Praise the Lord! Praise the Children! Language and Vocabulary in Primary Part II

Applause Bus Image Courtesy Creative-Commens license flickr.com by Laughing Squid March 8, 2009

On page 242 of the Hymn book is one of my favorite songs. It's short, simple and to the point.

"Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host; Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost."

The song reminds me of the D6 bus in Washington DC. More than once someone would get on the bus and say, "Praise the Lord." and we'd all shout back, "Praise the Lord." and clap, shaking our heads with an "Amen Sister." It made me not want to leave the bus, a little community of believers of different races, backgrounds and religions with one moment shared in gratitude to our Supreme Creator.

We need to praise our Lord in Primary. This is done by:

1. Making sure all lessons focus on Him.

2. Bearing testimony of Him.

3. Making singing time happy, because Psalms 135:3 says,
"Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant."

Another great hymn is on page 232 "Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words."

Verse 1 says "Let us oft speak kind words to each other At home or where’er we may be; Like the warblings of birds on the heather, The tones will be welcome and free. They’ll gladden the heart that’s repining, Give courage and hope from above, And where the dark clouds hide the shining, Let in the bright sunlight of love."

[Chorus] "Oh, the kind words we give shall in memory live And sunshine forever impart.Let us oft speak kind words to each other;Kind words are sweet tones of the heart."

Verse 2 says, "Like the sunbeams of morn on the mountains, The soul they awake to good cheer; Like the murmur of cool, pleasant fountains, They fall in sweet cadences near. Let’s oft, then, in kindly toned voices, Our mutual friendship renew, Till heart meets with heart and rejoices In friendship that ever is true."

One of the accompanying scriptures for this song is Proverbs 16: 24, "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."

When we talk about praising God, it's more to the effect of glorifying. When we talk about praising children, it's to the effect of being positive and giving them merit and value.
"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." Mark Twain.

In my previous post there were some "do not's". Now I give you the "do's". Here is my challenge to you : Use 20 of these positive and kind phrases to children, teachers and whomever happens to be in your primary NEXT WEEK. Have someone tally for you and then ask yourself the questions Did primary go smoother? Was the spirit felt stronger? Do I feel closer to Christ because of this challenge?

The following are quoted/adapted from http://www.sd40.bc.ca/kelvin/compliments.htm

" You are:
Great! Phenomenal! Superb! Cool! Out Of Sight! Excellent! Terrific! Wonderful! Special!

Unbelievable Answer! Two Thumbs Up! You've Got It! Way To Go! Outstanding Singing!
You've Outdone Yourself! Marvelous! Your Help Counts, thank you! Amazing Effort!

Bravo! Exceptional! Breathtaking! Keep Up The Good Work! First Rate Work! Fantastic Work!

You Should Be Proud! I Knew You Had It In You! Very Good! Stupendous! Sensational!
What a wonderful Imagination! Awesome! You're A Great Example For Others! You Made It Happen! You're A Real Trooper! It Couldn't Be Better! Good For You!

You're A Good Sport! You Made The Difference! Take A Bow! Super Job! How Thoughtful Of You! Nice Going! You're A Class Act! Well Done! You're Inspiring! How Artistic!

You Go The Extra Mile! Hooray For You! Great Answer! You Deserve A Hug!
High Five! Wow! You're Getting Better! You're Tops! You're Amazing! What A Great Idea!
You Figured It Out! You've Got What It Takes! You're Neat! You're A Joy! You're A Shining star! Spectacular!

You tried hard singing, thank you! The Time You Put In Really Shows! Remarkable! Far Out!
How Extraordinary! You're A Winner! You Came Through! That's Incredible! 5 Star Job!
You're Super! You Can Do It! You're The Greatest! Sweet! Great Effort! How Original!
What A Genius! You're A Natural! Very Brave! You're A Pleasure To Know! Way To Go!

You're Sharp! Congratulations, you got it! I'm Proud Of You! Thank You For Caring!
I'm Impressed! You're Very Talented! Great Discovery! You're A Champ! Right On!
You're So Kind! Thanks For Helping! You're A-OK! Magnificent! You've Earned My Respect!

You've Made Progress! Outstanding Effort! Neat job! I Love It! Beautiful! Clever! Brilliant!

That's Perfect! Right On! Your Best Singing ever! Expressive! You've Improved so much!
Keep It Up! Nice One! Incomparable! Incredible! I Appreciate Your Help! Good Leadership!
Great Job! Stunning! You Rule! That's Very Kind! You Make Me Smile! You Rock! You're An
Angel! That's The Way! Good For You!

A Job Well Done! You're A Good Friend! Way To Use Your Head! Radical! Alright! You're Very Patient! Wonderful! Way To Be Responsible! Getting Better All The Time! Worthy Of An Oscar!

Better Than Ever! Super Duper! Great Dedication! Top Notch! Hats Off To You! Spectacular!

Good Try! Very Courageous! I Like It! Great Enthusiasm! Lovely! Very Resourceful! You are a masterpiece!"