Passing the Baton

We just finished a unit on Wednesday nights for the kids called "Torchlighters", and it has been about Heroes of the faith. These were such amazing stories and lessons for the kids to learn about. Last night we finished up the lesson about Eric Liddell. Do you know who he was? Well, he was an Olympic runner in 1924. The thing that really set him apart however, was that he had a very strong faith in God, so strong in fact, that when one of the Olympic races that he was to be in was scheduled to be on a Sunday, he refused to compete in it. Sunday was the Lord's Day, and Eric worshipped God on that day, and did not let other activities interfere with that. He was eventually able to compete in other races on other days, and he won both races!

The thing about Eric Liddell that makes his life stand out is his committment to God. After the Olympics, he went on to be a missionary in China. He had been raised in China, by his missionary parents, and he always knew that he would return there one day. He suffered many hardships during his time there, but God used him in many people's lives.

One thing that really caught my attention was that Eric's parents instilled a committment to God in him from a young age. He had many other committments in life, such as sports, but, his committment to God came first.

I think this is a great example to us as parents. I would think that even though you want your child to excel in many things, such as academics, sports, and social graces, that you would most of all want your child to excel in their love for God. So, how do we accomplish that? How do we pass on your faith to your children?

God obviously has to do the work in their lives and their hearts, but what we can do is to provide an atmosphere where it is easy for a child to develop their relationship and love for
God. We want to make little disciples :). I recently came across the following acrostic that easily defines this for us. It is just little reminders of things we can do to encourage our children to become disciples of God.

Develop loving obedience ( Matt 28:19-20)
Invite other believers into friendships ( Heb 10:24,24)
Study the Bible ( 2Tim 3:16,17)
Consistently make good choices (Esh 4:1)
Impact others with my faith story (Colossians 4:5,6)
Pray regularly-and specifically (Matt 7:7)
Learn to stay strong (Ephesians 6:10)
Experience the adventure of following Jesus-forever! ( Gal 5:25)

I would also add, that as parents, we need to pray consistently for our children, and also, remember that they "catch" alot by watching us. What do your actions say about your love and devotion to God?

If this all seems too hard to apply, then just start with one item on the list, and add another as you feel you can. Parents have a great impact on the spiritual development of their child, and you, just as Eric Liddell's parents, can pass your baton of faith on to your child.

Changing Seasons

The third chapter of Ecclesiastes has really been running though my mind this week. Part of the chapter reads as follows:

"To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain; and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to throw away; A time to tear, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence; and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate, A time of war, and a time of peace."

I like it because it describes life so accurately, and it is how life is right now...the season's are changing. We are changing from a very white wonderful Winter, to Spring....OH YES!!! Glorious Spring!!!

Can you feel it? I can...Spring is in the air!!!! (well, almost)...it's working on it, and I am certainly cheering it on! I LOVE Spring, I LOVE the warmer weather, and I LOVE the new life that starts popping up all around, I love being able to take walks out side, and just smell the fresh air!! I am always amazed at the beauty of God's creation.



This Spring, will include for me a season of visiting family. I am looking forward to a visit from my younger brother that lives in Washington State, visiting my younger sister, who lives in Houston, visiting Joel's family, that live in Ga, and hopefully a visit from my parents who live in Alaska.

At church, we are heading into one of our busiest seasons. We juggle alot of balls in the spring! There are Easter lessons to prepare. a new Wed night TU program, preparing our new Adventure Zone unit, "How to Sail the C's " as well as our upcoming summer lessons for children's church. Then there's " Running the Amazing Race", our Choir Spring musical, and planning our trip to the "Rainforest" duing Vacation Bible School. We love to plan great lessons with fun ideas for the kids. We get our jollies out of being creative in teaching the Word of God to the children. It is so rewarding when we see that they understand, and we see them growing in their knowledge of the Lord.

In my personal life, for the spring season, my goal is to get and keep balance in my life. So far, it is looking like a real challenge, but, maybe if I keep trying, one of these days, I will actually succeed!

I love that God's word acknowledges life as it is, full of seasons of change for all of us. Let us therefore embrace and enjoy the change around us!!!