While on the beach talking to Rich, my husband, he mentioned a great idea for a blog. It sounded insightful and challenging and much better than the VBS rabbit trail I was making, so with the help of my better half this is what he observed.
Last week, on one of Rich’s many journeys to the beach, he observed a dad playing with his about 12 yr. old son. This son had Down’s Syndrome. The two were laughing and having a wonderful time together. His first thought was, “what a struggle for that family.” After scanning the beach he also noticed other dads with their sons. Many of those dads were deeply focused reading their book or magazine or in their own thoughts, vaguely aware of what their child was doing. They were self-focused and didn’t look so happy.
In contrast, one dad was given an unexpected gift, Down's syndrome, and the rest of the dads were given an expected gift, a child without handicaps. But why was there such a huge difference in the two situations? If you take the gifts God has given all of us and make the most of what you can with that gift, you will have times of laughter and true happiness.
To look how this could be applied in another way, listen to this true life example: There was an older gentleman who visits his wife in a nursing home every day. Not so strange you may say ,except for the fact that she has Alzheimer's and no longer knows his name or who he is. He considers himself very blessed compared to other men because many have had to bury their wives and he still has her here on earth.
Here’s our challenge: make the most of the gifts God has given us, expected gifts or not expected gifts. Seize each day with anticipation and make the most with the gifts he’s given us.
Transitions- do you like them or not? Whether our personalities allow us to ease smoothly into different phases of our lives or we firmly dig in our feet with arms folded to try to avoid them, we all have to transition. In our house, we have 2 such transitions presently in the works: Lauren who will be graduating out of 8th grade and venturing into the High School years and Taylor who will be leaving his High School years with great excitement and moving into college life. They both are anxiously awaiting their future into two separate worlds with hopes and dreams in hand. (I too am happy to see how God will guide them but will be holding a box of Kleenex too.)
Where are you at? Are you waiting to hear the first cries of the birth of your child? Celebrating that your little one has learned not to unravel the toilet paper throughout the house? Wondering if he/she will really grasp the salvation message for themselves after you told them it 200 times or are you waiting for your teen to ask for your car keys and having flashbacks of the weary attempts of how he learned to ride a bike. Perhaps you are inching your way into becoming part of the AARP group and not quite ready for your free cup of coffee at your favorite diner.
Transitions are part of life. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 provides us assurance that there is a “time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.” He doesn’t say that it will be easy, Romans 5:3-5, “..we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given.” God’s love is like a warm blanket on a cold day or a gentle breeze in the spring that lets us know that He is with us each step and that includes transition times. Praise God!
Kids are growing up faster today than any time in the past. How can we in ministry stay ahead of the 8-ball without sinking into the pocket? When searching into curriculum, do we go for the modern, high-tech, action-packed, lively-jump-off-your seat-programs that we think will attract the busy, uninterested child? Or do we stick to the basics we learned from years gone by, maintaining a calm and quiet environment, limiting activities, frowning upon interaction, and using old colorless resources?
Children’s Ministry magazines flow over with brightly colored ads describing what they think will work best for our church. Such names like: Elevate Jr. (“Each lesson brings Biblically-driven, creative teaching elements to your preschool classrooms…”), Highvoltage (“graphic art for promotions, mpeg-1 video files, PowerPoint games and slides, weekly sound effects…”) or River’s Edge (“multi-sensory, practical, attention grabbing, flexible, interactive and new!...”), to name just a few.
Thankfully, The Chapel has thought through our purpose which provides a foundation to work from: “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8). In our Children’s Ministry department that statement is applied to our ministry: “Our purpose is to assist parents in the study of Jesus Christ, leading to salvation, a personal devotional time, spiritual growth, daily application of God’s Word to their lives, and evangelism; through sound Biblical teaching and Christians who will pray with and for our children.”
Paul writes in the book of II Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness...” It is our responsibility to: 1. teach sound doctrine and 2. find programs that bring God’s word alive, making it applicable to children’s lives. The methods may change to meet the needs of each age group, but the foundation will remain the same. Trends will continue to come and go but as Jesus says in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
Where do we go from here? We can have a program that is biblically sound through Bible stories and verses, and that brings it to life through drama, colorful props, questions that provoke understanding, hands on reinforcement of truths through crafts, and music that praises God and His works. We can only do this in God’s strength and His leading through the Holy Spirit. Join with us in prayer as we plan, pray, and pursue different avenues of teaching.
As I was walking my dog a few weeks ago, I looked up and saw several large Oak trees slightly spotted at the tops with brilliant reds, warm browns, and golden yellows. God painted each one with care knowing we, His children, would be in awe of His creations.
As part of the Children’s Ministries Team we have the privilege of spending time with the littlest of God’s creations on Sunday mornings. The boys and girls go into their assigned classroom, some scurry in with an eagerness for what will happen next while others pose a daze as if they are not quite awake, each one with distinct personalities but all beautifully made by God’s hands.
This creation can best be described in the book of Psalms (139:13-16)
“For you created my innermost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
One commentary put it best by stating, “God is the Creator, and his creative concerns include individuals! All of God’s works are wonderful, but the believer senses more than any other part of God’s creation, that he personally is fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Wow! The God that orchestrated His creations is the same God that cares for you and me and has a plan and a purpose for our lives. How can we not stand in amazement of His grace and love? (Did I hear an “Amen-Praise God!” )
It is out of our deep love for God and how He is working in our lives that we, as a Children’s Ministry Team, strive to reflect God-like qualities, sing songs, hear Biblical truths, and interact with each other.
So the next time your eyes catch a glimpse of the majestic colors of fall leaves this season, remember you are fearfully and wonderfully made with a special purpose. A product of God’s own making. What does He have in store for YOU?
