Welcome to Truth Treasures,, a monthly post where I feature goodness from around the web which I hope will be helpful to you, as well as some personal tidbits, and other treasures. I pray you will be blessed and God will be glorified. Feel free to pass it along!
Reflections: The Story of Life that Began with a Vacation Bible School
Camera Settings: Nikon D610; ISO 400; f2.8; 1/200 sec; 50mm.
“And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.”” Mark 12:42-43
Insignificant. I don’t think it’s a vocabulary word in the language of heaven. In our world it means small, easily forgotten, overlooked or disposable because it has no perceived value. The true story I’m about to tell you should remind each of us that there is no one too far gone for Jesus to reach, that there is no church too small for God to move in a mighty way, and no place too remote that He can’t send His people with the gospel. There are no offerings too small, no efforts too meager. In the realm of eternity, nothing done for the glory of God is insignificant.
I’m living proof of that. It’s a truth I’ve never gotten over.
Twenty years ago I was an unlikely candidate for God’s favor. Here I was, a sinner who didn’t know she was a sinner. I knew nothing—nor cared to know anything—about God. The only thing I knew regarding the Bible, was that it was a big shelf hugging book that collected dust in most peoples homes. My home was not one of them. The things of heaven were not on my radar.
Little did I know it at the time, but I was on heaven’s radar. My son’s guitar teacher (who was also a pastor) invited my kids to his church’s upcoming Vacation Bible School. Great, I thought, something for the kids to do for the week. I signed them up.
The church was a new plant that was housed in a turn of the century country church. It was tiny. The church was on the outskirts of a puny town (population 700) which sits in the middle of one of the most rural provinces in all of Canada. Insignificant describes it well. Yet, here at this church was a large team of happy God-worshippers that came from a significant and booming church, all the way from busy, important Florida. They came with a boat-load of supplies: crayons, markers, colored paper, stickers galore, a well-organized program, snacks, paints, balls, and a zillion other things to minister to the few children in a blink-and-you-miss-it town. Who does that? I had to wonder.
The first day I dropped the kids off, I approached the doors, and the welcoming committee standing at those doors, like I would someone with the plague—cautious, uncertain of what might happen. Their warm, joyful and authentic welcome sort of reassured my fears that first morning. As the week went on and I interacted with the leaders at drop-off and pick-up each day, I became softened more and more by the unfamiliar love that seemed to just pour out of them.
On the last day, the kids were invited to play soccer at the local field. We went, and while I talked with one of the leaders about church and worship and what that even meant, she invited me to come out to church. Uncertainty made me uncomfortable and it was palpable. I responded with a yeah, sure, maybe some day. soon. Though I rejected that invitation, I was intrigued.
But the Lord had already begun a work in my family. He was drawing me. A month later, once summer was over and the VBS team was long gone, the unexpected and unfamiliar love shown by the VBS team had a lingering effect on me. Then the fateful September Sunday morning came when I woke up early, and was compelled for no reason to get up and go to church with my kids. A week or so later, the Lord saved my daughter. Three weeks later, the Lord saved me. And later still, He saved my son. Our lives forever changed.
Each summer as VBS time comes around, I remember. Each year, I do my small part in the VBS program of our church, confident that there is no ‘insignificant’ service I may offer. Every warm welcome, every helping hand, every meager act of love in the name of Jesus is significant in the realm of eternity. Next week is our church’s VBS, and in the circle of time, by the grace of God my two older grandchildren will be attending for the first time. And yes, I teared up as I typed that last sentence. God’s grace amazes me still.
Does your church have a VBS program? How can you help out this year? Maybe you have an opportunity to pray, make snacks, volunteer to help with the variety of activities, or perhaps you could buy some of the supplies they will need. This year I’m popping popcorn and making trail mix for snacks, and praying for those the Lord will bring. Simple, mundane tasks really; but only the Lord knows how a small act of love could change the life of someone forever. It changed mine.
Reading Nook:
- Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, Dane Ortlund. I ordered this book two years ago, and have just begun to read it in the last few weeks. Oh, if you’re like me and you struggle to believe the depth of Christ’s love for you, please read this book. It’s not sappy. It’s rooted deeply in the truth of Scripture. Ortlund also gleans from the time-tested wisdom and insight of the Puritan’s. This will go down for me as one of those life-changing books.
Children’s Corner:
- Speaking of VBS: The program our church has been using for years is Answers in Genesis’ VBS. Each year has a different theme, and this year’s is Emerald Crossing: An Irish Adventure Through Psalm 23. AIG’s VBS programs are high-energy, fast-paced, Christ centered, gospel faithful, and provide an abundant of activities for a 5-day VBS. They have plethora of resources for every aspect of the program including lesson plans for each age level, scripts for plays, music, memory verses and challenges, games, themed snack suggestions, and even a missions moment videos with a collection challenge.
Around the Web:
- The Lost Art of a Wandering Mind – Melissa Edgington at Your Mom Has a Blog
- Is My Pain God’s Punishment? – Vaneetha Rendall Risner at Desiring God
- Set Your Minds on Things Above – Jonny Ardavanis at Dial In Ministries
- Your Grace Still Amazes Me – a song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean. Does God’s grace still amaze you?
In Case You Missed It: Posts from Julys Past
Life Through My {Camera} Lens
It doesn’t take much to please young children who aren’t enamored with techno-gadgets. Give them a sliver of beach on a grey and rainy day, a couple of buckets and shovels, and let them go free. My mom was visiting and we had planned to go to our favorite beach, a 3 hour drive. The rainy weather kept us closer to home. Instead we ventured to this little beach just an hour away. It rained on our drive, but as we pulled into the beach area, the rain stopped and the clouds became a bit brighter—long enough for us to have a picnic of PB&J sandwiches and play in the sand. As we packed tired kids in the car, the rain began to fall once again. A precious gift of time blessed by the Lord. Hallelujah!
Fifteen years ago, we took a family vacation to the Gaspé. As a very newbie photographer trying out a new camera, I took way too many pictures. Most were horrible, but this one was salvageable. (I’ve taken a lot of photography courses since then!)
Next week is a week of celebration in our house—my husband and I will celebrate 32 years of marriage (42 years of life together), and we both have birthdays. In honor of those milestones, we are going back to the Gaspé. Hubby is hoping to fly-fish in one of the salmon rivers. I have a new camera I’d like to get more familiar with. Hopefully my pictures will turn our better than the last time!
Hubby took me across this little bogan in the boat one evening, and we strolled in the pasture on the opposite side just as the sun was getting low in the sky. Ordinary adventures are always the most memorable.
A Favorite Quote:
Thank you for spending time here! Have a wonderful summer!
The Light for My Path 
I love Truth Treasures!!
Kristin Elizabeth Couch Author. Writer. Blogger. The Palest Ink http://the-palest-ink.com/
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You’re so kind 💕. So thankful it’s a blessing!
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