Why I Love Working In The Nursery

One of the opportunities I cherish is the opportunity to invest in the lives of young children. The first time I saw the precious response of a toddler to a truth in God’s word, I was hooked! Countless times I have witnessed the comfort of a distressed young child by familiar songs of praise. I don’t take this opportunity lightly because I know God is entrusting me with something very dear to Him.

Matthew 19:13-15 says, “One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could lay His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him. But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”  And He placed His hands on their heads and blessed them before He left.”

Wow! I think God considers time spent with children the closest thing to heaven on earth!

Matthew 18:1-5&10 say, “About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them.  Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming Me.  “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my Heavenly Father.”

Double Wow!! If our Lord and Savior compared His Kingdom to a little child in this way, what an honor we have to serve Him by tenderly loving and caring for these sweet children while we are on earth.

What if you decided to accept the invitation to serve in our church nursery as a response to the example of Christ tenderly calling a child to Himself.  What if you welcomed and held an infant or toddler and looked into his or her eyes and realized you just welcomed the Lord Jesus Christ?

There is no question as to why I love serving in the nursery! Join me….won’t you?

Tina Laubscher

A "Tired" Lesson

Last month my sister in Kentucky let me know she had plans to visit our brother in West Virginia at the end of the month.  She wanted me to come too.  We try to get together for a few days every summer, and this was our chance!  So I started making plans to go.

Larry had a look at my tires and suggested I get some new ones on the front before my trip.  You know—safety and all that.  So I got new tires on Monday, June 25.  On Wednesday, June 27, I set out for West Virginia.  I have to tell you, it was a lovely trip.  Every time I head into the mountains, I am struck by their beauty.  What passes for mountains around here just doesn’t quite measure up to those vast expanses of green with no houses marring their tops.  I went through the big tunnels on I-77 and got onto the WV turnpike.  (There are a lot of jokes about the turnpike, but we’ll skip them for now.)   

I was sailing blithely along, enjoying the drive, when I heard an unusual noise at my window.  Since I didn’t see anything alarming, and the temperature gauge was ok, I kept moving.  When I got to my brother’s house, over an hour—and many miles—later, I was astonished to see a huge bubble on one of my front tires—one of my new front tires. 

 I found a local business that had the tire I needed, and the next day my brother took time off work to follow me in his car in case I had a blowout. On the way to meet him, I had to go over some winding, mountainous roads.  It could have been a scary drive---ok, I’ll be honest:  It was a scary drive. 

I have been doing the Wednesday evening Bible study called “When Life is Hard.”  We’ve been studying about trials and about looking for what God might be teaching us in difficult times.  I don’t know when I’ve been in a position to trust God for safety in a more real way than I was in that drive to get my tire replaced.  The awareness that the tire could blow at any moment was almost paralyzing.  I just kept remembering God’s goodness and faithfulness.  I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I prayed all the way. Even after I picked up my sister-in-law to ride along with me, I kept recounting how I was trusting God to get me there.

The men at the tire place were great! I love doing business in little towns.  They joked with me and pretended they were going to charge extra for the tire, but when one of them rolled the defective tire into the room where I was waiting, he was completely serious.  “You are very lucky you got here.”  “Don’t you think God was with her?” said my sister-in-law. 

This is not the first time I’ve had car troubles when traveling alone. I believe I have learned—again—that I can trust God in any situation. I do realize that he, not a new set of tires, is my source of safety.  I pray I don’t have another such lesson any time soon, but if I do, I have this experience to give me faith and courage.

--Sherry Poff

LET FREEDOM RING

I love Independence Day, flags, fireworks, parades, picnics, John Phillips Sousa marches, saying the pledges, and a "few good men" if you know what I mean! ;) 

Everything about our country stirs within me a sense of pride, nostalgia and usually tears. I'm thankful for the men who stood up for freedom in 1776 and signed their names to a document that would establish the foundation for what would one day become "...the land that I love." I get chills when I picture the scene as they rang what we know now as the "Liberty Bell" so that the people would know, "You are now free!" I'm thankful for the men and women who have fought to maintain that freedom every day since. 

As I think about the freedom that I enjoy as an American, I can't help but think about the freedom I have as a Christian. I am no longer slave to sin. Nothing is holding me back from the abundant life that Jesus came to give. He has given me His nature, His truth, His Holy Spirit. Wow! I want to sign my new name really big like John Hancock did (so the king could see it without spectacles) so that others can see without straining what Christ has done. I want others to know and experience a burden lifted and sin wiped clean. I want them to know that..."It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Gal. 5:1 I want to proclaim the truth so that others may be free. I want to "...let freedom ring..."

~Rebecca Phillips