I teach the 3s and 4s [Cubbies] in my church's AWANA program every week. I love people and especially, I love the little people. Many of the children that come each week come on our church bus. In other words, most of my little people are not coming from homes that attend church regularly. Really, some of my little Cubbies are coming from fairly rough enviroments. Some of them remind me of the kids that used to ride the bus I worked on as a bus evangelist when I was 17 years old. Back in those days, my best friend and I would visit our kids in the inner-city of Tulsa every Saturday morning. We'd pass out bubble gum and remind them that we'd be by the next morning to take them to Sunday School. (You had to remind them weekly, or they would forget.) Many of those kids were coming from crack houses and pimp stations. I can remember taking a dirty, smelly 2 year old (I know- who sends their 2 year old on a bus to church??) into our church and giving her a bath and some breakfast before returning her back to her apartment in north Tulsa. I can remember another time picking up one set of brothers whose dad was passed out drunk on the couch. Those were the days that God used to give me a heart for the unloveable. So- back to my title: "Why I Love Mr. Rogers." Currently, among other things, I'm reading The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth. She says so many of the things that I remember to be true about Mr. Rogers. His television program was one of the few that I have let all of my own children (when they were very small) watch on a regular basis. I just love him! Why? Well, first of all, I think he knew that kids crave routine and consistency. Sometimes I'll have a Cubbie tell me that he didn't have any supper that night. On more than one occasion, one of my little people has asked for prayer for a parent in jail. These kids love me and I love them right back. They always know what to expect from me-- just like I always knew what to expect from Mr. Rogers. First, he would change his shoes and sweater, next he would feed the fish, then we would go to make-believe land... Well, last week, I had to send one of my little boys home. He would not obey and I had promised him the week before that if he kept his antics up, I would have to call his mother. I hated calling that mom. I really just wanted to keep him there with me- but I knew in my heart that I had to follow through with my word. I had to be consistent. The next week, much to my relief, he was back. As soon as he saw me, he ran up to me and kissed my face. I nearly cried. He was as good as gold for the entire evening and kept trying to do things that he knew would please me. My consistency had paid off. The second thing I love about Mr. Rogers is that he talked to the children viewers like they were real people with real feelings. (I really have to watch my attitude when I'm around adults who yell and scream at children-- even the really rowdy children.) I often keep Mr. Rogers in mind when I talk to the little ones. He talked slowly and calmly. He would look (or it seemed so) right into my eyes. "Hello, neighbor" he would say. Sometimes, when I tell my kids a Bible story, I think about the hopelessness that I know some of them are experiencing in their own homes, and I will look at some of them right in their eyes and say, "Do you know that Jesus can fix any problem that you have?" Sometimes a child will look back at me in such an intense way that I know he is asking with his eyes, "Do you really mean that?" So-- just some random thoughts tonight, conjured up by a biography of someone who feels like an old childhood friend. Just thought I'd share.