Written by: Sherri
10/3/2008 11:56 AM 

INVITING JESUS IN

Jonathan and I were having a deeply-treasured talk one summer night, and I casually asked him if he was ready to accept Jesus into his heart yet.  Jonathan has been thinking about this eternal issue for quite a few months and every few weeks I would check in with him.  This night, as I was expecting the usual reply of, "I'm not ready yet", I got a very enthusiastic response of, "Yes, I'm ready!"  My heart leaped for joy!  Ted joined us for this momentous occasion and we asked him some heart revealing questions to make sure he understood what it meant to ask Jesus into his heart.  He replied with certainty that he knew he was a sinner, Jesus died on the cross for all his sins, and to invite Jesus in meant that Jesus now lived within him, would guide and direct him.  In return, Jonathan was to love Jesus with all his heart, soul and mind.

The very next day I witnessed a change in Jonathan as he took on the responsible role of modeling for his younger brother what they should be doing when they need to pray about something.  As it turns out, this was a "big" need to pray about.

James and I had been gone that morning doing errands.  While we were gone, Jonathan would stop playing periodically and he and Joshua would head to the kitchen table to pray.  They were having a "men's prayer breakfast" (this is what the elders of our church do as a group, and what the men of our church do every week).  When I returned, I discovered what they had been up to and my thoughts were... how nice.  At that point, I did not know what the big prayer time was all about.

I got ready to prepare lunch and both of them announced to me that they were fasting.  (Ted & I have not done this due to medical reasons, so they haven't been seeing an "example"; however, this spiritual discipline had been talked about recently at church...shows they really do listen in church!).  After I got over my astonishment, I said, "How about a fast from food....you can have a glass of milk".  I was thinking oh my, do they really know how hungry they're going to get in a few hours.  Most importantly, I was so convicted about my attitude toward prayer and how casually I approach it.   They agreed to the compromise and when they were finished with their glass of milk, they went to another room to pray while James and I finished our lunch.  Later they mentioned to me that the elders of our church fast on Tuesdays.  This then prompted a discussion about the difference between elders and deacons.  What a joy to see my new Christian son already employing the disciplines that he has heard talked about in church.  What a privilege to participate in a church that brings the family together during worship and models the New Testament disciplines.

As Paul Harvey would say, "Now for the rest of the story".  What was so important that 2 growing boys would fast and pray?  We had been invited to spend a day at the lake the 4th of July weekend, with the rest of Ted's side of the family who lives in Arkansas.  We had not seen them for over a year and were long over-due for a visit.  The boys had been greatly missing all their aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. And they love the visits to the lake with the boat rides, fishing, huge backyard, etc.  Ted & I weren't sure we could afford to go...we all remember what gas prices were this summer...not that they have decreased much since then!  When Ted checked into reserving our usual hotel, we found they were booked!  This is a hotel that is full during the week, but usually not on the weekends.  This was an unexpected disappointment.  For most families, this would not have been a problem, just make a reservation at another hotel.  However, our family has so many food restrictions and allergies that eating out is not an option, so we need a hotel room that has a kitchen with it so we can prepare our food.  There is only one such hotel in the area of Arkansas we visit.  After finding out the news about the hotel, we all started praying that if God wanted us to make this trip, he would provide accommodations for us.  As a mom, I was concerned about the impact on Jonathan's prayer life if God choose not to open doors for the trip.  This was one of those times I was glad that I could rely on God's decision, since He knows what would be best for Jonathan.  As it turned out, He chose for us to stay home.   Ted & I made the best of it by planning a "stay vacation" and doing fun things with the boys that weekend.

THE PARTY

Ted & I had decided some months before this wondrous decision that when one of our sons became a Christian, we would host a party...I mean a really big celebration (for us that is :).  Now you need to understand that we don't throw birthday parties, and rarely have any other kind of party.  But this is a once-in-a-lifetime decision in which not only is God celebrating, but even the angels rejoice when a sinner comes home.  This needed to be the kind of party the father of the prodigal son hosted when the son returned home...invited others, killed the fatted calf and CELEBRATED!  We involved Jonathan in the planning, since this was his party.  He choose the guests (who were all people who had some impact in him becoming a Christian), wrote out the invitations, and planned the food and decorations.  We were able to schedule it a month and 1 day to the date of his spiritual birthday.  We also asked the guests to bring a "few words of wisdom".  The celebration turned out to be a very special time to "drive a stake in the ground" and put up a few remembrances of the occasion (if you want to know more about this concept read, "Raising a Modern Day Knight", by Robert Lewis.)  We presented Jonathan with his first "real" Bible, a kid's version of an adult type.  He was so excited about receiving it because he could read it!  (he has just taken off  in reading within the last year.)  Jonathan is the early riser at our home, and most mornings will find him reading his Bible.

THE BAPTISM

Jonathan was able to be baptized the same week of the party.  Our church holds a once-a-year backyard pool baptism for those people who have accepted Christ.  Ted had the special privilege of baptizing Jonathan (our church allows the fathers, as the head of the household, to baptize their children).  Another "stake in the ground" - another memory making ceremony.  After all, you only do this once!

A CHANGED HEART

I never realized that once your child becomes a Christian, your whole way of dealing with him will change.  No longer is he a person with an unchanged, unrepentant heart.  You now have the uniqueness of dealing with a soft, tender heart that hears the word of God being spoken to him.  As it says in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..."  Jonathan responds quite differently now than he used to, and differently than his brothers who have yet to make this decision.  Our prayer is that we would continue to rely on God to guide us as we disciple Jonathan, and for James and Joshua to one day make this most important decision as well.

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