Kids ALIVE

04/13/2022

Saturday, we delivered Easter Goodies to some of the kids we know. There was candy (of course), crafts, and a booklet on Jesus’ teaching, death, and resurrection.

One little girl asked me, “Why did Jesus die on the cross?” “Well, “ I said. “Did you ever do anything bad?” “Yeah.” Did you get punished for it?” “Yeah.” “Wouldn’t it’d be great if someone else took your punishment for you?” “Yeah.”

“Well, everyone in the whole world has done bad things and one day God will punish them for it. They’ll be kept out of Heaven for ever and ever. But God doesn’t want us to miss Heaven. He loves us so much that He wants us to live with Him forever and ever. So, Jesus loves us so much that he took our punishment for us. If we love Jesus and follow him, God becomes our Heavenly Father and He’ll be with us always.”

I know this girl had hear the Gospel before - she recognized the parable of the Lost Sheep in the booklet - but sometimes we need to be reminded. That’s what the Easter season does for us every year. It reminds us it’s all real - God really does love us and our Savior is alive.

02/11/2022

01/20/2022

I don't see how anyone holds it together these days without a relationship with God.

01/07/2022

I’ve always been fascinated by the Ghost-of-Christmas-Yet-To-Come in the classic 'Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. Mainly in the fact he doesn't, or can't, speak.

The Past screams at us, reminding us of our mistakes and failures and begging us to learn the lessons. Rarely do we listen. The Present shouts the fear and ugliness of this world. We barely hear the whisper of what's right and good.

But the Future has no voice. It can only point us to what may or may not be. It can not tell us what shall be because we haven't made those decisions yet. Even Ebenezer Scrooge demanded of the spirit to know whether the images he saw were things that will be or things that might be. But the spirit could not say.

You may think you know what your future holds. But you think that only because of what you've said and done in the past. Change your present and you'll change your future. Even a hateful, worthless codger like Ebenezer Scrooge found that out.

11/10/2021

In school, tests are always pass-or-fail. So, if we think God’s testing us, we think He’s standing back with a clipboard in one hand and a red pencil in the other shaking His head at how dense we are.

We forget: God already knows we can screw things up. Instead, His tests are meant to bring out of us those things that cause us to fail - anger, envy, anxiousness, fear, worry, hopelessness, pride, selfishness - (whether we want to face them or not) so we can deal with them.

It can be ugly and messy, but He wants us to pass the biggest test of all: life itself. He wants us to be rid of all that junk so we can be everything He’s made us to be.

And here’s the thing about God’s tests: they’re open book tests. If you don’t know the answer - what to do - open your Bible and find out. You can even ask someone what the answer is. Heck, you can even ask the Teacher!

We don’t need to be reminded of our failures. God doesn’t need to be reminded of our failures. His tests are to remind us we need more Jesus.

09/08/2021

"No" is a powerful word. It can have a profound impact on the one it's aimed at. Maybe it's not such a bad thing we can be hesitant to say it. But there are times it must be said. There are times we must use it's power to break the chains someone may be trying to impose on our lives, hearts, and minds.

08/23/2021

08/05/2021

Ladies, if you say "no" to your boyfriend, he'll probably leave. If you say "yes", he'll probably leave eventually anyway, sticking you with shame, heartache, and maybe a kid or two. It's not right, but we men are stupid that way.

You don't have to ride the stupid train with us. You can be the strong one. Yes, WE should be the strong ones and treat you with respect, but it doesn't always play out that way.

If you say "no" to a man but he keeps coming around anyway, maybe - maybe - he's a keeper. There's no guarantee, but I know God always works where there's patience, not desperation.

07/25/2021

I once walked past a playground and thanked a woman for playing with her toddler on the playground equipment. That should be a no-brainer, but too often I see kids playing alone while mom's on her phone. I know it can be time consuming and exhausting, but little kids need our interaction more than anything else.

06/10/2021

We've all heard of the Golden Rule: "Therefore, whatsoever you would that others should do to you, do ye even so to them..." (Jesus in Matthew 7:21). Or the paraphrase: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But did you know Jesus kicked this up another level for those who follow him?

At the Last Supper, knowing his crucifixion was soon to come, Jesus washed his disciples feet (John chapt.13). Afterward, he said to them: "A new commandment I give to you, that you should love one another. As I have loved you, you should also love one another."

For those of us who have had the straight-forward conviction of sin and need for a Savior as our first experience with God's love; who have realized the only answer to our lost state is the mercy of God through the shed blood of the Son of God; who are grateful for the sacrifice at Calvary and God's acceptance of us despite our sins; who have experienced the new life that Jesus bought through his resurrection; our treatment of others is to go beyond simply doing to them what we'd want them to do to us. It's not about what we'd want. Instead, it's about what Jesus has already done.

Author Andy Stanley calls this the 'Platinum Rule', kicking the Golden Rule up a notch. Maybe treating others as they would want to be treated is good enough for those who haven't experienced God's grace. But for those of us who have, Jesus asks us to love others as he has (already)loved us.