One of the greatest gifts of semi-retirement has been margin—margin to spend time with our grandchildren and margin to share the Bible with children in our community.

For me, that open door is LifeWise Academy.

I like to call it being a missionary to public school kids.

LifeWise Academy provides Bible education to public school students during the school day, off school property, with parental permission. Thanks to a little-known 1952 U.S. Supreme Court decision, released-time religious education is legal, and LifeWise Academy has created a proven model that allows local churches to partner with local schools in a meaningful way.

This past February, our county launched its first pilot program after two and a half years of prayer, planning, and perseverance. We became one of sixteen LifeWise schools in Georgia, with a vision to see that number grow to one hundred over the next three years.

Kingdom work often requires patience. Some communities launch in a year. Others take much longer. But we keep praying, serving, and trusting God to open doors in His timing.

This fall our team is hosting community events, connecting with families, and inviting others to join the mission. We believe every child should have the opportunity to hear the story of God’s great love.

At the local church Mr. Bob and I have been attending since midsummer, the pastor shared just last Sunday that every growing Christian should so order their lives to make space and margin to be part of a ministry inside the church and a mission outside the church. All three Sunday services last week shared testimonies, as the message, of local ministries and local missions specific to the next generation. All. Three. Services. As. The. Message.

LifeWise is one way we’re living out that challenge.

Would you like to see LifeWise in your community? Visit www.lifewise.org, enter your ZIP code, and begin gathering signatures. You might be surprised by what God can do through a willing group of believers who believe that the Lord they serve can do mighty things in the world of a little person and their bigs.

Let’s go!

“You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.” Revelation 2:3

The wonderful thing about quality preschool and early childhood education is that the same principles that help children develop an understanding of BLUE and the number 7 also help children grow in faith.

Language Development: Children learn about Jesus through the words of trusted adults. When we regularly talk about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, faith becomes part of everyday life.

Secure Attachment: The consistent love and care we offer reflect the love and care of our Heavenly Father.

Early Literacy: As children learn to love books, letters, and stories, they are also preparing to engage with God’s Word. Building print literacy supports biblical literacy.

Music and Movement: Singing Scripture, moving together, and worshiping in community help children remember God’s truth while also supporting healthy brain development through the release of feel-good neurotransmitters like oxytocin and serotonin.

Engaging the Whole Body: God created children to learn through movement, touch, breathing, and play. These gifts help regulate emotions, redirect attention, and create space for learning.

Routines and Rituals: Faith grows through repetition. Family prayers, bedtime blessings, Bible stories, church attendance, and everyday conversations about Jesus become lasting rhythms that shape a child’s heart. aka Holy Habits!

These aren’t simply educational strategies—they’re beautiful ways God designed children to grow in every area of life.

If you live in Georgia, I encourage church nursery teams, preschool volunteers, grandparents, and family caregivers to explore the district training opportunities offered through the Georgia Preschool Association this season. Live in another state? Check out your state’s Preschool Association or Early Childhood Education connections.

I’m especially excited that on Saturday, October 3, 2026, the Georgia Preschool Association will host an online training event specifically designed for those serving little ones and their families in faith-based settings. You’ll be able to learn from home while gaining practical tools for your ministry. If you serve in a church nursery, weekday preschool, or are a Mimi caring for your little three times each week, this is a great training.

Training is an investment that multiplies. The earlier we begin investing in those who care for our littlest littles, the longer we have to influence a child’s lifelong walk with Christ Jesus.

Let’s continue learning together as we love our littles well—for His glory and for their future.

“So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15

July is one of my favorite months—not because of the Georgia heat (definitely not!), but because it kicks off weekday preschool training season.

Across our state of Georgia, the Georgia Preschool Association co-sponsors district training events where early childhood educators gather to learn, encourage one another, and sharpen their skills. Today I’m headed to Griffin First Baptist Church to teach two workshops for District 6 under the leadership of my friend and colleague, the fabulous Diane Lamb.

But here’s something I wish more churches knew: These trainings aren’t just for weekday preschool teachers.

Maybe you rock babies in the nursery once a month.

Maybe you teach three-year-olds on Sunday mornings.

Maybe you’re Mimi, Nana, or Papa and spend a couple of days each week with your grandchildren.

These trainings are for you, too.

You’ll learn what is developmentally appropriate, discover how God wonderfully designed little brains to learn, and walk away with practical ideas you can use immediately. Understanding why children do what they do often changes the way we respond to them.

In short, these trainings make the work of loving and leading littles both easier and more meaningful. And that makes ministry—and parenting and grandparenting—a whole lot more joyful.

One challenge I’ve noticed over the years is that each ministry often stays in its own lane.

Churches tend to use church curriculum and church-based training. Weekday preschools tend to use preschool curriculum, if they can find it, and preschool training. Homeschool families often use homeschool curriculum and homeschool conferences.

There’s certainly value in each of those.

But I’ve found that some of the richest ideas happen when we cross those ministry lines.

Throughout my years in family ministry, I intentionally borrowed from each world.

On Sundays we used a traditional Sunday school curriculum. For our midweek Bible study, I often chose Not Consumed, a homeschool curriculum that functions beautifully as a discussion-based Bible study, just like their parents in small group study down the hall. Other midweek programming would include Mark Burrow’s Bible Black Belts.

Likewise, nursery teams, church preschool volunteers, and family caregivers can benefit tremendously from weekday preschool training. Many of the free resources, including Faithful Beginnings, are easily adapted for church settings. It’s incredibly affordable and it’s geographically close.

We’re all helping children know and follow Jesus.

If you live in Georgia, I’d love to encourage church nursery volunteers, preschool teachers, grandparents, and family caregivers to look at the Georgia Preschool Association’s district training opportunities this year. They also offer a fantastic annual conference in the spring.

One date to put on your calendar is Saturday, October 3, 2026. Georgia Preschool Association will host an online training event created specifically for those serving young children and their families in faith-based settings. You can participate right from your own home.

Whether you’re changing diapers, leading circle time, reading Bible stories, or rocking a sleepy toddler in the church nursery, your investment matters.

The younger we begin nurturing faith, the longer we have to watch God grow it.

So let’s keep learning.

Let’s keep growing.

And let’s keep loving our littlest littles to Jesus—together.

“Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.” Proverbs 8:32

Retiring from a long commute has made room for one of life’s greatest gifts—more time with our grandchildren and their parents, our favorite people on the planet.

We’ve shared meals, played countless games of checkers, wandered through the Croc store, and made plenty of trips to Tropical Smoothie—or as our youngest grand lovingly calls it, “Tropical Smoovie.” I hope he never outgrows that.

If I’m being truthful, the adjustment has been just that—an adjustment.

For the first time in decades, I haven’t had a color-coded calendar telling me where to be every hour of every day through the next calendar year. As someone who loves planning and scheduling, that has made my eye twitch a little! I’ve had to give myself permission to sleep until I wake up and even enjoy an afternoon nap. For the first three weeks, I slept ten hours a night with a daily nap. Apparently, I was more tired than I realized.

In The Good and Beautiful God, James Bryan Smith writes, “Sleep is a perfect example of the combination of discipline and grace. Sleep is an act of surrender.” I’m learning that surrender isn’t laziness—it’s trust.

I’ve also wrestled with a little FOMO. I miss the day-to-day rhythm of serving the church families I’ve loved so dearly. I’m thankful for Monday morning phone calls with my prayer partner, daily texts from ministry friends, and seafood dinners shared with our husbands. Those friendships remain precious gifts.

And yet…

The wins have been abundant.

Summer has given us longer days, time to read good books, and lunches of Uncrustables, watermelon, and strawberries by the neighborhood pool.

One of my greatest joys has been sitting beside Mr. Bob in worship every Sunday. Singing together. Praying together. Listening to God’s Word together. Grinning at each other when the sermon hits just a little too close to home. After decades of incredible ministry schedules, worshiping side by side feels like a sweet gift from the Lord.

I’ve also been actively purging my ministry library. Two road trips (so far!) with dear friends to McKay’s Used Bookstore in Chattanooga have transformed eight overflowing laundry baskets of books into a manageable church library collection, a few wonderful new fiction authors, and a home that feels a hundred pounds lighter.

Meanwhile, ministry opportunities continue to unfold.

I sponsored an amazing young lady on her Chrysalis Flight last weekend. Chrysalis is part of the Walk to Emmaus community.

Lingering in daily Bible reading, study, and prayer is a time of His tender presence.

Planning for Lifewise Academy is underway, including a meeting with a local principal this week and an August “Lifewise Academy in the Park” gathering for students and families. Georgia currently has 16 Lifewise schools, and we’re praying for 100 over the next three years as we seek to bring Bible education to students during the school day off school property.

Weekday Preschool district workshops begin next week, and our North and South Georgia Global Methodist Church R3 Gathering is already on the calendar for November 5–6, 2026. It’s exciting to continue investing in churches and leaders in this new season.

I’ve read that retirement comes in three stages: Go-Go, Slow-Go, and No-Go. Mr. Bob and I are definitely in the Go-Go stage. A Planet Fitness membership has helped us stay moving, especially through the sweltering “Hot-lanta” summer.

This season looks different than any before it. The Lord is simply giving us new places to serve, new people to love, and new rhythms in which to walk with Him.

So today, I tip my glass of lemonade to friends and colleagues near and far. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to pick tomatoes from the back porch for dinner.

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

By the time Baby Girl and #1 Son were walking and talking, our home had developed some simple, sacred rhythms.

“God bless you,” after every sneeze.

Prayers before every meal—even when we were eating at our favorite local Shoney’s as loyal Shoney’s Shoppers.

And praying out loud together.

That last one stretched me the most. Speaking prayers aloud didn’t come naturally, but I wanted my children to hear someone they loved talking outloud with Jesus. If they were going to learn what a life of faith looked like, they needed someone to mirror. I did not want to pass along my fear of praying outloud to my littles.

We weren’t ready to become missionaries to Africa…yet.

But God was already preparing us to be missionaries in our own home, in our families, and in the marketplace.

It was the 1980s. Mr. Bob traveled Monday through Friday for work while I served full-time as an assistant vice president of investments at Capital Bank, which later became Sunburst Bank in Baton Rouge. I didn’t want my children to know me only as the mom who rushed home to feed them, bathe them, and put them to bed.

So we made a plan.

We paid off our debt, lived on plenty of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and macaroni and cheese for a season, and I left my full-time banking career to teach part-time in our church preschool.

Looking back, I can see how God was preparing me not only to raise my own children to love the Lord with their whole hearts for their whole lives, but also to spend a lifetime helping other families do the same.

Author James Fowler describes the faith of children between about 2 years old and 7 years old as the Intuitive-Projective stage of faith. During these years, children begin to understand God through the adults they know and trust. Their earliest picture of God is shaped by the people who love them. Children develop language and imagination. Faith is magical, fluid, and heavily influenced by stories, images, and the examples of adults.

They hear simple Bible stories. They learn songs. They celebrate holidays. They pray familiar prayers. Through repetition and routine, they begin to understand that God is real, loving, and present.

They watch us.

They notice how we treat neighbors, how we respond when we’re frustrated, how we share, forgive, be generous, tell the truth, and show kindness. Faith at this age is more caught than taught, but teaching is still of great importance.

Even everyday lessons—sharing toys, using kind words, waiting patiently, obeying promptly, and treating others with respect—become building blocks for practicing Christlike character.

As I’m spending time with the grands and other littles today, one of my favorite resources for those who lead this age is the free Faithful Beginnings Library from the Georgia Preschool Association. One lesson, “Be Kind to One Another,” gives those who lead and influence toddlers and preschoolers simple, hands-on ways to practice sharing and kindness. For older preschoolers and early elementary children, I also recommend Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson, a delightful story that reinforces how one act of kindness can spread farther than we imagine.

The Faithful Beginnings Library continues to grow thanks to teachers, childcare professionals, churches, grandparents, and families who are serving little ones every day. If you serve in a church nursery, operate an in-home daycare, are a first-year or ten-year classroom teacher in a church preschool, this library of fun activities can provide support to loving littles to Jesus. check it out here.

The resources are free, practical, and designed for the places where faith grows best—at home, at church, and in everyday moments.

After all, the greatest mission training field may just be around your own kitchen table.

“They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.” Daniel 1:5b

Last week I spent two hours on Zoom with a Global Methodist Church deacon who serves children’s ministry leaders across the Allegheny West Annual Conference. (This Georgia girl learned that Allegheny West includes Ohio and western Pennsylvania!)

What encouraged me most wasn’t my geography lesson—it was discovering that leaders across the country are asking the same question: What does it look like to raise up children and students as Global Methodists?

The Global Methodist Church celebrated its fourth birthday on May 1. While we’re a new denomination, we’re deeply rooted in a rich Methodist heritage shaped by John and Charles Wesley and their mother, Susanna. Their passion for Scripture, holy living, discipleship, and serving others remains the foundation of who we are today.

As of last February 2026, the Global Methodist Church includes nearly 7,000 congregations around the world. That’s exciting growth—but with growth comes opportunity.

How do we intentionally form the next generation? What distinctives should children, students, parents, and ministry leaders experience in a Global Methodist church?

Those questions led Allison Vandenbergh, a gifted children’s ministry leader in South Georgia, my ministry partner who is an incredible teacher, Robin Glover, and me to design the first R3 Gathering following last fall’s New Room Conference.

Together we explored three important conversations:

Roots – What are the Wesleyan roots that are clearly set to be pillars in GMC Christian education? 

Ruts – What has the GMC leadership already set in place to define, resource and prioritize organizationally?

Rhythms – How can we implement these distinctives in a developmentally appropriate way to equip local church, mission, and family leaders as active and faithful members of the Global Methodist Church?

For many churches, very little changed from the Sunday before they joined the Global Methodist Church to the Sunday after. Sunday School still met. Vacation Bible School still happened. Families still gathered around dinner tables. Children still memorized Scripture and learned about Jesus. Local and international missions experiences were still planned.

But now we have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to intentionally shape what it means to grow up as a Global Methodist.

It’s time to set the table for Global Methodist littles with their bigs.

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:14

My journey in Christian education began in an unexpected place—a delivery room in Louisiana’s East Baton Rouge Parish in the 1980s.

The moment I held our daughter for the first time, I whispered a prayer that God would capture her heart and mind at an early age. Twenty months later, I prayed the same prayer for our son: that he would come to know and follow Jesus and never let go.

Those prayers launched me into a lifelong adventure of learning how faith is formed in the earliest years. As a young mom in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I was blessed by a church family, preschool teachers, and faithful mentors who helped me nurture faith in our little ones. I will always be grateful for those who poured into both me and my children.

Author James Fowler, in Stages of Faith, describes the years from infancy to age two as a season of “Undifferentiated Faith.” During this time, children begin forming their earliest impressions of God through the people who care for them.

For toddlers and twos, the foundational truths are beautifully simple: God made you. Jesus loves you.

Long before children can read, they are learning. They watch, listen, imitate, and absorb the values and virtues of the people they trust most. Through loving relationships, they begin to experience God’s love, forgiveness, generosity, and care.

Faith is learned not only through words, but through actions, gestures, movements, and special (sacred) items. Folded hands. Bowed heads. Bedtime prayers. Sharing toys. Saying “I’m sorry.” Giving hugs.

As Christian educator, author, and theologian Craig Dykstra reminds us, “The practice of Christian faith is a lot more physical than we usually recognize or let on.” We learn faith by practicing faith.

That’s why I was delighted to discover Faithful Beginnings, a free resource from the Georgia Preschool Association designed specifically for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the adults who love them. Through simple lessons and activities, families, churches nurseries, grandparents, and childcare providers can help young children take their first steps in faith.

Resources for elementary-aged children are plentiful, but materials designed specifically for infants and preschoolers are often limited. Yet these early years matter deeply. Children learn to trust, love, pray, serve, and wonder way before they learn to read.

One of my favorite lessons from Faithful Beginnings especially for the littlest of littles is the Little Hands, Big Heart Lesson using family photos and a mirror. We have a digital photo album at our house which is a favorite ‘go to’ of our youngest grandchildren, so that would work, too. The extension activities included several that we did with our children and with our grandchildren. Check it out under the ‘Gratitude’ tab.

And because music is especially sticky for littles, one of my favorite toddler songs is sung to the tune of Baby Shark:

God loves you, do do do do do do…
God loves you, do do do do do do…
God loves you, do do do do do do…
God loves you.

Jesus, too, do do do do do do…
Jesus, too, do do do do do do…
Jesus, too, do do do do do do…
Jesus, too.

Every faithful journey begins with a faithful beginning.

“Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Psalm 8:2

The Lord revealed to me that a new chapter was coming through His Word months ago. As I was reminded by my senior pastor, “Retirement is not in the Bible nor is it in the Global Methodist Church Book of Discipline.” So, with prayer and intention, I created a transition plan nearly 90 days ahead of May 15 on a Finishing Well Exit Strategy google.doc and shared it with our leadership so that surely goodness and mercy would follow me all the days of my life.

In our family, we’ve always said we won’t retire from something unless we’re retiring to something. So here’s what’s next:

1. I will throw more energy into being a missionary to public school students, during the school day, off school property, through Lifewise Academy in Cherokee County. If you serve in leadership at a local church and want to really serve the families in your local schools, call me. Have I got a plan for you! Lifewise began in Ohio in 2018 and now serves 1,000 schools in more than 30 states. Right now Lifewise Academy is in 16 schools in the state of Georgia with the goal of 100 schools over the next three years. I began serving on a team last fall sharing Bible education with 1st-3rd graders at a local elementary school, during the school day, off school property, and I’m committed to making the 100 Georgia schools a reality even before the three years are up.
2. I’ll be serving on the Global Methodist Church’s Emerging Generations Team in North Georgia, supporting churches through Lifewise Academy and R3 Gatherings (North Georgia friends—stay tuned for an August date!).
3. Mr. Bob and I are looking forward to finding a church home closer to where we live so we can worship and serve side by side. He’s been patient, faithful, and supportive for decades—it’s time.

But first, Baby Girl and I are heading to Florida to visit my mother and sink our toes into the sand.

We’re also making room to be present where our grandchildren are—cheering them on in all the ways that matter to them. With ages ranging from 6 to 14, there’s a lot to celebrate and many memories to be made.

I’ll be sorting through books and resources that have shaped me over the past 30+ years—sharing many and passing others along to McKay’s Used Bookstore in Tennessee, trusting they’ll bless someone else while making room for new reads.

I’ve also stepped aside from my role as an at-large delegate for our North Georgia Global Methodist Church Annual Conference. That one tugs at my heart—I do love starting things. I’m deeply grateful to have played a small part in what has become the Global Methodist Church in my corner of the globe, even before it had a name. Through Zoom calls, prayer gatherings, and holy moments, God brought people together to begin a sacred movement—one He continues to bless as we make disciples and spread scriptural holiness around the world. In a long season that sometimes felt like I was standing quietly during the transition process, I was honored to help several colleagues around the country take faithful next steps into new ministry spaces.

In mid-April, the incredible church families I’ve served for nearly a decade gathered to celebrate me into this next chapter for Team Reilly. It was a beautiful, joy-filled celebration—family, friends, ministry partners, prayer warriors, and beloved children of every age and stage, all in one room. There was a popcorn bar, purple and gold colors, McIntyre’s cookies and petit fours, yellow roses and daisies, and more stories than we could count. I laughed until I lost my voice—and I’m still writing thank-you notes.

Last Sunday, these amazing disciples commissioned me into ministry and mission closer to home. Through choked-up prayers and great laughter, I’m saying again, “Show me Your glory, Lord.” With a brand new calendar of blank spaces, we boldly and joyfully step into what’s next.

“Our lives are lived in chapters and nothing is wrong when a chapter is done and a new one begins.” Mrs. Pattmore, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale 

Last Sunday we celebrated all of our high school graduates at an incredible student-led worship service on a Sunday morning, outside, sharing the Ascension of Christ in a clear 3-part message, in song and testimony, with bubbles. Yes, bubbles!

This Sunday, we’ll celebrate three of those high school graduates who have completed AGENT Projects—think Eagle Scout projects, but for ministry. Each student stepped into a leadership role, recruited a team, received coaching, and carried a ministry from beginning to end to accomplish a meaningful goal.

Our student leadership journey begins early. In 4th and 5th grade, students are invited into a Faith Milestone called AMBASSADORS. Ambassadors commit to representing their families, their church, and their Savior through witness, service, teaching, and worship. They attend a fall training and then spend the year(s) putting their faith into action. It’s been a joy to collaborate with fellow children’s ministry leaders to create a two-year, rotating Ambassador Retreat, helping take this calling even deeper and sharing it with other local churches.

AMBASSADOR = one who represents someone or an organization; from 2 Corinthians 5:20

From there, we build into middle and high school with additional Faith Milestones designed to develop students into leaders we call AGENTS:

AGENT = one who acts on behalf of someone or an organization.

• A – Ambassador: a refresher or introduction for those new to the role
• G – Gospel: Learning and practicing the sharing of the good news of Jesus naturally in everyday conversations
• E – Engage: Engaging and leading a team to learn skills and grow in relationship with God and other generations to accomplish a goal to the glory of God; practice humbly receiving direction and graciously offering instruction
• N – Neighbors: serving our neighbors and defining who ARE our neighbors; designing and implementing a purposeful plan to engage our neighbors in a project
• T – Telling the Truth: Trusting and telling the truth of God’s Word from an apologetic (defending the truth) Biblical worldview.

On Sunday, we’ll celebrate three AGENTS and their three coaches with a gift in worship to model the mission of our church to be disciple-makers who share Jesus with neighbors, nations, and the next generation.
Agent Project #1 – Operation Christmas Child Project Leader, including the car wash fundraiser

Agent Project #2 – Sound and staging for the Live Nativity, including our community partners for this annual community event

Agent Project #3 – Youth-led Sunday morning worship service, including the design team and message preparation

I’ve known these three students, and their families, since the students were in 4th grade. Being part of their ‘littles’ season, middle school confirmation season, and now high school season, is truly a gift. These incredible disciples have truly made an impression on me and are very much part of my story. They are also prepared to start things for Jesus as they step out into the world as young adults.

By the way, one of these agents has been running tech and sound in the overflow worship space even before the renovation started of our worship center since last winter and striped the entire parking lot the summer between his sophomore and junior year, on his own, as part of the trustees team. Two of these agents started a prayer team together this year with their high school marching band completely on their own called “Marching For Jesus” which met prior to practices/performances and have effectively handed it off to their siblings coming up behind them. Two of these agents served as the worship and teaching leads on mission in the Czech Republic last summer. Yeah….they have already been ‘acting on behalf’ of their Savior in their world. This 2026 AGENT celebration in worship next Sunday invites their home church to celebrate, too. Well done, church!

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Pandemic ministry taught us to get creative. Brown bags became bridges—simple ways to carry faith from church to home. We hosted Tuesday drive-thrus, summer drive-ins, and sent families home with resources for everything from Faith Milestones to Advent favorites like A Charlie Brown Christmas to special moments across the church year.

And honestly? The brown bags stuck.

As part of last week’s Children’s Moment, we handed out Family Prayer Walk Bags—because after the 40 days of Lent and the joy of Easter Sunday, the question naturally follows: Now what do we do as followers of Jesus?

We talked about how, after encountering Jesus, even the wise men “went home a different way.” That invitation still stands for us. Then we read from Matthew 28—when Jesus appeared to His disciples. Scripture says some worshiped… and some doubted. Doubted? After everything they had seen?

A closer look at that word ‘doubted’ reveals something comforting: it can also mean they hesitated. Even the disciples needed a moment—and a little prompting—to step into what came next. So we asked the same question together: Now what?

Each bag was filled with simple, hands-on tools to help families live their faith out loud:

• Mini Jesus figurines – to leave behind or share as reminders that Jesus is with us
• Glow sticks – to remember to be the light wherever we go
• “I ♥ Jesus” flag – a bold, joyful way to say, “I love Jesus!” in everyday places
• Prayer walk guide – simple instructions for praying as a family wherever your feet go
• Sidewalk chalk – to write Jesus’ name on sidewalks, driveways, and spaces we pass through

The prayer walk guide was inspired by a simple idea using the word WALK—an easy way to help families pray as they move through their neighborhoods, ball fields, and daily routines:

Now what? We tell people about Jesus. We proclaim His goodness and faithfulness to His people with stories told around tables, when we rise up, when we go to bed, and as we walk along the roads. (Deuteronomy 6) A Family Prayer Walk gets us outside, together, and grows our boldness muscles.

We tell the Good News:

• He came
• He died for our sins
• He rose on the third day
• He appeared to more than 500 and His brother, James
• He returned to His Father to send a helper, the Holy Spirit (The Father makes all things, The Son sets us free, The Holy Spirit brings help to me)
• And He is coming back again

And we don’t just tell with words.

We tell with our lives—
with flags and chalk,
with prayers and conversations especially where we live,
with glow sticks and acts of bold courage,
with songs, laughter, and love.

We live like people who have had an encounter with Jesus. We equip our families to ‘go a different way.’

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9