Susan Greenwood's blog

 
Developing Godly Character Takes Time!
A  child who accepts Jesus gift is a new creation in Christ Jesus; but, there may be a breaking in period. That old self with it’s sinful desires will not give up easily. Temptations will hit daily and the desire to partake will still be there. Developing godly character takes time.

Today I want to elaborate on the second point-Take Inventory of What You Know. 
Before you begin a spiritual conversation with your child, it is important to take inventory of what you believe, explore the facts of your faith and recall the how’s, why’s and who’s. If the majority of your knowledge comes from your third grade Sunday School class, then it would be an excellent idea to verify the facts and freshen up on the details.

Whether you’ve gone to church since birth or haven’t stepped a toe in since leaving your parent’s care, it is important to be prepared. You may have a strong spiritual foundation and profound knowledge of the Bible; yet, find it challenging to put it on a child’s level.

 
I have been a faithful church attendee since I was two months old, became a follower of Christ at four years old, attended Christian Elementary School, led Bible studies, and on and on. BUT, the first time I had the opportunity to talk to a child about salvation, I was a mess.

 
“I shared the gospel; but when it came to the invitation, several kids raised their hands who I don’t think were really ready. How do I handle this?”
Group invitations to follow Christ can be tricky. Especially if you ask them to publicly indicate their decision. Here is what I typically end up with:

• • First is the kid that was too busy carrying on their own conversation about their mom’s speeding ticket or something to hear what I said.
  • Next, is the child I was certain had already accepted Jesus as their Savior and had even been baptized but has just indicated they accepted Jesus for the first time.
  • My personal favorite, the schizophrenic child, who raised their hand for every response.
  • Then the few who I feel certain are authentic responders because they paid attention and even answered a question or two.

 
Words are tricky. They have different meanings in different circles, inflections can alter intent (or even definition in some countries) and their omission often speaks louder than the words themselves.
Words are power and some words are more powerful than others.
Two words that I have found to be quite powerful are, “We’ll see.” They may not seem like much and in the right context, with the right inflection, they can actually offer hope. However, these two simple words have the capacity to inflict major damage. Here is a story that will help illustrate what I mean.

 
One of my favorite songs is called Shine by Newsboys. The song goes through a series of “about-face” changes that can happen when you “Shine before all men and glorify the Lord.” The line that catches me most says, “The truth is in the proof is when you hear your heart start asking what’s my motivation?”
 
What IS my motivation? Why am I in the ministry I am in? Why am I scheduling this outreach or using this curriculum? What’s my motivation?

 
Tis the season for Holiday movies! As a movie junkie, the overindulgence of classic holiday films is just one of the superficial perks of the season. I mean, it isn’t Christmas unless you’ve watched the Grinch steal Christmas only to discover the true joy in giving through the witness of young Cindy Lou Who. Or shed a tear over the redemption of Charlie Brown’s pathetic tree coupled with the precious retelling of the true Christmas story from Linus. The list goes on and on...but I won’t :D 

My family and I visited a friends church this past Sunday. The scripture passage was Colossians 3-Spiritual Growth. In regard to the lack of spiritual growth and the condition of mankind, the pastor said,

“Sometimes you have to let go of the good to do the great.” Mary Demuth

I heard these words at a Christian writer’s conference this past week where one of the speakers delivered them to a group of 100 or so...but I knew they were for me.  As a chronic “yes” person who thrives on helping and serving, I knew that God was telling me it is time to focus. As I relay these words to you, no doubt there is at least one person who will say, “These words are for me!” 

1 Peter 5:5-8

I love the imagery in this passage. If you’ve ever watched the discovery channel you’ve probably witnessed the depiction of a gazelle grazing in the field. A cool breeze tussles the grass and ripples the water. Suddenly, coming into focus, a lioness patiently and quietly watching, waiting for the perfect time to strike. The crazy part is that the gazelle, sensing danger, will look up from time to time and survey the grounds. Not seeing the predator, he will ignore his instincts and continue to graze. Moments later, he is devoured. 

Children are able to understand and implement many basic spiritual truths. For instance, they understand they are a sinner, they cannot go to Heaven because of their sin, they are separated from God and they must accept the gift of payment for sin through the blood of Jesus Christ to be forgiven. 

Ideally, the role of the children’s leader is to accompany parents in nurturing a solid faith in Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, many children are not brought to church but rather dropped off or brought by someone else. Sadly, even in Christian homes, there are parents who do not see the need or take the time to nurture faith and foundational truths in their children; even though the bible clearly states that it is the parents responsibility to teach the commands of God (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

          This past week, I had the privilege of leading a workshop to help camp counselors learn to have "God talks" with their campers. One of the participants posed the question, "What you do if the kid knows more about the Bible than you?" Another asked, "What if they ask you something and you don't know the answer?" These questions cross the mind of pretty much every person who considers working with children or teens. Too often, these fears will keep people from taking part in ministry. 

Classroom discipline is one of the most difficult aspects of children’s ministry. Tactics we may use at home with our own children are not permissible when dealing with other people children. Recently, I started rereading the book of Genesis and I found myself drawn to the method of God’s discipline when dealing with the sin of Adam and Eve. It speaks to me particularly as a parent yet provides excellent principles to follow in regard to discipline in my classroom as well.

As a children's director, if you are like me, you rarely make it through a full service let alone have the opportunity to attend a small group or special class. So what can you do to refresh your spirit and renew your ministry fervor? Attend a conference. The atmosphere itself is invigorating as teams of tired children's ministry workers pack in-giddy with excitement at the thought of spending quality time with like minded adults. 

          With the full gambit of acronyms (ADD, ADHD, ODD, OCD) and attitudes filling the room, it can be difficult to keep every student's attention. But what if some of the disruptiveness is simply an issue of learning style? For instance, the child that won't stop talking or even reiterates everything said could be a verbal learner-meaning they learn best by repeating or verbalizing the information. 

       I have recently become bothered when hearing people refer to christian children as the "church of tomorrow" or "the future of the church." I know they probably mean to say that children are the future leaders of the church (and I hate to get all semantical) however, if taken at face value, it sets the wrong view for the impact of believing children. 

"Teens are a lost generation."

          I don't believe this to be true but I have heard this statement many times. The term "lost" in this regard is to say they are unreachable or worse, unsalvageable. The truth is, they aren't lost and definitely not unsalvageable.

          “You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry.  

          How then can we be saved?  All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:5-6

After reading this passage, the only thing I can say is TGfJ- Thank God for Jesus!

          It’s been awhile since I’ve read this passage but for some reason these two words keep coming to my mind, “filthy rags.” It is my opinion that one of the worst smells ever is the stagnant stench of a dirty, moist, on the verge of mold dish rag. This stench radiates from the rag like a dead animal. Now that’s pleasant!

White Water Rafting is one of those activities that is classified as both exhilarating and stupid. Seriously, the scariest part is what you’ve paid to experience. 

It is a “must add” for your bucket list.

     When faced with a decision do you find yourself reciting a list of reasons why you should or shouldn't?  A rap sheet of circumstances that have maybe always been present but suddenly incapacitate ones ability to continue? To plead your case before a jury of your peers with an exhaustive yet highly impressive list of reasons, excuses, and circumstances?

“You’ve Lost Your Muchness...” 

          In the new rendition of Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), told Alice (Mia Wasikowska) that she had, “lost her muchness.” She was, “much muchier before.”  I love that phrase. I know this movie has been out for a while but I still think of these lines from time to time and can’t shake the teachable point to this poignant phrase.

      Lately, I have encountered an alarming number of people in whom I was surprised to discover that they profess to be Christians. I am not claiming to be a perfect example of Christ and therefore worthy to cast judgement on their moral character and salvation. I'm just saying that in many months of interaction with these individuals, it was not evident by their speech, their actions nor their character that they have the Spirit of our Holy God dwelling in them.

          The story of Mary and Martha gets my feathers ruffled because usually, at some point in the interpretation/application process, Martha is being “condemned” for her actions. I mean, come on, wasn’t she using her spiritual gift of hospitality and her love language of acts of kindness? And I still maintain that if Mary had gotten up and helped Martha, they both would have had the opportunity to sit at the feet of Jesus.  Where’s the three point sermon on that? 

This past week I had the privilege of being part of a discussion panel at a local Bible College. Thirty plus pastors and youth leaders converged on this small Ohio campus in an attempt to answer the following questions:

One of the most challenging and often times intimidating concepts to teach children is their need to be reborn after the pattern of Christ. One Sunday morning in the middle of my lesson, God gave me a revelation to use playdoh and cookie cutters. This illustration has proven to be very effective for every age. The illustration goes something like this:  

          On the sidelines of my son’s soccer game I had the privilege of getting reacquainted with friend. We worked at a church camp together one summer and have had few opportunities to get together since. The last time we spoke, she and her husband were part of a new church plant and they were excited that he was asked to preach. With this having preceded our current conversation, you can imagine my surprise when she told me that her husband had just been saved. 

Have you ever walked into a room where the odor was so pungent it took your breath but the longer you stayed the less you notice it? Or you keep trying a food that isn’t pleasing to your palette but the more you eat it the more you come to like it? Maybe you hear a word or phrase so much that not only are you no longer shocked by it but you don’t even really hear it anymore.