This title of this blog is something God has been teaching me for the past three years - to have confidence that God can use me to do great things for His Kingdom. I think of God and all that He is and all that I'll never know about all that He is (that He is the creator, the absolute beginning of everything), and I think 'why would God pick someone like me?' I mean, I'm as human as they come. I screw up all the time, make stupid choices, learn from those stupid choices, and often make those stupid choices again. Through my eyes, I see myself as a stumbling block to God, that I wouldn't be much help in furthering His Kingdom. What's great, though, is that God says I'm wrong in thinking that. There is NO way I could have gotten to where I am today by myself. God has chosen to bless me far beyond what I feel I deserve. But the cool thing is, God wants to bless me more! He wants to bless ALL of us more! I mean think about it, if blessing someone would help further the Kingdom of God (which is want God wants to do), why wouldn't He want to do it. But here's the kicker: YOU have to want it. Do you want it? Even if you feel like you are being blessed right now, He wants you to have more of it. Seriously.
I talk a couple of blogs back about two kids named Alison and Mickey who didn't want anything to do with God but went on the youth trip over a month ago. Kylee , Gabe, and I have connected well with them and had them over a few weeks ago for a movie night, along with their friend Justine (a Bridge kid). Alison got into talking about the rough stuff in her life and the night got pretty emotional. God moved in that moment. Keeping in conversation with them, they have seeked our advice in certain situations and Alison starting talking about how she doesn't understand why God is bringing all this "negative" stuff in her life. Alison just opened the door to talk about God! This was exciting and I did my best to explain how God uses some (seemingly) hard stuff in our life to bring about the good in the end. God sees the bigger picture on the other side of the pain and sometimes the pain is used to refine how you are just as fire refines and purifies gold (1 Peter). I talked about the athlete and the farmer analogy used in Timothy - how the athlete must beat his body into shape, how the farmer must persevere through the uncertainties and worries that comes with farming in order to reap the fruits of his labor. She said that it has changed her life and all of these things she continues to hold on through this temporary pain she is experiencing. What's more is that both Alison and Mickey came to Youth last night. This is an incredible step forward, especially since after the youth trip they both said that they would not be back...
Who knew that God would use me in the ways that He has used me. I know Kylee feels the same why and we are humbled and thankful. God is powerful, and He believes in you and wants to use you, if you will let Him.
Kylee has spoken off and on and I had the opportunity to speak at youth a couple of weeks ago (ironically enough on the problem of pain). Kylee is now starting up drama with the youth kids this week and I am switching on and off with another leader in leading the kids in worship (pray for me, I'm not a great singer). Though I'm not a great singer, I still feel this is what God is calling me to step up and do! It's excited to feel that calling and know that God (the creator of the universe) is behind me every step of the way. He will move when I can't, for his strength is made perfect in weakness.
God bless you all!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
We're about a month into this youth ministry thing. It's getting easier; it's getting harder.
It's easier because we're knowing names, building a little trust, a little respect. We're starting to figure out our place in the system (we even got an office yesterday)! Our support raising is well on it's way (58% as of today). And there are so many amazing new things starting up at the Bridge in the next month: a college ministry, a service on Sunday entirely for youth, and a new children's ministry aimed at parents too. It's an exciting place to be.
I say it's harder because every relationship gets harder. There comes a point when it's not just about football games or cute shoes or whatever else you can think of to talk about. There comes a point, when enough trust is built, when it starts to be about drugs, or drinking, or families falling apart. The conversation is about pain. Loneliness. How God could let this happen. And it's harder to hear it. Harder to find the next words or when to say them.
It's intense sometimes, and it probably will get more so as we continue to know people. But this is love, right? Pray for us to love how He loves. Pray for our kids as they are figuring out, some frantically and some joyfully, themselves, the world, and God. We are so humbled and so amazed that we even get to be on this journey. Thank you so much for joining us in it.
It's easier because we're knowing names, building a little trust, a little respect. We're starting to figure out our place in the system (we even got an office yesterday)! Our support raising is well on it's way (58% as of today). And there are so many amazing new things starting up at the Bridge in the next month: a college ministry, a service on Sunday entirely for youth, and a new children's ministry aimed at parents too. It's an exciting place to be.
I say it's harder because every relationship gets harder. There comes a point when it's not just about football games or cute shoes or whatever else you can think of to talk about. There comes a point, when enough trust is built, when it starts to be about drugs, or drinking, or families falling apart. The conversation is about pain. Loneliness. How God could let this happen. And it's harder to hear it. Harder to find the next words or when to say them.
It's intense sometimes, and it probably will get more so as we continue to know people. But this is love, right? Pray for us to love how He loves. Pray for our kids as they are figuring out, some frantically and some joyfully, themselves, the world, and God. We are so humbled and so amazed that we even get to be on this journey. Thank you so much for joining us in it.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
New Updates.
So far we have 40% of our support raised in the first week of being (or trying to be) in conversation with our sponsors. Truly it is a humbling experience. I mean who wants to ask for money from people?! It honestly puts you in your place: helplessly reliant on God. We have just been grateful of all that has happened thus far and are excited to talk to more of our potential sponsors next week (after labor day, of course!).
Of course, financial support isn't all we need. What's even more important is the prayer support and just knowing that our Christian brothers and sisters got our back spiritually. If you can give, thanks... but also pray! If you can't give, that's fine... but please pray! Pray, pray, pray! Pray for the names Alison and Mikey and for more opportunities like last night...
Here's a quick update for you guys: a few weeks ago, we went on a student leadership retreat for the high school youth (as was shown in the dvd). A teen that goes to the Bridge invited a couple of her friends that don't really want anything to do with God. What an opportunity! Somehow that weekend Kylee and I connected on a deeper scale with the two kids, Alison and Mikey. They live in Indianapolis and find it hard to attend youth on Wednesdays in Anderson, not to mention that they don't want to come in the first place. Well a couple weeks went by and Alison came to our Wednesday night youth event with her friend from the church. They and Kylee set up a movie night at our place. That night was last night.
After the movie, Gabe (the head youth pastor) came over as well to hang out and see them since he hadn't seen them in a few weeks. God truly made himself evident tonight and Alison shared what she is struggling with. I won't go into details out of respect for her, but, let me tell you, my heart broke for her. Stuff that I never thought kids at her age had to go through she's going through... all by herself. She's having to grow up a lot faster than a kid should. However, her sharing opened up a lot of opportunity for us to share our own testimonies and talk about how God has pulled us through similar types of stuff. And that probably the reason we get put through that stuff and the reason that God doesn't just take it all away is that He sees the bigger picture of how much of a better person we become through it. As fires refines and purifies gold, so are we refined by our own trials. We talked about how there is hope through it all and that our God (unlike other religions and gods) actually KNOWS our pain. For Jesus himself experienced it and because he himself experienced it, we know we can run to him in it and he has compassion on us and lifts us out of our despair.
It's that common understanding of pain and circumstance between us and our God that offers an intimate relationship unavailable through any other religion or god. It is that sort of intimate relationship that gives us hope in despair and brings about the end good through the (seemingly) bad means. Do not lose hope for the God who knows pain and works in pain is in control and sees the final product. And the final product is good. We just have to trust it though we cannot see it. This is where faith comes in. And this is where faith becomes proof enough.
Think about it, if there were no God, bad would be bad all the way through. But good CAN come out of bad... everyone has seen it at some point in life. In fact, isn't good all the more beautiful and evident when it does come from bad? Is the fact that we even feel we have a basis for determining what's good and what's bad the evidence for a God, an ultimate good-bad judge, in the end? I heard a pastor on the radio the other day telling a story about him relating to a kid having a hard time making "good choices." The kid asks, "How do I make good choices?" The pastor says, "Through gaining experience." The kid asks, "How do I gain experience?" The pastor says, "Through making bad choices." The bad things are what God can use to teach us, to train us, to beat us into shape. Gabe was talking about how you build muscle mass. In order to build your muscles, you tear them and break them down. When you break them down, they repair themselves and become larger in size.
Alison was broken last night. But there is beauty in this brokenness. There is a glimmer of hope and the healing has started and the opportunity for learning about a Creator and trusting a God presented itself. And we all felt it. And Mikey listened. Please pray.
Of course, financial support isn't all we need. What's even more important is the prayer support and just knowing that our Christian brothers and sisters got our back spiritually. If you can give, thanks... but also pray! If you can't give, that's fine... but please pray! Pray, pray, pray! Pray for the names Alison and Mikey and for more opportunities like last night...
Here's a quick update for you guys: a few weeks ago, we went on a student leadership retreat for the high school youth (as was shown in the dvd). A teen that goes to the Bridge invited a couple of her friends that don't really want anything to do with God. What an opportunity! Somehow that weekend Kylee and I connected on a deeper scale with the two kids, Alison and Mikey. They live in Indianapolis and find it hard to attend youth on Wednesdays in Anderson, not to mention that they don't want to come in the first place. Well a couple weeks went by and Alison came to our Wednesday night youth event with her friend from the church. They and Kylee set up a movie night at our place. That night was last night.
After the movie, Gabe (the head youth pastor) came over as well to hang out and see them since he hadn't seen them in a few weeks. God truly made himself evident tonight and Alison shared what she is struggling with. I won't go into details out of respect for her, but, let me tell you, my heart broke for her. Stuff that I never thought kids at her age had to go through she's going through... all by herself. She's having to grow up a lot faster than a kid should. However, her sharing opened up a lot of opportunity for us to share our own testimonies and talk about how God has pulled us through similar types of stuff. And that probably the reason we get put through that stuff and the reason that God doesn't just take it all away is that He sees the bigger picture of how much of a better person we become through it. As fires refines and purifies gold, so are we refined by our own trials. We talked about how there is hope through it all and that our God (unlike other religions and gods) actually KNOWS our pain. For Jesus himself experienced it and because he himself experienced it, we know we can run to him in it and he has compassion on us and lifts us out of our despair.
It's that common understanding of pain and circumstance between us and our God that offers an intimate relationship unavailable through any other religion or god. It is that sort of intimate relationship that gives us hope in despair and brings about the end good through the (seemingly) bad means. Do not lose hope for the God who knows pain and works in pain is in control and sees the final product. And the final product is good. We just have to trust it though we cannot see it. This is where faith comes in. And this is where faith becomes proof enough.
Think about it, if there were no God, bad would be bad all the way through. But good CAN come out of bad... everyone has seen it at some point in life. In fact, isn't good all the more beautiful and evident when it does come from bad? Is the fact that we even feel we have a basis for determining what's good and what's bad the evidence for a God, an ultimate good-bad judge, in the end? I heard a pastor on the radio the other day telling a story about him relating to a kid having a hard time making "good choices." The kid asks, "How do I make good choices?" The pastor says, "Through gaining experience." The kid asks, "How do I gain experience?" The pastor says, "Through making bad choices." The bad things are what God can use to teach us, to train us, to beat us into shape. Gabe was talking about how you build muscle mass. In order to build your muscles, you tear them and break them down. When you break them down, they repair themselves and become larger in size.
Alison was broken last night. But there is beauty in this brokenness. There is a glimmer of hope and the healing has started and the opportunity for learning about a Creator and trusting a God presented itself. And we all felt it. And Mikey listened. Please pray.
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