Providing Christian resources from the YMCA past and present to nourish inclusive, equitable work in our diverse and global neighborhoods that build up healthy spirit, mind and body for all.
How can we be ‘like Living Stones’ used by God to strengthen the presence of Christ where we lead?
Recently, 24 YMCA leaders with the onPrinciple program visited 12 places throughout the Holy Land where Jesus taught about how to live and lead in God’s kingdom.
From this experience comes 12 spiritual leadership principles – or Living Stones – (inspired by 1Peter 2:4-5) that Christ-followers can embody as we are being built up to lead, care and serve everyone, like Jesus.
If you’ve been looking for a new kind of devotion, or needing to get restarted in spiritual reflection, you’ll enjoy these short and encouraging meditations on being in the Holy Land, standing and walking where Jesus lived, and how that shapes our lives today, here.
You can subscribe to these devotions and receive them as an email by going to to timhallman.org and enter your email address into the subscribe box.
At timhallman.org you can also find a link to access the devotions through YouVersion or a downloadable PDF booklet; it was originally published on Pentecost Sunday 2021.
Download the YouVersion app and search for Living Stones devotional or click here if you already use it
The YMCA devotion series is inspired by the writings of Saint Peter, and his urging Christians to imitate Christ as we are built up into a holy and sacrificial calling to love, care and serve those God puts in our life where you lead at work, home and in the community.
“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like Living Stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
If you’re anything like me, sometimes you get in a “woe is me” place and you wonder – does it matter if I show up, if I care, if I put in the effort?
Yes, you matter – it matters how you show up, how you prepare, how you play, and how your pray.
Your loving presence and prayers matter to the children and youth in your life.
Your caring matters.
The attention and attitude, your presence and posture matter to the children you serve before and after school.
Here is a story of Jesus blessing children that reminds me of how much it matters:
“Then Jesus came to Capernaum.”
And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?”
But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.
And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”
[from Gospel according to Mark 9:33-37 NKJV]
Take a few moments to soak in the loving attention and caring presence of Jesus with the children.
Imagine that is you being drawn close, embraced by the safe and strong kindness of Christ.
And if we take Jesus at his word, when you care for children “in his name” – inspired by his presence in your life – God is present to that little one.
Whoa.
Your caring matters.
You showing up matters.
You being present matters.
You being attentive and safe and trustworthy matters.
Your work matters. The children you care for matter. You matter.
If you’re anything like me, sometimes you get in a melancholy attitude and you wonder – does it matter if I show up, if I care, if I put in the effort?
Yes, you matter – it matters how you show up, how you prepare, how you play, and how your pray.
Your presence and prayers of love matter to the children and youth in your life.
You praying for the kids in your care matters. You praying for their families matters. You praying for your family matters. You praying for your coworkers matters. You praying for your self matters.
If we look around at the world as some kind of guide for how much children matter, how much our caring for them matters, if you based it on wages or prestige or fame, you’d have to conclude that there’s a lot of “talk” but in reality it’s a low value.
But when you listen to the words of Christ, when you see his example, when we believe his instructions, we can conclude that caring for children in the way of Jesus is bring Heaven to Earth, is how God is present to the little ones in our life.
Whoa.
When we care for children with the tenderness and strength with which God loves us, when let children into our life the way we let Jesus into our life, the way we “receive” children is a way for us to “receive” God.
Being with children is a holy, sacred, beautiful, joyous work that requires us to be humble, forgiving, loyal, trustworthy, open, and playful.
It requires lots of love.
St. Paul in his letter to a church failing miserably at honoring each other, he wrote a memorable, provoking, lyrical poem to inspire them to love like God loves them.
It includes this reminder: “love is patient, love is kind.”
It’s a very practical and concrete example.
You know when you have been irritably impatient with a child, when you have spoken unkindly in exasperation and weariness.
It’s easy to defend our impatience and unkindness: if “their” behavior was better, or if we weren’t so tired, or…etc.
But: patience and kindness are acts of love precisely because we are usually irritated by something, generally weary and easily exasperated – it’s in those dreary moments that love is needed most.
When you are at your best with children it’s usually when you’ve chosen patience while still irritable, choosing kind words instead of snapping back – you know when you do it, you sense it in your spirit, and even if no one notices or compliments you on it, it matters, God sees it, and it is significant.
Keep doing the work of patience and kindness when you are tired and stretched thin – it’s good for your spirit, it’s healing for the spirit of the children in your life, and it’s a way that God is present in our midst.
I invite you to meditate on this artistic images of Jesus, to see the patience and kindness in his presence with the children.
See yourself as one of those children, receiving his patience and kindness.
See yourself as being one with Jesus, giving patience and kindness to the children in your life.
Take a moment to text a friend or send a note in the post mail, reminding them that they matter to you, to God, that their caring and kindness to children matters, and that their work matters to families in our community.
May the Grace and Peace of Christ Jesus be with you, always.
Check out these new YMCA devotions edited and written by Christian YMCA leaders from across the movement. Learn how you can strengthen the presence of Christ in your life and in your YMCA!
These YMCA devotions are written by Christian Y leaders from across the United States.
Enjoy these devotions with your YMCA leadership team, fellow staff, friends or on your own.
You can access it online via the YouVersion Bible app.
ONE: Praying With Jesus That The World May Believe
What would it look like to be part of the answer to this prayer of Jesus in our generation: “that they all may be one”?
What can we do to be one with God and each other?
Join this seven day devotion series led by YMCA pastors as they explore what the prayer in John 12:20-26 can mean for us today so that the world may believe and know God’s love.
