"One life totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit." - Oswald Chambers
I love this quote. It totally resonates with where my heart is at - with Young Life and the things that God is teaching me in my own walk with Him.
I jumped feet first into this 'starting Young Life in Slave Lake' thing - eager to see things happen. You know those verses in Psalms that talk about waiting on God. Well - it's very easy to say "I'll wait on God" but it's a whole lot harder to do it.
I kept seeing potential Young Life people and I would excitedly share my heart expecting that they would just jump in with me. But things weren't going as I'd thought they would and it took someone challenging me to pray a different prayer - "God, who do you want on this team?" Once I stepped back and started praying that - my agenda was irrelevant. Suddenly the pressure was no longer there - the pressure to give an awesome sales pitch and get this person to jump on the YL bandwagon. Suddenly it became about what God was doing and how He is moving in all of this and not about me talking to the 'right' people and doing the 'right' things to get people on board.
I tell ya - it is incredibly comforting to let go of the reins and give stuff up to God. Technically, I never had control of the reins in the first place - I had just convinced myself that the burden was on me to shoulder the load and so I had to do whatever I had to. But God has been challenging me - through Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest & through the book - "Breaking Intimidation" by John Bevere. Both sources have been pulling me towards God, towards scripture and the power of prayer - all things that are essential in starting a ministry in a town.
And I think with starting a ministry that the beauty is that there will continue to be times of God opening doors - BAM BAM BAM - just like that. There will also be times of discouragement. There will be times of just waiting....and waiting...and waiting...for God to move, to direct my steps. And those times of waiting are just as vital as the times of opening doors and confirming my decisions. Those are the times that stretch me and mould me into what God would want in someone he wants to use in ministry.
Even in the midst of opening doors there are things up ahead that still look impossible but I truly believe that God will resolve and do incredible things - but it will be in His perfect timing and on his agenda - not mine.
I just wanted to write this to give Him praise for all the amazing things that are happening in Slave Lake - opportunities to get into the high schools, conversations with kids that have been so eye-opening and challenging me to go to scripture for answers, people that are interested in the ministry of Young Life and see potential for it in Slave Lake.
There have already been blunders on my part, miscommunications, and struggles. I feel often that I am floundering around - desiring to do what God has laid on my heart and yet feeling so ill-equipped and discouraged at the times I get in the way of what God wants to do. And yet there have also been times of forgiveness, of trusting and building of relationships - of encouragement and reminders to keep focused and stay attuned to God's heart.
That's what gives me hope- that in spite of the messed up sinner that I am - quick to anger, quick to impatience, worrying, trying to take control, saying things I shouldn't, ignoring God at times, putting myself and my needs over God, the list goes on and on.. In spite of those things - God wants to use me - me of all people for a ministry that could get totally messed up by the things I struggle with. And yet as I learn daily to surrender that stuff to God - I am reminder that 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' - that "He who has begun a good work in me will bring it to completion" - that "He so loved the world (and me) that he gave His one and only Son - that whosoever believes in Him will receive eternal life."
It's craziness - that the God of the universe would offer to us what He does - that He would give us a second chance, and a third chance, and a tenth, and a 100th - that He cares about every detail of our lives and His greatest desire is for us to know Him intimately and know His love and to glorify Him the way we were created to. That in spite of our junk and our messed up selves - He would give himself up on a cross - as Jesus - to save our measly little lives. Just ridiculousness. I can't express how amazing it is.
Read a tattoo today that a guy just got - "Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future." Not sure what his interpretation of it was but I just see it as a hopeful statement - a reminder of our humanity and yet the hope that we have a future in Christ. So cool.
God I just praise you and ask for your protection over the youth of this town - over kids whose hearts are turned away from you or towards you - that you would bring these kids into a real lasting relationship with you - whether through a youth rally, or church, or youth group, or Young Life - I pray that more and more adults hearts would be motivated to invest in these kids lives - to bring encouragement where there is none and share hope with the hopeless. I just pray these things Jesus in your powerful name. Amen.
I love this quote. It totally resonates with where my heart is at - with Young Life and the things that God is teaching me in my own walk with Him.
I jumped feet first into this 'starting Young Life in Slave Lake' thing - eager to see things happen. You know those verses in Psalms that talk about waiting on God. Well - it's very easy to say "I'll wait on God" but it's a whole lot harder to do it.
I kept seeing potential Young Life people and I would excitedly share my heart expecting that they would just jump in with me. But things weren't going as I'd thought they would and it took someone challenging me to pray a different prayer - "God, who do you want on this team?" Once I stepped back and started praying that - my agenda was irrelevant. Suddenly the pressure was no longer there - the pressure to give an awesome sales pitch and get this person to jump on the YL bandwagon. Suddenly it became about what God was doing and how He is moving in all of this and not about me talking to the 'right' people and doing the 'right' things to get people on board.
I tell ya - it is incredibly comforting to let go of the reins and give stuff up to God. Technically, I never had control of the reins in the first place - I had just convinced myself that the burden was on me to shoulder the load and so I had to do whatever I had to. But God has been challenging me - through Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest & through the book - "Breaking Intimidation" by John Bevere. Both sources have been pulling me towards God, towards scripture and the power of prayer - all things that are essential in starting a ministry in a town.
And I think with starting a ministry that the beauty is that there will continue to be times of God opening doors - BAM BAM BAM - just like that. There will also be times of discouragement. There will be times of just waiting....and waiting...and waiting...for God to move, to direct my steps. And those times of waiting are just as vital as the times of opening doors and confirming my decisions. Those are the times that stretch me and mould me into what God would want in someone he wants to use in ministry.
Even in the midst of opening doors there are things up ahead that still look impossible but I truly believe that God will resolve and do incredible things - but it will be in His perfect timing and on his agenda - not mine.
I just wanted to write this to give Him praise for all the amazing things that are happening in Slave Lake - opportunities to get into the high schools, conversations with kids that have been so eye-opening and challenging me to go to scripture for answers, people that are interested in the ministry of Young Life and see potential for it in Slave Lake.
There have already been blunders on my part, miscommunications, and struggles. I feel often that I am floundering around - desiring to do what God has laid on my heart and yet feeling so ill-equipped and discouraged at the times I get in the way of what God wants to do. And yet there have also been times of forgiveness, of trusting and building of relationships - of encouragement and reminders to keep focused and stay attuned to God's heart.
That's what gives me hope- that in spite of the messed up sinner that I am - quick to anger, quick to impatience, worrying, trying to take control, saying things I shouldn't, ignoring God at times, putting myself and my needs over God, the list goes on and on.. In spite of those things - God wants to use me - me of all people for a ministry that could get totally messed up by the things I struggle with. And yet as I learn daily to surrender that stuff to God - I am reminder that 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' - that "He who has begun a good work in me will bring it to completion" - that "He so loved the world (and me) that he gave His one and only Son - that whosoever believes in Him will receive eternal life."
It's craziness - that the God of the universe would offer to us what He does - that He would give us a second chance, and a third chance, and a tenth, and a 100th - that He cares about every detail of our lives and His greatest desire is for us to know Him intimately and know His love and to glorify Him the way we were created to. That in spite of our junk and our messed up selves - He would give himself up on a cross - as Jesus - to save our measly little lives. Just ridiculousness. I can't express how amazing it is.
Read a tattoo today that a guy just got - "Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future." Not sure what his interpretation of it was but I just see it as a hopeful statement - a reminder of our humanity and yet the hope that we have a future in Christ. So cool.
God I just praise you and ask for your protection over the youth of this town - over kids whose hearts are turned away from you or towards you - that you would bring these kids into a real lasting relationship with you - whether through a youth rally, or church, or youth group, or Young Life - I pray that more and more adults hearts would be motivated to invest in these kids lives - to bring encouragement where there is none and share hope with the hopeless. I just pray these things Jesus in your powerful name. Amen.
