June & July are truly Kingdom-Building months as churches reach into their local communities to sing a song, make a messy snack, share a bible adventure and a fresh word in a pair of flip flops and a baseball cap, all for the cause of Christ.

Just some thoughts . . . some I have shared before, but there’s more:

SHARE – one of the first things we teach little people is that Jesus likes it when we share. If you are a smaller church, call a larger church and ask what you can do to help. If you are a larger church, call a smaller church and ask what you can do to help. The children’s director at my home church does this exceptionally well. She invites smaller churches to coffee/tea gatherings in the Spring to begin encouraging smaller church directors with all the tips she has learned over the years. She also invites these folks to take a small part in the decorating at her church (150 paper kites with colorful tails) only to be blessed beyond measure with sets and props and extra resources to be picked up on the last day of her VBS. “Blessed to be a blessing.” What church can really store all this stuff year after year anyway?

SERVE – another one of those things we encourage of our own congregations. Ever consider serving in someone else’s VBS? It is a guarantee of getting fresh ideas and learning more about how to provide an excellent VBS in your own house when you serve in someone else’s. AND it blesses the socks off of a Director to have a section leader or crew leader who comes with experience and an enthusiasm he/she doesn’t have to provide. AND it let’s a director “PLAY,” which few get to do anymore because we are too busy being responsible for everything.

NETWORK – Use facebook/social media to find out when and where other churches are having their Vacation Bible Schools.  Then begin making phone calls to find out what you can share, where you can visit, even where to go when you are blessed with 10 more kids than you had planned for and need memory buddies or tshirts or whatever. Then, be willing to make the drive to make it easier.

PASS IT ON – Last year we helped a church who just moved into a permanent building, presenting their first VBS to their community. They were blessed with leftover resources from a larger church, who will be passing their leftover resources (and those they didn’t use from the larger church) onto to us. After our week of VBS at the end of June, another church will pick up our goodies (and the leftover goodies from the other 2 churches) from our church to bring to their church to present their VBS 2 weeks later. Blessed to be a blessing.

INVITE – Invite the community to get involved. If you go to Stevi B’s or have a willing local pizza shoppe, they’ll give you certificates for your VBS attendees AND your helpers/leaders/teachers. Our local Steve B’s actually came to a church we are helping last year and asked if they could drop off some certificates. If you fill out a “donation request form” at your local Chik-Fil-A 2 weeks before your VBS, they will graciously give you these huge paper “VBS Graduation Certificates” for a free 6-piece nugget for your students. When we were talking with the manager, he told us that he was helping at his church’s VBS this week during the day and working at night: “I offered to serve in the snack area since I work in the food business.”

TRAIN HOW TO GIVE THE GOSPEL MESSAGE – This is the goal of VBS.  We can have a great time and sing every song with motions, but if our goal isn’t to present the gospel to our little people, we just had summer camp and nothing else.  There are lots of ways to equip your volunteers:  wordless book, salvation candy, gospel bead bracelet, kids bible.  If we do nothing else, we’d better get this down.  We don’t save people, the Holy Spirit does, but if we don’t tell, they won’t know.  Our faith is based on an historical event and kids don’t “just know” history.  Any VBS worth it’s weight in the can will share the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the basis of our faith, on the 4th day/night and again on the 5th day/night.  We must be intentional about equipping our volunteers and fellow believers in how to counsel and pray with a child, or we have missed the greatest opportunity to save a child from sin instead of out of it.  Most people accept the gospel and Jesus before they turn 14.  This is a window of opportunity we can not miss.  Then be ready to follow it up with a letter to the parents of the kids who made decisions letting them know what they can do to continue helping their kid become a wholehearted, sold-out, devoted follower of Jesus – beginning discipleship.

Then celebrate!  On the last night be sure to treat yourself to a small Banana Pudding milkshake because that’s how we roll for VBS in the south.  And don’t go through the drive-through….wear your garb, sing the songs, and invite some of your VBS leaders…it’s better than a survey to evaluate “did we nail it?”

Many years ago I picked up a small paperback from the bookstore entitled, “Spiritual Parenting,” thinking I was getting some keen insight on how to raise my 2 tweeners into godly adults. The book had nothing to do with leading the kids you gave birth to, and everything about being an effective Sunday School teacher, small group leader, influencer of the next generation. Probably one of the most important books I ever randomly picked up.

This week the mailbox has been filled with wonderful graduation announcements. As I open each one, memories flood my mind. Several were in my first preschool classroom. Most shared a beautiful season of attending the “Princess of the King” Sunday School class when they were in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. All have become strong young women of faith and are actively serving the church and the community using their gifts and graces.

In anticipation of the future mothers they will become, I want to honor the Spiritual Mothers who got them and so many where they are today…

First, their Mamas….without the visual and active examples of servant-hood of their own mothers in worship, in leading Vacation Bible School, in making small group mandatory they saw the practice of faithfulness in service to their own children and the children of their community.

Second, their Confirmation Mentors…the investment of a minimum of 3 one-on-one meetings showed these girls that the journey to faithfulness is not always smooth, but blessed when shared with others. Most of these mentors were not spiritual giants in the faith (I’m talking about me here), but they were fully present and had their own Jesus stories to tell.

Third, their Sunday School teachers…those who chose to minister to children Every.Single.Week. Coloring sheet, children’s bible, and box of Goldfish in hand. They fed both mind, body, and spirit of little people and began the foundations of their faith.

Fourth, their Small Group Leaders…These are Spiritual Mothers who opened their homes, opened their lives, opened their hearts to share seasons of uncertainty and celebration Every. Single. Week.

Fifth, Mrs. Kate….for whose far-reaching vision was placed by God to empower these young women to serve, to be fearless, to be forgiven, to try, and to be offered the chance to love on and encourage the next generation coming up behind them.

May we all be found as faithful, as fruitful, and as fulfilled as the Spiritual Mothers who have gone before us all AND may we raise the banner high until the day He call us home.

Happy Mother’s Day to each and every one.

“Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me.”  Isaiah 8:18

One of the greatest discoveries during the 3 short weeks since Mr. Yummy’s birth has been watching my child become a parent. She tells me that she wonders when the real parents of this baby boy will return for him. She reminds herself that he now belongs to her. All the responsibility. All the attention. All the laundry. All the snuggles.

Now that I have returned home, I am so grateful for cellphones that take pictures. I also get to “hear” of her own discoveries as she begins to develop that mystery we all know as “mother’s intuition,” such as . . .

1. She can hold and snuggle her baby whenever she wants to.
All the new baby websites say, “Get a schedule,” “If he has a clean diaper and has just eaten, let him cry it out if he gets fussy.” “Don’t spoil your baby by holding him all the time.” Seriously? He’s only 3 weeks old!

2. She can pick out his clothes.
She has realized that she better take advantage of this very small window of opportunity. Choosing your boy’s clothes is a treat. For one who has never been concerned about the weather, she now has to ask, “Will he be too hot?” “Will he get cold?” “Am I willing to let him wear this long enough to debate ‘ Is it worth it to try to clean it, or just throw it away?'” This is a question she will ask about a little boy’s clothing almost every day until he can do his own laundry.

3. She can eat pizza, but only if she has anti-gas drops for Mr. Yummy.
In our day, we had Mylecon drops that seemed to have been discovered by the smartest people on the planet. The stuff could cost $1,000 for every small bottle, and would’ve been worth every single dime. There are organic products that do the trick today, or so she has discovered.

4. When the baby is wrapped in a sleepy wrap, people are less likely to touch you or the baby.
This results in a less treacherous trip to Target or anywhere else that strangers feel compelled to reach for a woman’s chest.

5. A clean and tidy house is way over-rated. 
Between feedings and snuggle-time and tummy-time, the only goals worth setting for a day is to brush your teeth, take a shower, and eat a bowl of cereal. And it’s OK if she needs all day to accomplish all 3.

6. It’s always a good time to read her bible.
Reading aloud is always soothing to baby and Mama…even the books of Ezekiel and Daniel.

May 1st has arrived and I have drank the Mimi KoolAid by joining a national prayer campaign, 21 Days of Prayer for Boys (http://www.themobsociety.com).   My response to a merciful and generous God for a baby boy that will change the world. He has already changed ours.

1 Corinthians 15:51…”Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.”