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10 Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a Children’s Director – Number 5

I’m in over my head!

The first time I heard this and realized this the thought was overwhelming.  What have I done?  I don’t want to mess this up?  What am I going to do?  HELP!

When I finally got to HELP! a peace came over me.  That was the answer to all my questions.  My help comes from the Lord!  Realizing I’m in over my head shouldn’t be an overwhelming situation, it should be an exciting place to live.

If I’m not in over my head, then I am living in my own strength.  I am walking out my own path, living my own dream, accepting my own abilities as the limits of what my life can be.  When I begin to live life “in over my head” I begin to understand this isn’t about me, it’s about Him.  This is about me fulfilling the very purposes and plans He created me for.  If “I’m not in over my head” then I don’t need Him, and if I don’t need Him, then I have a problem.

Being in this place isn’t always easy, on the contrary, it is often scary and uncomfortable, but it now the only place I want to live.

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What would you do?

What if a child came into your children’s ministry classroom, looked around the room, and said with a great deal of excitement, “This place is #?!@# amazing!”  What would you do?

Recently I attended Unleash at Newspring.  Perry Noble talked about a story where this situation actually happened.  I have to admit, I gasped!  Then I listened to him share his churches experience and he asked “Why do we ask God to send in the unchurched & unsaved and then expect them to come in knowing how to “act” like they have grown up in church and already saved?

If all of our kids in Children’s Ministry are well behaved, well mannered, able to answer every question about every Bible Story we share, then we aren’t doing our job.  If all of our kids meet this description, then we aren’t reaching the world.  We are reaching those that have already been reached.

I am not suggesting we don’t redirect children to a more appropriate way to act and respond, but I am suggesting we, as Christians, carefully weigh out our response before we react.

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Almost Comical

That could be the tag-line for my day…it’s almost comical.  I will save you the drama of the last week and simply stick to today.

I head to work in my husbands truck because my tire is flat (happened yesterday right before we broke the jack when we forgot to put the brake on and the car rolled off the jack).  As I’m getting on the interstate in the rain this car almost ran my off the road.  I had to come to a complete stop on the entrance ramp.  There was no other traffic around said car.

As I followed this car it began to swerve randomly and had a near miss with one car and 18 wheeler as they tried to pass.  From this point I began to back off realizing this person was drunk, sick, or very sleepy! 

Left family home on spring break, got a call from hubby around 2:30.  My dad and Johnny were patching the tire on my van.  Dad decided we needed new brake pads so he sent Johnny to town with his truck to get the new brake pads.  Hubby got in wreck with dad’s truck.  A car pulled out in front of the car in front of him, that car slammed on brakes and swerved, Johnny slammed on brakes and slid…right into the back of the other truck.

Pastor Ron said yesterday “Two things get you in trouble 1.  Disobeying God 2. Obeying God”  I’m doing my best to obey God so I guess that’s why we keep getting in trouble.  As I drove home Holy Spirit began to speak to me about this new trial.  I am thankful that I can rest in knowing God is still in control.

The truth is this is only 1 of the many comical days in the last 2 weeks most involving crazy car issues, maybe I’ll share more later.

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Going Double

Guess what?  In less than 48 hours we will have done it.  That’s right, by this time in 2 days we will have survived a monumental day in our churches history.  In about 38 hours we will start the 1st of 2 services on Sunday.  Why is this so exciting?  Why not

  1. since I started this job I feel like all I have done is prepare to go to 2 services.  It has been an exciting and sometimes a little overwhelming task for the first few months of a new job.  Though at times it has seemed difficult, I have had amazing volunteers step up, grab the vision and run with it!  I am so excited I can hardly stand it.
  2.  Double services means no children’s volunteer will ever have to miss another service.  The teacher’s that serve our children will no longer have to depend on a cd to grasp the vision and feel burnt out after as they diligently serve their  month in Kid’s ROCK with no opportunity to participate in coorporate worship.  Now they get poured into so that they are full and ready to pour into our children every week.
  3. Double services have will have a tremendous impact on our children.  Teachers will now serve every week, giving opportunity to build more consistent deep relationships with children.  There are also 2 new classes opening up for Kid’s ROCK.  Planet ROCK will be for preschool children age 2-5 and ReROCK will be for children ages 6-9.  This is for children of volunteers, since they will be attending both services.  The children will go to their regular class during 1st service and then will be taken to the Planet ROCK and ReROCK for 2nd service.  The kids will have a blast and parents can serve and attend without worrying about whether their kids are tired or bored.  (Trust me, they won’t be bored!)  Parents – get ready….your kids are gonna start begging you to volunteer so they can go to their second service.
  4. It’s just the beginning.  Somewhere along the week, it hit me!  This is just the begining.  When we reflect Monday morning about how Sunday went and we all take a deep sigh of relief.  It will only be a brief sigh because getting through Sunday doesn’t mean we have arrived, it means we have just started a new era in our church.  I once heard someone say (wish I could remember who but) God won’t send us the harvest if we aren’t ready.  Going double means we have already created room to grow 100%  easy!  Look out ROCK Church….here we go!

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The Final Word

Two scriptures that I hold on to when I don’t know what else to hold on to…

Romans 11:29 -  God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty—never canceled, never rescinded. (Message Bible)

Jeremiah 29:11 – I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. (Message Bible)

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When things aren’t easy…

This has been quit a week.  Here are some things I have been reminded of in the midst of all that has happened in the last 7 days.

  • Satan is real and really doesn’t like us.
  • God is real and really, really loves us.
  • I have an incredible, yet imperfect family
  • I have an incredibly perfect and gracious God
  • God’s plans for me are bigger than my current abilities
  • My God is bigger than my inabilities
  • People will fail, God NEVER does
  • Difficult situations reveal our true character
  • Difficult situations provide opportunities for God to show off.

God never promised life would be easy.  We are imperfect people bought with the blood of a perfect savior.  I have walked out of this week stronger, more determined, and focused on what this life is all about.  It has nothing to do with my failures, other’s failures, or even our successes.  It has everything to do with the reality that we live in a fallen world in need of a Savior and I know how to introduce them to Him.

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Mary or Martha?

When I saw this picture I immediately knew what it was even though it was blurry and unfocused.  What about you?  It is a picture of Christmas Lights! 

How many times does this become the picture of our relationship with God and our purpose in whatever we are doing?  I know what it is, but it has become blurred by the stuff.  So many times I find myself caught in the business of details and forget, if even for a moment, the reason I do what I do. 

Last night as I sat on my bed just before the lights were out, I diligently planned for today, next week and the days and hours left before we go to two services.  As I was sitting there, stressing out about it all, I was reminded of something.  It is easy for me to become Martha and hard for me to remember to be Mary.

It is easy for me to see the details and all the things that need to get done.  I am certainly willing to get in there and do it – take care of all the things that need to take place so that everything can get done.  What doesn’t come as easy for me is just sitting – being still and knowing that He is God. 

Last night as I sat there, stressed and overwhelmed, God reminded me it’s not about the stuff…it’s still about Him.  Sometimes I have to remind myself the importance of sitting at the feet of Jesus and just enjoying his presence.  The “stuff” will still be there when I finish! 

It is so easy to become of focused on something that is just a piece of the big picture and not even realize your concentrated focus has caused you to lose focus on the big picture.

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Joshua

If you know me, you know that I love the story of Joshua and Caleb in the Bible.  Probably not too terribly hard to figure out since our son’s name is Caleb. 

Recently, however, it seems the story of Joshua is popping up everywhere.  I mean everywhere.  We use 3 different curriculum in Kid’s ROCK right now.  They all come from three different organizations yet as I have been preparing for the lessons, Joshua keeps popping up in all of them.  Wee Rock is studying Joshua and how “God takes care of us”, and Rock Stars and Club Rock will both be starting a series on Joshua in August.  That seemed a little odd cool to me then…

Tonight I picked up the book I started reading about a month ago and opened it to the page I left off only to see the story of Joshua leading the children of Israel across the Jordan.  Cool didn’t seem to be the right word to discribe what I was thinking then.  Hmmmm…is God saying something?

When I think of the life of Joshua – here’s what I think about…

  1. He was a man of faith-not moved by what he saw
  2. He was humble – did not demonstrate an “I told you so” attitude
  3. Before he lead, he SERVED and served LOYALLY
  4. He was not afraid of looking stupid
  5. He made mistakes
  6. He lead with clear direction and vision from the Lord
  7. He lead differently than Moses – Moses did what God told him and the responsibility to do it was on Moses.  Joshua lead be empowering the people to follow the directives the Lord had given Joshua. 

I know there is more.  Give me your insights.  When you think of Joshua in the Bible, what do you think of?

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God's Plan – Part 2

So for an entire week.  I paced and prayed.  It had to be the longest week of my life!  I believed in my heart this was God’s plan, but also knew if I was wrong, it would be OK.  I mean I couldn’t get upset since only a few months later I had said I didn’t want that job! 

Finally the day arrived.  We dropped the kids off at Bryan and Jen’s house with the babysitter and we rode over to On The Border.  We all tried to be casual and well….beat around the bush, but we all knew this was more than dinner.  See I have known Bryan and Jen since high school and since we have had children we have only gone out to eat as couples twice (I think) without kids. 

After a while Bryan finally spoke up with ” I need to ask you something”  He did a lot of talking and I heard most of what he said.  It was really loud, and I hadn’t had my meds…and I think he wasn’t talking very loud either!  Anyway, he asked me about taking Jennifer’s place.  He told us to pray about it and let him know.  If I hadn’t been afraid he would think I wasn’t spiritual enough I would have said, “Absolutely, 100% YES!”  right there.  But since he kept telling me to pray about it and for Johnny and I to talk about it.  I decided the prudent answer would simply be “OK…” with some added information about what had been going on in my heart.

So after dinner we went back and picked up the kids, headed home and talked and prayed and within an hour or so..I sent him an email that said “Yes!”  And the journey began….

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God's Plan

Back in January 08, the Lord asked me “Will you teach one more year?”  My answer “Sure God, I can do anything for one more year!”  This discussion with the Lord had come after many months (years) of wrestling with God about what I was called to do.  I loved what I was doing, but never felt complete…like I had found my place.

A little over a year ago, when the announcement was made that Pastor Bryan would be senior pastor in August, a friend began asking me questions.  Questions like “What do you think Jennifer will do about Kid’s Rock?  and then followed that question with “I think you’d be great at that job.” 

First of all, my response to her first question was “she’ll continue to do Kid’s Rock” and then I responded by laughing and mumbling as I walked out of her door “No way, I don’t want that job!”  That comment wasn’t one of those comments that you make sometimes because you don’t want anyone to know what you are really thinking or feeling.  I meant what I said – it was really  not in my heart.  The truth was I had no idea what was deep in my heart, just that what I was doing wasn’t it!  I knew I was called to ministry, but didn’t know what that would look like and honestly didn’t care.  I had just reached a place where I was determined whatever God had for me, I wanted it and I wanted to pursue it with everything within me.

So what changed?  God got to my heart!  He began to orchestrate things in my life to make me aware that change was coming.  He began to strategically plant me in Kid’s Rock leading worship a couple of times Jennifer couldn’t.  Still I didn’t see it coming…I knew something was changing in my heart.  I knew something was changing in what God was calling me to do at church, but I was still clueless as to what it all meant. 

Sometime last November, God really began giving me ideas and dreams for kid’s ministry.  Things at school were crazy but that’s all I would think about on the way to school was the ideas God was giving me for Kid’s Rock.  I kept arguing with God simply because I didn’t think I could juggle another thing.  Then on December 10th, as I was going to meet my husband for his birthday dinner, Jennifer sent me a message.  They wanted to get together for dinner sometime the next week.  Instantly, something instead of me leaped.  I knew what was coming.

I went to dinner and kept asking Johnny “So what do you think it’s about?”  He was coming up with some pretty random stuff so I started thinking I was just crazy.  After what seemed like forever we got home and he finally asked me what I thought it was about….I finally got up enough nerve to tell him.  His response “of course, I didn’t think of that!” 

Stay tuned…

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