I got the chance to lead a family baptism class last week at our church. Our student pastor usually handles this gig, but he got called in to preach on Sunday. So after what I’m sure was lots of other folks saying no or cancelling last minute, he called me up from bullpen. Naturally, I put on my nicest cardigan and jumped in.
We had kids from eight years old all the way up to sixteen, and parents were along for the ride too. Each family was in a slightly different place as their kid or student was considering if they were ready to pursue baptism. I was nervous to knock the rust off of my teaching muscles, and they were nervous someone might ask them to speak out loud in this group of “strangers.” I prayed that God would meet us, keep me from saying anything heretical, and send his Spirit to direct these families in the way he’d have them go.
It ended up being a really beautiful time. Parents were eager to ask questions as I taught, and lead their small table discussions we had through the hour. Kids were answering group questions, asking follow-up questions of their own, and then speaking up in the large group to explain what the Lord was teaching them through this process. The best questions didn’t come from me. They came from the families sitting around tables. I don’t really know what I expected, but it was so cool to see so many folks sharing their stories and seeing others encouraged and challenged by what they were hearing.
In short, it was encouraging to stand in the front of a room and watch the church be the church (Hebrews 10:24-25), caring for one another and spurring one another on toward a deeper, richer faith. I have no idea which of those kids will end up being baptized, and it’s okay if they’re not all ready for that step. I trust that God’s at work preparing their hearts and minds to make that decision. I’m certain he’ll use the testimonies of those who do get baptized to encourage believers and call others to faith of their own. I pray that these young people who step into the baptismal waters would have a steadfast and abiding faith in Jesus that would carry them through their lives.
Sunday Strategies (Kids Ministry, Student Ministry)
“Starting with your youngest students, tell the story slowly and deliberately, in its proper order. When you get to the end, tell it again. Hearing the entire story multiple times ensures children develop a solid understanding.” Lisa Eekhoff put together a great piece on Sunday School strategies covering the full age spectrum of kids and students. She uses a host of ideals and practices from classical education to put together some helpful encouragements for teachers and leaders trying to make a gospel mark on the minds and hearts of kids they’re serving. Check it out.
Choosing Love (Parenting)
“So love for our children is not a pull-yourself-up-by-your bootstraps and fake-it-until-you-make-it love. It is a love that comes from the only source of love – God himself. I can love my kids well because I have been loved well by my Father. Because I am his adopted child, God’s posture is always towards me.” Here’s a great piece from Shea Patrick on choosing to love our kids with our words and deeds, even in difficult seasons. She’s humbly open about her own struggles connecting with kids in different stages of life, and points beautifully to the grace of God that covers her own parenting failures (something most of us can probably relate to). Hopefully this serves as an encouragement to work hard to engage with your kids, and to rest in God’s loving arms in our parenting successes and failures.
Raising Leaders (Kids Ministry, Student Ministry)
“Most of us want to be that first guy [the one juggling chainsaws]. But that first guy’s juggling skills will likely die with him. We should want to be like the second guy [the one juggling four simple balls]. He’s going to inspire tons of people to take up juggling.” Mike Leake writes plainly and practically about what it looks like to inspire and pour into those folks in your ministry who aspire to lead. He does a great job setting up some simple habits and practices to ensure that you’re able to identify and pour into these future leaders. If you don’t have systems to identify and invest in leaders in place already, this is a great place to start.
Wild Robot
No silly IG reels today. This is serious. One of my favorite books I’ve had the pleasure of reading with my kids, The Wild Robot, is getting adapted into a movie! Not only that, but it’s being helmed by Chris Sanders, who previously wrote and directed the impeccable How to Train Your Dragon. The book is a complete delight, and this is the most excited I’ve been about a “kids movie” in quite some time. Check out the trailer here, and go ahead and dive into the books while you’re at it. Thank me later.