It could be a Peacock or a Butterfly!
Bible Bound Devotion #6
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FOUND THE SIXTH DESTINATION!
You’re either visiting
Monarch Donuts - 15 W. Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91107
OR
Peacock Donuts - 34 E. Duarte Rd. Arcadia, CA 91106
PARENTS! - Please read the note below before buying donuts.
If possible, buy your family at least one donut with a hole it. (Feel free to get others of multiple kinds.) When you open the package to hand out the goodies, act upset that there’s a part “missing” from the donut. Pretend that you’re going to return it and get a new one. Your kids will probably stop you and beg you to let them eat it. Say something like, “You mean I should be thankful for the part of the donut we have? I shouldn’t focus on the part that’s missing?” They will agree. Feed the poor children and then carry on with the devotion.
Please read through this devotion with your fellow scavenger hunters!
Read this rhyme.
As you go through your life,
Make this your goal:
Look at the donut,
And not at the hole!
Ask your family what they think that means.
Now read 1 Thessalonians 5:18
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
God wants us to be thankful! Is that just when life is going great? Nope. God wants us to be thankful in all circumstances. Why do you think that is? Who does that benefit? When we are able to be thankful even when things are hard, we are looking at the donut, and not at the hole. We are looking at the good things God is still providing, and we are trusting God to take care of the hard things, too. Being thankful is good for us. It helps us get through hard times and keep going.
Brainstorm a list of things your family is thankful for, turning it into a prayer of thanksgiving. Don’t forget to add the gifts you’ve been discovering each week:
We belong to God!
God holds us by the hand and protects us.
God provides for our needs and gives us rest.
God gives us a purpose to shine His light to the world.
God’s Spirit guides and comforts us.
God reminds us to be thankful and think about the good things He gives.
Thanks so much for doing these hunts!
We hope they’ve been fun and provided inspiration for your family!
P.S. Don’t forget to take a selfie and send it to Kellen at klaw@christchurchsm.org!
Bible Bound Devotion #5
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FOUND THE FIFTH DESTINATION!
Arcadia Gold Line Metro Station Weather Vane
Please read through this devotion with your fellow scavenger hunters!
This piece of art is called the Arcadian Zephyr, and it was created by Michael Davis. It is inspired by natural and designed elements from two of the City of Arcadia’s major destinations: the race track at Santa Anita Park and the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. A zephyr is a gentle breeze. If it’s a breezy day, you might be able to see how the wind moves the pieces and causes them to line up with the direction of the wind.
When the Holy Spirit came to Jesus’ followers on the day we call Pentecost, a sound like a rushing wind filled the room. In fact, wind or breath is often a way to think of the Holy Spirit (Job 33:4, John 20:22, John 3:8.) We can’t see wind, and we can’t see God’s Spirit, but we can see and even feel evidence of both of them moving.
What if God’s Holy Spirit pointed us in the right direction, just like the wind moves this weather vane? Actually, that is one thing that the Holy Spirit does when we are able to quiet ourselves and listen! Because God loves us, He gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit who can comfort and guide us. It takes practice to hear God, but in Isaiah 30, God promises that when we cry out to him, he will answer!
Read Isaiah 30:21
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way, walk in it.”
Pray these words together:
Loving God, thank you for giving us the gift of your Holy Spirit that comforts and guides us. Sometimes when we are sad or afraid, it feels like you are far away, but we know the truth is you are always with us. Give us courage to cry out to you, and give us ears that can hear your voice. Get rid of the things that make it hard to hear you, and let your Spirit wind point us in the right direction. We love you. Amen.
P.S. Don’t forget to take a selfie and send it to Kellen at klaw@christchurchsm.org!
Bible Bound Hint #5e
Look for THE BUMPY YELLOW RECTANGLE NEAR THE TRACKS
Bible Bound Hint #5d
Look for THE RED TRAIN CROSSING LIGHT
Bible Bound Hint #5c
Look for THE HISTORY BOARD
Bible Bound Hint #5b
Look for THE CLOCK
Bible Bound Hint #5a
Head to the Arcadia Metro Station on the Gold Line.
The address is 200 N. First Ave, Arcadia, CA
Bible Bound Hint #4c
Head to the Creative Arts Group on Baldwin Ave. across from Bethany Church!
Bible Bound Hint #4b
Head to the wall bordering the Taylor’s Market parking lot!
Bible Bound Hint #4a
Head to Kersting Court across from Lucky Baldwin’s!
Bible Bound Devotion #3
CONGRATULATIONS! You FOUND THE THIRD DESTINATION!
Please read through this devotion with your fellow scavenger hunters!
Welcome to the Throop Memorial Garden. When you’re settled and ready, slowly read Psalm 23 with your family. Ask everyone to listen for all the things that God provides for us.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet water, he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
In the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
This psalm talks about God like he is the best shepherd ever, and we are his sheep.
As a group discuss…
What are things God, the good shepherd, provides?
What do you think the writer of the Psalm means by “the darkest valley?”
God, our good shepherd provides us with rest, refreshment, guidance, his presence, comfort, food, drink, protection from enemies, peace, abundance, goodness, love, security...on and on! Our good God takes good care of us, even in the darkest valleys, which are life’s sad and hard times. He never leaves us.
Look at the second line. He MAKES me lie down in green pastures. Sometimes God needs to make us rest. Sometimes we forget that we can trust him to take care of us. We forget that God knows what’s best for us and is always working to take care of us.
Now encourage your family to rest in this peaceful space. Perhaps your kids would enjoy pretending to be God’s sheep, resting by the water. As you rest, (whatever that looks like for your kids) read the Psalm again, this time as a prayer.
P.S. Don’t forget to take a selfie and send it to Kellen at klaw@christchurchsm.org!
Bible Bound Devotion #4
CONGRATULATIONS! You FOUND THE fourth DESTINATION!
Please read through this devotion with your fellow scavenger hunters!
Settle in on a patch of grass across the street. Tell your family you’re going to read a special message from Jesus, written to them. Read Matthew 5:14-16 and then discuss what you’ve heard.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
As a group discuss…
What does Jesus say that you are? The light of the world!!!! That’s amazing! The God who created all light says that we are light! Not just dinky lights, either. But bright ones, like a whole city lit up at night! Like the sun in the sky or the one you just found!
When have you seen city lights at night? Maybe from an airplane, or a great view in the mountains.
There might be darkness all around, but the darkness cannot hide the bright lights in the city. Jesus tells us that’s what we’re like! When we let our true selves shine, darkness cannot win.
No one lights a lamp and then hides it away. It doesn’t make sense. When we turn on a light, it’s so it can light up our homes. In the same way, Jesus tells us it makes no sense to hide our own lights away.
Remember the other hunts we’ve done? We learned that:
God knows us inside and out and tells us we belong to him.
God protects us with his love and holds us by the hand. He is always with us.
God takes care of us like a good shepherd takes care of his sheep. We can rest and trust in him.
What we’re learning this week is that God also gives us a purpose, a reason to be alive! It’s so that we can be so filled up with God’s love that we shine it to our families, to our friends, and to the whole, wide, world!!!!! God made each one of us special and unique. Each one of us has a good and needed light to shine to the world. Don’t be afraid! Let your light shine!
End with a prayer: Jesus, thanks for loving us so much and for giving us an exciting reason to be alive, to shine your love to everyone we meet. When our lights feel dim, fill us up with your love. Help us to see the opportunities to shine that you give us, and then help us to shine, shine, shine!
P.S. Don’t forget to take a selfie and send it to Kellen at klaw@christchurchsm.org!
Bible Bound Hint #3.1
Use your telephone buttons to translate the code into letters.
Each pair of numbers corresponds to a single letter in the alphabet. The pair always starts with a number from 2 to 9. This number tells you which telephone button to look at.
The first pair is 81. The first number, “8”, tells you to look at the button that looks like this:
8
T U V
The second number in the pair, “1”, tells you which letter on the button to use. These numbers are always between 1 to 4. The 1 in 81 indicates the first letter, so 81 would be the letter “T.”
Bible Bound Hint #3.2.a
Look for the two blue handicapped parking spots “standing guard” on each side of a stairway on the west side of the lot.
Bible Bound Hint #3.2.b
Locate the triangle at your feet. It points to a map 12 paces away.
Bible Bound Hint #3.2.c
Head to this directory. When you’ve imagined an X between the 4 numbers, they intersect over Throop Memorial Garden. Just follow the brick sidewalk to the west until it comes to a dead end, and you’re there!
Bible Bound Hint #2
“X” marks the connection spot! To see the address, connect the X’s on your paper to create a Möbius strip.
The information below will help!
The Möbius strip, also called the twisted cylinder, is a one-sided surface with no boundaries. It looks like an infinite loop. Like a normal loop, an ant crawling along it would never reach an end, but in a normal loop, an ant could only crawl along either the top or the bottom. The properties of the strip were discovered independently and almost simultaneously by two German mathematicians, August Ferdinand Möbius and Johann Benedict Listing, in 1858.
A Möbius strip has only one side, so an ant crawling along it would wind along both the bottom and the top in a single stretch. A Möbius strip can be constructed by taking a strip of paper, giving it a half twist, then joining the ends together.
SCROLL LOWER ONLY IF YOU’RE DONE PUZZLING AND WANT THE ADDRESS!
The address is 345 S. Lake Ave. in Pasadena.
When you get there, follow the rest of the instructions in the clue!
Bible Bound Devotion #2
CONGRATULATIONS! You FOUND THE SECOND DESTINATION!
Mobius Bench II is a one-sided surface formed by holding one end of a fixed rectangle, rotating the opposite end through 180 degrees and then applying it to the first end. A seat is formed by a three-dimensional mobius strip: a "Y" that forms a seat, the back of the seat and the bottom of the seat- "Y" turns and rotates and joins itself in a continuous, closed curve. The seat functions as furniture, playground equipment, and as light. It was created by Vito Acconci and installed here in 2003.
Please read through this devotion with your fellow scavenger hunters!
As part of this week’s devotion, challenge your kids to make it all the way around the bench without using their hands. (It’s ok, check out the above paragraph from the City of Pasadena Public Art Program.) Can they do it? If so, they have better balance than we do!
After they’ve tried for a bit, offer them your hand. With your constant, steady support, they’ll probably be able to do it.
Now read Psalm 37: 23-24
“The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”
Wow! There’s a promise in this verse. See if your kids can figure out what it is. God promises that the one who delights in Him won’t fall, because God will hold them up. It’s similar to the way a parent might hold their child up by the hand as they make their way around Mobius II.
As a group discuss…
What does that word “delight” mean?
When have you been delighted?
If your kids struggle to think of something, you might begin by sharing a time when you’ve been truly delighted. Maybe by a surprising thoughtful gesture or a really fun experience.
God wants us to be delighted by Him! He’s the maker of all good things, and He gives them to us because He delights in us! If you want to see more evidence of how God delights in His people, check out the following verses:
Psalm 18:19
Zephaniah 3:17
Isaiah 62:3-5
Psalm 147:11
Isaiah 62:4
Your kids probably know that God loves them, but this may be the first time they’ve heard that God DELIGHTS in them. Maybe you, too! It’s worth pondering this idea with them. God ENJOYS them, and all the special things about them. And God wants us to enjoy Him, too.
As a group discuss…
What are some things that are enjoyable and delightful about God?
When we get to know God well enough to delight in Him, we also come to know Him well enough to really trust Him, just like we trust our parent’s hand to hold us up and keep us steady. Even so, delighting in God and trusting in Him isn’t always easy for us. Life can be hard and sometimes it can feel it difficult to see the good ways God is loving us with everything that’s going on around and in us. In those times, we can trust that God sees our desire to delight in him and our desire to trust in him. He meets us where we are and keeps holding our hand as the loving, perfect parent who will stop at nothing to be with us.
End with a prayer. Use your own or read this one:
God, we love you! We delight in your love for us! We delight in your creation, and in the gifts you have given us. We delight in your goodness and grace. We want to love you more, though. Please give us eyes that see how delightful you are, and help us to trust you when we feel we are stumbling. Thanks for never, ever letting go of our hands. Amen.
P.S. Don’t forget to take a selfie and send it to Kellen at klaw@christchurchsm.org!
Bible Bound Devotion #1
CONGRATULATIONS! You FOUND THE FIRST DESTINATION!
Please read through this devotion with your fellow scavenger hunters!
The Veteran’s Photo Wall and the other monuments you visited here in the park were created to honor the brave men and women who have served our country.
As you explore the wall, consider…
How many faces do you see?
How many names?
As a team discuss…
Why are our names important?
Consider the names of the people in your family. Do any of them have special meanings? Is anyone named after someone special?
Read Isaiah 43:1-2 out loud.
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”
Who do you think is talking here? God is talking to God’s chosen people, the Israelites, and God is talking to us, too! Look at the photos on the wall again. God knows all of those names, God knows all of those people, inside and out. God knows our names, too. God knows us better than anyone else does, and loves us better, too! God loves us so much, he even gives us a new name. It’s in the verse. Listen for it…
Read Isaiah 43:1-2 out loud again.
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”
What’s our new name? God calls us, “Mine!” We belong to God, in a way that makes us very safe, and very loved. Because we belong to God, He tells us, “do not fear!” God makes us a promise that when we pass through the waters (that means crazy, chaotic, stressful times) God will always be with us. COVID 19 has made all of our lives a bit more chaotic and stressful. (Feel free to adjust or expand here based on any specific stresses your group or family may be feeling.) But God tells us not to fear. Because we belong to God, nothing can separate us from Him. We can rely on His love.
End with a prayer. Use your own or read this one:
Jesus, it is amazing to me that of all the people in the world, you know each one of us inside and out. You know our names, and say that we belong to you. Thank you for being with us during scary and stressful times. Thanks for loving us more than we understand. Help us to trust you when we feel afraid.