how lucky are you?

It’s not even St. Patrick’s Day, but I am feeling lucky!! I know, there's no such thing as luck, maybe luck isn't the right word, maybe it's actually blessed! I feel blessed (lucky) that I have the sheer privilege of serving God’s leaders and His children. This weekend, you get to serve God by serving His kids. You get to help shape a young life into a future Godly leader. Yes………….YOU!!! It’s true and Paul’s words ring so loudly in my ears today…..

"By God's grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning." Eph 3:7-9

I was struck by Paul's gratitude. He felt it an absolute privilege to be given the responsibility of ministry (and keep in mind he was in jail as he wrote). Can’t you hear Paul saying; "Can you believe I get to do this?!? How blessed (lucky) am I!?!"

Serving….it’s just that cool!!

Faith, Hope & Love

off to great places

Have you ever read the book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Suess? What an encouraging little ditty! This book reminds me of the opportunities we have each weekend to serve children. We have the privilege of helping families and children on their faith journey. We can take them to a hot airy desert where manna fell from the skies, we can take them lakeside where a young boy shared all that he had, we can take them to prison where a prisoner sang praises to the almighty God, oh the places we will go when we decide to serve God with all we’ve got!!

My favorite lines from the whole book are;

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed

(98and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

So….

be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray

or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,

you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way!

The weekend is here, will you succeed? Yes! You have Christ in you and you are serving His children! So, go……get on your way! Pray for the children and their families, love them when they arrive, model for them what it means to serve Christ, send them away with a hug or a high 5 telling them you can’t wait to see them next week!

Oh yes, I do love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength! Let’s serve together, amazing children's team!!!!!

Faith, Hope & Love

I promise

Last week, I was challenged to look in the Bible and find five promises from God. So, being obedient, I took the challenge and out of the first five I found, two really stood out to me.

The first promise that stood out to me was the promise that God will supply every need. (Philippians 4:19) I think this stood out because this past weekend I told the kids I would be leaving and asked them to pray for our family as we move. Several kids hands went up and as I called on them they asked "Why do you have to move?" and some said "I will pray for you" but the one that made me realize God will supply my every need is when the last student I called on said these four powerful words; "I will miss you." Yep, it got to me! I looked at my husband with tears in my eyes. You see, I didn't know if I could finish the lesson, but God promised to give me everything I needed and at that moment He gave me the strength to continue with His lesson.

The second one is this; "God has promised that all things work together for good to those who love and serve Him faithfully (Romans 8:28)." This struck me right between the eyes! As most of you know, I will be moving in just a couple of weeks. I have loved my time here! I have been so blessed with big love, great fellowship, and an amazing leadership team. I am at peace that God has called us to this new adventure, but I would not be truthful if I said it wasn't hard. Just this morning I was texting one of my new friends and my eyes welled up. I started thinking selfish thoughts like, "How can this season be so short?," "I just got started Lord, there is still so much to do!," and then He gently reminded me, "Be still and know that I am God." God's promise that all things work together for good to those who love and serve Him faithfully is at work right here! Although my time is short, God allowed me to serve (or work together) with you to accomplish HIS goals. I guess HIS goals were accomplished in 8 months!! Although it may be difficult for us to see and understand this at times, God has promised it.

I have always been told that you never make a promise you can't keep. I believe that 100% and I want to make a promise to each one of you. I promise I will never forget the Christ-like love you have shown me and my family.

Faith, Hope and Love,

no guts, no glory

June 11, 2010

I have recently been mentoring a leader who has just "stepped up her serve." She had decided to follow God's prompting to step out in faith to lead an area of ministry. I see someone who wants to chase after God's plan even though it is hard. One of the most rewarding things I have seen is the way she wants to pass on her knowledge to other leaders. This is a huge step. The light bulb has come on so to say in this area of leadership. All of the experiences God has blessed us with are to teach us and are for us to teach others. We are to equip the saints and this is one way to do that!

As you enter a classroom you probably notice your room is ready to serve children. The lesson materials are all carefully counted out and placed in your room, the toys have been sanitized and placed in inviting areas for children to see as they walk in, snacks and supplies are restocked and ready for use. Each environment is carefully created to provide the best possible opportunity for children to draw closer to God. This past week as I talked with this leader, she knew all of this was happening, but she didn't quite see the big reason behind it. The sparkle in her eyes told me that now, she does! Each room is a tool for ministry, not just a place for kids to play. Everything has a purpose and a place. That was just the first breakthrough of the day, the big breakthrough was next.

Watching her serve brought to my attention that she tries to do everything herself. We talked about building a team approach. Instead of labeling volunteers as "teachers and helpers," we would like volunteers to have ownership and serve as a team with specific roles (small group leaders, worship leader, large group leader, etc). We talked about replacing ourselves and allowing our knowledge to pass to other leaders with the hope of growing the team members we come in contact with. That's when I saw her holding back emotion. She knew God had blessed her with a unique gift to teach children, it was just dawning on her the new responsibility she has to pass along that gift. "Can you do this? I know it's different and difficult and it's going to take time and effort." She looked at me with the most serious face and said; "Yes, I can do this." That takes guts my friends!

Mark Batterson wrote a book; "IN A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY" and in his book he says this; "When we don't have the guts to step out in faith and chase lions, then God is robbed of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him."

This team is full of amazing gutsy leaders!! To God be the GLORY!!

Turtle Rescue

What a whirlwind week! And by whirlwind, I mean whirlwind! Two nights ago, there was a tornado! I had heard a storm was heading our way, I even waited up to see it, but after I had finally given up and went to bed, it arrived! My children were all telling me to "come see the storm," but I was already sleepy and I could see the lightening flashes from my room. I guess I was a little nonchalant about it by that point. Until I heard my daughter yell, "Oh no, the turtle!" She keeps her turtle outside and with the rain pouring down she was afraid the tank would overflow and the turtle would escape. She was right! In the middle of a storm (a TORNADO mind you!!!), she asked her brother and a friend to go out and save the turtle!! Those brave boys! They put their suits on and out the door they went. Wind blowing 80mph, trees laying sideways, fences down, and these two are looking for a 6" round turtle. Thank the Lord it didn't take long! They found "squirtle" on the driveway heading towards the street unharmed.

You are probably wondering why in the world would I tell you this story? Well, after I thought about it, this reminded me of all the hurting people we serve on a weekly basis. They are caught in the storms of life, much like squirtle the turtle. They are heading down the road and need someone to show them love. That would be each one of you!! Just like the boys rescuing the turtle, we have the opportunity each week to show love to the families God sends our way and rescue them from their storms. It may be a sick family member, or job loss, or any number of things that cause stress or "storms" and we are privileged to be Jesus with skin. Although we can't say "Peace, Be Still" and calm everybody's personal storms, we know the one who can!

Be on the lookout this weekend for turtles, and take the time to rescue them!!

Faith, Hope & Love

Is it okay that I helped a visitor?

When was the last time you were a 1st time visitor in a church where you

• showed up uninvited
• knew absolutely no one,
• had never been in the building before?

For most of you, it's probably been a while. At our church this happens on a weekly basis!! Praise the Lord!! Last week we had nine families visit the children's ministry for the first time, NINE!! That's a lot of visitors! It made me wonder, "What do we do to make our visitors feel welcome?" So, I looked around and I noticed the following things;

• We have a greeter who not only welcomes visitors to the children's building, they also hold the door open for them! This says we notice you and we want to get to know you!! (I'm glad you are here)
  
• We have a clearly marked check in area specifically for visitors that always has a volunteer ready and willing to help! That might not seem like a big deal, but it is!! Visitors don't want to wait in a long line and then find out they will hold up that same line by filling out a visitor information sheet. We have taken a little bit of that stress off of them by having a separate area just for them!! (Quick and easy check in)
  
• We have a volunteer whose main responsibility is to take each visiting family to their child's classroom and introduces them to the team members serving their children. A guided tour?!?!? I believe this helps to calm a family's fears of "Where am I leaving my child and how do I find them when service is done?" (We value your feelings)
• That same volunteer then escorts the parents to the sanctuary or big church as we call it!! Visitors might not have any idea where they are supposed to go, they have never been here before! By walking with them, some of their anxiety might be lifted. (YOU and your children matter)

I feel incredibly blessed that our team cares so much about the families God has entrusted us with! Whether they are first time guests or regular attenders, I believe the children's ministry team does a great job of making everyone feel welcomed and loved!

This past Sunday, I noticed one of our amazing check in leaders go the extra mile for a visitor. Because there was already a family at the visitors area, another visiting family went up to the regular check in area. The team member could have said; "you can check in over there at the visitors area," but instead she said; "sure, I can help you here!" She proceeded to register the family, check them in, give them the tour and then led them to the sanctuary. When she returned, she looked up at me with big eyes and said; "Is it okay that I left my check in area to help them?" I can honestly tell you that I was so blessed by her servant heart that all I could do was hug her and say "Of course!"

Like I said, we have an amazing team that does a great job of making everyone feel welcomed and loved! Thank you unnamed team member for going above and beyond and being Jesus with skin to this family!! (I told her I would keep her anonymous)

Faith, Hope & Love!

kids and families matter here

I have been re-reading "The Disney Way" by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson. Every time I read this book the same chapter sticks out to me as I relate it children's ministry. The chapter is all about details. Why are details so important? The details are the little things, and little things add up to become big things. Here is a great quote about this from Craig Jutila; "It's the little things, that make a little difference, that make a big difference."

You might be thinking what are the little things? Let me share, the little things are the intangibles we can not measure. The things that you may think to yourself, "That's just what I do," that mean more to the people around you than you could ever imagine. Having a clean facility. Smiling because you are blessed to serve God. Greeting a team member with a giant hug. Saying good morning, or telling a family you are glad they are here! Setting up rooms so they look inviting not only to kids but to parents too. Changing a diaper and placing a sticker on the outside that says; "Changed with Care." Praying for a child's cat and asking them the next week if their cat is better. Making sure all the toys in each room are cleaned, disinfected, and age appropriate. Noticing that the dad of one of your small group students is home on break from the military and introducing yourself to him. These all say loud and clear; "KIDS AND FAMILIES MATTER HERE."

The funny thing is, we haven't even mentioned the weekly lessons or activities we use in the classroom to teach children about Christ! Would it be a stretch to say we are modeling it before they ever reach the room? I pray this is true!

As you serve this weekend, think about all the little things you do that make a little difference, that make a big difference in the lives of the children and families you serve.

Faith, Hope & Love,