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Seeds, Soil, and Springtime
by Janie Gausmann
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Welcome to the May issue of the ChildrensMinistry.net. Here in Northern Virginia, the Daffodils have come and gone, and the 90 degree weather is creeping in on us. My husband and I plan to plant our vegetable garden in the next few days.
Thinking of gardening reminds me of all the kids that we reach from Sunday to Sunday, year after year, and decade after decade. Each Sunday, children pour in to our churches; some for the first time, others for the 500th time, others for the only time we will make their acquaintance. Each Sunday presents a new seed to be planted: seeds of hope, forgiveness, love, patience, gentleness, joy, kindness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Seeds must be planted before fruit can be harvested. (Galatians 6:7-8)
I once was given a poster to put up in my office, and no matter where I have traveled, the sentiment has remained with me through my ministry: It reads, “Judge each day not by the Harvest, but by the Seeds that you plant.” It is so easy to get side tracked by the natural distractions of Children’s Ministry, that we lose sight of the basic facts of our seed planting:
· Every seed that is planted has been placed in a different clay pot of soil.
· Some of the soil is rich and ready to plant in, and others need more cultivation.
· Some seeds take longer to germinate.
· Some soil is from an environment favorable to planting, others only get their sunshine and rain on Sunday Morning.
Galatians 6:8b-9 reads: “If [a man] plants good things of the Spirit, he will reap the everlasting life that the Holy Spirit gives him. And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after awhile we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.”
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Janie Gausmann is the Chief Creative Officer of IWAS Internet, the parent company to ChildrensMinistry.net - the largest online network of Children's Ministry.
To contact Janie to speak at your church or conference schedule, you can email her at janie@childrensministry.net
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