Hangin' Out with My Nephew

My 4 year-old nephew (Luke) and I hung out a little bit this afternoon. First, I picked him up from school, and we went to Wal-Mart. There was a CD signing there, and we had a little "meet and greet" with The Oak Ridge Boys, Collin Raye, Bryan White, Teddy Gentry (from Alabama), Marty Raybon (from Shenandoah), and Rebecca Lynn Howard. Here's a picture of Luke and William Lee Golden of the Oaks (Luke calls him "Billy Lee")-

Here's a picture of Luke with Marty Raybon and Rebecca Lynn Howard:

After Wal-Mart, I took him to Station Camp High School, where our church meets on Sunday mornings. The principal had to sign some paperwork for me, and he gave Luke a football! Next, I took Luke to the local LifeWay bookstore and bought him a VeggieTales toy. Then, we went to Dairy Queen.

It was a great few hours. You know, I've got a bunch of stuff to do. I've got books to read, sermons to write, small groups to organize, etc. I've got a lot to do between now and tomorrow afternoon before I leave for Atlanta's Catalyst Conference.

But it's worth it to take a few hours out of a busy schedule to spend time with my nephew. On the way back to his house, I missed the turn. I've been to Luke's house many times, but for some reason, I missed the turn. Luke realized what I did and asked me, "Did you go past our house?" I replied, "Yeah, I missed the turn. I don't know why, but I did." Luke said, "You just made a mistake." I smiled and then commented, "That's right. I made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes, don't they?" As Luke nodded his head, I asked him: "Do you know the only person who never make a mistake?" He shook his head. I added, "Jesus Christ is the only person who never made a mistake."

I just couldn't pass up the teaching moment. Tonight, since my wife is out town, I'll catch up on some of the work I missed this afternoon. Today, the right thing for me to do was to invest in the next generation, specifically my 4 year-old nephew. To all of you out there, I say: Work. Work hard. But make sure to make time for the next generation. They need us. They need spiritual leaders they can look up to. The Bible says in Psalm 78:4:

We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.