Ever watch a boy in Church, sitting in the pew, looking around for something, anything that might be more interesting than the bald, fat guy sweating and hollering up in the pulpit? Well to be fair, not all preachers are bald. But let that same boy get up in a tree and watch how fascinated he is by a simple caterpillar or an old bird’s nest or just a better view of the pond. Now, which place would that boy have a clearer idea of who God is, in a pew or in a tree? Earlier this year we challenged the 3rd graders in Trail Life Troop PA-1776 to agree on an animal to make a model of, and learn about. At that age they can fight and argue like bear cubs, and probably for the same reason: to learn how to protect themselves and how to impress other cubs. |
Anyhoo, they eventually agreed on studying the bobcat. While building the model during a number of meetings they also learned where they live, what they eat and how fast they can run. They did need some help cutting the pieces out of insulation foam, drilling the holes to make joints and threading elastic cord to hold “Smiley” together. But they needed very little help painting him (and anything else that got in the way…).
Smiley ended up with a white underbelly, tawny back, and spotted, well, spotted everything! After the green glass eyes and white pipe cleaner whiskers were in place, they figured out how to add the last thing that makes a cat a cat. Twenty short pieces of pipe cleaner colored black with magic marker were stuck into the toes, and here was an animal made for climbing trees, and catching smaller animals!
Now that Smiley was complete, we had a chance to really look at their creation. Some questions were asked. Could they make one that moves on its own? Well, they could with a motor and battery. Could they make one that could howl? Sure, a CD player would do the trick. How about one that could breathe? Uh, maybe with a fan? How about one that can catch and eat a chipmunk? No, they couldn’t make one that does that. So, who can make a REAL bobcat, one that can do all those amazing things? Well, God can of course!
But just who is God to a boy? He is the Creator of all the wonderful things in the great outdoors which are there, seemingly, just for his personal enjoyment. And where might a boy naturally come to know and worship his Creator? In the same place, the great outdoors, also known as: God’s Cathedral.
Trail Life is a K-12 Christian based program that centers on outdoor experiences. If you want to get in on the adventure, contact Jeff Deutschle, Troopmaster, at 570-673-4275 or email at [email protected].