September on My Mind- Project Generation NOW!
“And Jesus took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them.” Mark 10:16
It is summertime, but part of me is gearing up for the fall season. September is our VISION MONTH and to get us ready for all God has in store I will be sharing weekly emails about something stirring and to get excited for. Next week we will be holding our annual Back to School Giveaway Event and there has never been more of a time in our culture where CHILDREN need the love of God, care from the Church, and prayers of the saints! Last Sunday as Pastor Joanie shared about this community event, she prophetically declared that there would be young people receiving a gift of a new backpack and school supplies, who would experience a breakthrough turnaround in their learning abilities, grades, and overall self-esteem to such a degree that they would be propelled into God’s fullness of love, life, and purpose.
We need this word to be a SWORD (Hebrews 4:12) that cuts through the darkness and a SHIELD (Ephesians 5:16) from the fiery darts of wickedness. The two mass shootings over the weekend, in El Paso and Dayton, remind us again of the work of the enemy, the evil of hate, and the pain of death. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” As I have processed these unsettling events, I have been stirred by the fact that both shooters were young men in their early twenties. The question I have been pondering is what was the breakdown that led them to such heinous acts of violence? Was it the lack of a parent in their life, the bombardment of social media; the rise of shooter video games, a feeling of loneliness and mental anguish or a combination of difficult things?
As we pray for the loved ones of the victims and for all those who witnessed, were affected, and are terrorized by such events, let us move into a position of action on behalf of this generation. Let’s make KIDS a priority! Jesus loves them and so will we! Let me share the rest of John 10:10 where He declares the answer to combat and conquer the enemy’s plan, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
We will continue to provide the best classes possible on Sunday mornings, where kids will learn about God, grow in their faith, meet new friends, and have amazing adults leading and supporting them.
We will continue to send and sponsor students to our summer camps so they can build on their solid faith foundation and experience lasting transformation in their lives.
We will continue to have an outreach focus with events like next week’s giveaway and our upcoming partnership with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (at Agoura High School) where we target ways to reach young people and their families with the love of Jesus.
We will continue to pray for this generation, as we will be having a special BACK TO SCHOOL PRAYER NIGHT on Wednesday, September 11th at 7 pm.
Now is the time for us to give all the time we can to see a generation reached, loved, and covered!