The real deal!

Valentine's Day 2010 I had the privilege to share with these five precious friends about following Jesus! Oh sometimes I feel so unworthy of sharing such things. As I have shared I am not a "physical" parent but it is times like these I realize the privilege I have been given to have come alongside their parents to help "spiritually" parent my young friends. It is an amazing privilege and one I will always treasure.
First of all I realize and acknowledge their parents are the main players in this role. However, on days like this it is so neat to be able to have the conversations with children. I am so thankful for those opportunities. I feel it helps keep me in touch with children and their faith, fears and dreams. It is also overwhelming. It can be deep. I can be challenging. It can be inspiring! Here are some snippets of conversations I had or heard today..............

What if people don't believe in Jesus? I am afraid they will think He is a fairy tale.
I remember praying and accepting Jesus and I felt WOW!
When I asked Jesus to come in my life, He did. I know it. I even knew He was there.
What if I am too short when I get baptized?
No, the water doesn't really wash away your sins.
Do we get to keep our robe when we get baptized?
Will you pray for me about doing what Jesus wants me to do, I am having trouble making good choices.
When I start to do something wrong I know it, it is like a little person is whispering in my ear- STOP!
I want everyone to go to heaven.


Wish you each could have been there! It is always precious. The questions, concerns and thoughts are amazing- I think we know someone who had a lot to say about the faith of a child! Do you remember when you accepted Christ? Do you remember how that felt? It is my prayer you are more in love with Him today than you were that day. If not, talk to Him right now!

I'm A Christian Now

After adding the post about the Giving Banks, I decided to share another resource I really believe is a must for children. I believe it in so much that at my church before a child can be baptized they must take the "I'm A Christian Now" class. I personally teach each one of these classes (well with the exception of one our Co-Pastor taught while I was out recovering from surgery). It is my desire to always teach this class at my church. It has been my privilege to have personally taken literally hundreds of children through this class over the 14 years I have been in ministry to children.
So you may be asking why do we require this class or why do I believe in this resource so much. Well so often many children do not fully understand what accepting Christ really is all about. I also believe that we as adults are so excited they are wanting to make this decision that we sometimes don't stop to realize they don't fully understand. Then we end up with adults who struggle with their salvation or realize they never truly accepted Christ. Thus this class. This awesome resource takes children through their decision- what it means and what it does not mean and what they should do after they accept Christ.

If you are in a church that does not have this resource or take children through something similar- I would encourage you to go to http://www.lifeway.com/ and purchase this resource on your own. The workbook is around $6.00. There are two books- a younger child version and an older child version. They also sell a teaching kit but the workbook can be used as a stand alone.

When we teach the class at our church (we advertise classes once a month, but some months do not have anyone register), I have gone to a one time afternoon class. We begin after our third worship service and I feed the children lunch (yeah! pizza). We meet for 2 1/2 hours. We visit the baptistery- most children are afraid of being baptized. Normally it is for one of two reasons- they are afraid of water or of all the people. I meet with each child one on one to discuss their decision.

It is a precious time. It is an exciting time. It is a time when I realize the huge responsibility I have in partnering with parents in coming alongside them to help in the spiritual growth of their children.

I have tried to "sum" up this resource and class quickly. If you have questions please don't hesitate to leave a comment. It would be a good resource to recommend if your church does not currently have something like this in place. It is my prayer that those children who come through the Childhood Ministries I have the privilege to lead, will understand their decision even if that means they are not yet ready. Children want our approval and want to make us happy. Remember, if your child is not ready to accept Christ please affirm their desire to want to learn more about loving Jesus.