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Kid's Happenings January 2017

Hello Church Family,

Happy New Year!  I have been praying that everyone has a wonderful holiday season.  I know that 2016 brought a lot of up’s and down’s for so many of us.  I’m thankful that we had each other to share in those moments.  To have a church family that encourages, uplifts, prays, cries, laughs, and shares in all of the emotional times that this life brings is such a blessing.  We have a very special church family.  I hear of many churches that are our size that have a disconnect within the relationship of the church.  I am in awe so many times when I see and hear about how close of a church family we are.  This is something we should all cherish and desire more of. 

Just recently my family and I were able to join a group of other families within our church to start an evening small group (2:42 group).  This has been such a blessing for everyone involved.  We meet in a home, share snacks, fellowship, dive into the word, share our struggles , thoughts and do life together.   It’s a wonderful group and a time that I look forward to each week.  We are able to slow down our day and relax on the couch while the children play together during our lesson time.  Of course, we check when needed, but for the most part it’s their time to fellowship as well.

As a children’s director and a parent, it makes me smile to see that the children love this time together just as much as their parents.  And the children are fully seeing their parents sitting with other adults with their bibles open and learning more of His word.  They are understanding that this is a time that even adults need, not just children.  Sometimes when we separate ourselves from our kids during our quiet time it becomes “out of sight, out of mind” for them.  What an amazing example we are setting for these young ones.  If we don’t teach our children how to follow Christ, the world will teach them not to.  I love being able to love on all the children and serve alongside each of you as we help families to raise up the next generation of our church.  I pray you had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Student Ministry January 2017

Dear Church Family,

Did you know that the average reader could read the Bible all the way through 16 times in a 30 year span? The problem is, many of us don’t think in terms of 30 years. Honestly, many of us don’t think in terms of more than just a couple years. Many of us think in terms of one year, especially in the new year. Often this is very helpful. It gives us goals and plans that we set forth to accomplish (hopefully) worthy achievements. But, there is a problem with this kind of thinking. It is often shortsighted and makes us develop unrealistic goals. It is very difficult to be motivated to accomplish an unrealistic goal. We need longer goals. Our lives are not sprints, they are marathons and we must run the race with endurance. Not only do we need to manage our lives as such, but we must also demonstrate such living to the younger generations.

Many students dread the question: “so what are you going to do when you graduate?” This question drives at the one thing students don’t want to do; think about the future. And it is no wonder. Our culture is a “here and now” culture that wants nothing to do with longevity and planning. It emphasizes your desires “now” and disregards your desires “then.” This is a tragedy, but many of us Christians contribute to this kind of thinking as well. We are guilty too of asking how to fulfill our immediate desires rather than seeking to be faithful here and now waiting for God to fulfill our desires then.

This is true and it is obvious when we start to ask ourselves how much time we spend reading the Word. But do not be discouraged. This is not meant to make you feel a burden to read your Bible for an hour every day. That always leads to exhaustion, frustration, and finally giving up. Is that not how most of our new year’s resolutions go? This is, rather, a request and an encouragement to be faithful and to look at the big picture. Reading your Bible all the way through and becoming familiar with God’s story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration is much easier than you might think. The statistic above was calculated based on reading the Bible for 5 minutes every day. Just 5 minutes. What if when you were nearing the end of your life you had confidence in God’s truth and salvation because you had read it entirely over 16 times? What if your children or grandchildren saw you reading the Bible every day? What kind of impact and change could that produce in your life and the life of those around you? And only in 5 minutes?

This year, the first and best way you could help me and our students would be for you to forget some outlandish/unrealistic resolution and resolve instead to look at the big picture. Choose to fight for faithfulness every day. Resolutions are only good if they have the big picture in mind and are reasonably achievable. Is daily time with God reasonably achievable in your life? Maybe not an hour, but some time at all? I think it is for all of us, including children and students. But why should we expect them to strive for this if we do not. How can I request this from you if I do not pursue it myself? But if we do resolve for this kind of faithfulness and this kind of longevity, what kind of impact should we expect to see in our church and in the lives of the younger generation? I think a bigger one than we can imagine. So will you help me? I pray that you have been and will continue to help me be an example to our students as to what faithfulness looks like. We must show them with our words and mouths what a life-long Christian looks like.

God bless, and may you have a wonderful and faithful 2017!

Brian Van Doren