an unexpected blessing

For the last several years I have kicked off the month of August by attending the Methodist Family Health Big Dam Bridge Walk for Children and Families with the UMY group. It is always extremely hot on the day of the walk. There were some differences in this year's walk but not in the temperature - it was HOT. In years past, we have had quite a few people in our group. And it has usually been hared for me to huff and puff my way up the the bridge. This year it was just me and a few of the youth kids. And I was able to stay at the front of the pack - even passed a lot of people because they were walking too slow! That was new for me.

When the walk was done, we went to get some supper and then headed to the lock-in at Wild River Country. After that hot afternoon, the kids are always ready to hit the water slides. Because I was the only adult, I grabbed a lounge chair and got my book out. But it was just soooo hot, even at 10:00 p.m. In hopes of cooling down just a bit, I left my perch and headed for the lazy river. As I was coming around to the exit, I noticed a women floating and walking along beside a boy in a tube. She was talking to him. The boy, in a life jacket and awkwardly laying in the tube, was obviously enjoying the ride.  When we got near the exit, another lady was waiting with a wheelchair. I thought it was neat that he was able to float in lazy river and enjoy the lock-in. And then I went back to my book and lounge chair. Soon I noticed that the ladies pushed the boy in his wheelchair back to their loungers which were just in front of me.

I didn't want to stare. I tried to return to my book. But my attention was drawn toward the boy and his caretaker? mom? youth leader? I'm really not sure. When they got back to their seats, one of the ladies covered a lounge chair in towels; I thought it might be his mother. But then the other lady lifted him out of his chair and place him on the lounger. The first lady then left. The lifter lady went on to cover the boy with a towel. Then she carefully dried him and without moving the towel managed to change his clothes. Now, I'm telling you I tried not to stare, but I was drawn to the action in front of me. It was obvious that the lady and the boy had a good relationship. Soon she lifted him again and placed him back in the wheelchair. And I wondered how many times she had lifted that boy. How many more times she would have to lift him. How many more years she would be able to lift him. And I was taken aback for just a moment. And I prayed for the boy, for the lady, for my boys, for the kids I brought with me, for the kids splashing in the water around me. And I thanked God for his many blessings.

How many times do we, in our rush and hurry, not notice God's presence in our daily lives? If I had brought more kids, if another adult had been with me, I might not have noticed the boy and his lady. I might not have seen God's angels in front of me. I might not have taken the opportunity to pray for the many people surrounding me.

counting my blessings

This has been a busy week. I've been running early every morning, going to workshops during the day, and teaching at Bible school each night. And I haven't done any of it witih a willing and happy heart. Especially the VBS part. Isn't that sad to admit! I know, I should be embarassed to own up to it. But there's no use in pretending. I have grumbled and griped all summer long about it. But I knew that I needed to adjust my attitude. How can I do a good job of teaching God's message when I have such a bad attitude about it? I'm telling you, I was worried about it. But I just couldn't get in the right frame of mind. Until tonight. Tonight's lesson was about Jesus and John the Baptist. In the lesson I had to do the introduction and then pretend to be John the Baptist at the River Jordan. After telling about baptising Jesus I asked the kids "What would you give to have Jesus in your life?" And before I even finished the question, Layla (going into first grade) gets big eyes and breathes a very sincere "Everything!" And I felt a chink in my hardened heart just fall away. The kids discussed that they would do anything needed to be close to Jesus. And then I said "Well you all are telling me all sorts of things that you would do - even that you would give everything that you have to know Jesus, but what's the only thing that you HAVE to do?" And again before I had finished to question good, seven-year-old Austin whispered, "Ask. All you have to do is ask." I'm telling you, I heard that hardened heart of mine just crack wide open. When I had finished the lessons, I went into the sanctuary where the groups were gathering for the night's closing. Each year we group the kids and the UMY teenagers serve as team leaders. I sat there and watched as those teenagers danced and chased and laughed and witnessed to these kids. No grownups were forcing them to dance. No one said "You have to hug the kids in your team." It's a rule that each teenager is responsible for the safety of the kids on his or her team, but these leaders do so much more than make sure the team members are safe. They help with check-in. They clean up messes. They help with snacks. They sing and dance. They tie shoes and replace hairbows. They hug. They laugh. They play games. They chase and chase. They listen. They praise. They love. And again, I felt my heart just burst. If you are one of those parents who have brought or sent your kids to VBS this week, I thank you for allowing me to share my nights with your babies. And if you are the parent of one of those UMY teenagers, I just can't tell you how much those kids impress me on a daily basis. They are amazing. It is an honor to watch God work in them and through them.

a creation story

I have great memories of Sunday evening UMY time, so when my niece Brooke asked me to help her as she revived the program at Mt. Olivet, I had to agree. We kicked off the program on Superbowl Sunday a few years ago. It was both exciting and nerve racking to make this commitment. We both work with kids at our jobs, but neither of us have been trained in ministry. It was definitely a God led decision and journey. For quite sometime we used lessons from purchased curriculum. And it worked. The lessons were pre-planned, the games were suggested, and we felt comforted knowing that someone, somewhere, thought that this was good stuff. There were suggested questions for discussion, and sometimes even printed answers for those questions. Our kids participated in the readings and discussions. They brought in prayer requests. But more and more we noticed that we seemed hungry for more. Brooke and I were always looking for better curriculum. We knew that our kids were ready to dig a little deeper. Many of them had been coming to UMY for several years, and not only had they grown up, but their relationships with God had grown. We had to find a curriculum that gave us a more intense study of God's word - we wanted to get past "object" lesson and focus more on Bible lessons.

The kids were ready. But Brooke and I were a bit intimidated. We knew that we wanted more reading of the Bible and more student led discussion. While at Veritas, we visited a "share" room for leaders. We found a few books that we thought might be a beginning. When we returned, we decided to make the leap. But where to begin? Duh! At the beginning. One Sunday evening we gave the kids assigned verses to read for the next week's lessons. The kids didn't complain at all. They returned the next Sunday with verses read and eager to discuss what they had read. We took it slow, spending several weeks reading and discussing the first few chapters of Genesis.Some nights we were all searching indexes, search engines, and other chapters to find answers or even more questions. We might only discuss a few verses each Sunday, but we were gaining a depth of knowledge that just wasn't possible with our old way of presenting lessons.

Last night we had our end to the year party. We swam, grilled burgers and hotdogs, and returned to the church for a lock in. We have had a lock in  each year. The kids love it, so Brooke and I suck it up and let them have fun. I was trying to come up with an activity that we hadn't done at a lock in - just to liven things up a bit, when I got what I thought was an original idea. First I thought the kids could paint a canvas with their favorite Bible verse or a cross or something else. Then I thought why not tie it in to our year a little more and have them paint the creation story. I gathered canvases and paints. At about 10:30 I started dragging out the materials. We discussed what I had in mind. The kids were nervous to start, so Brooke searched Google images for some ideas. We had canvases of various sizes. The kids chose days,and some worked in groups. And the painting started. It was a great review of some of the things we had studied during the year. The kids searched verses to be certain of just what could be in their day's painting. Some were uncomfortable with the actual painting, but they were comfortable in discussing what should be represented in the picture. We crawled in bed around 4 a.m. And then Caleb put a few finishing details on his painting after breakfast this morning. I also had to make some adjustments to my canvas this morning. I had day three - the creation of sea creatures and birds. Mine had birds flying in the distance, a seagullresting on coral covered rock, a dolphin, and octupus, and I painted the cutest little sun setting on the horizon. Then Caleb pointed out that God didn't create the sun and moon until day four.

As always there is a lesson here. Brooke and I knew our kids were ready for more. But just as some were uncomfortable to put paint on that white canvas, we were worried about making a mistake. Through studying Genesis, we've had a genesis of our own. It's amazing to see God work in our little group. Just like our art project, some are more comfortable with lots of little details while some need a much more broad stroke. This new way works for us. Some are very independent and self-directed while some need the comfort of a partner or even the help of someone a little more experienced. But everyone has something to contribute.

After Lulu very quickly finished her in the beginning canvas, she worked for a while on another canvas. She instragrammed a picture of her finished project with the tag best youth group ever - and I have to agree.

When we come back in the fall, these paintings will have verses added and will be hanging for the kids to enjoy. 

plan a, or not

I intended to come in from Monday's activities and immediately post about what a fantastic day it had been. But by now you probably know that my plan A rarely works out - sometimes neither do plans B-X. But something always works - right now, I'm working yesterday's plan C, or maybe D.

Don't assume that plans only change because of failure. Oh no! Many times plans change because a better plan is discovered mid-route or mid-project or mid-lesson. Yesterday's plans changed mid-I-can't-keep-my-eyes-open-any-longer-nap.

The day had been planned for several weeks. The unplanned and unexpected was the after youth group Sunday night four wheeler ride by the niece and nephews. Laynie, Caleb, and Chan rode until I whined that I was ready to go home. Then I had to wait on them to come back, load Chan's ride on the trailer, take him home, unhook the loaded trailer at his house, and finally crawl into bed sometime around 1 a.m. Only to have Lucy Mercer keep me awake for a few more hours. So I was missing several hours of sleep going in to Monday's busy plan.

Brooke and I took several of the UMY kids to Little Rock to complete our March mission at the Methodist Children's Home which is part of Methodist Family Health. We reached the campus just before 9:30, hauled our supplies into the gym, and went to meet some of the kids we would be seeing. We helped to escort the 1-2 year olds to the gym for our first session - 15 screaming, squealing, laughing, giggling, very cute and cuddly toddlers playing and interacting with 5 smiling, chasing, laughing, praying, very cute and cuddly teenagers. We brought small playground kick balls for each toddler - and they were a hit. About an hour into the morning session, a group of 3-5 year olds joined us. Our plan A went right out the window when we realized the 1-2 year olds weren't leaving, and we were going to have to find a way to do the planned Bible story while the 3-5's wanted to run and play and then do the craft for 3-5's with the 1-2's crawling everywhere and wanting to get in on the action too. Finally, everyone had attempted to decorate an apron and a star clapper. We put on some music and sang and clapped and crawled and chased some more. When lunch came, we were already tired and ready for a much needed break.

It was a short break though because Scott, the guy in charge, had promised that if we got back in time, we could rock some babies. And our kids really wanted to rock some babies. We walked in during nap time for all but one baby, but managed to wake up two more and everyone got a few minutes of baby love.

We then went back to the gym to meet with  a very large group of kids from 6-17 years old. Again, plan A had been to see the 6-11 year olds and then the 12-17 year old group, but we adjusted and the afternoon session was quickly underway. The activity was one Brooke and I had done with our kids just a few weeks ago. An adaptation of Ann's post. 

A gym bench transformed into a prayer bench. A private moment lead by strangers and supervised by counselors. But God, as always, was forgiving. And He was present.

While small groups came to the prayer bench, the large group was downstairs doing crafts. The glowing cross necklace plan adapted to a beaded bracelet. The extra supplies thrown into the bag "just in case" used up and stretched to fill the need.

And at the end of the day, two adults and five kids used up and stretched to fill the need.

Used up and exhausted but full too. We went to fulfill a monthly mission, but God blessed us too. Watching our kids work to include even those toddlers that wanted to hang back, those that were hard to engage, listening as they asked, Do you want me to pray with you? Do you know that God forgives? Is there someone God can help you to forgive? hearing them answer the same "How do you put this together?" "Can I have one of those?" and watching them dig to the bottom of every bag again and again searching for just one more pinwheel or star to color - I came home tired reminded of what I already knew. I am blessed to be a part of God's plan.

#veritas12

It's in the books. But I haven't quite recovered. Our UMY state conference was held in Rogers this year. If you aren't familiar with Arkansas cities and towns, just picture our state...in the top left hand corner next to Oklahoma and Missouri is Rogers...now cut the state in half diagonally from that corner to the bottom right hand corner...back up just a bit and there you'll find us. It's a long, long, long drive. On a bus. In hurricane force wind gusts. With no radio. Well okay, maybe the wind wasn't quite at hurricane speeds, but it was blowing really hard.

Friday around lunch the kids and I checked out of school and met Brooke and Caleb at the park for lunch. We thought it would be a good idea to eat outside - you know, let the kids blow off a little steam before enclosing them in vehicles for four hours. Not such a great plan. That hurricane wind was cold. And it would blow you lunch away if you weren't careful. It just hurried the kids along with their eating - didn't take them long to finish and get back on the bus.

We hoped to drive to at least Conway before stopping for a bathroom break. We made it to Little Rock. We made it to Mayflower. We made it to Conway. But around Morrilton, I had to stop. My shoulders were killing me from fighting the wind while driving. We found a truck stop just off the highway, and everyone unloaded for a quick trip to the restroom and stretching of the legs. Everyone had a good laugh at the boys who found the bathroom cologne - a quarter a squirt. Of course, Chan comes out with a big wet circle right in the middle of his chest, and Caleb laughing that Chan smelled like an old man. Turns out that Caleb put up the quarter for the squirt, and Chan stood directly in front in the machine not leaving any room for the spray to spread at all. The way it smelled; it's a wonder it didn't burn a hole in his shirt and scar his chest!

Then we loaded the bus to discover that it wouldn't start. Turns out the starter had been recently replaced, but not connected properly. An easy fix, if the mechanic remembers to disconnect the battery before reconnecting the starter. We sat in that parking lot for about 3 1/2 hours.

Long enough to take naps, play cards, wrap hair, have snacks, nap again, lose phones, and eat dinner.

Finally we were on our way again. We reached Rogers much later that planned, checked into our hotel, and headed straight to the convention center where the conference was held.

We got there just in time for Funzies.

And our kids made sure to get front row seats.

This is only our second time to go to this conference, and we had several who were going for the first time. And our kids were front and center for an amazing praise and worship session.

It was pushing midnight by the time we got back to the hotel and ready to do our group devotional. And probably around 2 a.m. by the time we got to sleep. Saturday was an early morning - we had 8:00 duty at the district booth. Then morning worship, workshops, lunch, shopping, workshops, dinner, worship, and breakout sessions.

Take a close look at some of those eyes...

These kiddos were TIRED. And they still had a few hours to go that night.

Can your tell that smiley there in the middle is about to cross the silly border.

She crashed for a few minutes just before we went back to the hotel.

But this one just got plum goofy! These are her self portraits.

She had us all rolling. Everyone was ready to head back to the hotel, but somewhere along the short route they caught a second wind. And it was another late, late night.

Sunday morning we headed back to the convention center for our final worship and communion. Have you ever taken communion with 1500 people?

The drive home was quiet. Very quiet. But they are ready to go back again. And I'll happily pack my bags and go with them. When they talk about feeling the Spirit move within them, when they run to be at the front for worship, when they come out of worship wiping tears, I am more than happy to give up a few hours of sleep, and I'll drive around the world to help them feel that again.

how would you rate it?

I sit here this morning enjoying a President's Day break from school. I must get up and moving soon - it's going to be a busy, busy week for me. I've got a two day Benchmark committee meeting in Little Rock in the middle of the week, and then a weekend youth conference in Rogers. I'll leave straight from school tomorrow, come home on Thursday to switch bags, head out again on Friday, and return home, exhausted, sometime Sunday evening. Today I have to get laundry done and bags packed.

But I'm ready to face the busyness. My weekend was good. My Sunday was great.

Last year our church and community were in constant prayer for Mrs. Clara as she started her recovery from a liver transplant; yesterday she sang a special in church. She looked beautiful and healthy and a bit blurry - many of us were looking at her through thankful tears.


And then UMY at night. We had so much to discuss - last minute info about our upcoming trip to Veritas 2012. T-shirts aren't here yet. There is a one bag limit. Times for leaving and returning. Where we'll be staying. All on top of our lesson.

Brooke and I were a little disappointed when we realized that several of the kids weren't coming. Some were out of town for the long weekend. Some had gone to WinterJam. It just all landed on one night - the night we needed everyone there. That's the way it goes sometimes.

And then the lesson started. And we realized that even in this (especially in this?), God was in control. I was cleaning up after supper as the lesson started. I could hear the kids naming the things that are important in their lives and then ordering them 1-10. Of course, they put God at the top of the list. But there was some discussion about where everything else fit. And then someone mentioned that God doesn't want to just be at the top, separated and isolated; He wants to be a part of it all. Shortly after that I was able to join the group. We discussed our personal relationship with God - on a scale of 1-10, where would you rate your relationship? And that's where it really kicked in. Honest answers from everyone. Discussions about the difference in praying our words and listening for God's words and knowing that you are in God's presence and wondering, hoping, longing for that feeling again.

About those t-shirts we are waiting for - Brooke and I let the kids plan what they wanted for the design. They are very simple. A cross and flame on the front left shoulder and on the back a Bible verse. Chosen by the kids. With no fluff. No artwork to distract for the words.

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

And what an example they are!

And if you still don't believe that God is in control of it all, let me just give you this. We left church last night with our minds on our personal relationship with Him and longing to make it better; we are returning this weekend to our statewide youth conference. Since our first visit to Veritas last year, the kids have been ready to go back - always speaking of how they felt God's presence at the conference last year. And last night's lesson that worked to focus our hearts and minds? It probably should have been done about two weeks ago. But one Sunday a few weeks back we had some bad weather that forced us to cancel youth and send the kids home early with no lesson done. And then last Sunday, Brooke and I were just wiped out after a full weekend of banqueting and let the kids know that we wouldn't be meeting for youth on Sunday night.

I never cease to be amazed.



thirty days of thanksgiving 6

When your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?'
- Luke 18: 26

Come children! Listen to me! I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord.
- Psalms 34:11

So now, children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.
- Proverbs 8:32

Tonight's youth lesson took some thinking. For the last several weeks we have used a house analogy, and tonight that analogy moved to a toolshed.

You might ask, "What does a toolshed have to do with God?" Believe me it took just a few minutes for us to get there too.

There are tools for all kinds of jobs. As a matter of fact, there are very job specific tools.

Tonight's question: If you were a tool, what would you be?

The idea? That tools work for us.

We are a tool for God. What work do we do for Him? Do we use our talents for Him?

What if we don't know our talents yet?

I think my talent could be leadership.

My talent is making people feel better when they are sad.

How do we know when we have a talent?

What if we are scared to use our talents?

When we share about our Salvation, we are working for God.

When we are chastised for our beliefs but stand up for what we believe in, we are a tool for God.


Those kids have some thought-provoking conversations. And an amazing FAITH.

Father, I thank you for Jacob, Megan, Laynie, Darian, Kaitlyn, Blair, Chandler, Caleb, Sarah, Delaney, Hannah, Chandler, and all those who join us for UMY. What a blessing it is to study your word with these amazing kids.  Thank you for the leadership that Brooke provides each week. I ask that you lead us in the direction that draws us closer to you. Enlarge our territory, Lord. Allow us to be a well-worn tool in your toolshed.

weekend water fun

So yesterday I posted about the spiritual part of SEDCYM fall rally. It was a God filled weekend. But a big part of the experience was spending time with a group of fellow Christians and having fun.

And the fun started immediately. Chandler and Hannah gave us laugh because they arrived at the church in the same outfit without previous planning.

But the laugh got better when we stopped at Nannie's to pick up Caleb. He and Chan were also dressed alike without previous planning.

The theme of the weekend was Just Add Water. And the afternoon games involved water.

Really.

Cold.

Water.


After a few minutes the kids realized that if they got wet rather than just damp, the water didn't seem quite so cold. And the water bouncers were too fun to avoid.

Look at these pics.

And these.

Can you tell that our group can be a little competitive?

There was hillbilly fishing.

And another competition.

Sarah wouldn't quit until she caught more than anyone.

Okay, maybe we're a lot competitive. Looks like even walking is a competiton.

Don't know this kid, but I love the pic.

Don't know her either, but I love the hair in this pic.

I do know these kids - I love the kids in this pic.

just add water

Tonight I am physically exhausted. For the last three nights, I haven't slept well. At all. And last night I had to sleep on the floor, in a gym, in a crowded room, with mostly strangers. But it was a night that I would repeat again.

Our youth group attended our region's fall rally in Watson Chapel. The theme for the weekend was Just Add Water, shark weekend. The afternoon games included water. The scripture focus was the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

We ended Saturday's activities with a Living Water Ceremony. While the kids were in small group meetings, several of the adult leaders worked to transform the gym, with an indoor "fire pit" and six stations which the kids would visit before ending the night.

The band Visitor Parking started with a few songs around the fire pit, and then the kids moved through the stations,

reading scripture, praying, worshipping.

It was powerful,

prayerful,

moving,

hands-on.

And so worth every tired, achy bone I'm feeling tonight.