The Bible Story Man & John 3:16....

...When I was in first grade, I was taught by the same teacher that had taught my dad 20 years earlier. Pretty cool, huh? Also cool is the fact that every single day we said the pledge of allegiance and prayed, and learned John 3:16...in class ....in a public school!! We also had a man, Mr Turner aka The Bible Story Man, come once a month and tell us a Bible story using his felt board, his loud and thrilling voice, and songs that were printed on cards of all shapes and sizes so we could sing along.

I'm telling you this for a couple of reasons. I know that alot of people who went to the same school I did read my blog and I'm not sure I've told them what I'm about to say about the man I know they'll remember with the same affection I do, and...I have another point that I'll be getting to in a minute.

Now, in the county where I live there is a ministry called Bible Release Time. The church I attend is literally in the back door to the school in our community. Once a week at several schools throughout our county kids grades 2-6 walk to the church to learn about Jesus. How awesome and amazing is that?? I don't get to help out with Release time these days, but I used to make Thursday my off day from work so I could participate, and I can't begin to tell you the blessings I received in this ministry.

Something else....Mr Turner, The Bible Story Man, he comes once a month to Bible Release Time!!! I KNOW!! The first time he came I was like a kid. I was so excited! The entire time he was trying to set up his stuff I was babbling on about how I remembered him coming to my school as a kid, and on and on. And you know what else? He still sings those same songs...

"Stop and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me....Stop and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me!........." This one is printed on a stop sign.

And the Go song,...and the Extra song...and on and on! (if you were a kid then and remember this, I know you are singing along! I just know it!)

The guy who was in charge of BRT at that time was giving me some of the strangest looks the entire day. I sang super loud, gushed each time I talked with Mr Turner, and was pretty giddy in general the entire day! (if you know me, you know that I am not giddy nor a gusher, but I'm sure everyone there that day remembers this pretty vividly if you want their numbers.)

Anyway, all of that to say this, it's amazing how things we learn so very young stay with us for our entire lives, isn't it? These last weeks in Awana, we have been working on learning John 3:16. I have the Kindergarten class, so this is a pretty big verse for them and is broken down over a few weeks. As we were doing our lesson this last week something hit me that I'd never thought to ask them.

"How many of you know how to tell someone...anyone!... about Jesus?"

They all just looked at me.

I went on to tell them that John 3:16 was really all they needed to begin telling someone about Jesus, about how to be saved.

So often when I think of witnessing to someone, my mind goes to Romans 10, or a number of other scriptures throughout the Bible, but here is this verse.....this verse I learned in FIRST grade...this verse that I am helping these kids learn who are in Kindergarten, so simply explains the way, the truth, the very path to eternal life.

I almost had a shouting moment right there in the midst of those little 3.5 foot bundles of energy! Were it not for the fact that the girl helping me was out of the room at the moment, and I might very well send all 13 of these little ones running from the room in sheer terror (they are already on the fence as to whether they are afraid of me or not!)....I probably would have!

They were pretty excited about being able to share Jesus with others. I hope they are acting as little missionaries to everyone they see this week using their newly learned Bible verse!

On that note, have you watched the news lately? I have, and I can't help but think of how quickly things are coming to pass right before our eyes that signal Jesus' return. It's true, we know not the day nor the hour, but with that said, do we really want to miss an opportunity to share the message of salvation with a lost and dying world? Do you? Do I?

During times that we are living in whether my Jesus comes tomorrow or in a hundred years, I ask myself.....How can anyone make it through one single minute of one day without knowing Him?

I pray that I never miss an opportunity to serve my God. I pray that I will share the name of Jesus with everyone I meet just as we are called to do. Please! Help me to do this, Lord Jesus!