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swimming in grace

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plain and simple, it was sin. i had spewed from the mouth once again and while i felt entitled at the time, after i felt awful. after the outburst that was riddled with pride i kept asking myself, where did that come from? i was speaking to the Lord from my heart and He eventually spoke right back. it was bitterness. this quick lash from the tongue was connected to some deep seeded bitterness and it needed to be dealt with immediately.

so today i sat down in a time of confession and acknowledged i was wrong. i admitted that something i was holding on to really had a hold on me. i thought it was empowering, but really it was ugly. as i talked to God about it, i knew that saying i had “no filter” was no excuse. i literally wrote the following words in my journal and then the Lord’s answer left me swimming in His grace:

“break and open up the bitter root with Your Word and with Your grace.” 

FullSizeRenderthen as i opened to today’s daily light verses, i was simply blown away. i had to read them aloud. i was sitting in my comfy chair and He chose to lavish love and grace once again on my dirty heart.

so, i thought maybe i wasn’t the only one that needed to be reminded of the freedom found in His grace today. here are the verses. how do they impact you today?

“but may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” 1 peter 5:10

“then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”” exodus 33:19

“then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom’;” job 33:24

“being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,” romans 3:24-25

“for the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” john 1:17

 “for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” ephesians 2:8

“to timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 timothy 1:2

“but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” ephesians 4:7

“as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 peter 4:10

“but He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” james 4:6

“but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. to Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” 2 peter 3:18

grace



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In kidmin

in the trenches

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kid’s ministry is hard. it is incredibly rewarding, but equally messy. while i often dream of serving in a world of rainbows and lollipops, most ministry daystrench resemble more of a battlefield. no one knows that better than the kidmin leader in the trenches next to you.

i think that is one of the main reasons i love group’s kidmin conference so much. almost every session/workshop speaker not only has years of kidmin/ministry experience, but they are serving weekly in the kidmin trenches.

  • they get the weariness i carry, because they are also weekly trying to find a balance between serving and being still.
  • they know the hopes that are longing in my heart because they are constantly praying them for their kids and families, too.
  • those hunkered down in the trenches know ministry frustrations because they battle them on the front lines each day. they also know the value of laying down our battle plan and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead.
  • they weekly fight insecurities that remind them of their weakness and in turn are able to experience the strength of the Lord as they serve through imperfection.

so this year at kidmin i can’t wait to connect with many of those i stand shoulder to shoulder with in the ministry trench. whether it is full-time, bi-vocational, or volunteer i am excited to learn from so many that serve so faithfully.

gina mcclaingina mcclain is one of the wisest most humble children’s pastors i know. she can relate to the daily struggles of ministry while always keeping and pointing others to an eternal perspective.

 

 

brian haynes

i love the pastor’s heart of brian haynes. he absolutely oozes Jesus. i can’t fathom all the additional pressures that come with the title of senior pastor, but brian leads will a singular focus of the message of Christ and you can’t help but leave encouraged and challenged.

 

 

gloria leeas a single gal, i always leave time with gloria lee knowing i have kidmin friend the gets “my world.” we can laugh at the similarities we face serving single and rejoice in the fact that God chooses to use and stretch us right where He has us.

 

 

e.c. cunninghame.c. cunningham inspires me with his determination and ability to excel in transition. he truly makes the most of his assignment wherever God has placed him. he has such a positive attitude and sense of adventure.

 

 

Screen Shot 2014-09-07 at 12.15.44 PMno doubt about it, mary sims is the real deal. she approaches her bi-vocational role with such a fresh wave of enthusiasm. she is transparent and encouraging and the love she has for ministry in evident in the moment you meet her. my only question is just how in the world does she do it all?

 

 

Screen Shot 2014-09-02 at 8.25.42 PMi am almost certain that when it comes to kidmin you won’t meet a more authentic person than chris yount jones. her many years of experience and vast knowledge make her a wealth of information. but in my opinion, it is her weekly service in a preschool class at her church that makes her such an insightful member of the kidmin trenches.

 

oh there are countless others i can’t wait to connect with at kidmin ’14. i am just so grateful to know that even when our time in columbus is over and we spread back across the country and world, we are still shoulder to shoulder in the kidmin trenches.

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pausing to pray – listening – part 7

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a note from brooke to dawson preschool volunteers and dawson kids investors

image[3]I was thrilled when danielle asked me to join her efforts on this prayer project for our Preschool Ministry and dawson kids leaders! I must confess, that prayer is a spiritual discipline that I struggle with. We often tell our preschoolers that prayer is simply talking to God. Those of you who know me can probably guess that part is easy for me. I talk to God all the time! That definition is true, but in reality, prayer is conversation with God, which requires not only talking, but also listening. This is the area where I am growing.

Two Bible verses immediately come to mind:

 “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

 I want to be still in His presence. I am weary. I am burdened. I know I need His rest and I want it. Yet, too often I lead one sided chatter with my loving Heavenly Father and miss all the precious things He has to say to me because I am distracted with other relationships, daily responsibilities, and even good, God honoring activities and tasks.

Bill Hybels’ book, Too Busy Not to Pray, has helped to put a few things in perspective for me and I want to share a few of his points with you. He says, “the archenemy of spiritual authenticity is busyness.” Amen! Right? He goes on to say:

I can think of at least three ways God speaks to followers who are willing to listen:

 First, God speaks through His Word. As we read the Bible and meditate on its truth, God helps to apply it to our lives.  

 Another way God speaks to us is through people. “I care for you,” He says through the arms of a friend who understand our grief and seeks to console us.

 And a third way God speaks to us is though direct promptings of the Holy Spirit. According to Scripture, the Holy Spirit is ready, willing, and able to communicate with us. He leads, rebukes, affirms, comforts and assures Christ’s followers.

It is my prayer for myself, and for all of you, that we will begin this new year of ministry with a great desire for two sided conversation with God and that we will thirst to hear His voice, experience His presence, and act obediently in response to His promptings.

 

Screen Shot 2014-09-02 at 1.28.07 PMBrooke loves ministering to preschoolers and their families. She believes it is important for parents and church leaders to work together to teach children to love God, His Word, world and son, Jesus. Brooke’s family joined Dawson when she was just 6 months old and she is thrilled to be on staff in the church where she was dedicated, baptized, called to ministry, married and saw her own children dedicated and baptized.  Brooke is a graduate of Samford University.  She is married to Darrell Gibson.  They have two children, Shae and Hannah.  Brooke loves family time, reading, music and all things Disney!  Brooke’s favorite Bible verse is “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6

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pausing to pray – SUPPLICATION – part 6

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Day 5 – Supplication
Written by: Bill Johnston

image[3]One of the best ways you can invest in the lives of the children with whom you are called to minister is to pray for them and their families. Prayer is the means God can use to help you grow in a deeper concern for and love of each particular person. As the year unfolds and you come to know them more and more, your prayers will become more personal and specific.

The weekly habit of praying for each child prior to Sunday will make their presence with you all the sweeter and their absence all the more noticeable. One suggestion is to divide up the list of students over the days of the week and pray for that smaller list rather than a daily or weekly “bless them all” generic prayer. During the day, be sensitive to a name or face that comes to you mind and offer up a brief prayer even if you do not know the reason to do so.

Ask them “how can I be praying for you?” Send them a note during the week letting them know that you have prayed for them especially if you know that they are facing a particular challenge or celebration. This will communicate to them just how important they are to you and to Jesus.

Years from now, they may not remember all of the fantastic lessons from God’s Word that you will share with them, but they will remember your personal concern and dedicated prayers for them.

James writes in his small letter “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call the elders of the church; and let them pray over them, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:13-14.  The word “sick” in this passage can also mean “weak or weary.” It carries the idea that when someone is struggling spiritually or physically it sure is a blessing to know that there is someone that they can count on to be praying for them. Will your students know that you are willing to invest in them by praying for them?

Right now as a servant of Jesus Christ, make a commitment to be a person of prayer specifically for your students and their families.

 

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Bill Johnston is a native of Mobile but has lived most of his life in the Birmingham area. A graduate of Hewitt-Trussville High School, Jacksonville State University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (D. Min), Bill is married to Janet Dickerson Johnston with two sons, Will and Rob. In his free time, Bill enjoys playing golf, watching Alabama football and UAB basketball, and reading and spending time with his family. Bill has served in churches in Texas and Alabama and has been the Associate Pastor at Dawson since August of 2006.

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pausing to pray – THANKSGIVING – part 5

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Day 4 – Thanksgiving
Written by: Kathy Nolen

 Philippians 4:6 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 

image[3]As we begin this new Sunday School year we want to start well – to do it “right”. We want to be the best, “always pointing to Jesus” teachers we can be, but we quickly realize on our own we will probably not do it well or right, not without God’s help and enabling. That is why our prayers are so very important.

The verse above from Philippians gives us an important element of prayer we often forget. As we ask God for his blessings on this new Sunday School year and new group of children we must not forget to thank Him for blessings already received. With thanksgiving, we are to make our requests to God. Thankfulness should be our default prayer posture.

Thankfulness is a key that unlocks our spirits as we acknowledge God’s goodness and provision in our lives. It tunes our hearts to sing His praise. It changes our prayers from reciting a wish list to a loving, collaborative exchange with our gracious, giving Father. Our trust grows as we remember and recount His faithfulness and deeds of grace and mercy in our lives. It opens our eyes to His bounty.

Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts, challenges us to dare to live fully right where we are by acknowledging the power of thankfulness in our lives, counting the ways God loves and blesses us through the small and ordinary things of life. Every breath is a battle between grudgery and gratitude, according to Ann, and thankfulness is the way we welcome the Kingdom of God in our lives.

What if we applied some of those lessons to our Sunday School planning and class time? What if we remember to thank God for shy, sweet smiles, for cute freckled noses, for children’s’ laughter and loudness? Would becoming more aware and thankful for each small and ordinary gift give more power to our prayers? Would it help “Thy Kingdom Come” in our Sunday School rooms and in the lives of the students we pray for? Would it bring us more contagious, holy joy to share with the children? As we pray for the big things – the Sunday School year, the Children’s Ministry – let’s also train our hearts to notice and be thankful for the small things, to make sure gratitude precedes our petitions and thankfulness turns our eyes from self to our good God.

1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Psalm 105:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.

Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

 Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.

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Kathy Nolen serves faithfully as a Dawson Preschool Ministry Sunday morning teacher, but her sphere of spiritual influence reaches many more ages. She has taught women’s Bible studies, been a conference speaker, is active in the dance community and also wrote daily devotionals for all of Dawson’s KidLife (VBS) leaders this summer. Her heart and passion for Jesus are evident and her words lead you right to the throne of grace. 

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