Moments in Ministry: Brandon

     We had a new group of boys show up in kids' church one Sunday. They were 11, the oldest allowed, and they were tough looking guys. No smiles, arms folded across their chests... but they made it, seemingly on their own, to church, so let's do this!
     By the time I got to the rec room after signing all of the kids in, it was worship time. The three boys had the same posture: arms folded, scowls, no attempt to participate.  So I worship my way over to them, start jumping, singing, worshiping with them, engaging them... Sorta. Brandon cracked a smile, looked at his friends and quickly got back to scowling. But it was too late! I had seen a glimmer.
      As the day went on, the boys went to the small group lesson for the older kids. They were learning about having grateful hearts. Their leaders talked to them about being givers and not takers.
    At the end of service Brandon, my smile cracker, walked up, smiled, and gave me a big hug. And then he went home. Who knows if he'll be back, but for that moment, he made what we do worth it. 

    We pray that kids' church becomes a safe place for these kids. I don't know what their home lives are like, and I won't speculate about why they looked so hardened. I can tell you, though, that God cares about each one of them, and He has a plan for Brandon, and all of the other kids we encounter. I am beyond blessed to be able to share a small glimpse of what God sees when we receive His love. 

Christmas Cards with a Purpose

The Christmas season is over, and you find yourself with a stack of beautiful, carefully designed Christmas cards from family and friends. If you are anything like me, you have a hard time just throwing them in the trash. I used to store them in a special container, and they might get glanced at the following year when I put a fresh batch in. It felt like such a waste. 

  Last year, a friend suggested punching a hole in each card and using a ring clip to keep them together. This at least helped to keep the years sorted, and made me feel like it was more of a memento than just "stuff" I was keeping. Somewhere along the line, though, it took on a new meaning.

  These were some of our closest family and friends. They are the people we choose to do life with, those who are closest to us. Shouldn't they mean more to us than just being thrown into a box? So, I hung the ring clip up near the calendar in our kitchen. Every week, I would flip to a new Christmas card, and then I spend time each week praying for that family. It became a great way to be intentional in praying for all of our family and friends throughout the year, and not just when there was a specific prayer request. I sometimes send a message to the friend that week, and do you know what always happens?

   God showed off. When I randomly stuck that family's card on the clip, He knew exactly what would be going on in their life the week I prayed for them. Whether they needed to know that they were not alone, or if they just needed a vote of encouragement, God used the prayer.

   Putting the cards on the rings costs virtually nothing (I think I got 5 rings for $2 at Walmart), and prayer is the most powerful thing we can offer our family and friends. Why not extend the giving of  the Christmas season to the rest of the year? 

Pale Pink Pedal Pushers

                    

  

This week, I wore my precious pale pink pedal pushers for the first time. Big deal, right? Well, it kinda was...
   I fell in love with them on a pre- birthday shopping trip with my mom two years ago. I hate shopping, and rarely find things I like, so to love these pants was a big deal. But alas, they were out of my size. Go figure.
   They said that they could have the right size shipped from another store, so that's what we did! Yay! And then my pants got delayed. Somehow, they weren't going to make it until summer was over.
   The disappointment was completely overshadowed when I found out that I was pregnant! I wouldn't need fit into the pants anyway! Unfortunately, our first sweet baby went to meet Jesus before ever meeting us. It was devastating. Not long after, I got a phone call letting me know that the pale pink pedal pushers were no longer available, and I'd be getting a refund.
   Y'all, it was just a pair of pants. I could probably make them if I really wanted to. But it felt like they represented the story of my journey.
    One day in early fall, a package arrived. It was the pale pink pedal pushers! By this time, I was pregnant with Taters, and they were out of season, so I tucked them away in my closet. The following summer, my sweet girl was born and my body wasn't quite ready for the flat-fronted goodness of my pants. So July 3, 2014, I wore them for the first time... Exactly two years after our sweet baby passed on to heaven.
   Through the journey, these pink linen pants have cone to represent hope even when the reports are against you. They will always remind me of the sweet baby I will one day hold, and of the blessing it is to hold the one I have.

It's Just Child's Play.... right?

I hear the moms say, "My 6 year old (or 3, or 7, or 10...) year old has a girlfriend! Isn't that cute?"

The 5 year old says, "Johnny is my boyfriend!"

I'm going to be honest. I don't find it cute. It actually scares me.

Let's break this down. Kids don't inherently know about boyfriends and girlfriends. They may hear the word as they get older, but as a parent, it is your job to define these terms. If you define boyfriend as someone to play with for a few weeks and then forget about, that becomes a part of your child.

I'm going to back up for a second to clarify. Playing house is great. Children are able to mimic the healthy relationships that they see portrayed, and they explore the roles of Mommy and Daddy, parent and child, etc. This is such an important part of a child's development!

But if we aren't intentional about how we present marriage and dating to our kids, or we don't realize the impact of our language,  they will learn things we never intended.

A friend who used to serve in kids' ministry with us did this the right way. Her boys were 5 and 7, and they understood, at their level, how it worked in God's plan. They would openly offer their knowledge. "Kisses are only for Mommies and my future wife." "I can't hold your hand because I don't want to marry you."

Here's the underlying truth that they understood: romance is not there for fun. It serves a purpose that only comes about after you have decided you could marry a person.

Could you imagine if all of our kids had a foundation that started this way? They would only consider holding hands or kissing if they were interested in marrying the person? Not to see IF they would be interested in marriage, but WHEN they were ready.

Let's help our kids set the stage for intentional romantic relationships and a healthy marriage. Take the teachable moments and help them to define the world in God's terms. I pray that our kids are able to be the amazing men and women God wants for their spouses!