Friday, August 24, 2007

a little time in the woodshed...

i've been "strongly encouraged" by my friend cari to update my blog; since she took precious space in her latest post to admonish her blogging friends, i figured i should comply and try to post a better update than a united states map and michael w. smith. :) (although, i'm thinking, what could be more fabulous than a 90's flashback? ;)

i will go ahead and admit that this week has been really crazy and part of the reason there has been no update to the blog is that i just didn't have time to think about it. i also think that if someone is going to take time out of their day to read my blog, it should be a smidge interesting and if i'm lucky maybe a little humorous or thought provoking. face it, people...that's a lot of pressure! so if i'm not feeling funny, witty, or insightful...the blog remains silent.

anyway, back to the update. this week at work has been the kind of week where you sometimes sit at your desk and think, "are you serious? did my office all of a sudden move to the bermuda triangle?" OR "when did i make the move into the twilight zone?" this Sunday is Promotion Sunday for our children's ministry (the Sunday where all and i do mean ALL the kiddos from babies-fifth grade move up to their new Sunday school classes) which has meant that this week is super crazy, super busy, and lots of important stuff has to be done in an accurate and speedy fashion. i am happy to say that i believe that we are ready for the madness that is Promotion Sunday.

my other struggle this week has been a little more difficult. like any children's ministry, the challenge of recruiting and retaining volunteers is larger than life this time of year and it can be discouraging for the recruiters. i will admit that at one point this week i was discouraged and frustrated. in fact, i had my own little children-of-Israel-wandering-in-the-desert-grumbling -and-complaining moment with the Lord and i love how the Lord answered me (well, love may not be the right word...how about thankful and humbled)...my time with the Lord that evening led me to dueteronomy 1 (especially verses 26-34). it's a pretty sobering passage where the Lord is fed up with the children of Israel and He's letting them know that they won't see the Promised Land.

"But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You grumbled in your tents and said, "The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.' " Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go." (vs. 26-34)


it's interesting when our focus becomes our defeat, our fears, our worries that those things can sometimes look SO MUCH BIGGER than God. so, after my time in the woodshed with the Lord, i left with a new perspective and the "banner" over the last part of my week has been, "the LORD my God is going before me; the LORD my God will fight for me..." i've witnessed His amazing provision before and i am trusting in His faithfulness.


i feel like i've rambled quite a bit in this post but hopefully it's been coherent. :) i am excited that we are going to the panther's game tonight...ohhhhh AND i get to see bebo in concert tuesday night. go ahead and be jealous, it's okay ;).


1 comment:

Shelly said...

Oh! Bebo. Okay, I am a big jealous :) He's quality.

And loved reading that part about the story of Deut. and its application to our lives. WHEW! Seriously, it'll stomp on my toes and keep me humbled. Thank you for sharing.