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..Memory Verse
(You will need Hardley, Crook or Ed, and the memory verse written on cocoa nuts.)

Hardley comes out and sets up the memory verse, written on the cocoa nuts, in order on
a table.  (I use two 1X2X8 foot boards to help the cocoa nuts stay up.)  He then tells the kids that he is supposed to teach them the verse.  He has the kids say the verse with him.  He then steps in front of the table, with the memory verse on it, and begins to talk about the verse.  While he is doing this, Crook comes out from behind the stage and takes one of the cocoa nuts.  The kids will yell and tell Hardley that Crook is taking one of the cocoa nuts, but he just ignores them.  When Crook leaves, Hardley turns around to go over the verse again with the kids, but notices that one of the words is now gone.  He accuses some of the kids of taking the word.  He then has them all say the verse with him.  Once more, he steps forward to talk to the kids, and Crook comes out and takes another one of the words.  Again, Hardley turns and finds another word missing.  He continues to accuse the kids, and then has them say the verse with him.  This time, he listens to what the kids are saying (that Crook came from behind the stage and took one of the words).  Hardley decides to investigate.  He goes behind the left side of the stage to find Crook.  However, while he is walking behind the stage, Crook comes out the other side and takes another word.  Hardley then comes back out, and finds that another word is missing.  He has the kids say the verse with him again, and then asks them which way Crook went.  This time he goes around the right side of the stage, and Crook comes around the left and takes another word.  Hardley comes out and finds the word gone.  He has the kids say the verse with him, but this time he will not listen to the kids when they say that Crook is behind the stage.  (Crook peaks his head out occasionally to get the kids to yell.  But every time Hardley looks, Crook pulls back.)  Crook comes out and stands right behind Hardley, and the kids yell and tell him.  Hardley turns around to look, but Crook turns with him so that Hardley doesn't see him.  This happens a couple of times, until Crook finally takes one of the words and leaves. You may do as many variations to this until all of the words are gone, and the kids have memorized the memory verse.

Variations:
1.  Crook knocks loudly on the right side of the stage.  When Hardley checks it out, Crook goes out the left side and takes a word.
2.  Crook knocks loudly on the right side of the stage again.  Hardley decides to go to the left side to trick and catch him.  Crook comes out the right side, shrugs his shoulders and takes one of the cocoa nuts and leaves.
3. Crook sticks his head out, then goes back.  Hardley chases him from the other direction.  They pass each other behind stage, and come out opposite ends.  They look at each other, and then go back and pass each other again coming out the doors from which they started.  They do this two or three times.  Crook takes one of the cocoa nuts and leaves.
4. Crook crawls on the ground, and when Hardley looks, he doesn't see him.
5.  Crook comes out so that Hardley sees him.  Hardley starts after him, and Crook and Hardley begin a chase in circles around the stage.  After about two times around the stage, Crook stops and sits down on a chair, sitting on the stage, as Hardley continues to run around in circles, oblivious to Crook sitting there.  After two more times of Hardley running around, Crook tells Hardley, "He went that way."  Hardley begins to follow where Crook tells him, but then stops and looks back.  Crook then grabs a cocoa nut and leaves the stage.
6.  Hardley grabs the last cocoa nut and, while holding it up, tells the kids that this time he is not going to be distracted, nor is he going to loose it.  Crook comes out and the kids will yell.  Hardley tells them that he is not going to fall for their tricks and that he is going to hang on to this last cocoa nut.  "The only way for Crook to get this last cocoa nut, is for him to come up and take it right out of my hand."  Crook looks at the kids, shrugs his shoulders, and grabs the last cocoa nut, running behind the stage.  Hardley goes over the memory verse with the kids for the last time, and then leaves to go find Crook.

 

Day 1 Memory Verse
2 Cor 9:15  "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."

Day 2 Memory Verse
Matt 13:44  "the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field" (King James)
Matt 13:44  "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field"  (New American)
Matt 13:44  "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field."  (New International)