Following is a complete list of lessons in alphabetical order with a short description of each. I have rated each lesson factoring difficulty, cost, and effort required to duplicate it.
Handy rating system:
* Very, very simple. Show up here Saturday night and download the material and print it out and you're ready for Sunday morning.
** Not very difficult, but will require some pre-planning and maybe getting a few things ready before hand.
*** Ok, be prepared to put some effort into this. You may have to learn how to do an illusion or make a few props. But don't let it scare you.
**** Now we are serious. We are counting prep time in hours now. And you will probably have to spend a few dollars to buy supplies. Preparation time and money--it's definitely worth it!
***** These are actually my favorites. I have never regretted spending the time to build them. I fully understand that they will be very challenging for most. If you have the abilities necessary to construct and execute these lessons, they are absolutely memorable!
Handy rating system:
* Very, very simple. Show up here Saturday night and download the material and print it out and you're ready for Sunday morning.
** Not very difficult, but will require some pre-planning and maybe getting a few things ready before hand.
*** Ok, be prepared to put some effort into this. You may have to learn how to do an illusion or make a few props. But don't let it scare you.
**** Now we are serious. We are counting prep time in hours now. And you will probably have to spend a few dollars to buy supplies. Preparation time and money--it's definitely worth it!
***** These are actually my favorites. I have never regretted spending the time to build them. I fully understand that they will be very challenging for most. If you have the abilities necessary to construct and execute these lessons, they are absolutely memorable!
Much of the Old Testament Mosaic Law prefigured or foreshadowed the coming Messiah, Jesus. The 11th is a prime example.
A very visual demonstration showing the uniqueness and validity of Scripture compared to secular writings.
A toilet paper launching canon is used to affirm the Scriptural truth that we are to be "conformed to the image of Christ".
Electromagnets and ping pong balls exemplify how we need each other and especially God.
The link between King Saul's failure and Queen Esther's obedience displays how God's plan will always be realized, even across centuries of time.
A simple poem for Palm Sunday written from the donkey's point of view.
Using charts, a timeline from Adam to Noah is established from the genealogy found in Genesis 5.
Lightweight plastics bags and Bernoulli's principle affirm the importance of studying the Bible.
An "Airzooka" children's toy is used to talk about the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian.
Alcohol burning off of a handkerchief parallels how the Holy Spirit illuminates Scripture and shows us Christ.
A World War II propaganda tool used against Germany illustrates the importance of Bible Study.
An illusion that reveals that we must live by faith and not by sight.
The story of a dog and the lesson learned concerning loyalty, especially loyalty to God.
A neat visual display and explanation of salvation. A very good ending for a message on salvation.
A "just for fun" sales pitch for the newest thing around--the B.O.O.K.
A general teaching idea--doing things backwards.
Bad habits can bind us just like a few wraps of thread around the wrists cannot be broken.
A silly high-pressure sales pitch for everything you need for Christmas contained in a brown paper bag.
Balloons and scotch tape give insight into what the Bible means when it is stated that the Christian is sealed by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.
Priorities matter in life, and God must be first, as shown by this high-pressure sales pitch for rocks and sand to build your own beach.
We as Christians are called to bear fruit. Giving away teddy bears just may make that idea memorable.
A play by play commentary on a baseball game using Bible quotes only.
A general teaching idea—that any Bible story can be told as if a local television station and reporters were involved in reporting the news.
“Just for fun” world records found in the Bible that still stand today.
The truth of salvation and forgiveness taught with two common household chemicals.
A wedding re-enactment with very special characters that leads to a discussion of what it means to serve God.
Serving God and humility must go hand in hand. A box named Bob learns this firsthand.
A simple paragraph with many of the books of the Bible hidden in the wording. A genuine challenge.
The truth of the sovereignty of God and His plans for our lives is seen first hand in a simple physics demonstration.
Valentine’s Day will never be the same with this box of chocolates. A lesson about giving.
There is a direct correlation between reading the Word of God, and keeping our minds and thoughts pure. An illusion.
A very large object lesson demonstrating the need for the “helmet of salvation”
We must work together if we are going to share the Gospel effectively around the world. A group activity.
A short add on lesson pondering the question, if bubbles are not real, how can we know if God is real?
Have you ever considered teaching a lesson wearing “googly” eyes?
The Bible is filled with concepts that are difficult to understand. How many slang terms for “money” do you know?
This is probably an outdoor lesson as it involves a smoldering fire that pictures the fire that should be burning in each of our hearts.
A fairly simple card trick that is one of the best pictures of salvation I have on this site!
A cooking demonstration that contemplates our effect on the people around us..
Usually used in the world of precious gems, this word should describe our lives (as well as a piece of exotic wood.)
One of the best object lessons to visually show how compromise and sin can take us in the wrong direction.
Atonement is not a word used often in normal conversation. Covering a marshmallow with Hershey’s Chocolate syrup seemed like an excellent way to demonstrate this wonderful Scriptural concept.
What would it be like if “Alvin and the Chipmunks” came back to teach a Bible lesson?
Just a list of classroom rules that I thought “nailed it” well.
A group activity that is exactly what it sounds like—Hair Stylists and Church Workers have finally been compared.
Sin is acknowledged to be ultimately destructive as we compare life to a coat hanger.
A very small, simple illusion that always leaves people wondering what just happened. You can’t always trust your five senses when making decisions in life.
Chemicals from the kitchen show that revenge is not sweet.
The costs listed in the Bible regarding the temple that Solomon built, brought into today’s marketplace.
A parallel to the parable of the workers in the vineyard, except this one uses Beanie Babies—lots of them.
Isaiah mentions that if sin has a color it is red. Interestingly, so is blood. Not a coincidence.
Cutting up a $100 bill will raise eyebrows, but is a great segue into a discussion about money.
A very visual re-enforcement of the idea that obedience and respect go hand in hand, whether you are in a woodworking shop or walking through life with God.
A retelling of the story of William Tell using darts and balloons to emphasize the concept that we need to trust God in all things.
A fun little spoof of the religious power teams that travel the nation. Our true strength is in Christ. (Wanna learn how to tear a phone book in half?)
A used automobile salesman’s pitch that sells sins instead of cars.
Ten definitions of the word free shed light on the idea that we have freedom in Christ.
The ultimate disclaimer! All the “legalese” you will ever need in one massive paragraph.
An upside down, right side up picture that contemplates looking at life from God’s perspective vs. the world’s perspective.
April Fools specialty item.
You will need a drawing board from Axtell Puppets for this one, but it is definitely worth it! We are to look like Christ.
The stuff is a bit expensive, but nothing sets the mood quite like carbon dioxide vapors flowing off of a table top.
A parallel of “You are what you eat”, to “You are what you take into your heart”.
The story of Ed from the book of Joshua tells of a people who compromised their obedience in the name of religiosity. It didn’t work then, it doesn’t work now.
A knot tying demonstration that looks simple, but it’s not easy. Salvation on our part is simple, but on God’s part, it’s not easy.
A few emojis you won’t find anywhere else.
A unique look at Ephesians 2 and the grace of salvation
A lecture detailing how God has placed the desire for Heaven on every heart.
An eye chart becomes a simple lesson on salvation.
An eye chart that looks at spiritual maturity.
A very personal and visual way to demonstrate the truth that our sin is always first and foremost against God.
A five lesson lecture series on salvation.
A strobe light flashing at a running fan exposes our need to genuinely study the Bible.
A study of this Old Testament Law sheds light on the truth regarding Jesus and who He is.
An illusion that multiplies “Gold Fish” snack crackers and oyster crackers in a 5 gallon bucket.
A Bible study contemplating the very first word the Old Testament compared to the last word found there.
Jesus returned home to Nazareth to give His first recorded sermon of His ministry. They hated what He had to say.
Who would have thought that you could teach “missions” with a play that is a re-enactment of a joke I heard over 40 years ago.
An exaggerated telling of the story of Goliath and his four, very tall relatives., as found in II Samuel 21.
God is not to be seen as someone who we simply go to to have our sins “fixed”.
A demonstration that has been around for many years makes a visual, entertaining example of true trust.
A comical look at “oriental” language phrases.
My favorite verse in the Bible divides the character of God into four areas. Zeal is one of those.
Four aspects of the person of God are to all to be found in three different places in the Bible.
A short movie based on Philippians 1: 12. We are to be “divine woodcutters” in the furtherance of the Gospel.
The spiritual perfume or cologne that we might wear is a fragrance that evokes either love or hatred from others, with no in between ground.
A Thanksgiving lesson that focuses on the Old Testament Law and how the early people of Israel told God “Thank you.”
Sin generally creeps in, takes root and then grows, as we attempt to rationalize its presence. There are many similarities to the way I draw a picture.
A lecture that spells out why this issue is so important to understand. God made us male and female for a reason.
An ice breaker for any size group—reading through Matthew 1 with cue cards.
History and theology parallel each other. Why would anyone refuse a pardon from death?
A literal rendition and example of “giving gifts with strings attached.”
A short skit that explores the concept of the dark side of love—when God allows seemingly difficult times into our lives.
An "over the top" funeral for a best friend shows how we become too attached to our things around us.
The greatest teacher the world has ever known answers two question at one time. “How do I get to Heaven?”, and, “Who is my neighbor?”
A tour around the gates of Jerusalem spells out the plan of salvation.
A simple letter explains how we are to share the Gospel.
A video that demonstrates why we need to always tell the complete truth.
Theological lesson dealing with imitating God, taken from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story
The most dangerous creature on the face of the earth. Have you ever held a grudge?
A neat little physics demonstration points out the power and work of the Holy Spirit.
A Power Point documentary detailing an odyssey in the outback of Australia that eventually gets to a lesson about hypocrisy.
The original feud is "re-enacted" in the classroom and then explained in light of Biblical truth.
A short, ridiculous skit about sharing the Gospel.
A discussion about doubt that does not ignore the invisible elephant in the room.
A general teaching idea that can be used with almost any lesson.
The concept of sanctification explained in detail using five things with holes in them.
A lecture showing the reach of ancient Babylon still evident in our culture today.
The most amazing word in the English language is defined in detail and used to point to the wonders of our promise of Heaven.
Holding fire in the palm of the hand is a great way to teach about trust—honest!
A short comical poem about prayer.
A visual, very, very “punny” story about loving our enemies.
A photo released from NASA taken by the Hubble telescope showing the vastness of this universe.
My favorite recipe.
An oft overlooked aspect of a story from the book of Daniel that points clearly to man’s inability to see things from God’s perspective.
A lesson that tells of the surety of salvation as seen by a little old lady.
A blindfold car race that acknowledges the need for good communication.
A visual reminder that our life here is so short compared to the length of eternity.
The stupidest font ever.
A homemade CO2 fire extinguisher and the work of the Holy Spirit are compared in this little chemical demonstration.
A little play retelling the parable of the lost sheep using grocery bags to denote characters.
Why we must be attached to the vine, Jesus, is explained in pictures and stories to go with each word of John 15:5.
A cute story about a camel who was not satisfied with his physical appearance until he got his wish. (Actually, five to be exact.)
A reprise of Kabul’s character in the retelling of the story of finding Rebecca.
A lecture lesson that describes and defines what it was that Jesus talked about so often.
A remake of the board game “Clue” used to teach the importance of sharing the Gospel.
The most unique “Living Nativity” you will ever see.
An examination of the story of Moses striking the rock in the desert from a Kung Fu Ninja slant.
We have all heard of it, but what if it were actually a real ladder?
The greatest picture of Jesus found in the Old Testament is positioned in the Tabernacle in the description of a golden lampstand.
An industrial sized version of the hairdryer and ping pong balls lesson. Once again, the power and workings of the Holy Spirit.
A visual demonstration of the foolish building upon a sand foundation. We need the foundation of Christ.
A look at leprosy as described in the Old Testament Law and how it pictures sin in our lives.
Any lesson can be taught using this simple concept.
The story of a portrait by Ly Le, and the truth about the importance of the blood of Christ in forgiveness.
The Holy Spirit indwells every believer at salvation. Our real strength comes completely from Him. A giant magnet and a little match demonstrate this idea.
Can you stack pennies on their edge? Nothing is impossible with God (or in this case, a little magnetism.)
Two magnetic balls that may be the most dangerous toy I have. I use them to talk about sin and temptation.
A ridiculous “rifle” is used to re-enforce the idea that we must give God our all.
A chemistry lesson dealing with obeying God’s laws.
A little physics demonstration is used to point to the least talked about character trait of God that we need in our lives as well—zeal.
A “technical” translation of the passage about salt and light.
Ever thought about using 100 feet of electrical conduit to share the Gospel?
My favorite Mother’s Day joke. I just had to include it.
Super Bowl Sunday each year we play a game in class. This is it!
Using pictures layered on top of one another, the importance of Bible study is shown.
A guest character with a horrible accent, shares his culture in his own unique way.
An illusion that will genuinely make some squeamish, but very, very effective in teaching about Christ going to the cross and the gift of salvation.
A classic illusion that is used to acknowledge that we may have doubts, but God is faithful.
A Christmas poem lamenting the fact that there are no crocodiles in the Biblical Christmas story.
The strength of laminated oak hardwood is used to point to the fact that we receive our strength from Christ.
An amazingly simple illusion that examines the need for the forgiveness of sin in our lives.
Salvation explained using a piece of paper and a scissors.
A parable about the love of God (and big pencils.)
A demonstration of trust, even in circumstances that look to be anything but trustworthy.
Instead of carving a jack-o-lantern, try carving a pepper as you discuss discipleship and personal testimony.
Otto Koenig tells his story of the lessons he learned on the mission field.
To serve God properly, we need faith. The bigger the project , the larger the tool needed to accomplish the task.
When thinking about spiritual maturity, we rarely consider Plaster of Paris. That is unfortunate.
An activity for the entire group and a discussion about the depravity of man.
A short skit about God’s love.
A simple comparison of the habits of porpoises and members of the local church.
A re-enactment of the parable of the Prodigal Son—sort of.
As a prism breaks light into its components, Paul breaks the love of God into it’s components.
A short skit telling the story of several prisoner’s reactions to a pardon from the king.
A pspecial translation/psimplification of Psalm 30.
There is an interesting literary feature that occurs in this verse and no where else in the Bible and leads to a discussion of atonement.
The most memorable lesson on salvation I have ever done.
A look at an odd Old Testament phrase God used to warn Assyria about impending punishment.
A genuine “You’ve got to be kidding me!” moment all about trust.
Love is the most important thing in the world, even when playing a “Let’s Make A Deal” like game.
The Holy Spirit is our earnest guaranteeing what will come in the future.
All Human Being units have a serious flaw and are subject to this massive recall.
A group activity that will very clearly show that we tend to focus on the bad and difficult times and overlook the many good things that God places in our lives.
The imputation of the righteousness of Christ explained with a Rubik’s cube “instant solve” illusion.
A three lesson lecture through the book of Ruth, focusing on God’s laws, provision, and redemption.
Carve a portion of a sandcastle while discussing God’s plans for the life of a Christian.
A cooking demonstration that goes awry as a result of the ingredients being furnished by a less than reputable firm.
Choices in life matter. What better way to demonstrate that than to ride a bicycle on the top of a scaffold?
Jesus created this universe and it is HUGE! Nothing shows that better than a scale model built right there in the room—the bigger the better.
A group activity reinforcing the idea that we need to instill good character choices in our lives.
The “oddities” of the Old Testament Law brought into a current classroom situation and then explained.
The classic sleight of hand game with a unique twist. A discussion about how to make good choices in life.
A “just for fun” look at the difficulties of being ridiculously short.
The classic children’s game is used to reinforce the concept that it is difficult to obey even one rule perfectly.
An aluminum rod, a standing sound wave, and a piercing, personal testimony of what God has done in your life.
I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast. I hope you do, too.
The importance of faith explained with a collection of woodworking tools.
Some things we will not understand this side of Heaven. The “slow ball” is one of them.
Jesus is our Passover Lamb. A Palm Sunday/Easter lesson about picking a lamb for the Passover meal.
If there is a “soap opera” in the Bible, it is to be found in Daniel 11.
A group activity to build the tallest spaghetti tower requires working together, much like we must in church.
A “just for fun” salad of “let us” quotes from the Bible.
A volunteer is placed in a somewhat stressful set of circumstances as we discuss how a Christian should deal with the real thing.
A ridiculous “machine”, stress, and the proper response by a mature Christian.
The armor of God described with items found on the beach instead of the battlefield.
The basics that we need as Christians to survive in the world that we live in today.
Balloons, string and a little ingenuity lead to a discussion about following God and obeying Him.
Potatoes—“taters”—are a memorable way to introduce the character traits that we all need to avoid and traits that we need to incorporate in our lives.
Technical Translation of Matthew 5: 13-16
The Lord’s Prayer translated very, very technically.
I choose to give my personal testimony in public by drawing a picture of my life.
Evolution is a theory, and a very poorly substantiated one at that. Let’s test the concept with Tinker Toys.
Re-enacting the classic game how from television history shows just how difficult it is to distinguish the real truth from lies.
Just as in the Garden of Eden, when given even just one rule to follow, most will fail.
A fascinating toy is used to show that submission to the will of God is always the best direction in life.
A simple illustration of how much worth God places upon each of us.
An amazing machine that does absolutely nothing—much like many people in our churches today.
How far will a volunteer go to demonstrate their faith and trust in your provision for them?
God sent us a valentine in John 3: 16.
A re-enactment of Peter walking on the Sea of Galilee. Faith, trust, and fear all on display facing a pan filled with milk.
Water is to a balloon what the Holy Spirit is to the Christian: an infilling that provides protection, purpose, and peace.
When we invite God into our lives, we become a totally new creation—still the same “us” but with a new purpose.
Are you a pillar or a caterpillar in your local church? The church needs solid supporters and workers.
Just for fun and semantics.