On the last sabbath of 2011 I was surrounded with family and friends in Detroit. I meet my beautiful niece Isabelle for the first time! And we went to church. At church there is one part of the program that everyone uncatergorically pays attention to.
“Good morning boys and girls, how are you?”
(now at this point, you hold you breath and wonder. Is this going to be one of those kidult stories, you know, geographically aimed to the kids but cognitivally aimed at PhD philosophy students that may have accidentally wondered in at 11.45am…)
“my grandmother lived in the south and one day she was playing in the woods when she heard music coming from the mississippi river. She went and found the steamboat called the MorningStart. Over the next few days she heard the music and eventually went on the boat, and heard sermons by Edson White. At the age of 13 she went home and told her father she was going to join the Adventist Church. Her father looked at her and forbid her, he added “I’ll kill you”
The next day she repeated her conviction at dinner.
Her father became catatonic and dragged her to the back yard grabbing a rope on his way out. Her mother run out and saw that he had tied a noose around their daughters neck and had tied the end to a tree.
(and this point I was like errmm, trauma alert! These are kids from 1-7, you are gonna give these kids nightmares.)
Her mother run and got aunt Samuela-William who told her father to leave her. Aunt Samuela-William took her home and grandmother never saw her brothers and sisters again! That is why I was supposed to be a girl called William because my great aunt saved my mothers life. Kids. Names are important, and the most important name is Jesus.
[What in world?!!? Breath.]
Apart from its gross inappropriateness for kids, there were some good lessons to learn.
Christian. Thats an amazing name. Christ followers. We are to reflect the name of our rescuer. Who saved us from death, when the noose was tighting around our neck, when we were gasping for breath. Who hung on a tree for us, and in his last breath whispered his love for us. Who has gone to prepare a home for us to live with him eternally. What a name! Christian.
But really someone needs to screen these children’s story. Please kids are suffering, it’s painful, a donation of …Lol
andreas | beccai 