I asked my son what he did at camp last week and he replied “I preached.”
“You spoke in front of 500 plus kids?” I clarified.
“Yep.”
“Were you afraid?” I asked.
“No.” he said in a matter of fact way. “I just spoke from my heart.”
Parker is our athlete. He makes his dad and me proud. His dad is probably a bit more proud of his skill than I am. That or my husband is reliving his days through our son. Don’t think bad of me for writing that. It’s not like he denies the allegation. In fact he adds, “When Parker has a son of his own, he can live through him.”
Whatever!
When Parker said he “preached” in front of a large number of his own peers, it blessed my heart beyond measure. For a minute, I got that same feeling my husband gets when Parker hits a home run, makes the tackle, or swooshes the ball through the hoop for 2 points. I had to know more details.
It started when Parker decided not to play summer baseball this year. Doing so means he would have to miss church and other activates such as church camp from time to time. In our opinion, playing ball over going to church is an unhealthy priority. However, once you enter Jr high and high school, playing is almost a must. We decided to take the summer off and trust God.
At camp, one of the youth counselors asked Parker to share his priority to attend church over playing ball at the campfire service.
Parker used the campfire as a visual. He shared how his relationship with God is like a fire. To keep it hot, he has to fuel the fire. Each log represented that fuel. One log symbolized his prayer time. Another log represented worship, and yet, another log stood for his bible reading. Parker explained that when he neglected any of these logs or put other priorities before God, his fire went out.
I don’t know about you, but I thought that was pretty creative! Of course, he said it only took him about 5 minutes to share, but still. I was blown away. In fact, I asked him if I could use his analogy.
I don’t know why the counselor felt led to ask Parker to “preach.” But this I know. God is in all and in control of all things good and bad. Somewhere in the future, this moment of training and preparation will have prepared Parker to fulfill his purpose on a grander scale. All of our moments are building for the next one. Take my friend, LeAnn.
LeAnn loves to cook. She often makes food for the gals in the office. Many of those recipes are found in her fabulous cookbook. It only took a moment to cook for the girls. Another moment to create a cookbook, and now, today at this very moment, LeAnn has launched a cooking blog called, She Cooks, where you can get great cooking idea’s, tricks and tips! Who knows what the next moment for LeAnn will bring. Perhaps a cooking show!
Be sure and stop by. This might be the moment you discover the best cooking tip you’ve ever had!
This weekend, make the most of every MOMENT!
Stephanie's Mommy Brain says
How exciting that your son was able to share with his peers! It's amazing how God uses each new step to prepare us for the future he has planned.
Cindy in PA says
Thank you for sharing Parker's preaching experience. He sounds like an amazing son!
Also, thank you for sharing about She Cooks…Wendy (Pope) has put LeAnn's Chicken and Rice recipe on her blog and I can't wait to try it.
Crystal says
God placed Parker in the right place at the right time and for a reason. How exciting that he said "Yes," to the call. All things work together to glorify God. Thank you for sharing this story.