Bringing The Children to Jesus
This evening was the registration night for our AWANA ministry. It is a great ministry that leads children to memorize God's Word. It has a profound impact on a lot of children.
As I saw those children and their parents gather for the family night free meal and the start of AWANA, it made me think about how many ways our church is reaching out to touch the lives of children for Jesus. Our academy has over 180 students this year from age 2 up to 8th grade. What a blessing to instill the Word of God in them! Our AWANA ministry has about 100 each Wednesday evening. We have Good News Club at the local elementary school, Cotton Indian, and this year we could have as many as 100 of those students in our Bible clubs. That is a great way to bring the children to Jesus, and it is so important.
As I was leaving the jail yesterday after making my visits, I looked down to see the son of an old friend. Then, I saw his father, too. I was surprised to see them at the jail at first. Then, I thought back to the troubles this young man had encountered the last 6 or 7 years, and I figured I knew why they were there. I sat down with the father, and we had a long talk, while the son was in another room. At one point he just looked at me, patting me on the shoulder, and he said, "You know I love you, don't you?" I looked up to see tears in his eyes, and I felt the hurt he had in his heart for his son. We bowed our heads in the lobby of the jail with people all around us, and I offered a prayer of healing and strength for my friend and his son. How my heart broke to think of what he had been through.
That is just one example of why we need to reach the children for Jesus. I don't want any other fathers or mothers to have to go through that kind of pain. I want them to have the joy of having a child that honors his parents and lives a godly life they can be proud of.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 70-71 and Romans 8:22-39.
As I saw those children and their parents gather for the family night free meal and the start of AWANA, it made me think about how many ways our church is reaching out to touch the lives of children for Jesus. Our academy has over 180 students this year from age 2 up to 8th grade. What a blessing to instill the Word of God in them! Our AWANA ministry has about 100 each Wednesday evening. We have Good News Club at the local elementary school, Cotton Indian, and this year we could have as many as 100 of those students in our Bible clubs. That is a great way to bring the children to Jesus, and it is so important.
As I was leaving the jail yesterday after making my visits, I looked down to see the son of an old friend. Then, I saw his father, too. I was surprised to see them at the jail at first. Then, I thought back to the troubles this young man had encountered the last 6 or 7 years, and I figured I knew why they were there. I sat down with the father, and we had a long talk, while the son was in another room. At one point he just looked at me, patting me on the shoulder, and he said, "You know I love you, don't you?" I looked up to see tears in his eyes, and I felt the hurt he had in his heart for his son. We bowed our heads in the lobby of the jail with people all around us, and I offered a prayer of healing and strength for my friend and his son. How my heart broke to think of what he had been through.
That is just one example of why we need to reach the children for Jesus. I don't want any other fathers or mothers to have to go through that kind of pain. I want them to have the joy of having a child that honors his parents and lives a godly life they can be proud of.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 70-71 and Romans 8:22-39.