The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry

Have you ever watched or heard of the movie, The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry? It isn't the best made movie ever produced, but the story line is one that caught my attention.

It is a story of an older man named Jonathan Sperry (shocking isn't it?J). This man befriends three young boys and begins to teach them about the Bible. The way he befriended them is through giving one of the boys a mowing job and then paying him more than he expected and giving him some homemade lemonade (the way through a man's heart is through his stomach.J). His two friends wanted to try the lemonade too, so they all end up at Mr. Sperry's house drinking lemonade. Through the conversation, Mr. Sperry tells the boys the importance of talking to God about everything in their life as well as reading your Bible every day.

With the promise of another treat, Mr. Sperry asks the boys to come again and bring their Bibles. This is the beginning of a relationship between the old man and the three boys. Each week the boys would go to Mr. Sperry's house and have a Bible lesson. Each lesson is unique as Mr. Sperry uses different activities to teach. One day he sends the boys on a short scavenger hunt, another day is a "field trip" to a cemetery.

Because of Mr. Sperry's method of teaching is more than just sitting there and listening, the lessons stick with the boys and the truths begin to change their lives. Through some circumstances, another boy is saved and he joins their Bible lessons. Now there are four boys and they begin to bring other boys until Mr. Sperry has a large group of boys that he is teaching.

Then Mr. Sperry dies. This devastates the boys, but it does not stop them. They continue to grow their relationship with God and to teach others. Each grows up to be men of God, who are involved in some type of ministry. Through Mr. Sperry's influence and teaching, lives where changed and the kingdom of God was expanded.

That's the way I want to live. I want to change lives for God's kingdom. I want to set people particularly young ladies, on the road of abundant life, which comes with having a deep relationship with God. I want to teach them in such a way that even when I stop teaching them, they go on and continue to grow their relationship with God and disciple others.

At Advanced EXCEL, I learned that everyone has a passion in how to serve God. Each one of us sees a certain need in the world and a God-given desire to do something about that need. I didn't think that I had a passion and if I did, it was hidden somewhere deep inside of me, because I had no idea what I was passionate about. Well, I think that God is slowly revealing to me what my passion is and it has something to do with discipleship. I don't know exactly what to do with it, but I know that God will continue to reveal it to me and what He wants me to do.

Carissa