My Small Group

My small group watching 'One Night with the King' (the story of Esther)

I have had the privilege of leading a small group of six freshmen girls this year.   All six are new to BFA so we are learning life here together.  It has been fun to relate to students outside of the classroom.  They are quite giggly and hyper but fun.  We have been reading through different books of the Bible (so far Daniel, Esther and now James) and reading The Last Battle together.  It has been fun to see Scripture and Lewis through their eyes.  One of my girls came in the other night and was almost giddy and told me she had to tell me something about the book.  She pushed a couple of the other girls out of the way and loudly whispered: “Miss Key, I read ahead and Aslan comes BACK!!!”  I could almost see CS Lewis smile from heaven.  I sure was smiling.  We chat and eat snacks and then talk about the book of the Bible we are reading through and then listen to The Last Battle on CD (Focus on the Family Radio Theater).  They have really enjoyed listening to it.  We meet in my class room and last week they asked if they could write on the boards while they listened.  Of course!  So they all went to work.  By the end of it I had one of those moments that hits you every once in a while at BFA.   You go about your normal day to day routine but every once in a while you have a moment where it hits you that the world is in front of you and the reality of the lives these kids and their families lead.  As I looked at the board I saw eight different languages (Slovene, Bangla, Chinese, Korean, German, French, Spanish and English (which is a second or third language to two of my girls)).  How humbling to have the world in my classroom.  

As this has obviously been a huge semester for me.  I work many hours each night and almost all weekend trying to stay afloat with my Middle School French, French 1 and French 2 classes.  I have not had the time that I wish I had to give to my small group.  Most weeks I am praying as I walk to meet them that somehow someway Jesus will show up at small group despite my inadequacy and my lack of preparation.  And more often than not I am amazed at how He comes through for me.  My cousin shared with me towards the beginning of the semester from Psalm 81 – "Open your mouth wide and I will fill it." (v.10b)  I have often prayed that prayer in the last couple of months.  And He has answered.  There was one week in particular that I found myself making a connection and saying things that I knew were not coming from me. I have challenged them to pray for a country and for three people consistently that Jesus has put on their heart.  We read the book of Esther and they loved the story.  We read about her interceding on behalf of her people by entering the throne room of a King.  “I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16b)  And that same week we read from The Last Battle where King Tirian cries out to Aslan for His people. “And he (King Tirian) called out ‘Aslan! Aslan! Aslan! Come and help us Now…Let me be killed,’ cried the King.  ‘I ask nothing for myself.  But come and save all of Narnia.’” (Lewis, p.41) Two beautiful examples of intercession.  Putting their own needs and concerns aside and storming the throne room of the King himself for those that God has put on our hearts. ("For such a time as this.")  One of the biggest differences is that because of Jesus we can approach the throne of grace with confidence at any moment of the day.  What a gift that we don’t often avail ourselves of.  I want to be faithful in taking these kids and their needs before the throne and standing in the gap for them and for others.  Who is Jesus asking you to stand in the gap for?