Misc. From Thursday Afternoon
My new glasses arrived today. While that doesn’t necessarily get everyone else excited, it sure made my day. Last Friday, I found out I’m legally blind without corrective lenses. That means these glasses and my contacts are now officially part of my life forever. But, considering I’ve worn glasses or contacts since the third grade, I’m sure I can handle it. Back to my glasses…
New glasses are always a challenge. You always get excited because you will finally be able to see without the fuzz of the outdated prescription. Then you get your glasses. You put them on. The nice lady adjusts them to make sure they fit properly. Then you stand up to leave, turn for the door, and realize you are walking through a fun house. At least the was the feeling that hit me today. As long as I was stationary and looking straight ahead, I could see perfectly. But once I started walking or looking to the side, everything was distorted like in those fun house mirrors where tall people look short and a three-inch-wide pole looks 5 feet in diameter. It was trippy. But as the day has worn on, I’ve become used to this new prescription. I can see EVERYTHING clearly. It is kind of amazing.
I was thinking about the Love Dare WHCC is doing over the next forty days. We are being challenged each day with a biblical idea from Jesus’ teachings. We are being asked to integrate these things into our daily lives. But not just do one thing one day and another different thing the next. These are supposed to all build upon each other.
As we approached the idea of starting the Love Dare, I thought about the way I view daily life. Then I thought about the goals of the Love Dare. We often approach our daily lives in a bit of a haze. Things can be distorted by opinions, desires, situations, and a host of other distractions. If no one takes steps to make their vision better, it will continue to deteriorate. That’s where God’s call for our lives comes in. if we make a conscious effort to live the way He intends for us to live, our vision will improve. As I read through the Love Dares each day and think about how each Dare builds upon the previous ones, I think about how my life will begin to clear up. My anger and prejudice and selfishness all become challenged by what God has asked me to do. Instead of gossiping about someone, I am called to say encouraging words. Instead of ignoring people who are struggling, I am called to reach out and help them. The best part about these Love Dares is that they all come from Scripture. Every Dare is something God has already asked us to incorporate into our daily lives.
As the church continues this Love Dare, I encourage all of us to participate. If you take it seriously and truly make the effort to build each days Dare into your life, I bet you see how life in Christ begins to become more and more clear. If you don’t go to West Houston or have not heard about the Love Dare and would like to hear more and/or participate, let me know. I’d be happy to get you the information and set you up to receive our daily Love Dare emails. In the four days so far, I have been blessed. I look forward to seeing the results of this experiment in living the way Christ has called us to live.
Movin’ On Up
It was great to be back in with my junior high class this Sunday. Those kids are amazing. This week we talked about Mr. Potato-Head. Mr. Potato-Head is one of those toys that just seems to last forever. Regardless of the advances in technology, Mr. Potato-Head is still one of the most popular and widely recognized toys in America. He’s a fun guy because you can do whatever you want with him. Eyes in his armpits? Sure. A nose on the top of his head? No problem. A huge mustache and thick-rimmed glasses? What’s not to like about that? And now, Mr. Potato-Head comes with 4 sets of everything. In his little case you can find several different body part choices for his eyes, mouth, nose, ears, arms, mustache, hat, shoes, glasses…the sky is the limit.
Now, the parents of my junior highers are probably thrilled that their children were being educated in the anatomy of Mr. Potato-Head this Sunday. I can assure you we dug deeper into the spiritual well than that.
As a church, we are examining a five-year vision. We are looking at what we as a body can do to focus our ministry efforts and reach out to our community in the name of Jesus Christ. Why should the junior high be any different. This Sunday we looked as 1 Corinthians 12. Beginning in verse twelve, the author begins to speak about how a body has many parts. He elaborates that, in order to function to the best of its ability, the body requires all parts to contribute. The eyes may be able to see, but, if you have no hand, how can you pick up what you observe? He also says in verses 19-20:
“If they were all one part, where would the body be? as it is, there are many parts, but one body.”
This was our focus on Sunday. As we move forward with our vision for transforming our church and community, we must look at the roles we play. If we all try to have the same function, will we get anywhere? Mr. Potato-Head looks really funny when all he has is eyes. He’s even more ridiculous when he is the proud owner of four sets of arms. But a body cannot function practically without all the other parts. We have each been blessed with talents and skills with which to serve God. As we look at our own roles in this vision of outreach, it is important that we utilize each one of those skills to the fullest.
Even my junior highers understand this. When we discussed the steps we should take to build a solid foundation for the youth group, the overwhelmingly popular answer was building community. They wanted to get to know each other better. They wanted to become closer with themselves and the high schoolers. These 6th, 7th, and 8th graders saw the importance of getting to know each other. With that community comes the understanding of strengths and weaknesses. And with that understanding comes the ability to work together to cover those weaknesses and function as a strong body.
I urge the parents reading this to talk to your kids this week about their strengths and values. Encourage them to think about how they can use those strengths for God. Finally, challenge them to actually do it. Brainstorming is the easy part. Implementation is the challenge. Everyone can imagine a cure to a disease and how life would be easier. It is finding and using the cure that actually improves the lives we live.
Let’s not settle for Mr. Potato-Head in our churches. Let’s strive to use the unique abilities God has given us to praise Him and serve His kingdom.
That’s Encouraging
Well, I’m back from the National Youth Workers’ Convention in Sacramento. What a great weekend! I return encouraged and rested and looking forward to what the future holds for the junior high and overall student ministry at West Houston Church of Christ. That being said, I want to share my encouragement with as many people as possible.
We are in a unique situation as youth workers, parents, volunteers. We are in a position to reach out and touch people every day. I think we take it for granted that our children are/will be Christians because we make them attend church every Sunday. The fact of the matter is that believing attendance translates into faith is us fooling ourselves. Thinking that the number of kids present means we have fostered a healthy ministry is not a guaranteed truth. I can know every word of the Bible backward and forward, but that doesn’t mean I believe a word it says. It just means we’ve filled seats and filled our heads. It means we have exercised our power and authority over our youth and made them go where we want them to go.
Now, you’re wondering where the encouragement I was talking about comes in. Well, here it is. We have an opportunity to make a huge difference in the lives of our youth. Think about it. Parents, you are with your kids at home, running errands, driving to and from church. I know things can get crazy. Our schedules get full and we run from place to place focused on the tasks at hand. But what if we took the time to talk about faith with our kids during those times. Sure, it’s easier said than done. Maybe we don’t always know what to say. But at least we’d be saying something. Kids and teens can tell what we value as adults by two things: 1)what we spend our time DOING and 2)what we spend our time TALKING about. Sure, maybe we don’t know what to say about faith, but, if we take the time to bring it up and talk about it, we send the message that WE CARE ABOUT FAITH AND GOD AND WHAT OUR YOUTH BELIEVE IN. And then, after we’ve done that, let’s act like what we just talked about is actually what our lives should be like. Youth workers/volunteers, the teens know we are there at church with the purpose of spending time talking to them about God. So let’s make the most of it. In fact, let’s not only talk about it when they expect it. Let’s ACT like it. Let’s take 2 minutes to email them throughout the week and ask how they are and how God is working in their lives. Let’s pray that God uses us to show his presence.
We talk about role models and heroes. Our youth spend their days watching the every move of sports stars and musicians and actors they never meet. We are the ones they see and talk to daily. The encouragement we have is that we are the ones in a position to make a difference. We say that God is always with us. If we can believe that God can give words to Moses when he lacks the ability to articulate his message, why can’t we believe he can help us talk to the people we have personal, close relationships with? We have an chance to share with our teens the most important message they will ever hear. And, as their parents and adults they trust and look up to, we should be encouraged that God has placed us right where He needs us to be.
The Shield
What a weekend! The junior high group was crazy busy this weekend. It all kicked off Friday night with the Jars of Clay/Switchfoot/Third Day concert which was AWESOME! Then we had a blast playing laser tag Saturday night. I am so blessed to be working with such an amazing group of kids.
Sunday morning…where to start. Well, we had a bit of an off week this week. So, I really encourage any parents reading this to chat with your kids about it.
We kicked it off by recapping the book of Exodus for the most part. We talked about the Israelites in Egypt, their predicament of slavery and their complete hopelessness. We briefly hit on the biography of Moses before getting to the good stuff. As you may or may not know, we are talking about being God’s people by looking at examples from the past and application to our lives today. This week we were focusing on how God saves his people. We talked about how God worked to save his people from their plight and lead them to freedom.
And now the points I wish I had made more clear. First of all, I think it is important to understand GOD STILL SAVES US. No, it might not be in such a dramatic fashion as the exodus, but he saves us. Another word that comes to mind is that he protects us. When I think of God in this way, I tend to think of him as an umbrella. Or maybe a shield. I suppose a shield is a bit more dramatic, not to mention sturdy. The image that sticks in my mind most from the actual exiting part of the Exodus story is the river closing in around the Egyptians after the Israelites reach dry land on the other side. God protected his people from their pursuers. He placed himself as a shield between his people and the harm that chased them.
It’s the same for us today. We may not have a dramatic story, but He is there to protect us if we ask him. I love Psalm 28 because it says exactly that (verses 6-9):
“Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be there shepherd and carry them forever.”
Let’s be honest with ourselves. Our kids face a lot of pressure. Pressure from school to be the smartest. Pressure from sports to be the fastest and strongest. Pressure from parents to be the best. Pressure from church to be the most pure. Pressure from friends to be the most popular. While it may seem easy, sometimes, we just need to be saved from whatever pressure is eating away at us today. And that is when we should turn to God. He is our shelter from the storm, our shield from flaming arrows. All we have to do is call out to him. And while this may seem sad and for situations of turmoil, it should be a message of hope. We do not have to sit and darkness and face our troubles alone. God is beside us to take the sting out of whatever pains us. God is there to pick us up and hold us safe. And we should find joy in that.
Next week, the lesson is about how God fights for us. I know that sounds similar to the idea of God as a shield. But in my mind, God, our shield, holds us steady while God, our champion to fight for us, goes out ahead of us and clears a path for us to follow. I think it could be a great lesson and one that I’m already excited about. I pray that everyone has a great week. God bless.
