Houston, We've Had a Problem!

Being in my 50s, I've watched the space program from its infancy. I'm amazed at the evolution of the program ... the unmanned launches, the first men to travel into space, the first space walk, landing on the moon, etc. I've also witnessed the catastrophes and near catastrophes. Who can forget the Apollo 13's John Swigert and then James Lovell announcing, "Houston, we've had a problem"?

A couple of weeks ago, I read one of George Barna's reports that announces to the church the equivalent of the announcement made by Swigert and Lovell to NASA. In the Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist survey taken among 1,871 self-described Christians we discover a major crack in our foundation. Here is an excerpt from Barna's report:

Much like their perceptions of Satan, most Christians do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force, either. Overall, 38% strongly agreed and 20% agreed somewhat that the Holy Spirit is "a symbol of God’s power or presence but is not a living entity." Just one-third of Christians disagreed that the Holy Spirit is not a living force (9% disagreed somewhat, 25% disagreed strongly) while 9% were not sure.

Church, we've had a problem! No wonder the church is weak and anemic. Almost 2/3 of the church has the Holy Spirit in the same category as Santa Clause (the symbol of Christmas) and the Easter Bunny (the symbol of Easter).

Let's change these statistics beginning with introducing the person of the Holy Spirit to each and every children’s ministry leader. Let's make sure that our staff and volunteers actually know Him. Then, let's allow the Holy Spirit to demonstrate that He is alive and well in our services. Soon, after seeing undeniable proof of His existence, our children will fall in love with the precious Holy Spirit.

To read George Barna's complete report, go to www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/260-most-american-christians-do-not-believe-that-satan-or-the-holy-spirit-exis.

Faith for Revival

Those who see God manifest His presence in their children's ministries must be people of faith. Oft times, things that we see can be discouraging. Things might not be progressing as quickly as you would desire.

Consider an Andrew Murray quote concerning the definition of faith: "It is the ear which has heard God say what He will do and the eye which has seen Him doing it."

Remember that God won't change. He has already stated His position on your children and children's ministry. If anything must change, it has to be what we see and hear with our physical senses.

So, let's be unwaveringly convinced that we have heard God's voice and directive about a mighty move among OUR children and actually see through the eyes of faith His hands at work in OUR services. Let's keep on keeping on, not losing our focus. It's just a time factor. Soon, what we see and hear in the realm of faith will be what we see and hear with our physical eyes and ears!

The Bait, The Tools, The Anointing

What a weekend. In our three weekend services, we had hundreds of boys and girls who were given the opportunity of a lifetime ... the privilege to have Jesus become the Lord of their lives. We had all of the ingredients ready for the weekend, the bait, the tools, and the anointing.

The Bait ... We had so many visitors that came to see and enjoy something that they wouldn't see at any other church in our area, a gigantic candy drop. At the end of each of our services, we took our children ages 4 through 6th grade out to our soccer field to pick up 15,000 pieces of candy that would be dropped out of a helicopter. The helicopter would fly over the field three times per service, once for the 4s and 5s, once for the 1st through 3rd graders, and once again for the 4th through 6th graders, each fly over dropping 5,000 pieces of candy.

The Tools ... Once we got them to our services, we needed the right tools to effectively and powerfully deliver the Easter message. In each service, our staff presented a 40 minute message "An Empty Cross, An Empty Tomb for an Empty Heart" using crazy characters, powerful object lessons, and mystifying magic. Each segment built upon the previous segment, laying the ground work for the altar call.

The Anointing ... We had the crowds, we used the tools, but the third portion of the equation was the most important. The bait drew the children to the service. The tools presented the message. But it was the anointing that produced the fruit. It was exciting to see children respond to the altar call. Only eternity will give the total picture of the fruit of the weekend, empty hearts being filled with His presence!

Hearing God's Voice

If you are having trouble hearing God's voice, consider the message found in these two quotes:

“We live in a noisy, busy world. Silence and solitude are not 20th Century words. They fit the era of Victorian lace and high-buttoned shoes and kerosene lamps better than the age of television, video arcades, internet, and jogger’s wired earphones. We have become a people with an aversion to quite and an uneasiness with being alone.” Jean Fleming Finding Focus in a Whirlwind World

"I think that the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, and crowd. Satan is quite aware of the power of solitude. " Jim Elliott (recorded in his personal journal)

Now, consider the insight provided by the psalmist David ... "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) It is in the solitude that the sound of His whisper will be heard.

The Longing of the Holy Spirit

“Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:
all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.” Psalm 42:7

Let's be honest. The Spirit of God doesn't need a thing from us. But, He longs for fellowship from us. By fellowship, I'm not talking about a contrived, calculated, timed performance. The heart of the Spirit of God is longing for the depths of His heart to connect with the depths of your heart. Jesus referred to the work of the Holy Spirit in connecting with this area of your heart. Remember that in John 7 Jesus said that out of your belly, your innermost parts, would flow rivers of living water (the Holy Spirit).

Let's connect. Let's pull away from the masses so that we can have that time of intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Selah!

A Family Reunion

A few years ago, my family attended a large denominational conference. While walking through exhibit areas and auditoriums, I was constantly stopped by friends. It seemed as though I could only take a few steps without being stopped for a brief reunion with a friend. One of my sons later commented that he thought that I knew everyone in the conference.

While that is a pretty big exaggeration, I have made a point in my life to invest in relationships. For example, this week in our Ignite the Supernatural Regional Conference, Vickie and I had the privilege of having a family reunion. Almost 100% of these individuals were "family" members that I've never met before. You see, these "family" members are related to us because of Christ's blood. The connection was immediate. I loved sitting around the meal tables getting to meet and begin to know my family members. It was worth the trip to Minnesota to talk to them in the church foyer or after a workshop. While there is a great possibility that I will never see them again, the investment of my time and energies to connect with these individuals greatly impacted my life.

Do yourself a favor. Get to know your family. Invest your time in getting to know those in your area that have the same passion that you do for reaching children. Invest your time in going to conferences that have fellow children's ministry workers who like you are fulfilling their assignment to change this generation. You'll be a better person for the investment!

Monday Extra!

I recently came across a website that explains creation in such a beautiful, simple way. The artwork is outstanding, the teaching is biblically sound and extremely child-friendly. After viewing the sight, I know that you will want to pass this information on to the children in your ministries!

http://spiritsbreath.org/creationbook/creation00.htm

Please do your friends and fellow children's ministry workers/leaders a favor and tell them of this website address.