Pascal’s Wager

Recently, a friend spoke of something called Pascal’s Wager. It goes something like this. A lady is on her deathbed. She’s never believed in God’s existence before, but with her death near, she wagers she might as well believe. Either she’s right and will live in heaven forever, or she’s wrong and her conscious self simply comes to an end.

This line of reasoning is strange to me and, I believe, fatally flawed. Let’s consider a second story, inspired by the many times that that the church is called the bride of Christ (2 Cor 11:2, Eph 5:25-27, Rev 19:7-9).

Imagine a man proposing to a woman. The man loves the woman and wants to share the fullness of his love, beauty, and goodness with her, lavishing her with extravagant gifts. The man has given sacrificially to her, even at great pain to himself. Yet to him, this is nothing compared to the joy if they were to be wed.

Now, imagine a few possible responses to the man’s proposal:

1. The woman responds by saying that she might as well believe he exists since he offers such nice things. The man is befuddled. I asked you to marry me, yet you think simply by intellectually deciding I exist, that this somehow is the same? Many people exist, yet you aren’t automatically wed to them simply by affirmation of that belief.
2. The woman says she’ll marry him because she wants the gifts, but she asks if he’d mind too much if she lived in another man’s house. She’ll visit at least twice a year at Christmas and Easter, and sometimes she’ll give him a call, in particular, if she needs something. No way, thinks the man. If you are my wife, I will not share you with another man!
3. The woman says, “I do,” and experiences everything that it means to be a wife. She experiences the full extent of his love, beauty, and goodness and in return loves making herself beautiful, inside and out, for her true love. It is a beautiful circle of undying love.

I believe that Pascal’s Wager’s fatal flaw is simply in an improper diagnosis of the offer. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:41 NIV). To believe that Jesus is Lord is to believe that he is the one ultimately in charge of your life (i.e. “Lord”). Looking at imperfect people in authority over others, the concept of Jesus as Lord could be terrifying to some, but then we see Jesus laying down his life, the greatest act of love (John 15:13). We see him healing diseases (Mark 1:34) and giving rest to the weary (Matt 11:28). And we are also given the analogy of Jesus as the groom and the church as the bride. So we know that this lordship is one of beautiful sacrificial love, not of fear.

One might argue that the verse merely speaks of belief, not of a full commitment such as a wedding vow requires. However, we know from the book of James that faith that does not result in corresponding action is no faith at all. Imagine if I say that I believe that the air in the room is safe and yet hold my breath for fear of poisonous gas. Clearly, my belief is useless. Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with seeking evidence; seeing that the person next to me is breathing the air and still alive would be helpful evidence, for example. But if I say I believe one thing but act as if that thing were not true, then clearly I am a lier.

I believe that God is calling us into a beautiful and deep relationship. He knows we won’t fully understand in our sin-affected bodies, so he gives us tangibles as a mere taste. To borrow an analogy from C.S. Lewis, imagine a young boy who says, “Ew, yuck!” in seeing his parents kiss. At this point, he prefers a piece of chocolate to marriage because he has not yet matured to the point where the joys of sex and intimacy make any sense to him. In the same way, we may reject intimacy with God simply because we don’t realize that such intimacy is greater than the mere “chocolates” we experience here in this world. Yet God has given us glimpses, such as marriage and sex, to help us begin to understand.

Like the sun, God is a life giving source, yet approach him as our bodies are currently, and we could not live. God’s holiness and glory are too great. That is, of course, why God took our form in Jesus; he reached down to us because we could not reach up to him. And it is why he sent his Spirit to live in us. Yet, we still long to see God in all his glory, something that will not be possible until our bodies are made new (1 Cor 13). Until then, we are like a Jewish bride awaiting her groom; a marriage legally binding but not yet consummated.

Beloved Daughter

I wrote the following a few years back but only now decided to share.

Value — sometimes, it’s easy to equate value with productivity or worth with success. I am an imperfect perfectionist by nature, always desiring a perfect picture of success but unable to attain to such standards. I can easily get tangled up by the lies of Satan, that I am worthless if I fail at something. But then I look down at my beloved daughter. She is not quite two and has done very little to contribute to the family on a practical level. When she tries to clean, she only makes more of a mess.  She doesn’t buy groceries or make dinner. We take care of her every need. Yet she is so valuable that I burst with love at the thought of her.

The other day I was walking my girl to the park. I was overcome with affection for my daughter, despite having an unusually crazy morning with toddler messes and explosive diapers. Yet in that moment, all I could think of was that she is so valuable. Period. As I contemplated her value, I became overwhelmed with the realization that God sees me the same way I see my little girl, but with even deeper affection. Just as my girl wants to please me because she loves me, so too I want to please my Heavenly Father, but my value is not at all connected to my obedience. I am valuable simply because I am His child.

Parable of the Sower.docx

Click here for an overview for educational use. 

Parable of the Sower
(Click for lyric video)

Luke 8:4-8 (ICB)

A great crowd gathered. People were coming to Jesus from every town. He told them this story:

    G                     D7       C               G                  C            G
A farmer went out to plant his seed. While he was planting…
G                  D        C            G
Some seed fell beside the road.
C                 D7          C              D7
Beside the road, beside the road.
G          Em         C         D7
People walked on the seed,
               G               D7        G
and the birds ate all this seed.
               G              D7        G
and the birds ate all this seed.     

G                  D    C   G
Some seed fell on rock.
C    D7      C  D7
On rock, on rock.
         G         Em            C       D7
It began to grow but then died
     G            D7        G
because it had no water.
      G           D7        G
because it had no water

G                  D                 C           G
Some seed fell among thorny weeds.
C            D7         C           D7
Thorny weeds, thorny weeds.
         G       Em           C             D7
This seed grew but later the weeds
G                  D7     G
choked the good plants.
G                  D7     G
choked the good plants

G       D7      C      G     |  C       D7       C      D7
G       Em     C      D7    |  G       D7       G

   G                     D7         C             G                    C           G
A farmer went out to plant his seed. While he was planting…
G                  D         C        G
Some seed fell on good ground.
C         D7         C        D7
Good ground, good ground.
G      Em    C               D7
This seed grew and made
      G            D7                G
a hundred times more grain.
   G               D7                G
a hundred times more grain.

Jesus finished the story. Then he called out, “Let those with ears use them and listen!”

Explanation
Luke 8:9, 11-15 (ICB)

Jesus’ followers asked him, “What does this story mean?”

G          D7            C        G                   C                      G
This is what the story means: The seed is God’s teaching…
What is the seed that fell beside the road?
        G           D                    C                  G
It is like the people who hear God’s teaching,
        C              D7                         C            D7
but then the devil comes and takes it away
G                  Em                      C            D7
From their hearts. So they cannot believe
         G             D7        G
The teaching and be saved.

What is the seed that fell on rock?
        G     D                C                  G
It is like those who hear God’s teaching
           C           D7                        C                           D7
and accept it gladly. But they don’t have deep roots.
             G                  Em                       C            D7
They believe for a while, but then trouble comes.
                        G                  D7                         G
They stop believing and turn away from God.

What is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds?
        G     D                 C                 G
It is like those who hear God’s teaching,
                C          D7            C                  D7
but they let the worries, riches, and pleasures
G         Em    C                            D7
Of this life   keep them from growing.
               G               D7              G
So they never produce good fruit.

And what is the seed that fell on the good ground?
              G    D                 C                  G
That is like those who hear God’s teaching
C           D7      C           D7
With a good, honest heart.
G         Em             C        D7
They obey God’s teach-ing
         G                     D7              G
and patiently produce good fruit.

Rain and snow fall from the sky. They don’t return without watering the ground. They cause the plants to sprout and grow. And the plants make seeds for the farmer. And from these seeds people have bread to eat. The words I say do the same thing. They will not return to me empty. They make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do. Isaiah 55:10-11 (ICB)

Supplemental Activities:

Greek

• Hodos: path
• Petra: rock
• Akantha: thorn
• Agathos: good

Game: The teacher calls out one of the Greek words, and the child responds with the corresponding action. Hodos: walk along a path; petra: roll up into a ball like a rock; akantha: pretend to be a poking flower; agathos: pose as a perfect plant.

Hebrew

• Šuḇ: return
• Šāmayim: sky
• Dāḇār: word

Games:

• Child pretends to be a cloud in the sky. Teacher says, “Water the earth.” Child pretends to precipitation. When the teacher says, “Šuḇ,” the child returns to being a cloud in the sky and says, “Šāmayim.” Repeat pretending to be different size storms or different types of precipitation.
• Child pretends to be words coming from God. Child moves from stuffed animal to stuffed animal, pretending to sprinkle with words while saying, “Dāḇār.” When the teacher says, “Šuḇ,” the child returns to starting point.

Science

• Soil texture test
• Soil pH test
• How to amend soil
• Life cycle of a plant
• Water cycle

Craft

Divide a piece of paper into four sections. Using construction paper, draw and cut out a path and rocks, and glue these into two of the sections. For the remaining two sections, draw thorny weeds and good soil. Glue seeds (real or confetti) onto each soil type.

Carolers Songbook

I love caroling! I’m heading out with my church in a couple of days, and I was sadly disappointed when I tried to look for a simple caroling songbook. Maybe I’m too picky about font size, misspellings, and such. Hopefully, the songbook below will be of use to others! It’s just lyrics in a large font, avoiding double-paged text except for the carols with lots of verses. I only have nineteen songs included right now. Maybe I’ll think of others and add them later. All of these carols are in public domain.

Click the following link for a PDF: Christmas Caroling Songbook

Worship Team Devotional: Apologetics 6

The following is week six of an apologetics series I am doing with my worship team at Standing Stones Community Church in Phoenix, AZ. Click on these links below for the others in the series: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, and Week 5. 

Worship Team Devotional: Apologetics – What About Other Gods

October 15, 2015

Atheism: the belief that God does not exist. Some atheists believe the world is eternal. Others say it came into existence out of nothing. Although they deny God, many do believe that evil exists and is actually evidence that there is no God. As we are all just a collection of chemicals, morals are relative and situational. Good and evil are defined pragmatically. For how to respond, please see the previous weeks. We will also cover the problem of evil later on.

Deist: the belief that God made the world and then left it alone. Deists often compare God to a watchmaker who simply makes it and winds it up but then leaves it alone to run down. They believe human reason above revelation. Deists do not believe in miracles. They do not believe in the Bible, though they do believe you can learn about God through studying his creation. Deists believe that humans are the source of evil. Some say that we will experience rewards or judgment in the afterlife based on our use of reason to rule our lives. Moral laws, therefore, are grounded in reason and nature. They disagree as to how this should be applied. Some say that happiness is the guiding moral principle, applied as reason dictates. How to respond: You cannot disbelieve miracles and yet also accept one of the biggest miracles of all—creation itself. Also, if God is made the world, then is it not reasonable to believe that it is he who is sustaining it? Is it not also reasonable to believe that he engages with this world?

Pantheism: the belief that all is God and God is all. We see this in Eastern religions and in the New Age movement with yoga, meditation, and channeling. They believe that God unites all things. Some say he’s a force. All agree that he is an it, not a person. To know God, you must realize that truth is found in contradictions. “Man exists to realize that he too is God.” There is no physical matter since the mind is all. Most say that the world eternally emanates from God, though some say it does not exist at all. Supernormal events (like walking on hot coals without burning) can exist as people discover the divine power all around them and within themselves. Evil, sickness, and death do not actually exist. Only in lower levels of spiritual attainment is the focus on moral laws. As one progresses, however, one strives to be more like God, who is neither good nor evil. There are no absolute morals.

How to respond:

1. Consider that the very grounds for pantheism is self-defeating—“Reason can tell us nothing about God” is either a reasonable statement or it is not. You must, therefore, use reason to deny reason.
2. Pantheists believe in an absolute, unchanging reality (i.e. God). If I come to realize that I am God, then I changed. But God cannot change.
3. The belief that all is illusory does not seem convincing as even the most devout pantheists, masters of life in this world, still live within physical limitations.
4. Morally, this promotes cruelty in the name of spiritual expansion. For example, to help people suffering from their own karma would be working against God, so it is better to ignore all suffering so that people can work off their karma debt.

Challenge: See if you can find each of these three belief systems around you—in movies, on social media, among your friends, perhaps even in your own personal beliefs.

Worship Team Devotional: Apologetics 5

The following is week five of an apologetics series I am doing with my worship team at Standing Stones Community Church in Phoenix, AZ. Click on these links below for the others in the series: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4. 

Worship Team Devotional: Apologetics – Common Objections to the Existence of God

October 8, 2015

Two weeks ago, I briefly summarized four traditional arguments for the existence of God: cosmological (creation), teleological (design), axiological (moral law), and ontological (being). Last week, I showed how these arguments point to a certain kind of God and compared these attributes with how the Bible describes God. I am indebted to Norman Geisler’s When Skeptics Ask for this series. This week, I will address common objections:

If everything needs a cause, then what caused God? Only that which has a beginning needs a cause. Contingent, changing things (like the universe) must have a cause since change must have a cause. God, however, is infinite, unchanging, and necessary. He is the uncaused cause of all finite, contingent things.

No statements about existence are necessary. This is a self-defeating statement. If no statement about existence is necessary, then neither is this very statement necessary. If, however, it’s not necessary, then the opposite could indeed be true. That is, some necessary statements are possible.

The moral law is either beyond God or arbitrary. This argument misses a third option: the moral law is within God. It is not an ultimate beyond God, for that would make moral law ultimate, not God. Nor did God create the law arbitrarily, since it is impossible for God to will something contrary to his nature, like evil.

Can God make a mountain so big that he can’t move it? This question is a category mistake, like asking what red smells like. That is logically absurd, just as is the thought of something bigger than infinite.

If God has no limits, then he must be both good and evil, existence and nonexistence, strong and weak. God is unlimited in his perfection, not his imperfections, such as evil, nonexistence, and weakness.

If God is a necessary being, then the world is too. A necessary being still has free will. He can’t do anything to contradict his nature, but nor does his character demand that he take actions that extend outside of himself.

If God is eternal, when did he create the world? Remember that God did not create the world in time. Rather, he created time itself. There was no time “before” time.

If God knows everything, and his knowledge can’t change, then everything is predetermined and there is no free will. Mere knowledge does not dictate cause, like my knowledge of history did not cause it. God knows how we will act, but he does not control us like robots.

God is nothing but a psychological crutch, a wish, a projection of what we hope is true. You can’t know a “nothing but” statement unless you have “more than” knowledge. “This objection says that nothing exists outside our minds, but a person must go outside the boundaries of his own mind to say that. If the objection were true, it must be false. It defeats itself.”

Challenge: Follow the steps below with one person in your life. 

1. Pray for an unbeliever in your life.
2. With the Holy Spirit’s help, identify possible blinders that prevent this person from accepting the truth.
3. Do what you can to address these blinders. Example 1, if someone is mourning death, then they probably need comfort and not an intellectual discussion on the problem of evil. Example 2, if a student’s professors and peers all speak out against God, then s/he probably needs truth presented in a logical fashion. Appealing to his/her emotions may simply perpetuate a belief that Christians are controlled by emotions.

Worship Team Devotional: Apologetics 4

Worship Team Devotional: Apologetics – Attributes of God

October 1, 2015

Last week, I summarized four traditional arguments for the existence of God: argument from creation (cosmological), design (teleological), moral law (axiological), and being (ontological). Combined together, these arguments not only point to God’s existence but also to the kind of God that exists.

God is All-Powerful: Argument from creation—God not only caused all things but also sustains all things. Therefore, he would need to have more energy than all the energy ever available in all of creation. Argument from being—Necessary existence means that he must be unchanging. Without change, time is not possible since time is simply a way to measure change. Therefore, God must be eternal. Since he is eternal, he is without limitation. All of his essential attributes, therefore, must be perfect and unlimited. God is all-powerful.

God is All-Knowing: Argument from design—God designed the universe, which far surpasses anything that humans have the intellect to design. He must therefore possess more intellect than us. The argument from being states that this attribute of intelligence must be limitless. God is all-knowing.

God is All-Good: Argument from moral law—The existence of the moral law in the mind of God is evidence that God is a moral being. Whatever creates good things must itself be good. God created people, and called us good. Even someone denying that people have value at least expects you to value his opinion as a person. God is therefore good. Applying the argument from being—God is all-good.

God is Unique: You can’t have two limitless beings because then there would be a place where one being ends (i.e. has a limit) and another begins.

God of the Bible: Exodus 3:14 identifies God as Yahweh, “I am who I am,” the existent one. Hebrews 1:3 identifies God as all-powerful. Psalm 86:5 identifies God as all-good. Malachi 3:6 identifies God as unchanging, and Isaiah 66:1 identifies him as infinite. Over and over, we are told that there is only one God.

Challenges:

1. As you read the Bible this week, look for attributes of God. Then, see if the four traditional arguments listed above apply.
2. Consider the objections below. See if you can find an answer. We will discuss them next week.

• If everything needs a cause, then what caused God?
• No statements about existence are necessary.
• The moral law is either beyond God or arbitrary.
• Can God make a mountain so big that he can’t move it?
• If God has no limits, then he must be both good and evil, existence and nonexistence, strong and weak.
• If God is a necessary being, then the world is too.
• If God is eternal, when did he create the world?
• If God knows everything, and his knowledge can’t change, then everything is predetermined and there is no free will.
• God is nothing but a psychological crutch, a wish, a projection of what we hope is true.

Worship Team Devotional: Apologetics 3

The following is a short devotional that I wrote for my worship team at Standing Stones Community Church, in Phoenix, AZ. For previous blogs in this series: Apologetics 1, Apologetics 2. This specific post is summarized from portions of When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook on Christian Evidences by Norman Geisler and Ron Brooks (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996).

Worship Team Devotional: Apologetics – Existence of God

September 24, 2015

What follows is a (very) brief summary of the traditional arguments for the existence of God.

Cosmological (argument from creation): This argument is based on the law of causality, which says that every limited thing is caused by something other than itself. Therefore, the universe, which is limited, must be caused by something other than itself. Some counter with the steady state theory: that the universe is eternal. Science, however, shows that the universe is running out of usable energy (i.e. second law of thermodynamics). Philosophically, it is impossible to pass through an infinite series of moments because you can never finish an infinite series of real things.

Teleological (argument from design): Watches imply watchmakers. Paintings imply artists. The greater the design, the greater the designer. Monkeys might type words, but they would never type Hamlet. A single DNA molecule has information the equivalent of one volume of an encyclopedia. Some may counter that this could have come about through random chance. Science, however, is based on repeated observation, not chance, so this counter is unscientific. In probability, the chances are a lot higher that there is a designer than that random chance produced the universe. One scientist places the odds for chance producing a single, one-celled animal at 1 in 10⁴⁰⁰⁰⁰. The universe is fine tuned for life on Earth, each fine tuning with its own unlikely ratio of probability if left to chance.

Axiological (argument from moral law): All humans are conscious of a moral law. Moral laws imply a lawgiver. Social conventions do not explain morals as there are certain values that all societies everywhere consider wrong, like murder and rape. If they claim the morals are subjective, then they fall into a self-defeating argument, since they are making an objective value statement about morals even while stating that all value statements are subjective. Finally, consider that evolution through random chance can only explain what is, not what ought to be.

Ontological (argument from being): Whatever perfection can be attributed to a most perfect Being must be attributed to it. Necessary existence is part of what makes a perfect being perfect. If God exists, then he must be necessary.

Often you will notice that people behave like a God exists, even if they would never admit it. For example, normal, sane people believe that life is valuable, which is not something that random chance can ascribe to anything. Another example, people complain when their rights are trampled on, yet if we are all merely a conglomeration of cells produced by random chance, then we have no intellectual basis by which to talk about rights. I can’t reasonably complain if someone wrongs me because the concept of “wrong” doesn’t exist. Random chance can only explain what is, not prescribe what should be. It cannot ascribe value.

Challenge:

This week, pay close attention to those around you to see if what they say they believe about God’s existence actually matches their actions (see above paragraph). If you decide to share these arguments with this person, remember to do so with humility, love and respect.

Worship Team Devotional: Apologetics 2

The following is a short devotional that I wrote for my worship team at Standing Stones Community Church, in Phoenix, AZ. I publish this here in hopes that it will be helpful for others:

Worship Team Devotional: Apologetics – Something from Nothing

September 17, 2015 (Much of the following content is based on a Sunday school lesson by my dad, Dr. Charles Rasmussen, delivered 9/6/2015 at Faith Bible Church, Glendale, AZ.)

Obviously, what follows doesn’t even scratch the surface as each one of these topics has volumes of books written on it, but I hope it helps as a starting point for inquiry.

1. How did physical matter arise from nothing? 

• If the Big Bang theory is true, then where did the stuff come from that the Big Bang banged? Science tells us that matter cannot be created or destroyed, so where did matter come from in the first place?
• “Matter is eternal.” If this is the case, we still have the question of what caused the big bang to bang. Was it chemical processes slowly building up until they finally exploded? That would only make sense with finite time since, if matter is eternal, even the slowest of chemical processes would have banged infinite time ago. Also, how can infinite time pass to get to today? That’s like counting down all the negative numbers; it’s infinite and so cannot be done.

2. How did lifeless physical molecules spontaneously turn into life?

• Evolution explains how lower level life evolved into higher level life but not how dead molecules became alive.
• Warm pond of chemicals with a lightning bolt: In Darwin’s day, this seemed possible as simple life was seen as “simple.” Many cosmologists today have abandoned this idea.
• Spontaneous biogenesis: There is absolutely no verified example of this ever happening, yet atheists assume it did occur once. Lucky break!
• Aliens: If the alien is an uncaused, necessary being, then that is probably what we mean by “God.” But atheists reject God. The other option is that the aliens are contingent beings. Obviously, this just pushes back the problem since we must ask about their origins, too.

3. How did consciousness spontaneously arise from molecules that do not have consciousness?

• This is known by atheists as the “hard problem.”

4. How did rationality spontaneously arise for arational molecules?

• If arational, unguided, naturalistic forces caused our rationality, then why even believe such thoughts are true? What does rationality even mean to the naturalist? Yet naturalists speak of many things as if reason actually exists. They speak of many scientific facts as true, or at least speak of science as if truth does exist, even if they have not yet discovered it.

5. How did morality spontaneously arise from amoral molecules?

• Evolution is based on survival of the fittest, but humans often demonstrate survival of the unfittest: “Fit” parents sacrifice their lives to save their “unfit” handicapped child; the “fittest” officer jumping on a grenade to save his “less fit” privates; women and children being put on lifeboats when the Titanic sank, and men who crossdressed to get on the boats considered cowards for the rest of their lives. The fact these men found a way to survive was denigrated, not celebrated. Survival of the unfittest is based on selflessness, sacrifice, and heroism. It is celebrated.

Christians believe that God is the uncaused, necessary one. He created the universe and everything in it. It is because of God that humans are alive, conscious, and moral creatures. Logically, those within a system cannot know that which is outside of the system unless it is revealed. Therefore, Christians rely on God’s revelation to understand the supernatural, since we reside in the natural realm.

Challenge:

Ask a non-religious person one or all of these five questions. First, really listen and seek to understand. Before you respond, pray. Remember, your goal is not necessarily to win an argument but to reach the heart. If they say something that you don’t know how to answer, ask them if they’d mind you doing some research on that and then continuing the conversation later. Be humble because you are not a scientist or expert. Then, follow through by reading what the experts do have to say. Always show love and respect. Also, be courageous. Sometimes, you just need to open your mouth and start asking questions.

Toddler Music Lesson Plan 2 (Folk)

This morning’s lesson went a little smoother, in my opinion. I think the main difference was that we had three children instead of two. The newest addition is a little older than Lucy and is well behaved. He seemed to have a calming affect on the other two.

I realized part way through, however, that I didn’t prep the newest parent very well. I didn’t explain her part to her well at all, I think. The “veteran” parent knew to do and sing everything with the children, but the newest parent didn’t quite seem to know what was normal or expected. This is certainly an easy tweak. Also, perhaps adding a couple more parents/children would help as I noticed that both moms seemed self-conscious about their voices. It’s easier to hide your voice in a crowd than with only a couple others.

One very minor correction was that I shouldn’t have ended with a goodbye song as the three toddlers transitioned to an art project after music. That was fun, thanks to our newest parent, a seasoned art teacher!

Ok, so here is the plan I made for today.

Folk Music Lesson 2

Greeting Song (“Good morning, Good morning, Good morning to [Lucy],” sung to “Mi So Mi, Mi So Mi, Mi So Mi La So Mi.”)

• Sway back and forth to the beat.
• Sing solfege with hand signs.

Rhythm Fun

• Play a steady beat all together. Vary loud, soft, fast, slow.
• Play “freeze” by playing until I call freeze.
• Call and response with rhythms.

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins

• Play on drums for the rhythm in the book

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

• Hand motions.
• Call and response with the rhythms: make monkey sounds for rhythms.

Hey, Lolly, Lolly (p. 10*)

• Sing while tapping beat with shakers.
• Call and response on So and Mi.
• Sing “Clean Up” on “So Mi” to put away shakers.

Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush

• Play rhythms, then sing.
• “This is the way we… wash our face, comb our hair, brush our teeth, put on our clothes.”
• Hold hands and go in a circle on the chorus. Do the motions on the verses.

Ring Around the Rosies

• Call and response on the solfege.
• Play

If Your Happy and You Know It

The Ants Go Marching One by One

• March in a circle. Play drum or stomp on “boom, boom, boom”

Johann Strauss Radetzsky March Op 228

• Free dance

Goodbye Song (same as Good Morning Song)

*Wee Sing Sing-Alongs by Pamela Conn Beall & Susan Hagen Nipp