Young Psalmists

The hubby and I were asked to fill in to teach the Jr.High/High School Sunday school class last Sunday. The class was pretty excited when they heard the news, but disappointed when I showed up alone. (Hubby was home sick.) He is quite popular with the kids; he taught their Sunday school class when they were in 5th and 6th grade. It didn't hurt my feelings when they were disappointed -- He's quite popular with me, too.

The lesson was on the book of Psalms. I had several of the kids each read a Psalm (I picked ones with less than 15 verses), and after each Psalm was read we talked about the main emotion or idea that the author was trying to convey. Then we talked about the large variety -- from praise you Lord with loud cymbals to save me from my dastardly enemies. We spent the last half of classtime each writing a Psalm of our own. Their psalms were very thoughtful. It is great to hear kids articulate their faith. I've met so many kids raised in Christian homes who can spout the cliches, but have not developed a faith beyond their parent's faith. The idea is again (like in my previous post) for kids to learn to think for themselves. God is big enough and real enough to withstand the scrutiny of any sincere seeker, no matter how many questions or doubts.