Two Worlds

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being in KidzBlast. We played a fun game, worshipped with gusto, talked about Haiti; especially about the kids in Haiti, watched a cool object lesson, took an offering for Convoy of Hope, and prayed. I was amazed by the interest our kids had in just talking about this country and the tragedy that has occurred there. I can't remember a Sunday that they were so captivated by what was going on up on the stage and seriously - all I did was stand up there and talk. I talked about what it means to have Hope; hope that one day our relationship with Jesus means that we will spend forever with Him. It was a very profound service. One that reminded me how deep and impressionable kids can be at times. Before we broke up into small groups to learn more about the customs of Haiti, we broke into small groups to pray. In my group of 2nd graders, I had a first time visitor lead out in prayer for the people who are hurting and need food and water. I felt privileged to stand in that prayer circle.

Last night late, I gained a niece. My big brother and his wife are housing a little girl from Haiti for medical treatment. I'm not sure what the future holds for Jason, Jennie, the boys and their sweet Bernie, but God does. This morning as I was looking at pictures of Bernie for the first time, the reality of her situation hit me. She was in Haiti and experienced the earthquake and now she is being held in Jennie's arms...a world away. She is one of those children that my kids here at Bethel lifted up in prayer yesterday morning. We prayed that God would provide for children like Bernie, heal them, and make a way for them to meet Jesus. God is good...even though I haven't hugged my new little niece yet, I feel His goodness so strongly as these two worlds collided last night in our family.

Haiti: Learning, Praying and Giving

Parents, this Sunday January 24th we will pausing from our previously scheduled lesson to take some time to learn more about, pray for, and take a special offering that will go through BGMC to help Haiti. I will also be taking some time to talk about the earthquake with the kids. When global tragedy happens, it is not uncommon for kids to wonder why God would allow something like that to happen. I am going to speak to that, helping our kids understand what God's Word has to say about it. We will also specifically target some areas to pray for; including prayer for our Assemblies of God missionaries that are currently working there, and Convey of Hope; another AG work that is in the heart of this disaster working hard to meet needs.

You can help me out in this endeavor by preparing your kids for the special offering that we will take. Our kids have been doing a great job tithing and bringing in their Buddy Barrels for BGMC. Let them know this week that we have a special project to give to, and that Buddy needs to be extra full!

Please spread the word about this special Sunday!

The latest

I have to admit, that even though I'm not a proponent of getting sucked into Holiday busy-ness, it happened to some degree in my life this year around. Part of that was the fact that my family and I moved a week before Christmas. Just across town, mind you, but still - I do not recommend this! We threw our tree up and a couple of sparse decorations on the 20th amidst unpacked boxes and clutter. Then one week later took off for St. Louis, MO to spend a week with my family. We had a great time, but the consequence? The tree is still up in my living room as I write. I'm hoping to get it all put away tonight, and put the final touches on decorating our house with pictures and such to finish making our house into a home.

Enough about the Peters! What I'm really excited about is that there is some great things going on in our Children's Ministry. On January 1st we launched a Bible Reading Plan for all children birth - 6th grade. By December 31st 2010, as a Children's Ministry Family we will have read through the New Testament. Today is January 7th. If you haven't started with us, it's not too late! It's roughly one chapter a day, with some chapters split up. My hope is that you will take this time as a family to read the Word together. Pick up a copy with instructions at the Info Center next time you are at church.

Another exciting thing that we rolled out this week was our new BethelGirls Club. We had a great group of girls last night Kindergarten through 4th grade. We rotated through groups learning Scripture, eating snacks, participating in fun activities and crafts. The girls seemed to really enjoy it; and I think the adults had fun too!

On Sunday in KidzBlast we are starting a new unit to usher in the Winter Olympics called "Winter Extreme." Your kids won't want to miss it. And in Club56 we will begin walking through some very important foundations of our church's doctrine - in a fun way, of course!

I'm looking forward to all that God is doing in our Kid's already this year.