20-ish teen retreats and counting

I think this weekend marked somewhere close to 20+ teen conferences I've helped out with in some way. 2 retreats per year x 10 years or so? And I've loved every single one of them. This weekend though probably ended up being one of my favorite teen conferences I've been a part of over the last 10-12 years, for a lot of reasons, really.

Trying to prepare for the conference last week, I had two plans to implement, but I didn't know until Thursday evening if I would be going with plan A or plan B. When plan B becomes plan A, well, then things get confusing :-) By Thursday early evening, I was so stressed about what I was going to do about setting up for the conference, I couldn't decide if I should cry or vomit. I had so much anxiety about this weekend, or at least the preparations for it, that it was all I could do to just go into survival mode. But, things got worked out and as usual, I had a great crew of guys helping me late Thursday night to get things ready to go, not only for the teen retreat, but also for the Church Planters Roundtable we were hosting at the camp on Friday. Praise God for wonderful bosses who will let me switch my days off so that I can be available to run sound for these events!

Once Friday morning hit, I made my trek over to the camp so I could get all of the power points ready to go for the Roundtable. Naturally I would run into a snag with a few of them, but then God started answering prayers I didn't even know I had prayed as 2 very computer savvy guys from our sister church in Columbus, OH walked through the doors of Jordan Hall. I honestly don't know what I would have done had they not been there to help me get things figured out; they were such a blessing! Working with these men and their wives was yet another testimony of how getting in the trenches,  serving the Lord together and bringing Him glory, unifies brothers and sisters in Christ like nothing else can. We may not see each other again until heaven or the Lord's return, but I honestly feel like I made lifelong friendships this weekend.

As the day went on, it was then time to get ready for the teens to come in and God just kept on providing people to help. The band that played Friday and Saturday nights brought their audio guy with them and after reluctantly giving the board over to him, I started to realize how much of a blessing it was to not have that responsibility, because it freed me up to take on more of a servant leadership role.

God knew what I needed before I needed it. Before the thought could even really form in my head, He was there, providing the exact thing I wanted. He provided in so many huge ways this weekend; with people and equipment and just keeping me encouraged. At the end of a retreat weekend, I am usually pretty depleted. But this weekend, I have never felt so ministered to and ready for the next thing. Bring it on! (I might regret saying that later) But I cannot say it enough; I want to shout from the mountaintops how great and how awesome God is!

What Good is Your Faith?

Over the last several weeks I've been going through a Beth Moore study on the book of James with some ladies from church. For the longest time, I've said that James is my favorite book in the Bible, but really I was basing that on one specific passage, not the whole book. As many times as I've read James and underlined and highlighted, this is the first time it's really deeply resonated within my spirit. James is becoming my favorite book because of all of its content, not just some of it. I wish I could spend pages and pages talking about all the ways that this book has convicted me and brought me to a place of knowing that God is moving and He's taking me with Him whether I want to go or not. Better to follow Him willingly then go kicking and screaming, right?

Here's the overarching theme from this book for me: What good is your faith? James' whole point here is that we can all talk the talk, but if you're not living it out, then what good is it? I can talk until I'm blue in the face about how much I love the Lord, but if I'm not being obedient to His Word, then what good is it? James was not a man to beat around the bush. He is direct and to the point and it is often that kind of a word that I need spoken into my life to get a point through my thick skull.

Now, on the one hand, I kind of feel like I've gotten this whole "good works" thing down. With a gift for service, it's kind of hard not to. But being a Martha isn't what James is getting at here. Anyone can be busy in ministry. The thing that God has been pounding in my head isn't about ministry or doing things for the church. It's about giving of myself to people in need; people who cannot fight for themselves; people without a voice of their own. To love the lost, the broken, the unwanted, the rejected. To go beyond giving a couple dollars to a charity here or signing up for this newsletter or that one to keep informed on what's going on in the world of _________, but actually get in and get my hands dirty and fight for something. I still don't know exactly what that looks like yet and I don't even know for sure what I'm fighting for. But I know that I can be a voice for the voiceless and with the strength of the Lord, I can be His hands and feet.

God, I don't know where you're leading me and I don't know how we're going to get there, but I'm trusting you to take my hand and to show me the way. I know that it won't be easy, so I'm asking you to help me keep my eyes fixed firmly on Jesus and to trust that there is joy in the sorrow and blessing in being obedient to You. Lord, I cast all of my fears and anxieties on You and rest in the promise the peace that passes understanding is mine in Christ Jesus.