Little Children, Large Faith

Sometimes, children make really good leaders.  Children can teach us to play, laugh at little things and think bigger than we would have on our own.  This is happening right in our midst at ValleyLife.  Just a couple of weeks ago, a discussion began with some of our children about giving a gift to a needy family somewhere in the world.  With that conversation, someone found Hiefer International.  Hiefer offers a 'gift catalog' where you can give an animal to a needy family.  The family will be trained in the care of the animal and promises to give away some of its offspring to another family so they too can enjoy the benefits of what it produces as they pass on offspring as well. 

With this in mind, some of the children's leaders thought, 'let's but a Llama ($120.00) or a sheep ($150.00)', but the kids (and Jesus) had another idea.  Each of them really had their heart and mind set on buying a cow ($500.00) for a family.  Little children, large faith! 

Jesus endorsed children and even infants taking the lead from time to time in our midst;

15 The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the little children in the Temple shouting, "Praise God for the Son of David." But they were indignant 16 and asked Jesus, "Do you hear what these children are saying?" "Yes," Jesus replied. "Haven't you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, 'You have taught children and infants to give you praise.' "

To kick off this fund raising project, we are going to BBQ burgers this Sunday night at the church building.  We will be providing "High Quality Burgers", chips and bottled water.  In return, we are asking you to bring a financial donation to help us reach the children's goal of $500.00 to buy a cow through Hiefer International.

After we have had our fill of "High Quality Burgers" and chips, we will gather together to share stories, worship together and pray for Jesus to raise up workers for His harvest fields around the globe.  I hope each of you will choose to join us Sunday evening at 5:00pm.

Here is a short 1 minute video giving you the key ideas of Hiefer International...

If you have any questions, e-mail Ed Waken or Debbie Waken.

Feeding Your Soul

Jesus taught that He sends His children out as sheep in the midst of wolves (Matt. 10:16).  My friend Neil Cole puts it this way, "If there is darkness, run to it and be light because it is more fun to light in the darkness than to be light in the light."  Many followers of Jesus are aware of these marching orders from Jesus but many do not obey them.  One of the key reasons for people not following Jesus' instructions is because they do not feel equipped to be light in the darkness nor do they feel they know enough of their Bibles to be sheep in the midst of wolves.  I would like to briefly address these reasons and a remedy.

First, we should daily remind ourselves that God has made every believer a competent minister of the New Covenant (2 Cor. 3:6). You are, right now - actually since the day you become a follower of Jesus, competent to represent Jesus in any situation.  How or why is this true?  Because the Word of God says it is true in the verse I cited above.  If you want an example of this read Mark 5:1-20.

While it is true that we are competent ministers of the New Covenant from the moment of our salvation, we also need continuing education or continued time spent with Jesus.  Currently, some leaders at VLC are putting together a simple format to provide you with additional tools to help you get more comfortable with using the Word of God.  Please begin praying today about possibly being involved in learning these simple tools to help deepen your interaction with the Word of God. 

While you wait for more details to be rolled out in a few weeks, you can begin by gaining a introductory level of understanding as to how the Bible fits together by reading Max Anders book, 30 Days to Understanding the Bible.  To make the process easier, you can click HERE to purchase the book online.