Second Church Steps

  Friends, it is a little TOO easy to relate to the familiar Noah’s Ark story of Genesis.   However, teaching it to a multi-aged class this Sunday taught me something new.   Noah put his reminder on the ground where he would be able to touch it and to remember that even a seemingly forever-flood comes to an end.    Faithfulness means remembering that God is with us.   God put a reminder in the sky where we can remember to look up, to look around, and to remember that God’s love cannot be overcome by any kind of flood, fears, or sorrow.   It had not occurred to me, until today, that we need to build a reminder for ourselves, too. Like Noah, we know that these days will seem far away by next year.   However, we need to remember that isolation, fear, and tiredness do not last forever; God has set a promise in the sky.    So, I encourage our families to build a touchstone in your house or garden to remind us that God’s hope floats.  ...

Do you remember that everything looks bigger as a child?   My grandfather’s house was on the top of a large hill.  It had a garden when I was growing up; it seemed HUGE to me . He had pear and apple trees.  He grew corn, green beans, lima beans, tomatoes (of course), black eyed peas, and potatoes among other things.   Even though my grandfather was blind, he had been gardening for so long that he knew the plants by touch and how to sow by heart.  My grandfather grew food for his household, our family of 5, the neighbors, and plenty for the freezer .   Gardeners know it’s important to grow a “cover crop,” too.   These crops, like clover and soy beans, replenish the soil with vitamins so that vegetables will grow healthy and strong.   I do not remember my Grandfather growing a “cover crop,” but since he rotated his plants, he may have accomplished the same thing.   Nurturing and replenishing soil, planting seeds and on and ...

I rarely bought baby food for my children when they were young.   Maybe it is because I couldn’t really afford it, but mostly it is because I just gave them a child-sized bite of real food -- whatever I was eating. This bite would be smaller, a bit leaner, a little less salty but it was real food.   When I think of it, that is what I try to do with children and the church. Whether children are playing games, listening to Bible Stories, or participating in a mission/outreach project—I try to be sure that they are having a “child-sized bite” of the life of the church.   Are you gathering food for the Food Pantry?   Let your child select their favorite food to contribute. Are you delivering Christmas gifts to a family? Let your child help wrap them and deliver them. Are you praying for the victims of a natural disaster?   Let your child make a card, pack a bucket of supplies, or lead you in prayer. Children are present and full-members in the body...