Te ac h i n g K i d s t o

D e l i g h t i n Go d ’ s W or d .
Teaching kids to delight in God's Word.

MARANATHA CHAPEL CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Planted by the Rivers

Sleepi ng by th e riv er s Pro ver bs 1 :5 Issu e 2 , December
Many times I have grabbed my backpack and sleeping bag and headed
out into some National park to go sleep in the woods. I slept on the
ground under the stars for years before I tried that modern luxury
known as a tent. One late night I learned a valuable lesson about where
not to lay down my sleeping bag. Did you know that rivers rise during
the night? I didn’t know it at the time. Now I do. A wise man receives
instruction, but a fool will lay his sleeping bag down next to the river
time after time. I think that’s how the proverb reads. God wants to
teach us to be quick learners; not soggy sleepers.

Tra d e se cre ts: “A na il in a su r e pla c e” Isa . 2 2: 2 3 Are y o u r ro o ts p la n te d d e e p

e n o u g h to su rv iv e th is?
More lessons from 16 years in the construction industry as a car-
penter...One nail in the right place can be a bigger help then you can Su rvi vi ng th e Sto r ms
probably imagine. One of the first foremen I ever worked for showed
me a nail and he said, ‘this is your little helper’. I learned a lot from “And the rain descended, and
that advice. One nail placed in the right spot often gave me a sure hold the floods came, and the winds
on many a large beam that otherwise I could not have handled. One blew, and beat upon that house;
nail placed in the right spot has helped me move a 10 foot high 20 foot and it fell: and great was the
long wall all by myself. I won’t tell you how I did that cause then fall of it.” Matt 7:27
you’ll know one of my trade secrets, but one nail placed in the right
spot helped me do that. God wants to place you in the right spot that
Many houses look fine and
will lead to him doing amazing things. strong until that storm comes;
and they will come; is your
Are you available for him to place you in a sure place? house strong?

Fru it th a t r ema i n s

“Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions”

Excerpts from the book by George Barna.

“In my mind, children had always been part of a package deal: We want to reach
adults with the gospel and then help them mature in their faith in Christ, so we
have accepted the kids as a ‘throw in’. The paramount importance of serious, top-
priority ministry to kids was not something I had ever taken too seriously.

Ye h a v e n o t c h o se n me , b u t I
h a v e c h o se n y o u ,
a n d o rd a in e d y o u , th a t y e
sh o u ld g o a n d b rin g fo rth
fru it, a n d th a t y o u r fru i t
sh o u ld re ma in :
J o h n 1 5 :1 6
Somehow the wisdom and necessity of seeing children as the primary focus of
ministry never occurred to me. In that regard, perhaps I’ve simply been a product
of my environment. Like most adults, I have been aware of children, fond of them
and willing to invest some resources in them; but I have not really been fully
devoted to their development. In my mind, they were people en route to signifi-
cance—i.e. adulthood—but were not yet deserving of the choice resources. (end
quote)
This book by George Barna has some very surprising facts and conclu-
sions which has led many church leaders to realize that children have
been overlooked. A new worldwide push towards the 4/14 window has
begun. I’ll tell you more in later issues. God is in this!

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Questions or comments? E-mail us at doug.drake@maranathachapel.org 858-613-7800 ext. 125