PADI Certification part 1

Last Saturday (10/27) we had our first Children's Ministry meeting in about 4 months. What an amazing time. We talked about the vision of the ministry - where it is today and where God wants to take us tomorrow. The leaders that attended were so excited and I was excited to see so many turn out. It's awesome to see so many people who take a vested interest in leading kids to a personal relationship with God. I was so energized by their openness, energy, excitement, and comments on taking this ministry to the next level.

I introduced the new leadership philosophy: SCUBA DIVERs Right now we are a group of snorklers - we are reaching the kids at Barefoot on a surface level. God has called me and the leadership to take things deeper with our kids. That's why we are getting our PADI certification.

SCUBA DIVERs is taking our Christ centered relationships with children to the next level. Becoming a diver is a great value when you consider who your diving for (kids) and why you’re diving (develop a relationship with God).

Invest in diving lessons and learn something you’ll enjoy for the rest of your life; being used to do God’s work. From the first step, your life and those you lead will begin transforming and you will have new experiences to share with your friends and family. And the cool thing is – you can DIVE anywhere. Starbucks, Wal-Mart, the beach, work, at the movies, in a restaurant.

How Much Does it Cost?
For many of us, the cost is what matters. What will I have to do? How long will that take? How many days, nights, and hours will I have to put in? I’m here to tell you that with what we do, Children’s Ministry, cost doesn’t even factor in. What will be LOST is what’s most important.

While yes, it’s (cost) time away from our families for 2 hours a Sunday. It’s (cost) time during the week to prepare and do our homework to make sure that we are speaking what God has intended for the kids on Sunday. We have to invest (cost) in ourselves to make sure that we are spiritually fed and seeking God’s face so that we are speaking His truth and not our truth when leading a child into a relationship with Him.

So it does cost us something, an investment in the future leaders of our church, schools, families, cities, states, and even our country. We have to be willing to endure the cost – to save a life. We have to invest in the kingdom. What we will get out of it will be oh so rewarding.