The Lubbock ZOE conference was just great. I was so impressed with the facilities and new building of the Monterrey Church of Christ. Quite state of the art! John did the worship ministers track and I did the worship planning/praise team tracks. We came back refreshed and filled with new ideas! Johnathan loved ZOE Kids and didn't want to go home.
The theme this year was Closer. We all think, yeah, we need to go to ZOE this year to get closer to God. Jeff Walling put it this way: "'Closer' is not your verb!" He then went on to take us through the Bible from God walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden, and then they sin and become far away from Him. Then God comes close again and chooses to dwell in the tabernacle, but the Israelites turn their back on Him over and over and are far away again. Then God says, "Here, I'll become one of you," and sends Jesus to walk the earth once again. And they crucify Him. And we are apart again. And then God decides not only to dwell with and around us, but also IN us. So, it's not us getting closer to God as much as it is us realizing that He's with us all the time!
Johnathan's been asking questions about where God is. We've been telling him things like, "He's everywhere," and "He lives in our hearts," and things like that. So, last night as I was putting him to bed, this is how our conversation went:
K: Are you ready to talk to God?
J: Where is God?
K: I bet you know where He is! Where is God?
J (grinning): He's in my heart!
K: That's right!
J pauses, thinking, and then his eyes open big with sudden realization: He's walkin' around in there!
K, holding back the explosion of laughter: He is?!
J: Yeah! And when He comes out, I want to hold Him!
Dead serious. It was very sweet, and I had no response to that.
Praise God for His patient persistence to be Closer!
5 comments:
Glad you guys had a great time and was fed some great spiritual food! I love Jeff Walling - he always makes you think!
I'm so impressed of how well Johnathan is talking. Hayley isn't talking that well yet. You have a smart little boy who knows about God - comes from two great parents!
Never really closer than through a child it seems! I want to hug God too!
I LOVE that.
So glad you guys had a good experience. Our family minister, Eddie Plemmons (on the Zoe board) said it was his favorite conference yet.
Isn't it so neat how our kids can give us a much more profound explanation about God than some of the best speakers in the world?
That just made my day. And also made me shoot Coke out my nose. It's so sweet and prety hilarious, too. Thanks for sharing!
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