Too Much Bible Story: Too Much (Too Much of a Good Thing) Proverbs 25:16 Bottom Line: Know when to stop. Memory Verse: God s power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. 2 Peter 1:3a (NIrV) Life App: Self-control Choosing to do what you should even when you don't want to Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice. 1. Countdown 2. Announcements 3. CG:Transition Slide then Host Opener (5 minutes) Host Bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios Spoon Table Two mixing bowls (different sizes) Giant box of Honey Nut Cheerios (or multiple boxes) Cereal scoop Set up the table on stage. Place the two mixing bowls and the giant box of Honey Nut Cheerios (with the scoop inside) on the table. Media Upbeat music to use as kids enter and exit the room Theme Slide Self-control Slide Blank Bottom Line Slide Bottom Line Slide Blank Memory Verse Slide Memory Verse Slide Mega Cheerios Overload Slide 4. Praise and Worship (10 Minutes) End with CG:Transition Slide 5. CG: Word Video and CG:Transition Slide 6. Bible Story (15 Minutes) Storyteller Host Bible Costumes and props for the Host (Have the costumes ready backstage for the Host to change into quickly.): o Competitive hot dog eater: athletic clothes, headband, mustard smeared on his face, a hot dog or two o Mario: Mario costume (from Super Mario Bros. ) o Surfer: Hawaiian shirt, visor, long wig, boogie board Media Late Night Talk Show by Royalty Free Music Pack Blank Bottom Line Slide Bottom Line Slide Proverbs 25:16 Slide At the end the Storyteller should pray for the group and dismiss kids to Small Group 7. Small Group (20-30 Minutes) 2018 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2019 1
Bible Story Outline Week 4 Too Much (Too Much of a Good Thing) Proverbs 25:16 SETTING UP THE STORY We ve been looking at verses in Proverbs to see why it s important for us to have self-control Most of the book of Proverbs contains wise sayings of King Solomon because God made King Solomon one of the wisest people who ever lived Like Solomon we can ask God for the wisdom we need to have self-control That could mean stopping to think, choosing your words carefully, or knowing when to stop TOO MUCH HONEY Proverbs 25:16 The verse isn t just talking about honey In Solomon s day, honey was like candy WHAT TEMPTS YOU TO OVERDO IT When are you tempted to overdo it? What kinds of things do you feel like you could eat forever or DO forever and never get enough? Sometimes we forget that TOO much of a good thing can get us into trouble SPECIAL GUESTS Friends who have learned the hard way Oscar Meyer, competitive hot dog eater Mario, competitive video gamer Dude Bro-man, professional surfer WRAPPING UP THE STORY All of us are tempted to overdo it sometimes Sometimes we THINK we can handle something and it s too much for us Sometimes we re too competitive to stop If we don t know when to stop, we can end up hurting ourselves or other people Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help us God can give you the wisdom to stop when you need to; He wants you to have self-control BL: Know when to stop. 2018 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2019 2
Too Much Bible Story: Too Much (Too Much of a Good Thing) Proverbs 25:16 Bottom Line: Know when to stop. Memory Verse: God s power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. 2 Peter 1:3a (NIrV) Life App: Self-control Choosing to do what you should even when you don't want to Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice. 1. Countdown 2. Announcements 3. CG:Transition Slide then Host Opener (5 minutes) SFX: Play high-energy music as kids enter. CG: Theme Slide Host enters, eating a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. Optional CG (Media Package): Countdown Video HOST: Hello, my friends! How is everyone doing? I didn t have time to finish my breakfast today, so I m still eating my Honey Nut Cheerios! This is awkward. You don t mind, do you? Take a bite and put the bowl down. Okay, I m ready. Welcome to our final week talking about the Life App of self-control! CG: Self-control Slide Self-control is choosing to do what you should even when you don t want to. God wants us to have self-control. He knows that self-control will keep us safe. After all, our words and actions have consequences. If we keep our cool, we can avoid doing things that would hurt ourselves AND others. That s why we need to update our operating system. We need to update the way we react so we can [Basic Truth] make the wise choice. Hold up the bowl of Cheerios. I know a time when I need some self-control: breakfast time! I just LOVE Honey Nut Cheerios. I never want to stop eating them. I m just curious: what s YOUR favorite cereal? Shout it out really quick. Pause for response. Wow. It sounds like you really care about cereal. I think you re ready to play today s game: Mega Cheerios Overload! CG: Mega Cheerios Overload Slide Let me get two Cheerio lovers up here who want to play one boy and one girl. Choose two kids to come up on stage. Have them stand behind the table with the bowls. Guide the boy to stand behind the bigger bowl. 2018 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2019 3
Okay. (To contestants) I m glad you two love Cheerios so much. But today s game isn t an eating contest. To win this challenge which is part of a balanced breakfast you will need self-control to know exactly when to stop. You see, I have a bowl here for each of you. Point to the bowls. When we get started, I ll take my trusty scoop here (hold up scoop) and I ll scoop cereal to fill the bowls up for you. You just need to tell me exactly how many scoops you think it will take to fill your bowl up EXACTLY to the top. But be careful, because if your bowl overflows at all, then the other team wins. The person who fills their bowl to the highest point without going over will win the Mega Cheerios Overload challenge! [Girl s name], you can get some help from the girls in the audience. Girls, how many scoops do you think she should guess? (Pause for response.) All right. [Girl s name], how many scoops? (Pause for response.) [Boy s name], it s your turn to guess. Boys, can you help him out? Remember, this bowl is bigger than the other one. How many scoops should he guess? (Pause for response.) All right. [Boy s name], how many scoops? (Pause for response.) Let the challenge begin! All of you help me keep count as I scoop out the Cheerios. Count the scoops as you scoop Cheerios into their bowls first to the girl s bowl, then to the boy s bowl. Declare the winner. If neither bowl overflows, gauge which one is fuller at the end. If only one bowl overflows, then the other team wins. If both bowls overflow, use it as a chance to tease the Bottom Line: Looks like all of us need to learn when to stop, because cereal is just so good! Great job, contestants! That was a real challenge. It can be tough to have self-control with those delicious O s! (To audience) Can we give both of them a hand? Dismiss both kids to their seats. Okay, now it s time for us to sing to God and worship Him together. Everybody on your feet! Worship Leaders enter as Host exits. 4. Praise and Worship (10 Minutes) End with CG:Transition Slide 5. CG: Word Video and CG:Transition Slide 6. Bible Story (15 Minutes) CG: Blank Bottom Line Slide Storyteller enters as Worship Leaders exit. 2018 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2019 4
SETTING UP THE STORY STORYTELLER: Hello, everyone! All month, we ve been looking at verses in the book of Proverbs (hold up Bible) to see why it s so important for us to have self-control. Most of the book of Proverbs contains wise sayings of King Solomon because God made King Solomon one of the wisest people who ever lived. Like King Solomon, we can ask God for the wisdom we need to have self-control. That could mean stopping to think before you do something you regret, choosing your words carefully so you don t SAY something you regret, or it could be what we re talking about today: [Bottom Line] knowing when to stop. TOO MUCH HONEY STORYTELLER: Listen to what it says in Proverbs 25:16. Are you ready for this? CG: Proverbs 25:16 Slide Open the Bible to Proverbs 25:16 (NIrV) and read. If you find honey, eat just enough. If you eat too much of it, you will throw up. Um... did it just say throw up in that verse? Let me read it again. Read the verse again. Yep. It definitely says throw up. If you eat too much honey, you will throw up. That s funny! Here s the deal, though. The verse isn t just talking about honey. In Solomon s day, honey was like candy. It s sweet and gooey, and people would eat it as a treat or a dessert. CG: Blank Bottom Line Slide WHAT TEMPTS YOU TO OVERDO IT STORYTELLER: Here s what I want to know. When are you tempted to overdo it? When is it hard for you to stop? What kinds of things do you feel like you could eat forever or DO forever and never get enough? For me, it probably wouldn t be honey. Honey Nut Cheerios, maybe. But what about you? Get a few responses. Repeat them so everyone can hear. Those were some great examples. There are times in life when we love something so much that we feel like we just can t stop. Sometimes we forget that TOO much of a good thing can get us into trouble. SPECIAL GUESTS STORYTELLER: I ve got some friends who have learned that the hard way. I thought it would be good for you to hear from them today. Our first guest is a young man named Oscar Meyer. Oscar is a competitive hot dog eater. Please welcome Oscar! SFX: Late Night Talk Show by Royalty Free Music Pack Hello, Oscar. Thanks for being here. Tell us a little about yourself. Host enters, dressed in athletic clothes and wearing a headband. He has mustard smeared on his face. HOST (OSCAR): Sure! Well, like you said, I m a competitive hot dog eater. I compete in tournaments around the world shoving hot dogs into my mouth and trying to eat as many as I can. Like this. (Pause.) Kids, don t try this at home. Host eats a hot dog (or two). 2018 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2019 5
STORYTELLER: Wow. That sounds hard. I bet sometimes you re tempted to overdo it you know, to win the contest. Host nods, still chewing. That s pretty gross to think about. What happens if you eat too many? (Pause.) Wait it s not like what Solomon was talking about in that verse, is it? Throwing up? Host nods, still chewing. Uhhhh... yikes. Let s not let that happen here on stage, okay? (Hurry Host off stage.) Thanks, Oscar! Host exits, still chewing. Our next guest is a competitive video gamer. Please welcome Mario! SFX: Late Night Talk Show by Royalty Free Music Pack (repeat if needed) Clear your throat and repeat the line, since Host will probably still be changing costumes. Host re-enters, now dressed as Mario. Hello, Mario! Thanks for being here. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? HOST (MARIO): No problem! Well, my brother and I are super video game competitors. You could say it s like we ve been stuck in video games for years. STORYTELLER: Surely you don t play video games ALL the time, though. What happens when you forget to stop? HOST (MARIO): Well, you see, I NEVER stop. So lots of things happen to me like turtle shells, fireballs, hammers, banana peels, and even lava pits. I ve been doing this since 1981, so if I m honest, I m getting a little tired. STORYTELLER: You know, Mario, I think you DO need a break. That can t be good for you. Why don t you tell Luigi that you two need a vacation? (To audience) Mario, everyone! HOST (MARIO): Mamma mia! Host exits, jumping with one arm in the air like Mario jumps in Super Mario Bros. STORYTELLER: Our final guest is a professional surfer. Please welcome Dude Bro-man! SFX: Late Night Talk Show by Royalty Free Music Pack (repeat if needed) Clear your throat and repeat the line, since Host will probably still be changing costumes. Host re-enters, in a Hawaiian shirt and visor with a long wig and carrying a boogie board. Thanks for being here, Dude. Can you tell us a little about yourself? HOST (DUDE): Totally. I m, like, a surfer, you know. I spend my time catching waves and just chilling. Like, totally awesome waves, bro. STORYTELLER: I bet. Have you ever been tempted to overdo it? And what happens if you do? Dude? Host just stares straight ahead. 2018 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2019 6
HOST (DUDE): Oh! Sorry. I was just remembering a totally gnarly wave that I surfed last week. It was, like, epic, bro. But, yeah, I ve overdone it sometimes. Like, sometimes there s just NOT epic waves and you just float there waiting. But like, you get totally sunburned from just sitting there all day. Other times, like, I try to ride a totally wicked wave and it, like, totally washes me out. You know what I mean, bro? STORYTELLER: Sure. So, in other words, there are times when you spend too much time in the ocean and get sunburned, and there are times when you try to ride a wave that s too powerful and you get hurt. HOST (DUDE): Totally. STORYTELLER: Cool... bro. Thanks for coming. Dude Bro-man, everyone! Host exits. WRAPPING UP THE STORY STORYTELLER: Okay. It sounds like all of our guests have been tempted to overdo it sometimes. I think that s true for all of us, too. Maybe it s because we love something too much like we really love junk food, or we really love a video game or a show on Netflix and we just don t want to stop. Sometimes we THINK we can handle something and it s too much for us. Sometimes we re too competitive to stop. We feel like we just need to beat the next level or the other player, and THEN we ll be happy. If we don t know when to stop, though, we can end up hurting ourselves or other people. (Hold up Bible.) Too much honey can make you throw up. Too much screen time after your mom told you to stop could mean that she feels like she can t trust you. Remember, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help us. God can give you the wisdom to stop when you need to. He wants you to have fun and enjoy things, but He also wants you to have self-control. He wants you to [Basic Truth] make the wise choice, so you don t hurt yourself or cause problems in your relationships with other people. CG: Bottom Line Slide He wants you to [Bottom Line] know when to stop. So what does that mean for you? Well, it means that you ve got to choose to have self-control with YOUR favorite things. Don t rely on someone else to tell you to stop. Don t wait for your parent to tell you that you ve played enough video games for the day or that you ve had enough junk food. Give yourself a limit on how much money you ll let yourself spend at the store. Set a timer that will tell you when to stop watching videos, so you can connect with the people around you instead of just staring at a screen all day. And remember, just like Solomon asked God for wisdom, YOU can ask God to help you have self-control and [Bottom Line] know when to stop. He can give you the wisdom to do that. That s what our memory verse says 2 Peter 1:3a. Say it with me. CG: Memory Verse Slide KIDS and HOST: God s power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. HOST: That s right! It can be hard to do what you should when you don t want to, but you re not alone. God is with you. He can give you the wisdom you need to have self-control. So let s choose our words carefully. Let s think before we lose our temper. Let s [Bottom Line] know when to stop. And let s remember that we can ALWAYS ask God for help when we need it. Now it s time for you to head to Small Group and talk with your Leader and your friends. Have fun! At the end the Storyteller should pray for the group and dismiss kids to Small Group 7. Small Group (20-30 Minutes) SFX: Play high-energy music as the kids exit. AND CG: Theme Slide 2018 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2019 7