What I learned from Paul’s disastrous journey to Rome

One time I had someone cuss me out for being a Christian. She then went on to say if she knew where I lived, she would report me to CPS. I sat behind my computer screen paralyzed. She had struck at my biggest fear, my children being taken away. I wanted to lash out at her. I wanted to prove to her how wrong she was. But, then I think about Paul’s journey to Rome, and all he faced, and I realize my problems are nothing. This is one lesson I want my Sunday School class to take away when I teach Paul’s journey to Rome.

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What I learn from Paul’s Journey to Rome

It’s really simple: if God has a plan, He will overcome everything in His way.  It reminds me of The Jesus Storybook Bible God loves you with a “never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love,” and how God won’t give up on us, in the same way God wasn’t about to let Paul miss his appointment in Rome.

Paul survived a shipwreck (which became the basis for our first activity)

A snake bite, and made it to Rome.  There he met with leaders from many different groups, and wrote who knows how many letters, including several that ended up in the Bible.  I think part of why God had Paul in prison is so he would write.  Left to himself, Paul would have kept planting churches and going on until he got himself killed.  Now he wrote half of the New Testament, and thoroughly established most of the church’s doctrine.

Paul’s Journey to Rome activities

One of the verses in Acts 27 mentions how many people were on the ship.  So I decided to challenge the kids to design an aluminum foil boat that could hold that many pennies.  Or more realistically who could design a boat that held the most pennies.

I gave them roughly 2 feet of aluminum foil and a 10 minute timer.  If I don’t set a timer my kids will expand the activity to 2 hours, 3 rolls of aluminum foil, and my porch will be covered in mud again.  And we had guests coming over that night, so that wasn’t an option, and meetings.  Lots of meetings.

In the end, I let Princess remake hers because her first boat only held 11 pennies.  The second time it held over 100, and then the boys were demanding a chance to remake their boats which each held around 60 pennies.

First, I need to get more pennies.

I’d seen a couple of crafts for the snake that bit Paul, while I found them boring, I knew my kids would love them, so silly snake craft here we come (possibly sometime today).

Paul’s Journey to Rome ideas

• Paul’s Journey to Rome printable lesson <<<<<< this is the printable storybook right here
• Paul’s boat to shipwreck
• Paul pop up book (I LOVE this idea for little guys)
• Paul’s Journey to Rome lesson on Future Flying Saucers

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Check out the rest of my Acts lessons here.