Our church, instead of inviting kids from around our community to come and enjoy Vacation Bible School (VBS) in our building, takes VBS out into our neighborhoods - it's called Neighborhood Bible Club (NBC). Various members of our church offer and open their homes to the kids in their neighborhood. The church supplies the curriculum and supplies - you just offer your home.
Last year and again this year, I was honored and blessed to serve as a volunteer for NBC in our local women's shelter for the Everett Gospel Mission. Dawn has been the "host" up there for the last couple of years and was all set to do it again this year. I take on games. How can you go wrong showing up for 2 hours a day for 5 days and your only responsibility encompasses telling the children how to play for about 20 minutes each day? I had SO much fun with it last year - worshipping with the kids, listening to the Bible stories and taking pictures. Oh how I took pictures last year.
This year I took a few pictures but I couldn't take anywhere near as many. Dawn, our wonderful leader (and about the sweetest, gentlest woman I have ever met) had a family emergency and so at 7AM Monday morning I received a phone call saying she wouldn't be there, could I do Bible...
and so it began.
Monday night brought the news that Dawn wasn't going to be able to come up at all this year and would I be willing to take it on (teaching Bible, that is)? Panic. Panic set in like you would not believe. Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against the Bible. I love the Bible. I try to live my life by the Bible. It wasn't the Bible that scared me. It was the children. I'm not a child-fan. Really. I'm not. I'm not very good with them. I'm not funny, I'm not cute, I'm not... well... children don't flock to me. I often come across as tough, mean just... not a grown-up a kid wants in their corner. I like to say God knows just how terrible I'd be at motherhood, that's why He only entrusted me with one kid at a time to raise.
But when Nancy (the pre-school director for our church) asked me if I was ok doing it I answered the truth - "Nope. I'm not comfortable with it. But am I supposed to be, Nancy?" God doesn't WANT us comfortable. He may leave us there for a time but if we're comfortable, how do we grow? If we're comfortable, how easy is it to turn our eyes from Jesus? If we're comfortable - how are we any different from the folks who don't believe in Jesus?
So...for five days this week, I taught Bible. Marianne (the greatest woman on the planet this week!) was so faithful in being there with me, taking care of crafts and jumping in to take on snacks (snacks were going to be handled by Dawn's daughter and while you're thinking - what could be complicated about snacks? The truth is - there is the making of them, the tying the food with the lesson, sharing the truth of the day and clean-up. Snacks are a LOT of work). We had two teenage helpers, too who both remained faithful in coming - they handled worship and they are the greatest teenagers on the planet this week!
With all that help, how tough could it be, right? It's not about the work. I'm not adverse to working hard and taking on extra (although I have noticed an inability I never had before - Aaron & I REALLY have to work on that weight issue!) - never have been. It was the expectations I set for myself. These children were going to be listening to ME to share the LIVING Word of God with them. Seriously. The God who spoke the universe into existence. The God who saves men, commands angels and punishes demons. The God who sent His ONLY begotten Son to the world to die for our horrible sins.
That was the God I was teaching this week.
To children - the oldest 10 - who have seen more sorrow, heartache and people they can't trust in their short lives than I and 20 people I know together have seen in all of ours.
Good thing I got out of the way...mostly.
Last year and again this year, I was honored and blessed to serve as a volunteer for NBC in our local women's shelter for the Everett Gospel Mission. Dawn has been the "host" up there for the last couple of years and was all set to do it again this year. I take on games. How can you go wrong showing up for 2 hours a day for 5 days and your only responsibility encompasses telling the children how to play for about 20 minutes each day? I had SO much fun with it last year - worshipping with the kids, listening to the Bible stories and taking pictures. Oh how I took pictures last year.
This year I took a few pictures but I couldn't take anywhere near as many. Dawn, our wonderful leader (and about the sweetest, gentlest woman I have ever met) had a family emergency and so at 7AM Monday morning I received a phone call saying she wouldn't be there, could I do Bible...
and so it began.
Monday night brought the news that Dawn wasn't going to be able to come up at all this year and would I be willing to take it on (teaching Bible, that is)? Panic. Panic set in like you would not believe. Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against the Bible. I love the Bible. I try to live my life by the Bible. It wasn't the Bible that scared me. It was the children. I'm not a child-fan. Really. I'm not. I'm not very good with them. I'm not funny, I'm not cute, I'm not... well... children don't flock to me. I often come across as tough, mean just... not a grown-up a kid wants in their corner. I like to say God knows just how terrible I'd be at motherhood, that's why He only entrusted me with one kid at a time to raise.
But when Nancy (the pre-school director for our church) asked me if I was ok doing it I answered the truth - "Nope. I'm not comfortable with it. But am I supposed to be, Nancy?" God doesn't WANT us comfortable. He may leave us there for a time but if we're comfortable, how do we grow? If we're comfortable, how easy is it to turn our eyes from Jesus? If we're comfortable - how are we any different from the folks who don't believe in Jesus?
So...for five days this week, I taught Bible. Marianne (the greatest woman on the planet this week!) was so faithful in being there with me, taking care of crafts and jumping in to take on snacks (snacks were going to be handled by Dawn's daughter and while you're thinking - what could be complicated about snacks? The truth is - there is the making of them, the tying the food with the lesson, sharing the truth of the day and clean-up. Snacks are a LOT of work). We had two teenage helpers, too who both remained faithful in coming - they handled worship and they are the greatest teenagers on the planet this week!
With all that help, how tough could it be, right? It's not about the work. I'm not adverse to working hard and taking on extra (although I have noticed an inability I never had before - Aaron & I REALLY have to work on that weight issue!) - never have been. It was the expectations I set for myself. These children were going to be listening to ME to share the LIVING Word of God with them. Seriously. The God who spoke the universe into existence. The God who saves men, commands angels and punishes demons. The God who sent His ONLY begotten Son to the world to die for our horrible sins.
That was the God I was teaching this week.
To children - the oldest 10 - who have seen more sorrow, heartache and people they can't trust in their short lives than I and 20 people I know together have seen in all of ours.
Good thing I got out of the way...mostly.
1 comment:
I love you blog back ground, so cute!!!
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