My 2 year old daughter crawled into my lap, grabbed my hand, and placed it perfectly where she wanted on her leg. She then got her milk, re-positioned my hand since moving for milk changed things up, and settled in for some great Curious George cartoon watching before bed.

Gracious words. They seem to be a scarce commodity these days. We feel the need to vehemently disagree with everyone about everything. I know the world has problems. God even says, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33, ESV). I surmise though we have more in common than we may think.

The greatest joy I have found in my work with CEF is not what I would have expected it to be when I started. I started this work with the desire to see children hear the Gospel and be changed. While I do still love that work dearly, I have discovered a greater joy in the form of teacher training. When we are faithful, God promises to multiply our work, even 100 fold. One of the ways I have seen him do that is by putting teaching tools in the hands of his people, teaching them how to use them efficiently, and then watching them go out into the fields to confidently harvest.

In teaching God’s word, I have learned so much about God’s word. I have learned to cherish it in such a sweet way. I have seen many times when a passage of scripture takes root not only in your mind but in your heart, your way of teaching it is completely transformed. This spiritual light bulb is a wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit, among other gifts he freely gives those who seek him. I have also learned impactful lessons from those who have led me and worked alongside me over the years.

I have been challenged over the years in many ways: working well with my peers, managing my time, sacrificing a leisurely summer, speaking publicly, rightly handling the word of God, adapting to the sudden changes in plans, and many more. But nothing has ever dulled the passion that God granted me when I saw a child completely changed by the good news of Jesus Christ. There are probably hundreds of stories I could tell you, but I will settle for just a few that have been meaningful to me over the last decade and a half of ministry.

You and I know that prayer changes things. Let’s be prayer warriors together and remember God will uphold us with His Victorious hand! In this post we have an awesome online resource and information about an upcoming online prayer event.