Playground Preacher

As I wrote yesterday's post it brought a great memory to my mind. One day about a month or so ago, Charlie got in the car after school and he was so excited. He proceeded to tell me that he had preached to his friends at recess and that he had "gotten a bunch of 'em saved". He said that he and his little friend AJ had sat down their class and preached to them. I smiled and told him that I was so proud of him for sharing with his friends. He started rattling off names of the kids that had gotten saved that afternoon....I am not sure I had ever seen him more excited about something before. His eyes had a fire and light in that had never been there. He felt the excitement and joy that comes along with sharing Christ and seeing people respond.

The next morning Ric had dropped the kids off at school and had walked them in that morning. One of the ladies that works in the office told Ric that her daughter had come home and told her that "Charlie Blazi had saved her yesterday and that she needed to get baptized". Ric found out that not only had he shared the gospel with them, but he had told his friends that they needed to get baptized....that he "would have done it on the playground...but I didn't have any water". That seriously made me laugh. Charlie had tried to baptize himself in the bathtub one night after church several years ago...he told me that "if you and Daddy aren't gonna let me do it at church, then I will do it myself"....and yes he said this very matter of factly. Obviously my lesson on baptism being one of the ordinances of the church didn't stick with him that day:)!!

We heard from lots of kids parents over the next few weeks talk about how their son or daughter had come home and told them that they had been saved on the playground that day. Were any of them??? I don't know, but what I do know is that Charlie was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. That he understood that his friends needed Jesus just as much as he did. That it didn't matter where he was, that he had the right to share. That if they did get saved that they needed to be baptized. That some people will reject you when you share...one of his sweet little friends sweetly told him that she "just didn't know about all of that"...and that is ok. He had been obedient and that was all that mattered.

What did I learn that day and the weeks that followed??? That I seriously need to have faith like my kids. A faith that is not afraid, ashamed, or limited because I know that God is with me...all the time. Just like my kids are not afraid when Mommy or Daddy are around....I shouldn't be scared because I know HE is with me. I want to be bold...just like Charlie was that day. A 7 year old little boy, gathered his friends up on the playground...had them all sit down...and then shared the most important message of all. That Jesus saves. I pray that I would have courage like him to tell people about Jesus wherever, whenever, and however I could. I thank God that He first and foremost saved Charlie and that he also gave him a burden to see people saved. May that never be quenched by this crazy world. God is good all the time. All the time God is good!!