Here is a statement that those of us who have had the privilege of ministering to children will quickly acknowledge with a great big “amen”. Once a children’s minister, ALWAYS a children’s minister. Am I right? It becomes a part of our DNA. We can’t help it. It’s just us!!!
Here’s a great example. A few days ago, Vickie and I spent a rainy Monday morning leisurely walking around a nearby city’s historic downtown area. While going from store to store, much to my chagrin, we ventured into an antique store. (For me, the danger of antique stores is discovering things that bring back memories of my childhood, indicating that I just might be an antique. I know that you can’t identify with that pain!) It was there that my children’s ministry DNA kicked in. Ready for this? My treasure was finding and purchasing a Butterick sewing pattern, a visual prop that I knew would be used over and over again in future sermons and teachings.
Before you ask Vickie to call 9-1-1 and have me committed, let me tell you why I HAD to purchase this pattern. In my childhood, Mom would often go to our local Ben Franklin’s Five and Dime Store to purchase fabric and Butterick, McCall’s, and Simplicity patterns to sew what used to be called Sunday-go-to-meeting dresses for my sister. Mom was quite the seamstress. In following the pattern’s step-by-step instructions, Mom created beautiful dresses for Ruth.
I know that you are already ahead of me and can see why obtaining this visual prop caused my children’s ministry DNA to get excited. To me, this is so cool. Butterick Pattern — Book of Acts. Immediately, I saw that just as a followed Butterick pattern would bring about the desired dress, the followed Book of Acts pattern would bring about the Church that Jesus desires. So simple, so visual, so impactful, so powerful!
Rather than write paragraphs about this, allow me to share two quotations that will say it far better than I could ever share.
“If you want to know how the Spirit acts now, just read how He acted when He had full possession of the Church. The book of Acts is a blueprint by which the Holy Spirit wishes to work throughout His dispensation.”
~F.F. Bosworth “Christ the Healer”
“If we do what the apostles did, we get what the apostles got.”
~Reinhart Bonnke “Holy Spirit: Are We Flammable Or Fireproof?”
I’ll stop typing so that you can head over to Amazon and purchase your own Butterick pattern.
Additional note – For those attending one of our upcoming Holy Spirit Rallies and/or Ignite & Unite Conferences, you will definitely see my antique store treasure!
