Camp Sow-A-Lot Part 1

Seed Time Skit

(Counselor enters with three campers.)

Counselor Higgenbottom: (Taking a cleansing breath.) Ah! Here we are, campers. As your camp counselor, I’d like to welcome you to Camp Sow-A-Lot. (Pauses.) Welcome!

(Three nod their heads in acknowledgment.)

Counselor: You’ve probably wondering when the fun will begin, so I won’t keep you in suspense any more. The first thing we’ll do this week is to break up the big chunks of hard soil so the seeds can get through them. By preparing the soil, our seeds will have the best chance to produce an awesome harvest. (Hands out a couple of hoes and a shovel.) Here you are! Enjoy! (Starts to leave.)

Brian: Hey! Wait a minute. That sounds like hard work.

Counselor: It is hard work, but if you tried to plant seeds in this hard stuff like it is right now, they wouldn’t grow at all. You have to have to break it up so those tender little plants can grow and flourish.

Jenna: You’re kidding, right? I just had my nails done.

Riley: (Admiring Jenna’s nails.) Oooh. That looks like the Rainforest Special from Super Nails at the mall.

Jenna: Yeah. See those little monkeys and tree leaves. The girl who does my nails is a true artist. (Sighs at the memory of having her nails done.)

Riley: I’ve got to get to the mall and see if she can help me out.

Counselor: (Getting their attention.) Yoo hoo! Campers! It’s time to prepare the soil. Tally ho! I’ll be back later to check on how you’re doing.

Riley: You’re leaving us here to do this alone?

Counselor: Of course! I trust you to get the job done. I have to get the next group of campers to brief them on their own sowing adventure. See you later. (Exits)

Brian: I can’t believe I’m going to be hoeing a garden. I thought I’d be swimming and canoeing at camp.

Jenna: Swimming and conoeing sounds wonderful!

Brian: Hey! Let’s just leave and go swimming. It probably doesn’t really matter if we do this hoeing anyway. Those seeds are strong enough to get through this soil.

Riley: I don’t know if that’s a good idea...

Jenna: It’s a great idea. Last one in the lake is a rotten egg!

(The three rush off stage.)

Teacher: What do you think will happen when the counselor gets back? I think she’ll find that the soil hasn’t been prepared for the seed. It’s very important to prepare the soil before we plant our seed in God’s kingdom. We do that by learning what God’s Word says about our seed and believing it. Did you bring seed to sow in God’s kingdom today? Good! Hold onto your offering for now. We’re going to see the end of our story and then we’ll get to give to God.

Counselor enters, finds the work not finished. She sighs and sits down to wait. Just a few seconds later, the kids enter.

Brian: You guys just need to stop laughing at me.

Riley: (Can’t stop herself) I’ll bet you’re the biggest fish that guy ever caught.

Brian: Look, just because I didn’t know that side of the lake wasn’t for swimmers is no reason to laugh.

Jenna: I thought it was pretty funny.

Riley: And you have to admit it was very nice of him to save you from the quicksand too.

Brian: I didn’t know that there were places near the lake that we had to watch out for. I guess it wasn’t a good idea to head over there without the lifeguard—

Counselor: Ahem!

(Kids are startled.)

Brian: Uh oh.

Jenna: Oh, hi, Counselor Higgenbottom.

Riley: It was his fault. (Pointing at Brian)

Brian: Hey!

Counselor: I overheard your conversation. It sounds like things didn’t go so well for you today.

Brian: It was awful. I got caught on someone’s fishing line and it ruined my swim suit. Then I fell into quicksand trying to get out of the lake and the same guy had to save me from that too.

Counselor: Which is why we don’t let kids over on that end of the lake and only have swimming when there’s a lifeguard on duty. And then there’s this little matter of your garden. You still need to prepare the soil.

Jenna: What? We didn’t get out of it?

Counselor: Nope. Preparing the ground is so important that you can’t skip doing it. Don’t worry. The lake will still be there when you’re done so you can cool off. (Holding out the hoe.) Who wants to go first?

Riley: I will.

Counselor: When the harvest is ready, you won’t be sorry.

On your mark, get set...

The Power of Praise

2 Chronicles 20 (Jehoshaphat)

Act 1

(Susanna is sitting on the step, holding a paper, looking dejected.)

Michelle: (Enters) What’s wrong, Susanna?

Susanna: This. (She hands the paper to Michelle, who reads it out loud.)

Michelle: “Soap Box Derby Contest. Enter your car for a chance to win the blue ribbon and cash prize of $100.” (Turns to Susanna)

Ariana: That’s great! Let’s build a car. We might win $100.

Susanna: We might, if it wasn’t for this. (Hands Michelle a second piece of paper.)

Michelle: (Reads) “ We’re going to win, win, win! You’re going to lose, lose, lose!” It’s signed, “The Cool Kids.” Who are they?

Susanna: It’s that group of kids at school. They want everyone who enters the contest to know they’re going to beat them. I started building a car and they found out. Then I got this note. It took the wind out of my sails, and I don’t even feel like I have the energy to try anymore.

Ariana: Sounds like you have a hearing problem.

Susanna: What do you mean?

Ariana: You’ve been listening to the voice of your enemies instead of the voice of God. You need some praise power to get you back on your feet!

Michelle: That’s right. Remember that story about Jehoshaphat? They were facing a huge army that was going to wipe them out!

Ariana: Right, but when God said that the battle was His, they sent out the praisers before the troops.

Michelle: And God’s people won!

Ariana: What does the Bible say about joy, Susanna?

Susanna: (Dejectedly mumbling) The joy of the Lord is my strength.

Ariana: I can’t hear yoooou.

Susanna: (A little louder) The joy of the Lord is my strength.

Ariana: (To Michelle) Let’s help her! All together—

All three: The joy of the Lord is my strength.

Ariana: Great! Let’s go build that soap box car!

(Three exit)

Teacher teaches lesson here.

Act 2

Susanna: (Wearing the soap box car, which is actually a box with straps over her shoulders.) I’m a little nervous. The other teams all dropped out.

Michelle: Don’t be! You’re going to do great!

Ariana: Remember that praise power. God will help you do your best.

Cool Kid A: (To friends in group) Look who showed up for the race! (Yelling across to Susanna and team) Hey, you guys. I hope you like to lose, because we’re going to win, win, WIN!

Two other cool kids: Yeah! Win, win, WIN!

Cool Kid A: (Thinks it’s a big joke.) Aw, that’s so sad. Do you know why? It means you’re going to lose, lose, LOSE!

Two other cool kids: Yeah! Lose, lose, LOSE!

Susanna: (Ready to quit) That’s it. I’m done.

Michelle: (Stopping her.) No! You’re going to see this thing through. Remember what the Bible says? The joy of the Lord is your strength!

Ariana: Don’t listen to them. Say it! The joy of the Lord is my strength.

Susanna: The joy of the Lord is my strength.

(Ariana and Michelle step back to cheer from the stage.)

Susanna: Okay, Lord. I know you’re with me, and I choose to praise you, even though it doesn’t look like I can with this thing. I’m just going to have fun and do my best!

Official: Oh your mark, get set, GO!

(Susanna starts out running around the classroom with her box. The Cool Kids immediately have car trouble, and it won’t go.)

Cool Kid A: It won’t go! What’s wrong?

Cool Kid B: Um, I think I left the parking break on.

Cool Kid A: What! Fix it, quick!

(They fix it, but they’re hopelessly behind now. Susanna goes across the finish line and wins
the race.)

Michelle and Ariana: Hurray! Our team won!

Cool Kid A: (Finishing last and is mad at her friends.) It’s all your fault!

Cool Kid B: No it isn’t. It’s her fault.

Cool Kid C: No it isn’t. It’s her fault.

(Leave arguing whose fault it is.)

Official: I’d like to give you this ribbon and this check for $100. Great racing out there.

Susanna: Thank you, but the whole team gets credit for this. Without my friends, I couldn’t have done it.

Ariana: Or without the joy of the Lord. It gave you strength to finish the race!

Michelle: Let’s go celebrate!

(All exit.)

Nick does the right thing

A Time Such As This

Esther 1:1–10:3

Susanna: Nick! Nick! You’ve got to come quick!

Nick: (Playing video games) What’s the problem?

Susanna: Your friend, Nathan, is about to be creamed by the school bully, Muscles Malone, because Nathan wouldn’t give up his paper route money. You have to save him!

Nick: (Shrugs) I don’t really see what I could do to help.

Susanna: What do you mean, you don’t see what you could do to help? What is wrong with you! You could at least go out there and stand up to that bully with Nathan. Then maybe he’ll leave him alone.

Nick: Susanna, Muscles was shaving when he was in fifth grade. You don’t mess with guys like that. Usually I just pray that they move away and become someone else’s problem.

Susanna: We don’t have time for that. You’ve got to help Nathan right now!

Nick: But Muscles isn’t trying to pound me. If I go out there, I’ll just be sticking my nose in business I shouldn’t stick it in. Besides, I’d like to live longer than until I’m just 14.

Susanna: But Nathan is your friend. You should help him just because of that.

Nick: That’s true. He is my friend. (Thinking about it.) I’ll really miss him when he’s gone.

Susanna: (Shocked) That’s terrible! Nathan won’t be gone if you do something to help him.

Nick shrugs again and keeps playing his game.

Susanna: (Getting right in his face.) If you think that you can hide in here playing video games while your friend gets pounded and that it won’t matter, you’re wrong. Who do you think that bully is going to go after once Nathan is out of the way? Hmmm? Gee, who do I know who has a little lawn mowing business on our street that Muscles could exploit? Hmmm. Oh, I know. It's you.

Nick: Okay, okay. You made your point. If I don’t help Nathan and Muscles creams him, I'll probably be the next target. You’re right. I’ll go down and help my friend.

Susanna: I knew you’d see reason! Let’s get out there and show Muscles he can’t push anyone on our street around anymore.

Nick: (As they’re leaving) What kind of parents name their child Muscles, anyway?

The lost sheep search and rescue operation

The Lost Sheep

Sally: Sally Scoop here on the scene covering the Lost Sheep Search and Rescue Effort that has been mounted by the local community in an effort to recover one sheep which has somehow gotten out of its sheep pen. Let’s see if we can interview some of the searchers to see what is being done to recover the lost sheep.

(Sees a scientist with some kind of weird electronic gadget.) Excuse me. Are you part of the Lost Sheep Search and Rescue Effort?

Scientist: (Pushes up glasses and talking in nerdy voice.) Sort of.

Sally: What do you mean?

Scientist: I’ve created the Lost Sheep Early Detection Sonar 3000. It is capable of locating every sheep within a range of 100 miles.

Sally: That’s amazing! Is it working?

Scientist: Of course it’s working. According to my readings, this room is full of sheep. It’s only a matter of time before I find the one that’s lost.

Sally: (Looking around and seeing lots of kids but no sheep.) Hmmm. I think you better keep working on it.

Scientist: You think so?

Sally: Definitely. (Points to another searcher who is blowing into a whistle that doesn’t make any sound.) Let’s see what she’s doing. Excuse me, I’m Sally Scoop with the local news station. Are you helping with the Lost Sheep Search and Rescue Effort?

Whistler: Of course I am. Can’t you tell?

Sally: Not really. What are you doing?

Whistler: This whistle is a special ultrasonic sheep caller that was passed down through my family. Only a sheep can hear it when I blow into it.

Sally: And how does this affect a sheep?

Whistler: It will make the sheep come to me. I’m going to blow into it now, so stand back. When the sheep hears this baby, it’ll probably stampede. (Whistler blows hard on the whistle, and then crouches and covers head because expects to be run over by the sheep.)

VO: MOOOOOOO! MOOOOO! (From backstage)

Sally: That sounds like a cow.

Whistler: Let me try that again. (Blows hard, then takes cover.)

VO: QUACK! QUACK! QUA-A-A-A-ACK!

Sally: That sounded like a duck.

Whistler: Well, I’m still working out the bugs. Why don’t you go talk to someone else for awhile? (Starts shaking the whistle and looking into it to see if there’s something caught in it.)

Sally: (Walking up to normal person.) Excuse me, are you with the Lost Sheep Search and Rescue Effort?

Shepherd: Yep.

Sally: What special technique are you using to find the lost sheep?

Shepherd: I’m going out to look for the sheep

Sally: You’re kidding! All these other people had all this special equipment and techniques to get the sheep to come to them. You’re just going to go out and look for the sheep?

Shepherd: Yep.

Sally: Why?

Shepherd: Because I’m the shepherd, and that’s what shepherds do. I care about every sheep. I don’t want even one to be lost. Even though it’s not easy or convenient, I’m going to look until I find the one lost sheep.

Sally: What if you don’t find the sheep right away?

Shepherd: It doesn’t matter. I won’t give up until I find the one that’s lost.

Sally: Wow! That’s real love! You heard it here, folks. The shepherd loves his sheep so much that if one is lost, he goes out and looks and doesn’t give up until he finds it.

Are you listening for God's instructions?

Follow Dad’s Instructions

(Susanna comes on stage with a deck of cards, kneels down at the table on stage and starts to build a house of cards. She isn’t having any success when Nick comes on and watches her.)

Nick You’re doing that wrong.

Susanna Don’t you have something else to do, like booby trapping my room, or picking on Knuckles McFeeny, the neighborhood bully. (As they talk she keeps trying and failing to get the cards to stand.)

Nick No, I’m taking a break. (Pauses as he watches her) You’re doing it wrong again.

Susanna (Frustrated.) You can leave now.

Nick I’d rather stay here and watch you. You know, building a house of cards isn’t easy. Especially the way you do it.

Susanna Oh? So now you’re Mr. House of Cards Builder? What makes you so smart?

Nick I’m not smart. Well, I am, but the reason I just know how to do build a house of cards is that Dad showed me how. When I follow his directions, I can get started on a pretty cool house.

Susanna (Tries again and fails.) Uuuggghhh! Why don’t you find someone else to bother?

Nick There’s no one else home to bother. However, if you let me stick around, I can show you how to make a card house by following Dad’s instructions. How about it?

Susanna Okay, Mr. Know it all. Tell me how to do it.

Nick Great! First we should find a better table to work at. You want to make sure it won’t shake if you happen to bump into it a little. There’s a good one in our nice cool basement in Dad’s workshop. Let’s go.

Susanna And you can do this?

Nick Sure all we have to do is follow Dad’s instructions and you will have success every time. Come on. I’ll show you. (Exit with cards.)

I Can't Keep It To Myself!

I’ve Got Good News

Acts 8:26–39

Susanna: I can’t believe I finally won the Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Bake-off. I’ve been trying to do that for three years.

Susan: Hi, Susanna.

Susanna: Look at my certificate. I just won a bake-off.

Susan: Wow! That’s great news. Your family will be so excited. Did you tell Nick yet?

Susanna: (Face falling.) Nick? Not likely.

Susan: But he’ll be so excited that you won! How could you not tell him?

Susanna: Well, let me see. Maybe because last week he put maple syrup in my shampoo bottle and I didn’t figure it out until I didn’t get any suds. Maybe because the week before that he used heat sensitive invisible ink to write “KICK ME” on the back of one of my t-shirts as a joke. Maybe because...

Susan: Okay, okay. I get the picture. He’s been a little busy lately.

Susanna: Let’s just say that if it had been a Great Goofy Tricks on Your Sister contest, Nick would have won.

Susan: When you have good news to share, you should tell other people about it.

Susanna: But what if Nick doesn’t care about my good news?

Susan: You should tell him anyway. Don’t decide that he won’t like it in advance. Share! And you might be surprised anyway.

Susanna: Why is that?

Susan: Brothers tend to appreciate sisters that can bake prize-winning cookies.

Susanna: You’ve got a point.

Nick: Did I hear someone mention cookies?

Susan: See what I mean?

(All exit.)

A True Gift

The Sacrificial Cookies

Luke 21:1–4

(Nate is holding a bag of cookies, very excited that he has them.)

Nate: I love double chocolate Oreo cookies. These are my favorite.

Susan: Hi, Nate. What’s in the bag?

Nate: Double chocolate Oreo cookies. They’re my favorite.

Susan: Oooo. I love cookies.

Nate: (Considering.) You know, Susan, I love these cookies, but I’ve got a whole bag of them. Would you like two?

Susan: Thank you, Nate. I’d love to have two cookies. Thanks!

(Nate shares a cookie and leaves.)

Susan: I love double chocolate Oreo cookies. Since I already had lunch, I think I’ll go get a big glass of milk to eat these with.

(Susanna walks in, looking upset.)

Susan: Hey, Susanna. What’s wrong?

Susanna: Oh, I forgot my lunch at home. I’m so hungry! I can’t wait for school to be over so I can go home and eat something.

Susan: That’s terrible! (Looks at cookies in her hand.) Susanna, I know it isn’t much, but I have two cookies. You could eat them. It might help a little until you can eat at home.

Susanna: I don’t want to take the only two cookies you have.

Susan: That’s okay. You’re my friend and I’m happy to share what I have with you.

Susanna: Thank you, Susan.

Susan: In fact, I was just going to get some milk. I’ll get some for you, too.

Susanna: Great!

(Kids exit)

Teacher: When Nate gave Susan two cookies, was he making a big sacrifice? (No.) It was nice of him to share with her, but he still had lots of cookies left.

When Susan gave her only two cookies to Susanna, was she making a big sacrifice? (Yes.) Susan gave all that she had. She didn’t hold anything back from her friend because she wanted to bless her.

Today’s story is about a widow who gave everything she had to God.