From the Back Page
Richard Moore, pastor
A while ago when I was at a seminar, I jotted down some notes and later tossed them in my top left drawer. “Sandbox Rules” is their title. They came from Anna Carter Florence who teaches preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary and she said they don’t only apply to children playing in the sandbox. They work well for Bible Study groups, committee meetings and other church gatherings. They are as follows:
1. Sand is fun.
2. Sand is messy.
3. Don’t throw sand.
4. Share the shovels.
5. Use the tools for digging, not hitting.
6. No knocking down what other people have built.
7. If you don’t understand what someone else has built, ask them about it.
8. Remember that babies and young children don’t know the rules yet.
9. If you need help with a situation, ask a grownup to intervene.
10. Leave the sandbox when it’s time so others can have a turn.
11. Don’t expect the sandcastle you built to be there six hours later or the next day.
12. Come back tomorrow and do it again.
Anna Carter Florence says she came up with these while watching her young children playing with others in the park. I think she’s right; church life isn’t so very different than what goes on in the sandbox. I also think you can take these rules and apply them just about anywhere.
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