yes, those are the words that have been spoken to me recently. you see, every year through this time (december through january) i go through a bit of a "season" where i am discouraged easily. and every year i struggle with whether or not to stay involved in full time ministry. i'm fine going through this, and i know it's coming every year. but every year it comes and i go through it. i wrestle with God on what lies in my future and how i should be spending time and what i should be doing for work, and i pretty much question everything. there have been many times where i've just wanted to throw up my hands and say "i'm finished, i quit" and sell all of my stuff and move onto the streets and basically drop off the face of the planet.
but then God reminds me of His Goodness, His Grace, and just what it is that He desires of me. and every year i come back to the idea that i cannot do anything else in this world except for Youth Ministry. seriously, who would ever hire a guy with a degree in youth ministry? and who would ever hire a guy who has spent his entire adult life investing in students and leaders who invest in students? it's all i've known really, and it's all i've ever done, and the kicker is - i'm good at it, because God works through me in the lives of the people i interact with.
this year, God moved mightily for us, and continues to move mightily. back in october, we were given a challenge by a donor: find $1500 a month in new monthly funding (with December 31st being the deadline) and he'll match it for the months of January through September 2008. what a great deal! well, november came and went, and we had some good conversations with people, but we really didn't get anywhere. then, someone came forward and offered a gift, and then another. for a while we sat at just under half of our goal of $1500, then during this last week, some people came forward and as of today we sit at $1450 per month in new monthly funding! not only that, but this month we've been operating in a deficit, and someone we've been praying for to be supportive of our work here in town (mainly because his involvement lends HUGE credibility to what we do) took care that for us, and is in his words, "on the team". praise God.
and do you wanna know the best part? more than half of it wasn't even raised by Pete (my staff partner) and i. it was brought forward by people who support us and love us and want to see us succeed. praise God. God moved. we did the work we needed to, but God moved.
so, my lesson in all of this? shut up, quit complaining, realize how good you've good it, and listen to what God is doing around you. believe it or not, He's got a few ideas on how things around here work. and by the way, Merry Christmas.
but then God reminds me of His Goodness, His Grace, and just what it is that He desires of me. and every year i come back to the idea that i cannot do anything else in this world except for Youth Ministry. seriously, who would ever hire a guy with a degree in youth ministry? and who would ever hire a guy who has spent his entire adult life investing in students and leaders who invest in students? it's all i've known really, and it's all i've ever done, and the kicker is - i'm good at it, because God works through me in the lives of the people i interact with.
this year, God moved mightily for us, and continues to move mightily. back in october, we were given a challenge by a donor: find $1500 a month in new monthly funding (with December 31st being the deadline) and he'll match it for the months of January through September 2008. what a great deal! well, november came and went, and we had some good conversations with people, but we really didn't get anywhere. then, someone came forward and offered a gift, and then another. for a while we sat at just under half of our goal of $1500, then during this last week, some people came forward and as of today we sit at $1450 per month in new monthly funding! not only that, but this month we've been operating in a deficit, and someone we've been praying for to be supportive of our work here in town (mainly because his involvement lends HUGE credibility to what we do) took care that for us, and is in his words, "on the team". praise God.
and do you wanna know the best part? more than half of it wasn't even raised by Pete (my staff partner) and i. it was brought forward by people who support us and love us and want to see us succeed. praise God. God moved. we did the work we needed to, but God moved.
so, my lesson in all of this? shut up, quit complaining, realize how good you've good it, and listen to what God is doing around you. believe it or not, He's got a few ideas on how things around here work. and by the way, Merry Christmas.
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