Worship

Too bad I’m not a good photographer, but I am so grateful I have this photo. A few weeks ago, I went to a conference put on by my dear (and slightly offbeat) friends from The Youth Cartel. The conference was called The Summit, and it was by far the BEST youth conference I have attended. In fact, it was so good that I am still processing some of what I learned. I’ll post that in snippets, as each moment becomes more developed in my mind.

At the conference, the band who played for the worship was called the Chris Coleman Band. Great music, perfect song selections for a few hundred youth workers. I have to admit that I don’t even remember what song it was (not the one in the photograph, or that would have taken me out of the experience!) when this amazing moment occurred, but here’s what happened.

Band singing. Hundreds of Youth Workers in worship. A sudden sense that during this moment, nothing else mattered. Not tomorrow, not plans, not worries or even joys. The only thing that mattered was worshipping our God, free from any sort of distractions or interruptions.

Out of nowhere (or somewhere) this thought came to me. “This is what Heaven will be like. Infinite. Glorious. Free. Being so true to the moment that all you can do is worship.”

What a gift. Thank you to those who were there, those who made it happen, and those who were in that moment of worship. It was truly spectacular.

Gratitude

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:5 NIV)

I am really blessed. Last week, our pastor asked who in the service felt really great about where their life was, and I popped my hand up without a moment’s hesitation. Sadly, there were only a few other hands that hesitantly lifted..and I suddenly felt awkward and lowered my hand.

Woah. That’s not ok. We should be thrilled to celebrate the good moments, because there are so many times that we need to lean on those memories.

So I am listing my top five…to make me think through and prioritize.

1. The amazing miracle of the the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that I am a part of God’s plan. Mind blowing.

2. My husband, kids, and sister. After years of being a single parent, with two amazing kids…really…the best…I met my husband and best friend five years ago. My youngest sister is my best friend. We can talk about everything from exercise to faith to balancing life with a mom who has cancer.

3. My mom’s faith. The way she leans on her faith to get through the rough days is inspiring. The thing about cancer is that the disease is devastating in itself, but the elements in life that this crisis creates around you are even harder, in my opinion. She’s walking this walk with grace, and it’s not easy.

4. My job. I am SO blessed in this regard. I get to lead one of the nation’s largest youth hunger advocacy program through World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine. That puts me in touch with amazing youth leaders and partners who inspire me daily.

5. Our church youth group. Again, I am blessed and honored to lead this small group of kids who wake me up spiritually and remind me what discovering God’s love through life’s challenges means.

Think through your list of five…what are they?

Finding Moments of Thanks

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:1, 2 NIV)

How quickly I moved from the stage of seeking 1000 things to be thankful for, as per Ann Voskamp in her book 1000 Gifts. Life became busy, I stepped back into routine, I moved on. What a tragedy that it’s that difficult to remain in a state of thankfulness.

It’s a tragedy if we consider that to be the case.

However, remembering and getting back on track is a blessing in itself. That process calls us to go through the period of acceptance of joy, love, forgiveness. When I remember the moment in the picture above, I think about how happy I was to be in such a beautiful place, in a creative space surrounded by God’s creation, and thankful that we are given gifts of moments in time that are absolutely glorious.

Run

…toward..away..like the wind..with..to..from..

I love to run. For me, the time on the streets when people are just waking up is like freedom. I’ve usually just finished my devotional time, I’m wrestling with things or thinking and I need that steady solid (slow) sound of feet on damp sidewalk to take me to a place of lateral thinking.

There’s something magical about the hours before the world gets noisy, bustling. There’s time. Time seems to move at its own pace when the day starts rolling, but in the early morning I can stretch it out. I can breathe. Pray. Dream. Uninterrupted.

This morning I thought about what a gift it is to take my youth group to Portland for a concert this weekend. In that thought process, the trip became a gift, not a task..a trip..or a program. An opportunity to laugh, play road trip games, stay up all night, and connect with Jesus through these kids. “Christ is all that matters; He lives in all of us.” Col 3:11 (NLT)

It’s good.

Sky Thoughts 2

Sometimes I feel like an absolute dork when I am humbled by the simple beauty in life. I stare like a kid out the window of a plane and marvel at the miracle that comes with a simple realization. The clouds I am looking at, like lumps of snow being illuminated by the sun…this will be a new canvas every day, every moment, never duplicated.
Whenever I read “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV),” I am reminded how very human we are and how amazing God is. He has the infinite capability to change our landscape every day.

Sky Thoughts

Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Philippians 3:16 NIV)

Have you ever had someone who your truly respected believe in you so much that you felt challenged to rise to their hopes in you?  That’s what I think of with this verse.

When you accept God and embrace the fact that we have an inheritance through Christ, the bar is raised.  We’ve been given the challenge to live up to the gift we have already received.

Knowing that God has that type of faith in me propels me to do more, to challenge myself more, and to try to live my best for Him.  After all, He did that for us.

Rest

This is my Sunday prayer, my way to bring the sabbath into the rest of my week. Today, I am picking one……just one request…..and offering it earnestly and openly to our Lord with thanksgiving, knowing that if I truly let go, He will give me peace.
Have you ever tried to release a request to the Lord and days later found yourself clinging to the same concerns? Give thanks, lean on faith, hope on the promise, and allow yourself to be restored in the peace you have requested.

A Peaceful Squall

The day is beautiful, albeit cold. Water so clear you can count the starfish but still be startled by a salmon jumping over the kayak. Just like life, this moment provides peace and inspiration. And, just like life, there was very little warning when a squall came up from behind and pushed our inflatable kayak toward the shore and then sporadically out to sea.

How do we balance the need for absorbing the natural beauty of life with the unpredictable nature of storms that come through with no warning?

I’m writing this post while visiting my mother who, like many people, is battling cancer. In her book One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voscamp writes “That that which tears open our souls, those holes that splatter our sight, may actually become the thin, open places to see through the mess of this place to the heart-aching beauty beyond. To Him. To the God whom we endlessly crave.”

One of the most valuable things we can model for our students in our youth groups is how to see beyond the immediate pain, knowing that with faith there is a plan. Together, can we look for those open places in the midst of life’s squalls and see the beauty beyond?

How to “do Halloween” with your youth group..

Spinach, kale, carrots, hot pepper, celery, parsley..what’s not to love?

Halloweird.

Let’s start with what we know youth groups love (beyond the amazing and great Christian community..that’s a given).  Grossness.  Eating grossness.  Scary grossness.  All-of-the-above-AND-at-the-same-time-grossness.

The challenge:  Put on a Halloween event that’s a blast for the students and yet doesn’t foster some of the negativity around Halloween, or freak out parents.  Goal?  Get them together to have fun in a safe and slightly wacky community.

My youth group is going for a Fear Factor based theme, with three stages:

1.  Eat.  Necessary supply, vitamix or strong blender.  Gather ten types of veggies and two wild cards, like sauerkraut or babyfood liver.  Have each team take turns selecting what goes in the other team’s drink, and one person from each team has to drink it over a 30 second time period, without gulping or plugging their nose.

2.  Groddy.  Three stations. Three boxes, all lined with plastic, one left open, the other two with a hole for reaching into.  Box 1:  (I’m using seaweed) slimy ingredient, with tictacs buried in it.  Person has to get as many tictacs as possible in 15 seconds.  Box 2: Cold, boiled, oil-coated spaghetti, with gummy worms buried and left to get a little slimy.  Person has to get as many gummy worms as possible in 15 seconds. Box 3:  Open box:  Fill with gross baby food (spinach is nice).  Person has to try to find and suction out gummy bears with a straw. *Bonus:  They eat the things they get from the boxes.

3. Scary.  Who has time to build a haunted house?  No one.  Find a long hallway, and blindfold each contestant (one from each team). One at a time, lead them with a string down the hallway.  Other youth groupers are silently lining the hall with things like straws (to blow as they walk by), noisemakers (burps are good), water to drip, etc.  At the end, flicker the lights, take off the blindfold and have a scary masked person right in front of them.  Good times.

Follow that with Poltergeist (they’re heeeeeere) or Beetlejuice (not from a vitamix), and you’re having fun but still in the PG arena, which is tough to do on this holiday!

Youth Truth

This is what “hope” looks like.

When I returned from Zambia with the 30 Hour Famine study tour students, the #1 question was “How was Africa?”  Zambia was amazing, but my stories were all about what I saw through our students.

I am humbled by the spiritual depth of this group of eight student leaders.  Their worlds were rocked, their hearts were wrecked, and yet their spirits were lifted.  Why?  Because they understood that their role in the fight against hunger is significant, and prayer followed by action is the foundation for change.

People can be challenged with the idea of travelling to visit our work for 30 Hour Famine.  “What just go and look?”  “Can’t we stay and do something?”  My challenge back to the students was: “You can help one farmer dig a fish pond, or you can tell his story to hundreds of people and call them to action.”

Being a witness to what others can’t see is a tremendous gift to the people we met in Africa. For our students, when they ask their friends to pray for a child that they held in their arms…that is when heaven and earth change places.

Jesus tells the apostles in Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and to the ends of the earth.”

Our Team Zambia students are witnesses, and they are challenging us. After spending a week with them and seeing their faith in action, I am filled with confidence for what the future brings.

Coming out if this experience, and as the youth leader at my home church, I am asking myself this question and I encourage you to join me.  How can we all be better witnesses in regards to Kingdom work?