February 21 – “Jesus Book”

Little four year old Winston was the star of the show again today.  One of the things we do to help memorize scripture is called Visual Verses.  I create crazy pictures that make up memory jogs for key portions of the passage.  All the pictures somehow relate to each other, so when you get the hang of it, remembering the words associated with the pictures is much easier.  We had started today's Visual Verse, John 3:16-17.  Suddenly I looked down and there was Winston.  He held out his Children's Bible to me and said, "Here.  This is Jesus' book."  I told him thank you and mentioned that maybe we should read the verse from his book, since some folks didn't seem to be following as well as they should.  Later on, during one of his trips into the children's room where Chris was the teacher (that's how I got the info), he told her about it.  He said, "I gave Pastor Kelley my Jesus Book."  Chris replied, "Well, thank you, Winston.  I'm sure he appreciated that."  Winston answered, "Yeah.  He needed it."  Well, OK.   We had a great group in worship today.  I talked about how God has been leading me to pray for impossible stuff like people becoming believers and having baptisms every week.  I even "suggested" to God that bringing us some trained leaders to show up and say, "Hey, what can I do?" would be great.  The point was actually to not limit God to stuff we can think up.. Let him be God. His ideas are lots better than ours.    I got stopped by one lady I have been witnessing to.  She told me she prayed last night.  She was also planning to start reading her Bible that she had recently rediscovered.  I suggested she start in John, mainly since the teaching today was from John 3.  Then she said she was ready to get baptized.   I noticed during the teaching segments that the two older couples sitting near her were going out of their way to show her things in her Bible.  That's when I realized that one of the couples had been here several times before.  They actually came down and helped out at our house after the storm.  He was on staff of a church in the Dallas area, but they were wanting to move down here full time.  Chris talked to them for awhile.  Sounds like that may be happening soon.   One couple was there who were among the very first to start Seaside as a mission back in the early 90's.  Doug and Joan have just moved back to Galveston.  They said they have done their world traveling and are ready to settle down for awhile, so they chose to move back home.  They are both retired teachers, and they couldn't get enough information about the school.  Sounds like they are very interested in helping out there, maybe teaching, definitely subbing.  He even has a doctorate and is eminently qualified to be the headmaster.  She is a reading specialist, so she would be invaluable to have with the lower grades.  It'll be interesting to see how the funds go for next semester, or sooner.    That counts, right?  Answers to prayer.  Oh, yeah.   Ephesians 3:20-21 says, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more that all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!  Amen."   Father, do something that is possible only for you around Seaside.  And you choose.  Amen.