From the Pastor's Pen

Preschool – early elementary:

• Draw a picture of a desert
• If you have a sandbox, put some sand in a shallow pan (ask your parents what you can use) and set it in the sun for an hour or two. Then touch the sand (carefully) and feel how warm/hot it is. Think about how hot it must be in the desert.

Upper elementary/Middle school:

• Imagine that this story played out differently. What if Hagar and Ishmael weren’t sent away? Write a story that shows how the family could have solved the problem differently.
• Use Legos, playdoh, or clay to make an oasis in a desert. Show Hagar and Ishmael finding water.

High school:

• Journal prompt: After reading this week’s scripture passage and spending some time in prayer, write or draw about a time when you felt let down by important people in your life. How did you sense God’s presence during that time?
• Artistic project: This week’s scripture passage is part of a multigenerational family story. It begins with Abraham and Sarah and wraps up with Joseph and his brothers in Egypt. (The entire rest of the summer is about this family.) If you are artistically inclined, plan out and begin (or continue) a project this week, using your preferred art medium, that will show scenes in this longer story. (You might make a set of graphic novel style pages, or a sketch of each story. You could design your own stained glass series or sew something that tells the story.)