If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live,
or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair;
but ask me what I am living for, in detail,
and ask me, what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.
–Thomas Merton
[Caution: This is a somewhat graphic look at abortion through the eyes of the aborted child]
Dear Mommy,
I am in Heaven now, sitting on God’s lap. He loves me and cries with me; for my heart has been broken.
I so wanted to be your little girl. I don’t quite understand what has happened. I was so excited when I began realizing my existence.
I was in a dark, yet comfortable place. I saw I had fingers and toes. I was pretty far along in my developing, yet not near ready to leave my surroundings. I spent most of my time thinking or sleeping. Even from my earliest days, I felt a special bonding between you and me. Sometimes I heard you crying and I cried with you. Sometimes you would yell or scream, then cry. I heard Daddy yelling back. I was sad,and hoped you would be better soon. I wondered why you cried so much. One day you cried almost all of the day. I hurt for you. I couldn’t imagine why you were so unhappy.
That same day, the most horrible thing happened. A very mean monster came into that warm, comfortable place I was in. I was so scared, I began screaming, but there was no sound. I guess they had you all pinned down because you never once tried to help me. Maybe you never heard me. The monster got closer and closer as I was screaming and screaming, “Mommy, Mommy, help me please; Mommy, help me.” Complete terror is all I felt. I screamed and screamed until I thought I couldn’t anymore.
Then the monster started ripping my arm off. It hurt so bad; the pain I can never explain. It didn’t stop. Oh, how I begged it to stop. I screamed in horror as it ripped my leg off. Though I was in such complete pain, I realized I was dying. I knew I would never see your face or hear you say how much you love me. I wanted to make all your tears go away. I had so many plans to make you happy. Now I couldn’t; all my were shattered. Though I was in utter pain and horror, I felt the pain of my heart breaking, above all.
I wanted more than anything; to be your daughter. No use now, for I was dying a painful death. I could only imagine that terrible things they had done to you. I wanted to tell you that I love you before I was gone, but I didn’t know the words you could understand. And soon no longer I had the breath to say them; I was dead.
I felt myself rising. I was being carried by a huge angel into a big, beautiful place. I was still crying, but the physical pain was gone. The angel took me to Jesus and set me on His lap. He said :”He loved me, and He was my Father.” Then I was happy. I asked Him what the thing was that killed me. He answered, “Abortion. I am sorry, my child; for I know how it feels.”
I don’t know what abortion is; I guess that’s the name of the monster. I’m writing to say that I love you and to tell you how much I wanted to be your little girl. I tried very hard to live. I wanted to live. I had the will, but I couldn’t; the monster was too powerful. It sucked my arms and legs off and finally got all of me. It was impossible to live. I just wanted you to know I tried to stay with you. I didn’t want to die.
Also, Mommy, please watch out for that abortion monster. Mommy, I love you and I would hate for you to go through the kind of pain I did. Please be careful.
Love,
Your baby girl
Source: circulating email
MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Description
Spruce up your next scavenger hunt or photo scavenger hunt by adding some of the items in the form of riddles. Riddles may rhyme or simply present a conundrum.
Example Riddles for your Scavenger Hunt
* Come up and let us go; go down and here we stay. [Anchor]
* You use it between your head and your toes, the more it works the thinner it grows. [Bar of Soap]
* He can shave 25 times a day and still have a beard? [Barber]
* What is it that has four legs, one head and a foot? [Bed]
* What is white when its dirty and black when its clean? [Blackboard]
* Stiff is my spine and my body is pale, but I’m always ready to tell a tale. [Book]
* A hundred brothers lie next to each other; Each white and fine — they’ve only one spine. I am the tongue that lies between two. Remove me to gather their wisdom to you. [Bookmark]
* Man walks over, man walks under, in times of war he burns asunder. [Bridge]
* It stands on one leg with its heart in its head. [Cabbage]
* My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick, Fat, I am slow, Wind is my foe. [Candle]
* I’m usually old, in a yard with a fence, here someone rests, and another is of English descent [Cemetary]
* What is bigger when new and grows smaller with use? [chalk, pencil, soap]
* What’s black when you get it, Red when you use it, And white when you’re all through with it? [Charcoal]
* A slow, solemn square-dance, Of warriors feinting. One by one they fall, Warriors fainting, Thirty-two on sixty-four. [Chess]
* Throughout history, there have been thousands of well-documented cases of horses jumping over towers and landing on clergy and small men, forcing their removal. What am I? [Chess]
* Runs, but cannot walk, sometimes sings but never talks. Lacks arms, has hands; lacks a head but has a face. [Clock]
* I have head and tail, but no legs. I am that for which the beggar begs. [Coin]
* I am so simple that I only point; yet I guide men all over the world. [Compass]
* Put on the table and cut, but never eaten [Deck of cards]
* Has to be broken before it can be used [Egg]
Create your own
Create riddles for specific locations and items specific to you church, town, or area. For example, use the riddle for a river, but then add a couple lines to indicate a specific river near your location for participants to take a photo of.
Creative Scavenger Hunts: Once Lost, Now Found
is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!
=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts
“Being thankful is not telling God you appreciate the fact that your life is not in shambles. If that is the basis of your gratitude, you are on slippery ground. Every day of your life you face the possibility that a blessing in your life may be taken away. But blessings are only signs of God’s love. The real blessing, of course, is the love itself. Whenever we get too attached to the sign, we lose our grasp on the God who gave it to us. Churches are filled with widows who can explain this to you. We are not ultimately grateful that we are still holding our blessings. We are grateful that we are held by God even when the blessings are slipping through our fingers.”
Craig Barnes