Thanks

Thanks, thanks, thanks to Debbi for putting together another great VBS. Even though I'm writing this before it's all over, what I've seen so far is wonderful.

Thanks to everyone who helped out, too, but I really want to highlight her contribution. Debbi carries a huge load every year for VBS, not only doing what the director should do, but also doing all the things that she can't find volunteers for. It's a stressful responsibility, and she always handles it with excellence.

This is one of DBC's great opportunities to minister to our kids, to reach out to the community, and to make sure the Gospel is clearly presented. It's more than fun and games - it's being missional.

Please remember to pray for Debbi, for the kids who heard the Gospel, and for DBC to increase it's impact on our community.

For us to be more and more the church God wants us to be, it will take more of us to give of ourselves, just as Debbi and her crew gave of themselves for our VBS kids.

Opportunities Before Us

This Summer, we have many opportunities for each of us to become more missional (which is what our recent Philippians series was all about). I look at these opportunities in two ways: 1) Of course, there is the goal to accomplish some tasks, but my primary motive is: 2) As we give of ourselves to God's mission, He changes us - He develops us more into the image of Christ. I would like for you to consider the following opportunities because I know what God can do both in you and through you when you serve Him in ways like these:

1. Pray for the Youth Mission Trip: In last week's bulletin, and in this week's bulletin, there is an insert of prayer requests for each day that the youth will be on this trip. Please take this insert, stick it in your Bible or on your fridge, and pray daily for them. I believe firmly that the report we get back will be far greater if we commit to pray.
2. Give to the Youth Mission Trip: Fundraising is not yet complete - as of this writing, they still need about $1800 for the entire group. Please considering donating or "hiring" one of the youth after they return to do odd jobs to raise funds.
3. Prepare for VBS: There is a lot of work that needs to be done to get the building and the teaching materials ready for VBS (coming up in less than two weeks!). This Saturday, starting at 9am, we're coming together as a team to get everything ready, from painting to constructing to preparing simple crafts. There's something for everyone. I appreciate those who turned out last Saturday, but to be honest - it was too few people. The return on investment of the prep work we do is enormous - children will discover truths about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please consider the importance of this outreach and help us with quite simple tasks to help make it happen.
4. Volunteer for VBS: Debbi still needs helpers - if you can play games, walk from one part of the building to another, move some chairs, throw away trash, haul away trash, we need your skills. Of course, we need those who are gifted in working with children, but we also need a lot people who don't necessarily have that gift.
5. Moving ABC Women's Clinic: ABC Women's Clinic is moving locations, and they need volunteers Monday and Tuesday. They must be out of their current building by Tuesday, so they need people who can load and unload supplies, people with trucks to provide more capacity, and so on. ABC Women's Clinic is the only clinic for several counties that offers a Christ-centered approach to unwanted pregnancies. To help, just show up at ABC on Monday or Tuesday (ask me if you have any questions).
6. Make Breakfast: We're having a breakfast before church on June 21. We need men who are willing to help make a simple breakfast. We usually get enough men to help with that - but please sign up so that we know what's covered. We often, however, don't have enough help setting up and cleaning up. Please plan to arrive early to help set up and stay a few minutes later to clean up.
7. Organize a Picnic: We'd like to have a few all-church summer activities, and I'm not the world's best at putting even a simple event together. I would love for one or two people to offer to plan a few simple events, like a Sunday evening picnic and volleyball game.

A lot of Christians want to experience more of Christ in their lives, and there are many ways to do that: regular Quiet Times, spiritual retreats, gathering with other believers, and so on. But the Bible is very clear that one of the ways we experience more of Christ is to serve Him and the needs of His Church. He's created a great Win-Win situation - when we serve Him, not only do we accomplish the goals that He has, but we also get to experience more of Him. Yes, it's a sacrifice - but it's a sacrifice that has tremendous rewards.

Please take 60 seconds right now to pray about helping with one or more of these needs.

What's Prince Caspian About?

I have been surprised by the number of times I've been asked this question. We've been announcing that our VBS this year will be based on the book Prince Caspian, and many of you have asked what it's all about. There's curiosity, but just not as much familiarity as there is with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first book of C.S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia."

On the surface, the story is about the same four children from LWW, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie and their return to the mythical land of Narnia. One year has passed in their lives, but 1300 years has passed in Narnia - the timelines never match up between the two worlds. When they arrive, the learn of a young prince, Caspian, who is the rightful one to be King of Narnia, but the post has been assumed by his uncle Miraz, who ascended to the throne through deception and murder. The story follows the battle of Prince Caspian with his small army of talking beasts and creatures fighting under the banner of Aslan, the Great Lion, against King Miraz and his large army of battle-tested warrior men.

Below the surface, Lewis tells a fascinating tale of faith. Several storylines interweave to compare and contrast characters and the decisions they make according to their faith. Lucy and Trufflehunter (a talking badger) are consistently faithful (although not perfect), showing us what Lewis portrays as model faith. Trumpkin the dwarf begins from the perspective of what we would call "modernity" (the view that the only reality is physical and the only knowledge is scientific), but later he converts to adopt the same kind of faith as Trufflehunter. Nikabrik, another dwarf, displays what we would call "post-modernity" (the view that the spiritual world exists, but absolute Right and Wrong do not). The older Pevensie children display various levels of genuine faith that is plagued by doubts caused by the effects of modernity.

Ultimately, it seems to me that the story is about comparing the childlike faith that Jesus teaches us to have against the worldview of secular humanism. Throughout the story, the characters face decisions they need to make based on faith - will they display childlike faith, or will they consider themselves too "sophisticated", too "practical", and too self-reliant to trust? When you ponder all the problems that we work through as Christians, doesn't it usually come down to this very dilemma? Will I trust God at His Word, or will I rely on my own thoughts and actions?

Yes - it's told a children's story, and a story that children will love. But the biblical truths Lewis reveals appeal to a mature look at childlike faith. Lewis doesn't try to explain all these views, he doesn't use any of the technical terms, and he doesn't forcefit a storyline into an attempt to teach Philosophy 101. He simply tells the story of characters who come from these different perspectives and allows their worldview to drive the story. You won't come away from the story thinking that you've just had a lesson on the various kinds of faith - you'll come away appreciating a well-told story about different characters and their struggles, failures, and successes.

Please consider joining us Saturday afternoon at 3:30 pm to see the movie Prince Caspian. As of this writing, there are still tickets available. Call or email Debbi at the church. Also, please consider helping us put this VBS together - we need craftmakers, builders, fixers, painters, teachers, leaders, helpers, feeders, preparers - a whole host of tasks. Everyone has something they can do that would be a big help to Debbi and her crew.

Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia!