Children Ministry Newsletter December 2009

Te ac h i n g K i d s t o D e l i g h t i n Go d ’ s W or d .

Teaching kids to delight in God's Word. MARANATHA CHAPEL CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Planted by the Rivers Sleepi ng by th e riv er s

Pro ver bs 1 :5

Issu e 2 ,

December

Many times I have grabbed my backpack and sleeping bag and headed out into some National park to go sleep in the woods. I slept on the ground under the stars for years before I tried that modern luxury known as a tent. One late night I learned a valuable lesson about where not to lay down my sleeping bag. Did you know that rivers rise during the night? I didn’t know it at the time. Now I do. A wise man receives instruction, but a fool will lay his sleeping bag down next to the river time after time. I think that’s how the proverb reads. God wants to teach us to be quick learners; not soggy sleepers. Tra d e se cre ts: “A na il in a su r e pla c e” Isa . 2 2: 2 3

More lessons from 16 years in the construction industry as a carpenter...One nail in the right place can be a bigger help then you can probably imagine. One of the first foremen I ever worked for showed me a nail and he said, ‘this is your little helper’. I learned a lot from that advice. One nail placed in the right spot often gave me a sure hold on many a large beam that otherwise I could not have handled. One nail placed in the right spot has helped me move a 10 foot high 20 foot long wall all by myself. I won’t tell you how I did that cause then you’ll know one of my trade secrets, but one nail placed in the right spot helped me do that. God wants to place you in the right spot that will lead to him doing amazing things. Are you available for him to place you in a sure place?

Are y o u r ro o ts p la n te d d e e p e n o u g h to su rv iv e th is?

Su rvi vi ng th e Sto r ms

“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Matt 7:27 Many houses look fine and strong until that storm comes; and they will come; is your house strong?

Fru it th a t r ema i n s

“Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions” Excerpts from the book by George Barna. “In my mind, children had always been part of a package deal: We want to reach adults with the gospel and then help them mature in their faith in Christ, so we have accepted the kids as a ‘throw in’. The paramount importance of serious, toppriority ministry to kids was not something I had ever taken too seriously.

Ye h a v e n o t c h o se n me , b u t I h a v e c h o se n y o u , a n d o rd a in e d y o u , th a t y e sh o u ld g o a n d b rin g fo rth fru it, a n d th a t y o u r fru i t sh o u ld re ma in : J o h n 1 5 :1 6

Somehow the wisdom and necessity of seeing children as the primary focus of ministry never occurred to me. In that regard, perhaps I’ve simply been a product of my environment. Like most adults, I have been aware of children, fond of them and willing to invest some resources in them; but I have not really been fully devoted to their development. In my mind, they were people en route to significance—i.e. adulthood—but were not yet deserving of the choice resources. (end quote)

This book by George Barna has some very surprising facts and conclusions which has led many church leaders to realize that children have been overlooked. A new worldwide push towards the 4/14 window has begun. I’ll tell you more in later issues. God is in this!

To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here. Questions or comments? E-mail us at [email protected] 858-613-7800 ext. 125