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Mystery question: Is Heaven Real? Need to Know: Heaven is a real place for people who believe in Jesus! Bible Story: Heaven; Revelation 21-22 Memory verse: But without faith (cover eyes) no one (shake head) can please God. (Point up) We must believe (hand over heart) that God is real (nod head) and that He rewards everyone (hands out in front) who searches for Him. (Point up) Hebrews 11:6 Preparation: (Pictionary) Please have the following ready for after the lesson: Paper or Board Pencil or Marker Bowl Lesson: Welcome back to our MYSTERY MANNER series everybody, I hope you are having fun in our series… YAY! Get ready for the exciting Mystery today. I know this is sad, but today is our last day at Mystery Manor. So get set! Ready? Let’s catch up with Stevie and Parker. HERE WE GO! Story time: Stevie entered the study followed by Parker. He looked around confused “wait a second! What are we doing back in the study? Isn’t this where we started this whole search for clues in the first place?” Parker was very paranoid and started looking behind him as if something was there. “Stevie, I still don’t trust that hidden staircase. Someone could have followed us in here! I felt like the eyes of the people on the paintings were watching me! Plus I KEPT HEARING FOOTSTEPS!” “Don’t be ridiculous Parker, those are your own footsteps! Remember? You wanted to walk as loudly as you could so you could scare away rats?” The staircase led the cousins up to the study where they has started their whole search for clues. Stevie was kind of upset because he couldn’t understand why the last clue that they’ve found led them back to the study, he says that they’ve found all the clues the in the study. Could it be that they were out of clues? “Well Stevie, we’re not out of clues yet, okay, so here’s the whole clue- you will see after looking among the rocks not all the rooms have doorknobs and locks. What once you could not see, now look again. To find the reward most sought after by all men- Then it has a list of numbers. I’m not sure what those are about”. Both Stevie and Parker looked around the room to see what they could’ve possibly missed. “Stevie that’s it! The telescope. At first we couldn’t see what it was pointing to, but now we can! We should look through it again!” Parker rushed over to the telescope to look through it that made Stevie who was standing on the other side of the study, very excited to have his turn to look through the telescope. Uninterested, Parker moved away from the telescope. “Just some stars, it’s not a clue or anything”. The telescope was pointed toward the Orion Hemisphere of the sky, which meant that starts 40 through 200 are over in that direction. Parker looked through the journal which he had underneath his cap and paged to page number 2. The numbers on that clue were all between 40 and 200. “Parker that’s amazing! The next clue IS in the stars! Great Grandpa Pis-Paf left us a clue using those numbers. I bet if we can chart those stars, they will lead us to the next clue”. Parker was very confused and wondered how they were going to chart starts. Stevie then took out his star chart and pen and suggested that they use that to chart the starts. “Here’s what we’ll do. You see how the numbers are in little groups? You can read each group, and then I’ll tell you what to record on the star chart, by using this star projector, it will help us project the star numbers so that I can see them better. Now are you ready Parker? Read me the first set of the numbers please”. The first set of numbers Parker read was 41, 47, 62, 44, 58 and that back to 41. “If we connect all those numbers on the star chart it gives us the letter B, the next set of numbers 81, 57, 60,76,60,63 and 87 gives us the letter E”. The next set of numbers Parker had read were pretty short, 81, 87, 111 which had led them to the letter L.  After getting the letters B, E and L, they only had four more sets of numbers to go. “The next one is another short one Stevie. It’s 105 and 111”. Those two short numbers gave them the letter I. Excitingly Parker read the nest set of numbers, “137,113,116, 132, 116, 119 and 143, that’s the letter E again”. Parker had to read the last set of numbers before putting the letters together. So far they have the following letters B, E, L, I, E. “Let’s find out! We’re on the next to last set of numbers which is 137, 159, 169”. That set of numbers gave the letter V. “We’re very close Stevie, let’s do the last one! 193, 169, 172, 188, 172, 175 AND 199” “ALLLLL riiiiighhhhhtttt Parker… we just gotta get all of those connected!” Very excited about seeing the clue Parker reads “the next letter is an E, the word Stevie!” “That’s an interesting clue for Great Grandpa Pif-Paf to leave us. If he left us a clue that spelled out BELIEVE in the sky, I wonder what he believed” Stevie “Woooaah. You know Parker, I think there was more to that clue than we first thought. It said something about looking at what we cannot see and that’s where we’ll find reward” Parker “Right. So we looked through the telescope” Stevie “Yeah, but I think that Great Grandpa Pif-Paf was wanting us to see that when we believe that Jesus paid the price for our sins and that God raised Jesus back to life, then we get the reward of Heaven, which is greater than any other reward on earth!” Parker “Oh yeah! I get

Mystery question: Where is Jesus Now? Need to Know: Jesus is Alive Right Now! Bible Story: The Resurrection John 20; Luke 24:13-35; Matthew 28:20 Memory verse: But without faith (cover eyes) no one (shake head) can please God. (Point up) We must believe (hand over heart) that God is real (nod head) and that He rewards everyone (hands out in front) who searches for Him. (Point up) Hebrews 11:6 Preparation: (Shadow Games) Choose some of these awesome Shadow games to play with the kids: Fun Shadow Activities Lesson: Oh my hat. We only have two more Sundays with Stevie and Parker. And this mystery is really getting very exciting. As we catch up with Stevie and Parker today, they have a few money notes and it seems like something has been written on the notes. They are both very sure that these notes are their next clue. Something else also happening on the inside of both Stevie and Parker. Paret is growing in his trust in God and in his faith. Stevie, who has been very skeptical has warmed up to the idea of God speaking to them with every clue that they solve. Let’s hear what they are chatting about: Parker: So you’re saying that you’re TOTALLY on board with this now? You aren’t going to give me a hard time about following these clues or tease me about believing that there were monsters in the basement when I was little? Stevie: Yes, no, and yes. Yes I’m on board. No I won’t give you a hard time about believing what Great Grandpa Pif-Paf taught you. And yes –I will probably still tease you about believing there were monsters in the basement, but that’s just because that’s what older cousins do. The mushy moment got bit much for Parker and he directed Stevie’s attention back to the clue. He asked Stevie what was written on the notes: Stevie: See? There are letters and numbers written on the back of these! There’s “WS,” “HE,” “11:6” and “BRE.” If I’m correct, and I always am, then we need to arrange these so they give us the next clue. Parker started jumping up and down.. he knew what the clue meant. ” HEWSBRE 11:6! ” he shouted. But Stevie was less convinced. Parker was not letting Stevie convince him otherwise. He took the Bible laying nearby and looked up Hebrews 11:6. And here is what it says: “But without faith, no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that He rewards everyone who searches for Him.” Stevie could not believe his ears. ” Wait a second! No one mentioned that there was a REWARD!!! If I had known that, I would’ve been solving this mystery a LOT faster!” Parker could not stop laughing. ” Welllll…I don’t know if that means like a money reward. It mightbe a different kind of reward.” Stevie was confused. He did not know there was any other kind of reward. Parker tried to explain: “Well, it talks about having faith to please God. And faith is when we are confident in things we can’t see. So it might be a reward that we can’t see yet.” Stevie: “An invisible reward? Really, Parker? That is NOT the case. Now, let’s finish solving this mystery and find that reward! What’s our next clue?” But that was just the thing. They had not found another clue that Parker could see. Stevie looked at the Bible again. The page where Hebrews 11:6 was written, was marked by a folded piece of paper. Stevie was delighted to find that this piece of paper contained yet another Bible story. Stevie could not believe his ears. “So wait, not only did Jesus pay the price for all the wrong things I’ve done, but He’s actually alive right now?” Parker could answer this with all his confidence: ” Yep! God brought Jesus back to life after He had only been dead for three days.” Stevie was amazed: “Wow! No one in all of history has ever died and come back to life like that! That’s so cool that Jesus is alive right now!” Parker also started getting excited. “Yeah! And you know what else is cool? I think our next clue is right here on this page from Great Grandpa Pif-Paf’s journal!” “You will see after looking among the rocks. Not all doors have doorknobs and locks…” Stevie got super excited. “That must mean that there is a secret door somewhere here in the basement.” “Who would have thought that this old house was this cool?” Stevie and Parker searched high and low until they were just about to give up. Stevie decided to take one last look at the stones by the fireplace. And then he found it. A ke hole! Parker took the same key they used to open Grand Pa’s safe and placed in the keyhole… and what do you know. when they turned the key, a secret door opened. On the other side of the door was the longest, darkest, creepiest staircase they had ever seen. We leave Stevie and Parker as they stand at the top of the staircase, working on their courage to go down into the darkness… Prayer: Father God, thank you that Jesus paid the full price for me. And thank you that You are the rewarder of those who diligently seek You. In Jesus name. Amen Have some fun with your shadow

Mystery question: Can God forgive All My Sins? Need to Know: Jesus Paid the Price for All My Sin! Bible Story: God’s Plan for Jesus- Genesis 3; Romans 5:18; John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:19,20; 1 John 1:9; John 14:6m Memory verse: But without faith (cover eyes) no one (shake head) can please God. (Point up) We must believe (hand over heart) that God is real (nod head) and that He rewards everyone (hands out in front) who searches for Him. (Point up) Hebrews 11:6 Preparation: (Ball/Chin Game) Please have the following ready for after the lesson: Balls (small plastic balls) Lesson: Welcome back to our MYSTERY MANNER series everybody, I hope you are having fun in our series… YAY! Oh my word (ecstatic) I’m sure you are as excited as I am for this week’s MYSTERY with cousins Stevie and Parker! Before we get into our great mystery today, let’s get up! Shake up! And get ready for praise and worship. Ask your kid/s the following question: Which wrong thing would you be the most tempted to do; bounce a ball in the house when you were told not to OR not eat your vegetables and say you did. It’s really hard to do the right thing all the time. What’s it called when we do the wrong things like lie, disobey or steal? It’s called ‘sin’. Today we are finding the answer to this mystery question: Can God Forgive All of My Sin? If we are to discover the answer to this question, we’ve got to work like detectives and join cousin Stevie and Parker on solving todays MYSTERY! Their notes will lead us to the Bible, the best book for finding the truth. I bet they are going to find more clues today! So get set! Ready? Let’s catch up with Stevie and Parker. HERE WE GO! Story time: Stevie pointed to the fire place, telling Parker that that was the place where coal is burned “Remember that clue said, when things are looking bad and there is no one in control, find the answer to what you seek near the place where one burns coal”. Parker looked at Stevie all confused “So you’re telling me that there’s an answer in fireplace?” “Well, I’m not actually sure about that”. Parker slowly walked away from the fireplace and told Stevie that he should have a look at the creepy fireplace to see what was up there, since he was the one with all the science gadgets in his detective bag. “Oh no Parker, remember you’re the one who is all into this mystery. I’m not even sure this thing is real!” Stevie pushed Parker with his finger and said that he is the one who had to go and check out the fireplace. Parker pushed Stevie, he tripped over the stone in front of the fireplace and fell down. “HEY! What was that for? And look- you messed up the fireplace! Everything in this old place is falling apart!” Parker looked down and noticed a secret rock. Stevie was frustrated with Parker for pushing him, he got u from the ground and dusted himself off. His cousin Parker ignored him and picked up the secret rock he saw laying on the floor “look at this rock, it’s different from all the others”. Angrily and not interested Stevie said “So? It looks like most of these stones are sedimentary (chalk like rock). All of these probably came in a bulk package or something”. As Parker was inspecting the rock he noticed that the rock has a secret compartment, Stevie all interested in the rock walked towards Parker to check out the secret compartment. With the rock in Parkers hand, he tried several times to open the secret compartment and ended up accidently dropping the rock on Stevie’s toe. “OOOOOOWWWWW! I think you broke ALL of my toes! “Yeah, but I think your toe jarred the compartment open! Let’s see what’s inside. Oh my word there’s a clue in here” “That’s a rabus clue, it’s a type of code where pictures can stand for words. Then, when you put them all together, it reveals a secret message”. “Well then Stevie, let’s solve it!” The cousins then read the first clue, the clue is a picture of a can of soda- the word would be CAN- the next one has a ‘G’ plus ‘1,3,5,7,9,11’…and minus D. “The numbers that are listed are all ODD numbers. So if we add a ‘G’ to ‘ODD’, and take away the ‘D’, then that leaves us with ‘GOD”. “Okay Stevie, that’s good, so far we have “CAN GOD…” “Yes Parker, the next one has the number four, then a bee hive. And the ‘H’ in ‘HIVE’ should be a ‘G” When the ‘G’ and the ‘H’ are switched around the word the cousins got to was ‘GIVE’. This was a rather confusing puzzle for Parker, he was overwhelmed by it actually. However, with Stevie being there to help him, he got very excited because he knew that they would solve the clue Grand-Pa Pif-Paf had left for them. “Okay Parker, here comes the next one. So ‘FOUR’ plus ‘GIVE’ gives us the word ‘FORGIVE’! That means that we only have three more. The next one has a picture of a ball minus the ‘B’. So that gives us the word ‘ALL’, and a total sentence we have now is ‘CAN GOD FORGIVE ALL’. Now the next one is a picture of a key, minus the ‘K’ and the ‘E’ in ‘KEY’ is actually an ‘M’. Parker was super excited that they finally got so far, and he couldn’t wait for them to solve the next clue. “Ok, so when we take away the ‘K’ in the ‘KEY’, that leaves ‘EY’ .But if we change the ‘E’ to ‘M’ that give us the word ‘MY’ Stevie! “YES Parker! We are getting there, the last one is a picture of someone singing, but it says to replace

Mystery question: Is God Really in Control When Bad Things Happen? Need to Know: No Matter What Happens, God is in Control! Bible Story: Jonah & the Huge FishJonah 1-3 Memory verse: But without faith (cover eyes) no one (shake head) can please God. (Point up) We must believe (hand over heart) that God is real (nod head) and that He rewards everyone (hands out in front) who searches for Him. (Point up) Hebrews 11:6 Preparation: (Johna and The Fish Craft) Praise and Worship Time Lesson: Welcome back to our MYSTERY MANNER series. Am I the only one who is getting really excited for Stevie and Parker to solve this Mystery? Story time: We catch up with Stevie and Parker in the creepy and dark basement. The basement is really dark, the two cousins keep bumping into each other. They are both feeling a little creeped out, but they cannot help but remember all the good times they spent in the basement with their great-grandpa. The basement was one of the places where their great-grandpa spent time telling them stories about God. He sure loved spending time down there with God. Parker decides that they should investigate the rocking chair that Pif_Paf used to sit in. Sevie was less convinced. He was weary of rats or other creatures having nested in the chair. After much convincing Parker got Stevie to help him check under the chair. They found what Stevie thought was a false clue. It was a really, really, really smelly old box. Inside there was an old sock…. and a funny tube. Parker wanted to break the tube, to search for a clue on the inside…. JUST THEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT…. and they could not see a thing. Parker started to panic. The dark can play tricks on one’s mind and eyes. He was convinced that there was someone outside the Mystery Mannor and they had switched off the power. Stevie was more level headed. He was convinced it was merely a fuse that had blown. Parker even started trying to convince Stevie that there were aliens out to get them… imagine that. ALIENS. Stevie was getting a little irritated with Parker. SO he decided to put him out of his missery. He finally revealed what the tube was. It was a mini black light. ” Black lights emit a type of UV light that shows you things you can’t see with your naked eye.” Stevie explained. This confused Parker even more: “My eyes are naked?!?!” he asked. Stevie did not know whether he should laugh or cry: ” Oh, brother. No your eyes aren’t NAKED! It’s just another way of saying that this light shows us things we can’t normally see.” It was at this point that Stevie found a piece of paper with the following Bible story on it: “Look! There’s more! I love reading the stories Great Grandpa Pif-Paftalks about in his journal. But I wonder why he wanted us to hear THIS story?”Parker asked. Stevie grabs note from Parker: “I don’t know but let’s keep reading!” Stevie was so excited that he could not contain himself: “Of course! Great Grandpa Pif-Paf wanted us to hear the story of Jonah so that we can know that all of this crazy bad stuff that is happening, doesn’t need to scare us.” While Parker and Stevie were discussing how God is always in control, Parker noticed something glowing in the lid of the box. It was their next clue: “When things are looking badAnd there is no one in control, Find the answer to what you see Near the place where one burns coal.” While the cousins were discussing the meaning of the clue the lights came on… and was when it suddenly hit them: if the lights hadn’t gone out, then they wouldn’t have found the clue with that black light! But they still had no idea what the rest of the clue meant.. did they have to coal and look for their next clue where people burned coal? To be continued… Wow! What an adventure and what an awesome reminder that bad things can help us to find the good things in life. Let’s see if we can remember what we learned. 1. What did God tell Jonah to do? (Go to Nineveh &preach to the bad people there) 2. God let something bad happen to Jonah while he was out at sea. What happened? (God sent a huge storm which almost made the ship break into pieces; the sailors threw him overboard& a fish swallowed him) 3. Was God in control of sending the storm and the fish that swallowed Jonah?(Yes) 4. What good came out of the bad things that happened to Jonah? (Jonah realized he needed to obey God & do what he promised he would do) 5. Has something bad ever happened to you? (Allow responses) Who is in control, even when bad things happen? (God) So when we’re wondering “Is God really in control when bad things happen?” we can have faith and believe what we need to know today: No Matter What Happens, God is in Control! CRAFT TIME: MAKE YOUR JONAH AND THE FISH CRAFT

Mystery question: How can I hear from God? Need to Know: I hear from God when I spend time with Him! Bible Story: Cornelius & Peter, Act 10 Memory verse: But without faith (cover eyes) no one (shake head) can please God. (Point up) We must believe (hand over heart) that God is real (nod head) and that He rewards everyone (hands out in front) who searches for Him. (Point up) Hebrews 11:6 Preparation: (Hanger Tennis game) Please have the following ready for after the lesson: Wire hanger Knee high stocking Tape Paper to roll in the shape of a ball Lesson: Welcome back to our MYSTERY MANNER series everybody, I hope you are having fun in our series… YAY! Oh, my word (ecstatic) I’m sure you are as excited as I am for this week’s MYSTERY with cousins Stevie and Parker! Before we get into our great mystery today, let’s get up! Shakeup! And get ready for praise and worship. Story time: Did you realize that when we spend time listening, we hear things we may have never heard before? Have you ever wondered if you could hear from God if you listened? Today we are going to find out our answer to this mystery question.                                    How can I hear from God? So get set! Ready? Let’s catch up with Stevie and Parker. HERE WE GO! Parker walked into one of the rooms in the mansion and looked around. “This is the last room in the house, it’s GOT to be in here”. Stevie ran into the room after Parker, completely out of breath, gasping for air “Why…are…we…RUNNING…around…an…old…abandoned…mansion?” Parker continued to look around the room, ignoring the fact that Stevie was out of breath. “Well Stevie, we are here to look for a feather pen, DUH! That smudge in Great Grandpa Pif-Paf’s Bible came from the ink of a feather pen. So we need to find one somewhere in the house. I just wished we had checked the bedroom BEFORE going up into that creepy attic”. After a while Stevie finally had his breath back, still in great disbelief about this whole mystery. He claims that the mystery is a complete waste of their time. “Every so-called a clue, we find just takes us further down a trail to nowhere”. Parker, however, still refused to give up on solving the mystery. It was fun (well for Parker at least) and he found it very interesting and exciting to find the questions he had about God. “You can believe that all you want, Stevie, but I KNOW this mystery is real. Great Grandpa Pif-Paf wouldn’t have left that smudge in THE Bible if it wasn’t real”. Stevie rolled his eyes at Parker still not believing that the mystery could be real. “I’ll play along with this little mystery game, but when this so-called clue turns out to be nothing, don’t be upset because I, your OLDER and WISER cousin, tried to warn you”. Parker finally got the feather pen, he held it up and showed Stevie, “would you believe that the clue is real if I found the feather pen?” Stevie still did not believe that the mystery could be true. “Psshh…what? NO, because I don’t believe that this mystery is real, remember? However, as someone who does science experiments in my spare time, I would like to investigate the chemical properties of the ink”. Parker did not understand what Stevie had just said, he gave the feather pen to Stevie to perform his investigation. Stevie sets his detective bag on the ground and starts taking things out of it to investigate the feather pen- magnifying glass, bottle, and a scanner. Meanwhile, Parker notices the journal on the bookshelf, he picks it up, sits on the floor, and starts reading it. Looking at the feather pen, “man this is a remarkable scientific advancement. To go from this feather pen to the pens we have today is quite amazing, Buuuut I have to say that there aren’t any clues on this, Parker. Looks like YOU were WRONG”. Parker continued reading from the journal feeling sure that he will find the next clue in the journal. “Where did you get that Parker?” Parker stood up and tells Stevie that it was on the shelf beside the feather pen. “I just thought it might be interesting, so I started reading it. Turns out, its Great Grandpa Pif-Paf’s journal. He has all kinds of notes in here about what he’s learned from God and what God has told him. Stevie grabs the journal from Parker, most of the loose papers fell from the journal. Parker was upset at the fact that Stevie had grabbed the journal from him. “Oh great! Now look what you did! We’ll never find where all those papers go!” “Not that it even matters! When were you planning on telling me that you found this? Were you just going to hide it from me forever?” Parker tried to get Stevie to simmer down. He was also shocked at Stevie’s anger, because he doesn’t believe that the mystery could be true. “Woah now, Stevie! I was just looking at it while you investigating the feather pen! I wasn’t keeping a secret from you! Stevie didn’t’ calm down at all, he still believes that Parker was trying to keep it a secret. “ I bet you found something in this journal that says that this mystery is totally made up! And you don’t want to tell me because then you would have to admit that you were wrong to believe all of these clues really meant something!” Parker in a very calmed state, picks up the loose papers, confused about Stevie’s sudden outburst. “What’s wrong with you today Stevie. “I’m sorry, I was under the impression that we were working as a TEAM. The fact that you found something and didn’t tell me just makes me think that you don’t want me around at all”. Parker was shocked and couldn’t

Mystery question: What’s the Big Deal About the Bible? Need to Know: What the Bible Says, God Says! Bible Story: The Bible is God’s Word 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Memory verse: But without faith (cover eyes) no one (shake head) can please God. (Point up) We must believe (hand over heart) that God is real (nod head) and that He rewards everyone (hands out in front) who searches for Him. (Point up) Hebrews 11:6 Preparation: Making finger paint! Please have the following items ready for after the lesson: 1/2 cup flour 1 cup water pinch of salt (optional) extra water Food coloring or liquid watercolors Directions: Pour flour and water into a pot. Stir the ingredients over medium heat until it comes together like smooth, thick paste. The mixture will be lumpy along the way, but it all comes together. When it starts to pull away from the pot, remove from the heat. Add a pinch of salt. This helps keep the paint from spoiling if you don’t use it right away. To reach the desired consistency, slowly add cold water to the mixture. I added about 1/4 cup water to our paint.  Divide the paint into bowls. Squeeze food coloring or liquid watercolors into the flour mixture until you reach the desired color. Store in a covered container in the fridge if you’re not planning to use this right away. It will keep indefinitely. Worship Time Lesson: I don’t know about you guys, but I have been wondering about what Stevie and Parker will out today, this WHOLE week. Are you ready to investigate the mystery with them some more? Story time: The last time we saw Stevie and Parker they had dipped a clue in lemon juice and it made some words appear on a piece of paper. Let’s catch up with them. I think they are about to have a very interesting conversation: Parker is a little concerned. “I still don’t understand how that could’ve happened, Stevie. And you’re SURE that the writing didn’t suddenly appear…like a mysterious hand wrote it while we weren’t looking?” Stevie wants to giggle at Parker, but instead, he kindly reassures him. ” No, it’s simple. The acidity of the juice caused a chemical reaction with a previously existing substance that was on the paper, most likely a kind of hidden ink.” Parker was amazed. ” Wooooaaaah…secret ink?!?! That’s so cool!” Parker then breathes into his hands. “Hey, I think eating those Lemonheads made my breath smell better. What do you think?” He then breathes right into Stevie’s face. Stevie was less convinced about Parker’s breath. ” What do I think? I think you would need to eat a LOT of Lemonheads to cover up that smell.” Stevie is ready to move on.” Now, please tell me you wrote down the clue on this piece of paper before the ink disappeared.” Parker appears to be a little annoyed at Stevie. He rolls his eyes as he says:” Yes, after you told me 67 times to write it down, I got it!” And with that Parker waves his notebook in Stevie’s face. Stevie is getting a little tired of this mystery. ” Ok good, because up to this point, I am NOT convinced that this mystery is actually real, andI’m feeling pretty good that this so-called “clue” is going to prove my theory that the whole mystery is not real. PLUS to show that I was right and you were wrong.” Parker got a little defensive. ” Well I’m gonna use this clue to prove that this mystery IS real and that all these clues really DO mean something.” He reads from his notebook. “The greatest book in all the land, Divinely written by human hands Look in the middle and you will see How God speaks to you and me.” This got Stevie thinking. “Hmmm…the greatest book in all the land?” And he walks over to the bookshelf looking through books. Parker pretends that the answer is obvious. “We all know what the greatest book in all the land isParker and Stevie shout out their answer at the same time. Only it is not the same answer. Stevie says the greatest book of all time is the dictionary and Parker says it is the Bible. Naturally, an argument ensues over which book is the greatest. Stevie even gets a little mean. Parker’s argument was that the Bible was his great grandpa’s favourite book, which is why he clue points to the Bible. Stevie answers him, by taking a jab at Parker. ” Yeah, but choosing something that is Great Grandpa Pif-Paf’sfavorite hasn’t always worked out for you, has it? Like remember when he told you that his favorite dessert was dirt cake? He was talking about that pudding with Oreos and gummy worms in it. But you…you went outside, gathered some dirt, put a candle in it, and ATE. IT. ALL. Man, you puked for DAYS after eating all that dirt.” Parker was a little hurt. He was not that same little boy anymore, and he just knows that this clue is speaking about the Bible. Stevie gives in and they start looking for a Bible. The two boys find their great grandfather’s Bible. It has his name on it, and it is missing the page that they found on the Telescope. Stevie was still very skeptical, but Parker knew that their next clue would come from the Bible. Parker starts flipping through the Bible. ” Well, the clue said to look in the middle and we will see how God speaks to you and me. So I feel like we should turn to the middle of the Bible and see what it says there!I’m sure Great Grandpa Pif-Paf had a good reason for always reading the Bible. “ Parker is so excited. “The Bible isn’t just any book. It’s the most amazing book ever written! Every word is true and it helps us in our lives. What the

Mystery question: Are God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit the same? Need to Know: God is Three in one! Bible Story: Creation; Angel speaks to Mary; Jesus is Baptized; The Cross Genesis 1:1-2, 26-27 Luke 1:26-38 Matthew 3:13-17 Luke 23:44-47 Memory verse: But without faith (cover eyes) no one (shake head) can please God. (Point up) We must believe (hand over heart) that God is real (nod head) and that He rewards everyone (hands out in front) who searches for Him. (Point up) Hebrews 11:6 Preparation: Making invisible ink! Please have the following items ready for after the lesson: Baking soda (A tablespoon measurement) A bank paper Earbuds (4) Small bowl Newspaper to work on (we don’t want to make a mess) A glass of water Colouring pencils/ grape juice Paintbrush (if you going to use grape juice) Worship Time Lesson: Welcome back to our new series Mystery Manner!️‍♀️🕵️‍♂️ I hope that you are excited to hear what Parker and Stevie are going to find today! Before we get into our great mystery with Parker and Stevie, let’s get up! Shake up! And get ready for praise and worship. Story time: Question: Has anyone ever wondered if God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the same? I can definitely say that I have. Are you ready to meet up with Parker and Stevie as they investigate this great mystery today? Let’s meet up with them in 5…4…3…2…1 here we go! Stevie holds on to Parker’s T-shirt pulling him to the kitchen. Parker all confused and doesn’t understand why Stevie is pulling him to the kitchen shouts “Stevie! Why are you pulling me to the kitchen? Now is definitely not the time for a snack, we just found our next clue! “Don’t be ridiculous Parker” Stevie says laughing, “I didn’t come in here to get a snack, I came here because the kitchen has better light”. Stevie took a close look at the page from grandpa Pif-Paf’s Bible “Please be careful with it, you don’t want to tear it” Parker exclaims. “Oh Parker, just as I thought, this is probably some meaningless little note that Great Grandpa Pif-Paf left on this Bible page, like a reminder dentures (artificial teeth) in. Stevie holds the page up for Parker to see. “Now Parker, I’m one step closer to proving that this mystery is all made up” Stevie says to Parker. Parker however, disagreed with Stevie, believing that this could be the next BIG clue. Parker believes that these are like a series of clues that will definitely lead to them solving the MYSTERY! Stevie in disbelief rolled his eyes, still unable to grasp the fact that Parker believes that there is a  ”BIG MYSTERY” to be solved. “This is just some old man scribble scrabble” he says. Parker being persistent reaches into Stevie’s detective bag to find the magnifying glass “I’m going to find out what the clue says, okay! Stevie was not okay with the fact that Parker took the magnifying glass out of his bag “Uhm….first of all excuse you! Second of all, there is no way that you’ll be able to read that Parker, it’s almost impossible to see” “Well I’m sure you probably have something in your bag that can restore faded ink, don’t you Mr Smarty pants” Parker sarcastically says. Stevie surprisingly had something that could restore faded the ink on the Bible page that grandpa Pif-Paf left. This according to Stevie is a risky procedure, and the cousins should be very cautious when doing it, because one wrong move could mean that the document would be ruined! This left the cousins with one tough choice to make, either not do anything and never know what the clue says or risk ruining the document while trying to figure what the clue says.  “As a scientist, I would recommend that we be thorough in our search, but if you want to give up now Parker, I’m okay with that too. Parker was stressed and didn’t know what to do, this was a pretty tough choice to make, and he was really excited about the clue. Parker gained confidence after giving it a thorough thought, he then took the Bible page and placed it on the kitchen table “Okay the Stevie, let’s do it!”  Stevie reached into his detective bag and took out three different bottles. One of the three solutions could work to restore the ink. “I’ve got lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide (bleach), and some ammonia (for purification)” Parker was disgusted by the smell of the ammonia, “EWWWWW! You have a sickness in your bottle”. Stevie rolled his eyes ad explaining “No, ammonia is a cleaning material”  The ink on the paper has just faded over time according to the observation Stevie had made while examining the page. After thinking for quite some time Stevie decided that the best solution to use is lemon juice. Stevie took out his safety goggles and gloves from the detective, he puts them on before he did the experiment. Parker was very impressed that Stevie –who didn’t believe that this MYSTERY could be true- was prepared.  Just as Stevie was getting ready to use the lemon juice he discovered that the lemon juice bottle was empty, he had forgotten to refill it after his previous experiment. The cousins ended up using stale lemon heads that Parker found behind some kitchen utensils. It WORKED! The stale lemon heads actually worked! “Quick Parker, grab a notebook and pen from my detective bag and write down what it says before the lemon juice fades”. After writing it down Parker read the clue aloud “It looks like some kind of riddle, it says” clue “HOLY SPIRIT, FATHER, SON. THIS GREAT MYSTERY: 3in1, this is definitely the next CLUE!” Parker took the recipe box that had a 3in1 symbol on it, from the shelf he found the Lemonheads. Stevie opened up the recipe box (clue 2) that had the same 3in1 symbol on it as the Bible

Question: Is God Real? Need to Know: God is Real! He Created Things That Are Impossible for People to Make! Bible Story: Creation of Heaven and Earth Genesis 1-2; Romans 1:19-20; Hebrews 1:10-12 Memory Verse: But without faith (cover eyes) no one (shake head) can please God. (point up) We must believe (hand over heart) that God is real (nod head) and that He rewards everyone (hands out in front) who searches for Him. (point up) Hebrews 11:6 Preparation If your children are of an age where they love building blanket forts, let them build a blanket fort that can serve as your mystery manor for this lesson.  Using string, build a giant spider web obstacle course either inside or outside the house. The idea is that the kids need to climb over, under and through the strands. If you have a stopwatch, you can time them and challenge the kids to beat their best time. It will be even more fun if mom and dad also joined in and worked their way through the obstacle course. Lesson Start the lesson at the dining room table / in the lounge. Introduce the new topic. Over the next few weeks we will be following the story of two cousins Parker and Stevie and the mysteries that their great grandpa left for them to solve.  But before we start with our praise and worship, let’s work through this giant spider web.  Take turns climbing through the spider web obstacle course. Time for praise and worship.  Encourage your children to follow the dance moves and go through effort to also join in. When we are willing to lose ourselves in God’s presence and surrender by worshiping him not just with our voices, but through movement, we discover a deeper level of intimacy with Him. Children need permission to let their hair down, and the only way you can give that permission is by letting your own hair down and dancing like David.  Story Time If possible gather inside or in front of your own mystery manor. Settle everyone and start reading the story of Parker and Stevie. We catch up with cousins Parker & Stevie just as they meet up in the dark and dusty study of their Great Grandpa Pif-Paf’s old house, called the Mystery Manor. Parker was delighted to see Stevie there. Both Parker and Stevie received mysterious letters, inviting them back to the house where they had spent so many happy hours as young children. Stevie was less impressed. He said that the only reason he came was to save Parker from making a fool of himself. Stevie accused Parker of always being gullible. “I don’t know what you are talking about!?! I’m not gullible!” said Parker. Stevie rolled his eyes, unable to believe that Parker believes this nonsense. “Oh Parker, remember when we were little and you thought a dragon lived in the basement of this old house because Pif-Paf read Pete’s Dragon to us the night before? And whenever the wind blew you thought for sure the trees had claws that would snatch you out of the window, thanks to that big imagination of yours!” Parker shook his head. That was a long time ago, and he is no longer at the mercy of his own wild imagination. There is something special about this clue that Great Grandpa Pif-Paf sent to them. He can feel it in his gut. There really is something here to be discovered. Parker and Stevie each got a different clue in their letter. After a long discussion (more like an argument) Parker finally gave in and read his clue first. “NIGHT REVEAL CAN PROVE REAL. ”I have no idea what it means, but that’s why I need to see what yours says” Parker moaned. “THROUGH THE STARS THISGOD IS” Perplexed by the two clues that make almost no sense, the two cousins put their heads together to try and piece the puzzle together. “What if we put the two halves together?” asked Stevie. Parker was delighted by the idea. He was even happier that Stevie was getting into the whole mystery thing, but he dared not say anything, just in case he spoiled the mood. Ok, well there are two choices: “NIGHT THROUGH THE REVEAL STARSCAN PROVE THISREAL. GOD IS” Or maybe it is the other way around, said Stevie: “THROUGH THE NIGHTSTARS REVEAL THIS CAN PROVEGOD IS REAL” Parker was more confused than ever. “What are we suppose to do with this clue?” He asked. “Waaaaait a minute,” said Stevie. “This clue says something about proving that God is real? Great Grandpa Pif-Pafwas always trying to talk to us about God, but I’m just not buying the fact that someone you can’t see can actually be real.” Parker could not believe what he was hearing. He asked Stevie what he meant and Stevie replied that he found it hard to believe in things he could not see. This gave Parker an idea. He took a huge book and dropped it on the floor. (Perhaps this was not such a good idea. When the book hit the ground, it sent dust flying into the air. They had dust up their noses, in their eyes, they were both coughing and spluttering) But when the dust finally settled, Parker asked Stevie why the book fell down and did not float in mid-air. Stevie was now very annoyed. His spit had turned to mud in his mouth because Parker was trying to prove a point. “Gravity,” Stevie answered. Parker then giggled, are you sure? Have you ever seen gravity?” Stevie just shook his head. “You see, you say it is gravity, but you can’t see gravity, so how do you know that it is real?” Stevie was catching on to Parker’s clever angle, but he confessed that he would need to see more evidence before he could believe that God was real. Parker was saying to Stevie how there is evidence of God all around us. This caused Stevie to look around and