Saturday, April 27, 2013

What Color is Heaven?


Today’s Good News Club® (GNC) brought me back to Sumner Elementary School, the first location I ever taught GNC.  Over a year ago, the group had well over 30 bubbling energetic students.  Today’s club had 7 children who had all changed a lot since I had last seen them. I was honored and excited that they all still remembered ‘Shaggy’ (the endearing nickname GNC and non-GNC students alike gave me because of my goatee).
I had my lesson prepared and was excited to teach the kids about Jesus turning the water to wine and trusting Him to be their rock (Isa 26:4) in whom they can trust.  As I remembered, they were extremely curious and were constantly asking questions. I taught about how we pray to God and ask Him for things, like asking God to make moving easy for them instead of a possible selfish mindset such as asking Him to not let the house sell so they won’t have to move.  One boy asked me if it was wrong to pray for help on tests.  I was thoroughly impressed by the thoughtfulness and practical implications of the question.  It is questions like these that let me know that the students are truly taking in what I am saying and thoughtfully processing it.
The Bible talks about the faith of a child.  While children are not burdened by the worldviews every person develops during life in culture, they are not unintelligent about what they believe.  
My ‘weak spot’ in teaching is my desire to answer questions.  Today while teaching I fielded questions on and off (at least I have no idea how they connected the question to the discussion at hand) topic.  They wanted to know if it was a sin to drink, because surely Jesus wouldn’t promote sin.  They inquired about Jesus’ status as God’s son.  Is Jesus God and separate from God as God’s son all at the same time? (I gave the best explanation I could, but let them know that at the end of the day even the brightest theologians end up like this when thinking about the Trinity:
(Mind Blowing)
.  One girl asked what color Heaven and Hell were. One asked if people repent in Hell would God save them?, Did Satan kill Jesus?, Where did Satan come from?, Where did bad spirits come from?, Does the Signum Crusis (Sign of the cross) do anything?, and a few more.
It is at times like these that I am reminded to stay curious.  Even at a Christian equivalent of an Ivy League school I need to be inquisitive.  God is mysterious even after leaving the entire Bible for us to study and learn about Him. As growing Christians, may we never stagnate in our search for understanding of God, His glory, His nature, and all other doctrine.

-Steven

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Final Countdown...

Hey Everyone!
    We are half way through April, can you believe it? The countdown to graduation is getting shorter and shorter, which means we are becoming increasingly anxious for our departure. However, we have to keep reminding ourselves that God still has our feet planted in Chicago for another month and we need to stay focused on the present and what he still has here for us to do.
    This past week Steven finished up at a Good News Club he has been teaching for these last two semesters. He and a friend made the last couple weeks exciting and memorable for the kids by teaching through puppet skits. Though it was sad to leave, knowing it was the last time they would see each other, it is  exciting to know that we will have the opportunity to impact and reach more children in Butler, PA.
    As far our moving status, our parents came out last weekend with a truck and trailer to take away as much of our stuff as possible. This was a huge help which will make graduation day a lot more enjoyable because we won't have to spend a lot of time packing.
    We still have not found a house, so any prayers would be greatly appreciated! We are leaving Chicago right after graduation on May 18th and are hoping to be able to go right to a new house. We know God will provide in his timing.
    On a lighter more exciting note, we started making phone calls this past week to set up 5-Day Clubs. So far we have two summer missionaries and two confirmed clubs. We are hoping for at least ten clubs. It is going to be a little bit difficult this year because we have no roots or contacts and we are still in Chicago, but with God anything is possible. Please pray with us that people will be burdened for the children and open their homes for us to come teach!
    Our last request is that you pray for us personally, that God would be preparing our hearts and minds for the task that has been set before us. We want people who are willing to pray for us on a daily basis because Satan hates what we are doing and will do what he can to stop us. We also need people who are willing to support us not only in prayer, but in finances as well. We need to raise about $3,000 a month to be able to live. If you are interested in becoming part of  our support team please click <here> Thank you to all of you who are already faithfully praying for us and supporting us. We are excited and hope you are too!


                                                                                                       In Christ,
                                                                                                               Steven and Kayla Tini