Supersize Faith!

VBS Isn’t Just for the Kids!

I recently attended our first Vacation Bible School (VBS) Worship Team practice for 2008. YEAH!!! Greg Martinez is our leader this year and did a fantastic job of leading us. We spent the first hour of our time together not practicing. This was a GOOD thing! Greg shared with us his heart for the team, and led us a couple very helpful exercises.

First, we were asked to spend a few minutes thinking about and writing down two things that we want to thank/praise/worship God for in this VBS season. Next, we wrote down two things that we want God to do in us in the months to come. After that, Greg pulled us together, has us join hands and pray.

How exciting to get a sense of God’s larger purpose! Before the musicians even touched their instruments, and before the singers even listened to any of the songs, we sought God together for His plan for us this season, and came away with something specific and personal.

I’m WAY excited about VBS this year. I am grateful to God for giving me some very specific words about what He wants to do in me over the next few months. Grace, mercy, restoration, redemption. These are some of the things I hear Him saying. And it continues: “The best is NOT behind you; as good as things have been, I have even more in store for you.” I didn’t realize I am in a season of my life where I am in need of renewed hope. Now I do! …And I’m leaning on His promises. He will do SUPERSIZE things in my life this season.

Sticks and Stones

I just finished teaching Intern Class here at church. Four mornings per week, the interns (and some of the residents) spend an hour together with a different teacher. This morning (Thursday), it was me!

I’ll state for the record, teaching a 7am class is the LAST thing (time) I would chose to do ANYTHING…other than waking up to a cup of coffee while reading my Bible. At this time of day, I feel I have about as much to give as a flattened toad on a Texas highway. Still, I’ve been teaching Intern Class for probably 6+ years at this time…and I love it. It’s a great example to me each week that God’s grace is indeed sufficient for me(!)

This morning, we talked about the unique ways God has made us. To begin, I asked each person to pray a word of thanks to God for some SPECIFIC way He had made them. We didn’t quite get it the first time around, so I had us do that again. THANK YOU, GOD—the second time through was markedly different, as each person identified a very particular spiritual attribute God has placed in them. “YES!!! That’s what I’m talking about!” Such was my exclamation (yes, even at that early hour) following the last prayer.

I closed our time together by emphasizing why it is SO important that we thank God for how He has made us. These are three things that came to mind:

1. Giving thanks to God frequently (as the Bible says, “always”), grows in us a thankful heart. This will drastically change our outlook on life (increase our joy, hope, etc.)
2. Thanking God for a specific way He’s made us is a part of acknowledging and receiving His calling on our lives. It’s also makes the statement that we are His possession, His precious children.
3. The spoken word is HUGELY powerful. That old “Sticks and stones” statement is only half-true (the first half). Words can have a more lasting effect than many physical things we’ve experienced. God SPOKE all creation into existence through words. THAT’S POWER!

I love a lot of things about Intern Class. Just being together with those incredible young people is but one. I end up learning a lot from them. I also love that God uses these class times to encourage, remind, challenge and instruct me.

Today I am freshly reminded of the importance of laying hold of, and declaring, that which is true of me in God. It’s not prideful to that. It’s my statement to God that I’m His…and that I’m REALLY happy about that.

Three Weeks Later

I just got back from a three week mission trip to Southeast Asia.

KIDDING!

It’s been three whole weeks since my last blog entry. Where does the time go??? My last entry was on the heels of our Spring Break event for the Junior and Senior Highers. Since then, I’ve either been sick (again, with my whole family) OR been in major “go” mode, getting things off the ground for our upcoming mission trip to Colorado and Mexico this summer (not kidding!). Looks like around 20 of us (youth and adults) will be making the journey south of the border in July. I’m VERY excited about all of that!

I’ve also been working on creating a blog for that mission team. It’s going to be (I believe in faith) THE place to go to find out the latest greatest info about our team’s preparations. Here’s a recent entry:

OK, so Saturday’s team serving day with The Coastlands campus fam was out-of-control F-U-N!!! I LOVE what the Interns and Residents have done with their Saturday cleaning responsibilities. There is A LOT that has to get done EVERY week in order to clean the building/grounds and prepare a place to welcome our church family and guests into our church home each weekend.

I am convinced that there are few serving opportunities that are as fun as Saturday cleaning. If you don’t believe me, try it yourself sometime! =) I am grateful for the time our team spent with the campus folks. We can learn a lot about the heart of serving when we do it with people who are walking in it day-in, and day-out.

After a yummy pancake and sausage breakfast, we ventured over to the “Secret Garden” by the front lawn for several games of high-speed Dodge Ball. Then we journeyed back into the building and split up into teams to clean. I think we may have finished in record time, as our Dodge Ball games took a little (lot?) more time than planned! We finished around 12:30 and enjoyed a cheeseburger BBQ lunch courtesy of Michael and Priska and the campus family.

Thanks to everyone for your great attitudes and willingness. You are a GREAT team. Don’t think for a moment that what you gave on Saturday doesn’t matter. IT DOES! And it is preparing your hearts for our soon-coming mission trip.

Until next time…

Nation Spring Break '08

This past week we had close to 40 youth (6th-12th grade) attend The Nation Spring Break '08. During the 3 days' activities, we ate together, served together (beach clean up and on-campus projects), bounced around at Sky High Sports together, conquered coasters together at California's Great America, and rounded out the week together with a ridiculously fun night of games and live music on Friday night.

One of our goals for Spring Break was to reach out to youth who do not attend our church. I'm excited and grateful to God (and to our youth who invited friends!) for the 8 youth who signed up for the main program, as well as another 9-ish who attended "Rock 'n' The Nation" that Friday night. 15+ guests with us during the week is a huge success.

Friday night was the highlight of the week... What a great way to round out our time together! This event, the brainchild of one of the dads in our church, was complete with Xbox and Nintendo Wii game systems, DDR, pool, foosball, ping pong, air hockey, AND the live 8-bit music of our very own Mas! Mas! Mas! and Hello Geno. The night, according to one of our guests, was "more fun than Great America!" (That about says it all!) The recurring comment about the night from both youth and adults: "This was really, really fun!!!"

Indeed it was fun... And a big reason for that fun was the heart, vision, and preparation that went into making it happening, as well as all of the adults who made it a well-covered, safe, and welcoming environment. The youth had a great time because they were able to "let their hair down" in appropriate ways... As a result, I believe they learned/experienced more of who God has made them to be. We might just be on to something with "Rock 'n' The Nation." I think we'll be doing events like it again...