The Plenty Express

Over the last year, I've felt strongly to rally us together to reassert the primary importance of ministering to our children. Last weekend marked the launch of a new season for us and for our kids. The "Plenty Express" has pulled out of the station! Thanks to all of you who gave so generously of your money, time, energy, and creativity to make it happen!

With this new theme for our hallways and classrooms, I'm asking Jesus to do something fresh in my heart. With every toot of that train whistle, I'm wanting Him to awaken me and open my eyes to see our children the way He does.

The truth is that a child is just as capable of walking with Jesus as I am. The Bible is just as applicable to their young lives as it is to mine. All the promises are for them, too.

The other day when I overheard my three year old asking a little girl on the playground if she had asked Jesus into her heart yet, I was reminded that the Kingdom is age-blind. Note the distinct lack of age-requirements on these verses:

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me… to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do… John 14:12

So I'm asking the Lord to break up the fallow ground in my heart where I've allowed Children's Ministry to be seen as babysitting. I want to be a wise steward and a fisher of men. Nowhere is the return on our investment greater and the fishing hole better than when we're ministering to kids and youth.

If we will invest in them, instruct them, and give them opportunities, our kids will quickly discover the joy and satisfaction of becoming living, walking Temples of the Holy Spirit.

2 Ashers!

Last night Asher busted out with his latest suggestion for a name for our baby who is due at the end of June. "Asher!" he said, "Because then you could have two Ashers!" We all got a good laugh out of that...

Testing -> Endurance

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. James 1:2-3

The last week has been incredibly fun, fruitful and exhausting. In three nights last week, our church re-themed our Children's Ministries. Long nights of hard, fun work. Then Friday night Hilary and I performed a beautiful, emotional wedding. Early Saturday morning was coffee with Dave Detter, our men's ministries leader, Saturday morning was a leadership training event with Kurt Kammerman from Switzerland for our ICU leaders & apprentices (part 1 of 2), then two services Saturday night. Early Sunday morning was coffee with Thomas Zahnd, church planter in Switzerland, then another church service, then part 2 of our leadership training and dinner afterwards with Kurt & Christine.

When you throw in the fact that we haven't been sleeping because Ethan's had a high fever because he's teething... Let me just say, Wow! What a week!

I was out jogging a little before 5:00am this morning. Frost on the ground, moonlight glittering on the waves. I was thanking God because I can feel Him bringing me strength and endurance through all these things.

I don't write about my wild, full week to make anyone feel like they ought to be doing more. Rather, I write to praise God.

His promise is true... "Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."

Between Two Crags and a Garrison

I've really had fun the last few weeks sharing with our church family about how God calls us out of isolation and fear.

So far we've looked at the story in 1 Samuel 14 about Jonathan and his armor bearer taking on an entire garrison of Philli-Bad-Guys. It's a story of faith, battle, and victory. Then last week, we looked at the story of Paul & Silas. Their story is a bit different. They launch out to follow God, but then get beat up and thrown in jail. But both stories end with an earthquake...

Here are some of the key points that I am holding on to:

• Take the Offensive – When you’re hiding in a cave of isolation and fear, the only way out is to confront the fear that’s keeping you there. You’ll never be certain that God is going to show up until He does (“Perhaps the Lord will work for us…” 1 Sam. 14:6). Faith is having the courage to launch out in spite of the uncertainty.
• Read the Bible – Time spent in the word is a process of “downloading” the mind of Christ (“let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” Col. 3:16). God’s Word rewires our brains and upgrades our operating system so that the virus of fear won’t crash our system anymore.
• Learn to Enjoy the Thrill – Following God always feels risky. The adrenaline rush of launching out when you don’t know how or when He will come through can be embraced as “thrilling” instead of dreaded as “frightening.” What starts as fear turns into fun once we see God’s plan come together.
• Become Defenseless – We can’t know that He’s all we need until He’s all we have. Like Jesus being led quietly like a lamb to the slaughter, God will call each of us into a similar position of absolute surrender and trust.
• Worship God, Especially When Life “Backfires” – When we’re following God and then we suffer, it can be tempting to quit. But God allows difficulty to come so that we can be strengthened and prepared to help other people. If life is only easy, the “unintended consequence” is that our strength and stamina will decay (i.e. in zero gravity bones deteriorate at a rate of 1.5% per month). On the other hand, the more problems you have, the more potential you have to help people. Like Paul & Silas in prison, when we choose to worship in the middle of our most desperate circumstances, God enables us to “zoom out” from the problem so that we can see Him again, and His power is released into the situation.

Thanks to Mark Batterson and his book In a Pit With A Lion on a Snowy Day. Some of the word pictures I've used recently have come from his book. I think it's so important as we're leading and teaching to use images and examples that people can relate to. Jesus was the master of this. Everything was a sermon example for Him -- fishing, the wind & waves, sparrows, Roman coins, children, etc. Give Him anything, and He could use it as an example of how He made life to work. Since He made it all in the first place, I guess that would make sense... *smile*