I can’t believe my last post was in December and it is already February. If you visit the web site regularly hopefully you noticed some very significant changes. You can now download all of the games and lessons to your local computer. You might ask, “Why didn’t you do that before now?” Here are some of my reasons:
1. I rationalized that if people downloaded the games and lessons they would have no reason to return to the web site. After much thought and prayer I came to the conclusion that my ultimate goal is to provide resources useful to Bible teachers and students. I realized that the resources on the web site were only useful when there was an internet connection available. Even though this is becoming more common, there are still plenty of church buildings and classrooms that do not have access. Surprisingly, traffic on the web site has actually increased since making the downloads available….go figure.
2. Another reason I haven’t made these available is that I was afraid people would turn around and try to sell these free resources to others. I have resisted the temptation to commercialize the web site (there was actually about 1 week where I had an online store link which has since been removed). The best defense against this is for everyone to spread the word about these free resources. If everyone knows about them, then who would pay for something that they can get for free? Remember, it’s more blessed to give than to receive.
3. The last reason is purely selfish. Each game, lesson, or cartoon represents a part of me and sometimes it’s just hard to let go. Now that they can be downloaded and shared I have almost no control….which in this case is a good thing. My prayer is that these resources will bless someone’s life, no matter what path they may take.
Thanks for reading my ramblings and I hope you are one of those who have been blessed. Until next time….whenever that might be.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Friday, December 10, 2010
It has been awhile
Some people shouldn’t blog and I’m probably one of them. For one, I’m not a person that likes to talk when I’ve run out of things to do. Second, blogging is sort of like writing letters, I have more good intentions of writing them than I do of actual letters being written. So let me talk about what is happening on the website, because that comes fairly easily.
You may have noticed a number of new games along with audio being added to existing games. The addition of audio was actually a request from a website user and I do think it adds a new dimension to them. Without boring you to much about how the games are programmed let me give you a quick overview. All of the games were originally programmed in an application called Authorware. The company that owned Authorware was bought out by Adobe and Adobe decided to drop their support of the application. The games would probably continue to function for sometime but I decided to re-program them in Flash, which is very popular on the web and hopefully will be supported for a very long time. I have been using variations of these games for many years in my fourth grade Sunday school classroom and the kids love them. There are a couple of more games that are still in Authorware and during the coming year my intent is to convert them to Flash and put them on the website.
My current project is to enhance the Bible Talks lesson guides. When I originally put out the student guides I did so in great haste and have never really been happy with them. My goal is for the enhanced versions to have a better layout to make them more useful.
As always, my “To Do” list for the website is never ending so check back often to see what I’ve gotten accomplished. Thanks for visiting.
You may have noticed a number of new games along with audio being added to existing games. The addition of audio was actually a request from a website user and I do think it adds a new dimension to them. Without boring you to much about how the games are programmed let me give you a quick overview. All of the games were originally programmed in an application called Authorware. The company that owned Authorware was bought out by Adobe and Adobe decided to drop their support of the application. The games would probably continue to function for sometime but I decided to re-program them in Flash, which is very popular on the web and hopefully will be supported for a very long time. I have been using variations of these games for many years in my fourth grade Sunday school classroom and the kids love them. There are a couple of more games that are still in Authorware and during the coming year my intent is to convert them to Flash and put them on the website.
My current project is to enhance the Bible Talks lesson guides. When I originally put out the student guides I did so in great haste and have never really been happy with them. My goal is for the enhanced versions to have a better layout to make them more useful.
As always, my “To Do” list for the website is never ending so check back often to see what I’ve gotten accomplished. Thanks for visiting.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
The pain of insult
None of us likes to be insulted because insults hurt. In some ways insults are like knives. Some knives are dull and won’t cut much, but others are so sharp that just brushing a finger against the blade will draw blood. Likewise, there are different types of insults, some that don’t bother us, but then there are others that cut deep. So what is it that makes some insults easy to bear and some insults hurt so bad that we carry their scars around our entire lives? I believe the answer to that question centers on one word; love. The degree to which an insult can inflict pain is directly related to the depth of our love. If someone we barely know, or a total stranger, says we are pathetic or worthless, it may hurt, but we might pass it off as a comment from someone that doesn’t really know us. But, if someone we love, whom we have known for a long time, says we are pathetic or worthless it cuts right to our heart and hurts as much as any pain we can experience in life. Insults are a form of rejection. It’s the use of words to inflict pain and injury and if you have ever been insulted by someone you truly love you know they are wounds that are slow to heal and hard to forgive.
Read these words describing the sufferings of Jesus found in Matthew chapter 27:37-44.
Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' "In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
When we remember the sufferings of Jesus we often focus on the physical pain of the cross and overlook the pain of Jesus being mocked and insulted. The degree to which an insult can inflict pain is directly related to the depth of love, and the depth of Jesus’ love was being demonstrated by his very presence on the cross. Each insult must have inflicted pain that reached deep into his heart because he was being rejected by his own creation, which he dearly loved. If you have ever been insulted by someone you care about, someone you love, you understand that pain. But maybe that very pain can serve as a reminder to you of how much you are loved, because Jesus willingly bore the pain of being mocked and insulted. And not only was he willing to bear the pain of insult but at the cross he freely forgave.
Reflect on these words from 1 Peter 2:22-24:
"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
Read these words describing the sufferings of Jesus found in Matthew chapter 27:37-44.
Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' "In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
When we remember the sufferings of Jesus we often focus on the physical pain of the cross and overlook the pain of Jesus being mocked and insulted. The degree to which an insult can inflict pain is directly related to the depth of love, and the depth of Jesus’ love was being demonstrated by his very presence on the cross. Each insult must have inflicted pain that reached deep into his heart because he was being rejected by his own creation, which he dearly loved. If you have ever been insulted by someone you care about, someone you love, you understand that pain. But maybe that very pain can serve as a reminder to you of how much you are loved, because Jesus willingly bore the pain of being mocked and insulted. And not only was he willing to bear the pain of insult but at the cross he freely forgave.
Reflect on these words from 1 Peter 2:22-24:
"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
Friday, August 6, 2010
Guest Book
One of the things I enjoy the most from the Creative Learning Ideas web site are reading the posts to the Guest Book. Its always encouraging to hear how the web site is being used by people all over the world.
The web site is always a work in progress. I'm currently working on developing some interactive Old and New Testament maps. I'm thinking if I give myself a deadline I might be motivated to apply more effort to completing the project. So here it is, my deadline for completing the maps is...............October 22, 2010. Just an arbitrary date but a motivator none the less. My prayer is that somehow your life will be blessed by the resources on the Creative Learning Ideas web site.
The web site is always a work in progress. I'm currently working on developing some interactive Old and New Testament maps. I'm thinking if I give myself a deadline I might be motivated to apply more effort to completing the project. So here it is, my deadline for completing the maps is...............October 22, 2010. Just an arbitrary date but a motivator none the less. My prayer is that somehow your life will be blessed by the resources on the Creative Learning Ideas web site.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Starting over
Have you ever missed your mouth while gulping a soft drink or sipping a cup of coffee? It's embarrassing, and it happened to me on my way to work a while back. There was no time to go home and change my clothes so I had to wear the stain on my nice pressed white shirt. All during the day I felt obligated to explain to everyone I met the story of my clumsiness. During our lives we all make mistakes, do things we're ashamed of, say things we regret. They are stains on our spiritual clothes. Wouldn't it be nice to erase those stains, change our spiritual clothes, start all over. It can happen. God's grace can remove anything, no matter how permanent the stain may appear. It's like being given a new identity and an opportunity for a clean fresh start. Wearing clean clothes is part of our daily routine, why not make it part of our spiritual lives?
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Some consequences of sin
Sin has consequences. But one of the most devastating effects of sin is something that we can’t necessarily see with our eyes. It’s something that occurs on the inside of us, in our hearts. It may display outward symptoms just like a fever is a symptom of an inward infection. But the real problem is not on the outside, its on the inside. The devastating effects of sin which I’m talking about are guilt and fear.
Guilt and fear manifested itself almost immediately after sin entered the world. It caused Adam and Eve to cover themselves and to hide from the presence of God. And it is still the same today. Guilt and fear still causes us to try to cover up our sin and to avoid being in the presence of God. It may manifest itself outwardly by us no longer praying or ceasing to meet with other Christians. The barrier that sin places between us and God is the result of our own actions. Sin undermines and destroys our confidence to stand before our most holy God.
The world we live in offers an almost infinite number of ways for numbing the effects of guilt and fear. But the world in its wisdom has no answer for its removal. We are powerless, there is nothing that we can give to God to pay back for our disobedience, there is nothing we can say to God that will erase our actions, so we do what Adam and Eve did, we try our best to cover up our sin and we avoid being in His presence.
But God seeks us out, even though we may try to hide. He tells us he knows of our sin, even though we try to cover it up. He offers us a path back to him; even though we go astray. Listen to these verses from Hebrews 10:19-24:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
The blood of Jesus renews our confidence to stand in the presence of God. The blood of Jesus cleanses our hearts and frees us from our guilty conscience. What we were powerless to do God accomplished by sending his Son into the world. The writer of Hebrews states that we have an advocate before God who understands our weaknesses and exchanges are guilt and fear for grace and confidence. He says: (Hebrews 4:14-16):
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Guilt and fear manifested itself almost immediately after sin entered the world. It caused Adam and Eve to cover themselves and to hide from the presence of God. And it is still the same today. Guilt and fear still causes us to try to cover up our sin and to avoid being in the presence of God. It may manifest itself outwardly by us no longer praying or ceasing to meet with other Christians. The barrier that sin places between us and God is the result of our own actions. Sin undermines and destroys our confidence to stand before our most holy God.
The world we live in offers an almost infinite number of ways for numbing the effects of guilt and fear. But the world in its wisdom has no answer for its removal. We are powerless, there is nothing that we can give to God to pay back for our disobedience, there is nothing we can say to God that will erase our actions, so we do what Adam and Eve did, we try our best to cover up our sin and we avoid being in His presence.
But God seeks us out, even though we may try to hide. He tells us he knows of our sin, even though we try to cover it up. He offers us a path back to him; even though we go astray. Listen to these verses from Hebrews 10:19-24:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
The blood of Jesus renews our confidence to stand in the presence of God. The blood of Jesus cleanses our hearts and frees us from our guilty conscience. What we were powerless to do God accomplished by sending his Son into the world. The writer of Hebrews states that we have an advocate before God who understands our weaknesses and exchanges are guilt and fear for grace and confidence. He says: (Hebrews 4:14-16):
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Ding…., I think they’re done!
The quizzes for each of the online lessons have been added. To be totally honest, I found creating the quizzes more an exercise in patience than a labor of love. Maybe it’s because I’ve never really enjoyed taking quizzes. My guess is that there are probably a few unintended errors in the quizzes which I didn’t catch while putting them together. I hope to review them over the next month, but if you discover any mistakes feel free to provide comments to this blog. If you are the type person that enjoys testing your knowledge I hope you will find these challenging enough.
So what’s next? I’m pondering several ideas, but adding some interactive maps for Old and New Testament people and events keeps popping into my brain. I’ll probably mull it over for awhile, but I’m already looking forward to jumping into the next project.
So what’s next? I’m pondering several ideas, but adding some interactive maps for Old and New Testament people and events keeps popping into my brain. I’ll probably mull it over for awhile, but I’m already looking forward to jumping into the next project.
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