The Example of an Amazing Father

I read Lee Strobel’s book Case for a Creator not too long ago. One of the things that really struck me as fascinating was two science experts that described to him the way our solar system is situated in our galaxy. Apparently, we are sitting in a just the right spot, not too close to the middle where we’d be in far greater danger of getting hit by comets and other space stuff, and not too far out where we could wander away from the cluster, but relatively out of the way. And not only are we in a safe place, but we are set in such a way that we are in one of the optimum spots for observing the rest of the galaxy. Now that’s an interesting tidbit of information. Not only did our father want to keep us safe, He wanted to encourage our desire to explore and observe and learn about the cosmos He created!

Isn’t that what any good parent of a toddler does? The parent encourages exploration and discovery, but within safe boundaries, always keeping an eye on the precious child.

I think we need to do this very thing with our teens! We need to set up some safety nets and boundaries, but we also need to foster exploration. We need to encourage them to ask the tough questions about world religions and our own theology, while they are with us and we can explore the answers together. If we stifle their curiosity, they may go off to college and get hit by a comet of materialism, or wander off into worldly philosophies. They need to know all about them before they get there!

One of the tools we’ve had at our disposal is Lincoln Christian College’s “worldvieweyes” program. (see www.worldvieweyes.org) It has helped us to teach our kids about different worldviews, including our own. I know they are currently working on a curriculum that will be available to youth groups in the near future. I’m sure there are other good resources out there, too (send us your ideas!) The important thing is to tackle some of the hard issues and big questions in the relative safety of your youth group, grounded in solid Bible study!

Encouragers wanted

I just got back from junior high choir rehearsal. Wow, those kids have a lot of energy, not always channeled in the right direction. It wears a person out! These kids are getting ready for their annual choir tour, and it is a hectic week. Sometimes tempers flare, sometimes focus isn’t there, and then all of a sudden something kicks in and wow, look at ‘em shine.

During times like this, I’m reminded that adults are fallible, that kids are kids, that not everyone has bought into the whole “ministry” mindset, and that I’m not as young as I used to be. However, through all that God brings to mind wonderful things as well. We’ve got a lot of great kids under all that squirrely-ness and people really do want to serve God, they just lose sight of the “important” now and then and have to be brought back on board.

Have you lost sight of the importance of people over programs? Do you get bogged down in the worries of church conflict? Do you sometimes want to strangle the kids you work with instead of hugging them? Well, you’re in good company. Yet, hopefully the God we serve can remind us of the good things around us.

Several years ago Oprah asked her audience to start keeping thanksgiving journals. The idea was that each individual should take some time everyday to list five blessings in her life—things or people or whatever that she was thankful for.

Let’s take the idea and re-work it for youth ministry wives. Let’s start encouraging one another with the good things in our lives. Not to make light of the problems we face, of course. The problems are there, and they need to be dealt with, but let’s not get bogged down by them. We do have great blessings in our lives as well! Let’s give God praise for these blessings and share them with each other here and by doing so, encourage each other. Take some time to post some blessings in your lives and in your ministry. Hebrews 10:25b “Let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Summer Ministry

Well, it is summer! Is your husband gone yet? Will he be back only to leave again? Do you go with him or stay home? Do you take your kids along or ship them off to grandma’s? Maybe you don’t even have that option. Maybe you have to stay home and work, because you have a job and bills to pay. Maybe there isn’t a grandma (biological or honorary) who is available to watch your children.

Summer ministry usually means lots of going…mission trips, camps, conferences, etc. (Hooray for Christ in Youth!) And, depending on your personality and that of your husband and on your circumstances, that can be a blessing or a curse. Some of us love to get out and travel, enjoy the special events and quality time with our youth group. Some of us are homebodies. I think this calls for lots of extra prayer – prayer to do what we must with extra grace. It is so easy to be frustrated with the circumstances – you want to go but you have to stay, or you want to stay but you have to go, or your husband has to go and he’d rather stay – that we can easily miss the blessings and growth God has for us. Then there are the prayers we must offer regarding the actual trips – that God’s purposes will be accomplished, which may require some bumps along the way! It took me quite a while to realize that the trip never goes as you planned, but those very “diversions” are often the ones that God uses to pull us and our youth to a higher level.

And remember, there are seasons to life. If you and your family decide this is the season for you to stay home when you’d rather go, or vice versa, remember Ecclesiastes:

"There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer, A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, A right time to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up, A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace."

So whether you stay, go, or some of each, enjoy the journey with Jesus!

Motivation

Well, we haven’t been blogging lately. Jennifer has a great excuse…her son just graduated from high school (after being homeschooled most of his years) and she’s had final grades to tally, a celebration to plan, etc. I have no good excuse. I went from pretty busy to not so pretty busy, and just haven’t sat down to type. I guess I lacked motivation. Not that you all aren’t important to me, you are!! But when the need is sort of invisible, not right in your face, it’s pretty easy to procrastinate.

But aren’t some of the most important needs around us invisible? The immediate visible stuff demands attention. That pile of dirty dishes stares you in the face. The mound of dirty laundry. The young people that are loud or excited and right in front of you. But what about the quiet ones? Or the ones who don’t even show up? Aren’t they the ones who need our time and attention the most?

What about your husband’s invisible needs? Sure, he’d be thrilled if you deal with the dirty dishes before he comes home. Sure, he wants you to help with the ministry in visible ways. But what about his need for respect? His need for you to be a strong tower, supporting him when he’s down and when he’s up? His need for a sounding board? His need for a word of encouragement when he’s been hearing lots of criticism?

How do we stay motivated to do the most important things, that aren’t always readily visible? I think it is praying that we’ll be able to see with God’s eyes, rather than our own. To see Him! Then we can live in a motivated faith, like Moses: “he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:27b)