I met with the elders last week to discuss the 10:10 Children ministry. They asked why I thought the older teenage boys keep coming back each week.
The best way to find out why someone does something is to ask them. So I did. This is what they said.
Check out the video and see what some of the boys said.
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Ephesians 3:19 tells us that the love of Christ surpasses knowledge.
I have spent a lot of years trying to learn about the love of Christ. Trying to know more and understand it. Is it really possible to know something that surpasses knowledge?
Love is the reason Christ gave His life for us.
The love of Christ has no limits. He showed His love by giving His life for the sins of the world. He died for every child and every person. That is why we tell others. That is why we tell these children. There are many children (and adults) in Lubbock who have never heard of the love of Christ.
Many have heard about church and laws and rules, but few have heard about the unconditional love of God found in a relationship through Jesus Christ. Our desire is to seek out those who have not heard and tell them the good news of Jesus Christ.
For praying, helping and volunteering. If you are not involved and want to help, please let us know. There are many children who have not heard the good news.
I told some of the older boys in my class that we were having a football party at our house with lots of pizza and food. One boy asked “How much pizza will there be.” I said there would be all you can eat.
His response: “All right, I’m coming.” You will notice in the video that he’s the one holding two pieces at the same time.
As I was taking the children home, one said, “this has been a fun day.”
Thank you for your prayer and support as we continue to love these children and teach them about the good news of Jesus Christ.
Sunday morning I asked my class of 8 junior high girls if they had plans Saturday night. I told them I wanted to take them out to eat and to a christian ballet company’s performance. I didn’t imagine they’d had much experience with anything like that and was afraid their response would be similar to if I had asked that of my 15 year old son – “Thanks, but no thanks.” Happily, however, they were very eager and willing and none had “plans.” I might could have taken them to anything as long as I took them out to eat first!
The thing that struck me most was that for whatever time and attention I had to give, they were there – didn’t matter what, when, or where. Unlike some of my own children who I have to make appointments with, these kids don’t have a million other things they’re involved with competing for their time.
Their eagerness made me think of these verses about harvest: John 4:35 “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” Matthew 9:38-39 “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
I’ve never doubted that these verses were true. But I thought they must mostly be true some place else. Someplace like the other side of the world. It has not been my experience to see people around me ready for the plucking. I have had the privilege of seeing people come to Jesus, but it has been an occasional single plant here and there. Not a white field spread before me like West Texas cotton in November with not enough harvesters to bring it in.
These children are like those fields of bulging bolls of cotton. They are “white for the harvest.” Whatever time, attention and love someone has to invest, there will be harvest to show for it. We need more workers.
One week before we delivered gifts to the children at this apartment, there was a drive-by shooting.
You have probably heard of “drive-by-shootings”, but do you know someone who has been shot at? I have stood in front of this apartment door many times and visited with the family and children who live there. A week earlier, the door was freshly painted because of remodeling being done. One week later, I noticed that the door looked different. Like someone messed up the paint job.
At first, I thought it looked like those stickers you see on the back of pick-up trucks that give the appearance of a bullet hole in the tailgate. A “pretend” shooting.
As I looked closer the dents in the door were real. Yes, someone took a real shotgun, aimed it at this apartment while the Mom and children were home, and fired it.
Justin helped as we delivered gifts to the children. It was a little hard to take it all in. Walking through a door that had been shot up. Broken windows from the gun shots. Children excited about opening gifts. The apartment was a mess because of moving.
What gets me the most is the children. None of this is their fault. They live in these conditions without any choice. That is why I want to do everything possible to get the good news of Jesus to them. That is their only hope. That is why we will continue to seek children who do not know about the saving Life of Jesus, bring them to church and teach them.
Thank you for your support and prayers.
We dropped off about 25 children that had come to church with us on Sunday. I was leaving the Apartments and a man waved me down. He approached the car and asked if I could give him a ride to the store so he could buy some food.
Well it turns out that he had some money and really was only asking for a ride because he did not own a vehicle. He usually walked or rode the bus.
I had met this man a couple of weeks ago because of one of the children who started coming to church with us. He, the girl and her mom live in a one room efficiency about 12 x 15 feet. I know because Betsy and I squeezed in one night to talk with them about the daughter.
On the way to the store the man said he wanted to move. “There was another drive-by shooting last night.” I asked if anyone got shot and he said no but there was shooting. He also said there were lots of drugs.
Then he said the children ask “what are you going to get me for Christmas”. He said I tell them just be thankful you have a roof over your head and some food to eat.
The man works….when he can find it. The woman just got laid off from working at a restaurant.
A broken up family. The mother staying with a man so she and her daughter could have a place to live. Drive-by shootings, drugs and very little to eat.
I am thankful that God has given us the opportunity to help these children and give them hope of a new life found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Families from the church bought presents for the apartment children so they could have useful gifts. Useful like clothes and shoes. We found out three girls were moving to Dallas, and we wanted to make sure they got their presents before they left town. We knew their apartment by heart – last one on the bottom right by the street.
The girls were a little shy when we arrived, but we sat down on the couch and gave each of them a box full of gifts. You would not believe the excitement as they began to see clothes, boots with zebra stripes like she requested and even some toys.
The girls had been coming to church with us for several months and we have developed a relationship with them.
We came to their apartment every Sunday morning and give them a ride to church. If we didn’t, they would not have gone to church anywhere. When they came to church, they got to hear the good news of Jesus many times. People from church loved and cared for them while they were there.
We may never see or hear from them again. My heart is sad because they had become a part of our lives and now they are gone. I have learned that part of what we do is to plant seeds and trust God to make the seeds grow. I pray that these girls and their Mom will know the love and grace of God experienced through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I trust God that some day, when I see them again, we will all be walking down the streets of gold.