But you...

 "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,  keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.  And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh."- Jude 20-23  
     These two sentences come after 5 or so paragraphs of Jude warning us to watch out for false teachers invading the church and teaching false doctrine.  He warns us of hedonism (v 4), mysticism (v 8), and humanism (v 10, 11).  These things creeping into our church?  This can be a scary and disconcerting thought!  Wolves in sheep's clothing.  It could make us fearful. It could make us, after reading the first 19 verses, think that this book of the Bible doesn't apply to them.  Until we read 'but you...'  We are given a call.  A call that protects us, encourages us, and tells us what to do to prepare for battle!
    "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith... We must be continually striving in holiness.  We must be in the Word- reading it, meditating on it, and memorizing it.  As Todd Murray said once, no one 'drifts' into holiness.  We can drift into laziness or worldliness, but no one drifts into holiness.  We must be working at it.  
     We have to know our Bible.  We are blessed to have at least one copy of the Bible in our home, access to the web, and commentaries from wise pastors about the Bible.  We should KNOW that book.  We should know the books of the Bible and the ideas of each book of the Bible.  We should know about salvation and how it works and about being a new creation.

VBS Pilgrim's Progress- Year 2 (Ch 6-8)

VBS- Pilgrims Progress. Part 2, Chapters 6-9 (Four day VBS plan)

Day 1-  Year one VBS (Ch. 1-5) review 

*Memory Verse- Romans 12:21, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

*Skit of Year one review done by youth group members for introductory meeting.

Preschool would rotate between the reading room, craft room, play room, and snack room, and game time

*Review  chapters 1-5 (edited version).

*Craft Room- (older children worked on a book, a section a day, correlation with the chapter.   Preschool did a project a day.)

* Preschool for day 1-   Work together on dangerous journey map for room.  Each child make their own map afterwards.  Roll up and tie with ribbon.

*Play room (jumpy blow up thing)

*Game time-  Follow the leader

*Snack room

Day2-  Vanity Fair (ch. 6) 

*Memory Verse - Psalms 118:5-6, "Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.  The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?"

 *Skit of Chapter 6 done by youth group  members .

* Reading of A Dangerous Journey (ch 7)

* Craft Room-   Magazine cut- out collage of things that we might be tempted to covet and desire in this world (stuff, toys, vacations to theme parks, cars, clothes, houses, etc.)

*  Play room

* Game time- Freeze tag

* Snack room

Day 3- Doubting Castle (ch7)

*Memory Verse- 1 Chronicle 28:20 "...Be strong and courageous and do it.  Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you..."

 *Skit of Chapter 7 done by youth group members .

* Reading of A Dangerous Journey(ch 7)

* Craft Room-  decorate plastic key with glitter and glue.  Attach memory verse to 'key ring'.

*  Play room

* Game time- duck duck goose

* Snack room

Day 4- The Dark River (ch 8)

*Memory Verse- 2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

*Skit of Chapter 8 done by youth group members.

* Reading of A Dangerous Journey(ch 8) 

* Craft Room-  Snow Globe/Jar=  baby food jars filled with water, glitter, glycerine, maybe some charms, and  picture of child (laminated).  Glue lid on tight with craft glue. 

* Game time- Mother May I?

*Snack Room

VBS Pilgrim's Progress- Year 1 (Ch 1-5)

In response to many about the Pilgrim's Progress VBS, here is a guideline that may be helpful. It's not thorough by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good starting point. If you would like my edited version, email me at mamayebailey@gmail.com and I will send it to you.

Year 1- VBS Pilgrim's Progress (Chapters 1-5) for the younger children

Day 1- The Gate is Narrow

*Memory Verse- Matt. 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those that enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and those who find it are few." (underlined part is the memory verse for the younger children)

*Skit of Chapter 1 done by youth group members for introductory meeting.

Preschool would rotate between the reading room, craft room, play room, and snack room, and game time

*Reading of A Dangerous Journey(ch 1) (edited version).

*Craft Room- (older children worked on a book, a section a day, correlation with the chapter. Preschool did a project a day.)

Preschool for day 1, Gate craft. (white card stock, pop sickle sticks for gate, cut out of Christian to glue in the gate (wicket gate).

*Play room (jumpy blow up thing)

*Game time- obstacle course to the wicket gate

*Snack room

Day 2- Cast All Your Cares Upon Him

* 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all you cares upon Him, because He cares for you."

* Skit of Chapter 2 by youth group members

* Reading of A Dangerous Journey (ch2)

* Craft- make a 'burden' backpack (possibly with paper grocery bags and something heavy to put inside?)

*Play room

*Game time- Ring toss (cast your cares...) or bowling (burden rolling down the hill)

*Snack room-

Day 3- Your Word Is A Lamp To My Feet

* Psalm 119:105, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

*Skit of Chapter 3 by youth group members

*Reading of edited version of A Dangerous Journey (ch3)

*Craft- Make a parchment paper rolled up with the child's name on it and a ribbon (like the one given to Christian at the Interpreter's house)

*Play room

* Game time- Follow the leader in a dark room; leader has a flashlight., Simon says

* snack time

Day 4- Sword of the Spirit

* Ephesians 6:17 " and take the helmet of Salvation. and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God." (underlined part for younger children to memorize)

*Skit of Chapter 4 by youth group members

* Reading of edited version of A Dangerous Journey (ch4) (emphasize that OUR sword against evil in the Word of God)

*Craft- make swords out of cardboard and aluminum foil. Bible coloring sheet- our sword.

*Game time-

*snack time

Day 5- I Will Fear No Evil . Chapter 5, "The Valley of the Shadow of Death"

*Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; your rod and staff comfort me."

*Skit of Chapter 4 by youth group members.

*Reading of edited version of A Dangerous Journey (ch 5)

*Craft- Possible ending day craft- canvas bags for children to sponge paint, decorate, put sticky letter on to spell their name, or at least have one or two letters for their initials.

* game time- relay races

* snack

Extras-

1. In our gym, we had a mock version of Christian's journey that the kids could go through. The journey was interactive. They would wear their burdens on the journey, get a parchment paper, fight Apollyon, etc.

2. Pictures of each child taken with their burden and sword and parchment paper. This was the picture on the front of their book that the older children were making.

3. Children could 'fight' Appolyon