Join the Club.

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 19:14

Today was a good day.

I had the honor of sitting in on a session of Club 45, a great program for 4th and 5th grade kids that is a service of my church – kind of like Sunday school, but much more hip and lively than I ever remember from my childhood.

I didn’t know exactly what to expect, or how I would fit in being a 37 year old guy with no children of my own and very little experience with kids other than that with my nieces and nephews.  I was a bit overwhelmed at first as the room was abuzz with a crazy excitability that can only be generated by kids.  I was there to just observe, check things out and see if this might be something I would want to be a part of – helping show kids the love of God and positive attention that they may not receive elsewhere.  However, Doug (the lead children’s pastor) decided otherwise.  He was very quick to get me involved and rally the enthusiasm of the group, directing their excitement my way. I instantly lost all inhibitions of misguided adult reservation and was able to feel the 37 year old kid in me step out to play.

Doug was (is) awesome.  I could tell immediately that he was hip and fun, dedicated, caring and all-in.  He really cares about those kids and they care about him.  He introduced me as Timmy, the new guy and asked that if the kids thought I looked cool to raise their hand.  Everyone did.  Then, he asked if they would be excited if I came back next week.  Everyone raised their hand again and shouted, “Timmy!” which put a huge smile on my face.

I sat between two really nice girls who were quick to open up and let me in to the group.  One little girl pretended to be a cat, growling and curling up her paws (I found out later from her older sister that she has been doing this for a month insofar as to give herself cat baths and purr).  We watched a rocking music video, showing kids that Christian music is not boring or lame and they were all rocking out and singing along to the song. I think the band was called Kutless – it was a good song that even I could imagine living on my iPhone.

The kids learned about faith by way of some Biblical illustrations and stories.  They were shown what it really means to set aside fears and reservations and trust that God will move in their lives if they just abandon those things through this faith.  It was amazing to see them actually engaged, interested, and “getting it”.  It made me wish that more adults could just let go with hopeful abandon and “get it” too.

The session was fun and the energy could be felt.  I woke up this morning with a splitting headache which grew in intensity as I was driving to the church; I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to really participate, observe or even enjoy the experience.  Yet, strangely enough, I didn’t even notice it the entire time I was there.  Even with the loud music, the louder voices of the kids, and all the crazy commotion, my headache didn’t rear its head.  That was definitely a blessing and something for which I am very thankful.

Today was a big step for me in letting go, getting out of my shell, and moving in a direction where my actions and involvement can actually make a difference in the lives of others.  What a great honor it is to be able to share God’s love, message and caring attention with these little people of potential and wide-eyed wonder.  It’s a big responsibility to be a mentor and friend to these young minds, and I wasn’t sure that I would be up for the challenge.  But as soon as we finished and the parents came to pick up their kids, I couldn’t help but be excited to go back and do it again.