Embracing Surrender

Surrender. A tough word for even the most mature Christian. Nonetheless, it's our theme this week in GodTime. Our King's Kids learned that surrender means "givin' it all up" having Jesus as our example when He said, "Not what I want, Lord, but what you want" (paraphrased). When it came time for journal writing, our kids were faced with the question, "what area(s) of your life are you not surrendering to God?"

Rodney, one of our 5th grade boys, broke down and wept when he heard that question. One of our Guides prayed with him and over him and his story eventually came out.
His mom had been a drug addict, but has been clean for about 7 years. However, Rodney was still holding on to anger and bitterness over his mom's former lifestyle and had never forgiven her. After praying with his Guide, he looked at her and said, "I need to give that anger up to God, don't I?" His Guide shared wisdom with Rodney and showed him that having his mom around and clean was a Godspot.

When the Guide told Rodney's mother, she cried out of happiness. God is a great God!

A WOW God Moment

"In repentence and rest is your salvation.." The words of Isaiah 30:15 resonated strongly in my mind and heart when I saw the sight of God moving in our 2nd and 3rd grade classroom today. This week in God Time, we have been learning that worship is making God smile and that God enjoys us! However, many of our King's Kids have been misbehaving and playing around in God Time this week - not taking it seriously. Therefore, for today's God Time, each Guide led God Time in their individual classrooms, focusing on what it truly means to be on "God's team" and to discover which King's Kids have a genuine real relationship with our King.

I was called to the 2nd and 3rd classroom during this time, and when I walked in the room, I saw King's Kids weeping, kneeling, praying and hugging each other. Their Guide explained that as she was telling the King's Kids the importance of true worship and showing our King love, a few kids started weeping and telling God they were sorry. Soon, many of the kids were just crying out to God and praying to Him. Tears rolled down my face as I hugged the kids and reassured them of God's awesome love and forgiveness for them. I was overwhelmed by the presence of God. Shout out to God - He is on the move drawing His kids close to Himself!!!

Getting the Word Deep Into Hearts

"Hey, Ms. Jackie! Listen to this! Is this what we were talking about in God Time?" I listened as a 7th grade boy eagerly wanted to read me a verse he had found in the Bible. "I first looked up Luke 10:27 (our theme verse) and in the footnotes it said to look at Deuteronomy 6:5. I did and then I read down a ways. Listen - verse 13. 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'" I was so proud of him! Our theme for the week was "This world is not your home. You are just passing through." We talked about the meaning of "why gain the world and lose your soul?" and the importance of not getting sucked in to worldly thinking. We focused on the temptation of Jesus and how Satan wanted him to get the world's comforts and ignore God. The verse fit perfectly with the theme of the week! God is using His word to get deep into our kids' hearts. Thanks, God!

"Are tears okay during God Time?"

A 6th grade boy approached me and asked, "are tears okay during God Time?" The question kinda caught me off-guard, since this was a boy who had a large build and wasn't overly emotional. He continued, "You know that song that we sang? "You are my All in All?" Man, that's my song. I almost had a tear roll down singing that song."

Seeing "The Purpose-Driven Life" Through a Kid's Eyes

This year, C4S is using the "Purpose-Driven Life" as the basis for our curriculum for God Time. Our kids are really embracing each week's message. Last week, our focus was "You were made to last forever." One of our 3rd grade boys said to me, with his eyes sparkling, "Ms. Jackie, I didn't know we were made to last forever. And I know I have a daddy here, but I didn't know that God is my Daddy up in heaven!" He ran off to play, his heart seemingly light. I love this ministry and watching God work!!

"You Created a Monster"

A couple of weeks ago at dismissal, a mom of a 6-year-old girl said to me laughing, "Ms. Jackie, you created a monster!" I looked confused, and she continued, "my daughter throws a temper tantrum if I come and pick her up too early. I have to come at get her right at 6:30pm."

A Child's Theology

One of our moms was so eager to share the following true story with me about her 8-year-old daughter who attends our program. We had just studied Job in the Bible as a hero the week before. She began, "Over the weekend, Keisha (not her real name) went swimming and when she came out of the water, she started having chest pains. I got nervous and took her to the emergency room. On the way, she started chatting in the back seat. 'Mommy, is God punishing me for being so hard-headed with Grandma?' Keisha asked. I said, 'what?' Keisha continued, 'Well, maybe God is allowing it. Or is Satan doing it?' I replied, 'what do you mean?' Keisha went on, 'It's like Job, Mommy. God let Satan do stuff to him, but he couldn't take his life. He did it because God said Job would still trust Him and stay on His side. Mommy, no matter what happens and even if my heart really hurts, I'm still going to trust God.'" The mom said, with tears in her eyes, that Keisha continued to chat away in the back seat with God and the pain in her heart went away.

Following in His Steps

Jacob is a student who gets easily angry and cannot quit arguing when he feels he is right. Yesterday, he was very upset when he felt wrongly judged by a Guide. Another Guide talked with him about how to approach the Guide to express his point of view. "Could I speak to you when you have some time?" This did not work in the situation, so he remained angry. I talked with him about how sometimes even adults make mistakes, and he needs to continue to treat them respectfully. Shortly after this, he came to me to say a verse. It happened to be Galatians 8:28: "Have the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus." I asked him, "When they spit on Jesus, and told lies about him, and beat him, what was his attitude?" Jacob answered, "He didn't say a word." He got the point. And his anger was dissapated. Praise God for our Guides who are receptive to the Holy Spirit's leading and guide our kids in following in the steps of Jesus.

"I See A Lot of Myself in Christian"

"Those eyes - those belong to the Devil, don't they?" One of the older boys from the church youth group was looking at the latest panel - "Battle with Self." I assured him they were, remarking on his great observation skills. Note: The artist of the mural draws many subtleties in each panel, reflecting if the character is a servant of the King(God) or the Wicked Prince (Satan). The boy seemed very interested in the mural, and I asked him if he was familiar with the story. He said no, and so I proceeded to explain each panel in Christian's journey. After I was finished, he paused and said, "I see a lot of myself in Christian." I asked him what he meant by that and, standing in front of the "Battle with Self" panel, he replied, "I battle myself alot, especially today. I'm not exactly like Christian, though. I didn't make some of the wrong choices he did." After talking together about the armor and how to stand strong in the King, he went back to youth group with a big smile saying, "I'll keep checking back to see what happens with Christian!"

Boys Helping Boys To Be Their Best

One of the Guides from our older boys' (grades 3-8) class writes, "Z (a 3rd grader) has progressed a lot with his crying and whining. His classmates have been encouraging him with kind words - like, 'you're a big boy' or 'it's not worth crying about', or even giving him a side hug or pat on the shoulder encouraging him that things are going to be all right. Some of the older boys are teaching Z how to throw a football; they also include him in their group activities. They gave Z a shout-out [a verbal appreciation] last Friday for being a big boy. Some even volunteered to help Z with his homework. Z is much happier and he even accepts consequences without feedback. He's acknowledging his wrong choices and he will voice his consequence. Z has come a long way [this year]. I thank God for showing Himself strong through our class."

"He LOOOVES C4S!"

I just got off the phone with the parent of one of our 6 year-old King's Kids inquiring about signing up her son for Camp Usoni (our summer camp). She was so anxious to get him in the camp saying that her son just "loooooves Circle4Success! He can't get enough of it!" She continued, "I don't know what you are teaching in God Time, but he just loves his God Time. He is so into God! We don't go to church, but he tells me the stories that he is learning in God Time and we read his Bible together. He just loves God." Praise God for everyone that make C4S possible and for those who are His hands and feet in spreading the Good News of His love and truth.

Cast ALL Your Cares On Him

The other day, one of our 6 year-old girls came up to me holding her left arm with her right one, and asked, "Miss Jackie, could you pray and ask the King to heal my arm?" I was so surprised and pleased at the same time that she realized that our King is a healer and needed His help. We prayed together and shortly after, she came to me and happily said, "I have a Godspot! The King healed my arm! Thanks, God!"

Time of Refreshment and Planning

Check back with us soon! We are on Spring Break until April 12 - having a time of refreshment, summer camp planning, and getting ready for the return of our King's Kids again!

Overheard on the Playground

Sunny warmer days mean children playing outside and this was recently heard on the playground. Several C4S kids were singing a song they recently learned in God Time (complete with motions): "I'm trading my sorrows...I'm trading my shame..I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord...Yes, Lord. Yes, Yes, Lord!" Oh, that we would burst into spontaneous song with praise to our King!

I Wanna Make My Mom Smile

The goal of one of the older boys in C4S is to make his mom smile with a good report at the end of the day. Yesterday, he had a particularly good day and asked his Guide, "I wanna make my mom smile. Do you think I did today?" His Guide replied he did and when it was time for dismissal, both told his mom that he had a great day. His mom smiled and hugged him, telling him how proud she was of him. She then said, "I needed this. I had a hard day today." Both mom and son smiled as they walked out the door towards home, with the boy especially happy that his actions made his mom smile.

"He's SO F-I-I-N-E!"

"Wow! He's cute." "He's sexy." "He's so f-i-n-e!" These words (and several other inappropriate words) came from several of our younger girls about our newest Guide. Our newest guide is a young man (early 20s) who clearly loves God and puts Him first, has a contagious fun personality, and is talented. And the girls instantly took notice.

It was a teachable moment for me to teach our young ladies that our King says it is good for girls to notice guys (He created it and called it good!) but there is a difference between admiring guys and disrespecting them. We talked candidly and openly about why those above words are not appropriate for King's Girls. But we shared those qualities that they most admired about the Guide- "he has a great personality", "I like how he dresses", "he is kind". One of the girls asked, "could I start a list of what I would like in my future husband?" The other girls got very excited about that thought. Our King is at work transforming our young ladies' minds! Please pray that our girls will embrace our King's ways with their purity.

Glimpses of Heart Change

Remember Camron from an earlier post and how he struggled with the realities of Proverbs 13:20? He faces daily battles of walking with the wise and avoiding foolish people. The other day, he made the choice to walk with foolish people, and as a result, made a wrong choice that had unpleasant consequences. While I was in a discussion with Camron about the wrong choice he had made, he looked at me clearly with remorse on his face and quietly said, "I need to pray." The next moment, he was on his knees and in his 5th grade way, prayed out loud telling his King that he was truly sorry and asking the King for help in walking with wise people. When he was done with his prayer, Camron looked at me and smiled - "now I have to go and apologize and make it right." I was so proud of him! He took the initiative on his own to make things right with the King and others. Tears came to my eyes as the powerful message of the King's true forgiveness and grace unfolded before my eyes in the life of a 5th grade boy.

A Letter to Christian

I received this letter from one of our younger King's Kids and was told to give it to Christian. (typed exactly as written).

dear christian
how are you? i wundre wut you areduing i have a song for you put on the armour of god so you can stand and you can fight


The song that he quoted was a song that they just learned in God Time about putting on the armor of God. Praise our King that the His truth is being heard and embraced!

A One-Eyed Bear Named Jessica

Maya, a 6-year-old girl, sat in my office calming down from an all-too-often temper tantrum out of control. She was playing Noah's ark Memory cards to calm herself down. After calming down, she continued to play the game by herself when all of a sudden, she stared towards the window and froze. A weird expression came over her face and she whispered, "I'm scared, Miss Jackie." I took her in my arms and hugged her, and said a prayer to the King to keep her safe and take her fears from her.

While I was holding her, I felt God whisper to me to give her my one-eyed teddy bear for tangible comfort. My best friend has given me that bear to use "just in case I needed to with kids." As I brought the bear off the shelf and held it, I explained to Maya that this bear is lonely. She doesn't think she is pretty because of her one eye, which she lost because people were too rough with her. I went on to explain that because of her one eye, her mom didn't want her. I told Maya that she gets really scared easily because people have hit her, mistreated her and cursed at her. Maya's eyes widened and softened at the same time as she said quietly, "Really?" and held her arms out for the bear, fully relating to this bear's story and knowing exactly how it must feel.

I spent the next few minutes explaining to Maya how to be a great friend to the bear - by using kind words, gentle hands and a quiet soft voice - not harsh words or screaming or punching. Maya responded so well and enjoyed cuddling and spending the next 15 minutes (before her aunt came to pick her up) with the bear. She asked me, "Miss Jackie, what is her name?" "Why don't you ask her?" I replied. She leaned her ear to the bear's mouth and said, "Miss Jackie, her name is Jessica."

I am praying that Jessica will help Maya to heal and learn how to behave appropriately. Stay tuned for the adventures of Maya and her new friend, Jessica, as they play together in C4S!

Staff Reflections on Christian's Journey

The response has been overwhelming from the King's Kids on how Christian's story has impacted them in some way, but what about the staff (a.k.a. Guides)? How have our Guides been affected by this story? I set to find out...and here's the response I received from 3 of our Guides.

"After I first read the book, and as I read it now to the children, it makes me think about how many of the characters I can personally relate to. Especially when I think about my days when I was deep into my addiction and how much my personality and excuses for not changing were like the negative characters. I haven't reached my destination, but like Christian, I'm on the right path. A personal thanks for guiding me to the book." -A Boys' Guide

"Little Pilgrim's Progress has encouraged me to continue being obedient. Trust God's Word and to 'press on' when things get tough while on this journey! It didn't take long for me to catch on to the message. Christian's journey reflects life as many are familiar with today: the distractions, temptations, even crossroads. I thank God for the seed that has been planted in our King's Kids through Christian's journey. It has been rewarding to watch them thirsting for more! It's an honor to nourish and watch each seed produce the King's divine fruit." -A Boys' Guide

"I received several gold nuggets from Christian's journey that helped me understand past dreams that I had never understood. One dream I once dreamed was of two lions chasing my daughter and I and the two of us were running fast. There was a black limo and the two of us ran and jumped into this black limo at the same time and shut the doors on the two lions and drove off, leaving the two lions. In Christian's journey, the movie stated that the lions were there in Christian's path to test his faith. What a test for me! Thanks, God, for revealing that to me." -A K-2nd Grade Guide

Walking with the Wise

This week, one of our 5th grade boys (I'll call him Camron) was brought to my office because of his disrespectful attitude. Camron often struggles with his attitude and making the right choices. He is in that tough place of being pulled in two different directions - that of following the "in" crowd that are making the wrong choices or doing the right thing. In C4S language, it's like Pliable who can't make up his mind if he is going to be on the King's team or the Wicked Prince's team. Anyway, we were talking together and I was at a loss of what to say. I felt like I have talked to him numerous times (actually I have!) about the same issues and I was tongue-tied. The only thing I could say to him was, "We need help right now. It seems like you end up here alot lately and we need the King's help." He agreed and we prayed to the King for help.

Literally, right during the prayer, I felt the King say to me, "Show him Proverbs 13:20". After the prayer, I said to Camron, "The King just gave me a Message for you." He looked at me quizzically and seemed intrigued. I opened up the Bible and let him read it: "Anyone who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." We talked about what that meant and I asked him to tell me who his companions are. He listed them and as we did, we categorized them as either being "wise" or "foolish" (according to the King's standards) and talked about the real-life consequences of hanging out with both kinds of people. He realized that the reason he kept ending up in my office was because of the companions he was hanging out with. Together, we brainstormed different King's Kids that he could hang out with that would help him to "grow wise" instead of "suffer harm." After we prayed to the King to help Camron to choose his companions wisely, he quietly asked, "Um, Ms. Jackie? Could I have that verse written out for my pocket?" I was happy to oblige.

P.S. I saw Camron in the hallway today during C4S and asked him, "Are you walking with the wise today?" He flashed me the biggest smile! Guess that means yes!!

Making God Personal

Yes, some more amazing Godspots! Actually, I should never be amazed at God because that is who He is - just amazing! I just had to blog today about the 2nd grade girls. I talked with Stephanye Johnson, the Guide of the 2nd grade girls, for an update on how the 2nd grade girl's small group went today. She shared this story:

Two girls found this week's Message of the King (a.k.a Bible verse) of Philippians 3:13b-14 on their own in their personal Bibles (the Bibles are NIrV Versions of the Zondervan Adventure Bible donated by McHenry EFC). They excitedly told Ms. Johnson, "We found the verses in our Bible and we are meditating on it!" Pressing on towards the goal to win the prize is a great verse to meditate on!! The girls in the group then went on to discuss tough situations in their life and how the King helps them to press on through it. Donnisia chimed in some encouragement, "Yeah, you know how the King helped Christian..." and began to retell the story so far of how the King was with Christian even in his difficult moments. During their prayer time to the King asking for His help, they were so overcome with emotion that they started crying!

Another 2nd grade girl story: During free choice time (when all of the rest of the girls in her after-school class were dancing) Kaniyah eagerly sat down in front of one of our bulletin boards with all the past Messages from the King on it. She wanted to copy down all the Bible references and after writing them down, she looked them up one-by-one in her personal Bible. She was SO excited when she would find the verse all by herself - written exactly as she had learned it!

And yet another 2nd grade girl story (since I'm at it): One big struggle of Janae (not her real name) is calming herself down appropriately once she gets angry or frustrated. She and I have talked together on several different occasions and brainstormed helpful ideas. One of those ideas was to sing one of her favorite songs ("Jesus, You're My Firm Foundation")that she learned at C4S to help her calm down. Today when I briefly stopped by her room, I saw that she was clearly agitated. Then I heard her softly sing, "Jesus, You're my firm foundation. I know I can stand secure...." I smiled to myself, my heart bursting with pride for her, and thankfulness to our King for calming her down. (P.S. The song worked!).

It is SO encouraging to see our King's Kids happily embracing their King and finding His Word and praise so comforting and helpful! It's such a joy to lead our King's Kids to the One who loves them even more than I do!

The Cross Through the Eyes of Our King's Kids

In our journey along with Christian, he finally came to the cross where his burden was lost forever! During our dramatic skit, our King's Kids had HUGE smiles on their faces when they discovered that Christian's burden was gone! Below are excerpts (typed exactly as they are written) from some King's Kids' journals as they reflected on what the cross meant to them personally.

"The cross means to me no sins are left." -1st grade boy

"What the cross means to me forgiven and set free and the burden is burning off our backs." -2nd grade boy

"What the cross means to me is a symbol of Jesus. It is a symbol of Jesus because he died on it for us he shed his blood on it for us, and he freed us from our sin on it." -8th grade boy

"It inspires me to be a better person and to be successful. I want to be a Christian." -5th grade boy

"The cross means to me I am forgiven and set free. It means everything to me." -2nd grade girl

"It means to me that the Lord died for our sins. He took all our sins aways. These are some sin that I do. I talk back to my teacher and I lie and hit peoples." -4th grade girl

"The cross means that our sins are gone. We don't have to live with any more guilt." -5th grade boy

"I am forgiven and set free. I will never hate the cross." - 1st grade girl

"What it means to me is that it means that people should listen. Some people say forget God. But I say let's start thinking about God. If people don't care then I will." -6th grade girl

From the Mouth of Babes

During God Time, one of our 3rd Grade King's Kids asked, "How do I get to heaven - the Celestial City?" Another King's Kid (a 2nd grader) raised his hand excitedly and when called on confidently said (remembering our ABC lesson), "Admit you are a sinner, Believe in Jesus, and Choose to follow Him." Praise God for the minds that are exploring the great depths of our loving Savior and the seeds of truth that are being planted in young hearts!

Getting Out of the Way

Here's a really cool story of how God is working through His Word.

One of the Guides brought three upper elementary boys to my office that were misbehaving and not acting like the King’s Kids they are. One of the boys quickly apologized and seemed very genuine for his actions. The other two boys started quickly talking with excuses and blaming. I asked them to sit down on the chairs in my office and I continued the work I had to do on the computer. We worked in silence. They worked on homework. I worked on administrative work. I think they were wondering what would happen. I was wondering what would happen. No one said a word, but I was praying for guidance. These two boys were repeat misbehaving King's Kids. Lectures and consequences did little to correct behavior, and so as I was working on my various tasks, I also had been praying for a different approach to use with these boys.

After awhile, I asked the boys if they were ready to talk. I opened up the Bible and told the boys that we were going to see what the King had to say about their situation. The King directed me to various Proverbs and as I read them, the boys listened. We talked about Proverbs 12:1 – anyone who hates correction is stupid (that’s what the King says!) and Proverbs 12:22, 13:20, 14:9 – all dealing with the importance of honesty, trying to do the right thing and surrounding yourself with wise and good people. I hardly talked – I just kept reading various verses about what the King says about the situation. One of the boys raised his hand and said, “Honestly (saying it very slowly as if trying out the work on his tongue and as if he was walking into totally unfamiliar territory), I haven’t forgiven (my Guide) for what he did to me in the past and I just don’t do anything he asks.“ I again read Proverbs 12:22 and told him that he pleased the King with his honesty. I could tell he was proud of pleasing the King. Then the other boy had something honest to say. Honesty suddenly became contagious!

I then went to Matthew 6:14-15 about forgiveness. The boy looked very solemn about the King’s message that if he doesn’t forgive, then the King won’t forgive him and then said, “I need to apologize to (my Guide) and do what he tells me.” What a moment! Because I had waited to respond and waited for the King’s direction (yes, I even need this story!) and let the King do the talking, I found out much more about these boys’ hearts and thoughts then I could’ve found by a 10-minute discussion – or lecture – and the boys got so much more out of it. It was such a powerful moment. The boy went right to his Guide and apologized very genuinely. I could tell a change took place in that boy’s heart – even if for an instant. I pray that this is just the beginning of great change in this boy’s life.

Just wanted to share it with you!!