Monday, December 29, 2014

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. 

Sunday, December 28, 2014

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?