Last night we had a second night of leader training for our youth team. Seventy people showed up. To me, that's a lot of people. Like the crowd that Jesus talks about in Matthew 9.
Our groups director and the lead pastor for our church shared their vision for youth ministry this year. A vision of 70 sent out to invite, love, disciple students. Being vessels of God's Spirit to see our community change. It's the vision I've been praying for the last two years. It's coming!
After the meeting, I was pretty fired up. Tried working out...but not tired enough to sleep. (Maybe because I'd taken a 3.5 hour nap that afternoon?) So, I listened to a sermon podcast from MarsHill church in Seattle. Thank you Holy Spirit, for another message about the 70 commissioned by Jesus.
So, this morning, I wake up with these messages bubbling over from my subconscious. Talked with the cashier at Safeway this morning, and she invited herself to church with me.
Spent the day talking with students, learning about their families. Cheered for some highschool soccer players at a cold, windy stadium and their parents let me into their world for awhile. Tackled some tough boulder problems at the gym, starting to feel part of the community.
Buzzed in to the grocery store to pick up cookies for Open House and dinner for myself. A homeless guy was standing at the entry to the parking lot with a sign that read "God bless you." So, running late, I picked up the boxes of cookies for my classroom and rationalized with God why I didn't need to buy dinner for anyone other than myself.
Of course, in God's bigger plan, compassion always wins. Buying extra eggrolls, I ended up being overcharged and had to go to Customer Service to get my bill straightened out. Convinced the homeless guy would be gone. But, instead he'd met up with a friend. Laughing at the TWO eggrolls I'd just purchased, I walked the bag over to see if he & his friend had dinner yet.
This is how I know that today was on the mission: "Praise the Lord! This is just what we needed. Praise the Lord!"
That's what the man said. I don't remember if he said thank you, because the point was: I wasn't the one he should thank. Jesus is. And then I got to go to Open House.
Wow, what a day.
"Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." - Matthew 9:38
This is what mission tastes like.
Today, it tastes like coffee, chalk and eggrolls. Haha, this joy runs deep.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
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Ephesians 5
Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting – all of which are out of character – but rather thanksgiving. For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them, for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light – for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – and find out what pleases the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. But all things being exposed by the light are made evident. For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says:
“Awake, O sleeper!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you!”
Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is. And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great – but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
I love your heart. Do you get tired of hearing me say that?
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