I love stories. They make such a powerful communication tool. Pastors and speakers use them to communicate their point. Teachers use them to reinforce a lesson. Throughout history, cultures used stories to pass down information long before the written word was commonly available to everyone. Jesus used stories extensively to communicate the Gospel message to the people He ministered to and taught.
It is with full knowledge of the power of stories that Wess Stafford offers us Just a Minute. As president and CEO of Compassion International, Stafford personally has enough stories to melt any heart. But, his intention is not just to share a few heartwarming stories of children from around the world. Instead, his intention is to show us, his readers, how just a single intentional moment of our time can create the story of a changed life.
While recognizing that true, godly molding of a child’s heart occurs as a result of more than just isolated moments, Stafford has seen the impact of a single moment on the lives of young children. Some of those moments have been horrific, resulting in heart-rending pain. Many others, though, have been tender moments that have had a beautiful impact on young lives. In Just a Minute, Stafford shares stories of both sorts, showing how brief moments have impacted children, oftentimes with eternal significance.
Although Stafford shares stories of his time with Compassion, Just a Minute is not by any means an extended advertisement calling for sponsors. Instead, it is a call for us to open our eyes and our hearts to children all around us, responding to the nudges of the Holy Spirit to pour the light of Christ into those young, moldable hearts. We may never know the impact that one moment can make. But if we just happen to become Compassion sponsors in the process, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind one bit!
Would you like to be inspired to take advantage of moments to build up a child? I have a copy of Just a Minute to give away! Leave a comment between now and next Tuesday, April 17, and I’ll draw a winner next Wednesday. If you leave a story of how a moment has impacted your life, I’ll give you a bonus entry!
This book was sent to me by C. Grant & Company in exchange for my honest review.
Not Quite Ordinary 