Tonight’s Kids Club was a little rougher than usual … particularly for one little guy.
Let’s called him Bobby. Bobby came in yelling, “That woman cussed me out! That woman cussed me out so I cussed her out!” And again and again, “That woman cussed me out so I’m gonna punch her in the face! That woman cussed me out! I don’t even know that woman!”
As he was yelling, another one of the little girls tried to explain to me, “He’s a bad kid.”
So I went over, knelt down, and held him. “God loves you, Bobby. I’m sorry that the woman wasn’t very nice to you.” I spoke gently to him, and he slowly calmed down. “God loves you so much, Bobby! So much!” As I prayed for him, I felt the peace of the Lord come over him and around us.
His dad walked by as we were talking, and simply told me, “He’s a bad kid.”
I could see the anger well up in Bobby as his own dad spoke the identity over him (for the second time in just a few minutes) that he is a bad kid. Maybe Bobby believes that he’s a bad kid because he’s heard it so many times.
I quickly responded to Bobby’s father, “Oh, no. You’ve got yourself a great son here! He’s a great kid.”
Not much longer, Bobby decided to drop a glass off of the second floor onto the area in front of the gate right where the kids walk into the playground. It shattered, and he ran. After chasing him down, I made him clean it up. (I’m sure I looked really cool, running after a seven year old … don’t you wish you could watch a video of that?)
After getting in trouble for a few other things, I decided to send Bobby back home and told him to come back next week.
So Bobby decided to beat the fence with a stick. I was afraid to walk near him because he was waving the stick around with such anger. He ran away before I could talk with him. It seemed like Bobby was used to getting into trouble.
The problem is not that Bobby is a bad kid. The problem is not his anger. That’s just the fruit of the root issue. Why is Bobby so angry? Why does he act out? He is so wounded, so broken.
Jesus, please heal his wounds!! You’re the only one who can make him whole.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
worship :: defined
After experiencing a month and a half of transitions, I am proud to announce that I am back in the swing of things! I actually feel like a new person.
Here is what has been going on with me since August 4th. I went to Thailand for three weeks, came back and moved out of my house 3 days later, then into my new apartment 2 weeks after that (I was kinda homeless for a couple of weeks), all the while planning for the first week of our Fall season of Kids Club which all went down last week.
Whew.
Did I mention that I don’t really love transitions?
But I survived. And now I’m in a great new apartment with 2 really sweet roommates, and we’re right by the Chatahoochie River. It is such a gift from the Lord to be able to come home from a busy day into a peaceful environment. Thank You, Lord!
So now that I can breathe again, I’m taking some time to reflect on the victories that I’ve experienced in ministry over the past few days.
The first week of Kids Club was a blast! There were about 80 kids total, several of which were new to us.
The whole theme of the week was “On Earth as it is in Heaven.” We shared with the kids about the way Jesus taught His disciples to pray.
But we didn’t just teach the kids to pray a nice little prayer. We taught them that Jesus’ life on earth was a beautiful picture of Heaven on Earth, and so we can expect Heaven to invade Earth because we are also God’s children living here on Earth.
The kids made crowns to represent how they are God’s royal family here on Earth, and that they are a part of the Kingdom of Heaven here.
They absolutely loved decorating their crowns! I’ve never seen so much glitter glue globbed on such a small space. I found glitter glue and sequins in my car, on my bed, on my clothes, and in my hair after Kids Club was long over. Talk about taking your work home with you!
It’s almost like the kids stay with me even when I’m away from them. I really love that.
One of the coolest things that happened at Kids Club last week was when I was trying to get the kids excited about worship before our worship leaders came out. It went something like this:
Me: “Are y’all ready to worship?!?”
Most kids: “YEAH!!!”
One of the New Kids: “What’s worship?”
Me: “Great question! What is worship, guys?”
One of the Teen Guys: “LOVE!”
Me: “Yeah! And who do we love when we worship?”
Another Child: “GOD!”
Did you notice how the kids defined worship?
WORSHIP IS LOVING GOD.
That definition came from a bunch of street kids. And that definition was followed by such a pure and passionate time of worship with the kids.
They are responding to the Lord’s love for them with love for Him.
“We love because He first loved us.” - 1 John 4:19
Here is what has been going on with me since August 4th. I went to Thailand for three weeks, came back and moved out of my house 3 days later, then into my new apartment 2 weeks after that (I was kinda homeless for a couple of weeks), all the while planning for the first week of our Fall season of Kids Club which all went down last week.
Whew.
Did I mention that I don’t really love transitions?
But I survived. And now I’m in a great new apartment with 2 really sweet roommates, and we’re right by the Chatahoochie River. It is such a gift from the Lord to be able to come home from a busy day into a peaceful environment. Thank You, Lord!
So now that I can breathe again, I’m taking some time to reflect on the victories that I’ve experienced in ministry over the past few days.
The first week of Kids Club was a blast! There were about 80 kids total, several of which were new to us.
The whole theme of the week was “On Earth as it is in Heaven.” We shared with the kids about the way Jesus taught His disciples to pray.
But we didn’t just teach the kids to pray a nice little prayer. We taught them that Jesus’ life on earth was a beautiful picture of Heaven on Earth, and so we can expect Heaven to invade Earth because we are also God’s children living here on Earth.
The kids made crowns to represent how they are God’s royal family here on Earth, and that they are a part of the Kingdom of Heaven here.
They absolutely loved decorating their crowns! I’ve never seen so much glitter glue globbed on such a small space. I found glitter glue and sequins in my car, on my bed, on my clothes, and in my hair after Kids Club was long over. Talk about taking your work home with you!
It’s almost like the kids stay with me even when I’m away from them. I really love that.
One of the coolest things that happened at Kids Club last week was when I was trying to get the kids excited about worship before our worship leaders came out. It went something like this:
Me: “Are y’all ready to worship?!?”
Most kids: “YEAH!!!”
One of the New Kids: “What’s worship?”
Me: “Great question! What is worship, guys?”
One of the Teen Guys: “LOVE!”
Me: “Yeah! And who do we love when we worship?”
Another Child: “GOD!”
Did you notice how the kids defined worship?
WORSHIP IS LOVING GOD.
That definition came from a bunch of street kids. And that definition was followed by such a pure and passionate time of worship with the kids.
They are responding to the Lord’s love for them with love for Him.
“We love because He first loved us.” - 1 John 4:19
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thailand ...
Like any other country that I have visited, the thing that I loved most about Thailand was not the cool touristy places that I visited, or the city itself, or even the awesome Thai street food. For me, it’s always about the people.
The NightLight staff and volunteers that I met are a beautiful representation of God’s unconditional love. They don’t put a limit on the way they love people. No one has to become a Christian first, or act respectfully to earn love from these people.
I saw this in the way they loved a 12 year old boy who showed up to NightLight wearing a dress. This young child has been in pornographic videos, and is confused about his gender identity.
What would you do if a child like that showed up at your door?
I got the privilege of getting to see the NightLight staff and volunteers love this child so well. They took him in, gave him boy clothes to wear, and they are letting him live with some of the staff, taking care of him constantly. And they simply speak truth over him, saying:
“God loves you so much!”
“You are a son of God.”
“You are going to be a strong man of God.”
He would go from person to person wanting to be held and loved on. He would hold my hand and want to play with my hair. He fell asleep as I scratched his back. And if you know the Ward family at all, you know that we believe firmly that back scratches are some of the best things in life.
This child just needs the love of the Father. I’m not saying that it will be easy to love him, but I am saying that it’s that simple.
Many girls who start working at NightLight’s jewelry business do not know the Lord when they start, but it doesn’t take long for them to know His love.
One of the things that blessed my heart the most in being here was worshipping with the girls. Each morning before they start their work day, the 80 jewelry makers and the NightLight staff gather for worship. I cried every morning.
Women who had previously been for sale were now lifting their hands up to the Lord. Hearts that were previously abused by countless men were now surrendered to the Lord. The women who led worship had never stepped foot in a church, but you would think that they had been worship leaders their whole lives. My heart responded each morning with thankfulness. What a beautiful thing to get to experience!
I hear a lot of horrible statistics about women and children in the sex industry. But here’s the thing. We should never be overwhelmed with the magnitude of the enemy’s ways. The Lord’s light is brighter than the enemy’s darkness. Darkness is nothing to be afraid of when you are overflowing with the presence of the Lord. Instead, darkness should be afraid of YOU because you are a representative of the King of Glory.
It was such an honor to get to spend time with Annie, the CEO and founder of NightLight. She is such a beautiful, strong woman of faith. She simply listens to the Lord, trusts Him, and follows Him. She doesn’t just talk a big game.
The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power. And the Kingdom of God is advancing the Kingdom of darkness in Bangkok because there are people who simply believe that God is powerful.
I loved getting to be a part of the NightLight culture in Bangkok over the past three weeks. It strengthens and encourages me to get to be a part of an organization that fearlessly lives out scripture and walks in obedience to the Lord.
The NightLight staff and volunteers that I met are a beautiful representation of God’s unconditional love. They don’t put a limit on the way they love people. No one has to become a Christian first, or act respectfully to earn love from these people.
I saw this in the way they loved a 12 year old boy who showed up to NightLight wearing a dress. This young child has been in pornographic videos, and is confused about his gender identity.
What would you do if a child like that showed up at your door?
I got the privilege of getting to see the NightLight staff and volunteers love this child so well. They took him in, gave him boy clothes to wear, and they are letting him live with some of the staff, taking care of him constantly. And they simply speak truth over him, saying:
“God loves you so much!”
“You are a son of God.”
“You are going to be a strong man of God.”
He would go from person to person wanting to be held and loved on. He would hold my hand and want to play with my hair. He fell asleep as I scratched his back. And if you know the Ward family at all, you know that we believe firmly that back scratches are some of the best things in life.
This child just needs the love of the Father. I’m not saying that it will be easy to love him, but I am saying that it’s that simple.
Many girls who start working at NightLight’s jewelry business do not know the Lord when they start, but it doesn’t take long for them to know His love.
One of the things that blessed my heart the most in being here was worshipping with the girls. Each morning before they start their work day, the 80 jewelry makers and the NightLight staff gather for worship. I cried every morning.
Women who had previously been for sale were now lifting their hands up to the Lord. Hearts that were previously abused by countless men were now surrendered to the Lord. The women who led worship had never stepped foot in a church, but you would think that they had been worship leaders their whole lives. My heart responded each morning with thankfulness. What a beautiful thing to get to experience!
I hear a lot of horrible statistics about women and children in the sex industry. But here’s the thing. We should never be overwhelmed with the magnitude of the enemy’s ways. The Lord’s light is brighter than the enemy’s darkness. Darkness is nothing to be afraid of when you are overflowing with the presence of the Lord. Instead, darkness should be afraid of YOU because you are a representative of the King of Glory.
It was such an honor to get to spend time with Annie, the CEO and founder of NightLight. She is such a beautiful, strong woman of faith. She simply listens to the Lord, trusts Him, and follows Him. She doesn’t just talk a big game.
The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power. And the Kingdom of God is advancing the Kingdom of darkness in Bangkok because there are people who simply believe that God is powerful.
I loved getting to be a part of the NightLight culture in Bangkok over the past three weeks. It strengthens and encourages me to get to be a part of an organization that fearlessly lives out scripture and walks in obedience to the Lord.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Celebrating Summer
It’s hard to believe that the Kid’s Club for the summer has already come to an end. It’s time to rejoice in all that the Lord has done over the past 8 weeks, and start looking toward all that the Lord has in store for the fall.
This summer, we have had a total of 170 kids come to our Kid’s Clubs.
That’s 170 children who are understanding that they fit in God’s heart, and that God loves them deeply, and how He wants their hearts to be clean and full of all the wonderful things He has to say to them.
That would be 170 little ears that have heard about who they are - sons and daughters of God, the KING. They’re royalty, and they love it. They might actually be catching onto how to treat each other like royalty, about how to honor each other.
There are 170 kids who now know a secret to living in freedom from the chains of injustice – FORGIVENESS. We helped the kids make paper chains one week that symbolized the mean things that people had done or said to them. And then we literally wrapped the chains around all of the kids, and they broke out of them as they shouted, “I forgive you!” It was a beautiful picture of what we've been praying for these kids for a while now.
We shared with these 170 that they are the light in the world around them.
And we finished up our last week by celebrating the Lord with them. They are developing hearts full of praise for the Lord. I wish you could have seen them. They were shaking the shakers that they made, dancing, and singing as we worshiped God together.
Have I ever mentioned that I love my job?
And now we get to plan for even greater things for the fall. We’re hoping to be able to have something a little more age-appropriate designed for the junior high and high schoolers.
We’re hoping to get the families more involved by sending home scripture and such with the kids so they can have tools to share what they’re learning with their families.
We’re hoping to design a curriculum with the things that we have already done, and will be doing with the kids.
We have high hopes because the Lord has already done great things. We have high hopes because the Lord is going before us. We have high hopes because it’s the Lord who is at the heart of this. He’s the one downloading strategy and ideas. He’s the one with all the love and patience and authority.
It’s so cool that we get to be a part of what God is doing. SO COOL.
I love my job.
This summer, we have had a total of 170 kids come to our Kid’s Clubs.
That’s 170 children who are understanding that they fit in God’s heart, and that God loves them deeply, and how He wants their hearts to be clean and full of all the wonderful things He has to say to them.
That would be 170 little ears that have heard about who they are - sons and daughters of God, the KING. They’re royalty, and they love it. They might actually be catching onto how to treat each other like royalty, about how to honor each other.
There are 170 kids who now know a secret to living in freedom from the chains of injustice – FORGIVENESS. We helped the kids make paper chains one week that symbolized the mean things that people had done or said to them. And then we literally wrapped the chains around all of the kids, and they broke out of them as they shouted, “I forgive you!” It was a beautiful picture of what we've been praying for these kids for a while now.
We shared with these 170 that they are the light in the world around them.
And we finished up our last week by celebrating the Lord with them. They are developing hearts full of praise for the Lord. I wish you could have seen them. They were shaking the shakers that they made, dancing, and singing as we worshiped God together.
Have I ever mentioned that I love my job?
And now we get to plan for even greater things for the fall. We’re hoping to be able to have something a little more age-appropriate designed for the junior high and high schoolers.
We’re hoping to get the families more involved by sending home scripture and such with the kids so they can have tools to share what they’re learning with their families.
We’re hoping to design a curriculum with the things that we have already done, and will be doing with the kids.
We have high hopes because the Lord has already done great things. We have high hopes because the Lord is going before us. We have high hopes because it’s the Lord who is at the heart of this. He’s the one downloading strategy and ideas. He’s the one with all the love and patience and authority.
It’s so cool that we get to be a part of what God is doing. SO COOL.
I love my job.
Monday, July 12, 2010
FRUIT
The Lord is so faithful. He doesn’t have to show us the fruit from the seeds we’re planting, but He has chosen to bless us by letting us see that what He’s doing through us is actually producing fruit.
Here are a few little pieces of fruit that we’ve seen:
There’s this one little girl – maybe about 7 or 8 years old – that has been coming regularly to our Kid’s Club. When asked about what she had learned after the second week in Kid’s Club, she responded by saying she learned that Jesus can make our hearts clean, and that “it felt so good” to give the yucky things in her heart to Jesus.
THAT’S FRUIT. She’s learning more about who Jesus is – the one who washes us clean.
On week five, we used a balloon to demonstrate that our words have a lot of power to either make people’s hearts get bigger, or deflate them. So after the lesson, the team members helped the kids pray for one other and write down encouraging words for others.
One particular team member led a couple of kids in praying for and encouraging each other, and then asked, “How do you think the Lord wants to encourage me?” So one of the little boys prayed for her and told her that he thought God wanted her to know that she is a princess, because she is a daughter of the King, and He loves her. WOW!! And that came from the mouth of a child (about 9 years old).
THAT’S FRUIT. Not only is this child beginning to see that HE a son of God the King, but he is also teaching other people about their identity in Father God.
As we arrived at one of our ministry sites one afternoon, one of our team members was carrying on a casual conversation with one of the little girls. The team member was asking how her parents were doing, and the girl responded by saying, “They’re trusting in God.”
THAT’S FRUIT! We’ve been praying and praying that these kids would be the agents of change in their families and communities, and now we’re seeing that they really are taking what they have learned during their time with us back home to their families.
“Oh how my soul praises the Lord!” (Luke 1:46)
It is surely a joy to be a part of the planting, and also getting to see the seeds of truth GROW in these kids’ hearts.
“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:7
Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers and being such a faithful Father.
“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22,23
Here are a few little pieces of fruit that we’ve seen:
There’s this one little girl – maybe about 7 or 8 years old – that has been coming regularly to our Kid’s Club. When asked about what she had learned after the second week in Kid’s Club, she responded by saying she learned that Jesus can make our hearts clean, and that “it felt so good” to give the yucky things in her heart to Jesus.
THAT’S FRUIT. She’s learning more about who Jesus is – the one who washes us clean.
On week five, we used a balloon to demonstrate that our words have a lot of power to either make people’s hearts get bigger, or deflate them. So after the lesson, the team members helped the kids pray for one other and write down encouraging words for others.
One particular team member led a couple of kids in praying for and encouraging each other, and then asked, “How do you think the Lord wants to encourage me?” So one of the little boys prayed for her and told her that he thought God wanted her to know that she is a princess, because she is a daughter of the King, and He loves her. WOW!! And that came from the mouth of a child (about 9 years old).
THAT’S FRUIT. Not only is this child beginning to see that HE a son of God the King, but he is also teaching other people about their identity in Father God.
As we arrived at one of our ministry sites one afternoon, one of our team members was carrying on a casual conversation with one of the little girls. The team member was asking how her parents were doing, and the girl responded by saying, “They’re trusting in God.”
THAT’S FRUIT! We’ve been praying and praying that these kids would be the agents of change in their families and communities, and now we’re seeing that they really are taking what they have learned during their time with us back home to their families.
“Oh how my soul praises the Lord!” (Luke 1:46)
It is surely a joy to be a part of the planting, and also getting to see the seeds of truth GROW in these kids’ hearts.
“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:7
Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers and being such a faithful Father.
“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22,23
Sunday, June 13, 2010
New Thing
So I guess this is what a leap of faith feels like. To leap from financial security into a position that may or may not pay the bills from month to month, and to leap from knowing what to expect each day at work to not knowing where the Spirit will lead next …. This is so great! I’d rather be moving with the Lord than sitting around with financial security any day. I’ve been praying pretty regularly that the Lord would increase my faith, and well, here I am.
So here’s what my leap looks like: I have decided to leave my wonderful job as a Preschool teacher at Urban Explorers Preschool to work full time for NightLight Atlanta as the Director of Prevention Programming.
NightLight is a faith-based international organization that addresses the issues surrounding human trafficking through prevention, intervention, prayer and discipleship, restoration and educating others about the issue.
NightLight operates in Bangkok, Thailand as a jewelry business (NightLight Design, Co. Ltd) and a non-profit (NightLight Foundation). In the United States, NightLight functions as a 501c3 with branches in Atlanta and Los Angeles.
I’ve been volunteering with NightLight for about six months now and I absolutely love it. I love it because it’s so real. Scripture comes to life as we face this spiritual warfare on such a regular basis.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Isaiah 61:1,2 and Luke 4:18,19)
And now the answers to so many prayers I’ve prayed for those in bondage and for my role in their freedom are now coming together. Here’s what I see happening: I see the children that we work with coming into the Kingdom of God and bringing their whole neighborhoods and families along with them into the Kingdom. It’s a beautiful thing to picture!
Here’s the thing: These kids’ world is full of darkness now. Things might seem a little impossible to change to some people. But here’s the cool thing: God can create something out of nothing. He can create hope where there was despair. He can heal brokenness. He truly is a Redeemer. No one is past the point of redemption. I believe that. And I know that He is going to be a Mighty Savior to these children. And I believe the children born into darkness are going to be the agents of change and hope not only for their families and communities, but for this city. Salvation is on its way … Get ready, Atlanta!!! The Kingdom is here!
My new job is to pour into these children. I think that is the best thing ever.
In addition to learning how to effectively bring the Good News to these precious kids (who are going to become the next leaders in the Kingdom!!!), I also have to learn a lot about raising financial support to make it all possible. Anyone interested in becoming a part of this ministry by supporting me? I would LOVE to know if you are.
There are two ways to support me financially: online or by writing a check. To give online, visit www.nightlightinternational.com and click on the bottom right-hand tab labeled "GIVE." Once you've entered in a US dollar amount, be sure to click on the drop box and select "NightLight Atlanta." Checks can also be mailed to NightLight International, PO Box 74850, Los Angeles, CA 90004. Be sure to earmark checks “Atlanta.” All donations are tax deductible.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite verses these days:
“The One who is in you is GREATER than the one who is in the world.” - 1 John 4:4
LOVE and BLESSINGS
So here’s what my leap looks like: I have decided to leave my wonderful job as a Preschool teacher at Urban Explorers Preschool to work full time for NightLight Atlanta as the Director of Prevention Programming.
NightLight is a faith-based international organization that addresses the issues surrounding human trafficking through prevention, intervention, prayer and discipleship, restoration and educating others about the issue.
NightLight operates in Bangkok, Thailand as a jewelry business (NightLight Design, Co. Ltd) and a non-profit (NightLight Foundation). In the United States, NightLight functions as a 501c3 with branches in Atlanta and Los Angeles.
I’ve been volunteering with NightLight for about six months now and I absolutely love it. I love it because it’s so real. Scripture comes to life as we face this spiritual warfare on such a regular basis.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Isaiah 61:1,2 and Luke 4:18,19)
And now the answers to so many prayers I’ve prayed for those in bondage and for my role in their freedom are now coming together. Here’s what I see happening: I see the children that we work with coming into the Kingdom of God and bringing their whole neighborhoods and families along with them into the Kingdom. It’s a beautiful thing to picture!
Here’s the thing: These kids’ world is full of darkness now. Things might seem a little impossible to change to some people. But here’s the cool thing: God can create something out of nothing. He can create hope where there was despair. He can heal brokenness. He truly is a Redeemer. No one is past the point of redemption. I believe that. And I know that He is going to be a Mighty Savior to these children. And I believe the children born into darkness are going to be the agents of change and hope not only for their families and communities, but for this city. Salvation is on its way … Get ready, Atlanta!!! The Kingdom is here!
My new job is to pour into these children. I think that is the best thing ever.
In addition to learning how to effectively bring the Good News to these precious kids (who are going to become the next leaders in the Kingdom!!!), I also have to learn a lot about raising financial support to make it all possible. Anyone interested in becoming a part of this ministry by supporting me? I would LOVE to know if you are.
There are two ways to support me financially: online or by writing a check. To give online, visit www.nightlightinternational.com and click on the bottom right-hand tab labeled "GIVE." Once you've entered in a US dollar amount, be sure to click on the drop box and select "NightLight Atlanta." Checks can also be mailed to NightLight International, PO Box 74850, Los Angeles, CA 90004. Be sure to earmark checks “Atlanta.” All donations are tax deductible.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite verses these days:
“The One who is in you is GREATER than the one who is in the world.” - 1 John 4:4
LOVE and BLESSINGS
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