Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY210027A
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00:01 As you're well aware,
00:03 we're living in unprecedented times. 00:05 Join us now for Today special program. 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Mending broken people 00:23 I want to spend my life 00:28 Removing pain 00:34 Lord, let my words 00:39 Heal a heart that hurts 00:44 I want to spend my life 00:50 Mending broken people 00:55 I want to spend my life 01:00 Mending broken people 01:15 Hello, I'm Jill Morikone, 01:17 and just want to welcome you to another 3ABN Today program. 01:20 I love these programs 01:21 because we get to share with you 01:23 what God is doing in and through ministries 01:26 around the world. 01:27 Today's program is very near and dear to my heart. 01:31 We're talking about 01:33 children's ministry for everyone. 01:35 So whether you are a young person, 01:37 this program is for you. 01:39 If you are a teenager, or 20 something or 30, 01:43 and maybe you have young children, 01:45 this program is for you. 01:46 And if you're a grandparent, 01:48 certainly this program is for you. 01:51 I think about Jesus, 01:52 remember when He walked this earth 01:55 and the disciples were with Him, 01:56 and they were occupied keeping the important people 02:00 who they thought 02:02 were the important people close to Jesus, 02:04 and they pushed aside the little children. 02:07 And what did Jesus say? 02:09 Let the little children come unto me, 02:12 for of them of such is the kingdom of heaven. 02:16 Jesus loved children. 02:18 Here at 3ABN we love children, 02:21 and we love children's ministry. 02:24 And I have with me today, 02:27 three of the most incredible godly women 02:30 that I've ever met. 02:32 They're all involved in children's ministry, 02:35 not only in their own lives individually, 02:37 but here at the Ministry of 3ABN. 02:40 We want to talk about their journeys 02:42 and their vision for children's ministry. 02:44 And we're gonna get some stories 02:46 in there too, I think, 02:47 so I want to introduce our family to you at this time. 02:50 To my right Cinda Sanner, Miss Cinda, of course, 02:53 producer and co-host of Tiny Tots 02:55 and you've been on I don't know 02:58 how many programs on 3ABN through the years. 03:00 We're so glad you're here. 03:02 Thank you so much. 03:04 Actually, we've been on 3ABN 03:06 since almost the time they started 3ABN. 03:10 We used to come and sing with my sisters 03:13 when my dad had a sermon series 03:16 called I think Walking with the Master. 03:18 And so we, my sisters and I sang. 03:22 So we've been on there. 03:23 And then we actually became involved in, 03:27 actually creating children's ministries programs 03:31 for 3ABN way back in 2000. 03:34 Wow. Has it been that long? 03:36 Yes. 03:37 But I'm not that old. 03:39 That's right. 03:42 You started when you were maybe five or six. 03:44 Exactly. 03:49 And we have Francine Bergmann, 03:51 who's Aunt Francine to us here at 3ABN, 03:54 of course, Aunt Francine 03:56 is the Kids Network General Manager 03:57 and doing an amazing job. 03:59 And, Aunt Francine, we're just so glad you're here. 04:01 I'm delighted to be here. 04:03 I'm always amazed and how God provides 04:06 and sends the Holy Spirit 04:07 before we can even work and do anything. 04:09 It's about His business, so. 04:12 I appreciate seeing the lives change in the young hearts. 04:17 Amen. Absolutely. 04:18 And I know I said 04:20 I have three incredible women here at the table 04:22 and you might say, but I only saw two. 04:25 That's because we have one joining us via Skype. 04:28 This is Auntie Linda. 04:30 This is Linda Johnson 04:31 who has been hosting programs for Tiny Tots for many years. 04:35 Hi, Auntie Linda, now you're up in Michigan. 04:39 Tell us what you're doing up in Michigan? 04:42 I am the dean at Great Lake Adventist Academy. 04:46 And it's a wonderful ministry. 04:50 It doesn't matter if they're little 04:53 or they're a little bigger, kids are kids. 04:56 They still need to be to be loved. 05:00 They still need to be listened to. 05:03 And they still need some extra love 05:06 when they have little fits and things. 05:10 I love that, and you know what I was just thinking, 05:13 I might have some little fits sometimes too. 05:16 And so, we might not always outgrow that, 05:18 we all need Jesus. 05:20 We know we all need His transforming grace. 05:22 So we're going to be sharing today 05:24 with each one of these ladies 05:26 about how they became involved in children's ministry 05:29 and the importance of children's ministry. 05:30 Why is it important? 05:32 How you can become involved 05:33 and how you can partner with the Ministry of 3ABN 05:36 in children's ministry? 05:37 But first, we're gonna go to a song. 05:40 This is Martha Jhoana De Luna, 05:42 and she's an incredible harpist, 05:44 and this song is perfect for this program. 05:47 It's little David play on your harp. 07:41 Thank you so much, Martha. 07:42 She's an incredible pianist and harpist 07:45 and I love that song little David play on your harp. 07:48 If you're just joining us, 07:49 we're talking about 07:51 children's ministry for everyone, 07:53 specifically exploring the journeys 07:55 of three women here 07:57 and their experience with the Ministry of 3ABN 08:00 with children's ministry 08:01 and how you at home 08:02 can become involved in children's ministry. 08:04 We have Miss Cinda, from Tiny Tots. 08:09 And we're just so glad to have you here. 08:10 We have your sister Auntie Linda, 08:12 and she's joining us via Skype. 08:14 And we also have Aunt Francine, 08:17 who is the general manager of 3ABN Kids Network. 08:20 So just delighted to have all three of you here 08:22 and I want to start, 08:24 Auntie Linda, Miss Cinda, we'll start with you, ladies. 08:26 Talk to us about how you first became involved 08:30 in children's ministry here at 3ABN. 08:32 And what were some of those programs 08:34 that you were involved in? 08:35 Okay. 08:37 Sis, if jump in there and join me, 08:40 you know, 08:41 feel free to correct me 08:44 if I say something that you know, 08:46 or you want to add something, 08:47 but back in 2000... 08:50 Well, actually I'll go way back to when I was five. 08:56 We grew up with Danny Shelton and the Shelton family 09:00 because my grandma lives 09:03 not far from here in Stiritz, Illinois. 09:06 And so we did, we did a lot as kids together. 09:10 And so we... 09:13 And our family did a lot and my parents loved kids. 09:18 And so they were always doing inviting kids 09:21 to do things with us. 09:23 And so the Sheltons have a lot, 09:26 I mean, the different, the different uncles and aunts 09:28 and the cousins 09:30 and Mom and Dad would invite them all. 09:32 And let's go on an outing 09:33 and we invite kids and they loved kids. 09:36 Well, when we got started, 09:39 like I had mentioned 09:40 with singing for Dad's series 09:45 when He was doing Walkman with the Master. 09:47 Back in it, we did that for several years 09:50 and then in 2000 09:52 administration came to us and said, 09:54 you know, we don't really have an active children's ministries 09:59 for or actual programs for children. 10:01 So would you girls be willing 10:04 to create some programs for children? 10:08 'Cause we would... 10:10 As you said, 10:12 3ABN loves children 10:13 and we feel a need to have programs for children. 10:17 And so we got together 10:20 and started creating some programs. 10:24 And as Francine said, 10:25 God always provides 10:28 and right when you like, oh, 10:32 what are we going to do? 10:34 An idea would come up, 10:35 and that is the Holy Spirit, that is God. 10:39 And so we can't say we did it. 10:42 It was really, we prayed all the time through it 10:46 like, I mean, down to 10:50 what kind of programs, what type of programs, 10:55 what we wanted to teach 10:56 and we prayed about it and prayed about it. 10:59 And it was the Holy Spirit that and God, 11:03 these programs were not created by us. 11:05 They were created by God. 11:08 Because everything from the set design 11:10 to like I said the, what we wore on the programs, 11:14 Lind, and then 11:16 even when we were on the programs, 11:17 we changed up, didn't we, Sis? 11:19 I don't know if you can see Linda 11:21 but I mean, we change stuff as we were taping, 11:25 because Linda and I would pray, 11:27 we'd go, this isn't working and Linda would go, Cinda, 11:30 let's go behind the set, and we would pray. 11:32 And then we'd come out 11:33 and Rodney Laney was our director 11:36 and He was so easy to work with, 11:37 we go Rodney... 11:39 Now this is for Tiny Tots, right? 11:40 This is for Tiny Tots. 11:41 This is when we... Thank you. 11:43 This is when we created Tiny Tots. 11:44 And we would literally go behind the set. 11:47 And Linda would go, Linda throw an idea, 11:50 Rodney would throw an idea, 11:51 I would throw an idea and we'd pray. 11:54 And then we just go on the set and do it. 11:56 Didn't we, Sis? 11:59 Yes, and even before we did that, 12:03 3ABN had a love for children 12:06 and Donna McNeilus had a love for children. 12:09 Yes, she did. 12:10 'Cause she actually started something. 12:11 Yes, she did. 12:14 And she actually started Kids Time 12:17 and didn't she call it, wasn't it called? 12:19 It was called Kids Time. Absolutely. 12:20 That was in the... 12:22 I think if my memory is correct. 12:23 I'm trying to remember 12:24 but I think it was in the late 90s. 12:26 We were digging through some old footage. 12:27 This was for like an anniversary program. 12:30 And we keep in the archives 12:31 and we saw Kids Time launched with Donna McNeilus. 12:34 And that was um, if my memory is right, 12:36 it was in the late 90s with that. 12:38 Yeah, that's exactly right. 12:39 So it was Donna McNeilus 12:41 that actually started the Kids Time. 12:44 And then she decided 12:49 to move on to into another part of ministry. 12:53 And so they needed some more kids programming, 12:56 and that's when we got involved. 12:57 Yeah, absolutely. 12:59 And won't really... 13:01 No, please, go ahead. 13:02 One of the thing was, 13:04 we didn't know what the program should be. 13:08 So as we were playing, 13:10 we felt like it should be something 13:13 with that the parents 13:16 could do with their kids at home. 13:19 They could have a simple thumb. 13:22 They could sing with them, 13:23 they could take a walk with them, 13:25 they could pray with them, they could cook with them, 13:28 so that the family unit could be more bonded to get. 13:34 So it was about family. 13:37 I love the text in Jeremiah 31:1. 13:42 It says, "I will be the God of all the families." 13:47 And so He was always right there at the center. 13:50 When Cinda and I would come together and pray. 13:53 We remembered that 13:54 He was the God of all the families, 13:56 He loves our children, He loves us, 13:59 we're His children. 14:01 And so it became like, like the prayer. 14:07 We said, Lord, 14:08 when the kids hear the prayer, 14:11 when we make them want to be prayed to, 14:15 teach them to pray. 14:17 And then we prayed for when they hear the theme song, 14:21 may the little kids just right to the step 14:24 because they know that's their program. 14:27 Well, wasn't it Grandpa Chuck that wrote the intro program? 14:33 Yes, it was. Yes. 14:35 And I have had mothers tell me 14:39 that when their children hear that, 14:41 they, their little babies crawl up to the set 14:44 and the little toddlers go running. 14:47 And the neat thing is about the prayer 14:51 teaching them to pray. 14:54 We had someone just from this last Sabbath 14:57 and their little boy was two 15:00 And she said Tiny Tots taught our little son 15:06 how to pray. 15:07 Oh. 15:08 And He likes to pull his mom and dad breaks up besides them, 15:12 and they start praying. 15:14 And when He saw me, He said, Tiny Tots, 15:18 Tiny Tots, Tiny Tots. 15:20 And He loves Tiny Tots. 15:22 And I gave him a little Eleanor. 15:24 And He carried it all around it, 15:26 Tiny Tots, Tiny Tots, Tiny Tots. 15:29 And she said, He is learning. 15:32 And I think his name was Brady Eli. 15:33 He is learning to love Jesus. 15:37 And that's why we do what we do. 15:41 It's powerful. 15:43 Amen. That's a powerful story. 15:45 That was actually my next question 15:46 is why is children's ministry important? 15:49 And you kind of already answered that a bit. 15:51 But I don't know if you all want to jump in 15:53 and share something. 15:54 Why is children's ministry important to you specifically? 15:56 And why should it be important to us as people? 16:00 Well, God says, little child shall lead them. 16:04 And, you know, I actually and Linda too... 16:10 There's parents 16:11 that have been giving their hearts to the Lord 16:13 because of their children. 16:15 They want, they wanted a quality program 16:18 or program that their child was interested in. 16:20 And so they let them watch Tiny Tots, 16:22 but then they would sit down and watch with them. 16:25 And Linda chose all the themes for Tiny Tots. 16:29 And so, she went through the Ten Commandments 16:31 one season. 16:33 And so she did the seventh commandment. 16:35 And she was teaching the kids how to keep the Sabbath. 16:38 And so parents were watching and listening to this. 16:43 And so, parents were being led to Christ too. 16:46 So that's why it's so important for children, 16:49 because children can lead adults to God. 16:53 And they're less threatening. 16:54 I've noticed that children have this ability 16:57 with parents and adults, even neighborhood, 17:00 in their neighborhood. 17:02 They can say something and witness 17:04 as a testimony just right there. 17:06 And I've seen it time and time again. 17:08 And even your worship songs that on Tiny Tots 17:11 no matter which church I went to, 17:13 they were singing the same songs 17:16 that you sing on Tiny Tots, 17:17 and I didn't know where it started from. 17:19 And then I would go there 17:20 and now, you know, now that I'm here, I'm like, 17:22 it all began from there, 17:24 no matter where I go in the United States, 17:27 everyone's singing the same songs. 17:29 And I don't think we realize how much 17:31 the Holy Spirit goes amongst 17:33 and is writing his words on their heart. 17:37 I mean, that's all I can say 17:38 is the kids are always wanting 17:41 and eager to learn from Jesus. 17:44 And you've planted a wonderful seed for them. 17:46 And so, I'm just... 17:47 Well, I'm, I want to be, 17:50 I want to emphasize this wasn't Linda and I. 17:54 Linda, this... 17:56 We were God's tools. 17:58 God used you. Yes, God used us. 18:00 This was prayed for, 18:02 that was totally led by the Holy Spirit. 18:04 This is God's program. 18:06 This wasn't us. 18:07 So it's not about us. 18:09 It's about the glory of God. 18:10 And, you know, our Dad told us, 18:14 you know, if you're going to do something, 18:16 put your whole heart into it. 18:18 And so, Linda and I am totally, 18:21 you know, have a heart for children. 18:24 And I wanted to read 18:26 1 Corinthians 10:31. 18:30 It says, 18:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink 18:33 or whatever you do, 18:36 do all to the glory of God." 18:39 And so, you know, that's working with children, 18:44 that's convey the glory of God. 18:46 Amen. 18:47 I know, we're gonna ask you, Linda, 18:48 the same question 18:50 as far as why you think it's important 18:51 being involved with children's ministry. 18:53 But I just want to say, 18:54 I had the privilege 18:56 and opportunity to play the piano for Tiny Tots 19:01 Worship for several seasons with Auntie Linda 19:04 and with Miss Cinda. 19:06 And they are genuine. 19:08 They are women of God. 19:10 I remember praying together, I remember crying together. 19:13 I remember the hours they spent of planning and organization 19:18 and putting it together and the kids loved them. 19:21 I mean, just an amazing thing. 19:23 It was a privilege to work with both of them 19:26 and to see God use you. 19:27 You know, in those programs 19:29 for so many years and we have Tiny Tots, 19:32 we have Tiny Tots Kitchen, 19:33 we have Tiny Tots Worship. 19:35 And what else, am I missing more? 19:37 Well, we have the Kids Camp Fun in the Kitchen. 19:40 Yes. 19:42 And let's jump to Kids Camp for just a moment 19:43 because we got to discuss that 19:45 time with Aunt Francine and those amazing programs too. 19:47 But before Auntie Linda, 19:48 I know I have not given you opportunity. 19:50 So tell us about why you believe 19:54 that children's ministry is important. 19:56 Why is it important to work with kids? 20:00 To me, it's because Jesus is all together lovely. 20:05 He is their best friend. 20:09 He is always by their side, He will never leave them, 20:13 never forsake them, even for a moment. 20:16 They need to know who Jesus is. 20:20 Because the enemy has planted a very bad picture of Jesus 20:24 and making what he says are of none in fact. 20:28 But we have God's Word 20:30 that we can show the kids 20:32 how good and kind Jesus is, 20:34 how He healed people, 20:36 how He cares about their tender feelings. 20:39 And Jesus likes to laugh with them, 20:42 and have fun with them. 20:45 They really need to know who is Jesus, 20:49 and that He loves them. 20:51 Because all those that can grasp that 20:55 and they know that Jesus loves them. 20:59 They are going to be the ones 21:01 that are going to be looking up into the heavens 21:03 and say, this is my Lord and my God, 21:07 and I am waiting for Him. 21:09 And here comes my best friend, take me home. 21:13 And it's gonna be awesome. 21:17 Amen. What a glorious day. 21:20 What hope in order to be able to look forward 21:23 to Jesus coming again, 21:25 and all these children that through the programming of 3ABN 21:29 and through each one of you, 21:30 and what you have done and you at home joining hands 21:34 with the Ministry of 3ABN helping to produce 21:38 and put these programs on the air 21:40 through your prayers and financial support. 21:43 What an incredible difference. 21:44 Think of all these kids who will come to know Jesus. 21:46 So let's fast forward a little bit. 21:48 And we'll enter Francine Bergmann, 21:51 when you and your husband moved here 21:53 and God brought you here. 21:56 We believe that with all our hearts 21:57 and what a gift you have been to this ministry, 22:00 as a woman of God and a woman of prayer. 22:03 And talk to us a little bit about the launch of Kids Camp, 22:07 and then the programming that was involved with them? 22:09 Well, that was an amazing time, 22:12 because I was also finishing 22:14 in the school year and Kids Camp 22:16 was just seeing the whole team working together. 22:19 I mean, there were so many facets 22:20 have been running simultaneously, 22:22 all at once. 22:24 And everybody, I mean, I know for example, 22:26 Linda and Cinda came in early in the morning 22:29 and then late at night 22:30 and stayed all night almost produce... 22:33 getting ready for the next programming. 22:35 And it was just everybody was so committed 22:37 because again, they saw the vision of kids 22:41 and the need for the ministry for kids 22:43 and reaching other children in it. 22:44 And again, that just testifies that 3ABN 22:47 is so wanting to provide programming for kids. 22:50 And, you know, 22:51 it reminds me of a text here in Deuteronomy 6, 22:54 starting with, 22:56 "You shall love the Lord your God 22:57 with all your heart, 22:59 with all your soul, and with all your strength. 23:01 And these words, 23:02 which I command you today shall be in your heart, 23:04 you shall teach them diligently to your children, 23:07 and you shall talk about them 23:08 when you sit down in your house, 23:10 and when you walk by the way, 23:11 when you lie down and when you rise up." 23:14 And I think if we just can mimic a little bit 23:19 about who Jesus is and show that character, 23:22 kids are drawn to the love, 23:24 if we just spend time with them, 23:26 no matter you at home, for example, 23:29 is just spending time with the kids. 23:31 All of us have that ability to spend time with the kids. 23:35 I just remember, at home, we would have a garden, 23:38 and all the neighborhood kids 23:40 would just gravitate to our garden. 23:42 And the parents were like, what are you doing? 23:44 And it's just the time 23:46 that we were able to spend with the kids. 23:49 It was that that we were reflecting who Jesus is. 23:52 And I think even with this Kids Camp, 23:54 for example. 23:55 It's planting a seed because hopefully 23:57 the kids want to come back. 23:59 And then they share what they've learned. 24:00 Because, really, it is a legacy that these kids hopefully, 24:04 they are legacy basically. 24:06 I mean, if we invest in it, 24:08 we won't be sorry of what happens to that, 24:11 because that's a great investment. 24:13 That's our future, really, if you think about it, 24:15 in shaping our world today, 24:18 because there's so much going against them so... 24:21 Well, you know, I know... 24:22 Kids Camp was incredible, Francine. 24:24 I mean, it took a lot to put together. 24:28 And you did an incredible job. 24:30 And I have to tell you that 24:33 I literally saw kids crying 24:35 when their parents told them it was their last day. 24:37 They were like, no, 24:39 we don't get to come back 24:40 and they're like, literally in tears 24:42 because they didn't get to come back. 24:44 And we hope we can do it soon in the future. 24:46 We keep hoping we can do something like that. 24:48 But it takes a lot and it's a commitment. 24:50 And again, that's where the financial support 24:52 and the vision of everyone, 24:54 it can't be just one or two people. 24:56 It really takes a whole community. 24:58 We need to realize that 25:00 that is the biggest investment 25:01 we can make for the future 25:03 in preparing young hearts for Jesus. 25:05 So yeah, those, just the Kids Camp. 25:08 I mean, I just appreciated 25:10 you and Linda and just everyone diving in. 25:14 I mean, just the personalities of everyone 25:16 and Kids Camp was so much fun, 25:18 to sing along and the kitchen fun. 25:21 There was just a lot to do. 25:23 It wasn't a dull moment for anybody. 25:25 But, you know, nowadays, 25:26 kids have so much exciting programming. 25:31 I mean, they're all on their phones, 25:33 they're all on their iPads, they're all on their computers. 25:37 They're hyper stimulated. 25:38 Exactly, and there's a lot to compete with. 25:41 So we need to make sure that 25:43 we have really good quality programming 25:47 that teaches them about Jesus. 25:49 That's the focus is about Jesus, 25:51 because all these other programs 25:53 that I see kids, you know, 25:55 their games they're doing, and they're violent, 25:58 and they're not teaching them quality stuff. 26:01 And so that's why we need really good programming 26:05 that teaches them the Word. 26:06 Let's unpack just a little bit 26:08 of some of the different programming 26:09 that we did do during Kids Camp. 26:11 You are right, it was a lot of work. 26:13 We always shut 3ABN down for that week, 26:16 you know to, 26:17 and so many people were involved 26:19 in making it happen. 26:20 But we had different programs. 26:22 We had Kitchen Fun. 26:23 Talk to us a little bit about that? 26:24 Oh, we had... 26:26 We had totally different 26:29 for me because they were, we had 10, 26:32 sometimes 11 or 12 kids on the set at the same time. 26:36 I literally by the end of the time, the week, 26:39 I was so hoarse, I was going, 26:41 "Okay, kids, who's got the mixer." 26:46 But the kids had so much fun. 26:48 And they were, I mean, they just loved it. 26:52 And we actually taught them regular healthy recipes. 26:57 Not just, you know, 26:58 making simple little stuff or playing with their food. 27:02 We taught them how to cook. 27:04 And Auntie Linda, what about the program you did, 27:06 Bible Gems, you and Aaron and the team there? 27:09 What about that program? 27:11 Yes, God put together an incredible team. 27:15 The whole Hall family, Pastor Hall, 27:19 he's actually our educational director 27:22 in Michigan, 27:24 and his kids all helped. 27:26 And then we had JoDee Shoffner, 27:29 and she had her friend come at play. 27:32 But still when we came there, 27:35 you know, we weren't really sure, 27:37 I wasn't really sure what exactly was needed. 27:41 But we prayed and the production team 27:46 behind the scenes 27:49 came and prayed with us behind the set, 27:51 they prayed with me personally. 27:53 And I knew that God was there 27:56 and He was going to do something. 27:58 But we had to do it in one take. 28:02 Now, that was everything if... 28:06 Try to wrap your mind around that. 28:10 You know, God can do anything. 28:14 And what you see was just what you get. 28:18 It was one take and that was it. 28:21 We had kids playing with their clothes we had, 28:24 but they loved it. 28:26 And they feel they were a part of it. 28:29 And it became, I began to feel as we get it, 28:33 that the Holy Spirit was the one directing 28:35 because I could have never thought of that 28:37 those things ever. 28:40 God is amazing. 28:41 He says, 28:42 "Call on Me and I will answer you 28:46 and show you great and mighty thing 28:48 that you know not of." 28:50 Jeremiah 33:3. 28:52 And God's precious Word, you can take His Word, 28:57 and you can hang on to it because of the promises in it. 29:01 He will fulfill. 29:03 It's the warfare against the epic 29:06 and he will fight like 29:07 Gideon did with the fur leathered band. 29:10 God is able. 29:12 Amen. Amen. 29:14 Speaking of that, 29:15 I want to take a little left turn here. 29:17 It reminds me, 29:18 there's people watching right now 29:20 that maybe your child has left God. 29:23 You know, it says in the Word of God, 29:25 "Train up a child in the way he should go. 29:27 And when he's old, he will not depart from it." 29:29 But you might not be seeing that, 29:30 you might be saying I trained them to know Jesus. 29:33 And right now they're walking in the wilderness 29:34 or you might be a grandparent or you might be a teenager 29:39 and not even sure what you want to do with Jesus. 29:43 So I want each one of you to talk to that a moment? 29:47 What would you say to someone right now 29:49 to encourage them, to pray for their kids 29:53 to what can they do to help 29:57 if their child or grandchild is wandering away from Jesus? 30:02 I agree that 30:04 the biggest thing is to pray and never lose heart. 30:07 I have seen once they have their own children sometimes, 30:12 that's their turning point 30:13 because they realize that 30:15 their child is starting to act like them. 30:17 And then they want to have that change. 30:19 I've seen that happen time and time again. 30:22 As long as we have breath, there's still hope. 30:25 And we want their happiness no matter what it takes. 30:30 And prayerfully I mean, we have to pray for each other. 30:33 And in children even participating in that prayer, 30:36 because sometimes I come across a young person 30:40 that is praying for their parent, 30:42 and they feel like their parent is going away. 30:45 And even children have that effect. 30:47 And God hears each of our prayers, 30:51 and not to lose out. 30:52 So set that example. 30:54 And even if they don't come back, 30:58 you've set that example 30:59 that you never know what plant seed is planted, 31:02 because I feel like I even 31:03 have a family member that has walked away. 31:07 And yet the kids are the ones 31:09 that are seem a little more open. 31:12 And you never know what the end result is. 31:15 We don't know the beginning from the end. 31:17 And I'm thankful for that, but God does. 31:20 And so, just keep praying, 31:22 keep having that hope 31:23 and just keep reflecting who Jesus is. 31:25 Amen. 31:27 I would refer them to a text in the Bible 31:31 that I absolutely love, 31:33 and have memorized. 31:35 It's Isaiah 41:10 to 12. 31:39 And it says, 31:40 "Fear not for I am with you, 31:43 be not dismayed, for I am your God, 31:47 I will strengthen you. 31:49 Yes, I will help you, 31:51 I will uphold you 31:53 with the right hand of My righteousness." 31:56 Behold, I mean, it's like God's saying, 31:59 I'm going to be with you. 32:01 So keep praying to God 32:03 and keep praying for your children, 32:04 don't give up. 32:06 And, you know, 32:07 I would try to live, 32:13 you can't preach to your children, 32:15 but you can live Jesus by not raising your voice, 32:20 by being patient with them. 32:22 And maybe by spending time with them, 32:25 like quality time, 32:26 you know, getting it doing hiking, 32:29 doing, you know, things they like to do, 32:30 but spending time with them. 32:32 And maybe in your quiet, gentle way 32:36 you can show them Jesus, 32:37 but always remember God's with you. 32:39 And I know Linda deals with this 32:42 on a daily basis, 32:44 don't you, Sis? 32:46 Yes, but, for me it was even more than that. 32:50 I didn't realize 32:52 that I loved my kids more than Jesus. 32:55 And I was crying 32:59 and praying before one time, 33:01 and God spoke to me so strong in my heart, 33:04 it jolted me. 33:06 He said, 33:07 "If you're son doesn't love Me, 33:12 do you still want to love Me? 33:14 And if your child doesn't want to go to heaven, 33:19 do you still want to go." 33:22 And then God showed me that 33:24 I was allowing Satan to steal my joy. 33:30 And so at that moment, 33:33 I was kneeling down. 33:35 And I laid my... 33:36 I laid my child at the cross. 33:39 And 'cause God had given me this little song 33:42 that just played in my head, 33:44 I don't know where it came from, 33:46 leave them there, leave them there. 33:49 If they stumble in, they fall, 33:52 I will surely hear their call. 33:57 So bring them to the cross and leave them there. 34:02 And so at that moment, I left my child there. 34:06 And I said, "God, what do You want me to do?" 34:11 And He said, 34:12 "I just want you to help other people's kids 34:17 and to encourage the mothers to keep their joy in Me." 34:22 And so I was filled 34:26 with an incredible amount of joy, 34:29 a joy for the Lord. 34:32 And it was just amazing, 34:35 that peace that came over me, I dried my tears. 34:40 I knew God is with me, 34:42 and then I stay up, what do you want? 34:45 Thirteen, it says, 34:47 "For I the Lord your God 34:51 will hold your right hand." 34:53 "Thank you. 34:55 I will help you." 35:00 God is faithful, 35:01 but He wants our love first. 35:06 And He will use that 35:08 to touch the hearts of the children. 35:11 God is faithful. 35:12 Amen. Amen. 35:13 What a beautiful encouragement, that has encouraged me 35:17 and I hope and pray it is encouraged you at home 35:19 to not give up, 35:21 to focus your attention on Jesus. 35:23 What an incredible appeal. 35:24 Thank you so much for that. 35:27 So, how has been involved in children's ministry 35:31 and then we're gonna talk about 35:32 some brand new upcoming projects here at 3ABN, 35:35 specifically for children. 35:37 But how has been involved in children's ministry? 35:39 How has that impacted you? 35:41 How has that changed your own life? 35:44 I don't know who wants to jump in first? 35:47 Well, I'll start. 35:50 When I was young, I was only about 10 years old, 35:54 but I wanted to start teaching kindergarten, Sabbath school. 35:57 And so, I went to PMC and I said, 36:00 "Hey, I'm willing to help teach." 36:02 And what's PMC? 36:03 Sorry, Pioneer Memorial Church, sorry, at Andrews, Michigan. 36:08 And so I started teaching right then and there. 36:11 And then I helped out with summer day camp, 36:13 but constantly, 36:17 the more I would share Jesus 36:19 and the more the children wanted to be like Jesus, 36:23 it just warms my heart, even in the classroom, 36:26 whatever, God's always working. 36:29 It's always a miracle what God does, 36:31 but He is always there. 36:34 And when I see that, you want to give out more, 36:38 you want to give more of yourself, 36:39 because you realize that 36:41 you see the fruit of who Jesus is, 36:44 and they want to be like Jesus, 36:46 and their character starts. 36:47 And so, even though I was thinking 36:49 about going into the medical field, 36:51 I realized that the biggest impact 36:54 that I felt I could make was to serve children, 36:59 and to be about God's business helping children love Jesus. 37:03 And so that's why I took up teaching and whatever. 37:06 I mean, that's the short end of the story. 37:07 But time and time again, it's amazing. 37:10 Even when I was creating lessons, 37:12 how the theme, whatever the topic was, 37:16 was always the same theme, 37:17 like I couldn't even plan it sometimes. 37:20 And even when I'm talking like in Sabbath school or something, 37:22 you would see other themes 37:24 that came in that supported the love of Jesus somehow. 37:28 And I just, I'm just always amazed 37:30 how God works these little miracles 37:32 that you can only do so much planning. 37:35 But it's really Jesus that shines through 37:37 and then you sit back, 37:39 and you're just so humbled every time you work with kids. 37:43 And you say, "Wow, Lord, You did that," 37:45 like you realize, and you go back home, 37:47 and you tell your husband and you say, 37:50 "Did you know this?" You know, and it's just, 37:52 it's very, it's very humbling. 37:54 And I think that's why we do what we do 37:56 is that you see 37:58 how much God is influencing in the hearts. 38:00 And that is the huge investment in a nutshell. 38:04 I don't know how else to say it, 38:05 but I'm just always amazed 38:07 how God works these little miracles, 38:10 that works these little miracles 38:12 for our young people. 38:13 And He is, the Holy Spirit has to go before. 38:16 There's nothing we can do. 38:18 I can't plan a lesson big enough, 38:22 because even when you're designing a program, 38:24 even on the set, there's times where I've realized 38:27 I had to change what it is, 38:30 because it needs to be the Holy Spirit. 38:32 Yeah. Absolutely. Amen. 38:35 So it strengthens our own faith. 38:36 Yes. 38:38 And that's like, we get the big blessing. 38:39 It may be a lot of work. 38:41 And, but you realize, 38:43 I think you realize how it's not me. 38:49 And, you know, sometimes, I mean, 38:51 after Linda and I would finish the show, 38:53 I was like, wow, 38:56 we didn't even plan any of that. 38:58 And look what happened, you know, a child... 39:00 We'd have something all planned out. 39:02 And maybe the children would just start, 39:04 you know, because they're spontaneous. 39:06 And they would say something, 39:08 and that would change 39:09 the whole direction of our program. 39:11 And we would go that was, we didn't do that. 39:15 God did that. 39:17 And so, I think it taught me that. 39:20 Like you said, it humbles you. 39:23 And it teaches you that 39:25 this isn't me, this is God. 39:28 Amen. That's powerful. 39:30 Aunty Linda? 39:34 In my carpet self world, I just feel like expressive, 39:39 because through the children's ministries, 39:43 God has brought my own heart 39:46 closer to Him. 39:49 And I know that He is doing 39:53 this miracle in my heart. 39:56 Right now as I'm working 39:58 at Great Lakes Adventist Academy, 40:00 and I just want to show you one minute, 40:03 who's been helping me. 40:06 This is Miss Danielle. Oh, Hi, Danielle. 40:10 Hi, Danielle. We love Danielle Babb. 40:13 Yes, you do. 40:14 Of course, her mom and dad and brothers work here. 40:18 And she's worked here before 40:20 but we're glad that she's there with you. 40:22 Yes. 40:24 And the amazing thing is that when things come up, 40:27 Danielle and I 40:29 will get on our knees together and pray 40:31 because God tells me, 40:34 you are not the savior at all, 40:37 I am the savior. 40:39 And you can call on Me, and I will answer you, 40:43 and show you those great mighty thing, 40:45 but you can't fix this. 40:48 And then we sit back and watch God fix it. 40:53 Is that even amazing? That's awesome. 40:55 You had experiences 40:57 where girls will come to her apartment 41:01 because it's like being with Jesus. 41:05 And they love to be around her. 41:08 And I think that 41:10 as we are more and more in love with Jesus, 41:15 then the kids are going to be drawn to Jesus, 41:19 and open up more and more opportunities for us to share. 41:23 Yeah. And Jesus was the God of fun. 41:27 And He, well, we can't say to know that. 41:30 And Danielle makes it fun for them. 41:35 We had one girl in the door 41:37 that she didn't use any of her talent, 41:41 but Danielle saw that she could sing. 41:46 And she actually gave special music, right, Danielle? 41:52 Yes. 41:53 And she has her up front, 41:56 doing things she never thought she could do, 41:59 which is growing her own faith. 42:00 Amen. That's awesome. 42:03 You know, Sis... 42:05 You know, Sis, I don't want to date, 42:08 but Danielle was one of our original Tiny Tots. 42:15 And she was amazing on Tiny Tots, 42:18 never gave us one moments of stress. 42:23 He was so compliant and sweet 42:26 and did everything we wanted her to do. 42:29 So thank you, Danielle. 42:32 But I think it takes a team. 42:34 One thing I seen about you and Francine 42:38 and the times that I've been with you 42:41 that you're instant in prayer, 42:43 and you and Cinda and I have prayed together. 42:46 And, Jill, every time we would come down to tape, 42:50 she would come and pray. 42:52 And it takes the focus off of us 42:56 and puts it where it bonds, 42:59 because it's all about Jesus. 43:03 And when they can see who Jesus is, 43:07 they want Him too. 43:09 Amen. 43:12 Yes, so God is amazing and faithful. 43:16 He is amazing and faithful. That's incredible. 43:18 And, Danielle, we're so glad to see you. 43:21 We love you. 43:22 Danielle is amazingly gifted as a musician, as a songwriter, 43:26 as a poet, poetess. 43:28 Is it a poetess for female? I think so. 43:31 Okay, then, well, we'll say that's what it is. 43:34 And she just has a heart for God. 43:36 So I'm so grateful 43:38 that she's had this time there with you, 43:40 helping you there in the dorm. 43:42 That's what a gift. 43:43 Let's shift in the last few moments of the program 43:45 to talking about some of the new upcoming programs 43:49 that we have coming out of 3ABN Kids Network. 43:52 We're going to put up the website right now 43:55 and then we'll put it up several times 43:56 throughout this section. 43:58 You can go to 3abnkids.tv 44:03 That website again is 3abnkids.tv 44:07 Or you can always email Aunt Francine 44:11 at kids@3abn.org 44:14 You can email her at kids@3abn.org 44:17 So first of all, tell us what would they find 44:19 if they went to 3abnkids.tv 44:22 What is available on that website, Aunt Francine? 44:24 So we do have some of our... 44:26 You can view the programming 44:29 right there on TV live streaming, 44:32 but there is also where you can tie into the Tiny Tots website. 44:38 But also you can see the whole schedule. 44:40 But what I like that we've just recently worked on 44:43 is Detectives of Truth. 44:45 They're a little Bible studies 44:47 that has a little craft that goes with it. 44:49 And I can even show some examples here. 44:51 But there is an... 44:53 Over there, you can find a lot more resources. 44:55 So we even have a little lesson 44:57 with a little craft that goes with it. 44:59 This is the most recent one. 45:01 And they come out every week? 45:02 And they come out every week a new one. 45:04 And so this is just to encourage 45:06 again at home to do little studies together. 45:09 This is again that what you mentioned 45:11 about doing it as a family. 45:13 So this is a resource to that, especially during the pandemic, 45:17 some of them didn't have them resources to teach, 45:21 studying the Bible at home 45:23 like if they couldn't go to church or Sabbath school 45:25 and so this was something that I wanted, 45:27 hoping that they would do some crossword puzzles 45:29 and different things like that. 45:31 But also, we are hoping, 45:34 we have some resources 45:37 that we're hoping to record some new programming. 45:39 And so that's why 45:41 I hope that kids and parents like, 45:43 share stories. 45:45 We're hoping to do a little more with radio, 45:47 a little more with a Kids Express 45:49 that's coming along very soon, 45:51 that we're going to be taping. 45:53 And hopefully that's going to be a current events 45:56 where kids can talk about everyday problems, 45:59 or situations that come up, 46:01 questions for Aunt Francine, for example, 46:03 and then sharing 46:04 how they're shining their light for Jesus. 46:06 So that's something that's coming here in the future. 46:09 Recently, we did a little of Jesus, 46:12 My Light, focusing on Jesus and His character. 46:15 So that started off with Jesus 46:17 as a young, being dedicated, and then going, 46:21 we're hoping to do more series. 46:23 But that is just sharing who Jesus is 46:25 and hoping that 46:27 children will want to be like Jesus 46:28 and learn a little bit about His character. 46:30 Amen. 46:32 So Jesus, My Light, I think we have a picture 46:33 because we've already found this, 46:34 and it's in the editing process. 46:36 Yeah. It is in the editing process. 46:38 So right here is just the tree house segment. 46:40 And we did Bible scenes just beforehand. 46:42 And here is 46:44 where they're spending some time 46:45 with Aunt Francine in our tree house. 46:47 And there you see little Ginger. 46:49 And so, again, we're talking about who Jesus is, 46:52 and doing, like real life applications 46:56 hoping that they see Jesus in, even in nature. 47:02 And sometimes there is other object lessons 47:04 that we can learn from who Jesus is 47:06 as the good shepherd and our friend, 47:08 forever friend. 47:10 Amen. So that program right now is being edited. 47:13 Hope to have that done. and really soon. 47:15 There's another series that you just did 47:17 with Professor Ben Roy. 47:19 And he's been... 47:21 We're so blessed by the partnership with him 47:23 and 3ABN for so many years. 47:26 So tell us about Creation is Science. 47:28 And that's already airing right now, 47:30 so tell us about that? 47:31 Yes, it is. 47:32 And that's a lot of fun, because I like experimenting, 47:34 but with Professor Roy, 47:36 he's always doing it much bigger 47:38 than I could ever dream. 47:40 But it's always a lot of fun. 47:41 Because the kids again, we came up with a theme, 47:44 a goal that we wanted to teach who Jesus is, 47:47 again, a little bit about who Jesus is, 47:49 and it came up with a series. 47:51 But again, that was just a lot of fun. 47:52 And kids were working on something at home. 47:55 And this is where your financial support, 47:58 we want to have experiments 48:00 that go along with that they can do at home, too. 48:02 So we're working on that in the meantime. 48:05 But there's so many things that we want to do. 48:07 And we just, this is where you can email me 48:10 if you want to volunteer. 48:11 We're always looking for costumes 48:13 or people to make things work. 48:15 I mean, we're always looking for 48:18 how we can reach more young people. 48:20 And so this is kind of what 48:22 we just are praying ahead of time 48:24 because God sends it always at the right time. 48:26 So just prayerfully say, 48:30 how can you help, just email me, I love stories. 48:33 I love to know more about 48:35 what you're doing in your ministry, 48:36 in your local church even 48:38 because sometimes hopefully, 48:39 we can highlight that in the Kids Express. 48:41 So I'm hoping there's something 48:42 that we're working on for our future. 48:44 So if someone wants to email you, 48:46 what's the best way they can do that? 48:47 That email again, it's kid, 48:50 and I got to make sure it's kids@3abn.org 48:53 kids@3abn.org 48:55 Perfect. 48:57 So you're looking for stories, you're looking for volunteers. 48:59 And kids to participate. 49:01 So if you know any kids, 49:03 yes, so we're always and we're thinking 49:06 I want kids to even participate remotely. 49:09 So this is something that... Like via Skype or... 49:11 Via Skype, and even we're working toward 49:14 hopefully in radio 49:15 to even have stories from kids on radio. 49:17 So we're working toward different things like that. 49:20 So again, if they email me and say, 49:22 "Hey, I'd like to participate, 49:23 they could share their videos, 49:25 but again, get your parents' permission first. 49:27 But yeah, we're hoping to include more kids 49:30 here in the future, even remotely, 49:31 even if it's in Nigeria, the Philippines, 49:33 wherever that is. 49:35 We want to have more kids learning about Jesus 49:37 and shining for Him. 49:39 You know, I think that's something 49:40 that COVID has taught us 49:41 is that we are very interconnected 49:44 via the internet. 49:45 You know, when everything shut down with COVID. 49:48 It seems like the churches 49:50 and so many of those avenues shut down, 49:52 but 3ABN's growth on YouTube 49:55 and on the internet grew exponentially 49:57 because people are home now. 49:58 So I love that idea, Aunt Francine, 50:00 of connection with kids from all over the world 50:03 and we can connect virtually, 50:05 and still have them on the set 50:08 and connecting with the 3ABN family. 50:11 I know we're going to go to a news break 50:12 in just a moment. 50:14 But a closing question, 50:15 this is specifically for Miss Cinda 50:17 and Auntie Linda. 50:20 What would you tell someone 50:21 about the value of connecting 50:25 with the children's ministry at 3ABN? 50:30 Well, I personally have been so blessed. 50:34 But when you're actually here at 3ABN, 50:37 the need is so great. 50:38 We need more money. 50:40 I mean, just plain and simple like that 50:44 to do what we do. 50:46 It takes not only time, 50:48 but we also need volunteers 50:50 who can come and help. 50:51 I know Aunt Francine 50:53 could use a lot of volunteers. 50:57 Bring your sewing machine and some material 50:59 and come and help sew Bible costumes, 51:01 because you know we need, 51:03 there's so much that we need, 51:05 and you don't realize how great the need is 51:09 until you're here actually working. 51:12 And while we're happy to donate our time, 51:16 if you can't donate your time 51:18 by actually coming here and helping, 51:20 then donate your money. 51:21 Anything can help because the need is great. 51:25 And I can't tell you the blessing you'll receive. 51:28 Amen. 51:30 Auntie Linda, 51:31 we just have about 40 seconds and then we'll go to a break. 51:33 But what would you say? 51:35 I would say that if you say I can't do any of these things, 51:40 you can pray. 51:42 And you can start praying with 3ABN. 51:45 I pray every single morning for 3ABN. 51:50 And I mentioned the people that are actually working here. 51:54 And then I just pray, Lord, 51:55 I don't care if they're cleaning, 51:57 or they're behind the scenes or in front of the camera. 52:00 We only have a little window of time 52:04 to work for Jesus. 52:07 He is coming so soon. 52:09 And we know that soon 52:11 that we won't be able to do anything. 52:13 And we're gonna wish, 52:15 "Oh, why didn't I help when I could." 52:18 So now start praying. 52:21 Now is the time 52:22 we have to step into the water. 52:24 Watch Jesus part the river 52:26 and watch souls come to Him and work like never before, 52:31 because Jesus Christ is coming soon. 52:35 And we want people to look up and see Him 52:37 in that cloud of glory. 52:40 And we aren't gonna have any regrets 52:42 'cause we've given Him 100% of us 52:47 and that's when He will bless like never before. 52:50 Amen. 52:52 Aunty Linda's preaching a sermon. 52:53 Praise the Lord. 52:54 We're going to go to a news break at this time 52:56 and we'll come back with some closing thoughts. |
Revised 2021-06-20