Jesus Drops the Mic

Kids in the Mainstream - Jesus’ Ministry 2

This is part 2 in a series of posts about kids belonging in the mainstream of church life. Part 1 is here.

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away. (Matthew 19:13–15 ESV)

This episode comes just one chapter after Jesus told his disciples that they had to change and become like children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. That they had to humble themselves like children in order to be great. That when they welcomed children, they were welcoming Jesus.

But here the disciples rebuke and try to send away people who want to bring children to Jesus. Some folks are hard on the disciples here, but I don’t think they were bad guys. They probably observed that some “important” people were waiting to see Jesus. Or maybe a crowd was gathered to hear him preach. They wanted to prioritize and keep things moving.

Jesus famously scolds his disciples and welcomes the children, but that’s not all. The passage  says that after he laid his hands on the children, HE WENT AWAY! Yes, I just shouted. Because, after blessing the children, Jesus dropped the mic and left. 



Whoever was waiting to talk to him, whatever crowd had gathered to be healed or hear him teach--they had to come back another day. That’s how emphatic Jesus was about the importance of children.

This passage challenges me to be fully present with my own children and to prioritize ministry to children in my church. How about you?

Kids in the Mainstream - Jesus' Ministry

This is the first in a series of posts about kids belonging in the mainstream of church life.

When you picture Jesus and his disciples, do you picture children with them?  I mean, except for that one time when he had to rebuke the disciples. If we look closely, several episodes in the Gospels indicate that Jesus often had kids around during his ministry years.

We get the following exchange in Matthew 18: 1-5

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, . . ." (ESV)

Jesus called a child and put him in the middle. Notice that Jesus didn't have to send someone out to find a child somewhere. The child (maybe several children) were already with Jesus and his disciples. We’ll see in future posts that Jesus seems to have had children around all the time.

Jesus told his disciples:

• to turn and become like children

• to  humble themselves like children, and

• to receive children.


These three things would be very difficult for the disciples to do if they weren’t around children regularly!

Imagine two people, both trying to become like children and humble themselves like children. One has a list of childlike qualities to emulate. The other actually spends time with children. The one with the list will struggle with the abstract task. But the one who is around children catches their qualities like catching a cold. This one enters the kingdom of heaven like a child and becomes great in the kingdom while becoming humble.

Jesus was wise to spend time with children, and we would be too!

How do you and your church community treat children? Are they in the mainstream of church life?

photo credit

Feeling Inadequate?

I’m a pastor who hasn’t been to seminary and a preschool director who isn’t a licensed child-care provider. (We do have a wonderful licensed provider on our staff though!) Most of my relevant training has been on-the-job or through my own studies.

People tell me I’m doing well, but I still deal with feelings of inadequacy from time to time, especially when I’ve worked my tail off on a sermon and it still doesn’t feel quite right. It’s not to the point of impostor syndrome, but still.

That’s why I was so encouraged the other day when I read Paul’s words to the Corinthians:

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:4-6 ESV)

If you’re like me and feel insufficient to the task sometimes--in your parenting, ministry, work, or school--let’s remember this: Our sufficiency is from God, not ourselves.

How about you? Do you ever feel like you don't have what it takes? How do you deal with it?

Photo by H. Michael Karshis

Leaving Things Unsaid

Sometimes I feel like I need to include EVERYTHING in a lesson or a sermon or a talk with my kids. But Jesus said,

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12).

 and,

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. (Mark 4:33)

Choice words, fitly spoken, beat the kitchen sink every time.

On Asking for Feedback

"When administrators [other leaders] take the time to ask for feedback and input, teachers [and other front-line workers] feel as though their contributions make a difference. However, the best administrators never ask for information they plan to ignore, and never ask for input on a decision they have already made." -If You Don’t Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students p.23

This book contained a few gems like this, but was mostly long lists of ideas for supporting faculty and staff. The plethora of silly acronyms turned me off a bit.

How to Question Legitimate Authority

We are taught to respect authority, and rightfully so. God has placed parents, bosses, governments, and religious leaders over us as legitimate authority figures that we are to respect unless they forfeit that respect. 

But questioning authority (respectfully) is not the same as defying authority, and legitimate authority should welcome questions. Here's a situation where authority should have been questioned in a book I recently read called Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. (amazon affiliate link)

A physician ordered ear drops to be administered to the right ear of a patient suffering pain and infection there. But instead of writing out completely the location “right ear” on the prescription, the doctor abbreviated it so that the instructions read “place in R ear.” Upon receiving the prescription, the duty nurse promptly put the required number of ear drops into the patient’s anus. Obviously, rectal treatment of an earache made no sense. Yet neither the patient nor the nurse questioned it. 

In Japan, where I live, and in other parts of Asia, it is particularly hard to question authority, but there are a few ways to make it more pleasant for both the one under authority and the one in authority. 

We recently talked about this issue at my church's men's group. Here are some helpful guidelines for people under authority who face a situation where questioning authority might be in order.

• Determine whether you are the right person at the right time to bring this up.
• Demonstrate commitment.
• Try to find the answers yourself first.
• Demonstrate humility.
• Propose solutions.
• Assume the best.
• Assume that you might be missing something. Ask tentatively.
• Think about the long-term relationship.

And some things to keep in mind for those in authority who want to be approachable.

• You don't know it all.
• People from different perspectives have much to offer.
• Be big enough not to invalidate questions just because the questioner didn't go through the above guidelines.

Why I Unfollow

500-Year-Old Wisdom for the Facebook generation.

There are many things too which it is your duty to pass by with a deaf ear, and be rather mindful of those which belong to peace. It is more profitable to turn away one's eyes from things that displease, and to leave each person his own opinion, than to wait upon contentious discourses. - Thomas a Kempis. The Imitation of Christ (free ebook from Project Gutenberg).

Groundbreaking New Medicine Treats ADHD

From the "Duh" department, recent studies show that kids who get physical exercise have better executive function, which translates to improved math and reading scores, and this holds especially for kids who show signs of ADHD.

An article in The Atlantic entitled "Exercise Is ADHD Medicine" quotes Alan Smith, chair of the department of kinesiology at Michigan State, who "went out on no limb at all in a press statement at the time, saying, 'Early studies suggest that physical activity can have a positive effect on children who suffer from ADHD.'"

Maybe some kids could be treated with some fresh air and sunshine instead of stimulants.

You Need a Good Box

"It never occurred to them that, if everyone had to think outside the box, maybe it was the box that needed fixing." 

- A Former Enron manager, as quoted on p. 374 of Malcolm Gladwell's What the Dog Saw.

Whose Approval Matters?

“In between other people’s opinions of us and our pleasure in them is our assessment of the validity of their approval. We are not the passive victims of others’ opinions. Their opinions are powerless unless we validate them. No one’s approval will affect us unless we grant it credibility and status. The same holds true for disapproval.” - John Ortberg, p. 63. The Life You’ve Always Wanted (amazon affiliate link)

When Two or More Are Responsible for Something

"When two or more are responsible for something, usually nobody is. . . . Everybody sort of feels responsible for it, but no one really owns it. So it doesn’t happen." - David Allen