Plans

So my life has devolved into this:

Step 1: see new email, phone message, etc. about something I need to do.
Step 2: ignore message until it is no longer pertinent.
Step 3: do laundry.
Step 4: realize that I should have done something about that something instead of letting it drop.
Step 5: get annoyed and promise to do better next time. (see Step 1)

Grr. I know I'm not the only one who lives like this sometimes. But sometimes, every once in a while, on my off days, I feel the tiniest bit like I'm the only one with so many plans that aren't going anywhere. See, I'm still in the planning stages on most of...my life.

I have some event planning to do for the CEF fall banquet (one of my favorite times of the year when we get to reflect on the summer and what God has done), and some sleepover planning so our summer missionaries can get together before the fall banquet (more fun!).

But there's also plans like, how will I raise support this fall so I can continue working with CEF, or should I quit working with CEF and get a normal part-time job to juggle with my current part-time job? File under "Job Plans."

Then there's my living situation; I'm in stage one of considering a move, stage one being, "who could rent a place with me?" and "what all must I consider before making a move -- proximity to my school, or to work, or whether or not I can also afford a car?" Also, "can I really afford a move when I may or may not be between jobs (see "Job Plans")?" That's a can of worms I file under "Place Plans."

Treating God as God

8/18/12
A few thoughts on...

Hosea 14:3
       We will never again say
       'Our gods' to what our 
       hands have made, for in 
       you the fatherless find compassion.

'Our gods' our hands have made - what I spend time with; creative time, relationship-building, loving time. What I invest my life in.
                     Turning in times of pain & distress to these things. Seeking advice or comfort when confused, love when I'm needy, direction when I'm aimless. Sacrificing for these things.

Teaching again!

It seems like a loong time since I've taught 5-day club.

It has actually been a couple years, I suppose.

But a couple weeks ago, I got to teach with a couple of missionaries who needed a third team member.

Ministry fail. You lose all your points.

"I'm sorry... I really didn't keep good records for my work last month," I muttered to the committee, feeling at first ashamed, then relieved when no one seemed to think this a yelling matter.

Amidst the sounds of understanding from the committee members, one joked, "Well we may have to fire you now."

I laughed, feeling like a weight had dropped off of me at their response. But the other committee members grew serious in an instant.

Not funny.

Weekend wedding

"So how was the wedding?" was the popular question at church today.

"Good," I said, qualifying that with "Nat and I are really tired."
Poor baby Natalie. She and I came home earlier than the rest of the family so we could work in the nursery this morning. We were both exhausted and a little sun-roasted, like July tomatoes. But Natalie came through like a trooper. As we walked out into the hot sunshine after church (and a VBS meeting neither of us had expected), I commented to Nat that at least neither of us was getting married today. "Or yesterday," she sighed. True that. One sister getting married yesterday was plenty!

Setting up tables under the grape arbor for the reception.

Sooo... What DID CYIA look like this year?

Let's see if my brain has processed the two weeks of camp yet!

     There certainly were all kinds of adventures. There was serious car trouble when missionaries started heading out to 5-day clubs the second week. Then on our way home, two of our area missionaries got in a car accident that could have killed them, but they only suffered some bruises and sore muscles. The paramedics must've had an interesting night, because the two missionaries found the situation very funny and couldn't stop making jokes about it. God must have surrounded them with more than airbags in that car -- the front was completely smashed in.

So... we got back on Friday night...
that is Friday, June 22nd... and at least one summer missionary I know slept until 5:00 Saturday night. That's how tiring camp is, I guess.
It was intense.

So intense that...people had to write things down.

     The summer missionaries I worked with were mostly in the missionary class, meaning it was their first year and they would not be learning how to teach a Bible lesson. They would, however, learn everything else. :) Their requirements included presenting to their instructors all five missionary stories and segments, presenting the Wordless Book twice, presenting counseling for salvation, teaching a Bible memory verse, a 5-day club song, and a prayer teaching.

It was a lot of work!

Even more things written down.

     Our team of 9 young ladies was epic.

Their personalities are on all points of the... what shall I call it -- the personality spectrum. One of the girls has attended 5-day clubs as a kid for years, and she was passionate about learning how to share the Gospel -- not just for the summer, but in school too. She worked super hard, and finished her requirements with excellence!
     Another missionary had a harder time focusing. She's a people-person who likes to shake things up... not a good personality for finishing a task on time. But when she came back from her first 5-day club during our second week of training, she was excited to be actually reaching kids with the gospel of Christ. Her heart was touched by what God was doing in the lives of her students.
     These two missionaries are both first year students. But another of the girls, a 14-year-old second-year student, blew the rest of us away with her focus and hard work. Her skill at keeping things focused when others were pulling away was incredible to see. She is good at getting people engaged in the task at hand, and keeps things interesting so they remain focused. She's one of our four Bible teachers this year (meaning she had to present all five Bible lessons and at least a couple of the missionary stories, plus all the requirements of a missionary class student). Whew! What dedication.
It was an encouragement.

     So many new friendships were forged, and old ties from last year were strengthened. One of my friends, who started teaching about the same time I did, came back this summer -- she skipped last year, and we really missed her. She's gotten engaged in the interval (!!!), so of course we had to talk about that. I also got to counsel a cabin of girls who were leaving after the first week of camp -- meaning I lost my cabin halfway through training! -- and they were all super-friendly, uber-talkative people. No drama, no cattiness. Just new friendships and unity in our common goal. What a blessed year.

It was  S O  M U C H  F U N.

What will CYIA look like this year?

This year, nine young people from Western Wisconsin will be training to reach kids with the Gospel. They'll be training with two team leaders, who have taught 5-day clubs for years and are now willing to share what they know with the younger teens. 

Here's a few things that these summer missionaries will learn this summer...

At the risk of being over-obvious...

They'll learn how to teach! And not just during the two-week training. One missionary said last year, “we were having difficulties teaching [at club] because of the large variety of ages and there were 36 kids. So we split the club, and it worked.” Another teen said she learned that God “can empower me to teach 25 kids just as well as 2.”

“I am excited to learn this year,” says another returning student from La Crosse, “and to review my lessons from last year.” She adds, “Watching those kids [last year] understand and accept the gift God has given was so cool.”

5-day club verses

This year, the club theme is Jesus the Lifesaver, aka Knowing Christ.

There's a new memory verse for each day, all of them about who Jesus says He is. They're known as the "I Am" verses from the book of John. :)

Monday: JOHN 10:11 "I am the good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."

Tuesday: JOHN 6:35 "...I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty."

Knowing Christ in Quiet

“Do you know what a quiet time is?” the 5-day club teacher asked the kids. One spoke up with certainty; “when you're asleep.”
It was probably true, for this boy, that the only “quiet time” of day was when he slept. That was most certainly the only “quiet time” of day for his mother!

The disciples, ironically, might have given the same answer about quietude. Everywhere they traveled with Jesus, someone had a question or a problem for Him to solve. Many times, it was the disciples themselves who had questions. They were confused and sometimes frustrated by Jesus and His answers.

Some Good Reasons

  After you've done something once, the odds of you doing it again usually increase... even when you have a bad experience!

  My first year of Christian Youth in Action® (CYIA™) was not the best -- when people asked me, I said I doubted I'd be back for a second year. However, God had other plans. :)

  Some of our summer missionaries this year have questioned their own motives, and struggled to find God's voice in the tumult of everyday life. But from what I've heard them say, they all have excellent reasons for coming back this summer...

Faithfully

All educators must learn this. So must politicians, surgeons, parents, lovers, musicians, law enforcement officials, and students.

The thing we share, and all must master, is faithfulness.

To be faithful is to maintain your commitment to something or someone, whatever the circumstances or feelings you experience.

An educator has to be faithful to the people they teach, not filling their minds with useless knowledge, but guiding them into hard work and achievement.

A politician has to be faithful to their constituency's needs and desires and accurately meet them.

Surgeons and parents have similar jobs, as they remove the bad and strengthen the good. To make their work count, they have to follow through once they begin.

Lovers must learn to be faithful to each other to see their relationship grow, and musicians must practice their instrument in order to increase their ability with it.

Policemen and women have to uphold the law the same every time, no matter how painful.

Students (such as myself) have to consistently work at their studies to pass classes and graduate.

Despite the overwhelming need for faithfulness in our world, I have to admit that I am not very good at it. I am   inconsistent; I avoid challenges; I don't do things when "I don't feel like it."

But the last few weeks God has challenged me to remain faithful to Him and to the ministry to which He has called me. I have made a commitment. Now all that remains to be seen is, will I be faithful to it?

Manifesto

Christ has given me a purpose -- "from now on, you will catch men."

He entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to me!

Why do I doubt? I can't do his work -- obviously -- but he can.

I believe he will get me through school in his way, and that he'll educate me far beyond that.

I believe he will guide the people around me and draw my heart to the right person at the right time, so there's no reason for me to be concerned about it now.

I believe he will deepen my dependence on him. And I believe this one will be painful.

I believe he will heal my body and mind.

                      -- OK, I'm still having a hard time with this one. I'm still afraid he won't heal me and I'll mess            
                          everything up because I'm broken. But...

I believe he will use me for his glory even though I'm broken. His Spirit will move in me to touch others' lives.

I (in myself) am afraid. But I (in Him) am confident that He is not finished with me yet.

CYIA Winter Retreat!

This weekend a group of us came together for a Christian Youth in Action winter retreat. It was a time of refreshment and fun for everyone who came, though I think our visitors from down south felt it was a little chilly (and it was)!

Ready for lunch! And what a delicious lunch, too.

The CEF Statement of Faith

I was messing around as usual today when I came across the CEF Statement of Faith. 
I like reading it because it reminds me of what's so vitally important about the Christian faith. Here's my favorite bit: 

   "...No degree of reformation however great, no attainment in morality however high, no culture however attractive, no humanitarian and philanthropic schemes and societies however useful, no baptism or other ordinance however administered, can help the sinner take even one step toward Heaven; but a new nature imparted from above, a new life implanted by the Holy Spirit through the Word is absolutely essential to salvation...

Conversations with CYIA-ers

            This week I had a wonderful conversation with one of my Christian Youth in Action friends, who is looking forward to her second year of training. This young lady can’t wait to learn how to teach a Bible lesson, although she has taught a couple in a Good News Club already—and quite well, I might add! She’ll also be joining the teens and adults for Good News Across America in the future, to “blitz” cities with 5-day clubs. She said she’s never done anything like that before, going away from her family for such a long missions trip! 

         Another of the CYIA teens I talked to recently is thinking of attending TCE (Teaching Children Effectively) class this year. 

Isaiah's Commission | My Commission | Your Commission

In Isaiah 6, God shares his terrible judgement and hard news for His people with the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah saw God's holiness and was overwhelmed by his sins and those of his people. He also saw that only God could make him fit for service, as a seraph touches Isaiah's lips with a coal and says "your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for" (v. 6-7).


The commission God gave to him was not an easy one for Isaiah to carry out, but he was willing to be used of God, no matter the task. God's will, it seems, has little or nothing to do with the desires or disposition of his vessel. His sovereignty and holiness make it incredible that he would put broken vessels to use in his perfect plan.

This reading had particular meaning to me as I thought about the teacher training I helped lead on Saturday. The teachers who came were so earnest in their desire to lead people to Christ that I was ashamed. They were eagerly responding to the call, "whom shall I send?" I hope they left our sessions feeling encouraged - I myself left feeling challenged by their questions and interest.

Am I willing to be used as a broken vessel in God's service; no thoughts for myself, but only thoughts for the person and message of Christ?

"Christian Youth in Action" in a parent's words

I can talk for hours or days on end about the things CEF and Christian Youth in Action do to evangelize to children and to disciple teenagers. But I love hearing from other people - and sharing their stories as well. Here with a parent's take on things is... full disclosure... my mother. According to her, Christian Youth in Action has a lasting impact.

I have 3 daughters who have participated in CYIA and [I] have gotten to know several other CYIA teens over the years. Here are a few of the reasons I highly recommend CYIA.

The training at CYIA is exceptional. The teens are extremely well equipped to teach children the truth of the Gospel. Beyond that, the teens gain confidence in communicating with all age groups. They also come to understand that it is God who works to draw people to Himself. They become excited about God's work and humbled as they see Him accomplish His purpose through them.

This excitement goes well beyond 5-day clubs, as [the teens] have an increased awareness of God's work in everyone around them. All the teens I've spoken with have appreciated the friendships they have built with like-minded young people. I believe this experience encourages the teens to continue to seek such friendships outside of CYIA. 

Spoiler alert: THE WAY = Jesus

So there Jesus was, about to die. He and his friends were finishing up some last-minute gospel teaching, but Jesus' message wasn't quite getting through to his friends.

"I will be with you only a little longer," Jesus said.

Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"

Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."

Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."

Peter wasn't the only one with questions: after Jesus told his disciples that he would take them where he was going one day, and that they knew the way to that place, Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus didn't expect that his disciples had some sort of magical GPS that told them how to get to unknown destinations, but he did expect that they knew him, at least a little bit.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."