The crowd jumps to its feet. Many clench tissues or wipe tears on
their sleeves. The applause is thunderous, intermingled with
cheers and praise to God. Who would have guessed a developmentally
challenged teen could invoke such a response? For my son,
Christopher Kline, from Madison Assembly of God in Madison, Ala.,
the National Fine Arts participants’ response to his human video
marked a great achievement. For God, it was just another step in
this teen’s walk with Him.
Christopher was born 16 years ago and with Down’s Syndrome.
Because this genetic condition is commonly associated with some
degree of learning disability and developmental delay, we were
told that Christopher would never do anything that "normal"
children do. Doctors said he would be satisfied to sit and do
nothing. We turned Christopher over to the Lord to allow Him to
work in his life. Then the miracles began.
Christopher overcame many obstacles as he grew up. Now, he does
almost anything a typical teen does. Christopher has taken
mainstream classes in school and has tried out for football and
become the team manager. He also plays baseball and is an
outstanding basketball shot. But if you ask him what his favorite
thing is he will enthusiastically tell you--"Worshiping God."
One of the ways Christopher enjoys worshiping God most is through
his involvement in the Assemblies of God Fine Arts ministry.
Christopher performs in the Human Video Solo category. In this
category, participants lip sync and act out the message and lyrics
of a Christian song.
Last year was Christopher’s third year participating in Human
Video. Many teens who have participated alongside Christopher have
noticed how hard he works and how God’s Word flows from his heart
in each presentation. "Jesus is my Savior and this is a way I can
tell people about Him," Christopher said. "I can show Him that I
love to worship Him." Christopher’s overall desire is for his
audience to realize that there is one Who has everything under
control.
Hard work and persistence paid off when Christopher made it to the
state level of Fine Arts performing CCM artist Aaron Benward’s "He
Believes in You." Christopher was invited to present his human
video at the 2001 National Fine Arts service.
As Christopher ministered to over 8,000 students and leaders at
the service, onlookers raised their hands in worship. "I was
nervous about ministering to so many people," Christopher
...