Why we choose not to have a nursery or children's church at Providence: conclusion

For the past 3 days, I have been posting our reasons for not having a nursery or children’s church at Providence.  These are not all of the reasons, but are 4 primary ones.  Today is the final posting in this series.  If you have not read the prior 3 reasons, please do so before reading the grand finale.

Reason 4:

            The fourth reason we do not have a nursery or children’s church is the most important and significant reason.  Isn’t it common to save the best for last?  We do not have nurseries or children’s churches at Providence simply because we do not see nurseries or children’s churches in the Bible.  In fact, we often see children in the congregation.  Here are a few examples…

“Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 31:12-13, ESV)

“While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.” (Ezra 10:1, ESV)

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-4; cf. Mk 9:36-37)

This is similar to an encounter in Matthew 19:

“Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.” (Matthew 19:13-15)

Paul addresses children directly in at least two of his epistles that were to be read aloud to the assembled congregation. He writes:

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), 'that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.'” (Ephesians 6:1-3; cf. Col. 3:20)

            If children are seen with their parents in many (if not all) of the assemblies in the Old Testament…and if they are addressed in the congregations of the New Testament along with husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers…doesn’t it stand to reason that if Moses or Ezra or Paul or Jesus showed up in the flesh in most of our churches, they would wonder where all the little ones were?  We have just chosen to play it safe at Providence, just in case they do happen to visit one Sunday and inquire as to the whereabouts of the little ones. 

            Now, let me clarify in conclusion again that I am not saying that your church isn’t orthodox if it has a nursery or a children’s church.  I am just sharing with you some (not all) of the reasons why we at Providence have chosen not to have a nursery or a “children’s department.”  It isn’t because we are a new church and haven’t organized these departments yet.  It isn’t because we don’t have the budgeted money to hire out help yet.  It isn’t because we don’t have the volunteers.  It is because we believe children enhance worship, are encouraged and shaped by worship, are the responsibility of the parents instead of the “nursery workers,” and we are completely within the boundaries of Scripture to function this way.  And on top of all that our children’s ministry isn’t hurting.  We actually have more infants and children than adults!  I hope this helps those who care to understand why we function the way we function.  Yes, it can be challenging and demanding, but the benefits sure outweigh the costs!  Keep your eyes open.  I might even address why we choose not to have traditional youth ministry in the near future!

For the past 2 days, I have posted reasons we have chosen not to offer a nursery or children’s church at Providence.  This is simply an attempt to answer the “strange looks” that I get when I am asked if we have these programs.  If you have not read the first 2 reasons, please do so before reading below.

Reason 3:

            The third reason we do not have a nursery or children’s church at Providence may seem less spiritual, but it is a reason nonetheless.  I have never been a part of a church that had more volunteers for nursery and children’s church than we needed.  It was always like pulling teeth to try to find someone to work in these areas.  That usually meant that the same 2 or 3 people always did the work which meant that those 2 or 3 people seldom if ever experienced corporate worship and the preaching of the word.  It was their “ministry” and their “sacrifice” and it is really unfair and unnecessary in my view.  What is even scarier is that it often seemed that those 2 or 3 people who made it their full time ministry to be in the nursery and children’s church were perfectly content to seldom if ever worship corporately or sit under the preaching of the Word. 

            So, at Providence, we have speakers in the side rooms out of the two exits.  If the little ones can’t sit still for the hour and a half long service they can be taken into a side room by their mother or father and be taught to sit still...by their mother or father.  And because of modern technology, they can hear the sermon through the speakers and not miss much at all while taking opportunity to train their little ones to sit still.  

           I know what you are thinking.  Sit still?  My 2 year old would never sit still.  You would be surprised how quickly most little ones learn to sit through the service.  If they are practicing at home by sitting still while mom or dad reads or teaches etc. and are brought into the service week after week, they learn really fast.  Now, I am not saying that there are not times when 2 or 3 little ones become a challenge all at the same time during a service.  It happens periodically.  We deal with it.  We survive.  And it doesn’t happen often.  We have found that it is easier and more beneficial to leave the responsibility of the children during the service to their parents.  

           Again, I know what you are thinking.  What about the single mom who shows up with 2 or 3 kids.  How does she juggle the kids alone.  Well, that is where we are thankful for older teenage girls in our congregation who aren't separated into a youth service!  These young ladies have a great opportunity to minister to those who come into our congregation by simply sitting with the older children and helping during the service if necessary.  That is a ministry, it is organic, and get this…we don’t need a nominating committee!  It is just simpler this way.  But that is not all.  The most important and significant reason is still to come!  Tune back in tomorrow.

Yesterday I posted our first reason for not having a nursery and children's church at Providence.  If you didn't read it, do so before reading the next of 4 reasons below.

Reason 2: 

            I actually believe babies and children can get something out of the worship services.  I know that it sounds odd, but reason with me a moment.  Pretend I sat my 2 week old baby in front of MTV and let him listen to the music (if it can be called that) on a regular basis until he was 3 or 4 years old.  No one in their right mind would say that he was not being shaped by MTV at least to an extent.  The music, the beat, the words…it all has helped mold who he is at 3 or 4 years old.  On top of that, parents who listen to and watch MTV (AND WE DON’T) would also set an example for and influence the baby and toddler.  Now, if we are convinced that MTV from 2 weeks old to 3 years old would impact our babies…could it not be just as true that songs of worship sung by the parents and the congregation of believers in the ears of the 2 week old until he/she is 3 or 4 could also shape and impact the child and who they become?  Couldn the biblical lyrics to songs sung by the congregation impact and shape that little one?  If so, why not expose them to that experience?  Why not let them hear mom and dad and other adults singing praise to God?  

          I believe they are not only influenced by the music, but also by the preaching.  Obviously I do not believe that an infant or toddler can comprehend an entire sermon, but I do believe they can be influenced and shaped by it.  A pastor friend of mine, Chris Twilley, shared with me about a little one in his congregation.  Here are his words:  "I'm reminded of a little fella who sits on the front row with his mom and dad and brothers and sisters in our fellowship.  Recently I was preaching and I was saying 'only Christ.'  I repeated it a few times and then we heard this little guy say, 'only chwist.'  He is learning a major fundamental truth, that our salvation is found only in Christ and he is blessing our congregation as he says it.  He is years from conversion but the ground work is being laid."  

       Again, I am not condemning churches that have nurseries or children’s churches.  I am simply saying that I believe babies and toddlers benefit more from hearing their families and congregations sing songs of praise than from being confined in a nursery to color and play or in a children’s church with other toddlers.  This is another reason that we do not have a nursery, but there is more…

But you will have to come back tomorrow to hear about it.

Why we don't have a nursery at Providence: Part 1

            I often get the blank stare when visitors, or people who are considering visiting Providence, hear that we do not have a nursery or children’s church.  I expect that most of these stares are due to the fact that, in our culture, children are viewed as an obstacle to worship, discipleship, the mission etc. in many cases. I want to share with you over the next several blog posts why we do not have these “ministries” at Providence.  Let me clarify in the very beginning that I am not saying that your church isn’t orthodox if it has a nursery or a children’s church!  Let me repeat:  I am not intending to criticize your church or the church down the road!  I am just sharing with you some of the reasons why we at Providence have chosen not to have a nursery or a “children’s department.”  It isn’t because we are a new church and haven’t organized these departments yet.  It isn’t because we don’t have the budgeted money to hire out help yet.  It isn’t because we don’t have the volunteers or anything like that.  We have some fundamental reasons for not having these programs, and for not planning to have these programs, that I want to share with you over the next four days in this blog.  I hope this helps clarify and I hope you will take a moment to consider the reasoning behind these decisions and see if the benefits do not outweigh the costs.

Reason 1:

            In Matthew 21:16 Jesus said, “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise.” The King James Version says “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have ‘perfected’ praise.”  This word prepared or perfected literally can mean “to complete thoroughly.”  It is translated “mending” referring to fishermen mending or repairing or completing their nets.  It is also translated as “perfectly joined together,” “restore,” “prepare,” and “made perfect.”  So, we see the sense of this word translated in the ESV as “prepared” and in the KJV as “perfected.”  It can really be explained as “completed.”  Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have completed praise. 

            Think about that with me for a moment. So often our churches, the worship leaders, and the worship teams arrive early on Sunday, stay late on Wednesday, and even have special weeknight practices to “prepare” the worship services for Sunday.  They pour much time and energy and planning into the music.  It is my opinion that we should be as prepared as possible for leading worship.  It is also my opinion that when we do things for God and God’s people that we do those things with excellence.    Much time and effort is put forth attempting to perfect praise and complete praise and prepare praise with our instruments and the voices of the most gifted adults, but Jesus says that the ones who really are able to complete praise are down the hall in the nursery quarantined from the rest of the congregation!  Think about that a moment.  What we often view as distractions, God might view as the missing ingredient in worship…the mouths of infants and nursing babies. 

            What can infants and nursing babies do?  They cannot sing a solo.  They cannot strum a guitar or play a keyboard or beat a drum or clang a cymbal.  They cannot sing in a choir or take part in the congregational singing.  What can they do?  They can coo.  They can attempt to sing in their own way.  And according to Jesus, they can really prepare praise.  Maybe the best worshippers are the most incapable of doing much.  Maybe, the best worshippers are found in our nurseries.  And maybe, God would have them in the congregation.  It is just a thought and it is one of the reasons we do not have a nursery or children’s church at Providence.  But there is more…but you will have to wait until tomorrow to hear it.

On this Memorial Day 2013, I am grateful for those who have willingly given their lives serving this country.  It is indeed a great sacrifice for those serving in our military and their families.  We should remember them today.  But at the same time, it is no secret that the America of 2013 is not the America of 1776.  America has experienced the blessing of God in the past, but for God to bless the America of today would require Him to blatantly disregard His Word and His character.  The question arises, “Are we too far gone as a nation?”  My initial, and unprofessional, response would be “absolutely.”  However, a little history might demand another response. 

Did you know that we have been here before?  At the turn of the 19^th century between 1790 and 1835 America was a mess!  Did you know that between 1790 and 1835 colleges had banned the Bible and Christian teaching altogether?  Did you know that colleges were carrying out mock communion services to ridicule Christianity?  Did you know that a common topic of debate on college campuses was whether Christianity had been beneficial or harmful to mankind?  And did you know that THESE WERE ALL CHRISTIAN COLLEGES?  America was a mess!  In fact Chief Justice Marshall (a believer) wrote to Bishop Madison of VA declaring that "the Church was too far gone ever to be redeemed."  Think about that!  In the early 1800’s the Chief Justice declared that the Church in America was too far gone to EVER BE REDEEMED!  But then came the 2cnd Great Awakening and the American church was redeemed.  The modern mission movement was birthed and many souls were brought into the Kingdom of God in America and to the ends of the earth.  I happen to believe that God can awaken our nation again just like he did in the early 1800’s!  He can do it again!  And as crazy as it may sound…I believe He is! 

While long established churches are declining at rapid rates and many of the “churches” that are growing could scarcely be called churches from a biblical standpoint….while approximately 80% of high school graduates walk away from the church upon graduation….while divorces and unwed mothers and fathers are almost as prevalent in the church buildings as in the bars….while many (if not most) church members find their entertainment from the same Hollywood filth as the atheists do and the same secular songs as the heathen do…while all of these obvious facts are telling of our spiritual decline in this nation, under the surface something is brewing.

Under the surface is an awakening!  I am seeing more and more pastors returning to the biblical gospel (many at the price of their positions in the established church).  I am seeing more and more pastors aggressively pursuing a reformation in their churches even at the cost of their reputations (and their pastor appreciation gifts!).  I am seeing more and more fathers turning their hearts towards their children.  I am seeing more and more mothers turning their hearts towards their homes.  I am seeing a peg driven down in young family after young family and in the decades to come, it is my hope and belief that these sacrifices made by these young couples are the seedbed of awakening in this country.  It is my hope and belief that the faithful preaching of the Gospel and efforts of reformation by faithful pastors will be the water that germinates that seedbed! 

I told you in my last blog post/newsletter that I was going to share something exciting.  Well, it may not be exciting to you, but it is evidence of what I am saying here, and it excites me!  While we were on the 4^th floor of Baptist Hospital 2 weeks ago having our fifth child, I was so encouraged.  On a hospital floor (that really isn’t that large) during a few days of just 1 week of this year, I encountered 2 brand new families that I immediately recognized. 

It was encouraging to see that a young couple (who I hope and believe has been discipled at least to an extent through my ministry) had delivered their first baby, Estella June, 9 pounds and 11 ounces with a head full of hair.  

As we talked in the hospital they reaffirmed that their intent and goal is to raise her to follow Christ and be passionate for Him. Then, shortly after recognizing them, I discovered that another young couple (who almost were part of our recent church plant) had delivered their first baby as well:  Victoria Faith, 7 pounds 8 ounces.  This young couple will be pouring themselves into raising their little one in the fear and admonition of the Lord as well!  Then we had our little Silas William, 7 pounds 9 ounces.  It is encouraging to see 2 very young couples in the same hospital as us, at the same time as us, with newborns they intend to disciple towards Christ!  Do you not see how amazing this is?  If there are 3 couples (that I know of) in the same hospital on the same days of the same week with the same goals for their children….imagine how many young people God is raising up in hospitals all across the land with new babies and vision and plans to point them to Christ and send them into the harvest in due time!  God is doing a work in this younger generation believe it or not, the fruits of which may not be seen until most of us are dead and gone, yet there will be fruit by God’s grace and it is my prayer that the seed of revival is being planted in these families and others like them.  This is a part of our hope at Mission Surge…to see families impacted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ! 

Thank you for your prayers and for spreading the word about Mission Surge as we seek to impact individuals who impact their families, who impact their churches and the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Newsletter from Papua, Indonesia

Trevor and Teresa Johnson Serving in Papua, Indonesia

Hello, This is a busy month in the village as lots of building is occurring. Pray for Paul and Trish Snider as wood is being cut and planed on-site for their home.  Also, a school building is being finished and we still seek teachers (dozens of evangelists' children go without schooling and hundreds of tribal children in our region have never had any schooling at all). Pray also for Teresa and Baby Perpetua, who both are approaching their second month of intestinal ailments. Praise God the kids are doing well in home-schooling despite lots of interruptions. It is easy to feel isolated or lose track of supporters; please email and say hi at our email:sovereigngracemissionary@gmail.com

The Tough Life of a Tribal Woman "And thank you God that I was not born a Korowai..." So goes our 8-year old son Noah's oft-repeated bedtime prayer. We've never rebuked Noah for this prayer. His little heart is sincere. He knows he is privileged. He prays open and honestly, "Thank you that I was born with a mommy and a daddy...Thank you that they believe and are nice to me," "Thank you that we have a house and enough food."    Noah is observant. He sees his friends who live at the end of our village in a thatched hut full of only young boys, without mothers and fathers, raising themselves. Noah knows the several orphans here. One soccer playmate, Pilemon, had his father murdered, dismembered and eaten when Pilemon was younger.  Noah plays with Yamis. Yamis' older brother not only failed to defend Yamis from witchcraft charges, but actually took part in planning how to kill young Yamis (drowning? Choking? or arrows?). Finally, the evangelist Ainus trekked to the village of Ujung Batu and brought Yamis the 8 hours back to Danowage to be cared for by our co-workers Perin and Jimmy. Noah is thankful for not being born a Korowai. I am sure he would agree that he is to be doubly thankful that he was not born a Korowai tribal woman. The tough life of a tribal woman: Meet Yaim Warita.  We took this picture two years ago after treating her for an infected machete wound.  She sliced her leg while working her garden. Her daily search for food had to continue despite pain. Her leg grew red and angry as infection set in. We treated her with antibiotics and wrapped her leg. She continued her daily routine, returning each day hunched over with a net bag full of either firewood or bananas suspended from her head. Sometimes she carried her young son as well. In the picture you can see that her right eye is useless and clouded over, probably from some past scratch that resulted in infection. We could not treat that. Her arms are scaly with skin disease. Her posture was a permanent stoop. Her first name, Yaim, is actually the local word for theft and is associated with evil. That was the name her parents gave her. We don't know why. Yaim's husband is Pieter. Pieter is known as a very bad man. My stomach used to knot on sight of him. I would instantly bristle and get defensive when he climbed my porch. He seemed to bring constant conflict. We are not sure how Yaim came to be married to Pieter. Many parents arrange marriages for their young daughters, using the arrangement to procure foodstuffs and promises for more trade items. Often, girls as young as 5 go and live in the home of the man they are supposed to marry. The phrase we have heard describing this is, "I have raised her up to be my wife," the same phrase "raised up" being used to describe raising one's pigs or cassowaries.  Last month, an older man of about 55 or 60 (it is so hard to tell age here) came to my door for treatment. He was sick with tuberculosis. Fresh from the jungle, he wore only his traditional clothing (a leaf over his privates and string through his nose and around his waist). A 5-year old girl in grass skirt followed him - his intended wife. We explained to him that he would eventually die during rainy season if his condition remained untreated (sunlight helps retard the progression of TB and many people sicken when the region clouds over during rainy season). He refused to go downriver where meds could be procured. Some people still fear enemies or foreign magic if they travel out of their own lands. So, resigned to his soon death, the old man began to arrange barter for his young wife and the two men standing next to him discussed who should get this child-bride upon the old man's death. Yaim was also most likely married off in this same manner when she was but a young girl, little better than property or trade-goods. Yaim's husband Pieter was often hostile towards Simson. Simson is a young believer here who is especially close to my family. He helps us with language and other tasks. Baby Perpetua often runs over to hug him upon sight.  Simson's younger sister, Demina is an adolsescent girl with a big smile. She is a newly developing adolescent and her body is changing.  Pieter wanted her as wife number two. And was willing to use force. What about Pieter's current wife Yaim? Pieter's gruff reply was, "I'm only using her until I can get a better wife." Yaim stood next to Pieter as he explained all this, looking at her feet with a net-bag full of firewood weighing down her head. Pieter's demands grew more vocal for Demina. We sheltered her from Pieter. First, Demina was sheltered in Jimmy's house (Jimmy is one of our Dani evangelists). Then Perin (the Dani Christian lady who lived with us until marrying Jimmy) sheltered her in our home. This caused Pieter's ire to land on us all. He threatened to shoot us with arrows and actually drew his bow on me and Jimmy several times. He threatened to cut our radio cables, hack up our home, and destroy our property. During one of these feuds, arrows were actually released. This escalated the violence. Yaim found herself in the middle of all of this by virtue of being married to Pieter. She was struck on the head and shoulders several times with a log. She was bleeding and groggy as we treated her with a bandage and pain medications. She lie mostly still in her hut for several days. She finally strengthened enough to go out and return to work in her garden. . . . . Yaim Warita died last month. Nobody is sure of the date. Her death was mentioned as an afterthought, "No...nothing has happened in the village in the few weeks you have left.." and then, a minute later, "Oh....Yaim died...but it was just her." It was just her. Malaria is a horrible sickness! Last week both Paul Snider and myself suffered from it. We were miserable even with light cases. We had medications and someone to bring us food and water. I've hallucinated before. I've rolled on the floor due to extreme pain. I've wondered before whether I had dislocated my back due to the violent chills and shaking and projectile vomiting from some cases of malaria.  This week I ground my teeth in pain until my fillings came loose in my mouth and my jaws still have a dull ache ache this week, due to my most recent "light" case of malaria. Yaim died in her tree-house away from the village. We don't know if her family was present. She probably had stopped eating and drinking, as is the custom of the tribal peoples here who fall sick with malaria. She had no medicines to lower her fever, made worse by tropical heat. She had no pain pills to ease the painful shakes. The flies can be terrible to the ailing sick as their smell worsens and they linger, too tired to bath. It sounds like she may have suffered and died alone. There was no report of burial. Her body may still lie in her tree-house. Often bodies remain in place and the house is abandoned for the jungle to reclaim it. On several occasions, Yaim heard the Gospel. She probably heard the story of the Creation of the World, the Fall into sin by Adam and Eve and the entrance of the curse of sin into all the world, and God's sending of a Savior into the world for all who believe.   Yet, she spoke such little Indonesian and I speak such little Korowai, did she really understand?  Simson often attempted to explain the Gospel in his own language. Yet, he is often awkward and hesitant and his knowledge is limited.  Pieter's threats have limited Simsons' ability to speak much at all to Yaim. We have audio recordings of some Bible stories in the tribal dialect to our south. The Northern Korowai can understand enough of this for their benefit, but Yaim had minimal contact with me and these recordings due to her husbands' demeanor.  I have prayed with Yaim several times this past year. Did she merely nod her head in obedience or submission? Did she understand? We hope and wish the best for Yaim and try not to despair over the bleakness of the lives and deaths of many in our area. We pray that God's love will impact this region and many will know the love of their Creator and also know better the love of fellow man who will see them as dignified souls, created in the image of God and worthy of respect and love.   PIG ATTACK AND MEDIVAC   Ainus (eye-aye-noose) Kogoya was near the village when a wild jungle pig attacked him.    Drawn to female domesticated pigs near the village, the boar aggressively approached. Upon encountering Ainus, it sprung.    Ainus suffered 7 deep wounds, All will require stitches. There is a 3-inch slice between his big toe and second toe and bone is exposed. The pig also stuck his tusk into Ainus' arm (we are trying to make sure he gets a tetanus shot in Merauke). The pig bit into the back of Ainus' head. Lots of blood was lost. It puddled in our living room floor as we treated him. It soaked through all of his bandages quickly.    Others hunted down and killed the pig with much malice.   Thanks to Mission Aviation Fellowship and an internet connection via satellite dish. We arranged medivac by float-plane within 4 hours for pick-up here in Danowage (which the pilot calls "about the farthest place from anywhere!") to the coastal hospital in Merauke. Mission Aviation literally saves lives!   Ainus insisted that some pig meat be taken along with him to Merauke so he could "eat the pig that ate him."   Pray for him as he recovers. Sometimes quality medical care is hard to find in Papua.   Noah and Lane out shooting bugs Evangelists from the Ilu area and their kids One HUGE walking stick!

SEE OUR BLOGS:  sovereigngracemissionary@gmail.com |http://www.tandtfamily.blogspot.com CONTACT US AT: Sovereigngracemissionary@gmail.com

Two Joys from Tuesday

Dear Friends of Mission Surge,

I want to drop a brief line to share with you two joys. 

First, in the last newsletter I mentioned our latest plans for the Dominican Republic.  We are planning a mission trip to 2 virtually unreached communities in the Dominican Republic:  La Mocha and Salcedo.  These trips will be organized by two of our partner pastors in the DR.  The unique part of this mission trip is that they will not be planning and organizing the mission trip for Americans, but for their own congregations!  They will each lead a team of volunteers from their congregations to spend a week in Salcedo and La Mocha.  I asked you just last week to pray with me for God to raise up 10 individuals, Sunday school classes, or churches who would be willing to provide the $100 needed to support one Dominican team member for this effort.  Since that newsletter we have had 5 sponsors!  We rejoice that we are half way to our goal and ask that you pray for the other half of the sponsorships to be provided according to God’s will.

The second joy I want to share is that today we had our 5^th child.  Silas William Ivy was born at 7:32 a.m. this morning weighing in at 7 pounds 9 ounces and 20 ¾ inches long.  

Mandy suffered under the knife for a fourth C-section which is always traumatic…usually more traumatic on me than on her it seems!  She spent Tuesday in a fog of morphine and pain.  Yesterday was a little better.  We plan to be discharged on Friday.  Please pray that she will have a speedy recovery and that Silas will grow strong and healthy and most importantly into an individual who knows, fears, loves, serves, follows, obeys, honors, pleases, and glorifies Christ!  

In conclusion, there was one more encouraging thing that took place this week while we were in the hospital.  Hopefully I will be able to blog about it next week!  Be on the lookout and thanks for your prayers for our family as we take this next step on the journey God has us on.  

Here are a few more pics of Silas' first day.

Luke (8) seeing his brother for the first time.
He might be the most excited boy in the family believe it or not.

Levi (8) seeing brother for the first time.

Jude (who has claimed Silas as HIS brother) and Miriam who is likely to be much more help than we could ever anticipate (a living, breathing baby doll!)

April Newsletter...in May

Dear Friends of Mission Surge,

I want to thank each one of you for praying for the work of Mission Surge and for the requests that are sent out in each newsletter.  I want to thank those of you who have given so faithfully to the work.  And I want to say thank you to those of you who share         with others about the ministry.  I cannot express my gratitude to you enough.  You are a vital part of the work!  Thank you.

I want to give you a report on what has transpired over the last month or so.  First, I was scheduled to preach a Harvest Day at Unity Baptist Church in Atmore, AL on Easter Sunday, then speak to the men on Monday night, and share about Mission Surge with the congregation on Wednesday night.  Unfortunately, I came down with the flu the week before Easter and was still running fever on Saturday night so the meeting was rescheduled for the week of October 6.  I traveled to McDavid Florida April 6 and 7 to Rays Chapel Baptist Church for a Family Discipleship Conference.  I think I enjoyed myself more than the people did.  It was a great time and I had many people share with me how much they were challenged and encouraged and strengthened from our time together.  Then, on April 29, I kicked off a month of Mission Mondays at Macedonia Baptist Church in Petal, MS.  We spent the hour looking carefully at Acts 1:8 and applying it to our lives.  It was a challenging reminder for me, and I hope that it was a challenge to those who attended.  I appreciate so much your prayers for me and for these congregations. 

I ask you to please pray for me as I preach at the following:

• Sunday, June 23 at Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel, MS 
• September 5-7 in Kerrville, TX:  https://ncfic.org/events/view/kerrville-masters-plan
• October 6-9 at Unity Baptist Church in Atmore, AL
• November 22-23 in Birmingham, AL:  https://ncfic.org/events/view/birmingham-masters-plan

I am praying for more opportunities to preach Harvest Days, Revivals, Family Discipleship Conferences, and Missions Conferences.  Please pray with me that doors will open and invitations will be extended.  Also, if any of you have openings in your church on Sunday nights or Wednesday nights, I would love to come share about the vision and work of Mission Surge with your congregation.  Please share the word.

I want to ask you to pray for our work in the DR.  We are about to attempt something new in our work in the Dominican.  We are planning a mission trip to 2 virtually unreached communities in the Dominican Republic.  One community is La Mocha.  The other is called Salcedo.  These trips will be organized by two of our partner pastors in the DR.  The unique part of this mission trip is that they will not be planning and organizing the mission trip for Americans, but for their own congregations!  They will each lead a team of volunteers from their congregations to spend a week in Salcedo and La Mocha.  The Dominican team will do exactly what American teams do when they go.  This trip will not require translators and will only cost a fraction of what it would take to send a team from the U.S. The only problem is, the Dominicans will not be able to fund their transportation, lodging, and meals.  I am asking God to raise up 10 individuals, Sunday school classes, or churches who would be willing to support one Dominican team member for this effort.  One Dominican team member can be fully supported for the entire week long mission trip for only $100!  Would you pray with me for God to raise up individuals, families, Sunday school classes, or churches to fully support 10 Dominicans for this effort?  It is our hope and prayer that it will not only impact Salcedo and La Mocha, but also the two teams who go and the churches that send them out.  If God burdens your heart to give to this effort, email me at kevin@missionsurge.com or message me from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mission-Surge/145423062144598?ref=hl and I will let you know how you can do so.

There are several other exciting things that are going on with Mission Surge.  They are in the beginning stages, but I hope to be able to share them with you in the next month or so.  It is hard for me to keep my mouth shut!

Finally, we are expecting our 5^th child Tuesday, May 14.  Please pray for Mandy and the rest of the family as we welcome baby Silas into our family.  I feel sure there will be a blog post or two at kevinivy.com about him next week so check it out! 

Until next time….  

The Teenage Trap

The following essay was written by one of the teens (young ladies) in our church family.  I would encourage you to share it with the young people you know.  There are some good warnings and wise counsels in it.  

     The Teenage Trap

     Sometimes we teenagers can fall into the “trap.” That is, the trap of neglecting wise counsel from our parents. The desires for worldly pleasures and material possessions are constantly facing us each day wherever we go. This makes life and making decisions very hard. An incredible amount of opportunities await us; opportunities that could lead to our downfall. That is why parental guidance is exceedingly important.

       People may say about teenagers, “They should have the right to make their own choices” or “Their parents are holding them back from being who they really are. They are being too ‘sheltered.’” This mindset can unintentionally be used to cause us to fall into “the trap.” For instance, our parents have lived longer than we have and therefore have encountered more than us. They have probably either seen or experienced heartaches and failures in their teen years that we haven’t been confronted with yet. Their eyes have been opened to better ways! Our best interest is (likely) their number one priority. If our parents are following Christ, then they are striving to make us better than they were at our age and to help us learn from their mistakes. No, our parents are not perfect, but no one is! Their mission is to point us to the only One who ever is truly perfect— Jesus Christ.

       We cannot be left to make all of our decisions on our own. Even adults are wise to heed godly instruction. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15) Although there is a time when parents should permit their children to decide for themselves what they should do to encourage responsibility, often we children are careless in making our decisions. Our emotions and desires run away with us and we start heading in a direction we think is right “but in the end leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12). We need direction!

          Whether it is how we dress, what friends we have, the places we go, activities we do, or even whom we court or date; our parents have the right to object or permit. We might not always think so, but our parents usually know what is best. Our job is to submit and honor them whatever the circumstance. God will do the rest!

            

        Furthermore, listening and submitting to the discipline of our parents is Biblical and wise. “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you…” (Deuteronomy 5:16).  “Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, ‘Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.’” (Proverbs 4:1-5). Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all you desire cannot compare with her.” (Proverbs 8:10-11)

          It is imperative for this generation of teenagers to grasp the necessity of listening to and obeying our parents. Without their instruction, we will be swept away by the deceitfulness of pleasures and the desires of this life. Instead of finding righteousness and peace, we will find ourselves sinking in the calamity that will befall us. “Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you…” (Proverbs 1:24-26). So what will you do? Will you start trusting God to lead your parents so that they, in turn, can lead you; or will you still choose your own way? Maybe you can’t obey you parents because you have never trusted the only One who can enable you to obey them. If that is the case, I say, along with the apostle Paul “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2Corinthians 5:20-21). Run to Christ! Turn away from your sin and cling to Him, and He will save you!

         Hebrews 12:11— “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”