I Wish I'd Paid Better Attention in Vacation Bible School

By Mark B. Weaver and Ben Wade

The idea for this book came suddenly in a vivid snapshot while thinking about how Jesus talked about His love for children and displayed it in His actions. He would continue to tell people about His love for us as His children. So, I set out to make simple what many people have made complicated, the love of God through His son Jesus Christ as displayed through children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973615910

Mark B. Weaver

Mark B. Weaver is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and operates a financial planning practice that specializes in charitable estate planning. He serves on the board of elders for One Life Church Planting Network as well as on the board of other nonprofits. He is passionate about the concept of Transformational Generosity, generosity that changes both the giver and receiver, and speaks regularly on this subject. He currently resides in Henderson, Kentucky with his wife. He has two sons, one daughter-in-law, and two beautiful granddaughters.

Book preview

I Wish I’d Paid Better

Attention In

Vacation Bible School

Mark B. Weaver

Illustrations by Ben Wade

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Copyright © 2014, 2018 Mark B. Weaver.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from:

The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV)

©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.

Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Other Scripture quotations are from:

The Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV)

©1984 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Italics in Scripture quotations are the author’s emphasis.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1589-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1590-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1591-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018902592

WestBow Press rev. date: 9/13/2018

This is a work of fiction. It is also the result of my reflection on several years of life and realizing that most of the things I’ve learned, I wish I’d learned in Vacation Bible School. The lessons were there, but the learning took a lifetime. I love the Bible stories in which Jesus is talking to the crowd in parables, and then later when He is alone with His disciples, they ask, What in the world were You talking about? For this reason, you will see two parts to each daily event—the imagined parable with various children and then how this applies to our relationship with a loving God. The book is set up to read each event as a devotional or just a reflection on how God works through everyday events to show how He loves us. May you not only enjoy this book, but may you also come to experience the love of God through the childlike faith He delights to find in you.

—Mark

Contents

Didn’t See This One Coming!

Unmet Expectations

Just Show Up!

It Doesn’t Matter How You Arrive

Don’t Forget the Nap

Who’s It Really For?

Red and Yellow, Black and White …

We Ain’t All Alike, Are We?

You’re a Moon to Me

Reflecting God’s Love

Lookin’ and Findin’

Discovering What God Has Created

Show and Tell

Life Pictures

Grown Up Like a Child

Maturity Isn’t What We Think It Is

How Big?

My Dad’s Bigger than Your Dad

I Thought You Was My Friend

Only Friends Can Betray You

Some Just Get It

Well, It Ain’t Easy for Me

Kool-Aid Mustaches and Broken Cookies

Or Dude, Loosen Up!

Forgiving and Giving

Forgiveness

Gotcha!

No You Don’t; I Got the Red Flag, Dude!

Great Catch!

You Can’t Play Pitch and Catch with Yourself

Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say

The Truth Comes after the But …

WWMMD? (What Would Miss Marla Do?)

Close, but Wrong Question

Grace Isn’t Just a Word

Grace Applied

Live with the End in Sight

It’s Really Just the Beginning

Judging

Intentions vs. Actions

Sliding Down the Banister of Life

Sometimes We Just Need a Push

Stand or Fall

Short of the Truth

What If

What If What?

Singin’ in the Key of Free

When Did I Stop Skipping?

Who Is That?

Foreigner, Brother, Sister

A Day in the Life of a Coke Bottle

The Great Exchange

Who Are You?

Whose Are You?

The Stress of Uncertainty

Finding the Unchanging

What Kind of Soil?

Amazing What Can Grow Through the Cracks

The Battle

Oh, Behave!

How High?

Measuring Our Dreams

Faith or Denial?

Denial Often Masquerades as Faith

Which Is Better, Giving or Receiving?

Exchanging Gifts Is an Oxymoron

Where Is Everybody Now?

Love the Ones You’re with Later, Too

Didn’t See This One Coming!

Unmet Expectations

I t was my first day, and I was going to have things my way. I would do what I wanted, when I wanted, the way I wanted, regardless of what some ol’ Vacation Bible School worker had to say.

Dude, I was there to play and have a good time.

So Buck, Eric, Ryan, and I were wrasslin’ and shooting spit-wads at the girls and the guy with the black horn-rimmed glasses, when all of a sudden Miss Marla hollered out, Now children, let’s all be quiet and say a prayer to get started.

Stop and be quiet? That wasn’t my idea of having fun.

The rest of that first day, I pretty much sulked, caused trouble, and acted like a smart aleck.

Things really weren’t going as I’d expected. I’d fully intended to have my way, which was my idea of fun.

By the end of the day, I’d started to resent the fact that I even had to be there.

Ryan, being the ol’ man of our group, noticed my behavior and bad attitude. At the day’s end, he