I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. 3 John 1: 4

When I stumbled upon that verse this weekend, it was not my first time reading it; however, it was the first time it reached the depths of my heart. Ya know, when you read something and your chest starts burning and you get massive butterflies floating around in your tummy? No, it had nothing to do with the delicious, greasy, cheeseburger I devoured earlier either. Seriously, I read this and began to boldly pray that this would be entirely true to ALL parents, especially the parents of City Church Tallahassee.

I have no greater joy than to teach children about Jesus, and share with them that "Every story in the Bible whispers His name" one of my favorite quotes by Sally Lloyd-Jones author of the Jesus Story Book Bible. After reading that verse I began to understand the importance of each volunteer in City Church Kids, what an immense responsibility they have on Sunday mornings to teach children the everlasting truth in a way that can be understood to each age group. What an incredible thing to be a part of! As a volunteer they are ultimately changing someone's life, sharing the love that Jesus has for us so that one day the kids they are teaching will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. City Church Kids is not glorified childcare while Dean preaches every Sunday morning, we have created an age appropriate, engaging environment for each age group to learn the stories of the Bible, but never losing sight of the big story about how God loves them and he sent His son to rescue them.

I am going to share a story with you of a conversation I had with a sweet boy in our 2 and 3 year old Pre-School room. They were learning about the beginning, when God created the sky and the sea. I was reading the story and asked if the kids could point to the sky that God created, as I began reading again a little boy stopped me and asked "Miss Alexis, are you telling me that God created the same sky that Buzz Lightyear flies in?" It took everything I had not to laugh; but I realized that the story I was reading would build the foundation for that child's understanding of how incredible God is. It made my entire week, all of the kids starting chanting "infinity and beyond" it was truly a moving experience.  

What a short yet, powerful verse 3 John 1:4 is, it is a challenge for parents to become bold in discussing what their child has learned on Sunday and creating a fun way to make the story applicable to their everyday life. It is an expectation that all parents should have for Children's Ministry's as well as extending that learning experience into a child's everyday life.