That Annoying Fly and Our First Line of Defense

It is Saturday morning and my blog inspiration is slow in coming, Soon the creative juices start to flow. It starts with an annoying, over-sized, buzzing horse fly that overflew his bounds since the night before. I attempt tactical warfare -- swatting and spraying – but the beast lives on. Then, while sitting at my desk, he has the nerve to land on me. I think: “This is one of satan’s little imps on assignment to steal my joy and annoy me!” He, obviously, doesn’t know I am in “beast-mode” after a week of faith-filled injections of God’s Word at VBS. I grab my trusty flying insect spray and nail him. He is down for the count! Victory!

Now, it is time to head out for a 7 am appointment. I turn the ignition on my car. It does not start. All the lights, music, and a/c are working just fine. I know it's not the battery. I call my children for help, but, alas, this is their morning to sleep in. No cell phones on. One last attempt before canceling my appointment. I call my grandson who picks up the call. He is gracious to get me. It is worth the annoyance to have this precious few minutes together. He fills me in on his new real estate career and so much more. He waits while in my appointment. We go for breakfast at Chick-Fil-A where my granddaughter serves us. Then, we’re back to my home where I start to figure out what to do about my car. It’s Saturday and my auto repair shop is closed. I call and leave a message that I’ll have AAA to tow the car to them on Monday. I call and ask my family to please take me to church tomorrow because I’m on for serving this Sunday. I think “This is all a hassle with towing, a repair bill that I’m not looking forward to, and my family going out of their way for me, but I’ll get it done and soon this will be behind me!

I sit down for my morning devotion and prayer time when suddenly, I remember that on Thursday night I was the speaker for our Rejoice Healing Night at my church. I spoke about our “first line of defense” when trouble comes. Jesus used it for those who approached Him for healing or help. The example I used was from Mark 5 -- the story of Jairus, a synagogue leader, who came to Jesus begging Him to come and heal his dying daughter. After the interruption of a crowd and a woman with an issue of blood for 12 years who was healed as she touched the hem of His garment, Jairus and Jesus were on their way again. But Jairus was met by people from his home who said: “Don’t bother the Teacher – your daughter is dead!” Before Jairus could say a word, Jesus said to him: “Do not fear – only believe!” The first line of defense. The little girl was healed.

An "aha" hits me. I start praying for my car right here in my chair. “Nothing is impossible with You, God!" I go to my car and pray. “Please heal my car, Lord. I am not fearing. I am believing that nothing is impossible with You!” I turn the ignition. Nothing. But, something (actually, Someone), tells me to look to my right. I see that my car’s gear stick is in neutral – not in park. I put it in park, turn the ignition, the car starts -- and in my heart, I hear bands playing and choirs singing “Alleluia” and so am I!

Oh me. Had I not prayed and just pondered “What do I do? Who do I call? Where do I go?” instead of applying my "first line of defense", I would be waiting for the tow truck on Monday and no telling what charges would have been incurred. So many repercussions when, instead, I use Jesus' tips for quick answers to prayer: "Do not fear; only believe!"

I think back on my Saturday morning fly and car annoyances. I feel that way about the enemy of our souls – how annoying he can be. But, when we use the right plan of attack on him, he and all his tactics to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10) will be swatted and lambasted out of our lives. Remember. Jesus and I told you so: "Do not fear; only believe!"

Memorial Stones for Remembering

Thank you for your indulgence as I have been in inspiration overload from VBS this week. The end of Day 5 brought mixed emotions: “Aw! We Made it!” and “Oh no! It’s Over!” The latter are my words as this joy-filled week is over and I return to my quiet and peaceful home. The former are words the volunteers (most of who are parents of the children and they’re worn out). I was amused at them yesterday. Most of those mamas who were volunteering have young and teenage children and their lives carry on each day after VBS is over. They aren’t afforded my sweet spot of R&R.

Yesterday was the big finale of our Israelites wandering 40 years in the desert. They wound up at the Jordan River, where, on just the other side was their Promised Land. It was precious to see a re-enactment of the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant up to the edge of the Jordan by kindergartners. When their feet touched the water, the waters parted and they went across on dry ground. Our teen volunteers pulled back the “plastic” waters where there were stones that would be the memorial stones that marked bringing God’s people into the Promised Land. How appropriate for the conclusion of this week. The entire week was a “memorial” indelibly imprinted in their minds and mine. I won’t forget those little faces of wonder and awe.

It may be now, or it may be years down the road, but those memories and memorials that we create in our children DO have an impact on those bright-eyed faces. God Bless you, VBS leaders, crews and volunteers for the eternal investment you are making in the lives of these precious children!

While VBS is a summer staple for families every year, it’s certainly not the end-all. This scripture describes what I see in the labor of love that these families and volunteers provide – way more than just this one week: “You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Let these words that I’m commanding you today be always on your heart. Teach them repeatedly to your children. Talk about them while sitting in your house or walking on the road, and as you lie down or get up. Tie them as reminders on your forearm, bind them on your forehead, and write them on the door frames of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) That panoramic view is much more descriptive of an endless process of training our children in the way they should go – not just for a week – but every day of the year.

The lessons I learned early on, the scriptures I memorized, and the stories of faith and trust in God carried on into my life today. The stories and scriptures are what sustained and strengthened me in my toughest times and have given me joy and peace in my faith journey. I promise you, teaching your children about God and His Word, will carry them through to adulthood and even beyond to the families they will have some day. When you see them teaching their children one day, you'll be ever grateful for the seeds you planted. That's how I felt this week when I witnessed these children shouting out answers to questions in our Faith Station – that came from more than a week at VBS. Those little eyes and ears were watching and listening this week. They also watch and listen in your homes. Keep laying the foundation that will keep them standing strong. That’s a constant, never-changing message to continue sharing and one that I’m willing to stake my life upon! How about you?

When Life is Sad – God is Good

I just can’t help myself. The inspirations at VBS keep coming so I must keep sharing! This has been a week of watching so many precious children get all caught up in God’s goodness and yesterday was off the charts. We had a departure of wandering in the wilderness with the Israelites to a day that was all about Jesus. Rather than the boisterous exclamation “God is good”, this day our theme was “When life is sad – God is good” so in our Faith Station, we whispered those words. It’s amazing how children respond to the atmosphere they’re in and this day, the atmosphere was created by the wooden cross in front of the sun (how appropriate – the sun was the spotlight for THE SON!), that was enhanced by the little strands of lights and ivy. We were amazed at the somber posture the kids took on as soon as they saw the cross. They respected it.

On a personal note, I came into yesterday’s VBS Faith Station in prayer for a dear cousin who was having serious brain surgery at the same time. I’ll be honest with you – though I was absolutely in a positive “Do not fear – only believe” mindset, still I thought about the theme “When life is sad – God is good” and wondered if God was giving me that theme just in case the surgery didn’t go as well as expected. But, thanks be to God, at 11:10 am, I heard from his sister who said all went well and heading to recovery..."Praise God!” But I wonder, had it been the other way, I think that I had been so immersed in the goodness of God this week – that I would have still exclaimed: “God is good”!

This day was all about Jesus Who was on the earth to show us God’s goodness and love. We talked to the kids about betrayal and how Jesus knew He was going to be betrayed. We asked them the question: “If you knew that something really bad was going to happen to you at a certain place, would you still go there? What would you do?” The common answer was “Stay at home!” From our script: “But, Jesus went to the garden even though He knew something terrible would happen. He was betrayed, arrested and He knew He’d be beaten and mocked and He knew that after all that, He’d be crucified – nailed to a cross to die. Jesus’ friends and family watched it happen. Can you imagine? They were so upset and sad. Have you ever been sad? We’ve all gone through sad times, but we’re learning about God’s goodness and we’re learning that when ‘Life is sad – God is good’. Jesus was willing to die to take the punishment for our sins, the wrong things we do.”

Here, we gave each child a stone which represented their sins, and said, “You know, this stone kind of reminds me of sin. Stones are usually kind of dirty, aren’t they? That’s like sin. Sin makes our hearts dirty, and if our hearts are dirty, we can’t be close to God. Sin separates us from God. Another thing about a stone is that it’s hard. Is anyone’s stone soft? No? That’s like sin, too. Sin can make our hearts hard. It can make us turn away from God. Remember Pharaoh? His heart was hard, and he turned away from God. What if you had to carry the weight of every sin, every day of your life? Imagine how heavy that would get. But Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven of our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment for our sins. We don’t have to carry them anymore. Jesus overcame the world! Let’s ask Jesus to forgive us for our sins.” Then we invited the children to place their stone in the basket in front of the cross as a symbol of their being forgiven.

The simple message of the cross. In children’s language – young and old. It is the same message no matter what age we are. This blog today is even longer than my usual lengthy blog, but perhaps there are those that need to see how simple it is to turn over a new leaf by receiving Christ into your heart. We walked the children over to the chapel where they sat in adoration of our Savior. I was amazed at the reverence and tenderness of each child. Yesterday, my blog was about the open arms of Jesus to children when He said, “Let the little children come to me and forbid them not,” and I believe He has His arms open wide for you today. Our chapel speaker said these words: “Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to be nailed to a cross so He could forgive our heavy sins. What amazing love! Remember what amazing love He has for you. It was a sad, sad day when Jesus died. But we know that when life is sad…..God is good! And God was very good because that wasn’t the end of the story. On the third day after Jesus died a few of His friends went to the tomb and were amazed. There was an angel in the tomb who said, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead.” Luke 24:5-7

Because of Jesus, we can remember that God is good, even when life is sad. Jesus gives us a reason to celebrate every day! And, that, my friends, is the Gospel message that is as fresh today as it was on the day of Christ’s resurrection. It is so fresh that it is a brand new day that affords a brand new start for children of all ages. If this blog is nudging you toward the cross, you can thank all these precious children for it as scriptures says: “A little child shall lead them…….” Isaiah 11:6

Grumbling, Murmuring, and Whining -- Sound Familiar?

On the way home from VBS yesterday, I called a friend and immediately she began to tell me that she wasn’t in a happy place right now. She wasn't feeling the "sunshine on a cloudy day" at all! Lots of "life" stuff had her in a pinch. On the contrary, I was in a happy place. I was still basking in the “rush” of having been with kindergarten through fifth-grade kids all morning who were learning “When life is unfair; God is good” and “When life is scary; God is good” and “When life changes; God is good”. On top of that, I was still in the afterglow of having been in their presence of joy, often hilarious antics, and, the best part was seeing them grasp the message that no matter what we face in life – GOD IS GOOD”.

So I said to my friend: “You know what – you need to hang out with some kids to get your joy back. Her reply back to me? “Maybe that’s why Jesus kept wanting kids around Him!” WOW! I had an “aha” moment of Mark 10:13-16 which should be in neon lights: “People were bringing little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone, who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it’, and He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them.”

Can’t you just imagine, in the company of all the misfit disciples, the self-righteous religious folks, the demon-possessed, mean, mean, angry people, along with those who were very sick and even dead – that Jesus would jump at the chance to hang out with precious little children when they came to Him? I can almost see Him putting out His arms to push everyone else back and open His arms up with gratitude for the breath of fresh air that those children brought to Him. So, no wonder I write this blog and impress upon those who are down, weary, and worn to spend some time with care-free, joy-filled children. Let their care-free hearts and joy-filled spirits rub off on you.

Yesterday’s VBS theme was “When change comes, God is good!” The Israelites met up with many changes – escaping Egypt, the miracle of the Red Sea parting and walking through on dry ground. But just three days into their journey and without water, they were murmuring, grumbling and whining. Then they came upon the Oasis of Marah, but the water was so bitter that it was “yucky”! So they complained even more. God told Moses to throw a stick in the water and it was pure and refreshing. Another miracle. Then they were so hungry and God sent manna to them overnight. Another miracle. The kids loved the action of tasting the water and the manna (we used potato flakes). Another miracle. One little girl raised her hand and said “It tastes like the Body of Christ!” Oh, my heart was full.

Just think about Jesus rebuking His disciples when they wanted the children to go away. It was no small rebuke: when Mark relayed the story, he said that *Jesus was indignant…” He wasn’t simply annoyed, or just slightly bothered. He was incensed that His disciples came to a conclusion that sought to exclude children from His presence! Why? Because all of us matter to Him. No matter their age or status (or lack thereof), He is not too important, too busy, too taxed, or too powerful, even for children. In fact, it’s just the opposite: He values and loves children, and seeks to bless them.

The last verse of that scripture says: Jesus took the little children “in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.” I like to think that God is smiling down BIG on those of us who are being Jesus hands and feet at VBS this week. Maybe it would be in your best interest to look for ways to be around sweet children, too! I promise you – you will be far more blessed than you can imagine. God specializes in child-care and I’m thinking…..so do I.

ROAR -- When Life is Wild -- God is Good!

Last year I heard about the exciting and fun-filled times that were had by the kids and the adult and teen volunteers at Vacation Bible School at my church. With all that enthusiasm, I didn’t want to miss out this year so early on, I enlisted! And, I am so glad I did. Today is the third day and, I’ll be honest, I think I'm getting as much out of this week as the kids are. I am on a “Faith Station” team with another adult volunteer and three teen volunteers who make up the narrators, actors and prop crew. There are four other Faith Station teams who also teach individual groups of kindergarteners through 5th grade. So altogether, we work with about 400 kids a day and then pre-school has another group of children.

There are 440 kids, 158 teen volunteers, and 155 adults. The VBS theme is ROAR and we are having a ROAR-ing great time. If you went to VBS as a kid, you’ll probably remember some of the fun, and most importantly, you probably remember the impact of hearing the messages of faith and overcoming life’s challenges. Like me, you were probably left with an indelible imprint of a time when your life-course pointed in the direction of following Christ the rest of your life.

We all have said, at one time or another, “God is good – all the time! All the time – God is good!” The theme of this VBS is built around those words. Some times we mindlessly say those words – but this week, I’m seeing those words go to a whole new level as we declare: “When life is wild – God is good!” And, as we all know – YES, life can get pretty wild! The building is covered in wild African animal prints and cut-outs, waterfalls, grass, skies, sun, and African jungle music is being played and relatable songs are sung with lots of hilarious shenanigan moments.

Monday, our Wild Bible Adventure theme was “When life is unfair – God is good!” It took us back to a time when the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians. After 400 years of horrific slavery, Moses was trying to work to make things better for them, but his efforts made Pharaoh really angry! So he punished God’s chosen people even more! It was so unfair! I loved it when a 3rd-grade boy raised his hand and asked "Why didn't they move to America?"

The words, “When life is unfair – God is good”, were repeated through the morning assembly, the faith station, imagination station, music station, and the outdoor station. This is not my VBS from years ago – when flannel board figures were the highlight, as well as kool-aid and cookies. But, even in that “ancient” time, this little girl was impacted so much that here I am wanting to pass along the message. I would say that’s “seed time and harvest” – especially as I see these precious children soaking in the message of the goodness of God.

Yesterday’s theme was “When life is scary – God is good!” This day was about Moses continuing to beg Pharaoh to let God’s people go and each time he refused, another plague fell on the Egyptians. We meticulously, and hilariously led the kids through each of the ten plagues from the river turning into blood, to the last plague of the death of the firstborn Egyptian sons and the remarkable protection over all of the Israelites throughout each plague and the Passover.

This is just a brief overview of our first couple of days of pouring into these precious children the goodness of God in whatever situation they may be in. How’s that for empowering our kids during summer break for the next school year when they’ll come into plenty of opportunities to remember that God is so good no matter what they may face? It's a work-out, no doubt, but the rewards we reap, in the light of eternity, in focused training and disciple role modeling carries on from generation to generation. "We will tell the next generation about the Lord’s power and great deeds and the miraculous things he has done.” (Psalm 78:4)