Being a juggler / magician at a Christian school that has chapel every week, I've sort of become the equivalent of the house band at a neighborhood bar.  No doubt there may be some parents who wouldn't approve of this simile, but the point is, I'm called on once each month to do a chapel program for each level of students: elementary, middle and high schools. This week, I did chapel for both elementary and middle schools.

Elementary chapel is always a lot of fun.  The kids that age (grades K-4) are so enthusiastic, and I don't get to spend time with those grades very often.  I enjoyed bringing back my rarely performed any more buckets and balls routine, and I was pleased with how it went.  Then, getting into the chapelly part, I did a series of illusions to discuss the fruits of the Spirit.  Some kids got it, and some I'm sure, didn't.  Hey, some are as young as 5.  But the tricks, jokes and audience participation kept their interest.  I ended with my contact juggling routine to Mahalia Jackson's "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and it may be the best it's ever been.  I then wrapped things up with a new trick: rolling a ball from my left eye into my right.  Weird, but funny.

Immediately after the youngest students left the chapel, grades 5 through 8 came in.  I didn't do as much entertaining, although I did build the service around my club routine, as well as a power point presentation looking at people, from Moses of the Old Testament and Paul of the New through present day folks like Sue Thomas and Phil Keaggy; all of whom God used in their biggest weaknesses.  Moses was a stutterer; Paul legally blind; Sue is profoundly deaf, and Keaggy - one of the best guitarists alive today, has only nine fingers.  Other examples I touched on were Harriet Tubman (seizures), Helen Keller (deaf and blind) and Thomas Edison (probably dyslexic).  I then reminded the kids that God wants to use them, not just in their strengths, but in their weaknesses as well.

It was a good morning indeed.