Ankle deep in kids

So I'm sitting in a playroom in our church building with 8 active 'little ones' as Wendy and I help take care of them for the next 2 hours (of course I'm using the word 'help' loosely since I'm obviously typing on my computer right now - doh!).

Even though Wendy and I spend everyday taking care of our 'little ones', there's nowhere else I'd rather be than in the midst of 8 of them every monday night. That's because as we take care of these kids, their parents are gathering in two other rooms for something pretty close to our heart. In one room is a group sitting around a bunch of dinner tables grappling with how faith and life intersect (a little thing called Alpha). And in the room next to that, 13 couples are gathering at the Marriage Course to have their marriages cared for.

We made a decision personally and as a church that we would never let the love of Jesus terminate on us (I think if we do that, we've never really 'got' the gospel in the first place). So we sit here up to our ankles in kids, praying and just trying to help in the smallest way to see Jesus slam into the souls of people (in the next room) where they need Him most, and slam into marriages (in the room next to that) where they need Him most.

And when He does, we celebrate . . . like we did yesterday, when we scrapped our regularly scheduled Sunday morning service and spent the whole morning giving testimony to the grace and love of Jesus through baptisms, changed life stories and worship. Though I never 'preached' the gospel yesterday, I'm not sure we've ever had it preached more powerfully - and I don't think I've ever been a part of a more overwhelming Sunday morning.

So it keeps me coming back - knowing that we don't gather to bolster our theoretical belief, but to see Jesus slam into souls and transform lives . . . just as He said He would: 'I came that you might have LIFE, and have it to the full.'