All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Shoebox Blues? :)
The grand total for shoeboxes is 2941.  Awesome!  Our goal was 3000, so I say, "close enough, victory is ours" :)

We had a huge crew come to help us ship out the shoeboxes and the many Christian Salvage Mission boxes (as you can see in the attached photo).
Thanks to everyone who came to help.  The church feels empty now with all the shoeboxes gone.  I've got the shoebox blues...we'll just have to fill it with people.

80 Years Young!  Happy Anniversary Laurentian!
I put on the church sign this morning, "80 Years Young!  Help Us Celebrate.  Sunday 10:30am".

Have you ever met anyone who doesn't seem to age?  Or perhaps the reverse.  Has always seemed old.  It's funny how we label people.  There are teens that we say "they act just like an old man", and there are seniors who we describe as acting "just like teenager".  In our mortal world, it's hard to fathom, but even though our church is 80 years old...a significant accomplishment...the CHURCH is eternal.  It will be around forever.  Perhaps that's why old and new songwriters get caught up in this idea of the church still being around thousands of years from now.  The hymn "Amazing Grace" says, "When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun".
The newer song "10 000 Reasons" says, "Still my soul will sing Your praise unending. Ten thousand years and then forevermore."
Dictators, philosophers, tyrants and radicals have tried to extinguish the church ever since its birth.  Yet still we are here.
People have said the church is "irrelevant and old-fashioned".  Yet still we are here.
The media loves to talk about the demise of the church (conveniently ignoring many stories of growth and impact), yet still we journey on.
Scandal, heresy, legalism and hypocrisy have shaken it at times, but it's foundation is strong.  We're still here.
Matthew 16:18b (NLT) says, "...I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it."
80 years is only the beginning.



Sermon Recap
"All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten"
Simple Faith Leads to the Kingdom.

Scripture: 
Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:13-14, NIV

1. Bring Your Children to Jesus ("Then people brought little children to Jesus...").
How?
i. Pray for Them.
ii. Bring Them to Church.
iii. Keep Your Faith Visible.
2. Take Down the Obstacles ("...do not hinder them...").
3. The Church of Tomorrow & Today ("...the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these").
4. Bless Them ("...for him to place his hands on them and pray for them").

Question for Reflection
When you see children and teens, do you have Jesus' attitude or the disciples?


I welcome your comments.  Contact me and I've love to talk to you!
-Jason