Slides and Printables.zip

Slides and Printables

Slides.zip

Slides

7 Min Countdown

03 sec Countdown

2 Min Countdown

Herman and Rusty Act 2

H&R Big Do Slide

6 Min Countdown

Herman and Rusty Title

Herman and Rusty Act 1

Big Story Video

H&R BIG REVIEW Bumper

Herman and Rusty Act 3

H&R 5 Min Countdown with Rules

Skip convinces Slater to adopt a "new way of speaking" to improve his prayer chances.

Large Group Full Program

Question of the Day: Can you say something with an accent from a different country?



Countdown / Rules

The **Host** and **Co-Host** are wearing lab coats. 

**Host**

Welcome to the Lab! 



**Co-Host**

Am I? I am practically aquiver with anticipation over the forthcoming service.



**Host**

Are you speaking English? Aquiver?



**Co-Host**

That means I’m practically trembling. That’s how I excited I am to be here at the Lab.



**Host**

Have (to the audience) you ever used aquiver before? Neither have I. Why couldn’t you just say, “I’m really excited?”





**Co-Host**

I wanted to jazz it up a bit. That’s what Skip suggested to me.



**Host**

I don’t think he’s a great person to take advice from, but since we’re talking about big words, let’s play a game. We’ll show you a big word, and you have to decide which of the two options is a synonym, which means the same thing.



Show the following slides and have the kids choose which answer they think is correct.



 - Glib: **Insincere** / Funny

 - Umbrage: Proud / **Offended**

 - Vamoose: **Leave quickly** / A pack of moose

 - Nefarious: Smelly / **Evil**

 - Mellifluous: Disney villain / **Smooth sounding**

 - Vitriol: **Anger** / A type of oil





**Co-Host**

Do you think I should keep using words like that?



**Host**

If that’s who you naturally are, sure, but you don’t have to. Some people think that God only likes to hear big words. That’s what we’re going to dig into today, but first let’s stop by the lab.





Welcome

Worship

**Host** and **Co-Host** enter. This object lesson will test a child’s ability to detect name brand food over store brand food. Choose various snack or drink items and place them in or on plain plates and cups. Label each one “A” or “B.” Create an answer sheet so you can announce which one is name brand.





**Co-Host**

I’m definitely not going to listen to Skip any longer. Did you hear the advice he gave Slater?



**Host**

Do you think that Slater’s problem is that his prayers sound too boring?



**Co-Host**

I don’t think that has anything to do with it either.



**Host**

Let’s see what our Big Point says about prayer. I need a volunteer to help us reveal it.





**Host** and **Co-Host** choose a kid to volunteer.









**Co-Host**

We are going to count down from 3 and then you can read the Big Point. 

**Host**

Let’s all say it together, **I Can Pray From My Heart!**



**Co-Host**

What does that mean? Do you think we’re talking about our actual, physical heart that pumps blood to keep you alive?



**Host**

You’re right. Most times, when the Bible talks about our heart, it means that invisible part of us that can connect with God. It’s where our thoughts and attitudes come from.



**Co-Host**

Praying from your heart means that your prayers come from who you really are on the inside.



**Host**

Your prayer should be uniquely, authentically you. It should reflect your thoughts and words. Let’s test your ability to determine if something is the real deal or not.





**Co-Host**

We have some different snacks and drinks on the table. For each snack, one is the name brand snack and the other is the store brand. We’ll have each kid taste test both and give us their answer.





Choose a different child to take a bite/sip of each different pair of snacks. After trying, have the child guess which was store brand and which was the original.





**Host**

Store brands try to imitate the original, and they can be pretty tasty snacks on their own. I often buy them myself. But they never quite have the authentic taste of the original.



**Co-Host**

God doesn’t want you to imitate the prayers of someone else. He wants you to pray a prayer that uses your own words and way of speaking and expresses what’s in your heart. God can tell when we’re being ourselves and when we’re faking it.



**Host**

God always prefers the “real” us over being fake. Let’s just hope Slater learns that before Skip takes it too far.





Engage 1

**Host** and **Co-Host** enter. This engage uses a large item as the visual. It can be anything as long as it can be pushed simultaneously from both sides.





**Host**

Slater is really confused. Does he even sound remotely similar to his normal self?



**Co-Host**

He’s trying to sound British, but not doing it well. I don’t know why he won’t believe the Big Point. Let’s say it again, 



**Co-Host**

**I Can Pray From My Heart!**



**Host**

Let’s turn to the Bible and learn our Big Verse.







**Host** and **Co-Host** choose a kid to volunteer.





**Co-Host**

Help us count down from three, and then read the verse. 

**Co-Host**

James 5:16 (NIrV) says, “The prayer of a godly person is powerful.” This is when it’s helpful to understand what that word, “godly,” means.



**Host**

It doesn’t mean that you are god. There’s only one God. Being a godly person means that you are totally willing to do whatever God wants you to do.



**Co-Host**

That means you pray the kinds of things that God wants you to pray. But why would that make your prayers more powerful?



**Host**

Maybe this visual will help. I need a friend to come help us. (Choose a kid volunteer) I’m going to place you on one side (of the object), and (**Co-Host**) will be on the other side. When I say, “Go,” you will both push. Let’s see if you can move the (object) to the other side of the stage.





Have both of them push, but not too hard, so that it roughly stays in the same position.





**Co-Host**

It didn’t move. Why? (Pause) Of course, we were pushing against each other. That’s what happens when you try to pray things that don’t match what God wants. You’re fighting against God. Not much can happen.



**Host**

A godly person prays what God wants. That’s like working together with God. Both of you get on the same side, and push. (The object moves) See the difference? 



**Co-Host**

God wants us to pray from our hearts. He also wants our hearts to follow His Word and His ways. 





**Host**

If you pray something that goes against what God wants, your answer may be different than what you expect. We want to be real and authentic and follow God’s way. Keep that in mind during our Big Story. First let’s stand and worship God.





Engage 2

Your prayer could be as simple as saying, “God, I had a really great day today. My friends were nice to me, and I did great on my test. Thank you for helping me remember my multiplication table. My grandmother isn’t feeling well today. Will you please help her feel better? I think it’s so cool that you can do that. I also need some help being nice to my brother. Will you please help me with that, too? Thanks. Talk to you later.” It’s that easy to pray. God loves to talk to you, so just be yourself and chat away. In fact, since we know, we can talk to God anytime and anywhere, just using our own words, I’m going to give you a couple of minutes to do that. The music will play softly, no one is going to disturb you, and you can chat with God.



Big Story

**Co-Host**

I’m glad that Slater decided to ignore Skip and pray from his heart.



**Host**

That was a way better choice. We don’t need to try to impress God like the Pharisee did in the Big Story. God already loves you. That’s why you can be like the tax collector and follow the Big Point, 

**Host**

**I Can Pray From My Heart!**



**Co-Host**

That’s a story you can share with your family when you do this week’s Big Do. 





**Host**

This week, volunteer to pray before one of your family’s meals. When you do pray, just use your own words and pray a sincere prayer.



**Co-Host**

Let’s see if you can practice putting things into your own words. We’re going to list some different things, and we want you to describe it in your own words in 10 seconds, as if you were explaining it to an alien who had never visited earth.

Have different kids answer the questions on the following slides using their own words. Time them as they answer to see if they can stay under the time limit.





 - What is a birthday party?

 - What’s your favorite movie? Describe what happens in that movie.

 - How do you borrow a book from the library at school?

 - Why do people have pools of water in their backyard?

 - Describe your perfect meal, including dessert.

 - Explain schools.

 - What is a car?

 - What is a dream?





**Host**

You did a good job explaining those things in your own words. You can use your own words whenever you pray. Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about prayer.



Engage 3

Gather the kids into small groups and discuss the following. 





 - Have you ever been nervous to pray in front of other people? Why? Do you ever worry what people will think about your prayers?

 - What did the Pharisee do that was wrong? **He was prideful and looked down on the tax collector while thinking God was impressed by him**. What did the tax collector do right? **He was humble and sincere in his prayer**.

 - Why do you think that it’s important to pray in a godly way? **So that our prayers agree with what God wants, so we can receive answers and celebrate when God does good things for us and others**

 - What did Herman tell us to do with our families in the Big Do? **Pray for a meal your family eats, using your own words**





Small Group

Choose two kids from the audience to come on stage and answer the question. 

 - Our Big Point says I Can Pray From My ______!

    - Brain

    - **Heart**



 - What did Skip tell Slater to change in his prayer?

    - **His accent**

    - His heart



 - The Big Story focused on two guys who prayed at the temple: the Pharisee and the _______.

    - Priest

    - **Tax Collector**



 - The Pharisee was ______ in his prayer.

    - Humble

    - **Prideful**



 - Whose prayer pleased God?

    - Pharisee

    - **Tax Collector**





 - James 5:16 (NIrV), “The prayer of a godly person is _______.”

    - Weak

    - **Powerful**



 - Why is it important to pray using your own words?



 - A godly person is someone who tells God what to do when praying.

    - True

    - **False**



 - What would you say to someone who thought they had to impress God with their prayer?



  - What challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do? **Pray for a meal your family eats this week in your own words**

Big Review

Large Group Abbreviated

**Host**

Welcome to the Lab!

**Co-Host**

Am I? I am practically aquiver with anticipation over the forthcoming service.

**Host**

Are you speaking English? Aquiver?

**Co-Host**

That means I’m practically trembling. That’s how I excited I am to be here at the Lab.

**Host**

Have (to the audience) you ever used aquiver before? Neither have I. Why couldn’t you just say, “I’m really excited?”

**Co-Host**

I wanted to jazz it up a bit. That’s what Skip suggested to me.

**Host**

I don’t think he’s a great person to take advice from.

**Host**

Let’s all say it together, **I Can Pray From My Heart!**

**Co-Host**

What does that mean? Do you think we’re talking about our actual, physical heart that pumps blood to keep you alive?

**Host**

You’re right. Most times, when the Bible talks about our heart, it means that invisible part of us that can connect with God. It’s where our thoughts and attitudes come from.

**Co-Host**

Praying from your heart means that your prayers come from who you really are on the inside.

**Host**

Your prayer should be uniquely, authentically you. It should reflect your thoughts and words. 

**Co-Host**

God doesn’t want you to imitate the prayers of someone else. He wants you to pray a prayer that uses your own words and way of speaking and expresses what’s in your heart. God can tell when we’re being ourselves and when we’re faking it.

**Host**

God always prefers the “real” us over being fake. Let’s just hope Slater learns that before Skip takes it too far.

**Co-Host**

James 5:16 (NIrV) says, “The prayer of a godly person is powerful.” This is when it’s helpful to understand what that word, “godly,” means.

**Host**

It doesn’t mean that you are god. There’s only one God. Being a godly person means that you are totally willing to do whatever God wants you to do.

**Co-Host**

That means you pray the kinds of things that God wants you to pray. But why would that make your prayers more powerful?



**Host**

When a godly person prays what God wants, it's like working together with God instead of against Him.

**Co-Host**

God wants us to pray from our hearts. He also wants our hearts to follow His Word and His ways.

**Host**

If you pray something that goes against what God wants, your answer may be different than what you expect. We want to be real and authentic and follow God’s way. Keep that in mind during our Big Story. First let’s stand and worship God.

**Host**

This week, volunteer to pray before one of your family’s meals. 

**Co-Host**

When you do pray, just use your own words and pray a sincere prayer.

**Host**

You can always use your own words whenever you pray. Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about prayer.

Midweek / Classroom

Hey guys, welcome to the Lab! Have you guys ever dressed up in a costume? Maybe you were in a school play or maybe it was for Halloween. Dressing up and pretending to be someone or something else can be a lot of fun! But when it comes to chatting with God, we don’t have to dress up or be anyone other than ourselves. He just wants to hear from you. Let’s stand and worship God, but first, turn to your neighbor and tell them what you are dressing up as this Halloween!

You guys did a great job worshipping God! It’s now time to break up into your small groups. Go ahead and turn to your Small Group Leaders now. (Split into groups)  







Use these two minutes to introduce yourself to your kids and go over the rules you have for your group. This will set the expectation and show the kids clear boundaries, setting your group up for success. The ball can be used as a tool to signify whose turn it is to respond.

It’s time for Lab Wars! During Lab Wars we battle it out, team against team, until one group stands victorious. For tonight’s battle, we will have a Spelling Bee! I need my small group leaders to send up the best speller on your team. Will your representative lead your team to victory? 



Allow the leaders to send up one person from their group. Optional: Play Game Music

Here’s how it works. The first person to spell their word correctly will stay in the game. Then we’ll go to the next word. We’ll repeat this process until one person remains! 





Here are some suggestions for words:

Pray

Chat

Talking

Conversation

Sincerity 

I am so impressed with the spelling skill in this room! I’ve never been a great speller or someone who likes to use really big words when I talk. Some people think that God only likes to hear big words. That’s what we’re going to dig into today. First let’s check in with our friends at the Lab to see what they’re up to.



Lab Wars

Once again Skip proves he gives terrible advice. Do you guys think Slater’s problem is that his prayers sound too boring? Let’s see what our Big Point says. I need a small group to help me countdown to reveal what it is! 



Let’s all say it together, **I Can Pray From My Heart!** When the Bible talks about our hearts, it means that invisible part of us that can connect with God. It’s where our thoughts and attitudes come from. Praying from your heart means that your prayer should come from who you really are on the inside. But not everyone thinks they can be themselves before God. It’s like they think they have to wear a mask. Let’s turn to our small groups and do a craft that reminds us that we don’t have to do that. 

Pass out the supplies to your group. Give them time to decorate their masks. When there are 1-2 minutes left, have them all put their masks on and ask the following question.









Have you ever been afraid that someone might find out what you really think or how you really feel? 





Do you think you can tell God what you really think? 

When you pray, you don’t have to pretend or hide what you really think. Your prayers can be uniquely, authentically you. They should reflect your thoughts and words. God always prefers the “real” us over being fake. That’s what our Big Point is all about, 



**I Can Pray From My Heart!** Let’s hope Slater learns this truth before Skip takes it too far.



Slater is really confused. He sounds nothing like his normal self! He’s trying to sound British, and not doing it well. I don’t know why he won’t believe the Big Point. Let’s say it all together, 



**I Can Pray From My Heart!** Let’s take a look at our Big Verse. I need a small group to help me count down to reveal what it is. 

James 5:16 (NIrV) says, “The prayer of a godly person is powerful.” It’s helpful to understand what that word, “godly,” means. It doesn’t mean that you are a god. There’s only one God. Being a godly person means that you are totally willing to do whatever God wants you to do. It means you follow His example closely. When you do, your prayers will match what God wants. Let’s do an activity in our small groups that will show us how important it is to follow closely after God. 

Pick a few kids to sing a song. Then pick a few more to sing a different song. Continue this until there are 3-5 songs going at one time! Refer to the list of songs below for ideas. 



Songs: 

Row, Row, Row, Your Boat

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Old MacDonald

I’m a Little Tea Pot

The Wheels on the Bus

Head and Shoulders



After doing this for a little bit, have everyone sing one song together. Then ask the following question:







 - How did it sound when everyone sang different songs?

 - Why do you think following closely to God helps when we pray? **Because when we follow God, we pray things that are in line with what He wants. Those things will be the best things for everyone involved.**



You guys sounded so much better when your group was in tune and singing the same song! When you follow God and pray what is in line with His big plan, it sounds like beautiful music to Him! God wants us to pray from our hearts, and He also wants our hearts to be in tune with what He says and what He wants. If our hearts are focused on the wrong things, then we can stay in tune by asking God what He wants in a situation.  Let’s say our Big Point again, 

**I Can Pray From My Heart!** Take a look at a story Jesus told us in the Bible about what kind of prayers He loves.   



Optional: Play Soft Instrumental Music.  Leader enters.

Your prayer could be as simple as saying, “God, I had a really great day today. My friends were nice to me, and I did great on my test. Thank you for helping me remember my multiplication table. My grandmother isn’t feeling well today. Will you please help her feel better? I think it’s so cool that you can do that, God. I also need some help being nice to my brother. Will you help me with that, too? Thanks. Talk to you later.” It’s that easy to pray. God loves to talk to you, so just be yourself and chat away. Let’s turn to our small groups and talk more about this. 

The goal in this segment is to create a place where kids can openly share and to bring accountability as they become more like Jesus. Do this by truly listening, responding with love, and showing them what it looks like to be a friend and follower of Jesus. The ball can be used as a tool to signify whose turn it is to respond.

- Do you ever worry what people will think about your prayers, or have you felt nervous to pray in front of others? Why do you think you feel that way?

- Have you ever worried what God thought about your prayers?

- What does it mean to pray in a godly way? **To pray what God wants us to pray. We know God’s plan is good, so we want to pray along with that. **

- How can you know what God wants? Look in the Bible and ask Him!  

At times, we might feel nervous when we pray, but we don’t have to feel that way! When we follow closely after Jesus, we can completely be ourselves, even when we pray. Would anyone want to pray aloud for our group?

See if anyone volunteers to pray. Don’t force anyone or make any child feel obligated. If no one volunteers, pray a simple prayer over your group.

When we follow Jesus and know God’s heart, we will grow more and more toward praying in a godly way. We can be ourselves when we chat with God! We don’t have to pretend or hide anything. God wants to chat with you. My prayer is that you walk out our Big Point for the rest of your life, 



I’m glad that Slater decided to ignore Skip and pray from his heart. That was a much better choice. Our prayers should never try to impress God, like the Pharisee did in the Big Story. God already loves you. That’s why you can be like the tax collector and follow the Big Point,



**I Can Pray From My Heart!** That’s a story you can share with your family when you do this week’s Big Do.  

This week offer to pray before one of your family’s meals. When you do pray, just use your own words to pray a short prayer to God. It’s a great way to put our Big Point into practice. Let’s turn to our small groups to finish up tonight’s service. 

Use this time to hand out any positive reinforcement tools (i.e. Candy, stickers, prize coupons, etc.) Tell your group how much you enjoyed spending time with them this week. Finally, end your time together with a prayer and maybe even a group cheer.





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Large Group Full Program Instructions

Large Group Full Program Instructions