Swap Shop is a place to exchange ideas for activities in Sunday school; share your success stories in teaching the Bible to children; and provide ways to foster a love for the Bible.

Swap Shop

Col 3:10 put

…put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

As we ring in the New Year, we can help our pupils see the differences between the old person we were in the past year and the new person we want to be in the new year.

Ask the students to make a list of the past year’s mental garbage they are willing to throw away and what new qualities or concepts they want to replace it with for the new year. Find the labels that seem to fit the “old you” and pull them off and replace them with your goals for the new year – what will the “new you” do instead?

In the past, middle school and high school students have shared the following ideas:

Fear – I was afraid of being alone at night, but now I want to trust God more.

Jealousy – My best friend has all the guys in school drooling over her, but I want to be grateful for who I am.

Comparisons – I want to stop comparing my life (body, complexion, grades, clothes) with my friends and be grateful for how God made me.

Criticism - I sometimes find more things wrong with life than is right. This next year, I want to find the good and be less critical.

Gossip – I have a tendency to share bits and pieces of information about people without really knowing what’s true. I want to stop spreading gossip and only tell the truth about people.

Complaining – I complain about everything, my teachers, my parents, sister, brother, friends, classes, food at school, my allowance (what allowance?) no car, you name it. This is going to be a tough one to stop, but I want to see how much more I can praise the people in my life.

Stupid mistakes – I want to totally forget all the dumb things I did this past year trying to be someone I’m not. I really want to be happy with being me.

Cheating – I want to quit thinking someone else has better answers and trust what I know.

You might also work on making a list of goals for the new year.

Goals
   To:

• Forgive
• Be a better athlete
• Use wisdom about what I eat
• Master the unsaid, rather than be a slave of the said
• Be kinder
• Be more thoughtful
• Be a better student
• Be nicer to my siblings
• Tell the truth to my parents

Help them discover what states of thought they have out grown.  A poem by Samuel Longfellow concludes: “The Life that makes all things new.”  Help them see how God is making them “new” moment by moment.

GAL