The God Factor

I am a huge proponent of having a plan and executing your plan. That applies to anything from work, money, church services, etc… If you were to come to my youth service you would see that in action. I have a cue sheet that every leader gets that has everything laid out so everyone knows exactly what is going to happen and at what time. It also has all the tech responsibilities on it so there is no confusion. So we never get up there and just “wing” it. I believe that if a student is going to put themselves out there and invite someone to church then the least I can do is make everything the best that it possibly can be.

With all that being said there is also the God factor where He just shows up in a unique way and takes everything in a different direction. Last night was one of those nights and I am so glad that I let God be God and just got out of the way. Was there still teaching, were students still challenged and fed? Yes, just God was allowed to be God and He did more in a few minuets then I could have done in an hour.

I had a Pastor who once told me that “I must prepare like everything depends on me and pray like everything depends on God because it does”. We need to make sure that we always understand our roles and it is the Holy Spirits job to convict and heal, it is my job present. Lets make sure we always make room in our services for the God factor after all He is the Father and like the title of the old T.V. show Father Knows Best.

Out of Gas

Have you ever felt like you are just running around with your head cut off? I have found myself saying “I need to get control of my schedule” a lot lately. With moving, meetings, dinners, etc… it has just been crazy. All good stuff; and I have enjoyed my time learning, and driving, and getting know everyone, it’s just been busy. It seems like during these seasons in our life we tend to neglect what is most important. Think about it this way, your car will continue to run as long as there is gas. Make sure that you are filling up. Don’t neglect your time with God; don’t give everyone else you best and your family gets what is left. Don’t neglect your body and what you are putting into it just because it is convenient. You will surprised how much you can handle and for how long when you stay filled up.

Hello & Goodbye

It seems like life is a series of hellos and goodbyes. Think about it; in every stage of our lives we have a group of people that we believe we can’t live without then life changes and we seem to replace those people with new people, and the cycle continues. The key to me is not to replace those relationships but just to add new ones. If me moving to Kansas meant that I couldn’t keep the old relationships then the move would have been a lot harder, but with facebook, email, text messaging, moving just means face to face doesn’t happen as much. I want to make an effort to not say as many goodbyes in this transition just more hellos.