Children's Ministry Blog

Ok-so movies speak to me in strange ways.  Sometimes I hear the Holy Spirit talking to me through a movie that has no apparent connection to the things of God.  Most recently he gave me a good talking to through "The Time Travelers Wife."  I love movies about time travel.  Apparently a good portion of the population in the 1980s did too considering the success of  "Back to the Future."    Anyway, after watching this heart wrenching movie that left me in tears, I just let my imagination go with the thought of time travel again.  Who wouldn't want to travel into the past to the day you made a decision that sent your life in a direction you now know was WRONG!  And who wouldn't want to take a peak into the future to see where your current choices are going to lead.  I love this idea.  It was during these thoughts that the Holy Spirit started to talk to me.  Thoughts started entering my head like .."He is the alpha and the omega."  "He knows the beginning and the end."  "Before Abraham, I am." "He endured the cross and it's shame seeing the prize set before him."  Wow!  Jesus was a time traveler!  How cool!  God, who was not bound by "time", entered the time zone of earth.  Sure, he dwelt in a particular time frame, but in his head was 'all of time'.  He came with the message of fullfillment of time past, and news about the future.  We still have news about our future, if we follow him, we are on a path of life, and if we don't follow him he tells us that path will lead to death.  He told us about the mansion with many rooms that  his Father is preparing for us.  He came to invite us there.  He saw it and came into "time" to tell us about it.   Now comes the tricky part, do we believe this guy and his message of the future.  In every time travel movie there are some who believe and some who don't.  The smart ones listen and alter thier behavior in ways that lead to a whole new future.  I love it when Michael J. Fox as  Marty in "Back to the Future" puts Biff in his place. The altered future shows Marty's family in a much different situation than we were shown before Marty time traveled.  He took advantage of knowing the future outcome of certain behaviors  and made the appropriate changes   We have the opportunity to do the same--Jesus has faithfully reported that our future is full of wonderful things we can't even imagine if we accept his invitation and follow him.  I choose to  listen to the guy who's seen the future,  I'm taking his advice.  I invite you to do the same and share what you find along the way. 

I know you've heard it before.  More than once, so have I.  But it's so true it's worth repeating.  We need each other!  God did not create us to get along alone.  Sometimes life gets so busy, it seems easier to try to get things done on your own.  You know, it takes longer to explain to someone what to do than to just do it.  It takes longer to call the list of people to find a willing volunteer, so you just do it.  I find myself working from this standpoint more often than I'd like.   Something as simple as writing a few words on my blog gets farther and fewer between.

In the past 8 weeks,  I've been immersed in the power of coming together and working together for the kingdom of God on two different occasions.  First in Armenia, a team of 18 of went in June for a conference.  There I saw people from eight nations come together with the distinct purpose of laying their lives before God, worshipping him together and seeking his will for their part in the hour we live in.  Seeing the same Holy Spirit touch, equip, empower, individuals from so many different places just reminds me again that his plan is so much bigger than my view of what's really going on.  God is so good to relate to us on such a personal level, but he doesn't stop there.  We have brothers and sisters that are fun!  It's thrilling to walk this life together.  God is always doing something. 

The second occasion was our vacation Bible school last week.  Can you even believe there are still 65 people who are available to serve our kids from 9-12 each morning.  I find that amazing enough in a world where so many moms are working.  The thing is, most of these moms that helped are working moms, they're just going the extra mile to invest in their children's and other children's spiritual upbringing.  I am truly invigorated by the dedication I witnessed.  There agian, the Lord let me see what my brothers and sister are up to and it's so encouraging.  

Is there anyone out there who feels like they're carrying the weight of the world on thier shoulders?  You are not alone.  There are people all around who feel the same way or have felt the same way. I know it may appear to be just one more thing you've got to do, but there is great refreshing found in serving the Lord together and getting together to seek the Lord together.  Whether it's for a Bible study, a small group, prayer, or dinner with other believers, do it!  And while you're at it, ask the Lord if there's anyone feeling like you and invite them too! Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider how we my spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Le us not give up meeting together..."   We need each other!  Be blessed.

I'm back on the sidelines again.   Soccer's her game.  She is 5.  She is the oldest of four.

Saturday morning; 9am; rain or shine; freezing cold or not; brothers and sister in tow.  I am utterly amazed at how dedicated we are as parents and grandparents.  It's obvious I'm not the only grandparent at the field.  It would be impossible for one parent to do this alone.  (Unless you only have one chilld, of course.) My daughter, along with her husband when he's not working, manage to get all four of the little ones up, dressed, fed, loaded into their carseats and to the field by 9.   An amazing deed in my book,-- until you hear the coach's schedule.   By the way, a coach is just a parent that said "yes".  Coach has 3 kids of his own.  All three are on separate teams.  They were at the field before us and will remain long after us.  All the games are at different times.  WOW!  You guys are amazing!

Such dedication, such sacrifice.  All for our little ones and they're worth it.  We want them to be well rounded, healthy minded, physically active, confident individuals.  

As I made my way out of the packed parking lot, I glance again at all those people covering the fields. I prayed that we would have that kind of tenacity to be involved in our children's faith life.  Bring them on Sunday morning, get involved, help teach their church class. Get together on Wednesday night. Take time to cultivate their relationship with the Lord and make friends with other Christians.  They're going to need those values and those friends to see them through all the ups, downs, wins and losses on thier soccer team.  They're also going to need to know how to deal with all those  people on the sidelines when things aren't going so well. They need to know the truth about their self-worth when they don't make the "A" team.  They need to know about their self-worth when they do make the "A" team. 

There's a spirit inside our little athletes that's hungry.  Let's be dedicatied to feeding it.

Payday for parents and grandparents.....
When your  four year old prays at lunch without being prompted.
When your three year old sings her heart out in the back seat of the car, making up worship songs.
When your five year old can't wait to show you the maps in the back of her Bible.
When the same five year old, after watching the cartoon version of David and Goliath, asks if being a shepherd is a job.  She's considering being one when she grows up.
When two newborn grandsons are dedicated to the Lord on Sunday morning.

Life is really good!  Pay attention, you don't want to miss payday.

Ask the Lord specific questions so you'll recongnize his voice when he specificallly answers you.  If you don't take the time to talk to him, FOR REAL, how will you ever know if he's answering you.  When we speak to each other, we don't talke in vague generalities.  Can you imagine calling your best friends to invite them on vacation with your family and say something like...."Hi friend, thank you for your friendship, you're a great person, you do many wonderful things, I wish we could get together sometime, goodbye."
 If I want to know if they can come with my family, I'm going to say something like..." Hi friend, Guess what!  We're going to South Carolina in July, the week of the fourth, can you and your family join us?"

Get to the point.  They can then get to the point of answering with an affirmative or negative. 
Talk, ask, be specific, and then....listen!

Anybody else still tempted to reject what is "Good for you?"
You know....
"Good for me food"-- I don't want it.
"Good for me exercise"-- I don't want it.
"Good for me involvement"-- I dont' want it.
It's pathetic.   But I'm happy to say that I have lived long enough to have mulitple memories of the times I pressed through to do the "good thing" and been very happy I did.  I was relying on those memories this past Friday as my husband and I got ready to attend the "Community Night of Worship" here at High Mill.   The meeting was to begin at 7pm and by 6pm we were both feeling unusually tired out and cranky--interestingly enough, we were way more tired and much crankier than when we get ready for Friday night out for dinner with friends.  By ten till seven we had managed to annoy each other into a heated argument.  Needless to say neither of us was feeling much like worshipping or  praying for the city.  But we came anyway--you know it was the "good for you" thing to do.  Wow, were we right. Ok--we started out a little rough, worship was definitelly stiff for the first 10 minutes, but by the time we came together in prayer, we were both released into a spirit of joy. We came away refreshed and filled with hope for our city.  What a huge blessing.  In case you haven't pressed through the temptation to reject what is good for you and found what is waiting on the other side, can I just say, DO IT.  It's worth it.  "God is good" and "Good for you."  

We all know kids are brutally honest.  They haven't learned the fine art of what is appropriate and what's not.  I'm sure every parent could readily share the time their "little chip off the old block" embarrassed them with untimely words.  Children usually call it like they see it. 

In children's ministry, teachers hear things that were  meant for "family" ears only.  It's OK, moms and dads, we understand. 

Along with the brutal truth comes the beautiful truth from the hearts of our little ones.   Our Tall Timbers kids were recently making sympathy cards for one of the members who had lost their grandma.  (this was our K-3rd grade class of Tall Timbers)  The kid's cards were such a blessing to look at.  All of us teachers were touched by the simplicity of comfort in the face of grief.   They drew pictures of crying eyes, they said things like " I know how you feel", "We're praying for you",  "I'm sorry about your grandma", etc.  Beautiful!

Then, as the Lord often does, he hit me with a heavy  truth through the  simple unprompted drawing of one of those five year old children.   I opened the card and saw cute little hearts of love directed towards the hurting family and then next to it was a picture I wasn't expecting--  a picture of a throne and a king standing next to it.  Wow, I thought, the throne of God in a sympathy card.  Not exactly the thing an adult would be making reference to at a time of grief,  but  a child wouldn't know about such things as a "proper"  sympathy card.  The simple truth ministered to me.   Sometimes in the face of situations that seem so devastating, senseless, unable to understand why, I need to know just that--that God is still on the throne. 

The very next morning as I read my devotions I was reminded by Isaiah in chapter  40 of God's comfort for his people. Verse 22 says, "He sits enthroned   above the circle of the earth..."  Verses 28-31 continue, "Do you not know? Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles. They  will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

I was tuned  into  what the Holy Spirit was speaking because of a picture drawn by a 5yr old.  Take time with those little ones mom and dad.  The Lord loves to speak through them. 

Have you ever seen one of those sci-fi movies where they grow humans in tubes?  You know, you can pick their hair color, eye color, personality strengths etc. and they come out all adult and ready to face the world all logical and unemotional. There's always some left over old time human in the show, complete with tears and a tender heart.  You know the scene... "What are those water drops coming out of your eyes?" Then comes the blank stare,...."Love????  What is love???"

You know, God could have grown us just like that if he had wanted to.  He chose the rules that govern the way we enter the world, learn about the world function in the world. He decided it would be a good idea to make  us capable of emotion.  (Yes, I know, some way more than others...ha...ha)  He's so smart.  How else would he be able to make us understand when he tells us he loves us.  He had to make us capable of the emotion. 

Along with the capability of emotion, he added another dimension of feeling.  The feeling we get when we hold our own little person. Moms and dads know there is nothing like the overwhelming feeling they get when they see that little person for the first time.
 God is so smart. 
Making us parents and all.  A mom and a dad are required.  He involved men and women in the process. It's not just a female or male thing.  Everyone's involved.  Once we're parents, we spend the rest of our lives working, praying and doing all we can to give our kids the best we have to offer. I know God put that feeling in me so I can understand him when he says..."If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"  Matthew 7:11. 

What a comfort to know that God will surely take care of me, give me all I need, give me good gifts.  My love for my children, is nothing compared to the love God has for me.  I know I would help my children if it were a good thing to do for them--wouldn't you?  Talk to Father God and ask him, he's there to help.