What children need most

> WHAT CHILDREN NEED MOST written Oct.15 08
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> What do children need most? How do we as parents, significant adults and teachers give them what they need? When we are in Biblical ministry we don't do the work alone, God desires us to allow Him to minister through us. God calls us to remember that we will only be able to fulfill those things that really matter as we spend time with Him, John 15:5.
> What children need most is what we all need most... God's love. We can extend God's love and compassion to children by accepting those who are sick, hurting, hungry and yes even naughty.
> How can we express compassion to children? We can pray for them and with them. We can earnestly take their needs to our heavenly Father. We can provide compassion through a loving touch, a pat on the head, a rub on the back, a hug, a cuddle. We can do so by refraining from loosing our temper, yelling, using words that curse and do not bless. Jesus prayed for and physically touched those who others deemed unimportant.
> Spending time with children an important way we show them God's love. We can spend time eating, playing, reading a book, or just walking with them. What we do is less important than the fact that we are actually just being with them. Make time to be with them as you are able.
> Paul says God's love is patient. When we show patience to children our actions and speech honor them with a special gift from God. This is true of all the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). Love them all the same; the compliant, the whiner, the crier, the challenged, the disobedient, the fearful, the shy, the beautiful. Ask God how you can be His loving hands extending a fruit of righteousness to that specific child. When we invite God to work through us He enables us to accomplish these things

Give honor where honor is due.

Last night at RHK, Feb. 23, was a very special night. I started with a continuation of the promises of God. This time I also used the conversation hearts that had the words about Jesus on them. Each child came up and took one and I or they read it and then said what it meant to them. I was blessed to hear their comments, it showed their special relationship with Jesus. The four helper teenagers even were excited on the words that theirs said. For several I could see that the words on them were prophetic. Wow.
Then one of my team, I have been mentoring her since she came in Nov. 07, had a surprise for me and for another member of our team. This woman has been with RHK for 11 years, she was there at the very beginning, as a student herself, and is now been helping for several years. The look on her face to be honored like that was great. I also was honored as being there for 5 years. As our Exec director says, "Diane came here to train and to help out, and she is still here doing the same." I am so blessed to be the leader of this group. I am always blessed for all that God gives me in teaching and training up these intercity children. This to me is amazing to be with a ministry especially intercity, with yes, there is a lot of stress involved, but also the Holy Spirit.. being my everything. I know that this is also my training ground. God told me years ago everything that I have told you to do, and you have done Diane, is to prepare you for the next thing. So I do not know what God has in store, but I am not going until He tells me to. It is so important to remember that you are continually hearing the voice of God. You want to be where God wants you to be.

Baptism of Jesus

Sunday the 20th of Feb. at RC the lesson was on Jesus baptism. I used figures of people, pan of water, a little plastic dove, my deep voice to represent God saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. After this I told them these figures could be used to represent them being baptized. I put on some soaking music, song In the Cool of the Day, and after sometime some of the children started to get up and walk around the room, which is what the song talks about walking hand in hand with Jesus. The Lord reminded me that earlier when I was soaking in the room getting it ready for the children, that I would start to see different ways that the children would respond to His presence. After sometime one little girl came up to the water and wanted to be baptized. We talked again about what that meant. Then she put her figure in the water and started to pray, this figure was underwater for awhile as she prayed awhile. She was intent and I could see her countenance change. Then she lifted the figure up, and went and spent more time with the Lord soaking. Later a little boy came up and he was baptized too, but this time very quickly. I could tell also that he had been touched but in a different way. A few others just gathered around the water watching. I am learning to key into how each child is responding to the Lord's presence, and especially how some, you do not really see all, but you know they are having an encounter with the Lord.