It All Comes Back to Jesus

John 15:9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Last night was the first night of our Boomerang Express Vacation Bible School. What a great time! We were blessed with 69 children on our first night. Wow! Verse 9 was the lesson verse for last night. "Remain in my love." I like the sound of that...remain in the love of Jesus. But wait, the scripture goes on to say that remaining in His love is actually linked to obeying His commands. Okay, so I obey His commands in the visual sense. I mean I have accepted Him as Lord of my life and try to live a life that represents Jesus. But let's get deep and personal. What are His commands for the deepest part of my heart? How do I deal with conflict? Do I have my priorities straight? Do I appear loving to my family that know me best? (I have a huge area of improvement to work on in that...I've been so overwhelmed with ministry and now am really tired). Do I schedule time to sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary did or am I too busy like Martha was (Luke 10:38-42)?

I have some work to do on the inside. I want to remain in His love. And I want my joy to be complete. I love the beauty of the scriptures. I love the beauty of the joy of Jesus in me. I love that if I put Jesus in His place in my life, everything else falls in place. But I truly want this in the deepest sense, not just on the surface. Join me in this quest?

A Name for Ourselves?

Genesis 11:1 "Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, 'Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
4 Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
6 The Lord said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.'
8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 That is why it is called Babel--because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth."

This is the passage of scripture we studied in Youth Group 2 weeks ago. It is important that we continue to study and reread the scriptures. When I reread these verses to prepare the lesson for that night, I was surprised that some of the details I had thought were there - weren't. I had confused the story in my memory. When I asked the students to tell me about The Tower of Babel (before we had read the scripture), they told it they way I had wrongly remembered it. They thought the people were building a tower to reach God. How could He punish them for trying to reach Him?

But when you look at the verses, you see that they were trying to make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. The Tower of Babel happened not that long after the flood when God had said to "be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth." (Genesis 9:1) I believe this scripture teaches that God punished them because they were

1. trying to glorify themselves,
2. disregarded God in the whole plan, and
3. were in direct disobedience to God's words after the flood.

When applying this teaching to my own life, I feel like it is wrong to ever build myself or my church up above God Himself. Do you know what I mean? Crossroads is a wonderful place to be a part of, but it is one speck in the Kingdom of God. We must remember that we are a part of God's plan - not THE PLAN. And we mustn't proceed with "churchy stuff" without checking in with God to see if it's His time and agenda. And of course, we mustn't ever move forward with a project that disregards God's words at any given time.

I feel like this is one passage of scripture that merits my time to dig deeper into the truths here. What these people did here and the response they received from God has affected every person born since that time. I want to learn from their mistakes and remember that my actions affect those around me too. A close walk with God which includes talking to Him and listening every day can help me to choose carefully and make wise decisions.

I continually need reminded to live, breathe, and think in Him...

Be Still

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

I'm still on the rollercoaster of life this week. Camp and VBS in back to back weeks is insane. And then add in the usual craziness of family and work. To be honest, (and you would want me to be honest wouldn't you?) I've felt overwhelmed to the point of tears. Then I remembered the verse above, and God said, "Be still! Don't think about all you have to do, don't think about what you did last week, don't think, just be still." And you know what? It was refreshing. So today, I'm going to factor in some brain breaks. I'm just going to be quiet and think about my Lord and Savior. Very simple thoughts too. Because if I think too deeply, I'll be off chasing rabbits in my mind and it will lead me right back to myself and all I have to do.

I just wanted to share the value of simplicity in stillness. There may be a time you really need it too.

Passion

Thanks for missing me! I appreciate all the comments yesterday at church about my absence from the blog this past week. Boy, was it a week! We saw many teenagers come to know Christ and many recommitted their lives to Christ. We had "open mic" night and allowed them to share during the worship time. What a blessing! It was interesting too, no one said more than a few sentences, but lots of kids just stepped up to say what Jesus was doing in their life. Wow!

I think the main thing I brought home was the sense of passion the kids had. Oh, teenagers (especially girls) are very "dramatic" about everything. That's not what I mean. I'm talking about the passion when they worship and lead worship. The worship celebration which concludes the week is an awesome array of performances by all the classes that met during camp. By Saturday I had gotten to know who was shy and who wasn't. But everyone gave everything they had during Saturday's performance. Tears ran down my face as they gave such moving, thoughtful performances. I pray that they will keep their passion for serving Jesus as they go back to the "real world" after camp.

It is my prayer that we would encourage each other to be passionate for Jesus. To never lose our "give all" attitude in serving Him!

Apologies

I must apologize for being away from the blog. I want this to be a consistent available source for you to feel connected. Let me update you. I've been preparing to go to a worship arts camp this week. I usually teach a class or 2, but this year they asked me to direct the upper grades. And of course, this would be the year we have a record number of registrations: 61 to date. We usually have 25-30 teenagers. This is a camp that focuses on instrument skills and the many ministries used to enhance worship in the church. It's a little more "narrow" in activities, so it doesn't attract every teenager. Most of the kids we get already know Jesus and will enjoy worshiping with other teenagers from throughout the state of Indiana.

My entire family is going. Many of you know us and know that this kind of camp is well within the focus of our lives. In fact, this camp helped form my kids spiritually. We've been going for 10 years and they are now the "adults" serving and giving back to the camp they went to as kids. Even my hubby is going. This is his first year, but I'm going to enjoy having my whole family there. And not having to cook the rest of the week! Yeah! No dishes, no menu planning! Surely, you share in my excitement!

So, I may be away, but you're all in my prayers. This blog certainly enables me to feel more "connected". I've come to know some of you better and I enjoy talking with you on Sundays at church. Thank you for your kind words.

I could really use your prayers this week. You may remember that my back is still in the mending stage. I had a setback, but do feel like I'm making some progress again. But by the end of the day, I am exhausted because the muscles in my back have had spasms throughout the day and are too weary to support me. Please pray that I will have strength and stamina to do my job as director this week. Much of my work is done at this point, having planned and contacted, etc. But I want to be able to encourage and spiritually lift up those around me-adults and teenagers. Camp is draining, but it is also exhilirating!

We're taking 8 kids from Crossroads. Pray for them to feel God's presence in a mighty way. And that when they come back from camp that they will continue to make Him even more a part of their lives.

Thanks, until later...

Casting

1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

I've been feeling anxious. I actually prayed about the anxiety I've been feeling. Some of it is because I'm very busy preparing to direct a worship arts camp next week. We've been blessed with twice as many teenagers registered as ever before. What an exciting time that will be. But I feel a little bit anxious about it.

I also want to say that I think there are times that we don't deal as well with anxiety. Wouldn't you agree? I'm still not physically back to where I was before the herniated disc. My strength and stamina are weak. But I'm trying some life changes for my health and hope that it helps. Because I'm physically weaker right now, I'm feeling more mentally overwhelmed with what lies ahead.

Back to anxiety and casting...this verse is a wonderful gift from God this morning. Now I'm not a fisherman or fisherwoman, to put it more accurately, but I've seen people "cast". Visualize that motion of an experienced fisherman casting his line. He can skillfully put that baited hook out in the water several yards from where he's standing. I think that's what I need to do with this anxiety. But I think I need to practice my skills. What about you? Are you experienced at casting your anxiety?

And we can cast with confidence because he cares for us. Thank You, God, for caring! Sometimes it seems like everyone is so busy that no one cares. But God does. I love that!

So, shall we practice "casting" together?

Why the Bible?

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Last night at Youth Group, we talked about the importance of the Bible in our lives. This scripture in 2 Timothy certainly speaks of the value of "God's breath" in our walk with Him. So why don't we schedule more study time in our lives? Why do we let the day slip by without reading God's Word? I'm just as guilty as anybody else. I love to read the Bible, but before I know it I'm falling into bed at night without having even opened it that day.

We then talked about how well we would do on Jeopardy if the category was the Bible. I asked them how much they knew about key characters in the Bible. It was fun to put the facts together of what they knew and try to come up with accurate accounts. It was very funny at times. So I've challenged myself in the coming weeks. I promised the kids that the Bible is just as exciting as any movie they could watch: just as scary, just as romantic, just as action-packed, adventurous...you see what I was saying. Now I have to come up with lessons to prove this point. And then relate them to their lives so it's not just a Bible history class.

Do you believe in the value of the Bible? Do you believe we should do more than just breathe the Word once a week at church? Do you believe the accounts in Scripture are intentional and still relevant today? I am going to be sharing on this blog some of what I share in Youth Group. Why? Because I think we all could use some cramming for life's Jeopardy game. I look forward to what God's going to teach me through this series. I hope you do too!

Let me introduce you to:

Tammie Padgett and her family have been attending Crossroads for 1+ year. She is married to Jay and they are the parents of Ariana (college) and Josh Padgett (8th grade). She is a substitute teacher at RCA school. In her spare time she likes to cross stitch, read, and work word games. When I asked her what she enjoyed most about Crossroads she said, "I think it's the people--when you come in the door, they make you feel like you're that relative from far away that they haven't seen for awhile and they're glad to see." What a great feeling! Tammie volunteers/serves by teaching. You'll find her mostly in the "Wildside", but you might see her other places since she said she'll help out wherever she's needed.

Press On

Philippians 3:12b "...but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."

In case you haven't noticed by now, I love phrases. I sometimes refer to myself as a "phrasologist" (I think I made up that word). The one I'm pondering today is "Christ Jesus took hold of me." I love that thought. Christ Jesus took hold of us in order that we might someday share a heavenly reward that He is preparing. Awesome! Amazing! Incidentally, it wasn't by sheer randomness that I happened along into being a Jesus follower. No, He took hold of me. And so I press on. Looking forward to the day when I see Him face to face and share eternity with Him. AHHHHHH, the bliss! Aches and pains remind us that we don't really want to live on this earth forever anyway, right?

Oh, I'm glad to share this journey with you. But I believe Heaven will bring us all together where we're really connected. So, chin up, smile from within, and press on!

Wait in Expectation

Psalm 1 "Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing,
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

I sigh a lot. Most of the time I don't even realize I've done it. But my husband does. Sometimes he'll ask what's wrong. He keeps a pretty good check on my pain right now. I've had a miserable setback. I think we've figured out that it's the "therapeutic" exercises I was doing. So I was advised to stop them and give my back more healing time. Anyway, I sigh a lot. Not always from pain. And not always with a "woe is me" thought. Sometimes it's a sign of completion - "ok that's done", or "can't change that", etc. I used to work with a lady that, after a trip to the restroom, she would sigh and say out loud with a sigh of finality "OK". I didn't think much about it until a client overheard it one day and chuckled. It was priceless!

Psalm 5 shows us that David sighed too. He wanted God to hear his every sigh. That's a neat thought to me! It reminds me that He knows my every thought and pain. The scripture goes on to say that David starts in the mornings laying his requests before God. I kind of feel guilty sometimes that I start requesting things of God first thing in the morning. So I'm trying to train myself to just thank Him and converse with Him for awhile before I "rip off" my "please do" list.

But the last line of verse 3 really spoke to my heart: "wait in expectation". How many times do we make our requests but don't really believe they'll be answered? I know I do. I want to pray with more belief and conviction that, if I pray in God's will, I can wait, expecting Him to answer and work all things together for good (Romans 8:28).

Let's wait in expectation!

Let me introduce you to Nancy Brown. Nancy is married to Dan and they have 3 children: Scott, Mandy, and Heather. They also have 4 grandchildren. Nancy is a vital part of the women's ministry here at Crossroads. She is working hard right now to help with the Voluntour August 16 which will honor the volunteers in our church and also encourage others to get involved by introducing them to the different ministries where they can serve. It is going to be a wonderful day. You'll want to plan to be there. Nancy is always thankful to see God work at Crossroads. She is excited to see the children's programs growing and to see so many young families coming to Crossroads. Having grown up in a family that put Christ first she knows families will benefit from being a part of the Crossroads family.

Psalm 19:1-4

1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."

This scripture reminds me to look up to the sky and remember God's handiwork. His creation proclaims His awesome love and majestic work day after day, night after night. I want to be part of that faithful proclamation too. Faithful. Proclamation. I want those words to convict me to grow, to go forward in Him. I don't want today to be yesterday's news. In other words, I want to share what God is doing in my life every day, not just a long time ago, or just high points in my life. No, I want to share that He is part of me and my life every day. He meets me at each transition in my life and gives me what I need. I lost my mom almost 11 years ago. As I finish raising my kids and enter my "older" years, I wish she was here so I could ask her some questions. She was strong, spunky, lots of fun, and never seemed as old as she was. I'd like to ask her how she did that even through the hard times. I know what she'd say, though. She'd say, "the Lord gives the strength. Remember Philippians 4:13 - 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'"

That's the greatest gift we can give each other - Jesus. He will always be here - always - for every stage. Share Him whenever you get the chance. Let's radiate just like the skies!

Return to the Lord

Hosea 14:1 "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall!"

The book of Hosea is a beautiful story of God's love for His wayward child-Israel. Hosea 11:1-2 says, "When Israel was a child, I loved him...but the more I called Israel, the further they went from me."

I thought about these scriptures in terms of my life. And I must say that even in my sincerity to follow God, there are so many times that I become distracted with the busyness of life. I'm so thankful that He always welcomes me back with open arms. The entire Bible is full of hope - of love and forgiveness. God knew we were humans and that we would have days when it seems like we're running from God and that there are days that we just get too busy for God. But He never changes! He's always waiting for us to remember that we need Him. We can't do it on our own. He wants us to come to Him, not only when we feel needy, but also just to be with Him. I hope you can take a few moments today to let His presence wash over you, renewing and refreshing you for all you have ahead of you!