Many children’s worship sessions are high-energy and upbeat with loud music and big screens. Those changes can be intimidating to young preschoolers moving up to that age group of children.

I have an illustrated children’s book coming soon to help tell the story of a preschool girl graduating from her church preschool class. The preschool classroom is smaller with small chairs and many shelves filled with toys. Now the young girl is ready for a new stage in her growing-up years. She’s old enough for children’s worship.

This book will help her to know what to expect in a larger room with bigger chairs, louder music, more children who are older than she is.

Here is a sneak peek at the cover:

Story by Brenna Phillips ? Illustrations by Buddy Earnest

A friend and her husband attended a denominational meeting and expressed her frustration regarding comments she received from others at this meeting.

She is a minister and serves as a Collegiate Minister at their church. People they met at this denominational meeting did not recognize her as being in ministry herself. She was seen as the ‘babe on the arm’ of a man. She was tagging along beside her husband. People asked her the typical wife questions: “How many babies did you leave at home to attend this meeting?” People would ask him the typical minister questions: “What’s going on at your church? How many people do you have attending now?” They never considered the wife/woman to be the ministry leader, too, until they found out that she is a minister. Then they assumed she must be the children’s minister. There is definitely nothing wrong with being the children’s minister (I am a children’s-family minister and proud to be called to follow God in that role), but the traditional views of some of these people are that if a female is going to be a minister then she must be the children’s minister; there is no other position available or suitable for a female.

Another friend commented about these frustrations by sharing her own frustrations over the prejudices in her career, not only gender but racial as well. She is a mission center director. She attended a conference and was scheduled to be the missions speaker. When the group discovered she was the speaker, they literally had to have a meeting to decide if there was someone else to deliver the talk. Then they discovered that the only other alternative was an African-American man. The group had to have another meeting to decide the ‘lesser of two evils’ to be the speaker.

These two examples of the prejudices in the business of sharing Jesus are sickening. Jesus is not prejudice. Jesus loved all people and treated them equally, regardless of gender or race or social status.

Here is a Bible study lesson from Mother’s Day. It is worth re-posting and reading again.

On one of Paul’s missionary journeys (Acts 16), he wanted to go east to Asia to share with others about Jesus. But he couldn’t go east. He had to go west. On his journey west, he met a woman named Lydia. She was a wealthy individual in town, very influential, probably the family leader and money-maker. Her husband’s name is not mentioned in the text.

Paul shared about Jesus with her and she believed then invited him to HER house. It was probably her house since she was the leader and money-maker of the family.

These thoughts about Lydia’s important stand in society makes us think about interactions with other women in the Bible. Think about Mary. Why did the angel appear to Mary first and not Joseph? After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared first to the woman. Why not John or Peter?

Although Biblical society didn’t elevate women so much in the Bible readings, women are of high importance in the life of Jesus and his followers.

We need to see ministers and ministry positions as Jesus sees them.

Many children’s worship sessions are high-energy and upbeat with loud music and big screens. Those changes can be intimidating to young preschoolers moving up to that age group of children.

I have an illustrated children’s book coming soon to help tell the story of a preschool girl graduating from her church preschool class. The preschool classroom is smaller with small chairs and many shelves filled with toys. Now the young girl is ready for a new stage in her growing-up years. She’s old enough for children’s worship.

This book will help her to know what to expect in a larger room with bigger chairs, louder music, more children who are older than she is.

Here is a sneak peek at the cover: ?Story by Brenna Phillips ? Illustrations by Buddy Earnest

I have blogged before about my mom staying in the rehab center during her hip therapy sessions and how much she is able to minister to the therapy staff.

She called me recently with another story about the children of one staff member. This lady who works at the rehab center is from Haiti. We aren’t sure how long she has been living in the USA, but her children are still in Haiti to go to school.

Mom and dad asked her how things are and how her family is after the recent earthquake. She said her 10-year-old daughter came home from school and was about to open the door and go in her house when the entire house fell down because of the earthquake. Everyone inside the house was killed from the collapse.

The mom is trying to find out about her daughter and who is taking care of her and how she is living. She is trying to find out how to bring her daughter to the USA. She hasn’t been able to get in touch with her and doesn’t know how she is getting along.

Please pray for this mother that she will soon be reunited with her little girl and that she is safe. Pray for my mom and dad that they will be able to minister to this mother in her time of questions and uncertainty.