This past weekend, we at GPK had the wonderful privilege of filming an episode with Marie Claudine Mukamabano. She is a new friend of ours from Rwanda. She is beautiful, joyful, faith-filled and spirited! Her presence in our little "studio" brought laughter, joy and light. She shared the beauty of her country with us as she described the animals that roam the mountains, the weather that graces them, and the food and games that children in Rwanda enjoy eating and playing.

Our puppets (Lenore and Howard) delighted in learning that the likes, dislikes and general day to day experiences of children from Rwanda are very similar to the likes, dislikes and day to day experiences of children in America. As we talked together and shared these things, our world became much smaller! But, nothing, absolutely nothing can compare to the moment that Marie Claudine began to pray our Lord's prayer in her native language. It was truly a holy moment. The Lord's Prayer. . . the perfect prayer! The prayer that unites Christians everywhere.

I was struck by the beauty of the words she spoke. Just knowing that her words were our Lord's words, the words of the prayer that He himself taught us, was enough to fill my heart and spirit with peace. I don't think I will ever pray our Lord's prayer the same way again. Now, I pray that special prayer much slower, with much more reverence and in deep awe that no matter where I go in the world, that same prayer is being said by God's faithful. The Lord's Prayer. . . a gift to all of us from the One. In any language, it is the perfect prayer. Our Father, who are in heaven. . . Thank you, dear Lord, for this most perfect prayer.

In Him,
lisa

Grace Place Kids is pleased to announce that we have added our very first online Flash game to our website. Spot the Difference features our love-able Grace Place Kids in a classic photo-hunt type game. Each photo has seven things that are just a little bit different, and you have to find them all before the clock runs out!

Hopefully, this will be the first of many interactive games featured on our website. You'll notice that we've added a "Games" menu to our menu navigation at the top of this page. Soon to follow will be a "Memory" game, and a jigsaw puzzle. If you have any suggestions for future games, be sure to leave a comment below. We'd love to hear what you think!

Click here to play Spot The Difference

Here's a great story to make you smile. . . Riley is a four year old little girl who loves God, her family and GPK! She is one of our biggest "little" fans! She and her wonderful mom have a game they like to play with each other. . . one starts by saying, "I love you to Mickey Mouse's House and back!", and the other will try to top it by saying something along the lines of, "I love you to the North Pole and back!" and on and on the game goes. Well, Riley's mommy decided she could top it all by saying, "Riley, I love you all the way to God and back!" And, without missing a beat Riley responded, "Silly Mommy, that's not far cuz God is always right here with us. You should think before you choose your answer!"

WOW!! Riley is only four years old! She is very in touch with her God and she knows Him well! I am sure that she is just the kind of precious child that our Lord spoke of when He said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)

It is not easy for parents today to help their children on their faith journey. So much and so many things are pulling them away from the spiritual and leading them to the "things" of the world. These things are loud, bright, engaging, flashy and very, very enticing. But nothing could be more important to their happiness, peace, joy, protection and ultimate good than a deep knowing and loving relationship with their Creator. Let's all commit to praying for the young and their parents. . . that God will be the center of their lives and that parents will, (in the words of our Lord) "Let the children come to Him."

May our good Lord bless you all, and give you His peace!
lisa

We just finished editing a new episode called, "Thirsty." I am so thrilled with how it has turned out! We at GPK are all so excited about sharing this with you and your children. This is such an important episode for all of us. . . even the very young, because we are all born with a longing, with a desire for more. Even our youngest children confirm this . . . watch a two year old in action, in a full blown temper tantrum wanting more, whether it be for more time to play, a treat at the grocery store, a toy that another child has, the bottom line is, they want MORE. No one can challenge that we adults want more, just watch the news and read the papers to see just what people are willing to do to get more. What is this? Why are we so desperate to have more? Because God created us for more; He created us with a longing, for what? For Him, and only Him. God knows that when we know Him and love Him, then everything else in this world will pale in comparison. As the Lord fills our hearts with His love, His peace and His great goodness, the desire for worldly "things" will decrease and we will be able to say in the words of Saint Paul, "for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to be self-sufficient." (Philippians 4:11) So, cry out to our Lord, call out to Him, (the mighty One) on bended knee, and pray with all your heart saying, "Lord I am thirsty. . . thirsty for your love." And know that when you seek Him first, He will give you everything you need and more. (Matthew 6:33)

May our good Lord grant you His peace.
lisa

I am working on a new script for GPK Season 2 that is for Gladys and Lenore based on the scripture, "Be Still and Know that I am God." (Psalm 46:11) This excites me because I think perhaps the greatest gift we can give our children is the gift of stillness. It is, however, a challenging verse for all of us. I hear our Lord say, "Be still and know that I am God. . . " and my mind thinks, "What should I make for dinner?". . . "Be still. . . " and I think, "I'd better finish up the wash." . . . "Be still. . . " the phone rings. . . "Be still. . ." gotta pay the bills . . . "Be still. . . " my son needs a ride. . . "Be still. . ." are they going to be alright? Are they making good and wise decisions? "Be still. . . " did they remember to wear their seat belts? And on and on and on my mind goes!

At times, this scattered mind of mine truly, truly frustrates me, but then I read something very special from, "The Cloud of Unknowing" which was written by a fourteenth century unknown mystic. The writer advises us to not even notice the noisy presence and voices of worry, to essentially look beyond them. . . to look over their shoulder as if you are looking for someone or something. And, of course we are looking for someone. . . we are looking and searching for our precious Lord Jesus.

So when the noisy voices of the world call out to distract you, just look beyond them with your eyes and heart set firmly on the One. The stillness will come as a gift from the One who rewards faithfulness. Look beyond. . . get still (even in the busyness) and know the He is God.

God be with you all!
lisa

GPK had the great privilege of doing a live show for Aldersgate Methodist Church in Delaware last weekend. We shared, "Knockin' Rockin'" with their Sunday School children and families. We all had a fantastic time!! The room was packed with children from ages 3 to 17 along with their parents. There is something especially special about being in a room filled with faithful, energetic and happy people. Brian (Howard), Elizabeth (Lenore) and Amanda (Gladys) were just amazing!! They are well-seasoned actors who truly came alive in the presence of a live audience. We all felt so blessed to be invited to Aldersgate and to share and participate in their very vibrant, faith-filled community.

I was especially taken with the little one in the audience who when asked, "Do you think we really need a door to knock on to call on God?" shouted out (without a second of hesitation) "NO, just a window!" We all laughed, but I found myself coming back to this moment over and over again this week. I kept thinking about the wisdom of that impulsive answer and I decided, she was right. . . she was absolutely right! God, in His omnipotence doesn't need anything, but He has chosen to need our openness. With the exception of a few (such as Paul), God quietly waits in our heart to be invited in to participate in our lives, or as that little one so beautifully said, He waits for us to open our window! (Hmmmm. . . unless you become like little children. . . !)

So, open your window, and let the God of everything that is good, the God that is full of love and full of mercy, enter deep into your being and let Him love you. Let God heal what needs to be healed, forgive what needs to be forgiven, strengthen what needs to be strengthened, direct what needs direction, and let Him be the Father He so desperately wants to be for each of us. Thank you little one, for reminding us to open our window and let God in!

May our good Lord grant you His peace.
In Him,

lisa

I ran into a friend this morning and had a brief, but certainly God-ordained moment. We were talking about a difficulty that both he and I were experiencing, separately, but almost identical in situation. I was sharing my anxieties and worry about the situation and he looked straight at me and reminded me, "Lisa, our job is to pray. God, in His time, will take care of the rest." Wow!! Just exactly what I needed to hear and exactly at the right moment. Of course I know this, we Christians know that God has our lives and the things of our lives in His almighty hands, but the continual reminder helps me on the journey. Our job is to pray, and then walk away and leave it completely in His care. Every time the anxiety, or worry enters our mind. . . . our job is to pray. In worry or fear? Our job is to pray. In joy or exultation? Our job is to pray. In humiliation or shame? Our job is to pray.

Thank you Lord, that no matter what and no matter when, you are with me. Thank you for reminding me that I don't carry any burden alone, unless I choose to. Thank you for sending friends to remind us of this on a regular basis.

God bless you all.
lisa

This is a little deviation from our "usual" blog entries, but I just can't help it. . . I can't get Haiti and it's people off of my mind. I'm just sure that many of you are feeling the same way. From the children who can't find their parents, to the brothers and sisters who have lost one another, to the parents desperately looking to find their children, to the homes that are lost and demolished and to the most basic of needs: water, food and shelter, still (in many cases) unmet. It is overwhelming. My heart aches and my prayers are desperate. I know yours are too. The one ray of hope. . . the beauty in the crisis. . . the love of Christ shining through the heartbreak is watching so many ordinary people reaching out in extraordinary ways. From the many who are giving of their time and talent, to the ones who immediately sent money, to those who are over there helping to dig out of the rubble, I am in awe. . . for you are Christ's heart today, you are Christ's hands today, you are the living Christ to every single man, woman and child that you touch today. I am humbled by your selflessness. I wish I could be there helping, holding and building along side of you. So what do we do, those of us left behind here, that are aching and hurting for our fellow Haitian brothers and sisters? We get on our knees and pray and we ask the Lord for His mercy. We ask the Lord for His healing, we ask the Lord for His protection, we ask the Lord to strengthen and comfort those who are hurting and lost. We ask. . . Please dear Lord, have mercy on us, and on your whole world.

To our brothers and sisters in Haiti. . .our prayers are with you.
lisa

Peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, Tom and Jerry, Simon and Garfunkle, Bert and Ernie, bacon and eggs . . . Things that go together. . . things that belong together. It's almost as if they were meant to be together since the very beginning . . . mustard and ketchup. . . mom and dad. . . as if one is not complete without the other. Can you imagine Bert without Ernie? Certainly, one can function without the other, but they just work or fit better together. Isn't this the way for us and God? Jesus and me. . . me and Jesus. It doesn't get any better than that. Certainly we can go it alone, but our life won't be complete. It won't ever reach the fullness of joy without the most important part in which we are meant to be connected. Through thick and thin, in joy and sadness, in poverty and wealth, in sickness and health . . . Jesus and me. We belong together. Going to work? (Jesus and me) Playing with our children? (Jesus and me) Cleaning house? (Jesus and me) Paying bills? (Jesus and me) Driving in the car? (Jesus and me) We were meant to stick together from the moment He knit us in our mother's womb . . . always and at all times.

Connect with Jesus, and stick to Him like glue. . . and it will be the perfect fit, you know, just like peanut butter and jelly.

God bless you, and give you His peace.
lisa

The alarm went off at 5AM yesterday. Ugh!! Back to reality and back to the hectic schedule! The morning was cold and dark. . . (the usual winter morning) and my body, mind and spirit felt admittedly heavy and two steps behind. I've been off for the Christmas Holiday, and I enjoyed every single minute of it! My walks were much longer, my prayer times less rushed and I even found time for a nap or two. I was not particularly happy about getting back to the grind of day to day living. Before heading to work, I stopped by church for some morning prayer as is my usual habit. I asked the Lord for strength. I asked for joy in my heart, for love and for peace, not only for myself but for my family and friends and for the world at large. As I was leaving church, my heart was still heavy until I walked outside. . . and there it was. . . the most beautiful sunrise I'd seen in a long time. Beautiful bright colors of orange, pink and purple. What a sight!! My heart lifted immediately and I was over-whelmed with deep thanks and joy as I thanked our good Lord for the many, many ways He says, "I'm here."

Good Morning, dear Lord. . . thank you for YOU!

May God bless you all and may you be filled with His peace, His joy and His love, today and every day!

lisa