As many of you know Pastor David is teaching is an awesome part of scripture that talks a lot about planting, watering, & God giving the increase. Of course, it is no coincidence that we had planned our servant appreciation week the week of all this planting talk. It’s also no coincidence that we are praying about the possible increase of a new building. So, whether you realize it or not - there’s a whole lot of growing going on.

I say all that because last night I was blown away by the shear volume of people who attended the servant dinner. I remember coming to my first servants breakfast and sitting in the 180 room enjoying eggs and grits, but last night we had a full youth sanctuary and overflow rooms filled with people who serve the Lord here at Calvary Chapel in many ways.

Today, though, I want to focus on you all who are near and dear to my heart - my CM servants. I say “my” because each one of you is part of this amazing family and so I count you as brothers and sisters. Each week I walk around the Children’s Ministry area and I am overwhelmed with the amazing things going on in the classrooms:

- The little babies & 1 year olds are being rocked and loved on.
- 2 year olds are sitting in awe as they learn biblical truths from puppets.
- 3’s & 4’s are listening to their teachers share Bible stories and fun crafts.
- Special needs children are engaged and sharing in the Christ centered environment around them.
- Kindergarten through 5th grade are laughing and learning as they watch skits, worship the Lord, and then dig into God’s word.

All of this is going on not one, not two, but four times a week. All that is made possible because you all have given of yourselves to minister to these awesome children. I know I may be biased, but I think CM is both the hardest area of service and the most rewarding area of service. That’s because in the same class you can have a child sitting in a seat upside down while singing Barney songs at the top of his lungs but then turn the corner and get a huge hug from a child who was impacted by your teaching. What a blessing.

1 Corinthians 3:8 says, “Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” Each of you is building on the foundation of Christ, and our physical materials are paper, whiteboards, puppets, and crayons...but our other materials include a heart of God and a love for children.

I pray that the Lord rewards you each according to your hard work. Whether you see it or not, you are storing up treasures in heaven. After all, can you imagine getting to heaven and having a line of kids come up to you to say “thank you for teaching me about Jesus...I am here because of what the Lord did through you. Thank you for serving.”

Well, I realized it again this morning...I am human. And not just “human” but a clumsy, self-righteous one at that. It all started this morning while Amy was cooking up pancakes (imagine wavy “flashback” effect). I was working at my desk and had just grabbed another cup of coffee. Somehow between sitting it down and taking my hand out from between the handle I turned the mug upside down in some sort of acrobatic move that would have impressed the Ringling Brothers. In that split second I also realize that my new MacBook is sitting right next to the java flood and is about to go under, so with my bat like reflexes I grab the laptop and begin crying...that’s when Amy came over to slap me out of my stupor. Thus began my hour of unfortunate events…

About 15 minutes later I am in the kitchen staring at an empty pot of coffee hoping it will simply make itself when Emily (who is watering the plants on the porch) does not realize that she has begun to water the entire counter via a bowl that was pouring out of the sink onto the counter top. As I watch Amy is cupping her hands to catch the waterfall cascading over the brim and I am still in a stupor wondering if I can use that excess water to make some more coffee. When I finally realize what is going on we both grab every paper towel, dish rag, small animal available to wipe up the mess only to find that it has gone to the other side of the kitchen via the counter and down onto to the floor under the stove...nice.

It was at this moment that I begin losing it. I turn to Emily and as I open my mouth to tell her how she should be more careful God planted in my mind my little episode 15 minutes ago that about lost me a major item. As I looked into Emily’s eyes that were waiting for the gavel to come down I was convicted of my own frailty and simply hugged her.

After this heartwarming moment I got onto my knees and began cleaning up the water under the stove. Then as I grabbed the handle of the stove to pull myself up it gave away and broke off in my hand...nice again.

So you may be asking...why are you boring us with all these stories Mike?

Simple.

As I look at myself and my frailty and my weakness I am more and more blown away by the fact that God is using me. After all, there are much more graceful, intelligent people to use in this world...why me?

“But God has chosen the foolish things of this work to put to shame the wise, and has chosen the weak things of this world to put to shame the things that are mighty.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

Every time I read this passage I chuckle because this is my life story. I am foolish and weak, yet God has chosen to use me (and all of you) so that HIS power and HIS wisdom will be seen not our own.

As we serve parents by loving on their children and sharing Christ with them we know that God is using us. May we continue to put to shame the things of this world by showing them how God can use US to do HIS good work.