Wow. How do I begin to blog about this weekend? I just got home from a weekend in Indianapolis, hanging out with almost 1600 teenagers and youth leaders, hearing God’s Word, worshiping and singing, and seeing God do His amazing work in hearts. There were so many times when God proved that what was happening could only be because of Him and it humbled me. It blessed me. It awed me. I just keep saying “wow” and “thank you” over and over again. Continue reading
I read a prayer request sent to our office from one of our Indiana pastors yesterday. He asked us to pray for his church and as I read his words I could relate to each and every one of them:
“People haven’t been able to identify it, they just feel blah, worn down, basically “weary”. Weary from life struggles. Weary from busyness. Weary from trying to do good following Christ. Weary from doing bad (aka…sin). Weary from trying harder. Weary from failing… Just….weary.”
I think some of this could be a spiritual struggle, as the pastor shared with us, but I believe some of it is just life. Sometimes life makes us tired. Enduring and persevering are never a walk in the park – it’s work! God enables us and strengthens us, but He doesn’t necessarily make it easy and that’s for our good even though it doesn’t usually feel like it.
Before you read on, please know the only reason I’m sharing this story is so that God will be glorified for what He’s done! I’m not seeking pity or handouts – haha – but feel I need to share specifically enough to allow you to feel the impact of how God was there for us recently. Okay, you can keep reading now…
I mean, if you played the trust game with someone – you know when you fall backwards and they catch you – but they let you fall or dropped you, you probably wouldn’t jump up to do it again with the same person right? Or with anyone for that matter. It’s a little harder to be “gung ho” when you’re about to do something you’ve done before and gotten hurt. I get irritated with myself for being such an emotional person. I’m working on decreasing the frequency of my knee-jerk emotional reactions to things but they still happen.
I keep telling myself – this is another chance to keep trusting God, people are people and no matter where you go or work there will be times of conflict you have to work through, no person or place or church or job is perfect, blah, blah, blah. Continue reading
I have the joy of hanging out with the senior high kids on Wednesday nights at church. I don’t have much responsibility except once a month or so handing out snacks, which is fun because teenagers love to eat. A bonus is getting to witness God at work in young hearts. Another bonus is having him work in my heart at the same time. You know adults have a lot of the same insecurities that teenagers do and need a lot of the same lessons and reminders. Even though there’s an age difference we’re all walking the path together.
Tonight we were taught that in order to know who we really are, we have to realize, admit and decide who we are NOT. What a great truth and how we all need to know it. [Important side note: During worship the youth band led the song “How He Loves” and as we sang the words about how much God loves us, my throat tightened and my eyes stung a little. In my heart I told God that I don’t really feel that right now but I was singing it trying to believe it. You know, prolonged waiting and trusting and uncertainty have a way of wearing one out.] Anyway, after the message, we had the opportunity to respond by going to tables in the back which were covered in brown paper with giant red “No” symbols painted on them. Continue reading
Chalk it up as one of the dumbest things I’ve done. I’m known to be a little “distracted” at times and do klutzy stuff, but this takes the cake.
I decided to walk to a nearby outdoor mall during my lunch hour. It was a nice, cool autumn day and I need to get more exercise. I had a pair of old tennis shoes under my desk for such occasions so I changed my shoes, grabbed my lunch money and iPod and headed downstairs and out into the parking lot. There’s a bank right next to our office building and a new road right next to the bank. They’ve torn it up several times and fixed things and had done it again last week. There were orange and white barrels along the end of the road so that no one could turn onto it from busy Olio Road and they had put in a nice, new reddish brick-looking pathway through the median. I was working my way up to a zippy pace and had just started across that new pathway when all of a sudden my foot sunk down about 8 inches with the other one following in a stumble and I found myself up to my ankles in Continue reading
I still refer to it as one of the best, most life-changing summers of my life. It was the summer of 1985 and I was on staff at a family camp in the San Bernardino mountains of California. “Forest Home” was my home for almost three months and I loved it there among the tall pine trees and rugged rocky slopes. Each week a different group of families would come through so there was constant activity and life happening all around. I was assigned to the “Accomo” crew, which is short for “Accommodations”, which means housekeeping. My crew mates and I would travel by pick-up trucks to the various cabins and dorms where the people stayed, changing bed sheets, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, and all that kind of stuff. We would load up with canvas bags of clean sheets, bags for the dirty sheets, cleaning supplies, vacuum cleaners, mops, buckets, you name it and work all day. It was hard work and tiring. There were times my feet would hurt from standing in showers being in tennis shoes wet with cleaning solution and disinfectant all day. I went through lots of hand lotion from all the washing we did. I did learn how to drive using side rearview mirrors – navigating out of narrow gravel driveways without going off a ledge (Actually I did go off a ledge once but no one got hurt). Continue reading
It was not how I had planned the day would turn out, not in my weirdest dreams. The girls and I made a spontaneous decision to go to Six Flags because we had a family pass and we could. It was still summer and since John was working we headed out the door, just the four of us. Of course, every good amusement park aficionado knows you should visit the bathroom before starting your adventure around the park so that’s what we did. First thing through the gate we visited the nearest ladies’ room. We were pumped. Roller coasters and log rides, here we come! If I remember correctly, Kimmi was 10, Kaitlin 8 and Krissy 6. As I walked into the bathroom stall I closed the door by holding onto the top of the door and pulling it closed without noticing that there was a bar across the top of the doorway. I smashed one of my fingers. It hurt! Wow, did it hurt. I sat down and thought to myself, “I’ll be fine. The pain will pass. This is no big deal.” I shook my hands, rubbed the sore finger, and then started getting light-headed. Continue reading
As we walked into Crossroads for worship this morning a little late I saw a room practically full and once I sat down several more came in after me. I looked around and saw a lot of young faces belonging to high school and college students and young adults. I don’t know why but it made me smile to see the teen boys who shuffled in and sat down in front of us with their hoodies, shaggy hair and tennis shoes. All of us listening to God’s word, truth being spoken into all the listening ears and hearts. After the message we stood to sing and soon I was overcome. The voices behind and beside me were loud but off-key. I happened to be among some enthusiastic singers who can’t hold a tune but today it didn’t throw me off or bug me, it blessed me. They were singing their hearts out.
Several times our lead worshipper would step back from the mic and then we could hear the sound we were making together (I love it when he does that). I know, no matter who was on pitch or not, that it was a sweet sound in God’s ears.
As we kept singing and after worship while I looked around at all the college kids standing to visit and leave, my heart swelled. I wonder if God will give me a place to serve where I can love on and minister to college students because my heart is drawn to them. I don’t know most of the kids that were there today but I felt love for them.
Some of my happiest moments this past year have been when my college daughter and a whole slew of her friends came over to our house several times to eat and hang out. We make sure to take a moment to pray for them before they go back to school. I’m looking forward to meeting some more friends when my 2nd daughter, who’s in college this year, brings some of her peeps home soon.
God loves people at every stage of life but today I was bowled over by His love for young people. Give me moments when I can encourage them as they follow You, Jesus. Give me opportunities to love them. Thank you for the life and energy behind all those voices, God, and for allowing me to stand in the midst of it today.
Good morning! I slept in as long as I could, being a tried and true morning person. When I see sunlight streaming in windows I can hardly stay in bed any longer. I’m trying to decide what to do first. You see, John is off today and Krissy is away at a student conference so we have the day all to ourselves! No agenda! No plans yet. I’m so silly that I almost get anxious thinking what we should do because I don’t want to waste it. I’ve been updating categories and such on my blog and while reading through old posts was reminded so many things God’s been teaching me the last few years. One in particular struck me that I should let God make the plans today. I think I’ll go for a walk, no ipod or anything, and just put myself out there. Here’s this day, God. Here’s this time with you and with my husband. Make some good plans for us. I’ll let you know how it goes.
UPDATE: God told me to just enjoy this day He’s given me and enjoy my husband. No guilt over needing to do something, just enjoy. That sounds good to me!
I’m in the middle of my week-long social media fast and so far, so good. I do miss it, miss that community I feel a part of. I realize that it’s a habit for me to tweet a lot because whenever things happen or I have a thought I want to share with someone I reach for my phone thinking, “I should tweet that!” and then I remember that I’m not using twitter right now. I also feel like I don’t know as much of what’s going on in my friends’ and family’s life because I often see on facebook where people are going, what they’re dealing with, and how they feel. In fact, a day or so ago my sister sent me an email (something I’m still using) and said, “Hey! What’s going on? John just put on twitter that 3 churches are interested in him? I need details!” And I replied, “So do I! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Continue reading
Along the Narrow Path 