Hello! And a special welcome if you're coming from Kelly's Korner! My husband has been a youth minister for the past 4.5 years. I typically do not share much from our youth group or church here (note: very small town!) but if I could ever encourage you in any way I would love to. I love our teenagers dearly and love watching their individual (and corporate) relationships grow with the Lord.
My husband is nearly halfway finished with Divinity School, and after that... only the Lord knows. We take delight in whatever that plan is though... or at least I'm trying to get to that point :)
I am by no means versed 100% in the dos and don'ts of youth ministry, but I can tell you I love pouring into this generation. I so often feel inadequate when I don't have answers for them, but I rejoice in this scripture:
3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3
Thanks for stopping by :)
Michelle
It was this past summer that I first learned of Three Cups of Tea. A family friend told me her church had just read Three Cups of Tea corporately. The adults read the actual book Three Cups of Tea, the youth read the young reader's edition, and the children read Listen to the Wind.
I noted that I'd like to read it but quickly forgot. Fast forward to this past Christmas. My brother actually told me he'd read it and that I should read it. My brother loves to read, especially things related to the military and history. This was the first time he'd ever recommended a book to me, so I took note. I mentioned to W I'd like to read it and to my surprise, he bought it this past summer right after said family friend recommended it to us.
Alllllll of that to say I read the Three Cups of Tea starting mid-January. One of our youth played in an honor band that was out of town and her parents were unable to be there the first night, so they asked me to go and stay with her in the hotel. I gladly obliged. She left for her band responsibilities and I crawled in bed with the book and made significant progress that night alone.
Greg Mortenson is a top-notch humanitarian. He tells the story of his mountaineering days, and how his failed attempt at K2 allowed him to stumble into a small rural Pakistani village. He was emaciated and the village nursed him back to health. He made a promise to them that he would return to bless them with a school.
And it all began.
He has since built not one, but fifty-five schools. The book chronicles his relationships, his love of the people, his marriage with his wife, and all that comes with living on the other side of the world from where your heart is.
Two of my favorite quotes are as follows:
Jake Greenberg, a thirteen year old from the suburbs of Philadelphia, was so fired up by reading about Mortenson's work that he donated more than one thousand dollars of his bar mitzvah money to the CAI and volunteered to come to Pakistan and help out himself. "When I heard about Greg's story," Greenberg says, "I realized that, unlike me, children in the Muslim world might not have educational opportunities. It makes no difference that I'm a Jew sending money to help Muslims. We all need to work together to plant the seeds of peace" (Mortenson 2006, 302).
Wow. From the mouth of babes.
And...
"Look here, look at these hills." Khan indicated the boulderfields that marched up from the dirt streets of Baharak like irregularly spaced headstones, arrayed like a vast army of the dead as they climbed toward the deepening sunset. "There has been far too much dying in these hills," Sadhar Khan said, somberly. "Every rock, every boulder that you see before you is one of my mujahadeen, shahids, martyrs, who sacrificed their lives fighting the Russians and the Taliban. Now we must make their sacrifice worthwhile, " Khan said, turning to face Mortenson. "We must turn these stones into schools" (Mortenson 2006, 330).
This story is abosolutely real and inspiring. I would recommend any who have an interest in the middle East and humanitarian efforts to read it.
My only grief about the book is that it is strictly humanitarian. I thought because the family friend told us her church read it that it would have some form of Christianity to it. Now, as soon as I say that I think "What is Christianity?" and I immediately think to James 1:27 and taking care of orphans and widows. There is redemption to it in that these people are being offered an education, which presents them with an option other than being paid to be a "freedom fighter." Yet as far as the gospel being presented... not happening here.
Alas, my two cents... or three cents? After all, it was Three Cups of Tea :)
A woman that I love and respect wrote this. I pray the Lord will speak to you through it as He did to me.
The Power of the Word
All of us have things (fears, insecurities, strongholds, etc. etc.) that we deal with on an ongoing basis or at least a season basis. We all start thinking about losing weight more seriously in the spring as we think toward that beach vacation, right??? We deal with feelings of loneliness or despair at holidays or birthdays possibly?? We deal with fears associated with a certain family relationship or event? I could go on and on with the scenarios, but the bottom line is that we all have "things" that we deal with, work through, or just endure until it is over.
Just this past month I have had to grab hold of the Word like I haven't had to in a long time. My thoughts and fears of childbirth once again began to wrap around my neck like a noose and try to strangle out anything I had conquered before in this area. I had so many people praying for me which was awesome. On my own though, I had to dig in and find a place of peace with God in my mind, my heart, and my spirit. This is not always easy to do because we have an enemy. Did you hear me? We have an enemy. His plans are to totally disarm us and to tuck our tails and run with fear. This is exactly what David was doing in 1 Samuel 21. He was running....running for his life from King Saul at this time. He was one scared young man and rightly so. The fear is real, no doubt. It is just what we do with it. David comes to Nob to the priest and starts asking for food for he and his men. Ahimelech, the priest, informed him that he had no bread there other than "The Presence...." the holy bread. Ha Ha Ha. This makes me laugh out loud. There is nothing we can feed ourselves with, no magazine articles, no Dr. whoever book, no "think myself happy" that will feed us and satisfy us rather than the presence of God, the very bread of God Himself. Then David asks if the priest has any weapons there. Ahimelech's response to this question is somewhat astounding, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah is here;...." What??? Come on!! The very weapon that David had used once before to cut off the head of his enemy, not to mention the enemy of his family members and his nation. The weapon, the sword we have is The Word... "it is living and active, and sharper than any two edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 And the beauty of it is this....we have used it before, many times I'm sure, to defeat the enemy. We know it works, we've seen the fruit of it, we've seen the power of it. I encourage you today, my sisters and friends, to use this weapon. Read it, memorize it, meditate on it, quote it to yourself and to the devil, quote it to your children and husband. It will begin to renew your mind and brighten your outlook. It will empower you to know that you can rise above these thoughts, feelings, and circumstances. I know for me it was such a lifesaver these past few weeks. It took me from turmoil to trust within hours. It took me from pessimism to peace. It is a mighty weapon and all we have to do is take it up and use it
It is 0900 here in the South on a cool, rainy day. T-Pup crawled into our bed around 4 this morning, thus sending me to the couch. I must confess when I walked into our bedroom at 8:30, it was dark and cool and you could hear the rain hitting the windows... I was slightly envious it was him that was still sleeping and not me.
Yesterday while I was making his breakfast he said to me "Momma, do you know I like to drink maple syrup out of the refrigerator when you're not looking?"
Hmm... that explains the excess bouncing the last several days...
Later we were reading in the Bible. We have the Big Picture Story Bible and really enjoy it. T-Pup loves for us to read the Easter story...over and over again. Last year I thought "I really wish we could read something else"but then got convicted... what better to read over and over again besides the story of Jesus rising from the dead?! As our Bible says, He is our forever king.
I continued reading yesterday about when God's people come to understand.
Jesus opened up God's holy book
that had been written long ago.
He started with the books of Moses
and then the Prophets and the Psalms.
He showed them everything
that was written there about him.
So then we get to the next page...
In it were many word pictures that proved
he must die to pay the penalty for sin.
"Mommy! What is that? Why is there blood?" Well bud...
Wow. I studdered through it somehow, but how do you explain the blood of the lamb as atonement for sins to a 4 year old? I eventually said "Jesus' blood covers all of the things we do wrong" but was quickly interrupted with "But I don't like blood!" I hope it wasn't a cop-out, but I told him I knew it was hard to understand now, but one day it would make more sense.
The fact is, it's still a wonderful mystery to me.
What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
I pray it will always be a wonderful mystery to T-Pup, too.
A goal of mine in 2010 is to read more... to read more in the Word, to read more with my children, and to read more on my own.
I am proud to announce that we no longer have cable television so that alone should help in my quest for more reading.
I've just finished Going Rogue by Sarah Palin. I'm pleased to offer you my thoughts of the book, as amateur as they may be.
I so appreciate Sarah. She has my respect as a wife and mother. I absolutely love that she never pretends to be someone else. Even back in the days of serving on the Wasilla city council she marched to her on tune. While on the city council and when she served as Mayor, the practicality she governed with merits respect. I've worked in my small life with 3 different campaigns on 3 different levels. There is a whole lot of brown nosing and compromise. Politicos on every level live in their own little worlds and I feel Sarah shattered those walls in every position she has held, even as the VP candidate with Senator McCain.
What I really respect was her decision to resign from her position as Governor of Alaska. She put her interests aside for the best interests of her state. She saw the bigger picture.
The main thing I dislike about the book is the name-game. Good qualities or bad, she lists many names. You can eventually differentiate the personalities of the "characters." I understand they are a part of her story... it just seemed a bit gossipy at times.
There is so much to learn from Sarah Palin. I hope there are more people like her in the world. I would now love to go to Alaska and just hang out with her for a week and see the state, so long as she didn't ask me to eat fish. I'd more than willingly try the moose and caribou though!
Please read the book and then I'd love to converse with you about it!
Up next I'll be reading Three Cups of Tea. I'm really excited about this one.
And I most certainly did not make my hired help strip down to their undergarments to avoid any clothing casualties. 
I also did not find my son wiping a booger on my freshly painted wall behind my computer desk today. When I asked why he didn't go get a tissue, he did not reply "the wall is more fun."
