Creativity | Jesse Joyner

Cardboard Craft: Noah’s Ark

My daughter was making a zoo with blocks and her little plastic animals. I figured, “Why don’t we just make a Noah’s Ark since we have all these animals?” I’m not the most crafty person in the world, but I know how to cut cardboard boxes. So I started cutting up an Amazon shipping box. Her imagination did the rest! She proudly drew the windows. She loves it!

The great thing about crafts with kids is that it doesn’t have to be a masterpiece! It’s clearly a rectangular box and is not the stylish boat shape you see in great art. But five year olds don’t care! They just want to play with friends and family and use their God-given imaginations. We adults could learn a thing or two from that.

Cost: Nothing.

Payoff: Fun, stimulated imaginations, opportunity to share a faith story and its meaning with my daughter.

Lance Brown: Speed Painter

When I spoke at Mt. Lebanon Camp last summer, I got to meet someone who brought a very creative presentation to the campers on an evening in the middle of the week. After our worship service was over, we had a special program for the campers where they could wave glow sticks and wear glow-in-the-dark accessories in the worship center as we turned out the lights and played loud music. They loved it.

Towards the end, a thousand campers watched as a glow-man figure emerged onto the stage and danced a bit to a Michael Tate song. Then the man on stage pulled out a canvas and some paint and started painting very quickly. The campers were now quiet and mesmerized.

His painted picture was confusing and did not resemble anything but chaotic splatters of color….until he flipped it over.

Then we saw the face of Christ. It was very moving. The point was clear – life is messy, confusing, and chaotic. We look for God and don’t see Him or don’t find Him. Then, in His perfect timing, He flips our world upside down, changes our mess into beauty, and shows us His radiant face.

The painter’s name is Lance Brown. Lance did not ask me to write this profile. I wanted to share with you about a person who loves Jesus and loves to paint. And he has a creative way to share it with the world. Check out his website here if you’re interested in what he does or want to have him at your event.

Enjoy this video of Lance Brown: Speed Painter…..

Godly Play: A Model for Ministry with Children

Godly Play is a teaching system used by many churches around the world to educate children about God, the Bible, and also invite them into the Christian narrative. Jerome Berryman developed the curriculum and he was influenced by the educational theories of Maria Montessori.

I observed Godly Play in action once when I was in seminary. My professor, Dr. Catherine Stonehouse, ministered with children at her church in Wilmore, KY using Godly Play. As a class, we watched as she sat down at the level of the children and told them the story of Abraham and Sarah using small generic wooden figures and a pile of sand for the Middle Eastern desert. It was very quiet and the children were mesmerized. The whole feel of Godly Play is quite the opposite of many Children’s Ministries, which are full of electronic screens, loud rock band music, video games, and resemble the “Let’s Make a Deal” show.

Godly Play uses symbols, rituals, manipulatives, and storytelling to join children in the spiritual pilgrimage of knowing God. Children are not just receptors of information, but rather natural learners as well as teachers themselves. It is all done with an attitude of holy-awe and unplugged simplicity.

Here are some resources that explain more about Godly Play. Check them out and let me know what you think!