our youth

He put a child in the middle of the room. Then, cradling the little one in his arms, he said, "Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me—God who sent me."

Oh how we forget about the youth...as someone that works witht them, I laugh all of the time and say they get blamed for anything that happens at the church!  We recently had a bad water break and sewer problem and I am sure in some roundabout way the youth caused it!

A young person approached a youth minister and asked: "If I did not come to church for about a month, would I be missed?"  We all feel this way...does anyone notice me or does anyone care?  We need to embrace our youth, love them and support them and let them know what a vital and important part of our church they are.  And they are.  There are some Sundays when they make up one third of the congregation on that day.  As a United Methodist our motto is "Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors" and that includes our youth.  More than anyone we need to put this motto into action with them.  They (and all of us for that matter) need to feel that if we were not there, in the church for more than a month the Body of Christ would be less.

Why is it so easy as we get older to lose our optimism and our vision? To become set in our ways and forget what it felt like to be young?  We need them!  We need their energy, their craziness, their joy, their excitement and their "I can do anything" attitude!  I hope they pray for me every day because their is no way God can ignore their enthusiasm. 

I read this prayer recently and will share.
God,
help me,
help us all to see the world
through the eyes of a young person.
Help us to let go of our perceived wisdom,
our addiction to be right,
and our need to feel that our young people
have to listen to our wisdom only.
Bring a conversion to us now,
and help us to remember
that we have so much to learn from young people.
Help us listen to them.
In doing so we will learn more about you.
Amen

Help me to pray it daily!

my church kids

I apologize for my ranting yesterday...I was home and sick is my only excuse.

My grand kids call them my "church kids".  They'll say things like "Were you with your church kids?"
My church kids range in age from 12 and beyond.  (even those in college remain church kids)  Other than walking into church following my husband's announcement the other hardest thing I had to do was tell my "church kids". 

Mark and I were a couple to them. We went together.  For those older kids they were as close to him as they were to me.  I knew it would be like going through a divorce of a parent and I needed to handle it in the same manner.  Greg told me it could and should be a "teachable moment" as he helped prepare me for this announcement.

If you know teenagers at all you know they are never quiet.  After a Sunday School lesson I sat them down and told them Mark and I had separated.  I didn't tell them why.  I told them he loved them just like I did.  I asked them for prayer not only for me but for Mark, too.  The room was dead silent.  No one spoke.  I asked them if there was anything they wanted to know.  They asked if that was why I took off for a few months.  We prayed together.  They walked out of the room in silence.  Two boys stayed back and hugged me.  I have tried to be completely honest with them through this struggle, answering every question.

I don't know how teenagers can be your strength but they became exactly that.  I was the children's director for five years before I became the youth director.  Most of these kids I knew from the time they were babies.  During this time they loved me. ..no questions asked.  One Sunday I lost it ...t totally and positively LOST IT...I went to my office quickly and didn't just cry, I sobbed...and Emilee happened to walk into the midst of it...she held me and cried with me and became my strength.  How can you ever repay that?  How can you ever say thanks for that?

I think God gave me the gift of these young people as children and then he knew I would need them when they were older and he gave them to me as teens.  They have given hugs, sent texts and brought me lots of laughter and tears.  They have seen the power of prayer.  They have seen strength and love come from hurt and hate.  They have watched the power of friendship between Lora and I.  They have witnessed how friends support each other.  The entire ordeal has been a lesson to them.

During the Super Bowl we were all watching together at church...sitting in front of me on bean bags were two of my older kids with my two grand kids.  My grandson Zack adores these guys (they are wonderful role models for him and don't even realize it.).  At one point I looked down and watched Lee reach over give him a head rub and hug.  Out of the blue and for no reason.  Now a few hours earlier he had been hitting Zack with the bean bad they were sitting on but now there was that brotherly love.  As you can see not only I have been blessed but my family has been blessed, too.

The power of love.  The song goes..."As long as I know how to love I know I will survive.."  Love has come to me in many ways and my "church kids" is one of those special ways.  I love you guys.  Thank you God for this blessing.  Once again you were there in the preparation for this hurt...you knew prior to the hurt what I was going to need and you laid the ground work.  You are an awesome God.




I

The phone call

After finding out about my marriage I took a 2 month leave of absence from my position as a youth director at Cross Lanes United Methodist Church.  One of the hardest things for me to do was walk back into a church...i couldn't walk back in the front doors for some reason...I felt dirty, used and just sad.  I had a great friend in Lora who took over my duties for me and she and the kids would constantly send me cards but I could not get up the courage to go in the doors.  One night I received a call from one of the youth, Evan, that asked me to come to a youth event several Friday nights in the future.  Only because of that call did I walk back into my church.  It was my first step toward recovery...between the time of his call and my return I found out my husband had not quit seeing his girlfriend as he professed, my youngest son got married amid the turmoil and I asked my husband to leave our house...what trauma.  That call was imperative...sometimes we are called to do something and we don't act on it...We hear a voice that says send so and so a note or call someone.  I am here to say DO IT...you never know the impact your action may have on that person.  Evan and I've had several emotional conversations about the call he made and the impact it had on my life. By returning to church I was wrapped in the love of the congregation and youth and given the strength I needed to survive this ordeal.  God is good all the time.  Thank you Evan!