How do you feel about youth group?

This post by Sarah Mae {and the ensuing discussion in the comments} really got me thinking {as most of her posts do} about something that had already been on my mind.  A few weeks ago, during Teen/Tween Thursday I wrote about parental responsibility in our children’s spiritual development. 

Our role as parents in our children’s spiritual and character development has been heavy on my heart for several months.  Recognizing the sense of entitlement that this generation feels scares me.  Reading books like Radical has exposed the yucky truth to me that I have contributed to that sense of entitlement in my own household.  My husband and I have been in prayer about ways to combat this in our home and in our family life.  We have come up with some life changing decisions:

• One way is that we will be homeschooling our kids this year.  {you have NO idea what a huge thing that is for me to do!  It is God and God alone- for sure!}  I am in no way condemning those that choose other educational options- we prayerfully chose public school for many years.
• Also, we want our kids to attend church services with us {they will still go to their youth group.  We are fortunate to have three services to choose from on Sunday mornings}.  They are old enough chronologically and spiritually to learn from our Pastor’s wisdom and dig deeper into God’s word.
• We are actively seeking more mission opportunities for our children and our family, and not just in our local area.  Isaiah 58 is my life chapter and my heart’s desire is that my children will hunger to spend themselves for God.

All that being said, I love the youth group at our church and work side by side with them on many projects.  My kids will continue to attend.  I think it is also vital to have youth ministries to reach unsaved young people.  My boys invite their friends to youth group and I want them to continue to do so!  I work with pregnant and parenting teen girls and invite them to many of our youth group functions.  I think the youth ministry serves an important purpose but do agree that it should never be the substitute for the active parental involvement of Christian parents.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue and encourage you to watch the Segregation video and read through the comments on the post I referred to.

And, as always, please link up any post related to parenting teens/tweens below!

How long must I wait?

I am battling an anxious heart.

Not over anything major or even specific.

But an unsettled, on-my-way-to-where-I’m-supposed-to-be type of place.

Yet, I don’t even know where I’m supposed to be.

I think I do.  My hubby and I disagree about the route to take.

And, I ask.  How long, God?  How long before you give me the answers to these {important to me} questions.  A glance at the road map, perhaps?  A hint at the mode of transportation you want us to use?  A sliver of the plan you have in mind?

And, God asks.  How long, Melissa?  How long before you humble yourself before me? {Exodus 10:3} How long before you surrender to whatever it is that lies ahead?  How long before you stop needing to know the answers and are content to trust me…how long?

I hold the key to my own captivity. 

He stands at the door and knocks.  I’m the one that wants the itinerary before opening the door. 

Today, I am opening the door anyway.  Resting in the promise of Nahum 1:7

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in Him.

Help me trust, God.  Help me delight in the wait.  Help me delight in the not knowing.  Help me delight in You.

 

I want a map!

Life is a highway.  Maybe in the song, but the Christian life is more like a back road to me. And I struggle to drive on the back roads. 

See, a  highway provides you with mile markers, to let you know how far you’ve come and how far you have to go.

  A highway has exits that help you reach your destination. 

A highway has passing lanes to avoid those cars that are slowing you down and shoulders to pull off when there is a heavy rain.

When there is a detour on the highway or a busy road, there will often be a truck with flashing lights to guide you through to the end.

There is a sign on Interstate 70W in Maryland that tells you how many miles it is to get to far off places, like Colorado.  I always smile when we drive past that sign.  I like knowing where I am headed, what sits off in the distance, what is attainable, what I’m driving towards.

When you are a follower of Jesus, life is not a highway. There aren’t clearly delineated lanes.  There aren’t big exit signs to say “get off here”.  Making a u-turn requires skill and sometimes scrapes some paint off your pretty car.

On the backroad you can expect trees to just fall in the middle of the road. You won’t always have a cell phone signal so help can seem a long ways off.  If there is an accident up ahead that you can’t see, you just have to sit and spend some time in traffic. Ugh, I detest traffic.

My natural tendency is to want to jump on the highway, even just for a minute.  I can drive so much faster and reach so many more places.  Right?

Wrong!  Jesus doesn’t care how fast I drive or how many places I visit.  He cares about whether or not I am letting Him drive and He prefers the scenic route.

I’m not the only one that struggles with this.  Back when Jesus was with his disciples, THomas said to him:

Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? John 14:5

Letting God drive doesn’t mean He will hand you the AAA trip ticker (man, I love those).  It means that no matter what route you are on, He will get you where He wants you to be.

My flesh really wants a map today.  My heart knows the map is far better off in the hand’s of the One that wrote it.

Who’s driving your car?

 

Photo Courtesy of:

quickandsimple.com

Holy Week- Maundy Thursday

This was such a special night.  A night when Jesus provided his disciples (present and future) with beautiful promises for those that choose to serve Him.

The Lord gave them a new command that night (and it still holds true for us today).

A new command I give you.  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  John 13:34-35

I struggle sometimes in my friendships with other believers (other disciples of Jesus). We can really be hard on each other. Amen?

As Christian women we certainly don’t set the best of examples for others when we publically debate over theology, judge one another for our actions without being aware of someone’s complete situation, put our “best” face forward instead of being stripped bare before others as was demonstrated on this Holy Thursday so many years ago.

I write this, not in a spirit of condemnation because I too am guilty of this, but in a spirit of desire: desiring to follow after the command that Jesus left the night before He carried our sins to the cross.

Jesus kept talking that night and would repeat His words about loving one another.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends….This is my command: Love each other.  John 15: 12-13, 17

A great way to lay down our life, our flesh for our friends is to crucify the need to be right.

The need to have the last word.  The need to be vindicated.  The need to be acknowledged.

Today, I am asking my God to bring to my remembrance times that I have not put loving my friends, my sisters in Christ ahead of my own wants, desires and needs.

Wash me, Lord, of selfish ambition, pride, haughtiness, sinful anger.  Let me see others through your merciful and tender eyes. Help me be the friend you want me to be, demonstrating your love to everyone I come in contact with.  Give me the courage to say I am sorry when I miss the mark and the tenacity to carry on.  Through your strength Jesus, only through your strength.  Wash me, Lord.  Thank you for being the example of what true relationships should look like.  I am in awe of your glory. ~Amen.

If anything I have written or said on this site has caused any of you to stumble, hurt you or affected you negatively in any way I take this time to humbly ask for your forgiveness.  Let us spur one another on toward doing good and abiding in Jesus and his sacrificial love for us.

What’s in a Name?

I came across this wonderful idea for a family activity at Teaching Good Things. You take the letters of your last name and come up with corresponding words that have to deal with character traits you want your family to represent. So, here is what our family came up with (note to readers- allow yourself some time for this activity- everybody has an opinion and some of them are amusing. For example, Jared thought that the M in our name should stand for majestic. And his dad asked him to explain how that was a desirable character trait. You had to be here for that conversation

S- Simple (the kids had a hard time with this one until we explained what we meant.) One of the definitions of simple in the dictionary is: free of deceit or guile; sincere; unconditional. That is the definition we are operating from.

M- Moral This is to operate with principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct.

A- Active We are an active family, physically, but we also mean this in terms of being active for causes we believe in. Raising money for multiple sclerosis research, Alzheimer’s, volunteering for things we believe in and being active in our church. Marked by or involving direct participation

L- Loving Loving each other despite our faults and mistakes, loving others as to be a light to the world, being God with skin on to those around us. affectionate concern for the well-being of others

L- Loyal characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligations We are accepting of other’s and do not turn our backs on our own. Just as we love we are also loyal to those in our family and circle of friends.

W- Warm We want people to feel comfortable around us and our home to be a place of comfort and warmth. to inspire with kindly feeling; affect with lively pleasure

O- Optimistic Now, my husband had to sell me on the fact that he is optimistic (he said it is something he strives for . Of or pertaining to optimism; tending, or conforming, to the opinion that all events are ordered for the best. Hopeful; sanguine; as, an optimistic view

O- Obedient especially to God and His will for our family.obeying or willing to obey; complying with or submissive to authority

D- Determined We are a family determined to overcome ay obstacle, challenge and situation that comes our way through our faith in God, love for each other and hope for the future. devoting full strength and concentrated attention to

So, what does your family’s name mean to you? This is a very fun and thought provoking exercise. Try it and come back and tell me about your experience.