We’re preparing for our VBS next week, and we’re adapting one of the awesome tricks in Dynamic Dan’s video Burning with God’s Word to help teach kids about how Jesus gives us hope when life gets difficult! Here’s how it works:

Supplies: 

Prep:

Use the black sharpie/permanent ink to write the word “HOPE” on the butcher paper. In the bowl, combine some of the thermochromic pigment with a mixture of water and Mod Podge. You may want to experiment with the water/mod podge ratio, but a good starting place is 50/50.

Instructions:

  1. Pull out the butcher paper on the canvas/board so that everyone in the audience can see it and the word HOPE.
  2. Pointing to the word HOPE, say: “Hey look! It’s hope! You can see it right there: H-O-P-E. It can be easy to put our hope in Jesus when life is going great. Maybe you just scored the winning goal for your soccer team. Or maybe you got an A on that really hard math test. Or maybe you just spent the whole day playing Minecraft with your friends, so you’re feeling good. Sometimes life is going great. When life is going great, it can be easy to trust Jesus!” 
  3. Pick up thermochromic paint bowl and paintbrush. Say: “But sometimes, life isn’t going great. (swipe/splatter some paint over the stick figure/smiley face) Maybe your grandfather gets sick. (swipe/splatter paint on butcher paper) Maybe your best friend has to move away, or you get into a really big fight. (swipe/splatter paint on butcher paper) Maybe you’re worried about a big milestone test coming up. (swipe/splatter more paint on butcher paper, covering up most of the smiley face/stick figure) When bad things happen in our lives, or when we worry, it can feel kind of like this (point to black paper). Everything feels dark, sad, or lonely, and we don’t know what to do. Things can feel hopeless.”
  4. Put down paint and pick up blowtorch or hairdryer. Say: “Psalm 31:24 tells us: “So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.” When we put our hope in Jesus, it doesn’t mean bad things stop happening to us. But it means that we don’t have to live in the darkness of worry or fear or anxiety. (use blowtorch to make the thermochromic ink disappear and reveal the smiley face/stick figure underneath again) When we put our hope in the Lord, we can be strong and courageous, facing everything that comes our way and not letting the darkness of worry or fear overcome us. Jesus’ power gives us hope!

A special thanks to Dynamic Dan for sharing his secrets with us, and this week only (June 1- June 6, 2021), you can download the video that inspired this trick, Burning with God’s Word, for FREE! When you do, you’ll also receive a coupon code for buy one, get one free so you can download 2 more of Dynamic Dan’s amazing videos to use for summer, when you’re teaching about Jesus’ miracles, Christmas, or even more! That’s THREE videos for the price of ONE! Dynamic Dan videos are ideal to use alongside a Bible story or reading, to help you bring out the theme or message in a memorable and engaging way. Find more Dynamic Dan videos here!

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