Living in the Land of Convenience

David and I had just moved to the USA. I put the finishing touches to my letter that I was writing to my sister back home in England and set out to walk to the village Post Office. I had to hurry. I knew that I didn't have much time to make it there. Luckily, I arrived at the Post Office two minutes before it closed. "Phew," I said to the clerk," I only just made it." Looking at my red face, which obviously gave away the fact that I had been running to get there, she smiled and said ," Honey, are you new in town? You do know that if you have mail, you can just put it in the mailbox at the end of your driveway? Raise the little red flag, and we'll be glad to collect it." Wow! Really? How easy is that! Am I living in the land of convenience or what? I really should have known that along with garage doors that ascend and descend at the touch of a button, living in the USA would also allow me the luxury and convenience of having a mailman who comes to me.
Do we serve a God of convenience or what? Living as Christians allows us the luxury of having a God that comes to us. More then that, we do not even need to raise that little red flag- He already sees where we are and knows exactly what we need. Whatever our concerns for our children, whatever our concerns for our ministry, He comes to us. How easy is that?
I will come to you. John 14: 18b

The Prodigal Frog

A few summers ago, my husband and our eldest son dug a pond in our backyard and filled it with goldfish and koi. When my dad came to visit from England for three weeks, he loved nothing more than sitting out by that pond and feeding the greedy fish. Always the nature lover, it gave him great delight to count the many frogs that would surround the pond each day. Most of all, he enjoyed looking out for one particularly fat, and easily recognizable frog, whom we fondly named 'Henri'. Each day, it became a regular routine to spot where Henri was hiding. But one morning, Henri was gone. That frog, who had almost become a family pet to us, had simply vanished. For several days, we searched for him- but to no avail. We were filled with sadness. The pond was just not the same without him. 
Imagine then our delight the day that Henri returned to the pond! It made us so happy! As ridiculous as it seems, the return of that fat frog filled us with joy! Henri was home! 
Now if we could feel so much joy over the return of one fat, prodigal frog, imagine how much greater is God's delight when His precious children return to Him. 
Never underestimate your role in children's ministry. You are helping to bring His children home. And that, my friends, is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

The Disappearing Church

The little French church on the hill

Two years ago I spent a week in a beautiful French chateau, surrounded by spectacular views and fields and fields of golden sunflowers. One of my favorite sights from the chateau was a little village church, nestled high in the hills about two miles away. One morning as I walked, I looked up at the church, admiring what a pretty picture it made. I went a few steps further and turned to look at it again- but that little church had completely disappeared. For a moment I was confused, and scanned the horizon, trying to find it. I knew it could not have moved! Then I realized that some trees were obscuring it from my view. In order to see the church again, I simply had to change where I was standing.
Is your view of God obscured? Does it sometimes feel as if He has disappeared? Like that little village church, God never, ever moves. He is always there for us. As we begin this new year in children's ministry, let's put ourselves in a place where we can constantly see Him, and if we do lose our view of Him, then let's be ready to change where we are standing.

Star or Cross?

The cross hanging on the church wall

A few years ago my husband and I were driving home one winter night when we spotted a beautiful, bright star, hanging low in the dark evening sky. It made us think of the star that the wise men saw all those years ago. But as we kept our eyes on that star and drew closer to it, we realized that this was not a star at all. It was a cross, lit from behind, hanging on the wall of a church.
How symbolic and prophetic is that? In the star associated with the birth of Jesus, we also saw the cross, associated with his death. And what a great reminder to us, that as we celebrate the glitz and glamor of Christmas, we also celebrate the Alpha and the Omega...the beginning and the end. From cradle to crucifixion, from Christmas to Calvary..the more we keep our eyes on Jesus and the closer we draw to Him, the more He allows us to see.

Internal Life...

A re-post from Christmas 2010...

Translated into over 1100 languages from Afrikaans to Zulu, John 3:16 must surely be the most memorized verse in the Bible. Martin Luther called it 'the Gospel in miniature'- just 26 words that summarize God's entire purpose for sending Jesus into the world: 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Recently, I was teaching a 3rd Grade Bible class and had challenged the students to memorize John 3:16. A cute little girl raised her hand and recited the verse perfectly until she got to the next to the last word:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have internal life.

Her mom and I smiled as we automatically started to correct her, but then we stopped. That little girl was not wrong. In fact, she was absolutely right! We who believe in Jesus, along with eternal life, can claim 'internal' life too. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this season, let's remember that we have Jesus living inside us, with all the peace, joy and hope that He alone can bring. No matter what may rage externally, we can hold on to internal life- life 'in all its fullness.' This Christmas, let's sow the message of internal life deep into the hearts of the children we nurture.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10: 10

Down, Down, Down..

Last year when my husband and I flew back to England to visit our families, we went to see Lord Horatio Nelson's flagship- the HMS Victory. Now lying in a dry dock, the Victory is the oldest commissioned warship in the world and fought in the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic Wars. One of the Victory's most impressive features was an enormous anchor, weighing an incredible 2 tons! I stood on deck and imagined that huge anchor plummeting down, down, down, to the murky depths of the ocean below in order to hold that ship safely in place. And it made me think of Jesus.

Weighing probably less than 10 pounds, that tiny baby came... down, down, down, to the murky depths of humanity below in order to hold us close to Him. Friends... you and I are anchored in heaven by Jesus Christ. Storms may blow and seas may rage around us, but He is holding us safely to Him- a firm anchor that will never let us go. What an incredible message to teach our children this Christmas!

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19

A Captivating Moment

I witnessed a beautiful little scene today. Returning home from my morning walk, I heard the sounds of laughter coming from a neighbor's driveway. A grandpa was playing hide and seek with his young grandson. The little boy covered his eyes and began to count whilst Grandpa hid behind the car. When the little boy reached 10, he ran and immediately found his grandpa, who took off running. The little guy squealed in delight and followed in hot pursuit. I stopped to watch this little scene. It was captivating. It made me smile.
I am convinced that God stops to watch us when we are bringing joy to His children. I am convinced that he is captivated by those little moments and wants to share them with us. And I am convinced that when He sees us serving His little ones in ministry, it makes Him smile. Imagine that.We can make the creator of the universe smile. How awesome is that?