The Faith of a Child

I LOVE my job! There are so many things running through my head right now, that I will try to contain in all without writing a novel. First, for those who have read my blog for a while, you know that in January 2011, I wrote a blog about a job that I really wanted, but didn't get. I was devastated. Here is the thing about the job, it was a writing position that I really would have loved, but my heart was still in children's ministry and I couldn't see anything on the horizon that God was doing there.

And now, fast forward a year and see what God has done. I'm a children's ministry director. I live and breath this stuff. It is my heart's passion. And yes, I have had to confess my lack of faith to God, and thank Him for always giving me His best even when I nag Him to give me what I want, right now!

So I encourage you with the words that God has spoken to me throughout these 12 months. Trust Him. He is a good Father. He always seeks our good and does what is best for us, even when it may not be the easiest thing for us to deal with.

So every day I walk into work with a Kool-Aid smile, extremely grateful that God allows me to minister to children every day. And here is the super-whipped, double-chocolate frosting with extra sprinkles on top this week....after just 3 weeks on the job, I had the privilege of leading a child to Christ at First Baptist Church. Later yesterday, I had the great privilege of leading my own daughter to Christ as well. And that all capped off a service where at church a six-year old shared how God gave him a story in the wind. "The Lord is telling me not to forget Him." To see Mekai share his story and his song, CLICK HERE. [By the way, this is how I started my day...see the entire sermon CLICK HERE.]

I was struck the whole day by this basic fact--the Gospel message is simple. "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Let's be about our Father's business. Take every opportunity to share the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God. AMEN!

When a broken heart brings you joy

I will be starting on Monday as the children's ministry director at First Baptist Winchester. I'm so excited for the opporutunity to personally disciple children on a regular basis. There is a real reason why Jesus tells us "unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:3 Children can exemplify the gospel message in such a profound way. Ministering to them challenges me to live a life that pleases God daily. As adults we can learn a lot from the example of the children around us.

I was watching my youngest son one day and he was the perfect example of a contrite heart. Psalm 51:17 tells us, “The greatest sacrifice you want is a broken (contrite) spirit. God, you will gladly accept a heart that is broken (contrite) because of sadness over sin.” This is what I observed.

Our son had not been doing very well in school and we were discussing with him some of his behavior. I could see it on his face before he even said a word.

First, he agreed with us that the things he had been doing were wrong. He understood that those things were not what we expected of him, nor was he bringing honor to God or himself by his actions. For adults that means calling sin sin. Sometimes we try to dress it up to take the sting out. We use euphemisms and compare our actions to choices others have made. We have to learn to agree with God's definition of sin.

Second, I could see the tears forming in his eyes as he thought about the things he had done that day. He was truly sad because of his sin. He was not just trying to get out of punishment. And he readily agreed that he should be punished, but he took responsibility for what he had done, and he put into his own words what things he would try to work on.

This is not the first time I have my son visibly moved by something he has done and he knows in his heart that it is wrong. Our sin already grieves the heart of God. If we think of the abundance of grace He has freely lavished upon us, it should grieve our hearts too.

But here's the good news. God gladly receives us when we are sad because of our sin. He is looking for those who will be broken-hearted by their sin and will come to Him for grace to face another day. When we can own up to what we have done, that is the first step to show God that we are sorry and we want another chance to do better. Then the challenge is trusting Him to empower us to do better. Contrary to popular belief, we do not have it within us to be better, it is God in us that makes that possible.

I love His name....Immanuel...God with us. When you have a contrite heart, God will turn your sorrow into joy. May you know that joy this week.

Hope that does not disappoint

I ended 2011 with a lot of questions to God about the state of my life. Had I really heard His voice when I made certain decisions? What was He trying to teach me in the time that He was clearly telling me to wait?

I was frustrated with God's timing and felt far away from His presence. There were so many areas of my life that were filled with uncertainty and I wasn't sure what God was up to.

Then one day as I was crying out to the Lord, many times literally as well as figuratively, I looked up as I was driving my kids to school and I saw a rainbow....a sign of promise.

I cannot tell you how quickly God's peace came over me. And I was reminded of when we first came to Lexington to visit, to determine if we were going to move our family yet again. On our first morning here, there was a rainbow in the sky. I smiled then taking the promise that Lexington would be a blessing to us. And it has been in many ways.

So as 2012 began, some doors that had seemingly been nailed shut last year began to open slowly and God provided HOPE. This week I have thought a lot about hope and why without it we can become discouraged and begin to despair.

Romans 5:3-6 says, "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love." WOW!

Well, let me tell you, I wasn't doing a lot of rejoicing as the year came to an end. But when I started to think about HOPE, I could more clearly see why God told us not worry. We worry because we have no hope. We worry because we lack the faith that God can handle whatever situation we face. We worry because we can't control the outcome of our circumstances.

Throughout this time God had also been pressing on me the need to trust His work in my life. And I found myself repeatedly praying, "Lord help me to overcome my unbelief." I think many Christians would not like to admit that they too sometimes fall into that category of not totally trusting God. We say it with our mouths, but it is not evident in our actions.

So I am excited about 2012! I'm trusting in God because it truly is a hope that does not disappoint.

[PHOTO]-I was so awed that I ran in the house and grabbed my camera. This is the rainbow I saw that day over our house.

Home for Christmas

I loaded up my kids and made the 8 hour drive to my mom's house to bless her for Christmas. Not just with our presence, considering my grandmother passed in April. But with 10 helpful hands willing to help clean, move, organize, whatever was needed.

First, I had to push through the stuff that had accumulated in the few months since my niece and I had just cleaned, moved, and organized back in April. And though my husband had tried to warn me, and my sister had tried to advise me based on her own experience; I just knew I was different. I had a plan.

After my 7-year-old proclaimed that the room we were excavating to find some misplaced thing could be featured on TLC's "Buried Alive," I had no response. But I still had a plan. My son and I spent the day cleaning and organizing the kitchen, putting down shelf paper, and putting things in easy reach. We took an hour break to go eat, and when we returned, we discovered that in that short time, my mom had already started to cover the organized stuff with the clutter of the remaining stuff that we were still organizing. Surfaces and spaces that had just been cleaned, in just 60 minutes, looked like what it had before the hours we spent working on it.

And then came the teachable moment for me! I had come with my own agenda. But when you really want to bless someone, you find a way to meet them where they are and provide what they desire to receive, not what you plan to give. And I'm not talking in terms of money or material possessions. If you're going to bless someone, then do what they want to do, not what you think is best.

I spent the next two days making fruit cakes in the Christmas tradition of my grandmother, learning how to make caramel icing from scratch, and wrapping Christmas gifts for the senior citizens of our home church which we started doing when I was on the children's choir. We had a great time.

And in the end....that was the end goal. It wasn't about me. It was about her. I'm glad we came!

Pause for Perspective

Yesterday, I had an encounter with God's point of view. I had to make some hard financial decisions and return many Christmas gifts I had purchased a few days before. So I was having this ongoing discussion with God in my car about this situation.

While I was standing in line at one store waiting for the manager to do my return, another lady was also standing at the counter. She was there for a job interview. When the cashier inquired what position she was applying for, she said, "I'll take anything you have. I just lost my husband to leukemia and I need a job."

Right then and there, it broke my heart in two. While we both waited for the manager, I struck up a conversation with her. I asked how she was doing, and if she had any kids. She said she has 3 children, with the youngest just 5-years-old. The more she talked, the sadder I became.

She said that the kids were holding up under the circumstances, but a lot of that was due to them being occupied by school during the day. She added that nights are the hardest for them.

As I left the store, I concluded my earlier conversation with God. "OK Father, I see. It's all about perspective." I thought of those dear children, who probalby couldn't care less about getting toys or clothes or anything material for Christmas. But they probably would have given everything to have their Dad back this Christmas season.

So as you run around finishing up your shopping, take time to remember what Christmas should be about. The things that really matter. And please take time to pray for the Taylor Family.

Will you believe God?

One of the hardest things to do in life is find a church home. Since I've been married, we have moved out of state 4 times. So each of those by necessity required a church move. But this is the first time that we have felt God leading us to change churches while in the same city. It has been a very interesting experience. We didn't "fall out" with anyone. We wholly believed that God said that season was complete and closed. So this is what God showed me with this situation.

Yes, there are genuine church hoppers out there: people who only want to go to the newest place on the block, or leave when the gospel begins to address sin areas in their lives, or fall out with people and so they take their proverbial ball and go home. These are the folks who won't commit to any place, but they just go with the flavor of the day.

Many people find it more convenient to hide behind the legitimate issue of "I don't want to be a church hopper." In reality, there really is something deeper going on. There are many Christians who are just going through the motions on Sunday. Some have attended a particular church all of their lives. They cannot ever see themselves attending anywhere else. However, if you look at their spiritual lives, they are stale and stagnant. Others know in their heart that God has told them to move, but they are looking for ways to negotiate with God because they will miss the relationships. Or there are so many biblically bankrupt churches on the landscape, that they don't even know where they might start to look for a new church home.

I think the root of all of this is fear. Most people stay where they are because they are scared to leave. That is not necessarily because God hasn't revealed it to them, but honestly because they are scared to be without a church home, not to have their name on the roll at some church. They cannot imagine it any other way. But that's easy. That doesn't take any faith. You just go along with the status quo. Change is difficult. I get that!

But let me humbly suggest that sometimes God is trying to grow you, to take you out of the predictable and plant you in a new field. You miss out on your blessing because you are afraid to trust God, to really believe that He can change your situation.

But what if you would believe God and trust His plan and not your fear? What if you would dare to believe that He sees your situation and will not allow you to wander in the desert for 40 years? Because ultimately, that is our fear! What if He doesn't deliver us? Then we either go back to where we were or we stay adrift.

It is a hard road. I'm a witness. It can be scary. You can feel isolated, and many times you question whether you made the right decision. But just maybe.....God is up to something and He is putting the pieces together to do an even greater thing. If we would just join Him in His work, in His plan.

WOW! I can't wait to see what God is up to in our lives. And I hope that you will trust Him with His plan for yours as well.

That Every Kid May Know

With an estimated 380,000 orphans before the earthquake last year, even more children in Haiti now find themselves struggling to survive and make sense of tragedy in the world. I want to remind these children that in spite of their situation, "God sees them, God loves them, and He does have a purpose for their lives."

Leeway Artisans published my book, "10 Things Every Kid Should Know About God," to help children understand what having a relationship with God is about. In just a year's time, we have now teamed up with five translators to make this award-winning book accessible to children in Haiti in their own language.

I had a friend that was going to Haiti on a missions trip to work with kids in Vacation Bible School and at an orphanage. We realized that we could have a greater impact if we sent books in Creole. And within two weeks of our confirmation to start the project, four others eagerly volunteered their time to help. It was amazing to see God bring all of the pieces together.

The project is expected to reach completion by early November with a goal of sending 1000 copies of the translated version by year's end. Donations are currently being received as the project gains momentum.

"This project is a great opportunity to serve," said Gueber Lamour, one of the translators. "I was moved by the willingness of others to dedicate themselves to provide educational tools to a nation unrelated to them in many ways. In fact, my support is a token of my gratitude for what they are doing for the children in Haiti."

Initial support for the project has been overwhelming with nearly 20% of the goal reached before any public annoucement was made.

It just resonated with people. It moved me to think about how much God loves these children in spite of everything that has happened in their country. This book is just a small way of reminding them that they are not forgotten by us, nor by their Heavenly Father. I hope that God blows us away and enables us to send thousands of books to Haiti.

The Creole version of "10 Things Every Kid Should Know About God" is available for just $7 each book. For more information, visit www.leewayartisans.com/everykidshouldknow.

Thank you for your support and please remember to pray for the children of Haiti.