Nick’s Walk

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, 20 and teaching always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28 VBS ended with a flourish last night. The kids were taught that God loves them and that we should love each other. The final message was to tell others about Him. As the last few minutes of the VBS ticked by the tents were taken down. Although the VBS was held in a building it seemed appropriate that the activities were all in temporary structures: tents. I think there is an important lesson there. Church is not a stationary building but a mobile force. We gather to worship, to learn, to enjoy each other and our God but all for a purpose to take it to the world. As the final songs were song, the parents who had come to pick up the kids were invited into the sanctuary and many joined with the kids as they sang and danced in circles. There were more than 100 kids registered during the week, but those kids have friends and family. According to God’s plan for spreading […]

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 13:14 The substitutionary death of Jesus on a cross, salvation, redemption, repentance, forgiveness of sin, these are not fun things. They have confounded theologians, but they are at the heart of Christianity. How can they be presented to children ages four to eleven? How can something so serious be presented in a forum in which joy and fun have reigned? I have learned my pastor is great at pumping up kids and making them scream and laugh and sing and dance; but can he make them understand, in any way at all, the death of God on a cross? He can and he did. He (greatly aided by the Holy Spirit) was able to transform a sea of jumping, happy, children into a serious group of young faces. He told them the story of the sin of Paul before He was Christ’s. He explained to them how we all sin. He had them write or mark on little paper hands one thing they felt bad about, one sin. He had them personalize the nature […]

On the third day of VBS I continued to observe and be amazed. I’m afraid that I’ve come to the conclusion that church could not be ever like VBS for some folks because it would be too radical, consider: Kids praying for Kids – The pastor had kids praying for kids and, in fact, laying hands on each other. These kids are not ordained or even trained prayer partners. This kind of thing, if done on Sunday morning would be too nontraditional, i.e. radical. If allowed to continue and expand, they might be doing this kind of thing at home. Casual dress – I noticed that everyone was very casually dressed. In fact, at some points I saw folks without shoes. Everyone knows that Sunday is for your Sunday Best. That’s why it’s called your Sunday best. Informal dress, in some cases folks dressed like Jesus did, would be way too nontraditional, i.e. really radical. Jokes – On some occasions, the Pastor told jokes. Thank the Lord they were not very funny. If there had been laughter, this would have been really radical. The lay out – The chairs were not in rows, all pointed to the stage. This […]

On Day Two of VBS I couldn’t help but notice how a VBS is as  church should be. Everyone has a part. One of the joys of a VBS is that everyone gets to do something. Some volunteers provide snacks, some lead small groups of children, some provide teachings in separate “tents.” Even the kids participate; they don’t just quietly watch. Our tent is popular. In it the kids, get to make simple necklaces. All the necklaces are similar but they have uniqueness. One mother shared with me how her child took her self-made necklace home, wore it until bed time, placed it on the side of the bed and put it back on in the morning. Shouldn’t church be something we cherish and take home with us? Small groups are important. The participants are divided into small groups. The groups are divided based on age; but they could have been divided based on interest. You can see special relationships springing up in the groups. In our tent, the small groups helped each other. They shared markers and helped each other with their necklaces. It may be the most effective utilization of the small group concept that I’ve seen […]

Last night was the first session of our annual VBS at Amana Christian Fellowship. It was such an encouraging evening in so many respects. We had a great group of kids many from families who don’t attend the church. It was great to see so many adults and teens enthusiastically giving their time and energy to the project. It was plain that our pastor and his wife must have been something in youth ministry. They had such a touch with the kids, a great combination of fun and substance. VBS is one of the few obvious outlets for the desire to serve which I believe inhabits all followers of Christ. Perhaps the greatest failure of the modern church is to provide sufficient outlets for that desire. The grace of God provides not only forgiveness and salvation, but motivation to change and to serve. Change and service or intertwined. The greatest moves of God which I have been blessed to witness did not occur in times of worship or miraculous interventions. It was seen in times in which a group of followers put aside all differences and struggles and united for the purpose of serving their Lord. On those occasions […]

The fact that our heart yearns for something earth can’t supply is proof that heaven must be our home. C. S. Lewis We are approaching the end of the vacation season. Folks are piling back into their cars with beach sand embedded in the carpets having had a nice vacation but thinking, “There’s no place like home.”  God puts something in us, a feeling that no matter how comfortable or “homey” we feel that we aren’t quite there. Some folks spend all their lives trying to fill that empty feeling. When we have been at home too much we can’t wait to get away. Some days we just have to “get out of the house.” We go for a drive or on vacation, but eventually the call to go home becomes too strong. We recognize even if it’s not perfect, home is the closest thing to it we can have in this world. We are kind of like Dorothy who discovered that she had the power to go home any time she wanted. She just had to click her heels together. It’s not quite like that for us. We can’t just grab Toto, close our eyes and click our […]

Luke 14:26-33 New King James Version (NKJV) 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Before I could do anything else this morning I had to change the ink cartridges on our printer. I remember when I bought the printer thinking what a great deal I […]

Death and life are in the power of the tongue… Proverbs 18:21. If you hang around playgrounds, or soccer moms, or young kids very much you will, no doubt, hear the phrase, “Use Your Words.” When I first heard this I was a bit confused. I thought maybe the kid involved had some special secret words. Upon further observation I noted that parents, mostly moms, were saying this to kids who were expressing emotions in “inappropriate” ways, like hitting or biting their play mates. I guess this is the latest substitute for Dr. Spock. I’m just not sure it’s such a great idea. Especially when dealing with boy2, words are often insufficient. Kids don’t always have a ton of words at their disposal. I get it that words are probably better than hitting, kicking and bashing. I’m afraid this “Use your words” thing will give kids the idea that words are less harmful. This is like the “Sticks and Stones” thing we grew up with. Even as a kid I knew that words can hurt you.  In fact, as I review my years, I really can’t recall the negative impact of any of the hits, kicks or bashes I […]