Not mine, but Thine

Psalm 40: 8 - I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.

There are many of us that minister to the needs of children in the Awana Program at Gray Gables.  What each worker has to keep in mind is that the story is being written by the author, not the characters.  God has a specific plan for us in the area of ministry that He has placed us in.  Something to consider is that if we are ministering for the purpose of glorifying Christ then as a result of that we should be working to minister the same way that He did.

“He washed the feet of twelve men who were not worthy of being in His presence let, alone His service.  He received and helped multitudes of people, many of whom never accepted His message.  He died for a world that doesn’t want Him.  Why did He do it? Because it was the Father’s will, and Jesus delighted to do His Father’s will.”–Wiersbe

The humble service to the Will of the Father is far greater than our best efforts.  I am very thankful and it is a great blessing ministering to the needs of the children He places in our path through Awana.  I am also very thankful to the many workers who graciously put aside their will to serve the will of the Father by helping in Awana.

Distributors, not Manufacturers

          “The trouble with too many of us is that we think God called us to be manufacturers when He really called us to be distributors.  He alone has the resources to meet human needs; all we can do is receive His riches and share them with others.”—Warren W. Wiersbe

            While working with children it is important to remember the wise words of Warren Wiersbe.  The great thing about serving God is that He equips us with the tools that we need to complete the work that He has set out for us to do.  When it comes to the work of the ministry we can all safely say that we come to the table with nothing, and that it is God only that has the resources. 

            Wiersbe goes on to look at the act of Christ feeding the five thousand and points out that the disciples had no real solutions to the problem of the people’s hunger but didn’t have a problem doling out the advice on what they should do.  We should use the example of the disciples to understand what we should avoid when working in the ministry.

            They lost their compassion and suggested that Christ send the masses away home.  Jesus understood that the people would not be able to make the journey home as a result of their hunger and He rejected the disciple’s idea.  Getting rid of people that have a problem is not the way that we can bring glory and honor to God.  His desire is that we help those very people that we often try to send away. 

            Some of the other disciples began debating on how much money they had and how they didn’t have enough to feed the masses.  No matter the church size or the popularity of the ministry, money is not the answer to being able to fix the problems that occur. 

            But when Andrew came to Christ and gave Him the five barley loaves and two fish Jesus became the manufacturer.   Jesus then blessed the food and had His disciples distribute it among the people.  Jesus didn’t need answers or solutions from His disciples.  He didn’t need them to be the manufacturer He just needed them to be the distributors.  The blessing took place in the hands of God not in the hands of the disciples.

            Ministry takes place the same way.  God supplies the means and we are just to be a channel through which His blessing passes through.  As a channel we are blessed as well but we are not needed to create just to distribute.

            Remember, “Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God.”

Understanding Wisdom – Early Elementary

           During the preschool years it is important for students to gain a respect for the authority of God.  Even though respect for God is an important aspect for children, it is just as important that children also have an understanding of what God has said in His Word.  That knowledge has to become the source of all their godly wisdom.

            The sad truth is that our culture is backing away from Bible knowledge and is focusing its attention on experience.  Most people know that Jesus Christ died on the cross but have no idea why it occurred.  They know that Christmas is a time that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus but they don’t know the reason that Christ came to earth was to rescue man from his sinfulness. 

            One of our biggest responsibilities as parents and teachers is to give children the knowledge of godly wisdom.  When kids understand the “who” of who God is and that His Word is the living Word that is applicable to circumstances today they will be one step closer to living a life of faith carried out through the work of love.

            Children that are in the early elementary age enjoy learning as much as they possibly can.  They understand that there are now things about life that they do not know or do not know how to do.  The wonderful thing about this stage is that we can not only guide them through teaching but we can also begin the training process by encouraging them in the direction of making good choices.

            Here are a few characteristics of this age-group:

• They are moving from the stage of “child” to “kid.”
• They are seeking perfection.
• They are very sensitive to criticism.
• They begin worrying about things that happen in life.
• They like having rules and boundaries.
• Consistency is important to them.
• They enjoy hearing stories.
• They have incredible memory capabilities.
• Their specking capacity doubles.
• They learn by seeing and doing.

 Every child works and learns in his or her own different way and the best way to display the wisdom of the Word of God is to try a variety of different methods to instill biblical truths into them.  Some ideas for working with your child include:

• Asking what he/she is learning at church.
• Choose a family Bible verse for the year.
• Play games using Bible Characters
• Singing songs that teach Biblical knowledge.
• Praying with your child.

 –Summarized from How to Raise a Modern-Day Joseph by Weddle

Understanding Respect-Preschoolers (Ages 2-3)

My son, who just turned two a couple of months ago, was walking with my wife, Rosalind, and I through the house.  As I turned on a light after entering the room my son pointed toward and ceiling and said, “God.”  To which my wife very quickly responded with, “That’s right.  God made the light.”  This was a great opportunity for us to share a biblical truth with our son in an everyday moment.  Now whenever the lights come on he points at the ceiling and says, “God,” which signifies an understanding that God made the light.

The preschool years are a great time to build the foundations of your child’s faith.  These are the perfect years for forming your child’s basic understanding about God, Jesus, and the Bible.  This is the time in their life that they believe everything they’re told about God.  They do this because they trust you implicitly and they have complete faith in everything you say. 

At this point in the child’s life you have to think about the things they cannot do.  They cannot read.  They cannot study.  They cannot drive themselves to church.  Their ability to learn is completely dependent upon their parents or other adults who are close to them.  Because of these limits we’re the ones who choose what to teach them and how to do it.  Children have no other access to the Bible except through the adults in their lives.

Think about this statement:  All parents are teaching their children something about God.  They are either teaching that He is someone who can be ignored or someone they can mock or someone they can curse at or someone they can worship.

As we look at the life of Joseph we can see that he came to the understanding that God was to be respected for His awesomeness and authority. 

So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

(Gen 39:6-9)

Without a proper respect for God and His standards, a child cannot come to the point of salvation or make wise choices in life.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! (Psa 111:10)

The word “fear” that the psalmist used is not referring to a cowardly terror, but an understanding of the awesomeness of God which results in a responsive, humble obedience.  As a result of our respect of God, we want to do what He desires for us to do.

Here are a few points that we should teach our preschooler about how and why we respect God: 

• God is the Creator (Genesis 1:1).  He made the light.  He created the flowers.  He made the mountains.  He made the stars.
• God knows all (Psalm 147:5).  Many children like to know.  Kids will not hesistate to tell you how much they know.  “I know how old I am!” or “I know how to spell my name.  Do you want to hear?”  Because children are fascinated with the things they know and the things they do not know, they can very easily understand the concept that God knows everything.
• God is everywhere (Psalm 139 7—10).  Many kids know that they can only be in one place.  If they are where they are they cannot be anywhere else but where they are.  Understanding that God is everywhere all the time is comforting to a child because they know that He is always with them where ever they are.
• God is different from us (Psalm 90:2).  Our understanding and knowledge of God comes from the Word that He has given us.  Teaching children that God is different from us can help with the difficult questions of “Where did God come from?” and “How old is God?”
• God is holy (Psalm 77:13).  A child understands the concept of right and wrong.  Because of this we can explain to them that God is Holy and that means he is set apart, perfect, and pure.  Because God is Holy He can set the standard for what is right and what is wrong.
• God is love (John 3:16).  God loves us.

 There is a long list that explains the qualities of God and that list well surpasses the list I have.  The important thing to remember is that teaching your children a respect for the awesomeness of God is an everyday process.  It is imperative that we understand that our teaching is not just limited to what we say, but also through our actions.  Are we respecting God’s awesomeness and responding in obedience?  Or do our children see us treating God and the work that He has called us to as something “we have to do” before we can get to the “fun” things in life?

Here are some characteristics of a Preschooler that can be used to turn everyday moments into teachable moments about God:

• They are eager to learn.
• They love questions.
• They watch and observe everything.
• They enjoy repetition
• They have fears.
• They want approval from adults.
• They get confused about real and make-believe.
• They love to be silly.
• They understand right and wrong.
• They look to be forgiven.

Look for moments in the day to share with your children the qualities of God that is so important for them to learn in the early years of their life.

Beginning a New Year

In order to start off the New Year I would like to pose a question:  Why does a child from one home walk away from the Lord while a child in another home stays true to Him—yet the families in both homes have attended the same church, Sunday school, vacation Bible school, Awana program, etc.?

Before exploring an answer to this question, we all must understand this:  There is no parent, teacher, pastor, or curriculum that can guarantee that someone will not walk away from God.  What we do know is that God is personal and that he works with His people individually, and every individual has the responsibility of choosing to follow Christ or choosing to walk away from Him.

Although there is no guaranteed plan that will keep an individual from walking away from Christ, God offers a guarantee that if we turn our life over to Jesus Christ and make Him our Lord and Savior, He freely gives us forgiveness for our sins and a life eternally spent with Him.  There’s a guarantee for you!

No, as parents and teachers, we do not have a guarantee that our children will stay on the narrow road, but we can hold to the fact that children who grow up in strong, Christ-centered homes—where God’s Word is both taught and lived—are more likely to live godly lives as adults.

During the next year, we are going to begin the journey of giving parents and children a practical guide for spiritual development.  This journey is one in which parents and the church will work together to raise children who know, love, and serve the Lord.  Our goal is to give parents a workable plan that will help them to raise a Modern-Day Joseph.

Joseph’s life reflects at least five godly characteristics that were woven into his very being of who he was and how he lived his life:

• Respect for the awesomeness and authority of God (Genesis 39:6—9)
• Wisdom for living life based on a knowledge of God (40:6—8)
• Grace in relationships with others (41:51—52)
• A sense of destiny and purpose that came from God (45:4—10)
• A perspective for life based on the sovereignty of God (50:15—21)

We will begin exploring more about what Modern-Day Josephs (MDJ) are and sharing tips for creating a feasible age appropriate plan that will help you shape the spiritual development of your children.  Look for weekly updates on the AWANA Blog.

We are looking forward to another wonderful year in AWANAs and we are excited about what the Lord is going to do in the lives of the children we serve.  Thank you for your continued support as we work to teach children how to know, love and serve the Lord.

Weeks 1 and 2 of AWANA

The AWANA year is officially underway. And, what craziness it has been…

Last week, we had the normal opening night craziness. We had 61 total in attendance (workers and children)! Praise the Lord!! With the school year not started yet and some of our “faithfuls” not in attendance, we expected the second week to be a bigger turnout.

For those that were in attendance for opening night, the classrooms were a little jumbled because of Mercy Days. We moved the Cubbies (ages 3 – 5) to the classroom next to their normal classroom and moved the Sparks (K – 2nd grade) to part of the Old Fellowship Hall. Those classes are moved back to their regular locations as of last night…. until they out grow those classrooms!!

We are excited to see how God is moving in each of the children’s lives. There are already children memorizing Bible verses!!!! We would like to encourage each parent to spend time during the week with their children working on their memory verses. From Puggles to Cubbies to Sparks to TnT, they all have home learning that can be done with their parents’ help.

The official numbers are not in yet but, from my rough count, we had approximately 80 in AWANA for week 2!!!!!!!!!!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!! We are so excited to see our “faithfuls” return and all of the new children that God has brought to FBCGG!!!!!!!!!! May we only give glory to God! You may think that we are just excited because of a big “number.” And, you are RIGHT! We are excited over a big number. And, we want to blog next week and say that there were 250! The only reason we are excited for the growing number is because each of this big number is a soul that God allows us (all of the AWANA workers and FBCGG as a church) to introduce God to them and help them learn His Word! What an awesome responsibility we as AWANA workers and a church have…

Speaking of responsibility. We, the AWANA program, have needs. Fortunately, according to Psalm 50:10, our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and will provide. Please pray for the following:

1. Puggles Director. Responsible for loving 2 yr olds. Teach short Bible story and reinforce lesson with craft and snack time. Must LOVE God and sweet 2 yr olds.

2. 3 Helpers. Responsible for loving AWANA kids of different ages. Assist teachers while lovingly guiding children learning God’s Word. Listen to memory verses. Must LOVE God and AWANA kids!!

3. SPACE. Please pray for our creative use of space. We currently have a couple of classes for which we will need to look for creative space avenues… SOON!

4. Christian videos (VeggieTales, Bible stories on DVD, etc.).

5. Snack supplies. We are praying for God to provide snack supplies for the Puggles, Cubbies, and Sparks so that teachers will not have to provide from their own monies. These supplies include (but are not limited to..) Goldfish, marshmallows, Oreos, cookies, apple juice, etc.

6. This is a big one. We need, DESPERATELY need bus workers. We currently have a small, faithful group that pick up our sweet children on the buses. With God providing a growing number of children on Wednesday nights, we have the opportunity, as a church, to provide transportation for them. PLEASE, if you are physically able, volunteer to ride the bus on a rotating basis. If we can get enough volunteers, our goal is for everyone to only have to ride the bus once per month.

If you would like to be of assistance to the AWANA program, please speak to me. You can find me at church or call me. My phone numbers are (home) 904-879-0309 or (cell) 904-635-7814.

A New Year

This week marks the start of the Awana year and what an exciting year it is going to be. This past Saturday, August 15th, 2009, we celebrated our first annual Awana Kids Kickoff Day. Despite the rain, we had the opportunity to minister and spend time with 150 to 175 parents and children. The support that we received from the entire church was incredible and I am so thankful to all of those who came out to volunteer.

As we begin the New Year, I would like to highlight a few things that we, parents and leaders, can do to better the spiritual training of our children. First, we need parental focus. While it is our responsibility at church to teach and disciple the children that God places in our path, our success is determined by the direction in the home. Parents need to focus on the spiritual training of their children.

Also, we need to have a clear objective in mind when we are training our children or working in the children’s ministry. Our short term objective in Awana is to share the Gospel, teach children the Word of God, and teach them to hide God’s Word in their hearts. Our long term objective is to disciple children efficiently and effectively so that when they become adults they have a genuine committed relationship to Jesus Christ.

The Awana ministry at Gray Gables also needs a committed relationship between parents and teachers. Too often ministry leaders and parents are not integrating their efforts. Instead of coordinating together, they are working independently of each other. Parents, find out what your ministry leaders are doing and teaching your children so you can reiterate those topics in the home throughout the week. Let your kids see that your words and their teacher’s words match up with a way of life. Help them to understand that faith in Christ is carried out and not just spoken.

One of the most important helps in the training and discipleship of our children is that it has to be daily. They have to be taught everyday of every month of every year. Our work and discipleship of our children has to be intentional. Their learning must link together over time, elementary, to children’s-ministry, to youth ministry, and all of it has to align with the support that is being given in the home.

We have to be purposed in the decisions we make and the direction we take as it pertains to the Christian walk and how we exemplify that in the lives of young people. I read a quote recently and it accurately describes how we should not be as it pertains to children’s ministry:

I shot an arrow into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

We need to have a definite direction.

I look forward to what God is going to do in the coming year and I pray that you will join me in our efforts to make this another successful year in Awanas.