Recently I spent a few days in the hospital because I was losing blood. This time gives one the chance to think about things that you’d probably not usually think about. I thought of the hymn “Power in the Blood” and recognized the spiritual truth but also the physical truth of the power in blood. We need blood! The loss of blood left me so weak that I had a hard time walking or getting around. I couldn’t believe how quickly I became tired.

You all know that nothing is free when you’re at the hospital, with one exception—blood! A 99 year old volunteer came to tell us that the 2 units of blood that I was given were received at no cost. To my surprise, the one thing I desperately needed and there was no charge. However, before I received the free units, someone gave a gift of blood, so it was not without cost.

The spiritual application is much like the above scenario. We need Christ’s blood which was shed for us. It is a FREE GIFT to us, but not without cost. Jesus came to give us abundant life and this required His sacrifice of coming as a baby to earth and showing us how to live. Then by His shedding of blood for our sins, we can have life and hope and assurance of life everlasting.

Just like I experienced sickness and weakness from the loss of blood, we too can allow sin into our lives which makes us sick. Sometimes we may recognize we aren’t feeling well, or maybe we know that we are doing things that hurt us. That’s the way it is with sin—it can be the disease that kills us! So we’ve got to go for the cure. That doctor is Jesus who knows what we need.

Prescriptions—yes, pills for this and pills for that with the promise you’ll feel better after taking them. Of course all this comes with a cost. Spiritually there is a cost too! Even though salvation is a free gift it is not without cost. The rich young ruler in Mark chapter 10 had done everything right except giving his all. It may be easy to visit the sick or those in prison, give big amounts for good civic and church projects or even spending much time doing good works. But we need to give everything—our heart and soul to the great physician, the only one who can heal our greatest illness—sin!

Thank God for his plan of salvation to all who believe. There IS power in the blood.

George H. Bonnema

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining the RCYF students and sponsors at Rocky Mountain High. It was very encouraging to see people of all ages who are passionately pursing God’s heart. Throughout this week I was able to witness: the Holy Spirit moving, lots of repentance, students and adults committing and recommitting their lives to Christ, passionate worship times, stories of people making a difference in their schools and communities, students going to bed at a decent time so they could get up to spend time with God, J (wow, huh) radical faith and devotion, and speakers who challenged us to live a life of radical devotion after Rocky.

Many seeds were planted! Now the question is what will happen to those seeds? Will they fall on rocky ground (nice pun J) and develop no roots? Will they be choked out by weeds? Will they fall on fertile ground and produce an abundant harvest?

As youth leaders we met each night to discuss this. We talked about how we need to provide environments where students feel valued and empowered. Places where kids feel inspired to grow in their faith. Places they feel free to make mistakes. Places they feel overwhelmed by grace and mercy as they make mistakes. Places where they feel encouraged to pursue God with radical devotion.

My prayer is that we as a church will do this. The worst thing we can do is mistake passion for immaturity. Our Lord Jesus was a very passionate man. In Scripture we see him show all kinds of emotion and zeal. David, a man after God’s own heart, bared his soul in the psalms. He was a man who made many mistakes but eagerly ran to God after. One cannot read the psalms or about David’s life without seeing passion and authenticity. The best thing we can do as a church is see passion as maturity and embrace it. Not only embrace it but strive after it.

This week convicted me of areas my heart had grown stale. I had two choices. I could have ignored it and acted like I had it all together for the sake of protecting my image or I could acknowledge it, repent, and run after God. I am choosing the later. Thanks students for allowing God to bring conviction and freedom through your lives. Keep the passion; live lives of radical devotion; bring revival!

God Bless You All,

Andy Anderson

This past week Vicki and I spent part of our vacation riding motorcycle in the Black Hills. Keeping in mind Erin’s article from a couple weeks ago, we set out on Monday morning with no other plan or agenda than to ride. We hopped on Highway 244 west; then took Highway 385 south. When we arrived in Custer City, we came to a crossroads which required a choice of three options, either continue south on 385 to Hot Springs, turn left on Highway 16A to Custer State Park, or turn right on Highway 16 which would take us west and then north into Wyoming.

Being unfamiliar with the area, we decided to turn right, and headed west out of town. When we got to the edge of town we encountered something rather unusual; a police car and another car were stopped right in the middle of the highway and the two individuals were just talking to each other. I thought, okay, that’s how they do it “out west” and proceeded to pass by on the side. After accelerating and reaching the speed limit, I looked in my mirror only to find the policeman was following me—with his flashing lights on!

After pulling over, I first thought to myself, oh what a friendly policeman; he wants to visit with me too…NOT! I thought the same thing you would; I thought, what did I do wrong. After getting out of his car, he started walking towards us and he quickly began reassuring me that I had done nothing wrong. He then proceeded to inform us that if we intended to travel into Wyoming we would encounter an eleven mile stretch where they had removed the asphalt surface and it was now loose gravel. He then suggested we take another route, because over the weekend, eleven motorcyclists had “gone down” on the gravel.

I politely thanked him for the warning; he got back in his car, turned around and headed back to town. Then I began thinking to myself, what does he know. And who is he to stop me from enjoying a trip into Wyoming; what’s a little gravel? And as far as the motorcyclists who went down, the poor saps probably just didn’t know how to ride. And so with Vicki pleading with me to turn back, I set out to prove both of them wrong. Nothing’s going to stop me, I thought to myself.

Well, would you know it, we weren’t more than a mile down the gravel road and we wiped out, both of us sliding and rolling down the gravel road. Bumps and bruises and skin being rubbed off like sandpaper removing old paint. Pieces of motorcycle were busted off and laying all over… Okay, wait, stop, back up!! I was just kidding about the last two paragraphs. We really didn’t keep going. Of course we turned around. We were so thankful that the policeman had warned us of the impending danger and so we chose another route and had a very enjoyable ride.

I’m sorry if I startled you, but the whole incident reminded me of the story told in Jeremiah 6:10-19 where God called his people to repent, but they refused (it’s worth reading). Verse sixteen has become a favorite of mine. It goes like this, “This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.”

Although I still lack humility and obedience, I feel I’m growing in submission to the Spirit’s warnings and instructions. I hope you are too. My prayer is that both you and I will faithfully choose to walk where the way is good—where you and I find peace and rest as we follow the way, the truth, and the life. If not, right now would be a great time to turn around.

Grace to you, and peace, Mike

ARC Family…

One project we are currently working on in the Outreach department is to explore the possibility of partnering with other churches and non-profits in the community to open a community outreach center. The source of this vision was God’s prompting to a few different individuals connected with our church. Each of these people felt a deep burden regarding unmet needs in our community and wondered how we might better serve those in difficult circumstances. More and more we are seeing people, especially young families with children and seniors on fixed incomes, who are not able to “make it” due to financial or other personal issues, and though each story is unique and challenging, these scenarios provide great opportunities to share the love of Christ in life-changing ways.

In Matthew 25 Jesus used the parable of the sheep and goats to illustrate the judgment at the end of times…

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

On June 30 we hosted an informational meeting regarding the Community Outreach Center concept. Invited to the meeting were representatives from all churches and non-profits in town as well as the general public. The meeting was held at the former Dollar Store/Grocery Store across the street to the East from Napa Auto Parts, one such building that could possibly fit the mold of what we were discussing. The ARC Youth Band kicked off the meeting with a few songs.

After that we began to identify the general unmet or under-met needs in Rock County and then progressed to a discussion of whether a large community center could help to meet more needs and create better collaboration among existing entities. It was good to hear various perspectives on these issues and questions, and there was a sense that if all churches, non-profits, and other organizations could better work together we could do great things. In the end we decided to continue gathering information about what services are currently offered in the community and create a survey for people accessing such services to allow them to have a voice in the process. We will meet again this Fall to continue this process of learning how to better outreach to “the least of these,” which may or may not involve opening an outreach center in Luverne. Please pray for this process, and your suggestions and feedback are welcome.

Cory Grimm

I am a planner… a list-maker… a detail person… an organizer… maybe even a border-line control freak. I like to know what is going to happen and when. I don’t like loose ends. I can also be flexible and “fly by the seat of my pants”, but it is not my preferred method. Planning and preparing is my forte!

Several weeks ago I received a call in the church office from a youth pastor by the name of Scott, who had heard of our flooding troubles and asked if we could use some help from their youth group during their mission trip. Of course I said “Yes” and asked what their plans were. To my amazement (aka shock, disbelief, temporary horror…) he told me that they did not have a plan. He informed me that they had a dozen people making the trip, but the only plan that they had was to seek God’s will and ask for His guidance as to where He wanted to use them. Wow! They had no plans for food, lodging, work, activities, nothing! I immediately told them that we had plenty of space for them to sleep and newly finished bathrooms, complete with showers, that were available for them to use. Scott shared his appreciation and told me that they would be in prayer over this opportunity to serve. As I hung up the phone my mind did a quick rewind to last summer and the youth mission trip that I had been a part of and all the planning and preparation that went into that trip. I felt convicted over the amount of time spent planning and fund raising and the lack of time spent seeking God’s will and provision!

Well, several days passed and the youth group from Cross Lake Evangelical Free Church arrived at ARC and my planning abilities were in full swing! Whether this group had plans for their stay or not, surely I could bless them with mine. I had made plans and preparations for their first breakfast, invited them to the 50’s Night supper and sought reinforcement from others for future meals. The trouble with my planning was that I didn’t know exactly how long they were going to stay. Monday and Tuesday went off without a hitch, but by Tuesday night I realized that I did not have a plan for breakfast the following morning, nor could I accomplish it on my own because of another commitment. I came to grips with the fact that I would have to tell them that I blew it. Relief came in the form of a text at 7:30 the next morning! Youth Pastor Scott informed me that someone had offered to take them to Vinnie’s for breakfast that morning and so he was hoping that I did not have something prepared at church. Wow! God really does provide; both for those who try to plan and for those who don’t!

As I shared my God-moment with Scott later that day, we talked about how much easier life is when we just submit to God’s plans. He really does have a plan for our lives and good works that he has prepared in advance for us to do! Scott said it reminded him of planning a vacation. When he planned a vacation for his family and the kids were just along for the ride and didn’t know any of the details, they had a great time and everyone experienced things together. But what if the kids had planned their own vacation and their own agenda for the trip. The trip would be filled with disappointment, anger, and frustrations.

What a comparison for life! Proverbs 19:21 says “Many are the plans in a man’s head, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” I have to swallow hard as I write this. I had many plans in my own head for this summer: camping, starting a running club for young girls, leading a Bible study, planting a garden, etc. Good plans! My plans for this summer did not include back surgery and recovery. And while canceling my plan is not my favorite thing to do, I do trust that the Lord’s purpose will prevail. God is good, all the time; and all the time, God is good!

Erin Jacobsma

I was at the clinic with one of the kids last Monday, the 16^th. During the appointment, there was a knock on the door. The staff at the clinic told us we had to head to the basement because of the intense thunderstorm that was due to hit Luverne. I’m not a bad weather lover like some of my friends. (You all know who you are!) I don’t chase storms all over the countryside, but I do like to see what is happening; only because I can’t handle the fear of not knowing what is actually going on. Now, Monday the 16^th happened to be the 22^nd anniversary of the Chandler Tornado and for those of you who didn’t know, I grew up in Chandler. While we were walking to the basement stairway at the clinic, I quickly called home to Kaylie and told her they should go to the basement also. I did the typical mom thing and told her it probably was nothing and not to be scared, “you know what to do and you will be fine.” After that, no cell service as I entered the basement at the hospital. Two of my babies were home in the storm all alone. My husband was in the middle of nowhere loading pigs on a truck. Great! Here I sit in a cold basement hallway with no window. Fear immediately set in, but I couldn’t let people think I was a whimp, and I didn’t want my child to sense the fear that was overcoming every inch of me. There I sat, staring at the wall across from me with my eyes wide open.

Wishing I had just stayed home that afternoon, I wondered what I could do to take my mind off the events. A few minutes later, I found myself informing God that he should make the storm go away. I was scared and I was pleading with him, I was telling him this weather on this day in this place is a very cruel thing, just make it go away. A few moments later, His calm response was, “Be still, I’m right here…everything is going to be alright.” It was in that moment that my skin tingled and the fear quickly turned more to shame. I realized I was informing God of what I thought best for me, rather than asking for him to comfort me and allow myself to just trust Him. I thought of the disciples on the boat during the storm. Was I like them? Was Jesus asking me the same questions he had asked the disciples after he rebuked the storm? “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:39b) Who was I to rebuke God?

While I will never forget the sick feeling deep in my gut on June 16, 1992, I will also never forget the many beautiful lessons I learned at the young age of 10. I learned that God is always faithful and he loves and protects me, no matter what I do or am going through. Another one of those lessons was about helping and loving your neighbor even when you are struggling also. That summer long ago, our house was a terrible mess, but my father was one of the people that took charge of the cleanup organization for the entire community. Last Sunday morning I read one of my friends post on Facebook about how grateful she was for a neighborhood that stuck together to help each other wade through hip deep water in basements and backyards all night long to prevent further damage to properties. The exact opposite of selfishness; unselfishly loving one another and taking care of one another. Trusting that God would continue to take care of them during and after the storm passed.

Twenty-two years later, we talk about the tornado and often comment on the many amazing events and situations that happened because of it. Many of which could have only been orchestrated by our Heavenly Father. All these years later, I think of how God protected my family and my friends. All these years later,       I still know how powerful my God is and how much he loves me. The very same God who created the scary, devastating and even frustrating storm, is the very same God who loves you more than you can even imagine. Turn to Him, He is all you need.

One day, we will look back at the last couple weeks and do the same. While I hope it is truly 100 years till the next flood, let’s be sure to pass on the spirit of unselfish giving to the future generations, even when we have our own trials. Let’s pass on our faith in trusting God even when we are afraid of the storm. Let us not rebuke God for the trial we are going through, but rather trust Him and know our God is so mighty that even the wind and waves obey him!

Grateful for life’s storms, Becky Ossefoort

This has been a wild past week for me and many others due to the weather and flooding. It has made me think about several New Testament prophesies.

[Mat 24:37-39 NASB] “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.” For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

[Luk 21:34-36 NIV] 34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

These passages teach us that prior to Jesus’ return things on Earth will be peaceful, and then “suddenly” things will change very quickly.

I know of some very educated and wealthy people who believe challenging times are coming and are working very hard to “store up” for that day. They don’t know Proverbs 11:4.

[Pro 11:4 NIV] 4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

Ministry leaders also often comment to me that if they hold a financial meeting many will attend but if they hold a prayer gathering very few show. This is very sad and alarming to me. It tells me people are “missing the boat.” (Pun intended.)

The ark of safety we are supposed to be building for our families right now is an intimate relationship with Jesus through His Spirit. This can only be done through humility, knowledge of God, an active prayer life, worship, and stepping out in obedience by faith now. The main reason God asks us to step out in faith today (beyond logic and reason, especially with our finances), is so in “that day” He can protect us. Just like modeling and teaching our kids how to build wealth and manage their finances, we have to model and teach them how to build passion for Jesus and manage their soul.

It takes time to learn to hear the voice of God, to test it, and to know what to do. It is even harder to discern the Lord’s voice during times of crisis because of heightened emotion through chaos. Matthew 24-25 and Hebrews 10:19 through the end of Hebrews reveal to us the principles of how to live by faith and prepare our families for “that day.” These passages aren’t instructing us to build a boat or large savings account. They are encouraging us to build an intimate relationship with Jesus through His Spirit so in “that day” He can protect us. The truth is, if you can’t hear the Lord’s voice in the quiet place now, you aren’t going to be able to discern it when trials come. Are you building this ark for your family? Matthew 25 says you can’t wait.

I confess I realized that if “that day” came soon, we aren’t as prepared as I thought. I need to simplify things so I can respond in a more effective way. Our hearts are “weighed down” by many things of this world. This week many of our loved ones went through difficult times and I wasn’t able to help as much as I desired because so many things got in the way. I also realized I need to prepare my heart and teach future generations of my family how to maintain peace while others may be suffering. Because in this life, I’ve learned it is harder to watch loved ones suffer than to go through it myself.

In Christ’s Love,

Andy Anderson

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to Whitney Elbers and Courtney Fey in winning last week’s math quiz from my article. The correct answer was 1.4 inches of rain fell while I was writing the article. May you be blessed as you savor every bite of your cyclone from JJ’s!

On a more somber note, on Tuesday morning a high school student in Troutdale, Oregon opened fire, killing freshman Emilio Hoffman. Following yet another tragic and senseless school shooting, President Obama responded by saying, “The country has some soul searching on this. This is becoming the norm. Our levels of gun violence are off the charts. There’s no other advanced, developed country on earth that would put up with this. We should be ashamed of the shooting after shooting on our streets and in our schools. We should be ashamed that Congress sits on its hands and does nothing to curb the slaughter.”

In a following interview President Obama said, “Yes mental health is an issue related to violence, and we have to find better ways of dealing with it. But other countries have people with mental illnesses and don’t have shootings on this scale. The United States does not have the monopoly on crazy people. Yet we’re the only developed country that repeatedly has such terrible acts. There’s no place else like this.”

A natural human response in time of tragedy is to find out who, or what, is to blame. After a brief reflection of President Obama’s soul-searching on why we should be ashamed, I believe he has found three reasons for these meaningless deaths. Blame must first be placed on guns. Secondly, the blame rests on Congress whose hands seemed to be stuck under their butts. And then thirdly, but nearly as important as the first two, mental illness is to blame—it’s all those “crazy people” in our society.

Really, really…guns, congress, and mental illness are to blame for Emilio’s death. My first thought is that there must have been something wrong in the heart of the shooter. I believe it was Jesus who said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19)

You know the sobering truth is, when it comes to technology, industry, and military power, America may be an “advanced and developed” country, but when it comes to getting at the heart of why our country is becoming more and more immoral, we rank right at the top with the rest of the “underdeveloped” countries in the world.

All President Obama would’ve had to say in response to the shooting is, “Fellow American’s, according to God’s holy and inspired word in Proverbs 29, ‘Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.’ In other words, if our nation is going to overcome our increase in immorality, our government, our education leaders, and our parents must repent of our spiritual adultery against God and idolatry of self. And I humbly declare, I am ashamed of my leadership, it must begin with me! We must turn our hearts back to God and begin living according to his revealed Word. We must begin to instill in our youngest generation that in order for the glory of God’s kingdom to be established in our land, it begins by having the humility to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love their neighbors as much as they love themselves.”

Well, I’m not sure writing Presidential speeches is for me; however, it is my prayer that you and I would model to this increasingly corrupt world, a heart that is fascinated by Jesus and with a passion to live and love like him.

Deeply saddened, Mike

When I think about all the rain over the past week, there is a sense of delight and gratitude that fills my heart. Although I assumed by the continuous sound of thunder and rain pelting against our bedroom windows last Saturday night that we were receiving a good dose of rain, I was quite surprised Sunday morning to see that we had four inches in the rain gauge. That’s a lot of water—21,742 gallons on my lawn alone!

Well, as I drove to Woodstock last Sunday morning to fill a Classis appointment, I saw the effects of the four inch rain. Many of the creeks quickly filled up as they collected the excess rain water. Cornstalks gathered where the culverts were too small to allow the rain to pass under the road. And what I dislike seeing the most, the excess water eroding deep gullies in the topsoil on certain hillsides.

Isn’t it true that sometimes too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. Although the main point of this article isn’t soil erosion, I would like to thank those area farmers who take careful measures to steward your topsoil well so that future generations can enjoy this great resource. However, it also breaks my heart to see so many hillsides that should either be terraced or not even be farmed. I see so many places where waterways should be wider and where filter strips should be established. I see so many fields where I would guess the landowner has no concern for future generations.

So enough about soil erosion, the question the Spirit brought to mind as I was driving; Mike are you taking intentional steps to make sure your heart is good soil and are you stewarding your life in such a way as to prevent spiritual erosion? (Have you ever noticed how good the Holy Spirit is at asking questions)?

Well, the truth is, during the past two weeks I have really enjoyed working on a couple of projects around our house. So much so that the two projects have been eroding my time spent in the Word and in prayer. As I confessed my idolatry to the Lord, the Spirit brought this scripture passage to mind, “This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. ⁶ They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. ⁷ “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. ⁸ They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

I praise God for how he alerted me to how the good projects I was doing turned out to be eroding my relationship with Him! And how about you, are you taking intentional steps to make sure your heart is good soil and are you stewarding your life in such a way as to prevent spiritual erosion?

May you and I be like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots deep into the waters, so that we will never stop producing fruit.

Grace to you, and peace,   Mike Altena

PS. I thought you might like to know that while I was writing this article, God blessed my lawn with an additional 7,609 gallons of rain. J And so based on the previous information, I will buy any school age person a cyclone from JJ’s if you can tell me how much rain was in my rain gauge.

They are always watching…

It’s been an interesting month at our house. While busy doing chores one day, the skid loader broke. Because of its age, parts were hard to find; which automatically equals expensive. The day I came home with the new cylinders for the skid loader, Josh was in the middle of splitting our tractor in half. Literally! Never a good sign when you can physically walk between the cab and the engine block. The good news is, I married a tractor mechanic and he has a shop.

Josh loves being out in his shop working on other peoples tractors. He claims it isn’t as much fun when it is your own. However, I think he failed to see how much fun this was for our two youngest to watch their Dad fix the tractor they ride in every single day. You see, when Josh is in the shop, AJ and Evan are always right behind him. They find random bolts and nuts and twist them together. (Never parts from the actual tractor being serviced, of course!) When the cherry picker isn’t in use, they are hoisting their bikes, pedal tractor, and other child friendly transportation up for an oil change or some other type of service work. They love to watch and imitate what their daddy does. Grease and all!

Children learn by watching and imitating the things we do. They are quick to pick up on our actions; both good and bad. What do your children see when they watch you? Are you demonstrating yourself as someone who dabbles in your faith or as a passionate follower of Christ?

In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul said “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”

Parents, making disciples is your primary calling and your children are the primary disciples in your life. God has entrusted them to your care, for you to show them how to honor, glorify, and live for Him. God wants us to disciple our children to glorify Him, and no one is better qualified than you!

No one knows or loves your child more than you, so you are the best person for the job. You may feel a bit inadequate, but practice makes perfect. Get in your Bible each day, spend time in prayer and then sit quietly and listen for God to help you and for the Holy Spirit to guide you.

If you are still a bit unsure, study Jesus’ life. Jesus showed the Disciples how to follow God by simply following him for a few years. Jesus made sure the disciples had what they needed, he led them into the world, disciplined them, and taught them righteous living. Jesus didn’t just teach the disciples how to not sin. He was a perfect example of how to live FOR the Father in Heaven, and he is your perfect example of how to show your children do the same.

God isn’t interested in teaching our children behavior modification, but rather complete and total heart transformation. God wants nothing more than your children to seek Him. Be their best example to follow. Let your children see you seeking God by reading your Bible each day. Read the Bible to them and discuss what you read together. Teach them to pray and to listen for God to speak to them. Some of this may be new to you, but use these times of study to grow together. Don’t be afraid to give it a try. We are lifelong learners, and you have the best Teacher available for the job. Just because you can’t see him does not mean he isn’t right beside you helping you.

Watching for my Father’s example,

Becky Ossefoort, Children’s Ministry Coordinator