Confessions of a Children's Minister (or maybe just a girl trying to figure things out)

Two of my friends and I are studying 1 John. It may be a short book, but it's packed with content and truth. The past two weeks one theme we've studied has kept reoccurring. You know how John keeps saying to abide in Christ (2:27, 2:28, 3:17, 4:13, etc)? Well, I think the Lord is trying to hammer a truth into my shallow mind.

Last Tuesday night, I hosted a table for our Deacon and Elder Banquet. This introvert was nervous about hosting a table for people I've never met. Fortunately, it was a really good time, and the Lord rocked my world by the guest speaker, who is a church planter in Las Vegas. He shared many great points about the church and reaching our communities for the Gospel. However, he said one thing that resonated especially strong: "God's primary goal for my life is not ministry. It's intimacy." Wow. He went on to say that our ministry should be an overflow of our intimacy with Him.

I was so convicted by this. It reminded me of 1 John where John is repeatedly telling us to abide in Christ. As we abide in Christ our love overflows, our desires for the world will wane, we will have confidence in Him, and we will have boldness in our faith. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but the main point in John 15 is not that we should bear fruit but that we should abide in Christ. The more we abide in Christ, the more fruit we bear.

 [4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. [5] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

(John 15:4-6 ESV)

Personal application: I spend so much time worrying (yes, I know.. sin) about kidmin. I'm planning, administrating, making phone calls and writing emails, learning about special needs, figuring out kidmin verses family ministry, etc. etc. etc. You get the point. The past three weeks I've often come home feeling defeated and I began to ask myself why. Then boom! Right in the heart. I realized I've spent more time planning and administrating than I have with the Lord. In fact, some days I'm so tired of doing "ministry," that I'd rather not open my Bible.

How messed up is that? A major reason why I've been hitting walls lately is because I've not spent enough time with the Father. My heart should be more burdened for intimacy with the Father than in kidmin. He, after all, is the only one who can make good come from our service. How can we keep the Gospel central in our lives and our ministries if we're not spending time with the Lord?

If we want to be effective vessels for the Gospel to change the lives of our families, neighbors, coworkers, or ministries, then we must saturate ourselves with the Gospel. Intimacy with the Lord through studying the Word and prayer is where it all starts.

three months already?

Crazy. This past Wednesday I celebrated my three month anniversary at my new job. Time flies by so fast! Well, in honor of my first three months, I'd like to share three things I've learned so far about my new home.

1. Paying for pest control gives you peace of mind. I have crazy dreams but I normally sleep through them. However, waking up at 3am to a roach climbing up your wall is no fun. But now my apt is powdered, sprayed, and filled with traps. If you need a recommendation for a good exterminator, let me know!

2. Atlanta is a pretty cool city. Yes, the traffic is bad, but if you know how to get around it, you can find fun places to shop, eat, and hang out. I'm so excited to go ice skating in the park in downtown ATL this Christmas. 

3. Only driving a mile to work every day is so convenient. I only fill my car with gas every 2-3 weeks. Since my car isn't the most reliable, it's good to know that if I ever have to walk to work, it's totally possible.

To sum it all up: God provides. Enough said.

hold your horses!

I'm not sure where that phrase originated, but I've been saying it to myself quite often. The more I learn about the ministries I oversee, the more passionate I am about my job. When I am passionate about something or when I see a need, I want to jump in head first. While my heart is in the right place, my response probably needs to be refined. 


Rome wasn't built in a day. Well, they should have gotten more engineers and hired more help because this phrase is slowing me down! 


But It's slowing me down for good reason. Today, as I was getting all passionate and excited about a ministry, I had a rude wake-up call that this wasn't going to be easy. In fact, this was going to be difficult and it was going to take a lot of time, intense preparation, and a lot of waiting. Thoughts of discouragement and doubt began to sweep through my mind, but then I remembered that I've only been at my church for three months. Wait, it hasn't even been three months yet! 


I tend to get ahead of myself and the Lord. That never works out very well. However, if I slow down and take each step with prayer and discernment, the tasks ahead don't seem so impossible and they'll work out much better than my own plans. 


A dear friend recently shared Exodus 14:14 as she was listening to all my ideas, worries, and dreams for my job.  "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." The Lord knows what needs to happen in the ministries I oversee, and he knows what's best. Ministry takes time. Figuring out how to do your job takes time! My boss wasn't joking when she said that it would take an entire year to figure it out. I have to remind myself to take my job one step at a time, and I must rely on the Lord for each step. And quite often, I just need to stop doing so much and trust the Lord to work things out in His timing.

Clemson Wins!

Most people in the country could care less that Clemson won today. But for us, it was the first time we actually showed up to play football in 20 years. It was our first win over Auburn since the 1950s. That's a long time! I sat on my couch screeching, hitting the sofa, and jumping up and down as I watched us defeat Auburn 38-24. My neighbors must think I'm nuts. This game is a sign of hope for a football program that has embodied mediocrity for many years now. This win proves we have what it takes to compete for an ACC Title and a solid bowl match-up. I'm so proud to be a Clemson Tiger.. even when we lose. But it's really nice when we win. Good job today, Clemson!

we need you

It's the start of a baseball game and you watch impatiently as the teams line the field for the National Anthem. The opposing team is standing long and strong, but you notice only one player from your team. You scratch your head in confusion and ask your friend next to you what's going on. He has no clue either. When the game starts, your team takes the field first. However, there's just one player and he's playing 3rd base. Now you're really confused. Who's going to pitch? Who's covering the outfield? This game was over well before it started.

In ministry, the game doesn't start until the volunteers arrive. In fact, there's no way we can do ministry without your help. Volunteers are the backbone. Sure, you have folks in the office planning events, classes, lesson materials, etc., but this isn't a one-man show. It takes a village to disciple, teach, serve, and raise up a generation that loves Jesus.

I work at a church that serves over 400 elementary-age kids. That's a lot! We need people to give their time not only as teachers, but also as chaperons, greeters, special needs buddies, coaches, coordinators, etc. I lead the hospitality ministry for our computer check-in area on Sunday mornings. Hundreds of families come through needing to print security tags for their children. This is very important to the security of our church family. I need volunteers who know how to navigate the computer kiosks, to welcome new families with warmth, and to enter visitor data. I can't do all those things by myself! I would have written a resignation letter weeks ago.

Without you, how will we share the Gospel effectively? Sure, God doesn't need us. However, he chooses to use us. We are part of the His body. In a typical children's ministry situation, your children's minister may be the organizer or the "brain" of the operation, but we need you to be the hands, the feet, the eyes, the mouth.

A baseball game can't happen unless you have nine men on the field, playing specific roles that accomplish the task of winning the game. Ministry doesn't happen without the body of Christ working together in various roles to accomplish the extremely important task of spreading the Gospel. We spread it by teaching, serving, greeting, building, computing, cooking, mentoring, singing... the list goes on! I have folks in my hospitality ministry who don't teach, but they are very tech savvy. This ability greatly serves our visitors on Sunday mornings. Don't think that because you can't teach or sing that you're not valuable. The truth is, you're invaluable and there is a place for you! 1 Corinthians 12:15-20 says,

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Many parts, one body. Many positions on the field, one team. My church has dozens of ministries, but we're one team. We need a village of willing people to help us spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need you. Being the body of Christ, the church, isn't just listening to a sermon on Sunday mornings. Being the church is working together and giving of ourselves for the sake of the Gospel every single day.

The first pitch is about to be thrown. What position will you play?

you can stop pinching yourself now

Really? I can? Because this doesn't seem real. I began my first full time job ever just over a month ago. After graduating from college in 2009, moving to Nashville, two summers of camp, one internship, and five part-time jobs later (three of which happened at the same time), I have a career. Whew.. are you tired yet?


But God's hand is all over the last two years. Moving to Nashville after college wasn't an accident, mistake, or a freak whim. God orchestrated that crazy endeavor for a purpose. I moved to Tennessee with one end goal in mind, but God had another plan. We've heard it a thousand times, but it's so true: Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord,' plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" When I didn't get the internship I originally wanted, God opened the door to intern at a church in kids ministry. Life hasn't been the same since.


Four months ago, I began the long interview process for a full time job at the church in which I now work. I'm still pinching myself that it's real because I still don't understand how I'm qualified for my position as Children's Associate. I work on a phenomenal staff who are a joy to serve alongside. We work hard and play hard. There's nothing like working on your hospitality grids when someone suddenly starts shooting marshmallows at you with her "Bow & Mallow."


Each day I'm reminded why I love kids ministry so much, but I'm also reminded that this is no easy task. Luke 12:48 says, "... Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more." Working in kidmin is a blast, but it also comes with great responsibility.

Though I'm no longer living in quaint cabins or setting up rec fields, I'm still serving in a ministry that I absolutely love. Each day the Lord allows me to serve in a ministry that spreads the Gospel to children. Each day I'm reminded that I cannot do this alone (believe me.. I've tried and failed). Whatever good that comes from ministry, is completely from the Lord. Isaiah 43 reminds us that we're not our own and we are created for God's glory. Our lives are meant to point back to Christ. May these kiddos only see Jesus.

Quote

My dear friend, Meredyth, sent me an email today to share the following quote by Al Mohler from a recent interview. Family ministry is near to my heart, so I thought this was a good quote to share with you too.

"I think the one great lesson the Lord has taught me over these years is that the importance of the family and the local congregation supersedes every other relationship to which the Christian is called. Christians demonstrate the glory of God and the power of the gospel by the way we marry and stay married, by the way we raise our children, by the way we love each other, and by the way we live faithfully in the congregation of believers. In the end, I fear that far too much energy is devoted to and far too many hopes are invested in institutions, programs, and projects that will not last. The centrality of Christ’s purpose to glorify himself in His church and the blessings of God that are directed to the precious gift of the family — these far exceed our other allegiances."