The Value of a Sunday School Teacher

The Value of a Sunday School Teacher

When a church commits to educating its children, youth, teens, and adults, it provides a vital lifeline that connects the Word of God to the hearts of its people. The Sunday school teacher stands at the center of this connection—God’s chosen bridge between His Word and the student.

Sunday school teachers fulfill an essential role in the Great Commission. Without them, the mandate to “teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20) would go unfulfilled. A church that neglects its educational ministries risks losing a generation’s knowledge of God, His worship, and His ways.

Sunday school teachers are more than educators; they are the first line of defense for a church’s faith and future. By introducing children and teens to the truths of Scripture, Sunday school becomes a powerful avenue for evangelism and discipleship. It offers families a safe space to learn about faith, worship, and obedience to God. Sunday school teachers often act as the primary evangelists in the classroom, presenting Christ to their students and encouraging them to walk in His ways.

Imagine a church without Sunday school teachers. Such a loss would leave a gaping hole in our efforts to teach, evangelize, and obey our Lord’s command. The harvest is plentiful, and Sunday school teachers are the laborers who reap it. Their work changes lives and ensures that the light of God’s truth is passed on to future generations.

To every Sunday school teacher who may read these words, please know this: You are deeply valued. We cherish your relationship with God, your dedication to your students, and your commitment to the ministry of teaching. You stand on the front lines, bridging the gap between ignorance and knowledge, error and truth, and darkness and light.

As a church, we invest heavily in sending missionaries to foreign fields and supporting pastors in their pulpits. But our volunteer Sunday school teachers—this faithful brigade—often fill the gap, ministering directly to those who sit before them each week. Your labor is not in vain.

So, as you step into your classroom this Sunday, know that your efforts are appreciated beyond words. Go prepared—prepared before the Lord in prayer, prepared with the material you have studied, and prepared to change the world one soul at a time.

Thank you for standing in this sacred place.

John O’Malley

Lessons from Affliction and Pain

Several years ago, I wrote a friend who knows chronic pain. I shared my words and an excerpt from Stream in the Desert.

Dear friend, I am learning that when pain is present, discomfort is an undercurrent in the flow of the day. Pain inconveniences, irritates, and frustrates. I sure don’t know how your pain feels.

Yet, I know Pain’s cousin. Pain is the unwelcome guest at every hour. Pain disturbs your sleep. Pain stays too long, visits too often, and does not know when to leave.

Do you feel anger, fear, shame, or guilt because your pain might disadvantage you? You shouldn’t.

God chose a life with pain for you. But it’s not just a life with pain alone. Yours is a life with His presence and pain.

Pain brings out God’s beauty of His working in us.

I am sad you hurt today. I see His beauty in your pain.

I read this from the October 1 reading from Streams in the Desert; it helped me.

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted.” (Psalm 119:71.)

It is a remarkable circumstance that the most brilliant colors of plants are to be seen on the highest mountains, in spots that are most exposed to the wildest weather. The brightest lichens and mosses, the loveliest gems of wild flowers, abound far up on the bleak, storm-scalped peak.

One of the richest displays of organic coloring I ever beheld was near the summit of Mount Chenebettaz, a hill about 10,000 feet high, immediately above the great St. Bernard Hospice. The whole face of an extensive rock was covered with a most vivid yellow lichen which shone in the sunshine like the golden battlement of an enchanted castle.

There, in that lofty region, amid the most frowning desolation, exposed to the fiercest tempest of the sky, this lichen exhibited a glory of color such as it never showed in the sheltered valley. I have two specimens of the same lichen before me while I write these lines, one from the great St. Bernard, and the other from the wall of a Scottish castle, deeply embossed among sycamore trees; and the difference in point of form and coloring between them is most striking.

The specimen nurtured amid the wild storms of the mountain peak is of a lovely primrose hue, and is smooth in texture and complete in outline, while the specimen nurtured amid the soft airs and the delicate showers of the lowland valley is of a dim rusty hue, and is scurfy in texture, and broken in outline.

And is it not so with the Christian who is afflicted, tempest-tossed, and not comforted? Till the storms and vicissitudes of God’s providence beat upon him again and again, his character appears marred and clouded; but trials clear away the obscurity, perfect the outlines of his disposition, and give brightness and blessing to his life.

Amidst my list of blessings infinite
Stands this the foremost, that my heart has bled;
For all I bless Thee, most for the severe.

Upon reading the passage and the above reading from Streams in the Desert, I concluded:

If you suffer today, Psalm 119:71 teaches:
1. Pain is a teacher: pain teaches me that my life’s condition is good even when afflicted.
2. Pain is a path: The path of pain leads to His presence. Pain is the path He chose for me.
3. Pain is a classroom: The classroom of pain teaches me His statutes.
4. Pain is a lonely place: The loneliness of pain brings me His presence.
5. Pain is a Divine workplace: The workshop of pain is where He displays His handiwork in my life.
6. Pain is a decision desk: Pain is what He chose for me; He sees it as good for me; therefore, it is good.
7. Pain is a worship place: The cathedral of pain allows me to see Him, know Him, and remind me that He is working in my pain. My conditions do not determine if I worship. He is worthy of my worship when I am afflicted.

Learn in your pain:
He is good. He is gracious. He is God.

My affliction must not cause me to say, Why me?
Rather, my affliction must cause me to say, why not me?

The Mom in the Arena

Theodore Roosevelt’s famous words, “The Man in the Arena,” (See quote below) have inspired many.

Today, I want to speak directly to the young moms I’ve been watching in churches across America.

I see you trying hard. I see the battles you fight at home, the struggle to get to church, and the criticisms you endure from those around you.

I want to use my voice to say to you, young moms: Keep going. Keep pressing toward your goal of leading your kids to follow Christ.

I’ve heard the unkind words spoken by those who think they know better than the mom who is in the arena.

In the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt’s quote, I submit this for your reading:

The Mom in the Arena

It’s not the critics at church, home, school, or work who count. It’s not the uncaring and forgetful moms and grandmas who laugh when you stumble, mock when you fail, or gossip about your perceived inadequacies. It’s not the voices from the sidelines who claim they could do better with twice as many kids and half the resources.

The credit belongs to the young mom in the arena of diapers, dirty clothes, and the never-ending Mount Laundry. The credit goes to the mom whose face bears more tears than makeup, more wrinkles than her years should show, and more gray hairs than her age should reflect.

The credit belongs to the mom trying to raise her children with Godly values, often alone. The proper credit goes to the mom who fights against the world’s culture and the negativity of others—scorned by those who forget the struggle and focus only on your lowest moments, when your children don’t measure up to their expectations.

You, dear mother, deserve the credit when you manage children in the mall, grocery store, or at church. Strangely, it’s the strangers who esteem you for trying, while those closer to you murmur and scorn you for not trying hard enough.

Mom, it’s you who counts as a mom of toddlers, teens, and tweens. We see you. We are proud of you. You count.

Mother, you are in the arena, and you are in the battle. Don’t listen to the blather of the critic; you matter. God trusted you with your children, not the malcontent in your life.

You are doing the deeds. You are walking your toddlers, teens, and tweens into the next generation. You give every moment of your day to teach them a love for God, for your family, and even for your critics.

You carry shame, guilt, fear, and anger even before anyone speaks a word of criticism. You may find this short essay hard to believe with all the words that play in your mind. You know all the critical thoughts you tell yourself before anyone even looks your way, casts a negative glance, or speaks a word.

But hear this from someone who is cheering you on: there is no shame, fear, anger, or condemnation from which God cannot release you. Dear Mother, when you are in Christ, no condemnation can stick.

Mom, do not be your own worst critic. Do not allow others to diminish you with their wagging fingers, loose lips, and cold hearts that haven’t borne kindness in decades.

You are a mom, and there is no effort without error and shortcomings. You know your why, your drive, and your calling. You are spending yourself on a worthy cause. Your children will rise and call you blessed.

You dared greatly to have children. Do not allow yourself to hear, believe, or receive the words of the cold and timid critics in your family, neighborhood, church, or community.

You are the mom in the arena, and many of us out here believe in you.

If you are not the mom in the arena, let me suggest this: be kind to the moms you see in the arena. She knows she’s not perfect without any word spoken by you. So, find the comforting word, not the corrective word. Find the helpful word, not the hurtful word. Find the words that build her up, not bruise her. Share a smile with each mom you see. Offer her help and a hand. She needs you to remember when you had no one to speak words of life into you, and to speak words of peace, not pain. Keep your opinions to yourself. You don’t know what it took for her to show up today. You don’t know what challenge she faced alone today. Choose to bless moms, not belittle them.

Roosevelt’s Quote:

The Man in the Arena

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasm the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

33 Questions about Church…

I wrote these questions and read them to a church during their missions conference.

I love church.

I love how imperfect people, united by grace, find unity, purpose, and answers in a messed-up world. In a culture which questions the value of church, its vital to ask these centering questions.

    1.    Why do you come to church?

    2.    Why do we have church?

    3.    Why did Christ start His church?

    4.    Does church membership have any meaning?

    5.    Is church just about the feeling we get or give?

    6.    Is church just about the sense of community it brings?

    7.    Is church just about the spiritual guides it provides? (pastoral staff)

    8.    Is church just about having help when we need to marry our kids, bury our dead, and administer care when life erupts?

    9.    Is church just about money?

    10.    Is church just about giving and receiving?

    11.    Is church just about giving grace in grief?

    12.    Is church just about showing love when life hurts?

    13.    Is church just about offering hope when life looks hopeless?

    14.    Is church just about judging others? (Judging=making others look or feel bad to affirm your self-righteousness)

    15.    Is church just about its ministries?

    16.    Is church just about its youth?

    17.    Is church just about its events?

    18.    Is church just about its people?

    19.    Is church exclusively about member maintenance?

    20.    What if church was intended to be more than its activities?

    21.    What if church was meant to be the base of operations for God’s mission?

    22.    What if the purpose of our meeting together each week was not for us or about us, but for the mission of God?

    23.    What if church membership meant I belong to a fellowship of believers focused on God’s mission in reaching every citizen of the world with the message of Jesus?

    24.    What if every ministry, activity, or event, was run through this filter? "How does this ministry, event, or activity bring the Gospel to people?"

    25.    What if we spent every moment of our days focused on God’s mission?

    26.    What if we saw ourselves as people of influence for the sake of Christ’s name and the Gospel?

    27.    What if we saw every relationship (kids, grandkids, and friends) as opportunities develop harvest workers?

    28.    What if we saw ourselves as ambassadors of the Great Commission and responsible for developing harvest relationships with people who do not know about God’s desire to adopt all men into his family?

    29.    What if the resources I have were meant to be used for the harvest?

    30.    What if my life was to be about God’s mission and nothing else?

    31.    What if I had to stand before God and give account for my involvement in God’s mission?

    32.    How much of your life is submitted to the will of God?

33. What if my life was to be about God’s mission and nothing else?  Hebrews 10:25

Thirty-nine Years ago

Thirty-nine year years ago this month in 2023, I began in ministry. On the anniversary of this event, I decided to write what I learned. I wrote these lessons to help me process, reflect, and remember the goodness of God over these years.

Fifty Lessons:

1. I chose not to see the scars, just the grace applied.

2. I decided not to feel the bruises, just the mercy received.

3. I chose not to remember pains, just the healing.

4. I stood by gravesides and knew God’s comfort.

5. I sat with the dying and knew hopeful sorrow.

6. I sat with the grieving and saw their grace in grief.

7. I am blessed to have friends and receive their forgiveness.

8. I am blessed to have walked the most challenging paths but was never alone.

9. I am blessed to know a real friend.

10. I learned that an enemy’s view of me is not God’s.

11. I learned those who made themselves enemies can become teachers, helpers, and friends.

12. I received mercy when I erred with friends.

13. I received grace for my faults and failures from friends.

14. I have seen betrayal and loyalty from the same person.

15. I learned hurt can become hope.

16. I learned disappointment can become a classroom.

17. I learned that the truth from the inner circle is better than flattery from any source.

18. I have known love because of my wife.

19. I held life’s greatest joy, the birth of a child.

20. I learned God enlarged my heart when I met our daughter-in-law.

21. I shed unfamiliar tears upon the news of a granddaughter joining our family.

22. I learned life’s greatest treasures are the relationships made.

23. I learned the greatest gift you can give your spouse, family, ministry, and supporters is being mentally and emotionally healthy and self-aware.

24. I learned prayer is the best response.

25. I learned it is best to believe in others.

26. I found forgiveness is better.

27. I found life is too precious to spend time pouting.

28. I learned with uncertainty to do the next right thing.

29. I discovered a child’s smile is life-giving.

30. I learned failures are not final.

31. I learned forgiveness is a choice.

32. I learned I do not need a man’s approval.

33. I learned holding the same doctrinal position is more straightforward than changing positions.

34. I learned a friend stays.

35. I learned that when God pauses my plans, He works out His plan.

36. I learned believing in people inspires them.

37. I learned responding in kind is different from responding with kindness.

38. I learned the cruelest and kindest words can come from the same people, including me.

39. I learned childhood wounds do not have to hinder you; they can help you.

40. I learned I choose when I can get over whatever hurt me.

41. I found remembering the delights of the Lord is better than remembering life’s disappointments.

42. I learned the hope of watching God work tomorrow is better than today’s frustration.

43. I learned discouragement is a luxury I cannot afford.

44. I know God is faithful.

45. I know God gives emotions.

46. I know God can.

47. I know God uses afflictions.

48. I know God’s word is true.

49. I know to everything, there is a season.

50. I know applying grace is easier than holding a grudge

Does one of these lessons resonate with you? What lessons have you learned that you want to share with me? Share yours in the comments, I would love to read them.

Embracing a Season of Suffering

Embracing a Season of Suffering

In recent months, God chose for Kim and me a season which required us to set aside every plan we had to assist Kim’s mom. 

Kim’s mother’s had eight surgeries in a matter of weeks to help her overcome a two-inch (five centimeters) tear resulting from a complication from outpatient surgery.

We learned lessons during this season as Kim’s mom hovered at death’s door for many days during her sixty-five days in the hospital. 

When going through a difficult time, it is easy to ask questions above our pay grade. We ask God, why? Why them? Why us? Why now? Why here?

I believe asking God is okay; doubting God is not okay. 

We are prone to make lists to rehearse with God the credentials of the one suffering. We do so as our objection or protest to what is happening. 

Internally, we recite our concerns, rehearse our worries, and desperately ask, “God, what are You doing?” We give God our questions asking why this season of suffering came. We tell God why it should not be the one He chose for this season of suffering. Our fears inform us this suffering is not just. Our faith tells us God is always working His will.

Perhaps during the initial moments of suffering, we are reconciling our will to His will about a new season in our lives and the life of the one suffering. 

Solomon, gave his heart to search out wisdom in all which takes place under heaven and to discover the sore travail God gives to men, said: “To every thing, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

A season is an appointed time for something to occur. God has appointed times or seasons for us to live through for His glory.

When seasons come, God has lessons to learn for the individual suffering. God gives suffering to those who are strong enough to bear it.  (1 Corinthians 10:13) 

Because one suffers, it does not mean the one suffering made sinful choices. Job was a perfect man who feared God and abstained from evil. Yet, God chose a seasoning of suffering for Job.

When suffering comes, nobody suffers alone. The suffering’s caregivers, prayer partners, and healthcare partners can observe and learn about God in this season of suffering.

As the son-in-law of the suffering one in our family, God gave me an observation post to this season of suffering. Below are thoughts I learned in this season of suffering. 

Seasons of suffering are:

• for learning about God’s purpose. (Eccl 3:1-11)

• for observing God’s hand and heart. (2 Chron 16:9)

• for listening to God’s word. (Psalm 119:71)

• for meditation and comfort. (Psalm 94:19)

• for a greater plan. (Gen. 50:20)

• not just for the one going through the most challenging times. (James 5:10-11)

• for revealing friendships. (Gal. 6:2; 2 Cor. 1:7)

• for reminding you of His presence. (Heb. 13:5)

• for sensing God’s comfort. (2 Cor. 1:4)

• for preparing me for the next season to comfort others. (2 Cor. 1:4)

We are better when we learn to embrace the season in which He’s placed us. In your season of suffering, whether as the participant or the observer of the suffering, keep listening; keep learning; keep trusting. 

Perhaps you know someone who is in their season of suffering. I encourage you to assure the suffering you prayed for them. Remind those who suffer. You are there if they need you. 

It is okay if the suffering does not ask you for any help. They know you will help when a specific need arises. Give them space in their suffering and grace when they are silent. 

On behalf of Kim’s family, thank you for being here during this season of suffering. As we embrace this season of suffering, your love, thoughts, and prayers comfort us.

Thank you.

You’re Not Alone — Resource From Ninth Hour Prayer Meeting

On April 11, 2020, my sisters, Bonny and Charie, along with my niece Rachel, Bonny’s daughter, appeared with me on the Ninth Hour Prayer Meeting. (The Ninth Hour Prayer Meeting is an online prayer meeting where we pray about COVID-19 and every aspect of life and ministry)

The Prayer Meeting offers two parts. A segment of information and a part of intercession. COVID-19 touches every aspect of life, homes, and ministry. We share information on how the virus affects life and ministry. We then take our petitions to the Lord.

While on the Ninth Hour Prayer Meeting, my niece and sisters, who are Christian School educators, spoke of how COVID-19 affects students and parents. They compiled a resource for parents whose children are in home-bound education. The resource is available below. If my child or I knew a child who was in home-bound education or home-based education, get this resource. If you are a parent or know a parent, get this resource.

Link to download