My uncle, who was a great gospel preacher, was traveling once in California. Preaching there in a gospel meeting, he met, for the first time, the local preacher in that California town. In casual conversation, my uncle learned the story of that young preacher. Raised in a non-religious home, he’d been invited by an elderly lady in his community to attend a Vacation Bible School at the local congregation of the Lord’s church. He had been given a little New Testament as a “prize” for attending the VBS as a visitor. That little boy grew up and married and, as is often the case without the Lord, began experiencing serious marriage problems. Before throwing in the towel and giving up on their marriage, the husband suggested that they try attending some church together. They agreed to go somewhere, but neither knew where to begin to choose a church, Then, this preacher remembered that packed away in an old foot locker, was his New Testament, given to him so long ago at that church where he had attended that VBS, as a kid. “Let me go get that and see what kind of church that was. We could try that one.” He looked in the front of the Bible, and sure enough, it was inscribed and gave the name and location of that church.
The rest is history. He attended, learned the plan of salvation for his life, and obeyed the gospel. He studied and learned more and more, attended Bible classes and eventually became a gospel preacher, expanding the borders of the great cause in the state of California.
I do not know if such a contact was made at the VBS that we just completed last night at the West Huntsville church. I do know that four amazing accounts of Biblical bravery and obedience were etched into the minds and hearts of a pretty big group of children. I know that they will never forget Jonah, Naaman, or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. I know one little boy who became very pumped about bringing visitors to hear these lessons. I know about a little train that choo-chooed up and down the halls, a candy bandit, a coloring contest and about little bottles of water from the “real Jordan” that the kids counted as a prize possession. I know about puppets that taught application stories from the lessons and about Cole the Mole, a rodent who helped facilitate the contests for knowledge at the end of each evening.
I know my husband went from yard mower to ice cream maker, to Colley the miner, to Elisha and back to Colley and then to child taxi homeward each evening. I’m having a hard time getting songs like “Go dip in the Jordan” and “There is no God like in Israel” and “He was angry…Naaman” out of my head. I know it was a privilege to be a singing wave in the Pharpar river this week. I know it was amazing when we plodded right on through on Tuesday night with no power/lights in the building during that storm. (It was kind of perfect for the mining theme…hot and dark! And I loved that the video of that night was to the a cappella soundtrack of “Send the Light.”) I know it was powerful when a man, coincidentally made the decision to be baptized at the conclusion of the week’s events… and our children were privileged to witness this right in the middle of the ice cream supper in our fellowship hall.
I don’t know if this event will produce a gospel preacher one day. but I know as we sang in one of our Naaman songs “The power in the hand of God, nobody can ever tell.”
My granddaugher, who is lying beside me as I write this morning, just said “I really hope we can have another ‘Candy VBS, like last year.” Who knows? A girl with priorities!
Family Bible Week at West Huntsville is this week! The Gospel Railroad. It’s at 6:30 through Wednesday night. Dr. Bible is there and there’s a candy bandit. (Right now, the candy jar has been stolen and we have NO idea where that bandit has stashed it!) The kids made FBW photos last night and frames for the fridge. They watched lively re-enactments of conversion examples. They sang their hearts out and they learned songs about what it takes to be saved. They entered contests and they rode a real train through the halls of the building. I heard the conductor asking them questions about the Bible as they rode along and waved at spectators in the hall. They watched a puppet show about forgiveness. This is what spiritually focused memories are made of.
On Sundays, for FBW month, the pulpit has been focused on these four examples of conversion that are the focus of this week. The children fill out sheets during the lessons in our worship that help them listen, too. The examples of obedience to the gospel that are the focus this month are the Ethiopian, the Philippian jailer, Cornelius and Saul. Did you know they all did exactly the same thing to get into Christ? There was a recognizable moment in each of these accounts from Acts when sins were washed away. The moment is described for Saul in Acts 22:16. The jailer went out, at the risk of his life in Acts 16, in the middle of the night, to accomplish this washing. The Ethiopian saw water and said “Why are we waiting? Here is water.” And Cornelius was a good man—a really good man—but still had to have the washing before he could be saved. (Notice verses 1-3 of Acts 10 and then look at verse 14 of chapter 11). While the whole world says baptism has nothing to do with salvation, we have to keep telling the whole world what Jesus said “Go into all the world and teach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.”
Save the date for PTP Spark at West Huntsville. August 22-25. You are going to want to be here. Digging Deep reveal, elder training classes for your husbands and teen boys, Make and Take for Moms and daughters, Prayer session for women…just a bunch of stuff your soul needs! Mark it down. Registration ready and up any day. Watch here! (The fellowship is what I might need the most!) Registration is free and this is worth your flight or road trip and hotel. Watch here for the schedule, too!
If you’re in North Alabama, you are going to want to have your kids/grandkids at Family Bible Week at West Huntsville on July 18-21. It’s all about the parables this year. The crew I’m in will be presenting to your kids’ minds the amazing truth about man’s foolishness when leaving God and God’s compassion for sinful mankind through the parable of the Prodigal Son. I hope your family can be there for that. Homemade ice cream contest on Wednesday night!
And about Wuhan and Fauci...It should not surprise us at all that a communist party, totally void of respect for God and life, may have been covering up a virus leak at the Wuhan lab while putting the world at risk. It should not surprise Christians that a man who is a self-proclaimed humanist (though having Catholic roots) may have participated in that cover-up. Humanism is void of Jehovah-imposed morality, of course, and respect for life comes directly from God, who engineered it. (That’s why Fauci is able to make announcements proudly about the removal of abortion funding blocks in Mexico, put in place by a former administration.) When people decide that God does not exist or that He is irrelevant (i.e. His precepts can be ignored) the path from there is fraught with dishonesty, destruction and death. Our faith keeps us from being surprised. But our faith keeps us prayerful and vigilant, too, for the future of our families. Praise God for the final destination when we’ve made our way through the chaos that’s the material here and now.
This is Family Bible Week at West Huntsville and my evenings are spent this week being a part of the throng around Jesus when he’s on His way to the home of Jairus. Our depiction of the miracle is focused on the power around the very name of Jesus. On His way to the home of Jairus, he heals a woman simply by her touching the hem of his garment. We’re trying hard in our little room to put reverence for the Lord and awe at His power in those little hearts. The last line we sing to them is “Jesus…Jesus…Jesus…There is power around that name.”