Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Praying Bigger
For the past 6 weeks I have been doing an online Bible study (OBS) over the book "Greater" by Steven Furtick. I have become convinced that I don't pray big enough. I dare say many of us don't pray big enough. When I say this I don't mean we should pray for a bigger house or a nicer car or a bigger paycheck. I mean that we underestimate the power of God. I pray for God to work or to heal but sometimes I find myself praying it in a mundane sort of way and not living in the power that comes from serving a God who is big enough to do big things. So I'm starting to pray bigger. I'm praying for a miracle healing of a little girl with brain cancer...not just healing, not just that the medicine would work but that God would put his hand on her head and do something only He can do. I'm praying for our church and for our youth group. My prayer is that this year our youth basement would be FULL. Not just full. Full of students who are seeking God and growing in their relationship with Him. Praying that the students who are faithful now will be so on fire for God it would spread to whole school and once the students in the school are changed by the mighty power of God that their parents would see the change and come to know Christ too. I'm praying that as our basement fills up with teenagers our whole town will be changed. I believe God wants to do big things. I believe we limit Him by not asking.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
You might be a youth minister's wife if...
I love being a youth minister's wife. I love working with students. But like anything we do there are some challenges and some life style adjustments we make to make things happen. Here are a few.
1. You schedule your pregnancies around youth camp. Being down one parent every other week for 2 months is difficult enough, no need to add a newborn to the picture.
2. You potty train your children...at youth camp. Even the teenagers knew where her potty and her rewards were.
3. Super Summer...when the hubs is gone 7 days instead of 5 with no opportunity to visit mid week for a break from single parenting...super.
4. When they give out the "mother with the most children award" on Mother's Day at church and you start counting the teenagers on the pew in front of you and figure unless the Duggars show up you've got this thing in the bag.
5. When your toddler says "crap" in the church nursery and you let the nursery workers assume she heard it from the teenagers...even though you know where she REALLY heard it...mental note to self stop saying "crap".
6. You only have 1 child but buy a SUV with a third row so you have more room for all the teenagers you pick for church.
7. You celebrate your wedding anniversary at church camp, VBS or alone b/c the hubs is at Super Summer...see #3...again super.
8. You take vacation time from work to go to youth camp.
9. Your kids get mad the first year you send them to their grandparent's house instead of taking them to camp with you because they don't know they not really in the youth group.
10. Taking students home after church becomes a game to beat your best time and not cross the midline of town more than once. Students are divided based on gender and location. Who takes which vehicle is based on who has to take more students home. (PS I love picking up and dropping off students)
1. You schedule your pregnancies around youth camp. Being down one parent every other week for 2 months is difficult enough, no need to add a newborn to the picture.
2. You potty train your children...at youth camp. Even the teenagers knew where her potty and her rewards were.
3. Super Summer...when the hubs is gone 7 days instead of 5 with no opportunity to visit mid week for a break from single parenting...super.
4. When they give out the "mother with the most children award" on Mother's Day at church and you start counting the teenagers on the pew in front of you and figure unless the Duggars show up you've got this thing in the bag.
5. When your toddler says "crap" in the church nursery and you let the nursery workers assume she heard it from the teenagers...even though you know where she REALLY heard it...mental note to self stop saying "crap".
6. You only have 1 child but buy a SUV with a third row so you have more room for all the teenagers you pick for church.
7. You celebrate your wedding anniversary at church camp, VBS or alone b/c the hubs is at Super Summer...see #3...again super.
8. You take vacation time from work to go to youth camp.
9. Your kids get mad the first year you send them to their grandparent's house instead of taking them to camp with you because they don't know they not really in the youth group.
10. Taking students home after church becomes a game to beat your best time and not cross the midline of town more than once. Students are divided based on gender and location. Who takes which vehicle is based on who has to take more students home. (PS I love picking up and dropping off students)
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