If You Don’t Hear Crying, The Church Is Dying!

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children, Church

(NOTE: The following appeared on the Facebook page of the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Williamsburg, Kentucky. I was unable to find the name of the pastor who wrote this.)

To You Who Bring Small Children to Church:

There you are sitting in worship or Bible study. Your child, or toddler, is restless. Perhaps they’re even a little rowdy. You try to silence them, and nothing. You try to pacify them with food or toys, and nothing. Eventually, you resort to the last thing you wanted to do: you pick them up, and before a watching audience, you make the march out of the auditorium. All the while, you’re feeling a little embarrassed. Maybe you’re a little frustrated too. You might even think to yourself, “There’s no point in coming to church. I get nothing out of it because I have to constantly care for my child.”

I want you — you mothers and/or fathers — to know just how encouraging you are to so many! The little elderly woman who often feels alone beams with a smile at the sight of you wrestling with your little one. She’s been there before. She knows how hard it can be, but she smiles because to hear that brings back precious memories. To see young parents and their small children brighten her day, and she may have just received bad news this week about her health, but seeing the vitality of young ones removes — if but for a moment — her fears.

The older man who always seems to be grouchy notices you too. He’s always talking about how children in this day have no respect or sense of good. But, he sees you — a young family — in church, and you don’t miss any gathering. Like clockwork, he can depend on the sight of you and your young family. You give him hope that maybe the church isn’t doomed after all, because there are still young parents who love God enough to bring their restless children to worship.

The family who’s unable to have children notice you too. They’d love to be in your shoes, but for whatever reasons, they are unable to bear children. They’ve thought about adopting, but they’re not sure if that’s what they want to do or if they will keep on trying to have children of their own. They’d love to talk to you for a little while about the joys of your children. They need you!!

Then there’s everybody else. Yes, some people will honestly become frustrated by noisy children in church. They have this WARPED idea and notion that reverence includes absolute silence. IT DOESN”T!!

When parents brought their children to Jesus, the disciples rebuked them (Matt. 19.13-15), but Jesus rebuked His disciples. He said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” The term translated “children” in Matthew and Mark is paidon. The root of the word “pedagogue” is from this word. It defined children of either an infant state, or more particularly, it was with reference to those who were half-grown and could be either males or females.

When Luke wrote his account of this narrative, he used the word brephos; which means “infants.” Luke wasn’t contradicting Matthew and Mark’s account, because Luke wrote that they brought the infants “also” (Luke 18.15-17). They would have squirmed, maybe even cried. This was likely why the disciples rebuked the parents; as well as that they might have thought that the children were too young to understand the blessing Christ pronounced over them.

Bring your children to church. IF YOU DON’T HEAR CRYING, THE CHURCH IS DYING!! As hard as it might be for you as a parent, keep on doing what you’re doing!! I love you and your crying children! You are an encouragement, and you’re starting off your children’s lives as you should!

 

Building Fires In Their Hearts

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children, Influence, Rocky Henriques

You may have never heard of Horace Traubel, but if you have ever been involved in arts and crafts, or have items of that sort in your home, you may be interested to know that he was highly involved in getting the arts and crafts movement started here in America in the late nineteenth century. He died at age 60 after suffering several heart attacks, and as the hearse containing his body rolled up outside the church in New York City for the funeral, the church burst into flames.

Interestingly, he had once written, “If the world is cold, make it your business to build fires.”

Here is why this is important. The parent or grandparent who is more interested in training their children for Christ instead of accumulating piles of stuff will be the one who builds fires of curiosity about God in the hearts of their children. They will use odd moments or experiences through the day to teach their children about God and His wondrous works. A spider’s web, a singing bird, the death of a family pet, or as they get older, current events or things that happen in the course of their day, can be the spark that builds a blazing fire in their hearts for God.
–Rocky Henriques

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Spiritual Development Influenced by Spiritual Stimulation

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children, Influence, Rocky Henriques

All three sons of a widow took up the life of seafaring men, to her great disappointment. She was telling a neighbor that she didn’t understand why. The visitor pointed to a painting hanging in the dining room and asked, “How long have you had that picture hanging there?”

The woman replied, “Oh, for years—ever since the children were small.” The visitor said, “There’s your answer.” That painting on the dining room wall, where it would be seen every day at every meal, depicted a large sailing ship, with sails billowing in the wind, its bow cutting sharply through the waves. Without a word ever being said, that painting had exposed those three boys to the magic of the ocean.

The intellectual development of a child is influenced by intellectual stimulation. For example, I really enjoy reading. I attribute that love for reading to the fact that when I was a child, my father surrounded us boys with books. I did the same with my children.

In the same way, a child’s spiritual development is influenced by spiritual stimulation. If the parents are sensitive to this area, they will provide opportunities for their children to be exposed to things, events, books, activities, friends and anything else which will help the child develop spiritually.
–Rocky Henriques

Footprints On The Moon

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children, Influence, Rocky Henriques

Neil Armstrong made history on July 21, 1969, when he became the first person to set foot on the Moon. Buzz Aldrin followed him shortly thereafter. For two hours, 31 minutes and 40 seconds those two astronauts were outside their Eagle lunar module, walking on the surface of the Moon in an area called The Sea of Tranquility. There have been a total of twelve people who have walked on the Moon. The Moon does not have weather like we do here on the Earth; there is no wind or rain, and no erosion. Experts say that the footprints of those twelve men will be visible on the Moon for almost as long as there is a Moon!

Those astronauts certainly left their mark! What kind of mark are we leaving for eternity? In the lives of others? In the hearts and lives of our children? Our children need to be able to study the ways of God as revealed in the Scriptures, and for long, long years to come, be able to see our “footprints” as we followed our Savior.
–Rocky Henriques

Parents, What An Opportunity We Have!

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children, Influence, Parents

A father and his small son were sitting on the beach late one afternoon, watching as the sun slowly sank in the west. With a dramatic flair, the father pointed to the sinking sun and said, “Going, going, gone!” The little boy sat there with his eyes wide with amazement; then he said, “Do it again, Daddy!”

Our children have such faith in us, and it is natural for children to look up to and respect their parents. What an opportunity we have! The parents who are prepared spiritually will seek to influence their children for Christ!

Mom, Would You Do It Again?

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children, Mother

The mother of three notoriously unruly youngsters was asked whether or not she’d have children if she had to do over again.

“Sure,” she replied, “but not the same ones.”

Worthy Of Respect

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children, parenting, Respect, teenagers

If you want your child to accept your values when he reaches his teen years, then you must be worthy of his respect during his younger days.

–James Dobson

Why don’t you grow up?

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children, mothers

The baby is teething. The children are fighting.  Your husband just called and said, “Eat dinner without me.” One of these days you’ll explode and shout to the kids, “Why don’t you grow up and act your age?”  AND THEY WILL

Or: “You guys get outside and find yourselves something to do. And don’t slam the door!” AND THEY DON’T

You’ll straighten their bedrooms all neat and tidy, toys displayed on the shelf, hangers in the closet, animals caged. You’ll yell, “Now I want it to stay this way!” AND IT WILL.

You will prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn’t all the olives picked out and a cake with no finger traces in the frosting and you’ll say: “Now this is a meal for company.” AND YOU WILL EAT  IT  ALONE.

You’ll yell,”I want complete privacy on the phone. No screaming. Do you hear me?” AND NO ONE WILL ANSWER.

No more plastic table cloths stained with spaghetti. No more dandelion bouquets. No more iron-on patches. No more wet, knotted shoelaces, muddy boots or rubber bands for ponytails. Imagine!  A lipstick with a point. No babysitter for New Year’s Eve, washing clothes only once a week, no PTA meetings or silly school plays where your child is a tree. No car pools, blaring stereos or forgotten lunch money. No more Christmas presents made of library paste and toothpicks. No wet oatmeal kisses. No more tooth fairies. No more giggles in the dark, scraped knees to kiss or sticky fingers to clean.

Only a voice asking, “Why don’t you grow up?”

And the silence echoes: “I DID.”
–Author Unknown

Things To Know If You Have Children

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children, mothers

Words of Wisdom From A Mother in San Diego California

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
#1. There is no such thing as child-proofing your house.
#2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they ignite.
#3. A four-year-old’s voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
#4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, neither the motor nor the ceiling is strong enough to rotate a 42 lb. boy wearing Pound Puppy underwear and a Superman cape.
#5. A ceiling fan is strong enough, however, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20×20 room.
#6. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on because a ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
#7. Windows will not stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
#8. When you hear the toilet flush and the words
“Uh-oh,” it’s already too late.
#9. A 6-year-old can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year-old man says they can only do it in the movies.
#10. If you use a waterbed as home plate while wearing baseball shoes it does not leak – it explodes.
#11. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 1 inch deep.
#12. The words Play Dough and Microwave should never be used in the same sentence.
#13. The TV show, MacGyver, can teach our children many things we don’t want them to know.
#14. No matter how much Jello you put in a swimming pool you still can’t walk on water.
#15. VCR’s do not eject PB&J sandwiches even though TV commercials show
they do.
#16. Always look in the oven before you turn it on because plastic toys don’t like ovens.
#17. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earth worms dizzy.  It will however make cats dizzy.
#18. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
#19. Quiet does not necessarily mean “don’t
worry.”
#20. The fire department in San Diego has at least a 5 minute response time.