Pastor David clutched the microphone. His hands were shaking. Confession can be so difficult, especially for a pastor. With his head bowed and his eyes closed tightly, he prayed this prayer before his congregation:
“Father, please forgive my ignorance and my pride.”
Before Pastor David came to know the Lord, his name was Sarveshwar, a name meaning: “Lord of all gods.” After being baptized he immediately signed up for a Bible training course and began pastoring two churches in the village of Bangapalli, India. Although his village was filled with children, many of whom attended his church, he ignored the children because he didn’t believe they were old enough to have a relationship with Jesus. But when Pastor David attended a seminar in Tuni, India, all that changed.
“What can they teach me?” he thought to himself. “I already know everything by now.”
But at the seminar, Ravi, the J127 coordinator in Hyderabad, taught Pastor David something he didn’t know—that children mattered to God and therefore should matter to him. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he asked for forgiveness for his own spiritual neglect of the children in his community.
He had once been known as Sarveshwar, a name meaning “Lord of all gods.” But God had changed his name. He was now David, “Beloved of God.”
Scripture:
God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.’ So he named him Israel.Genesis 35:10
Prayer:
Change my name too, O God. Dig your firm fingers into the clay of who I am and mold me into your likeness. For it is my greatest desire to be like you.
It is About the Children:
Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Matthew 19:13-14 (NIV)
David C Cook’s Life on Life Curriculum started in India as the J127 Program working with orphans – some of whom have witnessed inexpressible horror and suffered unbelievable trauma in their young lives. J127 stands for James 1:27 which says,
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 (NIV)
Today with your prayers and support more than 25,000 children are attending J127 Clubs in India and Life on Life Curriculum is reaching millions of children around the globe.
Update: In 2018, David C Cook transferred oversight of the J127 clubs to an in-country partner which continues to shepherd and grow this program. By supporting David C Cook’s Life on Life curriculum, you will be helping support this program as well.
