The Camel and the Eye Hole

I love teaching children!

Ok, so I just love teaching in general, but I REALLY love teaching children.  There is an open-ness of their hearts that is unparalleled in any other age group.  It's what I always imagine Jesus was thinking when he told us that we need to receive the Kingdom of God like a child.

It is also fitting that tonight, when I noticed this difference between adults and children so profoundly, we learned about the Rich Young Ruler, which is the very next story in the book of Luke.

God had tonight's plans already completed, but hadn't shared them with me.  In fact, I started my night with the kids frantically thinking and searching.  But like I said, God had it all taken care of.

We began the evening with our normal routine of reviewing the story video and practicing the Bible Verse and The Point, then went to snack.  I had found a 'game' outline online to try and got it ready, but I was concerned about how it would work out.

The idea behind this game was to have one child 'purchase' various boxes with labels attached, then put them in a backpack and try to get through a tiny space while wearing the backpack, illustrating the Camel and Needle concept.  Well, I didn't have play money AND I wanted to involve all the kids AND I didn't want to wrap all those boxes, so I switched it up a little -

I have 'Tribes' in my class - my group is divided into 4 tribes, each with a tribe leader.  The tribes are small groups.  They always stay the same, and the leaders (older students) are encouraged to get to know more about the kids and really bond with them.  So, each tribe came back from snack to find 5 gold coins in their space. (I use these coins in a variety of ways - they are common items for us)  They were instructed to work as a group to choose 5 items from the room that they would like to purchase or take home with them.  I was concerned about what they would choose and whether it would fill my backpack enough.

I shouldn't have worried.

God took over at this point.

The first item brought to the front of the class was the new 5ft. wooden cross.  The second item was the green butterfly chair.  The third item was our 4ft carnival tiger.  It was going to work out just fine.....  :)

We filled the backpack to the point of barely zipping, then the kids took turns putting it on and attempting to crawl under the chair I was sitting in.  (Actually, my daughter and I were BOTH in the chair to keep it on the floor as they struggled to get through!)

 There were some close calls - two children almost made it through - determined little stinkers!  LOL

But my favorite part was when a girl made the connection to the story before I ever went there through our talk time!  She was so excited about the connection when she got it!

We settled back down and I emptied the backpack and asked if they thought they could put it on and get through this time - of course they could!

"Like the camel and the eye hole!" one young guy blurted.  Yep!  That's exactly it!

There's a camel in the eye-hole, dear Liza, dear Liza
There's a camel in the eye-hole, dear Liza, a camel! - yes, I really sang it!  :)


We talked and we talked.  They stayed close and engaged as they lounged around among all the items they had 'purchased' earlier.  We talked about the things we own.  We talked about toys and video games and tv.

Then we talked about friends and family.

I challenged the kids to identify one item that they use too much and they could put aside so they would have more time to work on their personal relationships.

I even went as far as to talk about how God will let them know what that item is the next time they play with it!  Then we talked about what it 'feels' like when we get a whisper from God - and the kids already knew what it felt like for them, because they had heard from God before!  :)


I am so excited to hear about their weeks this Sunday!  I have some kids who are on fire and I get so psyched hearing about their interactions with God!


But what about you?

What do you have in your life that is getting in the way of building a deeper relationship with those in you family, friends, and neighborhood?  What could YOU put away for a while so that you could detox from it for a while?

I know that God will talk to you about it just like I know He will talk to the kids.

Are you ready to hear what He has to say today?

A Small Gesture Brings Huge Reward

God works in awesome ways.

God also works in some very interesting ways.

I have an 'interesting' story...

To give some back story, we have to go back about 10 years or so to when the Easter teaching product 'Resurrection Eggs' entered the market.  I bought them and loved them and used them a lot - I have 2 sets, even, because they are so awesome!

The one project for Easter that I have always wanted to do was to use egg cartons and plastic eggs to recreate a version of the Resurrection Eggs as a craft project.  If kids were to create it themselves, they would buy into it much more and take the lessons to another level!  But...  the small plastic items found inside are impossible or expensive.  I hadn't found another option for replacing these items, so the project has been tabled - for 10 years!

A couple of months ago, one of our local sister churches, Walnut Lawn, donated large boxes of take-out containers to us.  There were clear plastic square containers, large styrofoam drink cups, lids, and straws.  Awesome gift!  Just after we received them, we did a Shrinky Dink activity and in my research, I found out that those clear plastic containers were made of the same material as sheets of Shrinky Dinks!  Yep!  I gave each kid a container and we experimented and had fun with them!  For some kids it was the first time they had ever experienced Shrinky Dinks.  For others, it was a creative challenge.  It was fun.  First craft I have ever had to stop after 2 hours due to time constraints -
we had to EAT!  LOL

Tracing and Coloring

Going back to how God works, when I revisited the Resurrection Eggs, planning for Easter, I again got the desire to use them as a craft/teaching activity so that they could share the story at home.  Then it hit me - Shrinky Dinks!  We could make 'charms' of the items instead of purchasing the plastic figures!  I stopped for a minute because those sheets of Shrinky Dinks that you buy in the store can be expensive and we were talking about 3 sheets per child.  The Holy Spirit whispered in my ear at this point, "clear plastic containers..." and we were off to the races!  We had so many of those things and we hadn't really had a use for them.  Each container would give 2 charms, so 4 per kid would work....  Yep - we made that craft out    of take-home boxes!

But that's not the end of the story.  We did our activity.  We made the Resurrection Eggs and I sent the kids home.  And you know how it is - some of the kids caught the vision and some didn't, but I had one come back with the greatest story.

A young girl about 4 years old and only attending for a couple of months took her eggs home and was ready to change the world.  She used them to tell the story to her mom, to her grandma, and to all her neighborhood friends.  She took the eggs to daycare and shared the story with all her friends there.  She took it to her grandpa's house and shared it with him, too.  This tiny girl took the story of the last week of Jesus's life and share it and its meaning to all those in her sphere of influence.  Every person she comes in contact with knows the story of the eggs.

Here is one of the students sharing the
Resurrection Eggs with first-time visitors!

All because a church with leftovers listened to the Holy Spirit's prodding to give the extras to a small church plant.

All because those with abundance shared what they had.

God used take-home boxes to spread the gospel.
This little girl used a dozen plastic eggs to share Jesus's story.
If you are reading this, you probably already know the story, and know it well.
          What about YOUR sphere of influence?  Do they all know the story?
                         There's a reason Jesus says that we need to be like little children......

Renewal

Jeff and I just returned from a week of networking and learning with other church leaders.  We came home with renewed energy.  Sometimes, reading books and listening to speakers can create some discouragement - speaking to real-life planters puts real-life perspective back into play.

We also came back with some new vision for the future.  That was really cool - how God worked in our week away - but that will have to be another blog....

When we returned, I was reading some articles and came across the following one.  It was another encouragement - that God has been in the plan for RFamily from the beginning and He is going to shape it as it goes... We wouldn't want it any other way!!!

5 Ways the Church Will Change

by Thom Schultz - as published on ChildrensMinistry.com

Is the American church fading away? Will the losses in membership and attendance lead to a marginalized church presence such as that in present-day Europe? What will the American church look like in ten years?

Church leaders, denominational executives, and religion researchers gathered in Colorado recently to examine the church's health and prognosis. The Future of the Church Summit was sponsored by Group Publishing.

After evaluating current trends, Summit members predicted a number of likely scenarios for the American church in the next ten years:

1. Emphasis on relationships. Whereas the church and congregational worship today are largely spectator-oriented, the new coming trend will prioritize spiritual growth through personal relationships.
2. Return to Jesus. The current church is preoccupied with the "ABCs"-attendance, buildings and cash. A Summit pastor said, "We need to deal with the idols of the church." The coming church will highly focus its mission, goals, measurements and message on Jesus.
3. Community focus. The church of tomorrow will be much more engaged in addressing the needs in the community. The church will be known more for its members' relational acts of compassion outside of church walls, taking ministry out rather than waiting for outsiders to come in and sit.
4. Conversationally oriented. The current church relies primarily on one-way messaging-from the preacher/teacher at the microphone. The new church will rely more on person-to-person conversation, sharing messages of God's love with one another. Churches will begin to trade pews for conversation tables.
5. Rise of the laity. Shrinking resources will trigger fewer paid ministry positions-and more reliance on unpaid ministry work. The concept of "the priesthood of all believers" will re-emerge.

Scott Thumma from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shared data showing waning church attendance, the aging of congregational membership and the exodus of young people. The churches that are bucking the downward trends tend to be either small (fewer than 200 members), or very large (more than 2,000 members).

Thumma also cited that congregations' financial health has declined significantly over the past decade. In 2000 31 percent of congregations exhibited excellent financial health. By 2010 only 14 percent showed excellent financial health.

Congregations with high spiritual vitality dropped from about 43 percent in 2005 to 28 percent in 2010, according to Thumma.

To transition to the future, Thumma suggested congregations take a number of actions: create a listening team; get rid of the concept of church committees; learn how to be the church outside of Sunday morning.

Neil Howe, author of "Millennials Rising" and "The Fourth Turning," told Summit attendees that aging Boomers are shaping churches in a direction that young adults in the Millennial generation reject. He said Millennials are looking for environments that emphasize a sense of authentic community, variety of experiences, doing good deeds together, and student-centered learning (not teacher-focused).

Summit participants heard author Reggie McNeal predict that no one model of ministry will characterize the church of tomorrow. Rather, several different models will emerge to connect with the diverse American culture.

And British church leader and consultant  Mike Breen doubted that the American church would go the way of Europe, where the church has withered. He indicated that America's entrepreneurial spirit will provide the drive and the flexibility for the church to survive and thrive in the future.

I want to look at those 5 points one-by-one...

1.  Emphasis on Relationships.  Spiritual growth through relationship. 

          Our ministry plan incorporates relationship into everything we do - just as Jesus built relationships and did life with his disciples, so do we.  We identify people with passion and apprentice them, disciple them, into leaders.  We develop spiritual growth by doing life together.  And what's really funny is that our model is basically a pyramid scheme!  LOL  As each person grows, then will, themselves, meet and grow others under them, who will meet and grow others.... etc...  :)  No formal small groups, just life and God's leading.  We aren't filling leadership positions, we are creating positions for the leaders God raises within our church family.

2.  Return to Jesus.  

          In our church, ABCs aren't Attendance, Building, and Cash, they truly are Admit, Believe, and Confess.  As much as we do struggle ourselves (Jeff and I) against our years in ministry counting numbers, we celebrate growth.  When we stand in front of our state ministry group to give our yearly report, we focus on salvations, rededications, baptism, and personal growth.  

3.  Community Focus.

          This is where I LOVE to see how we are different!  Our church is ALL about the community where we were planted!  We have adopted a school and we serve there regularly.  When the schools have teacher-training days, we provide childcare for the parents that is a community service day for the kids.  A lady has risen-up to begin a MUCH-needed groups for grandparents who are raising their grandkids.  The women's ministry group is service-oriented and has begun a program to provide formal attire for teens who cannot afford it for prom and other such dances.  It is amazing!  While we DO have bible study, it is not our FOCUS.  

4.  Conversationally oriented

          This one is pretty cool - our ministry plan has this built-in.  We have couches and tables, not rows of chairs.  When Jeff speaks, he invited comments and encourages other to talk back to his questions.  Nothing happens that isn't based in communication.

5.  Rise of the laity

          We have a few staff, but for the most part, that is all we will ever have.  Because of the pyramid scheme we have designed, there should not ever be a need for a large staff.  Each staff is simply a higher point in the pyramid - we have designated areas we oversee, but the ministries are run by the laity.  Jeff and I are the planters, the founders, but we do not pretend to possess powers or a connection to God that is any different or any better than those around us.  God put us in place to lead this group of people, not be in power over them!

We have seen and continue to see God's hand at work through the work we are doing.  It is awesome and amazing.  It is beyond anything we could do - only through God has this been accomplished.  I can't wait to see what He has in store for the future!

Jungle Jill Is A Big Ol' Meanie!

Last night, to illustrate Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season, I put my Jungle kids through an emotional wringer.  We started our evening normally, then I had them all sit down and got serious.  I read Romans 3:23, ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - then proceeded to tell them how they have been eternally separated from God with this sin and that I was going to brand them so that they never forgot.  I tied a piece of cloth around each wrist (note to self - make them longer next year) with the word SINNER written on them big and bold.  I tied them so they could not be slipped off and double knotted so they wouldn't untie.  I then went through each of the Ten Commandments and told them how they have broken almost every one of them, and really honed-in on some of the 'easier' ones that kids would recognize.  At the end I just dismissed them - I just stopped and waved them off and said, 'Go to snack - just go to snack - ' like I was writing them off, like I didn't care.  I didn't tell them how to fix it, how to make it better - I just sent them away.

They didn't know what to do.  They had endured the 'mean' part well and were, I think, looking forward to the part where I told them how to make it better, but I didn't.  I didn't fix it.  I didn't tell them how to fix it.  I just sent them away.  When they were all in the other room I shut the door and about died.  I broke character at last.  That was when my daughter, a seventh-grader who helps me with video and sound, turned on me incredulously - 'Wow, mom!  That was intense!' - so I know I did my job.  Even she got caught up in the moment and didn't recognize it as a teaching exercise.  So I encouraged her to go into the next room and watch what they had planned next.

In the next room, they were being guided through a lesson on baptism - both with water and with the Holy Spirit.  They learned that when we make Jesus the leader of their life (which we talk about every week) the Holy Spirit will cleanse us from our sins and then we show our church family what happened on the inside by being baptized with water in front of everyone so they can celebrate how God has made us a new, clean creation!  I had prepared a 'fat quarter' of beige cloth with 'SINNER' on it and written all sorts of sins children are familiar with all over it.  This cloth was dipped in water as the teacher talked and the words began to fade away. (she was interested in how the phrase 'IDOLOTRY - putting other things before God in our lives' was the last one to fade)  The cloth was clean.  Then each child was able to dip his/her bracelet into water and be cleansed of the sin I had marked them with.

 It was cleansing not only to their cloths, but also to their hearts.  As one child moved from my room to the snack lesson (his mother teaches it) he was crying, ran to her and clung to her and said, "I don't want to come back here any more!"  But after her lesson he felt much better and said he wasn't mad at me any more!  :)  It was intense.  We have spent the past two weeks touching on what Lent is and what it means and that it started with Ash Wednesday, but I believe I set the stage for a season of preparing for Easter in a way I have never attempted before.  God has lead me to do this with my group.  I believe there is some big growth He has in store for these kids during this season.

And I did wrap all this up at the end of the evening - we talked through the what and why of the lesson and then I showered them all with Valentine's Day gifts to let them know I love them very much.  It was a great night!  :)  And as hard as it was to be such a big meanie, if it means someone makes a step closer to understanding their need to make Jesus the leader of their life, then it was worth it...

Oh - and my teacher helper says she videotaped the whole thing, knowing what I was going to be doing.  Talk about a meanie!  That is one video I do NOT want to watch!

Wisdom

It's a new year - time to build new habits and break old ones that don't work.

I need to spend more time writing.

So here's to a new beginning.

I read something really interesting in my devotional today - the scripture is James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." NIV84  or even better, from The Message, "If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father.  He loves to help.  You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it."

We often pray about things.  We often pray for guidance for certain situations. (Well, OK, I hope you are praying....)  But how often do we simply ask for wisdom - to grow in wisdom - to have wisdom - to be able to use wisdom in our daily life?

Wisdom is having a mind like God's.  I kinda like that idea.

As much as I like the idea of God helping me make decisions and choose the right path, what a fun idea to have God's mind in everything I do!  I would have help choosing an outfit or a gift or simply any shopping - I would make wise shopping choices!  I would make wise relationship decisions.  The list is endless!  With wisdom I don't have to rely on my own mind - I can use God's!  What a thought!

Even better - all I have to do is ask!  Yep!  If I ask for wisdom, He will give it to me!  :)  I think I will get on that one today.

The Holy Level?

Today's 'Verse of the Day' really got my brain whizzing today:
     Leviticus 20:7-8
             "So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the LORD your God.  Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the LORD who makes you holy."  NLT
             "Set yourselves apart for a holy life.  LIVE a holy life, because I am God, your God.  Do what I tell you; LIVE the way I tell you.  I am the God who makes you holy."   MSG
             "Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.  Keep my decrees and follow them.  I am the LORD, who makes you holy."  NIV
             "Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I AM the Lord your God.  And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them; I AM the Lord who sanctifies you."  NKJV

Holy:  dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred: the Holy Bible | the holy month of Ramadan.• (of a person) devoted to the service of God: saints and holy men.

Here is where my heart is today:  If our walk with Christ is a journey, if we begin at zero and 'arrive' at 100, say, what do we do with people who are still at levels 1-10?  What do we, as a church, do with those who have just begun to be open to the Gospel, who have begun to let down their guard, who want to hear more, who have become Pursuers of God, but have not made that terrifying leap of faith?

Then, what do we do with those who have made that leap of faith, who are terrified beyond description about what they have just done, but at the same time so full of joy and peace that they cannot explain it, but are still learning what this new life is all about?

I grew up in the church.  I know how it works.  I know what is expected of me, what I need to hide from others to be accepted, and what I can share without fear of rejection.

But a person off the street, who could have any number of reasons for not believing, not knowing, or even actively working against the church does not have that experience.  They only know what the world knows.  They only know how the world works.  They have not seen or experienced how differently the life of the church is and can be.

So what do we do with these people?  They are crass.  They dress provocatively (because that is what dressing up in the world looks like).  They cuss.  They drink alcohol.  They smoke. They holler and scream at their kids.  They spend weekends away with boyfriends and girlfriends and are not married.  They are sinners.

Most of us who have grown past all of that, or who were raised not to go there in the first place and got to start our lives with Christ past that level, have worked past those outward, public, everyone can see them types of markers - the markers that keep us separated from the church populations.

Not that we have 'arrived' at some holy level of achievement.  We all are still being molded and shaped like a lump of clay.  God isn't done with you, yet.  He will continue to point out to you things that you do that He is not pleased with.
      John 16:12-15 says, "I still have many things to tell you, but you can't handle them now.  But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is.  He won't draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said.  He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you.  Everything the Father has is also mine.  That is why I've said, 'He takes from me and delivers to you.'"
     That is the job of the Holy Spirit.  He lets us hear from God at any time.  He lets us know what step to take next, what to say to whom and when.  He will speak through our voices and he will close our mouths.  But we have to let Him.  We have to learn to hear His voice, to test what we hear against known scripture and learn to weed out our own thought from among His whispers.  We have to learn to step out upon those whispers in faith and ignore our brain that will try to be 'logical' and 'sensible' and will try to fight against what others might think.  We have to acknowledge that salvation, baptism, sanctification, none of them - none of them zoom us from level 0-100.  We all start on some level and we all walk and climb and crawl and claw our way toward 100, but we don't reach it - not until our life on earth ends and we arrive in heaven or Jesus comes again.  Until then, there is always something that God wants us to learn and do in His name.

So once we remember that NONE of us have 'arrived' yet, we have to look around at all the others around us who are all over the place with 'levels' if you can grasp my concept there.  You might think of them as levels of holiness - how much of our lives have we dedicated to service for God.

As a body of Christ, we often expect all of the people in our church to automatically be at a certain 'level' to feel comfortable associating with them.  Let's call that level 25 just so we can all be on the same page.  So we all are at LEAST on level 25.  If we have gotten to 50, those are probably our leadership circle people.  And some of those older people may have acquired 75 - man!  THOSE are the SAINTS!

But we haven't dealt with the people who are below 25.  Maybe they aren't even CLOSE.  What do we do with them?  If they are actually attending church, they are probably already at at least 15, or 10 if it is just occasionally.  We can't have them teaching - that's not healthy or scriptural.  There is a whole list of things we CAN'T let them do - but what CAN they do?  What do we do with them?

Well, to be completely honest with ourselves, we don't let them do anything.  We don't have them over to our homes because they might corrupt our children - or someone might think WE are doing something wrong while they are over.  We don't invite them to Bible Study because our group is too far advanced.  And truly, most of our Bible Studies ARE too advanced.  We often have a 'new believers class' or a 'membership class' for a while, but until someone has grown to level 25 or near to it, we really don't want them around.  They are too dirty with sin.  God needs to clean them up more before we can be with them.  We wouldn't want our holy clothes to be soiled by their unholy life.

That sounds awful, I know, but stop and really hear that.  Think about it.  It's true!  I'm a part of it myself!  I am a church leader and I have done my share to help cultivate this way of life!  But God has been working on me.....  and I'm changing....

My heart hurts and I tear up at these thoughts!  I get angry at what the church looks like today!  God handed me a picture about a week ago and I've been agonizing over it ever since - we have BECOME exactly what Jesus fought against!  We ARE the Sanhedrin!  We ARE the Sadducees and Pharisees of Jesus's day.  We are the teachers of the law.  We are the leaders in the church.  AND WE ARE MISSING THE POINT!!!  Jesus didn't die on the cross so that we could hide out in our church buildings and lock the door against the evil in the world - that's not what Holy is all about!  He calls us to be Holy - to be different from the world, to live a life that shines so strongly with His love and His grace that people are drawn to us to learn how to shine also - He wants us out there, among the people He loves so deeply.  He wants each of us to allow ourselves to become part of the lives of those around us who do NOT know Him so that we can walk with them as they grow from levels 0-25, then to release them to do the same thing in their circle of influence.  Yes, we are to grow in His knowledge.  Yes, we are to teach our children how to follow Him, but we are to do that AND be out and among the lost.  How can the lost be found if nobody is looking for them?!?!

How many people are in your life who do NOT know the Lord?

If you have to think about that for very long, then I hope you have listened.  Lost people should be in your life and in your prayers.  It may only be one you are working with.  It may be a family.  It may be... well, it could be anything.  God wants to use you where you are.  He has placed you and built up people around you to reach.  Please listen to what He wants you to do.

What a Wonderful World This Would Be!

It's late on Sunday night/ Monday morning.  I'm working on a project for Bethany's teacher for this week - it's a tough week in most classrooms.  Only a few days left - kids are all excited and worked-up for Christmas - parents are stressed, which puts the kids even more on edge....  so I am cutting and cutting and cutting to help out and do my share.

The other day on Facebook I had a friend make a comment about how busy my schedule is - how there is always something I am working on or responsible for...  That used to be very true, but things are a little slower these days - I'm not working in the schools 40 hours a week on top of everything else like I used to do!  :)  But we still stay pretty busy around here - it's what we do - it's how God made us.

While I am working in the house, whether it is on the computer or cutting paper sacks, I like to have videos playing.  Mostly they are background noise - I pick videos I have seen before and use them more like a book on tape or an old-time radio show and listen more than watch.  I am currently into a series called 'Lie to Me'.  (Thanks, Corey....I love it!)  Tonight, while I was watching, the main character said, "You have to realize that your talent doesn't belong to you anymore!!!"  Wow.  I felt as if I had just been blown over - I really believe the Holy Spirit just 'WHOOSHED' right into me to make a point:

MY TALENTS DO NOT BELONG TO ME

I was created by God and given talents to use.  But these talents, these gifts, are not mine - they are God's gifts and talents.  He is just letting me use them..... FOR HIM!

I'm crafty.  I love to make and create.  How often do I use this talent to help someone find their way  back to God.

I tend to be insightful.  I can often 'tell' what a person is thinking or feeling even if their words are the opposite.  How often do I use this gift to help someone find their way back to God?

I have a lot of training for working with children with disabilities.  I have a lot of training for working with parents.  How often do I use this training to help someone find their way back to God?

Isn't that what we are supposed to be doing with the gifts and talents and opportunities God gives us?  We were created by God - we were all once with Him.  Finding our way back to Him is the most precious thing that can happen in our lives.  Are we sharing that goal, that journey, with those around us?  Are we helping others find THEIR way back to God?

I do a little - I like to help out at school because I am drawn to kids - because I have a better chance of finding out ways I can use my gifts and talents to help - because I can cheer and encourage the teachers and staff through small gifts and smiles.

What would it look like if we all used our gifts and talents this way?  What if I kept that goal at the FRONT of my thoughts instead of the back of my mind?  The line of a song is running through my head.... "What a wonderful world this would be...."

God's Beauty Found in a Halloween Costume

Isn't this the most precious thing?!?!  I missed it the first time, but there is even a little dog sitting next to the little girl dressed as a bumblebee!

When I saw this, first I just went, "AWWWWW!"  Then I heard all kinds of thoughts go through my head - how this image just screams out what a wonderful job this couple is doing raising their little girl and how this family costume says it all.

I'm a person who likes to put abstract ideas into concrete images, so let me share what I saw in this picture.

There sits little Violet.  Yes, her name is really Violet!  (hence, the costumes!)  Violet is a fragile, beautiful, precious little thing that God brought into this couple's life.  I know He was thinking of these two beautiful people as He created Violet - He had to have been!

Now, I could go on all day about this family, and I intend to talk about them a lot, but I want to start by talking about flowers - especially violets - and what they need to survive.

Flowers need water - plain and simple.  They cannot survive without it.  It keeps them supple, yet it gives them the strength they need to stand tall and stand strong in the world they face every day.  Without good, clean water a flower cannot process its food.

Flowers need sunlight - they cannot survive without the sun.  Sunlight and water combine within a flower to produce the food it needs to live.  Without the sun a vulnerable flower cannot grow to it's potential - it cannot become the flower God intended for it.  If it survives at all, it would be weak and pale and nothing at all like its intended beauty.

Flowers also need bees.  Yuck!  But it's true.  Bees take bits of the sweet goodness that is within the flower and share it with other flowers so they all can grow and reproduce.  The one flower itself does not need the bee to live and be beautiful, but to be all it was intended, a flower needs a bee.

God provided these things for this beautiful Violet when He sent her to this couple!

Look at mom - a watering can.  I remember when she left the job she loved as a teacher.   Almost overnight, she walked away from her career when God put Violet in their life.  She refocused her life for Violet.  This mom literally is pouring her life into this beautiful little girl.  Every day she spends her time making sure Violet get what she needs.  Mom's whole life is focused on one thing right now:  that Violet is taken care of.

I love how Mom is dressed AS the watering can, not just holding the watering can.  This isn't a role she can put down and walk away from - this is who she is at the moment.  This role she has chosen is one that she doesn't set down when it gets heavy or difficult - it is who she is.  Her role doesn't end when she leaves Violet in others' hands for a while.  She is still Violet's main lifestrength.  What she is pouring into this little one is making her strong and allowing all the wonderfulness in her life to sink down into the core of who she is and who she will become.  Without this wonderful water, Violet could never take what is provided for her to its full use.

Then there is Dad dressed as the sun.  What a wonderful provider he is to be able to allow Mom to stay home with Violet.  He makes sure she has all she needs - shelter, food, and lots of love.  I think I've only met Dad in passing once or twice, but I know that he is doing great things for his family.  His love and care, protection, and hard work are providing the basics necessary for mom to be able to pour all of herself into this beautiful Violet to help her grow into a strong woman.

And Violet needs her dad.  More and more, research is showing how important a dad is to a child's life.  Dads are the ones who instill modesty into a young girl.  Dads are the backbone.  Dads bring the morals.  Moms grow them and refine them, but those basics are actually brought in by the dads.  Dads are lifeshapers!  Just as the sun is needed to make a flower all that it was intended to be, so a dad will bring out all a child is intended to be. 

Then we bring in the little bee... what a cute little thing.  And what an awesome first friend for Violet.  This little dog will help teach Violet how to be a good friend - how to spread her love for her family and her love for God to others around her.  As Violet grows she will learn to be gentle, to sometimes give space to those around her when they need it, to spend time with, and to care for others in her life.  This little dog will help her learn to look outside of herself to see others and how she can help care for them. 

Then there is just the overall beauty of the picture.  All these elements working together to not only create a beautiful flower, but also a beautiful picture of life.  This is a family working to create beauty in their child and those around them.  As this mom and dad work to raise Violet, their care will spill over into their neighborhood and town, making it healthier and better.  It makes me want to live next door!

Oh, if only God guided the hands of all those around us, what a beautiful world we would life in!  That just challenges me all the more to shine strong and water abundantly - to do what God has asked me to do in such a way that I strengthen those in my care, spill over into the world around me, and choke out the weeds around me through His love!

I challenge you, moms and dads, to take a moment to ponder your role in the lives of your children.  None of us is perfect, but how are you doing, really, being sunlight and water for your kids?  Allow God to speak to you.  He may give you a big 'Well Done!" or he may give you a nudge.  Listen to Him.  And remember - the lives you are pouring into right now will shape the world in the future.  Love on those kiddos - it makes all the world a better place! 

Spiritual Growth

I have to begin this blog by stating how awesomely wonderful it is to have a youth leader at RFamily!  Alex has been such a wonderful addition to the staff.  His enthusiasm alone is growing the group!  He has volunteers just lined-up to help and he is constantly thinking and working on his next group, event, plan... just always on it!

So last night at youth group (I got to be there to help one of my Jungle students with special needs transition from The Jungle to Youth) the topic was FASTING - that wonderful/horrible thing we do (along with prayer - don't forget the prayer - it's supposed to be part of it, remember?!?!!?!?) to help us grow spiritually.  The kids really got it.  It was great.  The main focus was media over food, but all was discussed.  I heard several things.  No pressure to fast, just the idea.  Many are fasting something or other.  One is fasting 'Sims' and 'Facebook'.  Another is fasting texting.  Another is fasting TV time.  They each knew what they were supposed to fast.  God is really good about letting you know that when it's time and He wants you to do it.

So there I am, smiling to myself, thinking about when I was at that stage - those first few fasts I did and how awesome I felt.  I thought about how much I have grown spiritually since then.  In fact, I had a chance to really sit back for a few minutes and think about how far my walk with God has come in the past decade and be amazed at how different my life is today!

This morning God said to me, "So, what are you doing now?"

"Well, I'm planting a church, God," I answered.

"That is ok, but what are you doing NOW?" He pressed.

"OH!  You mean spiritually!" I realized.  Oops!  I mean, I know I haven't been reading my Bible as much as I used to, but I'm really busy with the church plant.  I know I haven't had a regular quiet time in a while, but I'm really busy with the church plant and my kids!  I know I haven't done many of the things You have asked me to do, but I'm really busy with the church plant and my kids and the house!

"STOP!" I heard.  Uh Oh.  I did it again.  Excuses, excuses.  Pride.

Last night I sat and watched these kids put themselves under God's authority to be able to grow closer to Him.  I sat and remembered that stage of MY life as if I had arrived!  I looked back on where I had been as if I had arrived somewhere!  I looked back and felt PRIDE at how far I had come as if I were finished!

"What an idiot!" I thought.  (about myself, not God)

Now, I haven't taken any horrible turn down some dark pathway to hell.  I am not a complete and totally lost sinner.  I just got off in the weeds a bit and needed a turn back on path with my thinking.

But how often to we get to that point?!?  How many of us who call ourselves Christians fall into that rut of 'The Arrived' as we grow?  When someone asks us to teach, when we are voted onto a board or committee, when we begin to take on leadership roles - it's so easy to fall into that human mode of 'I have arrived!' and fill our time and energy on the roles and just gloss over and hurry through the important time of prayer and Bible study!

When we take on more and more leadership roles and spend less and less time following, we can forget how to do it.  Leading takes a lot of time and attention.  If it something God has gifted us with, then we tend to become obsessive about it- it consumes us.  But we cannot forget to follow.  We cannot forget that we are FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST first and Leaders of followers of Christ second!

We must remain followers.

But to follow someone we have to be close.  We have to have communication.  To follow Jesus we have to spend significant time in the Bible and in prayer.

What about you?  Are you reading?  Are you praying?  If I asked you today where you read the day before, could you tell me?  If I asked you what prayers of yours had been answered lately could you tell me?

It's a challenge.  It's a life change.  It's where we all need to be.

I hope you are able to take some time today and sit with God and let Him talk to you about your walk with Him.  Only He can tell you what you need to hear.  We don't often like to hear what He has to say, but it's only for our own good.