Practice, Practice and More Practice

Today was one of my favorite Bible Bowl review games, the buzzer round.  My class broke up into four teams and competed to answer  questions over the book of John. It still fascinates me at how much information they remember! 

After church services and Bible Bowl we headed over to the batting cages for Abigail to get in a little practice.  The weather hasn't been cooperating for outdoor practices. Softball season starts up soon! 

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9

Study Hard!

Our Bible Bowl class is working our way through the book of John!  Texas Bible Bowl will be here in no time! Today I had the kids work on their chapter heading cards. 

There are seventy-eight chapter headings in the book of John.  These are important for study because if you are studying scripture with someone and they want to know where baptism is required for salvation you could direct them to John 3:5; Galatians 3, Matthew 28 or Acts chapter 2. 

So many great uses for knowing where to find things in scripture outside of the Bible Bowl application.  Primarily would be that you can't teach someone else what you don't know.  Also in times of trouble it brings a ready recall to the comfort the Spirit offers us.  

These kids are doing great and I can't wait to see how the Lord will use them in His kingdom! 

I have stored up your word in my heart,

    that I might not sin against you. Psalms 119:11

Bible Bowl Buddies

For Bible Bowl this year I have quite a few high school boys.  The boys have been taking turns teaching the Bible lessons and doing a fabulous job!  With Caleb in town this weekend he taught from the book of John.  

One of my sweet preschoolers asked to hang out with us in class because her older sister is in the class.  She helped me get a few pictures of our class.  She was intrigued with Jon's beard and took several pictures of him!  At the end of class she wanted a selfie with Caleb, so sweet! 

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. I Timothy 5:1-2

Passing the Torch

One of the great things about teaching Bible Bowl for so many years is I get to see these young people grow up into adult; into Christians serving in the Lord's body.  Today was one of those wonderful moments.  Matthew has been actively involved in my Bible Bowl classes since he was in third grade and today he took on the role as teacher.  

Matthew taught a class full of his peers over John chapter six. It is one of the longer chapters in the book of John and Matthew did a great job of capturing everyone's attention as he took us through the feeding of the 5,000  and Christ being the bread of life.  

I'm so proud of Matthew and the other young men in my class who have taken on carrying the torch of the Lord's Word for the next generation! 

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. John 6:47

Texas Bible Bowl - Day Three

For posterity sake:   McDermott had 33 youth and 5 adults competed in Texas Bible Bowl (formerly National Bible Bowl).  

Individual Competition:

Elementary (3rd-6th graders) In-Experienced (1st Timers) Division:  Austin -10th; Callie - 9th; Naomi - 6th; and Malachi - 4th!

Elementary (3rd-6th) Experienced Division (Returning competitors):  Deanna - 9th; Henry - 8th; Noah L. - 7th; Bethany - 4th; and Gabriel -2nd!

Jr High (7th-9th) In-Experienced (1st timers): Ashlyn Martin 1st place!

Jr. High (7th-9th) Experienced (Returning competitors): Noah S. - 9th; Robert & Ella - tied for 8th; Zach - 7th; Joey - 3rd; and Matthew - 2nd!

Sr. High (10th-12th) Experienced (Returning competitors): Abigail took 3rd place!

Adult Division:  Ms. Sara - 7th and Ms. Julie - came in 2nd! Out of 250 questions Julie only missed 2 for a score of 248!

Team Competition (only Jr. High & Sr. High compete in Teams):

Jr. High In-Experienced Division: First Place Team: Ashlyn  with a combined team from another congregation

Jr. High Experienced Division:  First Place Team: Noah S., Matthew, Joey, & Kaiden 

Second Place Team: Zach with a combined team from another congregation

Sr. High Experienced Division:  First Place Team: Abigailwith a combined team from another congregation

33 kids, 5 adult test takers, came home with 19 ribbons and 4 trophies! 

Next year Texas Bible Bowl will be April 5th-7th, 2019 and we will be studying the book of John! Class starts in October!

And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him.  1 Samuel 18:14

Texas Bible Bowl - Day Two

Today is Test Day! Imagine voluntarily testing your knowledge over the book of 1 Samuel  in the form of five rounds of forty questions and one Power Round of fifty questions.  One of the great take aways from studying the book of 1 Samuel is that God was supposed to be Israel's king.  God did allow Israel to have their way and have an earthly king but no king would be perfect as God.  1 Samuel also lays the ground work for the perfect King, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.   The fact that these kids understand this at such a young age will serve them well in their decision making in life. 

The Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 1 Samuel 8:7

Texas Bible Bowl - Day One

We're here at Bandina Christian Youth Camp in Bandera, Texas for Texas Bible Bowl!  We brought thirty-three test takers, both youth and parents for this weekend.  They have put in a lot of hard work and this is the fun part.  The part where they get to interact with other like minded kids who have worked just as hard studying the Bible. 

Caleb drove down from Lubbock Christian University to bring scholarships for the top three finalist in the Senior Experienced Division and to encourage our kids.  

Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:2-3

Leadership Training for Christ - Day 2

Day two of Leadership Training for Christ holds a full days worth of events.  The youth are able to use their developed skills in chorus, song leading, drama, puppets, sing language, speech and many others. 

It was wonderful to see my Bible Bowl kids displaying their skills in so many different talents. Several of our little girls gave speeches and they came to watch as Abigail delivered her speech. 

My older Bible Bowl guys all took part in leading congregational singing and in speech.  They were amazing and have grown and matured in their faith so much this year.  I'm so very proud of each of them! These guys will be prepared to give an answer for their faith and the courage to boldly stand up for what they believe! 

The Lord your God was your king - 1 Samuel 12:12

Leadership Training for Christ - Day 1

Friday night at North Texas Leadership Training for Christ is kicked off with Bible Bowl.  This Bible Bowl is the same material, the book of 1 Samuel as Texas Bible Bowl but on a lot easier level.  

Tonight's test is only 100 questions for 7th - 12th graders and 75 questions for 3rd - 6th graders. McDermott took 80+ 3rd-6th graders to Bible Bowl. On Wednesday night I hung out with our McDermott kids as they prepared for tonight. 

There will be over 6,000 youth participating in Leadership Training for Christ in North Texas and thousands of kids across the U.S. participating this year.  Can you imagine if each of those kids then go out and spread the gospel to just 10 people the impact they would have on the world?! 

He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Mark 16:15

Texas Bible Bowl Class 2017-2017

We're getting close to Texas Bible Bowl.  For me, the test concluded close to fourteen months of preparation.  Hour and hours are spent writing the 150+ page Study Guide.  Then there are hours spent formatting and preparing the text that allows my students to distinguish between people, place and other helpful information.  

This year I prepared over 1,000 flash cards to help the kids master the information.  Then there's the chapter heading cards, multiple games, almost 120 pages of lesson plans, 26 page sample test, over 30 practice tests . . . . 

I overheard someone say that the kids scores at competition was a direct reflection of the work each child but into their studies but I would like to think their scores are also a reflection of the work I put into preparing them AND their work. 

Regardless, these guys know so much more than they did about the book of I Samuel when we started class six months ago.  They have clear understanding that God was suppose to be Israel's king and when you look to any one or any thing to take God's place it won't go well! 

I'm so proud of all their work!  Now if you'll excuse me I'm already working on the Study Guide for the book of John for next year. 

Commit your work to the Lord,

    and your plans will be established.

Proverbs 16:3

Boldly Go!

As we're getting closer to Texas Bible Bowl, I've brought in a few special guests into the class to encourage our kids. Today Barrett, our High School Youth Minister came in to encourage the kids in their studies.  Barrett wasn't able to make it to our Game Night so he popped in today to tell the kids how proud he is of their studies. 

Caleb also was home for Spring Break so he led our review games today.  The kids are always excited to see him, it makes my mom heart happy! 

. . .he preached boldly in the name of Jesus  Acts 9:27

Game Night

Texas Bible Bowl is rapidly approaching and the kids have been working hard studying. Tonight is the night when they get to have a little fun and showcase their hard work. 

Frankie, Abigail and I spent yesterday shopping and setting up for the big event.  The kids competed in sorting chapter heading cards, Jeopardy, Tic-Tac-Toe, Ha! and Survey Says. 

My student's moms made sure there were plenty of drinks and snacks for the big event.  The moms also were great to help keep score and clean up after all the fun. 

The kids seemed to have a great time and I made sure there were prizes for game winners.  The kids get so excited to show off what they've learned and it's a wonderful evening for Moms and Dads to cheer them on! 

"If you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it." Acts 13:15

Sunday Selfies

Between class and review games, Abigail got today's class to take a Sunday selfie to send to the Ada congregation.  The sweet kids were all smiles this morning.  

A glad heart makes a happy face.

Proverbs 15:13

Name that Chapter

Today I introduced my Bible Bowl class to a new game to help them learn where in 1 Samuel the Bible stories can be found.  I made large flash cards printed with the chapter headings in 1 Samuel. 

I inserted a 'Name that Heading' card printed on card stock slid into Dry Erase Pockets I purchased on Amazon and dry erase markers for each student. 

As I called off the Chapter Heading the students wrote their answers and when I called them to, 'Show their answer' they held up their dry erase boards.  

If they got the correct answer they were awarded a token. Students who answered more than half of the headings correctly earned candy! 

These dry erase pockets are great for many review games where the kids write in their answer. Earning tokens for a reward is a great motivator, too! 

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Ending 2017 with My Loves

The last Sunday of the year and one more opportunity for the boy to teach a room full of kids.  Today Caleb took the kids through 1 Samuel chapters 17 and 18 as God granted David success.  

We took off last week for Christmas but I didn't want to skip two class two weeks in a row. I was delighted that so many kids showed up for class despite the holidays! 

I've gotten spoiled having Caleb home to help teach class for me.  I'm going to miss that kid when he heads back to college! 

The Lord will keep you from all harm—

    he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

    both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121:7-8

A Time to Celebrate

What an incredibly fun day!  First off it's the Lord's Day, the very best day of the week when we celebrate when Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 

Next up was Bible class where we are studying the book of Psalms and it's wonderful collection of poems, hymns, and prayers. That was followed by our Bible Bowl class.  My favorite Biblical Text & Preaching Major taught today lesson over chapters 15 & 16 of 1 Samuel.  

How could the day possibly get any better, you ask.  When it came snack time, I found out they had an unexpected surprise planned!  My Bible Bowl moms surprised me with birthday cake, confetti, noisemakers and a beautiful cake!  

We take a break from Bible Bowl at the end of the year so the the kids held an early surprise for me.  I was blown away, I had no idea what they were up too!  Such a fun, heart warming day, filled with lots of sweet hugs and lovely hand made cards! 

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.  John 20:1

Iron Sharpens Iron

Today is an exciting day, Bible Bowl WITH Caleb! I guess a little back story is in order.  The first year Jon and I experienced National Bible Bowl was at McDermott Road with Caleb, Richard, Blake and Sam.  The boys were in 4th & 5th grades and Ms. Sally had told us about National Bible Bowl at Abilene Christian University.  It was the same material as Leadership Training for Christ's Bible Bowl on steroids!  

National Bible Bowl is 250 questions! The four boys competed that year over the book of 1 Samuel.  They would go on to compete in Nationals at ACU, Oklahoma Christian University, The Soul Winning Workshop and now at Texas Bible Bowl. 

Many of the kids we've added over the years are kids that have a special bond and closeness to Caleb and Abigail.  Because of the sweet friendships the kids have asked each week how Caleb is doing in Spain.  Today Caleb is home and here to hang out with the class.  

It was a great day having all 'my kids' together.  I love that the kids Richard and Caleb once encouraged are now serving to encourage younger kids!  That is how that is supposed to work.  It's neat to think that one day these kids will be serving in the Lord's body at other congregations when they grow up. How sweet to think of the friendship they've formed in their youth! 

As iron sharpens iron,

    so one person sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17

Class Review Games

Today was one of our Texas Bible Bowl classes favorite days, review time!  With is being Thanksgiving weekend I didn't want to introduce new material, so we spent the class period reviewing everything we've covered  from 1 Samuel chapters 1-13.

Some of the classes favorite games to play to review are Tic Tac Toe, Jeopardy and Ha! Part of the material I create when I write the Student Study Guide for Texas Bible Bowl are review cards.  These cards are the questions contained in the Study Guide formatted with single question and answer with chapter and verse printed on 3"x 5" cards.

Using an Oxford Card File and 1-31 Index Card Dividers, I file my 3" x 5" review question cards by chapter number, then when I'm ready to play a review game I pull out the cards for the chapter we are reviewing! The game links above will take you to step by step instructions if you would like to create your own review games, perfect for reviewing any Bible lesson! 

Here is a link to my 1 Samuel lessons for Texas Bible Bowl, the lessons are based on the ESV.  

Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress,

    and for their children it will be a refuge.

Proverbs 14:25

Texas Bible Bowl Informative Speech for Jr. Toastmasters

Tonight Abigail gave her first informative speech of the school year with Jr. Toastmasters. It is a speech to provide the listener with information about a topic, the requirements include having visuals.  For Abigail's visuals she passed out the previous Texas Bible Bowl test, all six rounds! 

Want to try your hand at it?  Click HERE to print it out!  Just remember to pay attention to the times allowed on each section (time appears on the bottom of each page) and whether it is open or closed Bible (listed in heading)! 

If you want to participate in Texas Bible Bowl, I made my study materials available on Teachers Pay Teachers. 

Hear, O sons, a father's instruction,

    and be attentive, that you may gain insight,

for I give you good precepts;

    do not forsake my teaching.

Proverbs 4:1-2

Iron Sharpens Iron

Our sweet Ms. Aimee came to visit our Bible Bowl class today! Back in 2000 at the Owasso congregation, Jon coordinated Leadership Training for Christ. At that time an 8th grade Aimee and a 7th grade Frankie were part of the Bible Bowl group.  Jon taught the boys including Aimee's brother Brooks.  I taught Frankie's group.

Ms. Aimee came by to encourage our class in their studies and pursuit of learning God’s Word! It’s so rewarding to see ‘our kids’ serving in the Lord’s work and encouraging another generation! It was so sweet to see my 'big kids' with my younger kids!  Ms. Aimee brought her sweet babies in with her, too!  Hard to believe she had a kindergartner! 

I love that these kids can see that what they are learning now will benefit them as adults when they serve in the Lord's body where ever life takes them! 

We had no idea in 2000 when Aimee and Frankie were studying 2 Kings for LTC in Oklahoma that by 2002 they would be at McDermott preparing for LTC and studying Genesis together!

As iron sharpens iron,

    so one person sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17