Don't put God in a box....

This past week-end I was in Alabama with our student ministry group.  We went there for the first time last year and it was mind-blowing.  Therefore, we decided to make it a yearly trip.  It is a youth gathering at a place called The Ramp which is part of Karen Wheaton's ministry.

I am going to be honest, which is what a blog is for I suppose....by the time the trip rolled around, I was sick of hearing about The Ramp.  I kept hearing about it from the youth (because they were anticipating a move of God like last time), I was hearing about it from some adults (because three of our youth are now students at the Ramp School of Ministry) and I was getting reports from the students that were there.  Now, don't think I am a hater - on the contrary.  However, I was getting such an irritation in my belly like a splinter that just wouldn't come out.  It was getting more and more bothersome.

Therefore, I wasn't very excited for the trip. 

*gasp*

It's true. 

I wasn't irritated because everyone was excited or that I was hearing about it so much.  I believe in what the Ramp is doing (so much so that we have partnered with them), I believe God is moving in the miraculous there and I believe the students that are going to school there will return not the same. 

I was irritated because it seemed like no one believed that God could move here like He moves there.

Preposterous!

Don't get me wrong, my time there was awesome.  The speakers really hit home with their points and I caught myself nodding my head so much that I probably looked like a bobble head.  The worship was powerful and I was getting Holy Ghost bumps (goosebumps) the moment I stepped foot in there.  Not to mention the miraculous did happen when a paraplegic stood from his wheelchair and danced to the King of Kings.  Still, there was that needling that was just pressing into my skin.

God is not reserved for Hamilton, Alabama.  He is not just spreading out his spirit there.  He is the same here as He is there.  So why is the spirit so thick there?  Why is it so thick that it hangs on you like a robe? 

Expectation.

We go there with the expectation that God is going to meet us.  We go there knowing we are with other believers that are also expecting a move of God.  We are going there knowing we won't settle for anything less than meeting God face to face. 

Isn't that how every Sunday should be?  Perhaps if we went to church with that same excitement and expectation then we will have the same move of God.  God delights in His people.  He wants to just envelope them and wrap them in His glory.  But if we are going to church on Sunday just to go through the motions and to not feel guilty.....then how can we expect Him to shower down all He has for us?  That is kind of selfish, dontcha think?

I will be married 14 years this December to a man that sometimes I think my heart will burst with how much I adore him.  If I only met with him once a week, maybe even twice....if I never hugged him or showed him affection....if when I was with him I thought about what I needed to do for the day or what I was going to eat for lunch....if I only sat next to him and held his hand so I didn't feel guilty about ignoring him the rest of the week......I couldn't say we would be married for 14 years.  That relationship would not last.  Therefore, how can we expect our relationship with God to flourish if we do not express our love to Him by talking to Him daily, praying, worshipping, crying, laughing and just loving Him?  Not because we feel we have to...but because we want to.  If we are made after God's own image and we long for companionship (hello....God created Eve because Adam would not do well being alone), then doesn't He long for companionship as well - with us?

He is the creator of the heavens and the earth.  He tells the ocean how far to go....he tells the lightning where to strike....he can make cancer disappear as if it never were just by saying so.  And yet we feel He only deserves an hour or two a week?

Expectation.

Go to church with an expectation.  Go with the mindset that you are going to God's house to spend time with him.  You are going there with other believers to give him the worship He deserves.  If that means you jump around, laugh, cry...run around, do a cartwheel.....then do it!  You are there to please an audience of One and He delights in your worship.

I can imagine God and Jesus hanging out in heaven.  The doors of the church are open, the worship team is getting ready, I am making my way to the front to give Him all the glory and I can see God nudging Jesus and saying - "Here she comes.  Everyone quiet.  I am about to spend some time with my daughter."

Do I suggest going to The Ramp?  I do.  I highly suggest anyone go there because you will get a touch from God and I guarantee you won't come back the same.  It is radical worship and God *is* moving in phenomenal ways there.  However, once you go and come back and then continue witho not get caught up in the fireworks.  Do not get caught up in the show---wait for the encore, it is usually the best anyway.

It's not just church....

Growing up, I didn't go to church regularly.  When I did, I went to a small southern baptist church that was right down the road and ironically enough - owned by my grandfather until he passed away when I was six.  I would get up and go with my grandmother to church and honestly, I don't even know why.  It wasn't fun in the least.  Sunday School was drab and quite frankly a little creepy in the back of the building.  The music was out of a hymn book (and I still enjoy a good ole hymn) and the preachers would get so riled up that you had to take an umbrella to avoid the spit (ok maybe not but you knew it was going to get intense if the preacher pulled out his handkerchief!).   Every Sunday we were told that at any moment we could walk out those doors, get hit by a truck and go to hell.  I am not poking fun - I am being quite truthful. 

So, I say again - I am not sure why I even went.  But over time, I stopped going.  I can't remember the exact age or why.  I just stopped.  I started to veer down an ugly path and it boils down to mistakes were made and my path ended at a fork in the road on March 2005 - the day I began my relationship with Christ.

Now this isn't a blog about my testimony.  I rarely share that in writing and usually like to save it for speaking engagements because there is so much to tell.  This is a blog about church.

I hear the common statement - one doesn't have to go to church to be a Christian or go to heaven.  I believe this to be a true statement.  My dad never went to church but I have no doubt that he was a God-fearing man and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, he will be part of my welcoming party in heaven (and yes, we will be partying it up with Jesus).  However, I do believe we need church.

Church, to me, is not a building where we go and sing a few songs and hear the Word.  That is only part of the grand scheme of things.  Church to me is family.  I walk into that building and feel a love that is so strong that I never thought such a love existed.  It's a place where I am always welcomed, never judged and always corrected when I 'think' I am in the right.  It is a place where people come together and meet needs of those struggling.  It's a place where I can vent my frustrations, my pains, my sorrow, my joy .... or just cry and get angry.  It is a place where I have many brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers.  It is the place where THE Father walks among us.  Why would I not want to go?

Lately, this has been on my mind - a lot.  The people inside that church love me like Christ would.  They are non-judgemental of my past.  They don't question my motives.  They know my heart.  They trust my choices.  They listen to my fears.  The heed my advice.  They hug me even though I don't like hugs (I am getting better at it!) and they know when I am in a mood that only God can elevate.  They do this all unconditionally.  They do it only because we share the same God.  We may not be family by birth but we are family by blood - His blood on Calvary!

So as I lie in bed on a Sunday morning, not wanting to even pry the blankets off me, thinking that this is the day I will just stay home and do nothing......I slowly get up, knowing that church is the place where I get to fellowship with my family.  If I am not going to church on a Sunday, or if I claim I don't need to go to church - then what am I doing in place of it?  Nothing.

In closing, I wanted to post a few scriptures.  Now keep in mind, none of them say "you must go to church to go to heaven"....for it states the only way to heaven is through the Son.  However....

Hebrews 10:25 (NIV) states - "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Here is states we should meet together.  No, it doesn't say in a church.  So you can validate your point if you say you are meeting at your home with other believers so you can encourage and help one another.  It also states 'habit of doing' which means it was something that they normally did.

1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV) states - "Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it."

I like this one.  It states in other verses throughout the Bible about us being part of the body.  It means we each are vital in the functioning of the body as a whole.  Can a body function without a leg or an ear?  Of course, but it cannot function as well as if it were whole and the other parts have to work harder to compensate.  We are all the body of Christ, each with our own abilities and gifts.  When we come together we join those abilities and gifts and create an awesome atmosphere.

Lastly, Luke 4:16 (NIV) states - "He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom."

Here is states that Jesus went to the synagogue (an assembly or congregation of Jews for the purpose of religious worship) as "was his custom".  If we are to be Christ-like...then it should be our 'custom' to go assemble and pray.

This is a standing debate.  Some think church is hypocritical, full of laws and rules, a circus, etc.....I think of church as something that is necessary to sustain me.  Just like all families, we have quarrels and disagreements.  But unlike most families, we still love one another and are quick to forgive.

I love my church and all who attend.  Every Sunday is like a family reunion where all of the Father's children gather under one roof to show Him how much they love Him.  Why would I want to miss that?

A rising epedemic

Bullying.

As a youth pastor, I hear this time and time again.  I remember school.  Sure, I remember getting picked on.  However, the extent now compared to then is appalling.  A few slanderous words, maybe even a shoulder check in the hallway is about all I had to fear in school.  Then, after a few days, it was over and we moved on.

Not so any more.  Bullying has come to name-calling, shoving, ganging up on others, pitting others against each other, cyber-bullying, lies, anger. And telling the bullied child to "ignore it, it will go away" is no longer an option.  The bully-er continues relentlessly.

And quite frankly, I am getting sick of it.

Before I move on, let's look at some statistics and information I have pulled from the internet.....

What is bullying?

"A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself."

This definition includes three important components:

1. Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions.
2. Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time.
3. Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength.

Types of bullying...

1. Verbal bullying including derogatory comments and bad names
2. Bullying through social exclusion or isolation
3. Physical bullying such as hitting, kicking, shoving, and spitting
4. Bullying through lies and false rumors
5. Having money or other things taken or damaged by students who bully
6. Being threatened or being forced to do things by students who bully
7. Racial bullying
8. Sexual bullying
9. Cyber bullying (via cell phone or Internet)

Impact of bullying...

Students deserve to feel safe at school. But when they experience bullying, these types of effects can last long into their future:

• Depression
• Low self-esteem
• Health problems
• Poor grades
• Suicidal thoughts

BULLYING IS A SERIOUS ISSUE!

• Statistics show that 23 percent of students in grades 4-6 had been bullied "several times" or more; 20 percent had bullied others
• Statistics show that 17 percent of students in grades 6-10 reported having been bullied "sometimes" or more, with 8 percent being bullied once a week. 19 percent said they had been a bully to others "sometimes" or more.

I have read countless articles and have watched numerous news reports on how children have commited suicide due to bullying, even cyber bullying.  I have read reports of children as young as 11 have committed suicide due to this....11!   And yet we look the other way?

Schools have 'anti-bullying' programs in place.  These are ineffective.  The child being bullied is fearful to go report an incident for fear of further bullying...and they say "the school won't do anything but sit us down and talk".   They have boxes so students can report the incidents anonymously.  And yet the punishment?  Sit down and discuss it.

I know of numerous incidents that I have been made aware of where teachers were present as a child was being bullied.  I also know of an incident where parents partook in the name-calling and bullying (and this was to a 6th grader).  So you tell me.....where does it stop?!   A child feels that death is better than living in a bullied environment.  And 90% of bullying occurs in the place we send our children to better themselves - SCHOOL.

This topic has completely infuriated me.  I am wanting to get inside the schools and spread the love of Jesus.  The schools today are nothing like the schools I went to back in the 90's.  Why?  What has gone wrong?  Does it boil down to the parents?  I think this generation is so out of control that the parents just as soon look the other way than to put their foot down and say - enough!  There is no respect for authority and that sort of value starts in the home.

As I see children dread going to school because of what a pit of vipers it has become, I sit and think how God has to turn this around.  Wouldn't it be phenomenal if we start hearing how the Holy Spirit takes over and school is in utter chaos because kids are praying over one another and the sick are being healed and the love of Jesus is being proclaimed!?  That's the kind of phone call I want to get.  That is the kind of news report I want to see.  I want a phone call saying I need to come pick up my daughter because she is standing on the table proclaiming JESUS SAVES - not because she is being bullied to the point she has made herself sick.

God has laid the schools on my heart lately.  Not just because of the bullying, though that has a large part to do with it, but because God has been so stripped of the schools that it is no longer valued.

Revival.  It has to start somewhere.....why not here?

**information taken from - http://www.olweus.org/public/bullying.page**

A mother's love.....

My kids started school today.  They are both now high schoolers!  *gasp*  My daughter started her freshman year and my son his sophomore year.  Where does the time go?  I tend to say that a lot lately.

As a mother, I can remember every detail of their birth and the majority of every moment from then til now.  I can remember, even though both were C-Sections, Caleb's was a breeze and Chey's was a nightmare.  I look back now and think that their personalities totally match how they came into the world.  Caleb is a pretty laid back kid that keeps to himself while Cheyenne is an anxious one that is a social butterfly.  Both my children are as different as night and day.

Now as I look at them, I could not be more proud.  Caleb is 16 and a great young man.  He is good looking, pleasant to be around, talented, loyal to those he lets into his life, passionate about what he enjoys, loves God and rarely has a bad word to say about anyone.  Considering the past he has had to endure, he is a good kid.

Cheyenne is 14 and such a great personality!  She is cute as a button, marches to the beat of her own drum, opinionated  funny, talented, loves God and has a heart to help those hurting.  She has come a long way and am proud of who she has become.

I am not saying my kids are perfect by any means.  They are kids so they tend to spout off at the mouth, throw fits, whine and sometimes make me want to gouge my eyes out with a hot poker.  However, that being said, I hear what other kids are up to or the problems I hear other kids facing (I hear a lot of horror stories since I am a youth pastor) and I thank God how awesome my kids are.

I expect them to make mistakes but I am quick to forgive.  I lavish them with gifts even if they don't deserve it.  I praise them for a job well done and scold them for a job less than desirable.  I expect them to give their best in all they do and if they fail doing so...that's okay because you can't condemn someone for failing if they tried as hard as they could.

Wow.  Sounds a lot like our Heavenly Father.  He hopes for the best in us but He expects us to make mistakes and is quick to forgive.  He lavishes His children with gifts even when they aren't deserving sometimes.  He praises us for a job well done and expects us to learn from a job done less than perfect.  He expects our best but accepts us at our worst.

All because He loves us.

So yes, I am bragging on my amazing kids.  If you don't like it, then you aren't a parent. I loved them the moment I found out they were in my belly.  It is crazy how you can love someone you have never met.  They say a man becomes a father when he holds the baby for the first time.....a woman becomes a mother when she finds out she is pregnant.  This is so true.

So to my kids, you are growing up so fast.  I want you to stay with me forever (and I sometimes think you will, haha) but I know that you will grow up, move on and have families of your own.  But know this......you will never get rid of me.

I love you both more than my heart can contain.  Have a great first day of school!

Cheyenne and Caleb [then], ages 2 and 4

Cheyenne and Caleb [now], ages 14 and 16

I am here by His grace....

Another birthday.

It seems the older I get, the quicker time goes.  I don't get excited for birthdays.  To me, it is just another day...another year older, perhaps another year wiser.  I don't mind saying my age - tomorrow, the 10th, I will be 36.  Wow.  Even though I don't mind saying it, it still blows my mind that I am that old. I don't feel that old and I certainly don't act my age!  HaHa!

As I look back on my life, I am amazed I am where I am today.  All I can say to that is God is good!  I have come from a checkered past, not as bad as some but worse than many.  I have dealt with everything from sexual molestation to drug abuse to the occult with a few tidbits in between.  I am lucky I am even alive.  Did I mention that God is good?  I did?  Good.  I may mention that point a few more times.....

If I had sat in front of this computer 10 years ago, I would never have posted how awesome God was or how much I loved my family or how I am happy with my life.  No, that was a time where darkness overcame joy.  Happiness was something I experienced rarely and was often replaced with a seething anger.  I could blog my testimony, which would be lengthy and quite shocking.  However, I won't due to the fact that it will be impossible to leave out points that my family may not want splattered on the internet.  That is why I enjoy speaking to youth groups.  I enjoy sharing my testimony and what God has done for me.  I can relate to most because I have been through a wide variety of situations.  I don't share my testimony to glorify it in any way.  It is just fact.  It is my past that has happened and cannot be denied.  However, it does not define who I am today.  I am not a victim, I am a victor!  God is good!

So as I approach another birthday tomorrow, I smile.  I have been serving God for six years now and I cannot even remember the person I was before.  Sure, I know it was me...I know I went though it but it is almost like a movie.  Like it was something I had watched rather than experienced.   My life is good right now. That doesn't mean I don't face trials and tribulations but the difference between me then and me now - I have God to help me through it.  While that sounds cliche, it is true.  Having God as part of my life makes all the difference.

So, I am another year older and another year closer to 40.  Kind of blows my mind.  I see someone from my school years and think - 'Do I look that old?'.  But age is inevitable.  You can embrace it or you can deny it and wake up one morning and not recognize the face in the mirror.

This year is a year that is going to be some amazing changes!  I am going through Jeanne Mayo's Cadre discipleship (http://www.youthleaderscoach.com/cadre.asp), my son will get his permit (egads!), I am taking the steps to get healthier and I want to fall back in love with God to the point that I am intoxicated with His presence.

So when people ask how old I am, I merely smile and say "36" and when they gasp and say I don't look that old, I smile a bit broader.

36......pish-posh - it's merely a number.

Me at 4 years old

Satan is a punk....

Sometimes we forget how good God is.


We see a situation and get so discouraged.  We get angry, upset and even depressed that the problem before us seems impossible to overcome.  We stare up at the mountain and see the large mass of rock and not the big picture.


We were born into a life of sin (thanks a lot Adam and Eve) into a sinful world.  Bad things happen to good people.  That's life.  When we become a Christian, it isn't like this magic bubble surrounds us and all the good stays contained while the bad bounces off of it.  Not so.  


Whenever I hear of someone going through a bad time, I can't help but think of Job (Joe-b) in the Bible.  He lost everything.  His wife, his family, his land, his livestock and eventually his health - everything.  However, God never left him nor did He let him suffer without an ultimate plan.  The devil was trying to prove God wrong.  So when the devil came up the the throne room of God and said he had been "roaming the earth" (presumably looking for someone to harass), God suggested Job.  Then Satan told God to let him have Job.  He told God that Job only served Him (God) because he was protected.  He said to let him have Job and he will prove that when calamity comes his way, he will turn away from God.   Therefore, God let Satan do his worst.  Job grew upset and even a bit angry but he never blamed God for what was happening to him.  In the end, God blessed Job even more abundantly for his faithfulness.


Sometimes I look at my life like Job. Granted, my life has been pretty good compared to most but sometimes it just plain sucks.  If you notice, it seems like everything comes in a package, one thing after another.  There are times I get discouraged and overwhelmed thinking I just want to lay down and let the world pass me by.  Then I think of Job.  I get a new perspective and I realize if all this is coming against me, then God must think I am "blameless and upright".  Satan can only do what God allows.  He has no power except that which is given to him.  So if God gives him the power to come against me in a whirlwind, I will stand firm footed because God knows I can handle it and He will bless me in the end.


This isn't to say that sometimes I freak out.  However, when I look back I see that God has taken care of everything, every time.  So, why do I still freak out when I know that God has always taken care of me (even when I was a sinner, how awesome is THAT)?  I am still flesh....and I still have doubts.  Perhaps I think this is the one time God will leave me to my own demise.  Perhaps I am thinking I have been given His grace once too many.  Perhaps He is up there, sighing and throwing His hands up saying "Really, Misty?  AGAIN?"   Typing that brings a smile to my face because the God I serve is amazing.  He takes care of His children and when I accepted Christ, I was adopted into the Royal Family of God.  I am His and He is mine.  He never gets frustrated with me, He is patient and understanding and is always in the midst any situation.  For that, I strive to please Him.


So, if you are feeling discouraged, anxious or just plain 'blah', know that God is there in the middle of your situation.....and so is the enemy (aka Satan).  He is standing before the throne and condemning your name wanting nothing more than to destroy you.  Are you going to stand by and let him win?  


The enemy does not have to take you down to win, he only has to make you ineffective.


In closing, I want to leave a few scriptures for you, all are NIV.


"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." – Philippians 4:6


"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." - Dueteronomy 31:6 


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light". – Matthew 11:28-30


"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." – Galatians 6:9


"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." – Psalm 42:5-6a


"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." - Jeremiah 29:11

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." -John 10:10

Everyone has a lil' superhero in 'em....

Vacation Bible School (VBS) started this week.  This is my fifth year doing it and my first year tackling it alone.  Even though I have doubted myself, debated with myself and even thought I couldn't pull it off, tonight was a success!  Four more days to go!

This year's theme is "Hero Headquarters".  It isn't your typical heroes.  We don't have Spiderman or Superman on the walls.  No, most of the superheroes we show are unnamed.  The Bible stories we learn about all week are about some amazing heroes that never were named.  Today we learned about how Naaman had leprosy and went to Elisha only to be ignored.  Then a servant girl came and told Naaman what to do - dunk in the Jordan 7 times.  He did and was healed!  How grateful he must have been to that servant girl ...... who's name we don't even know!

VBS is full of fun, games, snacks and just having a good time.  I think my volunteers have as much (if not more) fun than the kids that come!  They dress up and get the kids pumped and try to involve every kid so no one feels left out.

So why do it?

VBS is a long process.  While I am doing VBS week, I already am thinking of next year's theme.  I will order the kit in the winter (if not before) and already begin on planning.  It takes about 9 months from start to finish. It does get easier as the years go on.  I know what works, what doesn't and know what I need to focus on the most.  It is hard and sometimes overwhelming but it is worth it in the end.

To stand up there and dance and talk to the kids while they are engaged in what I am saying is so rewarding.  To give the message of Jesus and the Bible and to have kids just enjoy learning about Him is amazing.  It is great when I ask what they learned and they can tell me.  They really get it.  Some people over look children but Jesus said to let them come.  We are to train them up in His ways and send them out.  If we can have fun doing it, then why not?!  haha!

I couldn't do this without my amazing volunteers.  It takes about 20 volunteers to run VBS smoothly.  I would like to personally thank my husband.  He works 7 days a week and he goes and helps at VBS then comes home and goes to work.  I know he hates it (not VBS so much, but the dedication and the energy it takes) but he does it because I need him and for that I love him.  I know he has grumbled but seeing him interact with the kids makes me smile.  They truly love him.  He is "Pizza Man" and I can hear all the kids yell PIZZA MAN! when they see him. Some even wanted to share their snack of the day with him. That would melt anyone's heart.  So, to Matt - thank you so much for helping me.  It means a lot.  Really it does.   To my other volunteers - you mean the world to me.  Without you, this wouldn't be possible.

So, tomorrow is Day 2 and I am excited to see what this week is going to bring.  I know for one thing - it is going to bring happy, screaming kids to a church to learn about God in a way that is fun and exciting.  Who wouldn't love that?

"Don't let anyone look down on you beacuse you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."  -1 Timothy 4:12

Me as "Maintenance Misty" and Matt as "Pizza Man"