It happened unexpectedly after church one day. Timothy, a 9 year old boy in our church, walked up to me and boldly said, “I would like to teach! Can I teach the lesson next week?” 

 

My first thought was, “What? Are you crazy?!?! I’m not handing my valuable lesson time to a kid!” 

 

I immediately devised a plan: I would make some challenges for him to complete so that he would lose interest and stop asking. 

 

I said, “Well, we can talk about it… but you would have to (1) have your parents permission (2)  come to a rehearsal and (3) write out everything you wanted to say in the lesson so I can approve it.” 

 

I was so totally unprepared for his answer. Timothy said, “Great! I’ve already talked to my parents, here are the times that I can rehearse and here is what I would like to teach!”

Until that time, I had often heard (and said) that there is no junior version of the Holy Spirit. I was about to learn that there are also no junior preachers! Here, in my midst, was a child with the actual gift of preaching!! 

 

Timothy stood up the next week and taught for fifteen amazing minutes. (I’d actually given him only 10 minutes to talk.  Come to find out, you have to tell even 9 year-old preachers that they have to quit talking on time!) I watched as the kids in Kids Church sat in rapt attention - totally stunned that they were actually watching, and listening to, and learning from someone their own age. They were mesmerized…intrigued and inspired.  

 

And that was the day that KidsPray.tv was born (an online series of videos) about prayer - written by kids, for kids.

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