor pastor

rejected and bereft?

Aha! we say. Aha!

That won’t happen here.

Our congregation’s faultless.

We’re the Chapel of the Year.

What we don’t realise,

while we laugh and discuss,

all those rebellious leavers

are now worshipping with us.

They’ve skipped across the road

to join our judging brood

and now it’s our turn to suffer

their bad-mouth attitude.

ACTOR 6

(stands next to ACTOR 5 and points at them)

Yea…you told the Sunday School

To draw Noah and his creatures,

They took some crayons and drew a boat

With many other features.

But I am quite offended

So I want to know why,

They took my flag’s colours

And placed them in the sky.

I interpret the Bible

In my own, special way,

And it tells me I am perfect

No matter what you say.

I’m trying to be gracious,

Not wanting to be mean,

But if they don’t cross out their rainbows,

I’m going to make a scene!

ACTOR 7

I made a fuss last week.

I tried to be discreet,

But it got me mad as a box of frogs,

When the wine tasted too sweet.

Then they gave us wafers,

What happened to the bread?

I like big chunks of dough,

Got tracing paper instead!

ACTOR 3

We fuss about the service,

Nothing’s ever right.

We need to remember

We do this in God’s sight.

Let’s go back to loving.

And refuse to complain,

So the Lord can come and heal us,

And bring newbies in again.

(The narrator (gets up and moves anti-clockwise to the front of the stage and stands facing the audience, between Actor 5 & 2, but slightly further forward)

NARRATOR

It’s not about denominations.

Have you an elder or a pastor?

We’re all brothers and sisters

for, we serve the same Master.

And people from the same church

might not like how your mind swings,

but even amongst themselves,

they disagree on many things.

In our little circles

there’s all this ‘end-time chatter’.

“Are you pre-Trib or Post-Trib?”

Does it really matter?

What is most important

is that your soul is saved from Hell,

and that your ticket up to Heaven

brings many with you as well.

But they won’t get on board

if all they see is confliction –

followers of the Prince of Peace

displaying contradiction.

Some scholars try to prove

God’s preferred day of rest

was not planned for Sundays –

but Saturdays are best.

And others claim that Jesus

didn’t rise on Sunday morning.

While we dispute days and dates,

God is up ‘there’, yawning.

So, let’s accept our differences,

and don’t be so headstrong.

Let’s love those who mock us –

let’s love those we think are wrong.

Let’s forgive and admit

we are never always right.

Let us stand against the devil

and together, win the fight.

(pause)

(The narrator looks around the audience and smiles)

NARRATOR

We have all, at times, fallen into the trap of judging others in our family, church or from other churches and denominations. Let’s face it, there are so many different beliefs around the big things and the little things, that we are never, ever going to convince others that our viewpoint is the correct one. Even bible verses can be interpreted differently by those you worship with regularly.

Every second of every day, lost souls are flying into Hell to endure an existence of torment and anguish forever. Does it really matter that someone doesn’t see things our way?

I encourage you to humble your heart right now and let us come together in unity to ask our Father in Heaven to forgive us for our petty squabbles, bad attitudes to one another and pride for insisting we are the ones who are 100% correct on everything. God is compassionate and delights in forgiving us when we come to him with a contrite heart.

Dear Lord God, we are sorry for the time we have wasted, criticising, mocking arguing and getting angry at others, whose spiritual activities and beliefs are different from our own.

Please help us to focus on the bigger picture – the millions of people who you desire to be saved from their sins and ultimately, Hell.

Help us to realise that jumping from church to church won’t solve the problem of people not agreeing with our way of thinking and our interpretation of the words in the bible.

Give us a humble heart to have mercy on those who we consider are performing religious practices that you did not ever command.

Give us a humble heart to accept that if some people have unfortunately become overbalanced in their thinking, that only you can show them the truth and lead them back onto the right path. May we remember that it is a sin to mock and a sin to have contempt towards them.

Protect us from disunity and please bring restoration of relationships, so that we may stand as a body of ONE, all united for the same cause – to lead lost souls to Jesus and to glorify your holy name.

Thank you for having patience with us and thank you for your mercy and grace.

We praise you for setting us free from thinking in a way that displeases you and for bringing us back on track.

We love you Father and only want to bring you joy.

Amen.

-The End-

The Rhyming Drama Book

The Trap: Preliminary Information. Cast, Props, Costumes, Duration

Posted on by Sharon

Topic: Disunity in the body of Christ

(Inspired by 1Cor 1:10, Rom 15:5-7, Gal 5:6, Eph 4:2-3, John 17:23)

Main theme: The importance of unity. The importance of not judging others.

Approximate duration; 7 minutes

Cast

Cast: 8 characters + a narrator

Actor 1

Actor 2

Actor 3

Actor 4

Actor 5

Actor 6

Actor 7

Actor 8

Suggested Props & Costumes

8 bibles for all the actors

A large handkerchief to cry into for Actor 6

A long, floaty, skirt for Actor 8 to wear

Actor 1 needs to be wearing a pair of jeans

A pair of headphones for Actor 7

The Rhyming Drama Book

Listen To Jesus: Director’s Notes

Posted on by Sharon

As the lights go up, people are scattered around the stage. The play is numbered to make it easier to know where people are positioned. In Part 1, there are two girls standing DOWN LEFT. They are facing each other with their sides facing the audience. One of the girls opens her mouth in shock as she has just been insulted by the other one. The Devil and Jesus are standing in the CENTRE and walk towards the girl to speak to her. The girl looks at whoever is talking at the time. After Jesus has spoken, the girl who has been insulted, gives the impression she is forgiving her friend, by hugging her. They remain huddled together talking quietly as the Devil and Jesus move on to the next crowd of people.

In Part 2, three men are standing DOWN RIGHT at an angle with their backs to the audience. Another man is standing facing them and the audience. The three men are swaying about and laughing quietly. One of them holds out a beer can towards the man in front. As Jesus goes to talk to them, he pushes the Devil out of the way. The Devil is annoyed at everything Jesus is saying. While Jesus is still with the four men, the Devil turns around and sees a man and woman standing opposite each other in the CENTRE. (Part 3) He heads towards them, looking back to see if Jesus has noticed he has walked off.

In Part 4, the Devil moves UP RIGHT where two women are standing close together, facing the audience, whispering to each other, and looking across at a woman standing on her own, UP CENTRE. The woman is standing sideways, facing UP LEFT and is reading a book. The Devil goes between the two women and puts his arm around them. He is whispering suggestions to them which is feeding their gossip. They show this by widening their eyes, opening their mouths in shock, and looking at the woman with scorn. Jesus begins his dialogue before he approaches them and walks towards them with both arms in the air. The girls look guilty.

In Part 5, the Devil goes and stands in the CENTRE and looks around at all the people he has previously tried to tempt. Everyone ignores him. When Jesus goes to speak, the Devil runs off stage. Jesus stands in the CENTRE facing the audience and directing his speech at them. All the other people on stage stop what they are doing and look at Jesus.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Listen To Jesus: Suggested Summary & Prayer

Posted on by Sharon

To be conducted preferably by either:

A group leader.

A church leader.

The Narrator.

Thank you for sitting patiently, watching, and listening while our students performed this great sketch excellently.

We hope that in this short time, you have gained a deeper insight into how amazing God is when we let him work in our lives.

Like Jesus, we are often in situations where the devil is whispering things into our ears to get us to do things that displease God. Not only does this hurt our heavenly Father, but it hurts us too. One of the main ways giving in to temptation affects us is that it floods us with guilt and shame. Another way is that it separates us from God’s presence, and we find it so hard to find peace of mind.

You may have not realised the extent to which God’s word, the Bible, helps us to resist temptations and do the right thing. We cannot be holy without the help of Jesus and God has given us this story to show how when we use the Bible properly, we gain strength to overcome everything that is trying to hinder us.

If you would like the opportunity to get to know Jesus better and have a close relationship with God the father, there is a simple prayer you can pray right now.

We have to first acknowledge that we need to be forgiven of our sin. Sin is anything we do, think, or say that is displeasing to God, which includes living life independently of him.

When you become a Christian, your problems do not just suddenly go away. There will still be enemies to face, debts to pay, sickness and pain, fear, and loneliness. But the difference is that you will have the King of kings walking alongside you to help you, guide you, comfort you, deliver you, strengthen, and give you hope and peace. Best of all, you will have the assurance that when you die, you will be taken in God’s kingdom, Heaven, to live with him forever.

So now we will talk to God. If you mean what you say, God will hear you. Don’t look for outward signs of feeling different or crying. Some of you may, but some may not. That’s okay because God is concerned with your heart.

Also, some of you may feel embarrassed to admit you have prayed this prayer and some may be concerned about what your friends will think. Remember two things. 1. You came into this world on your own and you will die on your own. Nobody else will be able to save you, so it really is nobody else’s business what you are doing right now. When you stand before God at the end of your life, those friends whose opinions you were afraid of, won’t be there to help persuade God to let you into Heaven.

Secondly, you may not have another chance to get your life right with your Creator, so please take this opportunity to sort things out with God right now.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving us your bible to show us how to resist the devil when temptations come our way.

Thank you that if we give our lives wholeheartedly to you, we can receive, strength, peace, wisdom, and comfort. I desperately want those things and I want to be free from the guilt of my sin, so I humbly come before you now to give my life to you.

I am sorry for the wrong things I have done in my life, which you call sin.

I acknowledge that I was born a sinner, which means that it’s in my nature to do things that displease you. I know that this includes the deepest thoughts and attitudes of my heart and the real motives behind everything I do.

Please forgive me for those sins and especially for the sin of keeping you out of my life.

Even though you love me, I know that because you are a God of justice and holiness, if I die without having my sins forgiven, I will spend eternity without you, in a terrible place called Hell.

I acknowledge that I need you and I want you in my life.

I believe that Jesus Christ is your son and that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I believe he rose again and is the living power that can take the Devil’s hold off my life. Please come into my life now and touch my heart with your forgiveness and love. I want to have a relationship with and get to know you more. My very being was created for this purpose and without you, my hunger for peace and happiness will never be satisfied.

I give you my life now. Please lead me to people who will help me become a good strong Christian and who will show me how to relate to the things of God. Help me to find a Bible that suits my understanding and a church that I can call home.

Thank you, Lord. I believe by faith now that you have answered my prayer. I believe that no matter how bad I may feel about myself in the future, you have forgiven me and saved me from my sins. Thank you. Amen.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Listen To Jesus

Posted on by Sharon

Part 1

Devil

Don’t accept that insult!

Show her how angry you feel!

JESUS

If you retaliate, her wounds

will take a lifetime to heal.

He says a wimp doesn’t answer back,

I say, a quiet mouth is wise.

‘Want an illustration of this?

Just compare our size.

A fool answers back in anger.

Learn to be patient while you’re young.

You will save a lot of heartache,

if you learn how to control your tongue.

Part 2

DEVIL

You’re the only one here who is sober,

so you can’t be having much fun.

JESUS

If you get drunk, he will haunt you

with the shameful things you’ve done.

Too much wine, makes you talk rubbish,

too much beer, makes you fight,

too much of him saying, “Have another.”

will have you choking on vomit tonight.

It was me who created grapes.

I put the clusters on the vine.

He tells you I’m a spoil-sport –

who turned water into wine?

Part 3

DEVIL

To cure your loneliness,

sleeping around is best.

Don’t worry about commitment,

just get yourselves undressed.

JESUS

It’s me who created sex,

so I know what’s best for you.

I have made wise guidelines

for everything you do.

These guidelines are to protect

your spirit body and mind.

Do not deviate from

the way you were designed.

Intimate moments are for marriage

because I made it that way,

so if you go against my purpose,

your spirit will decay.

Giving your body away

is spiritual disruption.

It won’t bring lasting happiness –

just desire for more corruption.

He’ll whisper to you, lies.

He’ll pervert and confuse.

He’ll tell you, “It’s your body,

so you have the right to choose.”

Shouldn’t the potter know

what is best for the clay?

Pleasure is short-lived

when you choose to go his way.

Part 4

JESUS

So, she’s a cocaine addict?

That’s how the story goes.

Now, they all think she’s on drugs

because you saw flour on her nose!

DEVIL

It’s okay to gossip a little,

So, add a bit to the story.

If you pray before the tale,

you’ll still bring God glory.

JESUS

I say, do not listen.

Turn and walk away!

Keep your mouth tight shut,

if you’ve nothing good to say.

Don’t ruin a reputation,

don’t stir up my wrath.

Don’t put a stumbling block

in the way of someone’s path.

DEVIL

Keep on doing what I tell you,

keep falling into temptation.

If people are easily deceived,

then I can destroy a nation.

JESUS

The only power that he has,

is what you allow him to use.

So, how can you know his voice?

Let me give you some clues:

If he makes me look deaf,

uncaring or a liar,

you’re stood very close

to an open fire.

If it contradicts my standards,

or says my way’s absurd,

if it demands the opposite

of what’s instructed in my Word…

…if it makes your needs

the most important thing,

open up your ears

to hear alarm bells ring.

I am here to help you.

I have so much love to give.

Come, talk to me often,

I will show you how to live.

-The End-

The Rhyming Drama Book

I’ll Believe In Anything: Director’s Notes

Posted on by Sharon

The 6 actors are stood DOWN STAGE with their backs to the audience apart from Atheist 1.  Atheist 1 is to the farthest left (DOWN LEFT) and they are positioned in numerical order so that Atheist 6 is stood DOWN RIGHT.

After Atheist 1 finishes speaking, he turns his back on the audience and ATHEIST 2 turns round to speak.  Thus, each time an actor has finished speaking, they turn their backs to the audience and when it is their turn to speak, they are facing the audience.

At the end, they all turn round and recite the last lines.

The Rhyming Drama Book

I’ll Believe In Anything: Suggested Summary & Prayer

Posted on by Sharon

Maybe you do not believe in the existence of God, or you don’t believe that Jesus is Lord over all the earth. Maybe you have faith in Jesus but struggle to believe the stories in the bible for one reason or another. Maybe your scientific mind is trying to reason with a supernatural God. Or maybe you have never questioned anything to do with God because you have your own beliefs and are comfortable with that.

Simply put, all God wants is your heart. All God wants is to protect your soul from a very real Hell that you are going to if you do not give your life to Jesus before you take your last breath here on earth.

Supernatural means above and beyond science, so God cannot be fathomed by reasons of scientific facts.

Both the play and the verse above were not written to criticise or mock you – your Creator just wants you to start thinking about what you believe and why you believe it and says that there is no excuse for anyone to deny his existence because he is speaking of his existence to us in nature itself.

For those of you who realise you have been living life independently of your Creator and do not want to receive the punishment due to you by a holy God who cannot tolerate sin, there is a prayer that you can pray right now. You do not need to adopt any religious positions, nor do you need to put on a special tone of voice or use special language. God wants you to come to him as you are with your heart laid bare before him.

When you become a Christian, your problems do not just suddenly go away. There will still be enemies to face, debts to pay, sickness and pain, fear, and loneliness. But the difference is that you will have the King of kings walking alongside you to help you, guide you, comfort you, deliver you, strengthen, and give you hope and peace. Best of all, you will have the assurance that when you die, you will be taken in God’s kingdom, Heaven, to live with him forever.

So now we will talk to God. If you mean what you say, God will hear you. Don’t look for outward signs of feeling different or crying. Some of you may, but some may not. That’s okay because God is concerned with your heart.

Also, some of you may feel embarrassed to admit you have prayed this prayer and some may be concerned about what your friends will think. Remember two things. 1. You came into this world on your own and you will die on your own. Nobody else will be able to save you, so it really is nobody else’s business what you are doing right now. When you stand before God at the end of your life, those friends whose opinions you were afraid of, won’t be there to help persuade God to let you into Heaven.

Secondly, you may not have another chance to get your life right with your Creator, so please take this opportunity to sort things out with God right now.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving us your bible to show us how to resist the devil when temptations come our way. Thank you also that from beginning to end, you are lovingly speaking through the words, to prove to us that you exist and desire a close relationship with us. Forgive us for the times we have disbelieved you and shut you out of our lives.

Thank you that if we give our lives wholeheartedly to you, we can receive, strength, peace, wisdom, and comfort. I desperately want those things and I want to be free from the guilt of my sin, so I humbly come before you now to give my life to you.

I am sorry for the wrong things I have done in my life, which you call sin.

I acknowledge that I was born a sinner, which means that it’s in my nature to do things that displease you. I know that this includes the deepest thoughts and attitudes of my heart and the real motives behind everything I do.

Please forgive me for those sins and especially for the sin of keeping you out of my life.

Even though you love me, I know that because you are a God of justice and holiness, if I die without having my sins forgiven, I will spend eternity without you, in a terrible place called Hell.

I acknowledge that I need you and I want you in my life.

I believe that Jesus Christ is your son and that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I believe he rose again and is the living power that can take the Devil’s hold off my life. Please come into my life now and touch my heart with your forgiveness and love. I want to have a relationship with and get to know you more. My very being was created for this purpose and without you, my hunger for peace and happiness will never be satisfied.

I give you my life now. Please lead me to people who will help me become a good strong Christian and who will show me how to relate to the things of God. Help me to find a Bible that suits my understanding and a church that I can call home.

Thank you, Lord. I believe by faith now that you have answered my prayer. I believe that no matter how bad I may feel about myself in the future, you have forgiven me and saved me from my sins. Thank you. Amen.

The Rhyming Drama Book

I’ll Believe In Anything

Posted on by Sharon

ATHEIST 1

I’ll believe in anything,

That’s always been my way.

I’m prepared to hear

what Christians have to say.

But, aren’t they hypocrites,

always talking about sins?

My philosophy is, run

before the lecture begins!

I’m good, so I know,

when I finally die,

I’ll become a god

and float ’round the sky.

(pause)

If I am wrong,

how will I tell?

I guess I will know

when I’m burning in Hell.

ATHEIST 2

I’ll believe in anything,

So don’t bug me now.

I can follow the stars and worship a cow.

But there wasn’t an ark,

I don’t believe in ‘The Flood’,

And who could get saved

by a Jewish man’s blood?

That’s too complicated,

the bible’s too colossal.

It’s easier to believe

that I came from a fossil.

I’m not sure how

this fits in with creation,

maybe I’ve got

a weird imagination.

ATHEIST 3

Some say I’m daft to think

I evolved from an ape,

but I know they’re my ancestors –

you can tell by my shape.

I’ve bonded with these animals,

they put me at ease,

as they beat their chests

and swing through the trees.

I want to scratch my armpits,

eat bananas by the dozens.

When I visit the zoo,

I can see that they’re my cousins.

So, I was ecstatic

and rather elated,

when Mr Darwin told me

I wasn’t created.

(pause)

But, sometimes, I’m scared

and I get into a state,

at the thought that, one day,

I just might mutate.

ATHEIST 4

I’ll believe in anything,

I’ll learn from the tribes,

I’ll watch their traditions,

then pick up the vibes.

I’ll add a bit of truth

to make it seem authentic,

but, listen to those Christians?

Man no! They’re eccentric!

What’s all this jargon

about ‘The power of the cross’?

What’s this about humility?

I want to be my own boss!

You see, I know best –

you’re not strapping me down.

Give my life to Jesus?

Do you think I’m a clown?

Oh, I’ll sing and I’ll clap,

I’ll dance and I’ll chant,

I’ll worship a mad man

and call up my dead aunt.

God speaks through the Bible,

but that’s not enough.

I’d rather waste time

doing foolish stuff.

ATHEIST 5

I’ll believe in anything,

anything at all.

I believe in the ‘Big Bang’

but not in ‘The Fall’.

Who is so stupid

to say they believe

in the Garden of Eden

and Adam and Eve?

And what about Noah?

that ark-building stud?

What happened to the water

after the flood?

Don’t tell me it vanished

into thin air.

Stories about miracles

are things I can’t bear.

(pause)

But, when I’m in pain

and in need of a cure,

a touch from above

is welcome, I’m sure.

There’s nothing like suffering,

that makes me feel

there’s a God in Heaven

who is able to heal.

ATHEIST 6

I saw a one-eyed alien

at the bus-stop last week.

He was very handsome.

I tried to get him to speak.

I’d love to make contact

and find their air-base.

Maybe they’ll invite me

to join them in space.

Surely the universe

was made for exploring.

Having just Earth,

is really quite boring.

The alien disappeared.

I never saw him again.

Must be those pills

I was taking for migraine.

ATHEIST 1

I believe in UFOs

and reincarnation.

With horses, I have

a great affiliation.

I believe in ouija boards

They are such a blast!

One said I was a stallion

in my distant past.

It is harmless fun,

that gives me a thrill.

But now I’m hearing voices

telling me to kill.

ATHEIST 2

I feel there’s an energy

in the atmosphere.,

and the flow can stop

just by moving my chair.

Some say it’s silly

to Feng Shui my room,

but it really does help

to reduce my gloom.

I’m a Ying and Yang disciple

with firm dedication,

(Cups hand over mouth like he’s telling a secret)

(that’s why my doctor’s put me

on stronger medication.)

I’ll keep the toilet seat down,

I’ll put my bed on the roof,

But Jesus is Lord?

No, no, I need proof!

Sometimes, I look at nature

and think, ‘How was this made?’

But I’m an unbeliever

who you won’t persuade.

ALL

I don’t believe in Jesus

because my eyes have been blinded,

but, I’ll believe in anything

because I’m open-minded.

(pause)

NARRATOR

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)

The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)

-The End-


The Rhyming Drama Book

Talitha Cumi: Director’s Notes

Posted on by Sharon

The play begins with the Narrator DOWN RIGHT. The crowd of 10 are at the back – UP CENTRE. In front of them are Peter, James & John, then Jesus is standing in front of them in the CENTRE. They are facing the audience except for Jesus who has his back turned as if he is talking to them. Jairus is standing DOWN LEFT with his back to the audience and the 5 mourners with speaking parts are behind Jairus facing the same way as him. As the Narrator begins, Jairus and the mourners walk towards Jesus and Jesus turns around to face Jairus. Jairus falls to his knees and momentarily bows his head then looks up at Jesus. The crowd of ten at the back are shifting around on their feet trying to see what is going on.

After the Narrator says, ‘He looked to his Father and prayed.’, Jesus pushes past Jairus and the 5 mourners and stands DOWN LEFT facing the audience but is looking upwards and silently mouthing words. His face is full of compassion. In the meantime, Jairus runs off stage UP LEFT.  Everyone else is looking at each other, shrugging their shoulders and turning their palms upwards as to indicate that they don’t know what is going on. Jairus runs back onto the stage from UP LEFT and heads towards Jesus. He begins his dialogue as soon as he enters the stage. Both arms are up in the air. Jesus turns around slowly and as he does, Jairus grabs both of Jesus’ arms and shakes them violently. When the Narrator says, ‘As this declaration rose into the air…’, the crowd become fractious and some fall to their knees grasping their heads with both hands and others stay standing but have their hands over their faces. Their shoulders are shaking, as if sobbing uncontrollably. Please note that there should be minimal noise coming from the wailers so that the Narrator can be heard. Most of this scene should be in mime.

The disciples, Peter, James & John are stood standing in the same place and are watching everything that is going on. They look uncomfortable and confused and keep looking back at Jesus to see what he will do. Jesus positions himself so that the audience can see his face and watches the mourners silently. His arms are drawn inwards near his stomach and his hands are resting in the middle of his body with one hand clasped over the other. He stays like this while the mourners approach him with their accusations. When the Narrator says, ‘A face of calm and eyes of peace…’ Jesus stays where he is, he but looks upwards. He briefly closes his eyes then mimes ‘Talitha Cumi’ as if he is imagining something in his head. The disciples have been slowly pushed to the back of the crowd while this has been going on.

Jesus suddenly pushes through the crowd and grabs Peter James & John by gently pulling at their arms. The crowd automatically splits apart so that the audience can see this happening. Jesus and the 3 disciples then exit the stage UP RIGHT. The mourners have their back to the audience and are watching UP RIGHT even after Jesus and the disciples disappear. They dismissively flick their right hands forward and down in a swiping motion to indicate contempt and they look down to their feet shaking their heads as if they think Jesus is crazy and the situation is hopeless. They all walk towards UP LEFT to exit the stage and as the Narrator says, ‘Others walked off mocking: This man cannot be trusted.’

They start whispering loudly, ‘This man cannot be trusted.’ They say this four times as they exit the stage. The lights dim and the 5 mourners come back onto the stage in the dark and place the camp bed down LEFT CENTRE with the pillow being nearer the Backstage end.

As soon as the camp bed is positioned. The 5 mourners stand in front it with their backs to the audience blocking the sight of the bed, while the 5 non-speaking mourners enter and place a small table & glass of water positioned to the far left of the bed. Jairus’ daughter must follow these mourners close behind and place herself in a lying position on the bed.

When everything is in place, the lights go up and the Narrator begins. All ten mourners are walking towards the CENTRE as if exiting the bedroom and they are grabbing at their clothes and sobbing silently. They stop RIGHT CENTRE and face LEFT CENTRE where the girl is lying. Jesus and his 3 disciples enter the stage UP RIGHT with Jairus and his wife walking in front of them towards LEFT CENTRE. The mourners move forward, but Jesus stops, pushes them back and beckons to the parents and the 3 disciples to come with him into the ‘bedroom’. He kneels down by the bed and briefly places one hand on the girl’s forehead while holding her hand with his other hand. He then holds her hand with both of his.

Jairus and his wife are stood behind Jesus, near the door and drop to their knees and shut their eyes. The mourners push each other to try to be close to the door.

As the Narrator says, ‘Light flooded the room.’ The girl takes a deep breath and opens her eyes. She then turns her head at looks at Jesus who is still kneeling beside her. As he smiles at her, she smiles back, and she sits up. Jairus and his wife look at each other for a few seconds, then look at their daughter on the bed. They look at each other again and embrace. Jairus gets up to go towards his daughter, while the wife humbly stays back, allowing the head of the home to take the lead. Jairus hugs his daughter for a long while, then gets up and embraces Jesus who is now standing with his arm resting upon the shoulder of the wife, who is clutching the leg of Jesus in gratefulness. She has her eyes closed and is looking down, while her head rests upon Jesus’ leg. The girl points to the glass of water and Jairus gets it for her. The disciples are looking relieved and are now smiling at each other. Then the crowd of ten enter the stage – 5 of them from UP RIGHT and 5 FROM UP LEFT. They walk towards the middle and stop behind the others on stage. Everyone then turns so they are facing the audience directly and they all recite the last 2 choruses. As they get to the last chorus everyone moves so they are around Jesus. The people closest to him put their arms around his back and hold on to his arms but recite the last words looking straight ahead, as if they are presenting Jesus to the audience. As the lights fade, the narrator quotes the bible verse, and everybody is embracing each other and laughing.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Talitha Cumi: Suggested Summary & Prayer

Posted on by Sharon

To be conducted preferably by either:

A group leader.

A church leader.

The Narrator.

Thank you for sitting patiently, watching, and listening while our students brought this great story to life by their excellent performance.

We hope that in this short time, you have gained a deeper insight into how amazing God is when we let him work in our lives.

Like Jairus, some of you may be feeling that you are in a hopeless situation where there is no chance of restoration. Or you may be feeling like it’s too late for God to step into your situation and turn it around. You need a miracle like the one in the story – there are dead things in your life that need bringing back to life.

Others may not have realised the extent to which Jesus desires to bless us and help us in every circumstance

God wants to enable you and equip you to do the things he called you to do. He wants to help you be the person he made you to be. If you turn your heart to him, he can open doors for you that seemed locked tight. He can move you from one path to another and set you on the right road. He can restore dead relationships and bring to life, buried hopes.

If you would like the opportunity to get to know Jesus better and have a close relationship with God the father, there is a simple prayer you can pray right now.

We have to first acknowledge that we need to be forgiven of our sin. Sin is anything we do, think, or say that is displeasing to God, which includes living life independently of him.

When you become a Christian, your problems do not just suddenly go away. There will still be enemies to face, debts to pay, sickness and pain, fear, and loneliness. But the difference is that you will have the King of kings walking alongside you to help you, guide you, comfort you, deliver you, strengthen, and give you hope and peace. Best of all, you will have the assurance that when you die, you will be taken in God’s kingdom, Heaven, to live with him forever.

So now we will talk to God. If you mean what you say, God will hear you. Don’t look for outward signs of feeling different or crying. Some of you may, but some may not. That’s okay because God is concerned with your heart.

Also, some of you may feel embarrassed to admit you have prayed this prayer and some may be concerned about what your friends will think. Remember two things. 1. You came into this world on your own and you will die on your own. Nobody else will be able to save you, so it really is nobody else’s business what you are doing right now. When you stand before God at the end of your life, those friends whose opinions you were afraid of, won’t be there to help persuade God to let you into Heaven.

Secondly, you may not have another chance to get your life right with your Creator, so please take this opportunity to sort things out with God right now.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving us the story of Jairus’ daughter to show us how much you want to help us. Thank you that we can have the hope that one day at the right time, you will deliver us from our awful circumstances, heal us and restore broken relationships.

Thank you that in the meantime, if we give our lives wholeheartedly to you, we can receive, strength, peace, wisdom, and comfort. I desperately want those things and I want to be free from the guilt of my sin, so I humbly come before you now to give my life to you.

I am sorry for the wrong things I have done in my life, which you call sin.

I acknowledge that I was born a sinner, which means that it’s in my nature to do things that displease you. I know that this includes the deepest thoughts and attitudes of my heart and the real motives behind everything I do.

Please forgive me for those sins and especially for the sin of keeping you out of my life.

Even though you love me, I know that because you are a God of justice and holiness, if I die without having my sins forgiven, I will spend eternity without you, in a terrible place called Hell.

I acknowledge that I need you and I want you in my life.

I believe that Jesus Christ is your son and that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I believe he rose again and is the living power that can take the Devil’s hold off my life. Please come into my life now and touch my heart with your forgiveness and love. I want to have a relationship with and get to know you more. My very being was created for this purpose and without you, my hunger for peace and happiness will never be satisfied.

I give you my life now. Please lead me to people who will help me become a good strong Christian and who will show me how to relate to the things of God. Help me to find a Bible that suits my understanding and a church that I can call home.

Thank you, Lord. I believe by faith now that you have answered my prayer. I believe that no matter how bad I may feel about myself in the future, you have forgiven me and saved me from my sins. Thank you. Amen.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Talitha Cumi

Posted on by Sharon

(Pronounced: “Tal-leetha Queue my” for effect rhyming)

NARRATOR

He must have been quite tired –

many miracles done that day,

but willing to do much more,

no-one was turned away.

So, when he heard the girl was dying,

he said, “Just believe, don’t be afraid.”

Knowing where healing comes from,

he looked to his father and prayed.

(pause)

No-one heard his words,

no-one knew what he was feeling.

There seemed to be a secret

that he was not revealing.

Anxious father, worried mother,

lots of friends and family,

shuffled around Jesus,

murmuring impatiently.

While their stomachs tied in knots

and they wrung their hands with worry,

Jesus did not seem troubled

and he wasn’t in a hurry.

Suddenly the father

pushed through the crowd,

face stained with burning tears

and screaming out so loud.

JAIRUS

She’s dead! Our child is dead!

Oh, my heart is bleeding!

I’ve spent so many hours

praying to God and pleading!

NARRATOR

As this declaration

rose into the air,

the truth behind the words

were more than they could bear.

Wails and screams, shouts, and cries

were heard across the plain.

How tragic that this little girl

would never breathe again.

The situation was hopeless,

people fell to the ground.

Mud was wet, hearts were torn.

There was a dreadful, mournful sound.

MOURNER 1

Oh, Jairus, we’re so sorry,

what else can we do

but join you on your knees

and mourn along with you?

MOURNER 2

I thought you said this Jesus man

was going to come along,

and see what he could do for you –

but, everything’s gone wrong!

NARRATOR

A face of calm and eyes of peace

looked up into the sky.

A mouth muttered silently,

but nobody knew why.

For a moment, he closed his eyes

and let out a gentle sigh.

He whispered something that sounded like,

“Talitha Cumi.”

Knowing who had faith in him,

he knew who to take along.

and walking off, he raised a hand

to push away the throng.

JESUS

No-one follow me

except for Peter, James, and John.

MOURNER 3

Don’t bother now, Jesus,

the little girl has gone.

Twenty minutes ago

she took her last breath.

These mourners have come

to grieve over her death.

JESUS

There’s no need to mourn

and please do not weep,

for this man’s precious daughter

is only asleep.

MOURNER 4

Oh, do not mock us!

Do not gloat!

There is no air

inside her throat!

MOURNER 5

Do not tease us!

Do not lie!

She is dead!

That’s why we cry!

NARRATOR

Contempt and anger rose,

some turned away disgusted.

Others walked off mocking,

“This man cannot be trusted!”

JESUS

I appreciate your care,

I salute your devotion,

but there is no need for

this uproar and commotion.

(pause)

NARRATOR

As he reached the house,

there were mourners everywhere,

some ripping their garments,

some with ashes in their hair.

(pause)

The actions of Jesus

were to be concealed,

for a heart of faith was needed

for this child to be healed.

The parents trusted him,

but they could still hear

words of negativity

filling the atmosphere.

Positive words were needed

for this life to resume,

so, the mother and father

were ushered into the room.

The rest of the naysayers

who were pronouncing her demise,

did not know they had become

the Devil’s best allies.

So, they were made to stay

outside the room and wail,

while faith-filled declarations

inside, would prevail.

(pause)

Jesus leant beside the girl.

Her body, lay so still.

But this did not bother him,

for he knew his father’s will.

He gently took her by the hand,

so limp, so pale, so weak.

But with authority and power,

Jesus began to speak:

JESUS

TALITHA CUMI,

I SAY UNTO YOU, ARISE!

TALITHA CUMI,

I HOLD YOUR HAND – OPEN YOUR EYES.

TALITHA CUMI,

WHY WEEP? SHE IS NOT DEAD –

JUST SLEEPING.

MY CHILD, LIFT UP YOUR HEAD.

NARRATOR

They stood outside the door.

They pressed their ears against the wood,

grumbling and mocking,

for no-one understood.

What was he doing inside the room?

Why was he telling her to wake?

Was this man really a healer?

Or was he a heartless fake?

JESUS

TALITHA CUMI,

I SAY UNTO YOU, ARISE!

TALITHA CUMI,

I HOLD YOUR HAND – OPEN YOUR EYES.

TALITHA CUMI,

WHY WEEP? SHE IS NOT DEAD –

JUST SLEEPING.

MY CHILD, LIFT UP YOUR HEAD.

NARRATOR

Light flooded the room

as the body took a breath.

The Saviour proved once again

he had power over death.

She did as he commanded,

she sat up with eyes alert;

her brain-function was in order

and her body was not hurt.

JAIRUS

My baby! My child! Oh, praise Jesus, my child!

She opened her eyes and my precious one smiled!

DAUGHTER

Daddy, I’m thirsty, can I have some water?

JAIRUS

Oh Jesus, you’ve healed my precious daughter!

MOURNERS

(All together)

TALITHA CUMI,

HE SAID UNTO HER, ‘ARISE’.

TALITHA CUMI,

SHE OPENED UP HER EYES.

TALITHA CUMI,

THE GIRL ROSE FROM THE DEAD.

SHE WOKE UP

AND GOT OUT OF HER BED!

WELL, WE GLORIFY

THE GOD UP IN THE SKIES!

WE TESTIFY,

IT’S BEEN A BIG SURPRISE!

WE VERIFY,

NOTHING ELSE CAN BE SAID

WE HAD UNBELIEF,

BUT NOW HAVE FAITH INSTEAD!

NARRATOR

(Turns to the audience)

Peace, I leave with you. My peace I give you.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

do not let your hearts be troubled

and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

-The End-

The Rhyming Drama Book

Talitha Cumi: Preliminary Information. Cast, Costumes, Props, Duration.

Posted on by Sharon

Topic: The healing of Jairus’ daughter (Based on Mark 5:35-43)

Main theme: Jesus can do the impossible

Approximate duration: 9 minutes

Cast

Cast: 26 characters + a narrator

Jairus

Jesus

Daughter of Jairus

Mourner 1

Mourner 2

Mourner 3

Mourner 4

Mourner 5

Non-speaking parts (everyone will recite the last chorus at the end)

Peter

James

John

5 further mourners

A crowd of 10 people needed for the very beginning of the play and for the very end.

Suggested Props & Costumes

A camp bed

A blanket or small duvet

A small table or box with a cloth and a glass of water

A long nightdress for the sick girl to wear. For modesty, she may either wear clothes underneath or an open gown on top of the nightdress.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Consequences: Director’s Notes

Posted on by Sharon

At the beginning of Scene One, Jo and Lisa are in the CENTRE and facing DOWN RIGHT, Jo is in front of Lisa and Lisa runs to catch up with her. Throughout the rest of the dialogue, they Stand DOWN RIGHT, facing each other.

In Scene Two, Jo is standing in the CENTRE facing DOWN RIGHT. Mark walks around her in circles throughout his dialogue but occasionally pauses to stand in front of her and take both her hands into his to kiss one of them. She is looking down but occasionally up looks up at him sheepishly like a child being scolded. When he says, “…you sexy/pretty little beauty.” he kisses the left side of her neck from behind. Mark often talks in a mocking voice then quickly tries to soften his approach by standing in front of her and taking her hands into his.

In Scene Three, there is a mattress acting as a couch in the centre of the stage, leaning against a makeshift wall or sturdy chairs. Mark’s torso is slumped to one side so that his head is resting on a cushion, but his legs are hanging off the mattress as if he has fallen asleep in front of the ‘television’. An arm is tucked under his head and the hand on the same arm is holding an empty beer can. He remains this way throughout the entire dialogue.

Lisa is sitting up facing the audience but looking back at Mark. A Bible is on her knees. After the last line of the dialogue, she pushes the Bible onto the floor and leans onto Mark’s back and closes her eyes, as the lights dim.

In Scene Four, Jo is sitting in the centre of the stage on a chair. She is looking uncomfortable and rubbing both arms. She is talking to the audience but doesn’t give much eye contact as she is embarrassed. Occasionally she looks up to the ceiling because she is thinking back to the past.

The narrator comes onto the stage and stands facing the audience DOWN CENTRE, but careful not to block the audience’s view of Jo. Just before the Narrator speaks, Jo puts her feet up on the chair and rests her chin on her knees. After the Narrator has read the bible verses, she turns around and exits the stage either left or right, while the lights fade on Jo, who has remained onstage in the same position.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Consquences: Suggested Summary & Choice of 3 Prayers

Posted on by Sharon

To be conducted preferably by either:

A group leader.

A church leader.

The Narrator.

Thank you for sitting patiently, watching, and listening while our students performed this great story excellently.

We hope that in this short time, you have gained a deeper insight into how amazing Jesus is when we let him work in our lives.

Like Jo, we may be feeling left out when we see all our friends with girlfriends or boyfriends. Even in church, sometimes we can be the only one who is not in a relationship, and it can make us feel different. Everybody wants to know they are attractive and loved and appreciated for their personality, but God’s plan for each life is different. Also, it is dangerous to get into a serious relationship too soon, because if things do not work out, one of the partners is at risk of jealousy and feeling used and rejected if they then see their ex-partner dating someone else in their class, team, youth group or church. And if that relationship leads to marriage, the spouse is at risk of resenting the previous girlfriend/ boyfriend, by knowing that they ‘had’ their partner first.

It is also hard if you look around your church and think that there are far more good-looking, suitable, eligible partners amongst your non-Christian peers. We need the power of Jesus to help us resist the temptation of getting seriously involved with someone who does not share our beliefs. We also need the strength to wait for the right person and that could be many years ahead.

If you have been in a relationship that has failed and left you feeling heartbroken and used, it is possible that you are struggling with feelings of anger and resentment, along with extreme sadness.

 Here is a prayer for you:

Prayer for emotional healing

Dear God,

I am sorry for letting my emotions run ahead of me by getting involved with the wrong person. I have said and done things I am ashamed of. Please forgive me and cleanse me from my unrighteousness. I am feeling used and tossed aside like a piece of old rubbish and this has made me very angry and hard-hearted. Help me to have a heart of forgiveness towards this person. Help me to even pray for your blessing on this person’s life and for them to find the right partner, even if it happens before it happens to me. Forgive them for hurting me, Lord. Help me to trust people again and to give up my right to hate that person for hurting me.

Keep me pure while I wait for the right person to marry. If it is going to be a long time in the future, give me the strength to wait and a ministry and hobbies that I can focus on until that time. Protect me from being abused by anyone and from entertaining vain imaginations in my mind of others I may consider suitable partners.

Lead me to good solid Christian friends of the same sex who will help me keep on the right road.

Give me wisdom to know how to dress modestly so that I attract the right suitor and do not draw attention from the wrong people. Remind me often that as a woman I don’t need to strive to look sexy and as a man, I don’t need to prove my power and ability in order to attract the person you have set aside for me. Give me confidence in who I am and in what I look like.

Help me to hold my head up high, knowing that I have been cleansed and forgiven by you.

I choose to believe that I am what you say about me. A pure, holy, forgiven, beautiful, person who has a wonderful personality and made in your perfect image.

In Jesus name, amen.

If you are wanting to be in a relationship and feeling desperate to have a lifelong marriage partner, here is a prayer for you.

Prayer for patience

Dear God,

I am fed up with seeing other people get boyfriend /girlfriends. Often new people come into my youth group/church and within a few months, they are ‘an item’, while I have been waiting for ages. This feels unfair and makes me cross.

I also hate it when people younger than me announce they are engaged. I so want to find the right person and get married, but it seems you are not listening to me. Also, I hate it when my friends do not want to spend so much time with me because they are now in a relationship with someone.

I also cringe when I go towards a group of friends and they are all sat with partners. I feel like the odd one out and it hurts badly.

Please help me to accept your will for my life and to trust that your timing is right.

Show me in your word how I do not need a boyfriend/girlfriend to feel happy and complete. May I find my completeness in you.

Forgive me for my impatience and for the times when I have dressed and acted inappropriately in order to attract those of the opposite sex. Please also forgive me for my jealousy towards others who are in relationships.

I choose to believe that I am special and that you have my best interests at heart. I choose to dress modestly, and I choose to behave in a modest way around peers of the opposite sex.

Thank you, God for setting me free from anxiousness, jealousy, and impatience. Thank you for the plans you have for my life.

Amen.

If you would like the opportunity to get to know Jesus better and have a close relationship with God the father, there is a simple prayer you can pray right now.

We have to first acknowledge that we need to be forgiven of our sin. Sin is anything we do think or say that is displeasing to God, which includes living life independently of him.

When you become a Christian, your problems do not just suddenly go away. There will still be enemies to face, debts to pay, sickness and pain, fear, and loneliness. But the difference is that you will have the King of kings walking alongside you to help you, guide you, comfort you, deliver you, strengthen, and give you hope and peace. Best of all, you will have the assurance that when you die, you will be taken in God’s kingdom, Heaven, to live with him forever.

So now we will talk to God. If you mean what you say, God will hear you. Don’t look for outward signs of feeling different or crying. Some of you may, but some may not. That’s okay because God is concerned with your heart.

Also, some of you may feel embarrassed to admit you have prayed this prayer and some may be concerned about what your friends will think. Remember two things. 1. You came into this world on your own and you will die on your own. Nobody else will be able to save you, so it really is nobody else’s business what you are doing right now. When you stand before God at the end of your life, those friends whose opinions you were afraid of, won’t be there to help persuade God to let you into Heaven.

Secondly, you may not have another chance to get your life right with your Creator, so please take this opportunity to sort things out with God right now.

Prayer for salvation

Dear God,

Thank you that you care deeply about our emotions and our future.

Thank you that if we give our lives wholeheartedly to you, we can receive, strength, peace, wisdom, and comfort. I desperately want those things and I want to be free from the guilt of my sin, so I humbly come before you now to give my life to you.

I am sorry for the wrong things I have done in my life, which you call sin.

I acknowledge that I was born a sinner, which means that it’s in my nature to do things that displease you. I know that this includes the deepest thoughts and attitudes of my heart and the real motives behind everything I do.

Please forgive me for those sins and especially for the sin of keeping you out of my life.

Even though you love me, I know that because you are a God of justice and holiness, if I die without having my sins forgiven, I will spend eternity without you, in a terrible place called Hell.

I acknowledge that I need you and I want you in my life.

I believe that Jesus Christ is your son and that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I believe he rose again and is the living power that can take the Devil’s hold off my life. Please come into my life now and touch my heart with your forgiveness and love. I want to have a relationship with and get to know you more. My very being was created for this purpose and without you, my hunger for peace and happiness will never be satisfied.

I give you my life now. Please lead me to people who will help me become a good strong Christian and who will show me how to relate to the things of God. Help me to find a Bible that suits my understanding and a church that I can call home.

Thank you, Lord. I believe by faith now that you have answered my prayer. I believe that no matter how bad I may feel about myself in the future, you have forgiven me and saved me from my sins. Thank you. Amen.

The Rhyming Drama Book

Consequences: Scene Four. “I Have To Pay”

Posted on by Sharon

NARRATOR

It’s been more than a year since Lisa and Jo had their conversation about compromise. Jo hasn’t seen her for ages and misses her company. She kind of pushed Lisa away but doesn’t know that if she told her how she was feeling, her best friend of many years would rush to her side straight away. Like Jesus, Lisa just wants to help Jo and remind her that forgiveness and restoration is always part of God’s plan.

 (Jo is sitting in the centre of the stage on a chair. She is looking uncomfortable and rubbing both arms. She is talking to the audience but doesn’t give much eye contact as she is embarrassed. Occasionally she looks up to the ceiling because she is thinking back to the past.)

JO

‘Didn’t want to be the odd-one-out,

It was better to be weak.

It was easier to compromise

than to be called a freak.

I thought I was missing out,

having no boyfriend,

but I wish I could have seen

how this was going to end.

People tried to warn me,

but I didn’t believe they cared.

‘Would have rather stayed single,

than have the wasted time we shared!

It seemed so wonderful…

I never felt so loved before,

but huh, Mark and I

are not together anymore.

I spent so much time with him –

he really had my trust.

I thought I really loved him,

now I see it was just lust.

(pause)

I miss those times

When I used to talk with Jesus.

When I joined my friends in church,

Mark just used to tease us.

I used to feel complete,

now all I feel is lack,

and all that I once had,

is now harder to get back!

(Pause. Jo looks up and prays.)

Lord, I willingly gave away

what once belonged to you.

All that Lisa told me,

turned out to be true.

But I didn’t want to listen,

I wanted my own way.

Disobedience costs a lot –

and now, I have to pay.

(Looks at the audience)

Oh, I had fun with Mark,

but nothing satisfied.

People came to warn me.

Oh, many people tried.

We had plenty in common,

as far as flesh was concerned.

But now that’s all over,

a big lesson has been learned.

For, our spirits were not joined.

There was nothing there.

I cared about my soul,

he cared about his hair.

I thought about death,

he thought about money,

I cried at the ‘Jesus film’,

he thought the film was funny.

(Pause as she looks around the room)

(If this is proving too long to memorise, Jo can pick up a bible that has the rest of the lines attached to the front cover and the inside covers – she can appear to be fondly embracing the book which she has so long ignored, by staring at it to surreptitiously read the lines, then clutching it to her chest as she recites)

It looked so enticing,

the picture that he painted,

but life out there’s not great –

and now I’m feeling tainted.

At the night club,

there were so many smiles,

hiding behind…

insecure lifestyles.

On the dance floor,

they all seemed athletic,

but ‘were superficial souls,

so shallow and pathetic.

They couldn’t offer me

the peace that I craved,

for they themselves had hearts

that were bleeding and depraved.

I was unaware

that with Mark, I was enslaved.

He was a living-dead,

because he wasn’t saved.

He was a living-dead

and I, a hypocrite,

who was carnally driven –

my faith, counterfeit.

He was a good person,

but good’s not good enough.

Everything God told him,

he would strongly rebuff.

I didn’t understand

our lives were far apart,

for we had different deities

living in our heart.

I became desensitised,

corrupt and degraded.

I was flippant and unfeeling,

while my love for Jesus faded.

(pause)

It’s so worth being single!

It’s so worth the wait!

I’ve cheapened my life

by having the wrong date!

A boyfriend’s not so cool

if the world is his attraction.

I’m a fool to love a fool –

he was such a distraction!

I want Jesus in my life,

for he knows what’s best for me.

His wisdom and guidance

will truly set me free.

I was blinded by what’s popular

and what appears to be cool,

but disobeying God,

shows I’m just a fool.

If only I had listened

and not gone my own way!

Disobedience costs a lot

and now I have to pay.

(Jo puts her feet up on the chair and rests her chin on her knees.)

NARRATOR

A fool despises his father’s instructions but he who receives correction is prudent, acting with care and thought for the future. (Proverbs 15:25)

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

(Jo stares into space as the lights fade.)

-The End-