A very memorable occasion

Just a few short days after Bethany & I arrived home from MI (where the theme for my training and the new theme for GEMS was “Who is the greatest?” based on John 3:30, with an emphasis on God’s power and on pointing others to Him & His greatness instead of to ourselves, Sarah & Bethany made Public Profession of Faith along with 6 other young people from our church. The sermon Pastor Ken chose to preach that day was along the same lines…based on 2 Corinthians 12:9:

But he said to me,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Pastor Ken had lost his voice and no matter how he prayed, it didn’t come back in time for Sunday. Because of his minimal voice, he chose to preach a memorable sermon about our weaknesses being the way in which God shows His grace and power and greatness. The depth of the sermon, combined with the girls’ profession of faith, combined with all I learned at my GEMS training was overwhelming to me. I’m still processing it all. It was a life-changing week, and all the glory for that belongs to God.

And even better, Sarah & Bethany publicly professed their faith and became members of our church on that day. We knew already that they were God’s girls – this simply was the official ceremony of declaring that fact. What a glorious day to celebrate God’s promises to them and their commitment to Him! Both the girls participated in the service, along with most of the other young people who were professing their faith that day. We had young people playing violin, leading the praise & worship, reading Scripture, praying, and sharing testimonies. It was a good & blessed day for our church. It was a day of healing & growth for our congregation. It was a day given to us by God, who crafted every aspect of the day…from which people would be standing up front to which songs would be sung, to the words Pastor Ken preached…a day that simply made God greater and us less. And it made us, as a whole church, ever-so-grateful to be His children.

Bethany (middle) with two other 7th/8th grade girls who also professed their faith. They sang a beautiful three-part harmony of “Be Thou My Vision” during the offering. It was a TON of work, but they persevered, and with the help of one very musical mom, their song became a focal point of worship that day.

Making their promises

Soli Deo Gloria!