That time of year... again.

It’s that time of year again…time for children to head back to school! Parents everywhere are buying book bags, notebooks, pencils, calculators, lunchboxes, sports equipment, etc. Many folks made a special trip out last weekend to take advantage of Virginia’s tax-free holiday for school supplies. Over the next few weeks, schools will be holding “open house” and parents and children will take time to meet teachers, view schedules, pay fees and make other necessary preparations for the upcoming school year. However, there is something our kids need that is more important than school supplies….they need to be filled with God’s Word and bathed in prayer each day as they enter their mission field…the classroom.

We have been teaching about “salt and light” in Kid’s Church for several weeks. The children are learning that we need to be salty: we need to have a distinct flavor that makes others thirsty for Jesus, and we shouldn’t just blend in with the world around us or be bland or conforming. As Christian parents, we need to encourage our children to be an example to others, walking in obedience to God and His Word. Proverbs 20:11 says “Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right”. We should also encourage our kids to be light in this dark world. No matter how young, children can share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others; in fact, they are often more quick to do this than adults. There are classrooms of children all across our city, state and country that are full of people that need to hear the Gospel message.

In the thirteen years my children have been in public school, I have prayed for them each day before they went to school. I have prayed for God’s protection over them both physically and spiritually, for God to help them to learn well, for both of them to be a good example and a witness to others, and many other things. At least 2, 340 prayers have gone up for them. I don’t say this to brag; I am not perfect, I know that they have not been perfect and all of their experiences have not been perfect. But I do believe that God has blessed their education and I pray each day that they will have an impact on someone’s life. As you prepare for school to start this year, add this to your “to-do” list: pray for your children every day, not only that God will protect them and help them to learn, but also that, as believers, they will be salt and light to the world around them.

-Pastor Tina Blackburn

Let us encourage one another

This past Saturday, Pastor Chris and I took a group of children from Kid’s Church on a “Kid’s Day Out”. We went to play putt-putt golf and then took the children out for ice cream. The thought of taking ten children, boys and girls ages 5-12, out on such an adventure was initially a little bit scary. But our prayer was that these children would develop friendships with one another and begin to feel a bond of Christian fellowship, even at that young age. I cannot express how wonderful each one of the children were; they were so well-behaved; even the children who typically do not interact with one another enjoyed playing with each other and seemed to have a wonderful time. Our prayer is that all of the children will be able to develop friendships with one another that will be nurtured into adulthood.

Relationships are very important to God and His Kingdom. Developing bonds of friendship with other Christians gives us strength and encouragement in our walk with the Lord. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us “We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things. We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.”

Spending time with and developing relationships with other believers is so important to the believer. Enjoying our free time is also important. As summer time approaches, we begin to make plans for all types of summer fun: vacations, trips to the lake, picnics, ball games, you name it. So many fun things, so little time! It is important to remember, however, to prioritize. God should always come first in our life. Jesus commanded us in Matthew 6:33 to seek God’s Kingdom first, to be concerned about His Kingdom and what has His approval. It is important to be in His house on Sunday morning. All those summer activities are just as fun on a Saturday or a Sunday afternoon. Being a part of the body of Christ and worshiping together with our brothers and sisters in Christ will help us to develop those friendships and give us that encouragement in the Lord that we need even more as the day of the Lord comes.

-Pastor Tina Blackburn