Fields Ready for Harvest

I make my way down the stairs and out the door of the downtown Minneapolis offices of Children Desiring God–get in my car, and begin the 45-mile-drive home. At about mile 20, I reach the bridge over the Minnesota River and notice the freshness coming through the air vent. Across the river, the city skyline gives way to an expansive view of colorful forests and native Minnesota grasses swaying in the autumn breeze. But the really good part is still to come . . . At last, I make the turn onto our country road for the last four miles to my home and there, for as far as my eyes can see, is the harvest. Golden fields of corn and soybeans stand waiting for the farmer to gather in their bounty. I find myself thinking about last spring when I watched this farmer faithfully labor, with skill I’m sure he learned from his boyhood, to plow his fields, plant the seed, fertilize and cultivate the rows–and now, I rejoice with him in the reward of all his efforts. I think about the reliance on God the farmer must have for the fruitful outcome of his labors. And, then, my thoughts turn to Jesus and I hear his words to me, “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, see that the fields are ripe to harvest. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, ask earnestly the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” (John 4:35; Matthew 9:37-38). Parents, pastors, children’s and youth ministry workers are called to this kind of work – and just like the farmer, the labor promises to be hard, but when done in reliance upon God, is full of reward– way beyond what we could have imagined. How can you measure the impact of the Word of God on the heart of a child? It is an eternal work of God and impossible for us to fully comprehend . . . but in patience we, amazingly, get to take part in it. I do ask earnestly that the Lord of the harvest would make me like that faithful farmer and that he would make you like that, too. Children Desiring God is with you in holy partnership as you pray and minister in the disciple-making harvest fields of your home and church. CDG resources and teaching tools are available to help you prepare the good soil of children’s hearts to receive the seed of God’s word, looking to the future harvest of their souls for God’s glory and their joy. Besides the many helpful tools on our website, Children Desiring God is offering several IMPACT Regional Conferences in the months ahead. The IMPACT Regional Conference will provide God-centered, Bible-saturated resources, teaching, and training which will better equip you for eternally fruitful ministry to children. There are three IMPACT Regional Conferences available for you to prayerfully consider at this time (Ottawa, CA, Washington DC, and Rochester, NY) with more in the planning stages. We hope you will come and . . .

• learn more about the God-centered vision for you and the children under your care
• benefit from plenary sessions with David and Sally Michael and seminar sessions with the CDG leadership team
• be encouraged, revived, and refreshed in ministry
• visit our IMPACT displays and discover CDG resources for use in homes, Sunday Schools, Mid-week classes, Home Schools, VBS, as well as many parenting resources in book and booklet form
• meet the authors of our curriculum
• enjoy connection with other parents, pastors, and children’s and youth ministry workers in your regional area.