James and I had the privilege of attending the national Desiring God conference last weekend in Minneapolis. The theme was Act the Miracle. We got to see and listen to many great Christian authors/speakers including John Piper, Russell Moore, and the author of my favorite children’s Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible, Read-Aloud Edition: Every Story Whispers His Name
,
Sally Lloyd-Jones. By the way, she has Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing
, a new book for ages 6-9 that I recommend! We are using it as dinner devotionals. And she has a new version of the Christmas story for the younger crowd, Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story
.
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| downtown Minneapolis |
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| John Piper |
My favorite speaker was Sally Lloyd-Jones. (Probably because children’s ministry is where my heart is!) She has a beautiful British accent, and listening to her talk was mesmerizing. She asked us if we were protecting our children from life or EQUIPPING them? We need the darkness to show the light.
I thought about Rilyn, and how I watched her run the track two times at the end of cheer practice last week. I watched her (from my car in the parking lot) cry and gasp for breath on the track. When she got back to the car she went into the “It’s NOT FAIR! I didn’t do anything wrong at practice, it was the other girls who were not listening, and coach made us all run! I couldn’t even breath either it was so hot!”
It was hard to watch Rilyn suffer, but God gave me these words to speak to her at that time, “Rilyn, was it fair for Jesus, who was without sin, to suffer on the cross for all of OUR sins? He didn’t just suffer either, He died for our sins to be forgiven. Running the track because of other’s “sins” doesn’t seem like such a big deal now, does it? I know it’s hard, and it’s not fun to be out of breath. I am sorry, and I will pray for you to endure it well next time it happens. Because it WILL happen again. It might not look like running the track, but it will be something that feels not fair. Next time you are suffering, you can think about how grateful you are that Jesus paid it all for you to be forgiven.”
How do we give them hope? Take the focus off of them, and put it on God. We don’t need a moral code, we need a Rescuer.
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| at the top of the Foshay building |
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| this picture was for Asher-look, your daddy is Spiderman!! |
the paquettes 