Are You Writing?

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

-- Hebrews 10:24-25

I’m writing this because a thirteen-year-old called my cell phone at ten o’clock last night. Had he not done so, I would surely be doing something else. But he called. So, here I am.

This requires some explanation. Let me back up.

Several weeks ago, following a sermon on investing in eternal things, my Ever-Lovin’ Wife (ELW) led our small group in a prayer exercise. We were to ask God if there was something He wanted us to invest in, either with our time or our money, and then to listen for His response. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and began to pray silently.

Instantly, I knew what God wanted me to do. He wanted me to write. Devotionals, blogging, curriculum, sermons…my books. He wanted me to invest in writing for Him.

I felt anxious, agitated. “But God,” I replied, “I don’t have time to write. If I were to do that, I’d have to give up some of my relaxation time. I’d have to watch less TV! You know how much TV means to me!”

Looking back on it, this reply seems somewhat childish and awfully silly. But in that moment, it seemed true. I had been convicted by the Holy Spirit to do something that I had no desire to do, and I felt angry that God would even ask. By God’s grace, I shared this experience with my small group and asked them to pray that God would change my heart.

Weeks went by, and despite my small group community’s prayers and encouragement, still no writing. But I could sense God softening my heart toward the idea. I went from loathing at the thought of it, to begrudging acceptance that it was a good idea, to some sort of vaguely eager anticipation of it. I even came up with a plan for how writing might occur. Each night after putting ELW to bed (I’m still tucking her in after twelve years of marriage), I would spend the next hour writing. It was specific, measurable, and not overly ambitious. In other words, it was perfect.

Except for one thing. I didn’t do it.

Enter my thirteen-year-old friend, Tyler Crane. Tyler is in the 8^th grade guys small group that I lead at church. Last weekend several folks from our youth group, including Tyler and me, attended a local Summer Camp in the foothills. There, we heard a message on Ephesians 5:15-16 about making the most of the short time we have on earth, spending it doing things with eternal ramifications. Again, God brought my writing to mind. I mentioned this conviction with my 8^th grade guys, both during our car ride home and at youth group this week, in an effort to model transparency. But God had more in store.

After youth group, Tyler came up to me and said, “So, your plan is to write after your wife goes to bed each night?”

“That’s right,” I said.

“So, what time does she go to bed?"

“Oh, between 9:30 and 9:45 I suppose.”

"So…if I called you at 10:00, you should be writing when I called, right?”

I hesitated. I could see where this was going. “Yeah, I guess that’s right.”

“Okay. I’ll call you tonight.”

And he did. At 10pm. On the dot.

I answered, “Hi, Tyler.”

Three words came back in response: “Are you writing?”

That was last night. I did write last night, though I was working on a Seminary project, and as my wonderful ELW reminded me this evening, God did not tell me He wants me to invest more time in getting my homework done.

And so tonight, I’m writing this.

I’m writing this to say that I now have a real life example of what the author of Hebrews means when he commands us to “spur one another on.” Spurring is aggressive encouragement. Help that can’t be ignored. A ten o’clock phone call to find out if you’re writing. That’s being spurred on. That’s love.

I’m writing this to say that while God filled the powder keg of inspiration and conviction that has led me to write, it was Tyler Crane who lit the match. (Tonight, I was three paragraphs in when he called. I don’t know what I’ll be in the midst of tomorrow night, but I know I’ll be writing something!)

I’m writing this to ask you if someone in your life needs this kind of spurring on. Maybe you need it yourself. For me, being spurred on is a nightly phone call and a simple question. What would it look like for you, or for the ones you love?

Because, if we’re honest, we all have times in our lives when what we really need is for someone to call us and ask, “Are you writing?”

Here's the Kicker

My friend, former student, bass mentor, and fellow Dr. Pepper lover, Cory Kick has started a blog of his own. His first post examines why we have lost sight of the Great Commission.

Cory is a deeply thoughtful and insightful young man, and I encourage you to listen to what he has to say.

Check it out here.

Peace in the Midst

Hello, Friends.

Katherine has been doing a masterful job of keeping everyone up to date on our situation, and I appreciate her efforts greatly. But I thought it was time for me to share a few words of my own with you all.

As I write this, I am sitting at my dining room table, on the verge of my last weekend at Fair Oaks Church. And while there is certainly a measure of sadness and grief in my heart, the overwhelming emotion within me is peace.

Peace because I know that I am loved, first and foremost by our Heavenly Father, but also by the good people of Fair Oaks, the students in the ministry there, and countless friends and family members who have called and e-mailed these past few weeks.

Peace because I sense that the students of Fair Oaks have understood my heart; my passion for God's Word, my commitment to discipleship and spiritual formation, and my desire for them to make their faith their own.

Peace because many of the students have heeded that call. Just this month, the Student Leadership Team (a group of 12 or so high schoolers) decided to meet on their own, without adult prompting, to discuss the future of the ministry after I leave. The result of that meeting was a decision to fast and pray together. And so they did. They met together, fasted for 36 hours, shared life, and prayed for one another and for the ministry. In the face of difficulty, they chose to draw close to the Lord, to seek His face before doing anything else. There is a reason why God chose them to be leaders of this ministry, and I could not be more proud of them.

Peace because God's hand of provision is already on display. Katherine landed a great job in only three weeks of looking in the midst of the worst job market we've ever seen. God is clearly taking care of us.

Peace because I look forward to what's next, whatever that may be. Katherine and I feel pretty sure that a return to full-time school in the fall is the right move. Taking a couple of years out to finish my Seminary degree will give me the break I need from ministry to get well, and it will prepare me for a return to full-time ministry down the road. No matter where the Lord leads us, I am optimistic about this time of healing, reflection, and preparation.

Peace because I have an amazing and godly wife. Katherine is my best friend. She is a woman who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. She yearns for more of Jesus in her life and in the lives of those around her. And she has been so very good to me through my struggles with depression. Her hope, her faith, her belief in me, will me forward when I feel like I can't go on. She reminds me when I forget that God has given me a gift to preach. She supports me, and comforts me, and loves me. I am blessed among men to have Katherine for my wife.

Peace because I trust Jesus. In the past, I have quit jobs for Him. I sold my house for Him. I followed Him all the way around the world. I have held orphans for Him, preached in dirt streets running with sewage for Him, and been insulted for Him. I have had my heart broken for Him more than once. And I would do it all again. He has never steered me wrong, never put me to shame, never abandoned me. And He won't this time either.

Thanks again for all of your warmth, prayers, love, and suport. I promise to try to write more in the days and weeks to come.

The Year in Pictures: 2008

January


When our JHers left the classroom and made a real difference in our neighbors' lives, they made "Love Your Neighbor" one of the best Sunday School classes we've ever done.

February


Oh Pizza Pucks, how I miss you. I'm so glad I got to enjoy you one last time, before the last shop that sells you closed its doors. Without you, the world seems a little sadder.

March


These five girls on my New Orleans team learned valuable lessons over the spring break mission trip about love, community, support, and prayer. They inspire me, and I am still learning from them.

April


It took us a while, but we finally found "our place" in the area: Napa Valley. Close enough for a day trip, but far enough away to feel like a whole different world. This picture is the garden at Copia (they actually use ingredients from their garden for the food in their restaurant!) I can't wait to get back!

May


We enjoyed our first camping trip with the Bonus; showing off our favorite sights in Yosemite as well as exhaustedly scrambling to the top of Yosemite Falls, one of the ten highest in the world (this pic is proof we made it to the top!).

June


We cheered on Molly as she crossed the stage at graduation. Two weeks later we cheered as she crossed a hospital room on her own two legs; praising God for the miraculous recovery from a (temporarily) paralyzing fall.

July


After 2 1/2 years of prayer, God blessed us by allowing us to bring a team back to work with our Guatemalan family in Lake Atitlan. (and yes, that's Molly right there with us!)

August


We were thrilled to join our friends the Berrys for a weekend getaway to a cabin in Lake Tahoe. One of my favorite parts of that trip was this hike down to Emerald Bay.

September


I tried my hand at wedding photography, and though I found it more challenging than expected, I really enjoyed the day. I'm so glad I could support my friends by helping them to capture special memories!

October


October saw the return of one of our favorite annual traditions: candy poker night!

November


As part of our annual 30 Hour Famine event, our students not only raised $3000 to send to World Vision, but gathered 200 pounds of food for the Monument Crisis Center, a local food bank.

December


Fellowship means celebration: here we are enjoying a Christmas party with the small group we joined last September. We've been so blessed by the friendships of these other young couples over the past three months.

As I look back over the highlights of these past twelve months, it's easy to see certain themes emerge: ministry, travel, and friends. I am so grateful to God for all the gifts and opportunities He's given me. I am thankful for the special people who have brought joy and meaning into my life. And I look ahead with wonder, with anticipation for what God will bring my way in 2009.

Max's Thoughts on World Hunger and Poverty

The following is a note from one of our students, a young man in the 10th grade named Max. He is being challenged to really live out his faith in a meaningful way. This is exactly why we do things like the 30 Hour Famine:

So recently (as in since the 30 hour famine at my church), I've been thinking a lot about world hunger and poverty. I feel like I'm finally beginning to comprehend what's really going on everywhere in the world...except here. Because like every year when we're preparing for the 30 hour famine, we just hear over and over "kids die every day of hunger" and "other countries are divided into classes and it's so unfair" and stuff like that. But for some reason, it has really made me think a lot recently.

Like it's just so hypocritical how I can stuff myself on Thanksgiving and say I'm a Christian. Aren't we as Christians supposed to feed the hungry, not just live in our bubble to please ourselves? And I'm just satisfying myself and going beyond what I need in order to be full just because I can. And like every day, I'll look through the cupboards for something to eat, and I'm not even hungry. And whatever I see I usually turn down because "I don't feel like having it right now". If people in, I don't know, Swaziland had all the variety that I had, they would be ecstatic. I just take it all for granted.

And grocery stores. I don't think I realize that I have so much because I'm so used to it. Do I ever wonder when my next meal will come? Do I ever question if the grocery store will be out of food next time I go there?

26,000 children die each day of hunger. That's a child dying every 3 seconds 24/7. And that doesnt't include adults or teenagers. How can I not be thinking about that constantly? Why am I not weeping for those children? Why don't I do something about it?

And just watching television disgusts me. There are all these advertisements for cars and crap like that. So many people around the world couldn't afford that no matter how they tried. And I'm worried that I won't be able to use one of our two cars when I get my license.

And I never wonder how we're going to pay for all our expenses. I know that the money comes from the two and a half solid jobs that my parents have. And we have tons of money leftover for so much extra. What do we mean when we say "money will be tight this month"? We can't go out to eat for a month? So many people around the world live on an incredible amount less than us. What if we just cut some more stuff out? It's so unfair how children in Africa have to go work in the fields at the age of 5. And many girls become prostitutes at 8 or 9 just so they can make money to live. Then that just helps spread HIV.

Then I start thinking: Why was I born in America, the richest country ever? It was only by chance that I happened to be born here. Only 300 million people live here. There were like 200 other countries I could have been born into. I don't think I realize how lucky I am.

So I encourage you guys to think about and pray for the rest of the world. Because we DO live in a big, sheltered bubble. And there's so much bad stuff that we don't even know about in the rest of the world. Realize that we are very blessed indeed and that God will expect us to use the situations he's given us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and tell others about Jesus.

30 Hour Famine Report

As reported in the Oakleaf:

Two weeks ago, 45 junior high and high school students went without food for 30 hours to raise money to fight world hunger, and to fast and pray on behalf of the hungry. During the fast, students engaged in service projects, played games, worshipped through song, and even got in some ballroom dancing!

Including the individual donations collected by students, the Sunday bake sale ran by our junior highers, and the "Get Off My Lawn" fundraiser our high school students came up with, Fair Oaks students raised approximately $2000 that will go to World Vision, the foremost Christian relief agency in the world today.


Our primary service project was a trip to Love-A-Child, a shelter for homeless women and their children in Bay Point. We piled out of our van caravan and were immediately put to work. Within minutes, kids were mixing concrete, painting walls, consolidating and stacking ceramic tiles, and shoveling gravel. Students also cooked and served lunch to the ladies and their kids, all while not eating themselves.


In the latter hours of the fast, students went out into the neighborhood surrounding the church in teams to collect food donations for the Monument Crisis Center. In little over an hour, they gathered three huge boxes full of food.

Students broke the fast with a feast of marinated chicken, tortillas, beans and rice.

Special thanks are due to the many adults who supported our students through donations, prayer, and volunteering their time during our 30 Hour Famine event.

30 Hour Famine Fundraisers

30 Hour Famine is an annual event sponsored by World Vision, with the goal of raising awareness and money to fight world hunger.

Last year was the first time the Fair Oaks youth group did the famine, and I am thrilled to report that our youth have caught the vision!

We already have about 40 youth signed up to participate, and they are preparing for this weekend's 30 hour event by planning their own fundraisers.

The junior highers put together and ran their own bakesale, selling off freshly baked cookies, brownies, and pies, with all donations going to World Vision. All credit goes to Spencer, an 8th grader who came up with the idea, then organized everyone involved! (I found out later that this may have been the very 1st bakesale in Fair Oaks Church history!)





The high schoolers came up with their own creative idea: taking over people's lawns! For donations, you can send a group of fun-loving teenagers to hang out on your friend's lawn! Or, for a donation, you can purchase insurance to keep said teenagers OFF your lawn!

I had no idea what the response would be to this idea, but our whole church has really gotten a kick out of it, and much has been raised towards our cause.



I look forward to reporting back next week how much our group has raised!

Art Imitating Life...

Tuesday night, we started a new lesson series with our junior highers on the book of Psalms. Gary kicked it off with an unusual exercise designed to get the kids thinking about their own own experiences and emotions and how they might relate those to others (as the Psalms are extremely honest and passionate).

He instructed them to spend approximately eight minutes drawing a picture that represents their life. With junior highers, it would be impossible to guess what this challenge might produce. How can anyone, really, sum up their life in eight minutes on one sheet of paper?

When Gary called time, I walked around the room and was blown away by our kids' ability to capture their lives - a snapshot, if you will, of the middle school experience. If any of you out there have junior highers, or work in junior high ministry, I am sure you will appreciate these as much as I did:

















Do any of these remind you of your own junior high years?

Bringing it All Home

What I'm taking home with me from this year's National Youth Worker's Convention:

Starfield song: Reign in Us

Starfield led worship for two days at the convention, and I was greatly blessed by a new song called Reign in Us. I had to buy their cd I Will Go at the convention, and have been playing it nonstop. Not only that, but Gary looked online and found lyrics and chords. So... we're learning to play it! Yay!

Oh great and mighty one, with one desire we come,
That you would reign, that you would reign in us,
We're offering up our lives, a living sacrifice,
That you would reign, that you would reign in us

Mark Yaconelli: Slow Club

During one of the general sessions, Mark talked about how his (four year old) son had invented, and was thereby president of, a 'slow club'. This club has two rules: No hurrying, and no running.

Though Mark was endlessly aggravated by the amount of time it took to get his son to pre-school in the morning, he was convicted when his son finally convinced him to join the slow club for a day. Mark was amazed at how much he was able to notice and respond to once he had slowed down his ingrained busyness.

Well, you don't need to twist my arm. I'm all about the slow club! And I often wonder what life would be like if our friends and family and neighbors joined the slow club too... I think we would be a lot less stressed out, and a lot friendlier. Any other slow clubbers out there?

Shane Claiborne: Are you a Christian?

I was blessed to have the opportunity to hear Shane speak twice over the weekend. Both times he challenged us with the passage of scripture where John the Baptist's disciples go to Jesus to ask if he is indeed the awaited Messiah. It would have been very easy for Jesus, at that time, to answer with a straightforward "Yup".

But, he didn't. He instructs them, rather, to go back to JtB and 'report what you have seen and heard'. Meaning, Jesus' actions were sufficient to define his identity.

Shane put the question to us then, "If someone asks if you are a Christian, are you able to turn the question back to them and say, 'tell me what you see'? Can we confidently say, 'Ask the poor if I'm a Christian. Ask my enemies.'"? Will our identity be confirmed by our actions? Ooh, this question gives me goosebumps.

Genesis Diez: Possible Mission Trip Opportunity


During my sojourn through the endless exhibit hall (I never made it all the way through), I encountered a friendly couple who live in Mexico and facilitate short-term teams to come work with needy kids. I've been keeping my eyes open for a good opportunity for the families in our church to serve together, and I found that this may be the perfect kind of project for us.

During the summer, the Genesis ranch in Ensenada invites orphanages to bring their kids for a one-week summer camp. Volunteers come in to help run the camp, and each volunteer is assigned one or two 'amigos' that they bond with over the course of the week. It sounds like a very relational ministry, with opportunities for all ages to participate. I hope that this, or something like this, will work out for our church for next summer.

Stone and Water: Releasing the Burden of Personal Responsibility


Probably the most important time for me during this convention was my stop in the prayer room. On the first day, I was making the mad dash to my session when I ended up in a quiet, darkened room full of prayer stations. I had the wrong room number in mind - I think God was just trying to get my attention before I went running into another session. So of course, I had to stop and pray before I moved on.

I went to a prayer station that involved a table covered with stones and a large bucket of water. The instructions stated to pick up a stone, and pray about a burden you've been carrying. When you're ready, release the stone into the water, and prayerfully release your burden unto the Lord.

Though I was feeling a significant amount of emotional weight, it took me quite a while to identify the burden that I was carrying. Finally, as I prayed, I began to see how much pressure I've been putting on myself. Pressure to do good, get it right, be a good example, save the world. I love the Lord so much, but serving Him should not bring this much stress!

I realized that I need to release the burden of my sense of personal responsibility. Not give up being responsible, but to relax and enjoy the freedom and joy available in this life. Ugh, that just feels so unspiritual to me! But being spiritual sometimes means trusting God to direct your steps. And perfect trust means no anxiety.

So, I took a breath, and let the stone slip from my hand. It sank quickly to the bottom of the water, and I stared at it for a few moments. Then, I turned around, and peacefully strolled out of the room with a smile on my face and lightness in my heart.

Portrait of a Disciple

Discipleship is a huge passion of mine - I believe it's what our role in the Christian life is all about. About a year ago (to the day!), I posted this while imagining what modern discipleship could look like. I think y'all are due for an update.

I'll start with an excerpt from my post: "Late-night ramblings of a would-be disciple-maker"

Imagine…

if we chose to share a home with a disciple, intentionally sharing all aspects of our life with them? It would be costly… maybe we couldn't spend so much time at work, pouring into a career. Less time to spend on self-fulfilling hobbies. We’d have to develop our own faith, make it worthy of sharing. Maybe get a little flexible with the definitions of “mine” and “yours”.

What if...

over dinner, we dreamed together of what could happen in our church, our community? What if we shared our God-given passions and encouraged one another to follow them shamelessly? What if, over breakfast, we prayed and devoted ourselves to living out His call?

...The question is, are there people out there that would be interested in being the disciplee in such an intense relationship? If I (or anybody) actually offered this up, would there be any takers? I do believe there would be. Not everyone, sure, but a few. And those are the ones I want to pour into.

One year later, I'm proud to say that I took my own challenge. And every day I marvel at how God has blessed our family because of our openness.

Molly graduated from high school last June, and moved into our home immediately following our Guatemala mission trip in July (she was one of the partcipants). So, how's it been going?

Molly and I meet regularly to read God's word and pray together. No, we're not perfect at this, but we've seen great blessings come out of these times. And that's not it!

We sing praise songs together. We laugh (a lot). We challenge one another. We help her with her math homework (ok, that one's all Gary!). We discuss ministry, church, what Christian community could be. We make up silly songs. We dream about Africa, about caring for orphans in Swaziland. In essence, we're living shared life. "Doing life together", as I've heard some say.

Would this work for everyone? I think it depends. What makes it so successful here, I think, is Molly's desire to grow and to contribute. She is pursuing her relationship with God wholeheartedly, which is a beautiful thing to see in anyone.

God has placed in her a heart for missions, and has given her the incredible opportunity to serve as a First Year Missionary in Swaziland. She'll be leaving next September to serve a nine-month internship.

She will be a light in a dark place, ministering to the poor, caring for AIDS orphans, truly caring for the least of these. I am honored to be her prayer/accountability partner, supporting her from back home while she's on the field. I know that God will work through her in a mighty way, and I am humbled to be a part of it.


"The Fam-Bam"

NYWC Day #1

I'm sitting in my hotel room, ready for bed and settled in after a great first day at the National Youth Workers Convention in Sacramento.

This is the 6th time Gary and I have attended this convention, and it's always surprisingly refreshing to me how safe and free I feel alongside thousands of other youth workers. So, I come here seeking not just practical training, but spiritual refreshment in the arms of Jesus. Seriously, our joint times of worship are so sweet, I can't help but look forward to heaven.

A major highlight of the day was the exhortational teaching from Bishop Sherwood Carthen on the importance of a wilderness experience in the life of a leader. He referred to Matthew 4:1, which describes Jesus being led by the Spirit into the desert. Jesus' experience there in the desert was not easy: he was extremely hungry while fasting, and the devil showed up to tempt him mercilessly.


How many times do we ourselves experience times of need or frustration, and immediately look to place blame on God or feel sorry for ourselves? Perhaps, like in the life of Jesus, God wants to allow us to experience hard things to prepare us for the ministry he has in store for us ahead. Perhaps God is saying 'wait, I have better things waiting for you, trust me'.

Those of you who know me or have been following this blog are aware that I've been struggling with these feelings of frustration - I really felt challenged during Bishop Sherwood's teaching to obey that still, small voice saying "wait", to embrace brokenness, to trust God, that He has me right where I need to be right now. Only God can work through such a provocative challenge to bring peace.

Thank you, Lord.

Sacramento, Here We Come!

After a wonderful week-long vacation with friends in Hawaii, we're doing a quick turnaround and heading back out to spend the weekend in Sacramento for the National Youth Workers Convention.

I'll be blogging from the convention, than plan to post about the Hawaii trip once we're back home, complete with pictures.

On My Mind

So, this has turned out to be a month of not much blogging. There's been so much going on it's kind of taken back seat for a while. But not to fear, I haven't given up completely. Just to keep you in the loop, here's just a smidgen of what's been rolling around my mind:

- Hospitals and Doctors: Up until the past couple of months, I haven't spent too much time around them. Now that I am, as an advocate, I've been surprised and disappointed with my experiences. Care providers are happy to help with a symptom, but forget it if you want to discover and treat the cause. I believe I have some squeaky-wheeling in my future. Grr.


- The Shack: A work of fiction that has created such a buzz that I've tried to avoid it. Well, I wasn't able to, and now I am so glad that I finally gave in and read the thing. Once I started, I couldn't stop, and devoured the book in two days. The author creates such a fantastic word picture of a living, breathing relationship with God. I was amazed at what an encouragement I found this book to be. I'd definitely recommend it to anybody, Christian or not, especially those struggling to reconcile God's goodness with the problems and evil in the world. Excellent!


- New neighbors: Eric, the new worship leader at our church, and his wife Yvette, finally found a place of their own here in Concord. For the past six weeks, they've been living out of boxes and dealing with a lengthy commute while looking for the right place. Well, God has provided - they're moving into a house one street down from ours! It's literally a five minute walk from our front door. We are so excited to get to know one another better - what a blessing!

- Billy: I took my little doggy to the vet today for a routine vaccination and when I reviewed his records, realized that he is NINE years old! That came as a little bit of a shock to me, as we've really only spent three years with him. He wasn't a puppy when we adopted him, and we left him with my parents for a year when we went on the world race mission trip. But now, his right eye is getting cloudy, and the vet told me it's a sign of aging. What! Billy can't be getting old. No, no, no.

- The new school year: Yes, I'm excited. Nothing fires me up more than the possibilities in a new beginning. Yet, I sense that my role in youth ministry is going to have to be more defined and less all-encompassing than it has been in the past. I dread the moments when I am going to have to, at some point, say NO to myself, my students, and worst of all, to my husband. But I don't see a way around that if I'm going to keep myself and my marriage healthy for the long term.

I guess it's kind of like planting a garden - you're supposed to plant all the seeds, then uproot all but the strongest so they have room to grow. I'm gonna have to uproot some flowers in my life, and I don't like it. Nope, not one bit. I imagine you can expect many posts along this line as I try and sort things out. Along with related topics such as identity, purpose, calling, faithfulness, discernment, and the meaning of life. Argh. I suppose I thought these things would fall into place as I got older, but the more time goes by, the more complicated it seems.

End of the Summer

Since my last post, I've been holding down the fort while Gary was gone for a week at the high school camp, then preparing for and running our own junior high camp this past weekend.

We've been running hard this summer, and I am pooped! On one hand, it's been extremely rewarding to pour myself into activities such as the mission trip and youth camp, working hard to see our kids serving and learning more about living out their faith.

On the other, now comes that tricky balance of trying to rest and recharge, take care of some mundane household needs that have been neglected, all while simultaneously anticipating the need to plan and prepare for the kickoff of fall ministries.

As I stand on the verge of a new school year, I want to be deliberate about finding a good balance for life and ministry. I want to improve at preserving my sabbath, building friendships, and developing myself outside of the bubble of youth ministry.

Don't ask me yet how I plan to do this (ha!), but I know it's going to be necessary for me to maintain my sanity as well as the ability to minister to my husband and to the youth. I look forward to seeing what happens!

The Great Discipleship Experiment

Every Christian has their own passions and callings, and for me, discipleship is one of my 'things'.

I could point to Jesus' instruction to 'make disciples' as my text, but my passion really comes from two places - firstly, my own long-burning desire for someone to 'take me under their wing' and demonstrate an interest in my own journey of faith, and secondly, an amazement at how, when I've done this for younger girls, I've learned and grown immensely and have been filled with joy.

I try to read and think quite a bit about the discipleship process - what it means, what it looks like, what it could be in our current day American context. I have been encouraged and challenged quite a bit along the way by bloggers Seth Barnes and Mark Batterson as well as the book "Transforming Discipleship" by Greg Ogden.

During one of my late-night conversations with myself, I considered how Jesus did discipleship - living life with his disciples. Walking together, eating together, doing ministry together. In our culture it's so difficult to see people more than a couple of hours a week. Which is better than nothing, but a difficult context in which to really transform lives.

My mind turned to the empty bedroom in the back of the house and wondered if there might be someone looking for a mentor, willing to seek God together through the ups and downs of life. Though I prayed about it for months, the answer was pretty clear.

So, two weeks ago, one of our graduated high school students has taken up residence in that bedroom. We do devotions together in the morning, sing worship songs at night, and talk about anything and everything in between. We discuss books, life, ministry, the past and the future.

The goal of all this is to provide a context for discipling, or mentoring, in a way that just can't be done in that 'once a week' meeting. My prayer is that this student will see firsthand what it looks like for two imperfect people to chase after the Lord wholeheartedly, and be inspired to do so herself for a lifetime.

Guatemala Mission Trip Video

G-Dub put together this video for our presentation in church last Sunday. It includes both still pictures and video clips from our time in Guatemala, and features music by "The Amoeba Singers". Hopefully the video gives a sense of the flavor of the place and the ministry we did. Enjoy!

Reflections

The past month has been a whirlwind... hospital visits, our church's children's day camp, an unplanned trip down south for a funeral, then two weeks out of the country on a mission trip. I haven't really had time to think, much less process what I'm thinking! Nonetheless, this time has been so significant to me that I do want to try and sift through it.

The main theme of the past month has been, God is in control. And, just as importantly, the power of prayer. Through the ups and the downs, God has been there, helping us through by His strength.

It's strange, how as a missions team we've encountered one trial after another. Every time, God has given a way through. Whether it be airport hang-ups, illness, paralysis, or just God giving us something different than we expected, we were able to face and overcome all of our tests. Though it's been tiring to continually encounter one obstacle after another, I believe that our faith has been strengthened by seeing God answer prayer after prayer.

I had planned to spend the few weeks before the trip really preparing - studying Spanish, teaching dramas, preparing children's programs. That was all scrapped when we were called to be at the sides of our loved ones. And you know what, it's probably better that way. Instead of relying on our own pre-conceived notion of what we were going to do, we had to continually seek God and be open to His leading.

Consequently, the ministry we ended up doing was much different than what we'd initially expected. God led us to ministries of encouragement and strengthening of the church, while simultaneously giving us a crash course in spiritual warfare.

I can't imagine having gone on this trip with a different team - each person had a special and significant role in the team and in ministry. It was clear to see God working in and through each of us, and it was a joy to feel like we were a part of something so much bigger than ourselves.

It's been a dream come true to see God fulfill what's been on my heart for over two years - to equip youth to minister as well as see God working around the world. In the midst of so many answered prayers, I am now seeing even more seeds being planted for the future. I can't wait to see how these experiences will fit into the larger picture of our lives.

Home, Sweet, Home!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that after a four hour van ride, a five hour flight, a nine hour layover, a one hour flight, and a one hour drive, the team has arrived safely back at home!

Please continue to pray for the team over the next few days as we transition back to life in America, and begin sharing our experiences with family and friends. May God receive all the glory!

Now, With Pictures!!

With a little spare time this morning, I journeyed down the hill into the gringo part of San Pedro, and came across an internet cafe I used to frequent on days off when Katherine and I were here in 2006. It features inferior hardware, but a much faster connection to the internet, not to mention a full coffee bar. So, I spent the last 40 minutes or so uploading photos for all of last week's posts, and sipping a very nice cappucino. Not a bad way to spend a morning, if you ask me.

Anyway, we hope you enjoy the photos!

And pray for Bryan, as he is currently preparing a message to preach in church tonight. His theme is, "What does it mean to take up our cross?," with applications from the Sermon on the Mount. Should be a challenging sermon, to say the least.

Oh, and Molly did great the other night. In fact, Pastor Antonio has already used her story to teach and encourage others at a youth conference he attended yesterday. Molly not only encouraged the church, but gave the Pastor another arrow in his ministry quiver.

God is good.

Another Afternoon at Domingo’s

By Karina and Rachelle

Yesterday, everyone was really excited to be able to visit Domingo again. Since we knew there were a lot of kids in the area where he lives, we decided to create a little program to entertain the kids and teach them about Jesus.

When we arrived in the little courtyard outside of their house we saw Domingo sitting up in his wheelchair with his uncle by his side. It was so amazing to see him outside because the last two visits he was lying in his bed, facing the wall, and you couldn’t really see him face to face. We gave his family some fruit and milk and handed him some presents. He was so shy when we first got there, but he was still really happy when we gave him some presents that would keep him entertained. Also, Jean got to show him how to use the stretch band Ariel brought to strengthen his arms and it was so cool to see his uncle help out.

After a while of visiting we asked the neighbor girl, Lucia, if she still had the children’s Bible we had given her on our last visit and she ran to go get it. Katherine asked her to pick her favorite story and read it aloud to us. The story she picked was about Adam and Eve and their fall from the Garden of Eden, and it ended up being perfect for what we had planned next.

First, we brought out some bubbles to help the kids get over their shyness. All of their faces lit up as we blew bubbles and played with them.

The second thing we had planned was to share with them the story of the Wordless Book Bracelets. Rachelle felt led to share the salvation story of the bracelets. She used her own bracelet to share the story as Katherine translated, and at the end we gave each of the children their own bracelet. Even the adults wanted one! When Katherine and Rachelle reviewed with the kids about what each bead stands for, we were able to use Lucia’s story about Adam and Eve to explain how sin came into the world.

We ended with some Spanish children’s songs and gave each of the kids a little bottle of bubbles. Pastor Antonio also asked us to pray blessings for each of the kids, and we also prayed specifically for Domingo and his family as well. Pastor Antonio also used the opportunity to preach to the adults that had gathered there.

Being there yesterday was an amazing experience. It allowed us to share the love of Jesus Christ with a bunch of young kids and their parents.