Thank you for the rain

“I thank You for the sunshine
Lord, I thank You for the rain,
Lord, I thank You for Your healing touch
When my life was filled with pain,
And I thank You for my family
And the trials You brought me through
And I thank you for my sorrows,
That’s how I learn to lean on You.”

- Chorus for “What Grandma Said” by The Needhams

Each year as Thanksgiving approaches, the above lyrics come to my mind. I love the way that The Needhams include both the good and that bad in this song’s lines, showing that each has its purpose and place. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

It’s effortless to give thanks for things that we easily see as good, like the sunshine and God’s healing touch. But the truth is that sometimes the rain falls, and many times the ugly nature of our broken, sinful world fills our lives with sorrow. And yet, even these are things we can be thankful for. Rain brings water for puddles to splash in and life to grow. Sorrow, as the song states, helps us to learn to lean on the Lord, making us stronger and preparing us for great joy. In Romans 8:28, we’re told, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

This Thanksgiving, may God remind you of all the blessings He’s provided, and may He grant you many, many more!

Are you ready to follow?

"Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6

I have a friend who loves to kayak. Recently, his fiancée joined him for one of his many kayak trips. As they prepared to set off down the river, he took her aside. "The water is not as smooth as it appears to be," he said. "There are places where the water looks fine but under the surface, the weeds are dense and the mud is thick. If you try to kayak through them, you will get stuck. I know this river and where it's safe to row, and I need you to follow me." He paused. "Are you ready to follow?"

Without a second thought, she said yes and they set out. She gained confidence and felt like she had the hang of controlling her kayak as they rowed down the river. After a while, she spotted a bank. We're headed over there to take a break, she thought. I want to beat him there! She veered from his path and rowed straight toward the riverbank. Like a fly in a spider's web, her kayak stuck in a thick entanglement of weeds.

He pulled her boat from the tangled mass, and before they resumed their journey, he looked her in the eyes again. "You told me you were ready to follow," he said, "but you didn't, and you got stuck. Are you ready to follow?"

She looked away embarrassed but replied, "yes, dear," and they set out again. Her confidence rose as she followed in his wake. Eventually, they came within view of a beach. Surely we're headed to that beach. I really want to show him that I can do this and handle the kayak on my own, so I'm going to beat him! Her thoughts echoed with determination as she pointed her kayak straight for the beach — embedding her boat in the cement-like bog where the river suddenly got shallow.

With a sigh, he patiently worked her boat loose from glue-like river bottom. Once she was free, he faced her a third time. "Twice you've said you'd follow me, twice you didn't, and twice you've gotten stuck. I ask again, are you ready to follow?"

Defeated, she nodded and replied, "Yes, dear. I am ready to follow."

My friend’s story reminded me of times in the Bible when God’s people said, “we will follow You,” then thought they saw a better or quicker way. Consider when Abraham had Ishmael with Hagar after God promised many descendants. Abraham and Sarah knew God’s promise, but instead of trusting to see how God would bring it to pass, they tried their own path. Their attempted shortcut resulted in generations of conflict between the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac.

So what does it mean to "follow God?" According to Proverbs 3:5-6, following God has two parts.

Lean not on your own understanding.

In Luke 9:23, Jesus told the people, "if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” 

Following Jesus means denying oneself, or not making decisions simply by relying on what you see or think. What we see may not be what actually is. My friend’s fiancée thought she saw safe water when it was really a tangle of weeds or a muddy bog. Eve saw fruit that was pleasing to the eyes and nose. Sarah saw barrenness in the face of a promise of children. The Israelites saw giants in the land of Canaan. In all cases, they acted on their own accord and either got stuck or missed out on blessings.

Trust in the Lord and acknowledge Him.

Acts 16:31 tells us, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” 

Following Jesus means trusting Him, and acknowledging that He knows what he’s doing. My friend knew the water. He had kayaked on the river many times before and through experience knew where both the hazardous and the safe spots were.

God also knows where the hazardous and the safe spots are in our lives. Along with being omniscient, Jesus walked on Earth himself. He knows the struggles and trials you face, because he’s been there.

Sometimes, this means acknowledging His wisdom and authority, even if it doesn’t make sense. Abraham had to trust and follow without being told a destination. The woman with only a little oil in 2 Kings 4 had to trust God when Elisha told her to fill every jar she could get her hands on. The disciples had to trust God when Jesus called them away from their careers and livelihoods to follow Him. And in all cases, when they acted according to God’s instructions, they were blessed abundantly.

Once my friend’s fiancée stopped attempting shortcuts based on her own sight and started trusting where my friend was leading, they finished their kayaking trip, and they both had an amazing time. Once Abraham and Sarah trusted God to do things in His way and His time, God blessed Sarah with Isaac. And as God promises in Proverbs 3:5-6, when we trust and acknowledge God and seek His guidance and instruction instead of trying to get to His ends using our means, He will direct our paths and lead us to where we need, and ultimately want, to be.

"The Gospel Truth about Children’s Ministry" book review

Earlier this year, Awana released a book called “The Gospel Truth about Children’s Ministry.” The book shows a summary of the findings from two surveys of over 800 children’s ministry leaders throughout the United States. Its purpose is to help remind KidMin leaders and volunteers of what’s most important in ministry and help them take a hard look at their own ministry to see if the focus is in the right place.

Here are my thoughts on this book.

What I liked:

The survey and findings are applicable to all children’s ministries. Children’s ministry leaders will relate to at least one struggle covered in the book.

The information provides a clear picture of children’s ministry’s current impact on the world, showing what leaders want their ministry priorities to be, the impact of their current ministry efforts and activities, and the outcomes of their ministries. For instance, the majority of responses rated making disciples as a very important objective of ministry. However, less than half said their ministry was actually fulfilling this objective.

The end of each section includes questions to help leaders and volunteers assess their own ministries, such as “in your program or curriculum which comes as a first priority, Scripture/substance, or subject/style?” These questions, combined with the presented findings, make it easy for leaders to determine where changes need to be made and priorities need to be shifted to make their own ministries more effective in teaching children to know, love and serve the Lord.

The infographs were easy to read and understand.

Awana was clear and transparent on how the surveys were conducted, how the results were processed, and how conclusions were reached.

What I didn’t like:

The offered solutions are Awana specific. Only including Awana material and technology as solutions made the book seem like it was an advertisement for Awana with the message, “You have a problem, buy our products for the solution.” For me, this dampened the book’s impact and slightly diminished its purpose of encouraging flexibility and proper focus for children’s ministry overall.

I think that since the study itself covered children’s ministry as a whole, there should have been resources from other ministry partners alongside the Awana options, or just general solutions that could be tried with any children’s ministry.

Conclusion:

I think “The Gospel Truth about Children’s Ministry” provides excellent insight into the challenges children’s ministry is facing. I would recommend this book for all KidMin leaders because the book’s findings can help them more easily identify where they may need to change their ministry to make it relevant to the current generation while keeping its focus where it needs to be.

7 ways to get your clubbers thinking about Thanksgiving

1. Replace pins, beanbags, and batons with pumpkins, apples, and Indian corn

2. Play some harvest or Thanksgiving-themed games (here are some ideas)

3. Have a Pilgrims and Indians theme night

4. Hold a canned food drive for those who can’t afford a Thanksgiving meal

5. Teach a Large Group lesson on the Fruit of the Spirit using a cornucopia as a visual

6. Read “Sparky Shines His Light” by Jack Eggar

7. Have clubbers write what they’re thankful for on feather-shaped pieces of paper, then stick the paper onto a turkey wall decoration

What are some things you do to bring fall and Thanksgiving into your club?

For more information about Awana, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.