Proud

I am so proud of the people who are part of our church plant!  I'm excited for the recent growth we are experiencing, too, but nothing warms my heart like the stories I have been hearing lately. 

We just finished-up a sermon series called The Amazing Race. It was all about being missional and gave strong incentive to go out and try it. Very successful!  There are a lot of stories to share from that experience, and I will someday get to many of them, but today is about the heart of one of our own- totally outside any call from the church- simply the tug of Christ on her heart. 

This Family member is raising her grandchild. We have an ever-increasing number of these kinds of families in our community.  I'm sure they are in yours too!  Lisa (name changed) works full-time and supports both her daughter and granddaughter, helps her invalid brother, and cares for her own mother. Time and money are in short supply, but there is overflowing love in her heart. 

Last Sunday Lisa brought her grandchild and some neighborhood girls to church. When they went home, she had the opportunity to meet one of the moms and visit with her. This young mom mentioned that she has been wanting to send her daughter to church and was glad she had liked worshipping with us. She was open to sending her regularly. 

Lisa went on to invite the young mom to come to church herself, but the young mom declined, stating that she had two young boys at home with autism.

Lisa let the mom know that they would be welcome, that we have people trained to work with children with special needs, but did not push. 

Then she came to me. 

She wasn't about to let this go. She came to me for ammunition and backup. She asked me (children's pastor) to visit the home with her. She wants to make this young mom feel safe to bring the kids to church- to show her God's love in action!

Lack of info makes it difficult to know what direction this will take. Lisa believes these boys to be toddlers or young preschoolers, and my connections in the school district tell me they are not receiving care there yet, but there is a team of trained people waiting to welcome this family into the fold 

The other part of Lisa's heart is that she wants to come beside this young mom and help her with housework. The little girl she had taken to church told her, as all children are wont to do, that their house stinks. Lisa is certain that it is because of the strain of her family life and that all she needs is some support. She is ready to mobilize a team to clean and care for this lady..

I am so proud of my friend- how open she is to hear God's calling and how eager she is to follow. I pray constantly that more and more of us who gather as Christians would allow God to speak to us like that- and that we would have the strength, love, and compassion to carry it out to completion!

I can't wait to watch and see how God works in this scenario. I have been able to see God begin to work in lives over the past decade and the stories are always amazing. This one promises to be just as exciting!

A Small Gesture Brings Huge Reward

God works in awesome ways.

God also works in some very interesting ways.

I have an 'interesting' story...

To give some back story, we have to go back about 10 years or so to when the Easter teaching product 'Resurrection Eggs' entered the market.  I bought them and loved them and used them a lot - I have 2 sets, even, because they are so awesome!

The one project for Easter that I have always wanted to do was to use egg cartons and plastic eggs to recreate a version of the Resurrection Eggs as a craft project.  If kids were to create it themselves, they would buy into it much more and take the lessons to another level!  But...  the small plastic items found inside are impossible or expensive.  I hadn't found another option for replacing these items, so the project has been tabled - for 10 years!

A couple of months ago, one of our local sister churches, Walnut Lawn, donated large boxes of take-out containers to us.  There were clear plastic square containers, large styrofoam drink cups, lids, and straws.  Awesome gift!  Just after we received them, we did a Shrinky Dink activity and in my research, I found out that those clear plastic containers were made of the same material as sheets of Shrinky Dinks!  Yep!  I gave each kid a container and we experimented and had fun with them!  For some kids it was the first time they had ever experienced Shrinky Dinks.  For others, it was a creative challenge.  It was fun.  First craft I have ever had to stop after 2 hours due to time constraints -
we had to EAT!  LOL

Tracing and Coloring

Going back to how God works, when I revisited the Resurrection Eggs, planning for Easter, I again got the desire to use them as a craft/teaching activity so that they could share the story at home.  Then it hit me - Shrinky Dinks!  We could make 'charms' of the items instead of purchasing the plastic figures!  I stopped for a minute because those sheets of Shrinky Dinks that you buy in the store can be expensive and we were talking about 3 sheets per child.  The Holy Spirit whispered in my ear at this point, "clear plastic containers..." and we were off to the races!  We had so many of those things and we hadn't really had a use for them.  Each container would give 2 charms, so 4 per kid would work....  Yep - we made that craft out    of take-home boxes!

But that's not the end of the story.  We did our activity.  We made the Resurrection Eggs and I sent the kids home.  And you know how it is - some of the kids caught the vision and some didn't, but I had one come back with the greatest story.

A young girl about 4 years old and only attending for a couple of months took her eggs home and was ready to change the world.  She used them to tell the story to her mom, to her grandma, and to all her neighborhood friends.  She took the eggs to daycare and shared the story with all her friends there.  She took it to her grandpa's house and shared it with him, too.  This tiny girl took the story of the last week of Jesus's life and share it and its meaning to all those in her sphere of influence.  Every person she comes in contact with knows the story of the eggs.

Here is one of the students sharing the
Resurrection Eggs with first-time visitors!

All because a church with leftovers listened to the Holy Spirit's prodding to give the extras to a small church plant.

All because those with abundance shared what they had.

God used take-home boxes to spread the gospel.
This little girl used a dozen plastic eggs to share Jesus's story.
If you are reading this, you probably already know the story, and know it well.
          What about YOUR sphere of influence?  Do they all know the story?
                         There's a reason Jesus says that we need to be like little children......

Renewal

Jeff and I just returned from a week of networking and learning with other church leaders.  We came home with renewed energy.  Sometimes, reading books and listening to speakers can create some discouragement - speaking to real-life planters puts real-life perspective back into play.

We also came back with some new vision for the future.  That was really cool - how God worked in our week away - but that will have to be another blog....

When we returned, I was reading some articles and came across the following one.  It was another encouragement - that God has been in the plan for RFamily from the beginning and He is going to shape it as it goes... We wouldn't want it any other way!!!

5 Ways the Church Will Change

by Thom Schultz - as published on ChildrensMinistry.com

Is the American church fading away? Will the losses in membership and attendance lead to a marginalized church presence such as that in present-day Europe? What will the American church look like in ten years?

Church leaders, denominational executives, and religion researchers gathered in Colorado recently to examine the church's health and prognosis. The Future of the Church Summit was sponsored by Group Publishing.

After evaluating current trends, Summit members predicted a number of likely scenarios for the American church in the next ten years:

1. Emphasis on relationships. Whereas the church and congregational worship today are largely spectator-oriented, the new coming trend will prioritize spiritual growth through personal relationships.
2. Return to Jesus. The current church is preoccupied with the "ABCs"-attendance, buildings and cash. A Summit pastor said, "We need to deal with the idols of the church." The coming church will highly focus its mission, goals, measurements and message on Jesus.
3. Community focus. The church of tomorrow will be much more engaged in addressing the needs in the community. The church will be known more for its members' relational acts of compassion outside of church walls, taking ministry out rather than waiting for outsiders to come in and sit.
4. Conversationally oriented. The current church relies primarily on one-way messaging-from the preacher/teacher at the microphone. The new church will rely more on person-to-person conversation, sharing messages of God's love with one another. Churches will begin to trade pews for conversation tables.
5. Rise of the laity. Shrinking resources will trigger fewer paid ministry positions-and more reliance on unpaid ministry work. The concept of "the priesthood of all believers" will re-emerge.

Scott Thumma from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shared data showing waning church attendance, the aging of congregational membership and the exodus of young people. The churches that are bucking the downward trends tend to be either small (fewer than 200 members), or very large (more than 2,000 members).

Thumma also cited that congregations' financial health has declined significantly over the past decade. In 2000 31 percent of congregations exhibited excellent financial health. By 2010 only 14 percent showed excellent financial health.

Congregations with high spiritual vitality dropped from about 43 percent in 2005 to 28 percent in 2010, according to Thumma.

To transition to the future, Thumma suggested congregations take a number of actions: create a listening team; get rid of the concept of church committees; learn how to be the church outside of Sunday morning.

Neil Howe, author of "Millennials Rising" and "The Fourth Turning," told Summit attendees that aging Boomers are shaping churches in a direction that young adults in the Millennial generation reject. He said Millennials are looking for environments that emphasize a sense of authentic community, variety of experiences, doing good deeds together, and student-centered learning (not teacher-focused).

Summit participants heard author Reggie McNeal predict that no one model of ministry will characterize the church of tomorrow. Rather, several different models will emerge to connect with the diverse American culture.

And British church leader and consultant  Mike Breen doubted that the American church would go the way of Europe, where the church has withered. He indicated that America's entrepreneurial spirit will provide the drive and the flexibility for the church to survive and thrive in the future.

I want to look at those 5 points one-by-one...

1.  Emphasis on Relationships.  Spiritual growth through relationship. 

          Our ministry plan incorporates relationship into everything we do - just as Jesus built relationships and did life with his disciples, so do we.  We identify people with passion and apprentice them, disciple them, into leaders.  We develop spiritual growth by doing life together.  And what's really funny is that our model is basically a pyramid scheme!  LOL  As each person grows, then will, themselves, meet and grow others under them, who will meet and grow others.... etc...  :)  No formal small groups, just life and God's leading.  We aren't filling leadership positions, we are creating positions for the leaders God raises within our church family.

2.  Return to Jesus.  

          In our church, ABCs aren't Attendance, Building, and Cash, they truly are Admit, Believe, and Confess.  As much as we do struggle ourselves (Jeff and I) against our years in ministry counting numbers, we celebrate growth.  When we stand in front of our state ministry group to give our yearly report, we focus on salvations, rededications, baptism, and personal growth.  

3.  Community Focus.

          This is where I LOVE to see how we are different!  Our church is ALL about the community where we were planted!  We have adopted a school and we serve there regularly.  When the schools have teacher-training days, we provide childcare for the parents that is a community service day for the kids.  A lady has risen-up to begin a MUCH-needed groups for grandparents who are raising their grandkids.  The women's ministry group is service-oriented and has begun a program to provide formal attire for teens who cannot afford it for prom and other such dances.  It is amazing!  While we DO have bible study, it is not our FOCUS.  

4.  Conversationally oriented

          This one is pretty cool - our ministry plan has this built-in.  We have couches and tables, not rows of chairs.  When Jeff speaks, he invited comments and encourages other to talk back to his questions.  Nothing happens that isn't based in communication.

5.  Rise of the laity

          We have a few staff, but for the most part, that is all we will ever have.  Because of the pyramid scheme we have designed, there should not ever be a need for a large staff.  Each staff is simply a higher point in the pyramid - we have designated areas we oversee, but the ministries are run by the laity.  Jeff and I are the planters, the founders, but we do not pretend to possess powers or a connection to God that is any different or any better than those around us.  God put us in place to lead this group of people, not be in power over them!

We have seen and continue to see God's hand at work through the work we are doing.  It is awesome and amazing.  It is beyond anything we could do - only through God has this been accomplished.  I can't wait to see what He has in store for the future!

Jungle Jill Is A Big Ol' Meanie!

Last night, to illustrate Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season, I put my Jungle kids through an emotional wringer.  We started our evening normally, then I had them all sit down and got serious.  I read Romans 3:23, ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - then proceeded to tell them how they have been eternally separated from God with this sin and that I was going to brand them so that they never forgot.  I tied a piece of cloth around each wrist (note to self - make them longer next year) with the word SINNER written on them big and bold.  I tied them so they could not be slipped off and double knotted so they wouldn't untie.  I then went through each of the Ten Commandments and told them how they have broken almost every one of them, and really honed-in on some of the 'easier' ones that kids would recognize.  At the end I just dismissed them - I just stopped and waved them off and said, 'Go to snack - just go to snack - ' like I was writing them off, like I didn't care.  I didn't tell them how to fix it, how to make it better - I just sent them away.

They didn't know what to do.  They had endured the 'mean' part well and were, I think, looking forward to the part where I told them how to make it better, but I didn't.  I didn't fix it.  I didn't tell them how to fix it.  I just sent them away.  When they were all in the other room I shut the door and about died.  I broke character at last.  That was when my daughter, a seventh-grader who helps me with video and sound, turned on me incredulously - 'Wow, mom!  That was intense!' - so I know I did my job.  Even she got caught up in the moment and didn't recognize it as a teaching exercise.  So I encouraged her to go into the next room and watch what they had planned next.

In the next room, they were being guided through a lesson on baptism - both with water and with the Holy Spirit.  They learned that when we make Jesus the leader of their life (which we talk about every week) the Holy Spirit will cleanse us from our sins and then we show our church family what happened on the inside by being baptized with water in front of everyone so they can celebrate how God has made us a new, clean creation!  I had prepared a 'fat quarter' of beige cloth with 'SINNER' on it and written all sorts of sins children are familiar with all over it.  This cloth was dipped in water as the teacher talked and the words began to fade away. (she was interested in how the phrase 'IDOLOTRY - putting other things before God in our lives' was the last one to fade)  The cloth was clean.  Then each child was able to dip his/her bracelet into water and be cleansed of the sin I had marked them with.

 It was cleansing not only to their cloths, but also to their hearts.  As one child moved from my room to the snack lesson (his mother teaches it) he was crying, ran to her and clung to her and said, "I don't want to come back here any more!"  But after her lesson he felt much better and said he wasn't mad at me any more!  :)  It was intense.  We have spent the past two weeks touching on what Lent is and what it means and that it started with Ash Wednesday, but I believe I set the stage for a season of preparing for Easter in a way I have never attempted before.  God has lead me to do this with my group.  I believe there is some big growth He has in store for these kids during this season.

And I did wrap all this up at the end of the evening - we talked through the what and why of the lesson and then I showered them all with Valentine's Day gifts to let them know I love them very much.  It was a great night!  :)  And as hard as it was to be such a big meanie, if it means someone makes a step closer to understanding their need to make Jesus the leader of their life, then it was worth it...

Oh - and my teacher helper says she videotaped the whole thing, knowing what I was going to be doing.  Talk about a meanie!  That is one video I do NOT want to watch!

Venue Change?

We are two years into our church plant - two years since our family of 5 parachute-dropped into our little town.  I would love to share with you how we are averaging 200 people in church on Sunday mornings, we are totally self-supporting, that we have savings building for our next church plant in Missouri, and all sorts of other normal numbers 'wins', but that is not the case.  In the past two years, if nothing else, I have learned to count 'wins' by something other than the numbers! (but that's another blog)

So for the past two years I have been church planting.  When I go to the grocery store, I have been constantly aware of those around me - always eager for an opportunity to share God's love.  When I go to a ball game, when I attend a school meeting - always eager for the opportunities that God has been abundant in providing.  Along the way, I also developed a Children's Ministry.  Jeff was a wonderful help, but my work in Children's Ministry was always an 'also'.  I was a church planter and 'also' a children's pastor.

These past couple of weeks, with the second anniversary of our drop, I have noticed a specific shift in my life (yes, life - my ministry IS my life.  There is no 'at work' and 'off work')  I have finally become a Children's Pastor and 'also' a church planter!

Today, for the first time in many months, I woke up, ran an errand with Jeff, then went to the office and STAYED THERE ALL DAY working on nothing but things that were on my 'to do' list!  I actually got started on a project that I have had on my list for over a year!  Almost two, even!

Then, at the end of the day, I came home with NOTHING on my plate to get done ASAP - I was able to play on the internet for fun - to read a few articles on Children's Ministry - to research fun places to eat and play in Florida when we go later this month for a conference.  All unplanned.  All spontaneous.  All simply let by rest and relaxation.

My shoulders haven't been this loose in months!

I feel like I have a new job, when really, I am just more free to do the one I was created to do!  Instead of adults, I can now focus on the kids I see around me.  I can go for a walk in the park and stop to watch the kids play and share some of my 'sharing toys' I keep with me.  I can spend time meeting with school officials about how I can best serve them and the kids.

I am so excited!!!

Thank-you, God for the renewed energy and excitement even with no 'normal' changes.  Usually this kind of excitement and renewal comes with a move or a job change.  Not this time.  So wonderful!!!

What a Wonderful World This Would Be!

It's late on Sunday night/ Monday morning.  I'm working on a project for Bethany's teacher for this week - it's a tough week in most classrooms.  Only a few days left - kids are all excited and worked-up for Christmas - parents are stressed, which puts the kids even more on edge....  so I am cutting and cutting and cutting to help out and do my share.

The other day on Facebook I had a friend make a comment about how busy my schedule is - how there is always something I am working on or responsible for...  That used to be very true, but things are a little slower these days - I'm not working in the schools 40 hours a week on top of everything else like I used to do!  :)  But we still stay pretty busy around here - it's what we do - it's how God made us.

While I am working in the house, whether it is on the computer or cutting paper sacks, I like to have videos playing.  Mostly they are background noise - I pick videos I have seen before and use them more like a book on tape or an old-time radio show and listen more than watch.  I am currently into a series called 'Lie to Me'.  (Thanks, Corey....I love it!)  Tonight, while I was watching, the main character said, "You have to realize that your talent doesn't belong to you anymore!!!"  Wow.  I felt as if I had just been blown over - I really believe the Holy Spirit just 'WHOOSHED' right into me to make a point:

MY TALENTS DO NOT BELONG TO ME

I was created by God and given talents to use.  But these talents, these gifts, are not mine - they are God's gifts and talents.  He is just letting me use them..... FOR HIM!

I'm crafty.  I love to make and create.  How often do I use this talent to help someone find their way  back to God.

I tend to be insightful.  I can often 'tell' what a person is thinking or feeling even if their words are the opposite.  How often do I use this gift to help someone find their way back to God?

I have a lot of training for working with children with disabilities.  I have a lot of training for working with parents.  How often do I use this training to help someone find their way back to God?

Isn't that what we are supposed to be doing with the gifts and talents and opportunities God gives us?  We were created by God - we were all once with Him.  Finding our way back to Him is the most precious thing that can happen in our lives.  Are we sharing that goal, that journey, with those around us?  Are we helping others find THEIR way back to God?

I do a little - I like to help out at school because I am drawn to kids - because I have a better chance of finding out ways I can use my gifts and talents to help - because I can cheer and encourage the teachers and staff through small gifts and smiles.

What would it look like if we all used our gifts and talents this way?  What if I kept that goal at the FRONT of my thoughts instead of the back of my mind?  The line of a song is running through my head.... "What a wonderful world this would be...."

God's Beauty Found in a Halloween Costume

Isn't this the most precious thing?!?!  I missed it the first time, but there is even a little dog sitting next to the little girl dressed as a bumblebee!

When I saw this, first I just went, "AWWWWW!"  Then I heard all kinds of thoughts go through my head - how this image just screams out what a wonderful job this couple is doing raising their little girl and how this family costume says it all.

I'm a person who likes to put abstract ideas into concrete images, so let me share what I saw in this picture.

There sits little Violet.  Yes, her name is really Violet!  (hence, the costumes!)  Violet is a fragile, beautiful, precious little thing that God brought into this couple's life.  I know He was thinking of these two beautiful people as He created Violet - He had to have been!

Now, I could go on all day about this family, and I intend to talk about them a lot, but I want to start by talking about flowers - especially violets - and what they need to survive.

Flowers need water - plain and simple.  They cannot survive without it.  It keeps them supple, yet it gives them the strength they need to stand tall and stand strong in the world they face every day.  Without good, clean water a flower cannot process its food.

Flowers need sunlight - they cannot survive without the sun.  Sunlight and water combine within a flower to produce the food it needs to live.  Without the sun a vulnerable flower cannot grow to it's potential - it cannot become the flower God intended for it.  If it survives at all, it would be weak and pale and nothing at all like its intended beauty.

Flowers also need bees.  Yuck!  But it's true.  Bees take bits of the sweet goodness that is within the flower and share it with other flowers so they all can grow and reproduce.  The one flower itself does not need the bee to live and be beautiful, but to be all it was intended, a flower needs a bee.

God provided these things for this beautiful Violet when He sent her to this couple!

Look at mom - a watering can.  I remember when she left the job she loved as a teacher.   Almost overnight, she walked away from her career when God put Violet in their life.  She refocused her life for Violet.  This mom literally is pouring her life into this beautiful little girl.  Every day she spends her time making sure Violet get what she needs.  Mom's whole life is focused on one thing right now:  that Violet is taken care of.

I love how Mom is dressed AS the watering can, not just holding the watering can.  This isn't a role she can put down and walk away from - this is who she is at the moment.  This role she has chosen is one that she doesn't set down when it gets heavy or difficult - it is who she is.  Her role doesn't end when she leaves Violet in others' hands for a while.  She is still Violet's main lifestrength.  What she is pouring into this little one is making her strong and allowing all the wonderfulness in her life to sink down into the core of who she is and who she will become.  Without this wonderful water, Violet could never take what is provided for her to its full use.

Then there is Dad dressed as the sun.  What a wonderful provider he is to be able to allow Mom to stay home with Violet.  He makes sure she has all she needs - shelter, food, and lots of love.  I think I've only met Dad in passing once or twice, but I know that he is doing great things for his family.  His love and care, protection, and hard work are providing the basics necessary for mom to be able to pour all of herself into this beautiful Violet to help her grow into a strong woman.

And Violet needs her dad.  More and more, research is showing how important a dad is to a child's life.  Dads are the ones who instill modesty into a young girl.  Dads are the backbone.  Dads bring the morals.  Moms grow them and refine them, but those basics are actually brought in by the dads.  Dads are lifeshapers!  Just as the sun is needed to make a flower all that it was intended to be, so a dad will bring out all a child is intended to be. 

Then we bring in the little bee... what a cute little thing.  And what an awesome first friend for Violet.  This little dog will help teach Violet how to be a good friend - how to spread her love for her family and her love for God to others around her.  As Violet grows she will learn to be gentle, to sometimes give space to those around her when they need it, to spend time with, and to care for others in her life.  This little dog will help her learn to look outside of herself to see others and how she can help care for them. 

Then there is just the overall beauty of the picture.  All these elements working together to not only create a beautiful flower, but also a beautiful picture of life.  This is a family working to create beauty in their child and those around them.  As this mom and dad work to raise Violet, their care will spill over into their neighborhood and town, making it healthier and better.  It makes me want to live next door!

Oh, if only God guided the hands of all those around us, what a beautiful world we would life in!  That just challenges me all the more to shine strong and water abundantly - to do what God has asked me to do in such a way that I strengthen those in my care, spill over into the world around me, and choke out the weeds around me through His love!

I challenge you, moms and dads, to take a moment to ponder your role in the lives of your children.  None of us is perfect, but how are you doing, really, being sunlight and water for your kids?  Allow God to speak to you.  He may give you a big 'Well Done!" or he may give you a nudge.  Listen to Him.  And remember - the lives you are pouring into right now will shape the world in the future.  Love on those kiddos - it makes all the world a better place! 

Spiritual Growth

I have to begin this blog by stating how awesomely wonderful it is to have a youth leader at RFamily!  Alex has been such a wonderful addition to the staff.  His enthusiasm alone is growing the group!  He has volunteers just lined-up to help and he is constantly thinking and working on his next group, event, plan... just always on it!

So last night at youth group (I got to be there to help one of my Jungle students with special needs transition from The Jungle to Youth) the topic was FASTING - that wonderful/horrible thing we do (along with prayer - don't forget the prayer - it's supposed to be part of it, remember?!?!!?!?) to help us grow spiritually.  The kids really got it.  It was great.  The main focus was media over food, but all was discussed.  I heard several things.  No pressure to fast, just the idea.  Many are fasting something or other.  One is fasting 'Sims' and 'Facebook'.  Another is fasting texting.  Another is fasting TV time.  They each knew what they were supposed to fast.  God is really good about letting you know that when it's time and He wants you to do it.

So there I am, smiling to myself, thinking about when I was at that stage - those first few fasts I did and how awesome I felt.  I thought about how much I have grown spiritually since then.  In fact, I had a chance to really sit back for a few minutes and think about how far my walk with God has come in the past decade and be amazed at how different my life is today!

This morning God said to me, "So, what are you doing now?"

"Well, I'm planting a church, God," I answered.

"That is ok, but what are you doing NOW?" He pressed.

"OH!  You mean spiritually!" I realized.  Oops!  I mean, I know I haven't been reading my Bible as much as I used to, but I'm really busy with the church plant.  I know I haven't had a regular quiet time in a while, but I'm really busy with the church plant and my kids!  I know I haven't done many of the things You have asked me to do, but I'm really busy with the church plant and my kids and the house!

"STOP!" I heard.  Uh Oh.  I did it again.  Excuses, excuses.  Pride.

Last night I sat and watched these kids put themselves under God's authority to be able to grow closer to Him.  I sat and remembered that stage of MY life as if I had arrived!  I looked back on where I had been as if I had arrived somewhere!  I looked back and felt PRIDE at how far I had come as if I were finished!

"What an idiot!" I thought.  (about myself, not God)

Now, I haven't taken any horrible turn down some dark pathway to hell.  I am not a complete and totally lost sinner.  I just got off in the weeds a bit and needed a turn back on path with my thinking.

But how often to we get to that point?!?  How many of us who call ourselves Christians fall into that rut of 'The Arrived' as we grow?  When someone asks us to teach, when we are voted onto a board or committee, when we begin to take on leadership roles - it's so easy to fall into that human mode of 'I have arrived!' and fill our time and energy on the roles and just gloss over and hurry through the important time of prayer and Bible study!

When we take on more and more leadership roles and spend less and less time following, we can forget how to do it.  Leading takes a lot of time and attention.  If it something God has gifted us with, then we tend to become obsessive about it- it consumes us.  But we cannot forget to follow.  We cannot forget that we are FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST first and Leaders of followers of Christ second!

We must remain followers.

But to follow someone we have to be close.  We have to have communication.  To follow Jesus we have to spend significant time in the Bible and in prayer.

What about you?  Are you reading?  Are you praying?  If I asked you today where you read the day before, could you tell me?  If I asked you what prayers of yours had been answered lately could you tell me?

It's a challenge.  It's a life change.  It's where we all need to be.

I hope you are able to take some time today and sit with God and let Him talk to you about your walk with Him.  Only He can tell you what you need to hear.  We don't often like to hear what He has to say, but it's only for our own good.

Walk That Someone Back to God

Last night during Youth Group I got to do a heartwarming thing - I got to help a young autistic man join the youth group and take the first step to overcoming some of his fears.

It started out in the van.  He didn't want to come in.  The other kids are big!  It was a new situation.  I believe there has also been another experience with a youth group that didn't go very well, so we had that to overcome, too.

I used my new iPhone apps to reward him for entering the building.  He was willing to enter if he could play those games.  We sat in chairs near the door and played for a while.  We stood in the doorway to Youth Group and played a little while.

Now he wanted to do something on one of the apps that meant another level - I used it to get him inside the room, then again, used another level to get him to sit with the group.

Now, this whole time he is not paying ANY attention to what is going on around him.  He is totally and absolutely engrossed in the games, and avoiding the group in his own way.  Is this how I want it to be each week, of course not!  Next week the play is to enter the building with no tears or fighting so that he can play on my phone.  The next week we will make a new challenge to work for.  Each week will bring him closer and closer to interaction, then we will work on social skills within the group.

You may think that this is a lot of work to go through for a kid.  It is.  But it is exactly what each of us should be doing for those around us every day!  This guy I am working with has an identified condition that causes his resistance, but the people you work with and shop with and live near have their resistances too!  Why don't they come into a church?

I visited with a waitress while on her break who said her husband is extremely bright and a strong believer, but won't step foot in a church - why? - judgment.  He is highly tattooed and doesn't want to be judged.  He has been judged.  He has reason for his resistance.  What do we do to reach this man?

Church-goers have been labeled many things by those who are resistant - hypocritical - judgmental - weak - fools - fanatics - the list goes on.  How do we reach these people?  How do we get them to make the first step of getting through the front door without losing them the same week through the back door?

Relationship

Time

Hard Work

Just like the work I did with my young friend last night, we all need to work to reach those in our area of influence!  Build relationships with the unsaved!  Spend time with them doing what they like (to a limit, of course!)  Get to know them.  Find out what they like and dislike.  Get to know their idiosyncrasies and their strengths.  I had spent time with my friend and knew a little bit about him.  I knew what some of his like and dislikes were and where he is strong and some of what will make him more uneasy.  I used these things while I worked with him.

Time - spend time not only with them, but in preparing and planning.  I downloaded apps to help my friend.  I spoke to mom.  I arrived early so I would be there when he arrived.  I thought through a plan of attack and some alternatives to turn to.  You, too, can prepare and plan.  Use your knowledge of the person to plan an event at church that will allow him/her to interact with the local church community without stress.  Take advantage of needs - ask him/her to help with an outreach event or a service project where the skills he/she possesses can be an asset.

Hard Work - one time is not going to do it.  Once inside the door your job is not done.  Continue to walk beside and stretch your friend little by little.  Some people are touched and make large gains immediately upon spending time in the presence of the Holy Spirit, but most are going to sit and soak it all up a little at a time.  First get them in the door.  God will work from there as long as your relationship and time continue.  For my friend, it may take until summer to get him to a point where he is comfortable entering, interacting, and paying attention to the teaching and the other kids.  Your friend may take more time or less time - but you have to be willing to continue the hard work of prayer, relationship, and time to get the job done.

So I challenge you - pray and ask God to help you pick a person - pray - begin to cultivate a relationship - pray - and work through the resistances and walk that person back to God.  You will never be sorry for the time you spend!

Protesting Republic

Interesting.  It is very interesting to read the latest reports about the Republic School District and all the commotion.  I see the correct words in the articles - "alleged" and the like - but the tone of the articles conveys the message that the accusers are correct, completely in the right, and fully truthful.

What makes me wonder about these allegations is the timing.

This summer, the Republic School Board voted to take a couple of books out of it's curriculum and libraries (Twenty Boy Summer and Slaughterhouse Five) after a complain from a parent.  Another book was also on the parent's list, Speak, but this book is still in the curriculum - in fact, my freshman son will be reading it in his English class this year.

When I was reading about the bans this summer, I learned that the district used the opportunity to create a process through which a book would go through for these type of decisions.  I do not know the process, but the idea is that it gives an approximation to what age level the book is appropriate.  If a book is considered to be appropriate for high school students in general, then it is left in the school.  If it is considered to be appropriate for college-aged or older, then it is taken out.  This doesn't mean that there aren't students who would be fine reading these books because they are mature or whatnot, only that IN GENERAL a book is geared to a basic age group.

When this system was applied to the books in question, two were taken out and one was left in.  This is a system that can be used over and over, no matter what leadership is in place.  It should be able to be used by teachers, parents, and administration alike, all coming to similar conclusions.  (I hope, anyway)

Now comes the girl.

Two years later.

Do we have all the facts here?  I have questions.  Why so long for a news story?  Why now?  Why didn't this family go to the news two years ago?  One year ago?  Why now?

Now comes the boy.

This one just came out today, I believe.

Another special education student.  More questions.  Again, I ask, "Why now?"

And I believe I know the answer.  I hate the answer.  Really - I hate it.  I hate that it's probably true and that these young, unsuspecting children and their families are being used, but I believe it's true.

It's the ACLU.

In an article I read this summer I read that the ACLU was gearing up for the charge.  I read that they were preparing.  I believe this is what they have dug up - are digging up - will continue to dig up.

They have had to dig deep.  They have had to resort to finding fragile families who may not realize what is happening.  They have not reported with documentation - they have reported with allegations.  They have not reported with fact, only libel.

Now don't get me wrong - I'm not standing up and stating that the Republic School District is perfect and free of all wrongdoing - these allegations may be totally true.  I just really believe that there is more behind the timing of the allegations that we are being led to believe.

Wait with me.

Watch with me.

Keep you mind open.

We will see.

And please do not use these allegations all over the news to taint your view or treatment of the staff in our schools.  Over all the years, with all the teachers, these are the two problems that have surfaced.  Teachers and staff do not work in schools for the money - they work for the love of the children.  Remember that, and support your child's teachers with enthusiasm.

The Republic School District has prepared a Public Statement.  You can find it here:  http://www.republicschools.org/home
In all fairness to this very serious situation in our schools, I pray that you will read and consider both sides.

In the Beginning

It has been an amazing few weeks - giving definite confirmation that God is behind RFamily and leading the way!
Let me take you back to June last year when we first came to Republic to pray over God's leading.  During our visit, God led us to an empty storefront on the north end of town and clearly led us to housing on the north end.  When final decisions had been made, Jeff made another trip down with new eyes.  The empty site had been rented, which was a disappointment, but we both knew God was in control.  Sure enough - as we searched, visited, and prayed over sites, we kept returning to that original storefront.  Then one day last week Jeff noticed that the current renter was moving out and made the important phone call - sure enough - it was available.  We knew it was a gift from God so we jumped on it!  Last Wednesday evening we began moving in.  Then the REAL whirlwind began!
When we moved-in, I noticed that the next-door business had a dog grooming as a side, so I went to check it out and met a great lady who owns the place - she has been awesome about encouraging us and has introduced us to several potential people we can help and reach!  So through her we have added 8 new contacts into our database - with more to come as we get contact information!
THEN - we went looking for office panels - you know the ones... the cubicle walls.  Jeff thought he had a lead, but it fell through, so we went searching again and found SUCH a deal!  A used place had a lot of older walls they wanted to get rid of, so we grabbed it!  $100 for what ended up being 34 panels!  Quite a deal considering that most used panels are running around that much just for ONE!
Oh - and I forgot the deal of 4 matching chairs (just need some paint on wood to match colors) for just $20!
Then we went to Lowe's to buy paint and were able to purchase upper-grade premium paint for the cost of the lower-grade paint!  Because it is so deep in color, it is taking 2 coats, but I can't even imagine how many coats the other paint would have taken!!!
Then today, when we went to church at a sister church in Springfield, the people were so absolutely welcoming!  The leadership team of the church had been informed that we were coming, so it was much easier than it could have been.  Many people seem to believe that their members who live in Republic will switch, but we tried to make it very clear that we weren't going to try or expect that.  We also got the name of a family (from the grandma) to pursue LOL  AND the youth team is expecting us on Wednesday nights - they want to 'be' our youth group while we get going.
I am just so overwhelmed by the blessings God is sending our way - I feel so absolutely wonderful and special to be able to be a part of His plans!
Please continue to pray for us - the hard work is just getting going.  We will haul the kids up to Springfield for Youth and Kids groups on Wednesday night and we will begin our Family Groups this Sunday night.  Here we go!  Time to hang on for the ride!