Search
​100 mm Canon
(Sanctification)
(The Sovereignty of God)
(Made Like Christ)
 
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  Romans 8:29
 
The Basic Bible Truth
 
From before time began, God knew each of us in minute detail.  His plan for our lives is perfect.  And it is our responsibility as Christians to learn about Him and follow His leading in our lives.  Our ultimate goal is to become as much like Christ in our actions and deeds and thoughts as possible.  Often that requires our consent to allow Him to remove from our lives the things that do not look like Christ.  Sanctification, for the Christian, is a lifelong process.  It hinges on our conscious agreement with Him that we have sin in our lives that must be addressed and dealt with.  As those issues are removed, our lives will begin to resemble the life of Jesus, and the ultimate end result will be a closer walk with Him.  God’s perfect plan is to use the life of a committed Christian to further His kingdom here on this earth.
 
The Object
 
A 100mm Toilet Paper Canon
​This canon is made of ¾ inch plywood, 4-inch PVC sewer and drain pipe, 3/8 inch all-thread with nuts and washers, 3/8 inch bungee cord, and a cabinet lock for the trigger.  The linked instructions illustrate the unit I built.  Many other options can be used with similar results.  The key is to allow enough barrel length to take advantage of the stretchiness of the bungee material.  A little extra barrel length goes a long way in determining the range of the toilet paper launch.  This particular model will throw a 4-inch roll of toilet paper 50 feet or more, depending on how tight you can pull the bungee cord when you load it.  I have also made a crossbow version for smaller settings.
 
The Lesson
 
I usually choose to begin this lesson with the canon covered by a sheet and setting off to the side.  Holding a roll of toilet paper (I highly recommend cheap, thin, tissue in as large a roll as you can find.  It gives you more time for your talk.  And if your talk is short, you have much more paper to roll off and throw to the floor.)
 
I begin my talk by explaining that the roll that I have in my hand is not perfect.  I have seen a perfect roll of TP, and this is definitely not it.  So if the roll will allow it, I will begin the process of making it as perfect as I can.  And I am going to remove anything that is not perfect.  (As I talk and walk through the crowd. I am constantly pulling off a sheet or two, and sometimes more, and simply discarding it on the ground.  It is amazing how attention grabbing this little act is.  After a bit I begin sharing the parallel Bible truths I am trying to explain to them.) 
  1. I remind them that before the evening began, I had a plan.  (God had a plan from before the beginning of time.  Romans 8: 29) 
  2. I went in search of this particular roll of TP.  (God came to where we are to find us and offer us salvation. John 3: 16) 
  3. It did not come looking for me.  (God always makes the first contact. John 6:44) 
  4. I paid the price to make it mine.  (Jesus went to the cross to pay the ultimate price for us. I Timothy 2: 6) 
  5. Because it is mine, I have the right to do with it as I wish.  (We as Christians belong to God. Exodus 19:5) 
  6. I rescued it from a horrible future.  (Hell is an unimaginably awful place. Matthew 25:41) 
  7. I have such great plans, but there are things about this roll that I cannot and will not use.  (Sin in our life must be dealt with. Galatians 5: 19-21) 
  8. It needs to be changed, adjusted, corrected, and made as much like the perfect roll of TP as it can be.  (All the while I am pulling off bits and pieces and dropping them around me.  At different times throughout the talk I will stop, look carefully at the roll in my hand and assess it as not yet what I had in mind.)  As I get near the 4 inch diameter point, I have a small piece of leftover pipe that I can use to check my progress.  (We have the Bible as a standard by which to gauge our lives. John 17: 17) 
When I have removed enough material to allow it to slide easily into a 4-inch tube, I proudly announce that I have fulfilled my goal.  Who would have thought that a lowly roll of TP, destined to hang on the wall and face an unspeakable future, would be spared that disgrace and find in me its true destiny and fulfillment—to fly through the air in an amazing display of my ingenuity and grace!  I then uncover the canon, load the TP into it and launch the roll across the room. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Proudly powered by Weebly