“You’re really pushing my buttons!”
“He’s really pushing my buttons today.”
“How does she know just how to push my buttons?”
Ah, parenthood. Kids have a special knack for knowing the exact things they can do to get under your skin, am I right? If you have kids, young or old, you probably chuckled a bit or at least felt a sense of camaraderie reading those phrases. Even if you don’t have children, I’ll bet you could hear your dad uttering at least one of them, right?
Our new Father’s Day release really shines a light on this idea, but with a whole new angle that, perhaps, you hadn’t considered before. What if every press of a button is actually your kids’ way of indirectly communicating their feelings to you? What if they’re not just being annoying, but instead, they feel left out or sad about something that happened earlier? We can reflect the heart of God as a loving father in the way we respond to all of those pressed buttons.
If you haven’t watched Pushing My Buttons, check it out now, and then keep reading to find some ideas for using the video in a Father’s Day moment this Sunday.
Ideas for Using Pushing My Buttons
Idea 1: Button Cards
In preparation for the Father’s Day moment in your service, print a copy of the button cards (download below) for every person. You can place them on the seats, in the bulletin, or you could hand them out at the door as folks enter.
Before showing the video, ask them to think of times when they felt like someone was “pushing their buttons”, and on the button side of the card, write a couple of words to describe one of those instances. You might give a couple of examples, like “drinking milk from the jug” or “left dirty clothes on floor”.
Then, show the Pushing My Buttons video.
After the video is finished, ask them to flip to the heart side of the card and write what the “button pusher” might be trying to communicate.
Finish the moment with a prayer thanking God for fathers, and praying that we would reflect the heart of God as a loving father: compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love.
Click here to download the button card files (.zip file containing .jpg and .pdf files).
Idea Two: Big Buttons
Before the service, get a couple of large pieces of cardboard or poster board and some red markers. On one, draw a huge circle. On the other, draw a huge heart.
Position the posters in opposite, but easy to access, locations in your sanctuary/auditorium. Place the markers near the posters.
Show the Pushing My Buttons video.
After the video, ask folks to come forward and, on the circle poster, write a word or two about the last time someone “pushed their buttons”. On the heart poster, encourage participants to write a word or two describing what the “button pusher” may have been trying to communicate.
Once it seems that people are finished with the activity, finish the moment with a prayer thanking God for fathers, and praying that we would reflect the heart of God as a loving father: compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love.
Hopefully, one of these ideas will work well for you and your church. Or, maybe they’ve given you an original idea to use!
And, of course, don’t forget to purchase and download the Pushing My Buttons video!
