Peace on earth through us

Glory to God in highest heaven,and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased. Luke 2:14


On Sunday in Kingdom Kids, we talked about peace and looked for it in the stories of Jesus in the book of Luke. There were people healed, provided for, set free, and raised from the dead - all demonstrations of the wholeness Jesus gives.

As we closed in prayer, I asked the children how they may personally need the peace of Jesus or know of someone else that does. One child immediately piped up that we should pray for children who do not have clean water. As we started talking about it, our conversation explored other needs that people have in our world and even in our city - things like food and healing. 

Our prayer time became very "hands on" as we right there decided to pray for the kids on our Compassion table, the food on the Food Shelf, and blankets for cancer patients. Several children took turns praying their hearts out for God's peace to come and touch people's lives. It was such a beautiful prayer time! 

Well, we just couldn't end there. As a class, we decided we needed to be part of God's will to bring peace on earth and sponsor a Compassion child. What fun we had picking out a child and passing around the brochure so everyone could write a note to her. 

These kids truly are "kingdom" kids... and may our lives as parents, teachers, friends and mentors be as filled with the ways of kingdom. Peace on earth through us. 

Practicing the Presence

“I miss my dad”

“I’m being picked on by people.”

“I’m afraid of my report card and what my teacher will say.”

These are a just a few of the prayer requests our children shared on Sunday morning. And suddenly, the need for Jesus to be real and present to these kids was front and center. 

It's easy as a teacher to get caught up in the details of teaching; and as a parent to get caught up in the details of raising kids. But in the middle of it all, let's not forget that the greatest gift we can give our children is the presence of Jesus, right here and right now for their lives.

Practice the conversations. Practice the prayers. Practice the presence of Jesus in your everyday living. 

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Romans 12:1 The Message

Living the Promise

Little Notes Music Class

 I grew up on a farm, and I find myself still following the "harvest season" as farmers do. How much is still out in field? How wet or dry is it? What is the average yield and how are prices? 

Seeing a combine in the field late at night and tractors slowly pulling the wagons of grain into town are still very nostalgic moments for me. Mainly because I know the dreaming & planning, and the unending hours of hard work that go into farming the land and producing a harvest that comes because the Lord "brings the growth". 

Now I find myself working in a faith family, which has remarkable similarities to my farming background. Today I find there is so much to celebrate as I gaze at the evidence of God's goodness all around us. 

So many seed-dreams of just a few months ago are already producing a harvest. Please take a moment to follow the caption link above to see photos of a community music class here at the Vineyard. 

And watch this video & be encouraged. Living the Promise

For the Lord is good and his mercy endures forever!

Becky 

Creek beds and Hiking

"The pain is worth the gain."

Last weekend, I took my daughter and her friend to Boone Ledges to enjoy the beautiful early fall day. They walked the cool waters of the creek beds, squealing when the minnows would swim between their toes. 

Mid-afternoon, I suggested a hike through the ledges. The girls were troopers and didn't even complain when it ended up being longer than any of us had anticipated. 

That's not always been the case in our family, though. 

In fact, we've been on MANY hiking trips over the years where Natalie's pitifully slow pace and groans of "I can't do this" or "this is boring" were very frustrating & painful as a parent. Here I'm out trying to get away to relish some peace and quiet while encompassed with God's beautiful creation and she complains the whole time. (And trust me, I wasn't over-extending her.)

Ever heard the quote - "The thing is not always the thing."? While I can understand that hiking may not be a hobby that Natalie enjoys as much as I, what we were really coming up against was a deeper attitude and behaviors that I knew would always hold her back in life if she didn't learn how to press through. In fact, I was seeing the same challenge in many other areas of her life as well. For me, it was a reminder of what real parenting takes, a lot of grace, wisdom, and patience.

And trust me, it was painful for both her and me. We BOTH learned how to discipline our tongues, see the 'goal is worth the effort', and how to endure what's hard. Two different levels, but we both were growing.  

All great accomplishments, goals, and growth in our lives come because we've learned how to endure pain. I'm so glad I stuck with it and kept leading & training myself and my daughter "in the way we should go", as Proverbs 22:6 instructs us. 

It has laid a foundation of vision, perseverance, and accomplishments for both of us that we can draw from as we both continue to face more significant life challenges in the years ahead. And we're enjoying the "gain" of that pain as we have reached the place where we can laugh, encourage each other's quirks, and stop to take funny pictures - - - experiencing lots of fun right in the middle of our hiking adventures.

Parents, teachers, friends - don't be afraid of enduring the pain and allowing your kids feel an age-appropriate amount of growth pain in their lives. It is the training ground for great gain in all the areas of our lives. 

Where are you painfully growing today? 

Kids and Foundation Building

We are in the middle of the re-construction of our new church meeting space.  Everyday I walk into my office I get to see open walls, dangling lightbulbs, and a lot of dust!  How I long and dream about painted walls, light fixtures, and doors for our Kingdom kids classroom so we can play loud games again at church!

But, we all know that the 'foundation' of our new building comes first. Without pipes, wiring, walls, and ductwork, there would be no rooms to paint or attach light fixtures and doors. And patiently we wait.

In growing children, there is a lot of 'foundation' work to be done in order to solidify their lives to sustain all the privileges and responsibilities that come with growing, as well as leading them to be aware of and responsive to God's calling and purpose.  Just because a child has a birthday does not mean he or she is maturing. So how can we be intentional about growing our children well and helping build a good foundation? 

I believe it's important to first look at your own foundation.  What are your core beliefs and values? What are the key ingredients of life for you?  When you have your own foundation built well, it becomes quite natural that you begin to "pass along" to your children. You teach them the ways of life and wisdom by living it and explaining it along the way.

I love the Proverbs, and here is a small section from chapter 4.  I hope we attend to our own lives in such a way that we can encourage our children with these same words of life.

My child,listen to me and do as I say,
    and you will have a long, good life.
11 I will teach you wisdom’s ways
    and lead you in straight paths.
12 When you walk, you won’t be held back;
    when you run, you won’t stumble.
13 Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go.
    Guard them, for they are the key to life. Prov.4:10-13

The Grand Christ and the Good Life of Parenting

  

"I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love, I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself." Colossians 2:2

A couple of weeks ago, Sherri taught a Sunday morning message on the 'Mystery of Christ' and the power of understanding our lives are hidden in him. (Colossians 3:3) She illustrated this so simply and powerfully through the nesting Russian dolls, thus revealing two premises of living our lives: 

#1- Works-based: Beginning with the littlest doll, she began to nest the dolls each one inside the next larger one.  With each one, it was a process of becoming a better person, growing in goodness, working harder to achieve more so someday we would grow into the grandness of Christ as represented by the largest Russian doll. 

#2 - Christ-based: She took the littlest doll, and placed it immediately into the largest Russian doll pushing all the rest of the dolls aside.  This, she said, is the mystery of Christ and the meaning of our lives hidden in the grandness of Christ.  It's not something we work towards or achieve, get better at or grow into.

Parenting is one of those areas that is so easy to fall into the "works-based" way of living. We know how important it is, the stakes are high, and our beautiful children's lives depend on us somehow doing some of this right.

As we train our children in the way they should go, it's also way too easy to raise our children with "works-based" way of living. If they do everything right: make right choices, do better, grow stronger, achieve more, then they will turn out okay and be like Jesus.

Now, am I advocating that we don't teach our children to make right choices, do better or grow stronger in their lives?  Absolutely not.  But my question today is, "What premise are we parenting from?"

If we understand our parenting lives as encompassed with the grandness of Christ, every decision we make is covered in His wisdom, grace, love, and power.  If we also understand our children are encompassed with the grandness of Christ, then we can avoid parenting works-based and full of fear that we or our children are going to fall short.

The power of living the good life is remembering it all flows out of the Grand Christ and finding our lives hidden in him.  As we do, this changes everything.  It changes how we see ourselves; how we see our children.  It changes how we talk things through and lead.  It changes why and how we make our choices. It surrounds us with a deep rooted faith, which is the soil for hope in God's good purposes being worked out in our lives.  We understand the good news... He is at work within us and will complete the good work he has begun. (Philippians 1:6)

I encourage you to take an inventory of your parenting today and ask God to reveal any areas that need to be absorbed in the Grand Christ.  I pray we all can enjoy the 'good life' of parenting and our kids grow up understanding who they really are in Him. 

School supplies, back packs, & don't forget prayer!

"Enemy-occupied territory is what the world is.” C.S. Lewis

I'm guessing many of you are printing school supply lists and preparing to buy new sneakers and back packs. Yes, the school year is officially right around the corner and there's always a lot to get ready for! 

In the midst of all the natural preparations, it's important that our kids' spiritual lives are attended to and nurtured. We want them prepared inwardly for the school year. 

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you where your child needs instruction and encouragement for this year. Pray for a word, phrase, or image that God wants to use to define this school year for your child, then share it with your child. Let it be the covering and protection for their little hearts and minds, keeping them from every assault of the enemy.

In Kingdom Kids, we are entering the school year with a focus on the Armor of God,  found in Ephesians 6:10-18. I encourage you to have intentional conversations and pray these powerful truths around your children as you send them off to school. 

I close with this passage from the Message translation.  I hope it inspires you as it does me.

^10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

^13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

The Shepherd's Voice

Our June focus in Kingdom Kids is Psalm 23. 

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to experience eight interactive stations to learn what David was talking about in each part of the Psalm. We....

• 'chilled out' in the green pastures
• restored our souls in the still waters
• navigated the narrow path of righteousness
• traversed the 'tunnel' of darkness
• enjoyed treats at the table prepared for us
• were anointed with the Holy Spirit and oil
• crafted a tag to remind us God's love, mercy and goodness was forever chasing us
• knelt at the cross and gave thanks for Jesus forever being with us and preparing a forever home for us when we get really old and die

When asked what their favorite station was, to my surprise, many liked the path of righteousness. I remember talking with the kids at that station and explaining how a Shepherd leads sheep by voice, not by 'driving or herding them' as you would with cattle or pigs. 

Instantly there was interest, and the questions popped up "Does God talk to us? Does He use his voice to guide us?" 

There is within us all an innate desire to know God in a personal way. To hear Him speak into our lives. Even children desire that intimacy and reality of a relationship with God.

Both of us teachers took the time to share personal stories, of how God has definitely led the course of our lives. We also mentioned that spending time in His Word is one of the easiest ways to start learning what the voice of God sounds like. 

As parents, teachers, and role-models for our younger folks - it's important that we 'walk the talk' and live out God's ways before our kids.  Share the stories. Live them with your kids.

May the paths of righteousness be opened to you today; and as you guide your children, may you remember there's an awesome Shepherd guiding you both. 

Kids & Learning How to Repent

Today our lesson was on sin and what it means to repent. I think this is such an important part of a child's spiritual development, because, well, sinning is pretty much inevitable (Romans 3:23). Teaching children how to handle their sin could very well make a difference on how well they follow Jesus now and for the rest of their lives.

In Kingdom Kids we defined sin as "falling short of God's best design". We can sin by making the wrong choice, and sometimes we sin by mistake. The kids all readily recognized their own sins, which on a side note is a necessary realization that precludes trusting Jesus for salvation, so that is a great place for them to be. 

Next, I introduced the word REPENT, simply defined as "turning direction".  This opened our discussion further to what it meant to 'follow Jesus' and when we sin, we begin to go 'crooked and off the path'.  In order to avoid getting too far off the path and away from Jesus we needed to "Repent"... or in other words "Stop, Drop, & Roll". 

Stop: When we do wrong, stop as soon as we recognize it.

Drop: Drop to our knees and pray. Ask God to forgive you and to help you do what's right.

Roll: Roll right back on over to the path of following Jesus.

The kids enjoyed practicing this and we learned many lessons through interacting with it.  Mr. Brian became "Jesus".  He stood across the room with his eyes on us, and each child had an opportunity to walk towards "Jesus" and then sin and trail across the room the other direction.  Some things we learned:

• One bad choice can often lead to another one, so we need to try to stop always as soon as possible. 

• If we keep going off the path too far, we can run into a hard wall. One of us ran into a couple of hard walls before deciding to repent and change direction back to Jesus.

• Jesus was always there. He always loved us, and never turned away. He always welcomed us back after we repented and we could never stray too far away that we couldn't turn around and find Jesus watching and welcoming us to him. 

• A simple prayer is all that is needed, and everyone could do it in their own words.

Teaching and guiding our children with a healthy perspective on sin and repentance helps avoid the "performance trap"; where they are doing right behaviors in an effort to please adults (and God). While we want our children to embrace right behaviors, we want them to do it from their heart. For from the heart are the issues of life (Prov. 4: 23). 

Kids & Faith Adventures

In teaching our kids about Jesus, the best lessons come from the experiences we live with them. Saying "yes" to a faith adventure is maybe one of the most significant opportunities for you and your kids to grow and learn about God's goodness in a way that a classroom of Sunday school lessons or evening devotions never can produce. My daughter and I are living that right now.

Last fall, we were given the opportunity & suggestion by our Pastors to consider a ministry trip to Mexico City in the summer of 2013.  My initial response was "No". Not only do I not have a huge desire or sense of calling to serve internationally beyond my role of "sender", but I was in the process of reducing my work hours to part-time and securing other income for our family. On a natural level, it felt like that would take enough of my faith and energy to see my household provided for. Nevertheless, I said I'd pray about it.

Interestingly enough, through prayer I sensed a peace from God that this was an opportunity that I should pursue. So, I went back to our Pastors and said "Yes, we'll go". I wasn't sure how, but decided to follow & trust the peace in my heart.

Natalie & I have had many great moments of prayer, planning and hard work these last few months as we set ourselves to raise the money for the trip.  Many fantastic teachable moments along the way. And many generous donations from friends and family that declares God's favor and blessings to make the way possible.

Best of all is the surprise phone call today. Someone had heard about Natalie's trip and had nominated her for a young person's scholarship. The committee of people had chosen her as the recipient and they'd like to meet with us. "I hope it's okay I nominated her without talking to you in advance," my friend said.  

WHAT?!  That's crazy!  Amazing and awesome!  How cool is God?! So here we go, a complete surprise blessing from an organization we don't even know and we didn't even apply for.  Talk about seeing God at work as only you can when you take a faith adventure with a child. 

Here's a short video from Phil Strout, Vineyard USA Director, and a faith adventure he and his own daughter had years ago.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b5ayet43g72o5x5/09%20When%20My%20Daughter%20Saved%20Money%20For%20Missions.mov

I encourage you to pray and look for faith adventures with your own children. Big or small they open the door for God to speak into our kid's hearts His love and goodness to them, and prepares them for future lifestyle of faith adventures and saying yes to Jesus.

Where is Jesus nudging your heart for adventure?