sweet graphics

i'm 'loosely' speaking to the teens this summer from the book of jonah, trying to give quick challenges from his example to their lives. was checking out some of the graphics on creativemyk's site yesterday and came across this great find which will for sure be used some this summer:

indoor swimming pools

thursday morning we woke up to about 2 inches of water in our basement....a quarter of which is now carpeted. we've had water in the basement a few times since we moved in, but this was by far the most extensive yet. i told shanna we should just scrap the plans we had for the basement and go for an indoor pool.
- the water is out now (fire department came and sucked it up) late last night
- a plumber tried unclogging the floor drain unsuccessfully
- everyone says we need to get a hole dug and a sump pump installed because this will only keep happening as the water continues to run off the ridge to lake ontario
- currently the theater room's carpet is off the floor and drying on the back porch...fans blowing everywhere in the basement; the smell reminds me of our guys' cabin at the end of snowcamp
- fighting thoughts of frustration & anger at the previous owner who claimed the basement was "dry". why can't people just be honest? we probably would've still bought the house...we love it here...but be honest.

...the only thing...

...we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. ~FDR

I've always heard the first part of that quote... but the second half of the sentence is so true! I am paralyzed by fear way too much. Just this nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror!

I have some minor, outpatient surgery next week and if I dwell on it this big hunk of fear clogs up my throat! Anyways - I've tried to analyze what I'm afraid of... the doctor messing up and lasering off something vital? nope. having one of the hundred million possible complications? nope. (total exaggeration, Mom! there's only a few VERY RARE complications.) being in tons of pain? nope. I'm just afraid. I don't know why. its not logical. it just is.

but, there are other things i'm afraid of... things more important than a tiny operation... and they paralyze me. When I was a little girl, when I'd wake up in the night from another horrible nightmare - I'd try to lay as still as possible ... because if I laid very, very still "they" wouldn't see me. For some reason this response hasn't changed - when I get scared, I freeze. Whether that's from a weird noise at night or some new chapter in life. But, I don't want to be defined by my fear.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. II Tim 1:7

And I don't have to live frozen in my fear - because I have a God that is pumping me full of power, love, and even self-discipline. So, instead of hiding in fear, I want to be facing the fear head-on, with all the power of God behind me.

helpful posts

i'm quite behind on a bunch of the blogs in my blog reader, but last night i was trying to get caught up on josh griffin's. TONS of useful and helpful information on his blog all the time (anyone in youth ministry should visit there often!) two posts, which can be found here and here, still have me thinking. super basic stuff, but very helpful reminders. this could be good for not just summer interns, but adult volunteers, student leaders, mission trip teams, etc.

3 is all you need

there's a lot that i like about my job:
- recruiting, developing, empowering, and leading other adult leaders
- preparing messages and speaking to students
- crossing administrative tasks off a list
- planning events and services

there's even more that i love about my job:
- watching authentic community developed in a small group
- nerf dart wars and water balloon fights
- seeing students lead other students
- dreaming where the ministry could be in the future
- creating series & retreat themes to target a need

there's a few things i could do without:
- all-nighters (i like sleep)
- the predictable pressure...every week - same time, same channel
- emails that have nothing to do with me but still need to be in my files

but the thing that drives me month after month:

pacing with students through the mundane, normal, and sometimes chaotic moments of life

in youth ministry there's so much pressure to have big numbers and continual growth and more impact. and i'm all for that...more people is more impact (if you're doing the right things the right way). but sometimes i feel like the perfect youth group size is 3. a friend would always say that...and it's so true.

just the other night i was at an all nighter sitting at a table with some pizza and 3 guys that happened to also be in my small group. we were just hanging out, joking around, goofing off, and connecting about normal everyday stuff. we just came off this amazing inflatable and were showing off our flesh wounds from it. we talked about video games. that's pacing. late night conversations about stuff that's important to a student...that's pacing. normal, everyday stuff that everybody goes through all the time...but going through it together with them...that's pacing. on paper it doesn't seem to be anything monumental or earth-shattering. in fact you can do it and nobody will ever know. but i think i'm passionate about it because someone paced with me through the mundane, normal, and sometimes chaotic moments of my life...and it changed everything for me.

3 is all you need.