Watching Your Children Grow

One of the great joys of parenthood is watching your children grow up.  It happens so quickly.  It seems like yesterday and then all of a sudden tomorrow is here!  You sit back and find yourself filled with wonder.  Sometimes wonder turns into awe.

This week I am watching three of my children in wonder and awe.  They are things that I played a role in birthing in the life of United Methodist Church.  I am in awe of what God continues to do.  It seems like yesterday that the seeds were planted.  There were times when I wondered what was happen.  Other times when I felt overwhelmed.  Yet I believed God would use these in a mighty way.

In the Shreveport and Northshore areas of Louisiana, there is a weekend called Weekend of the Cross. It is a weekend that is began out of Ruston.  The concept is to get youth working in their neighborhood during the day painting, building ramps, or small repairs.  As the work is done, relationships are formed.  Youth, adult, young and old are all mixed together.  I think there will probably be about 400 folks participating in these events this weekend.  Then there's the grandchild in New Orleans that is just beginning.  It is an "offshoot" of the Northshore Weekend of the Cross.  You see when God begins to work, things multiply.

Years ago I was a part of a group of folks that helped birth a Youth Leadership Event for Cambodian Youth.  The Methodist Church in Cambodia is a first generation church.  It is made up of mostly young people between the ages of fifteen and twenty five.  What an exciting event!  It has continued over the years to change the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Yes!  It is changing the continent of Asia with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  There is a group of Louisiana folks over there this week.  We continue to support our young church in Asia.

Each one of the disciples of Jesus Christ after the resurrection went into the world and became fathers.  We actually refer to them as the Church Fathers.  They began to birth communities of faith or pockets of faith that multiplied.  They too were proud of what God is doing in the world.

Wonder and awe. Changing the world.  It is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about.  Let me encourage you to join in the birthing process!  Then you can watch your children grow--and the grandchildren.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Pray for me as I pray for you.

Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

Lead Pastor

St. Luke Simpson UMC

www.stlukesimpson.org

www.midweekmanna.com