FIRE!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday morning began as a usual Sunday would for me... I forced myself out of bed (I am SO not a morning person!) and into the shower. I did my normal getting ready routine: brush teeth, try to find an outfit, do my hair, pluck my eyebrows, go back to the closet because I still haven't picked what I'm going to wear, get dressed, do makeup and then drive to church. It all felt pretty normal, like an ordinary day. But there was something different in the air... I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something was different!

I sat in the church sanctuary waiting for service to begin, thinking about how hungry I was lol, and then worship started. I love worship... I'm sure I have said that many times before, but worship holds a very special place in my heart. So I stood there in awe of the Lord and His sacrifice and His power and His love for me. But that still felt pretty normal, nothing extraordinary seemed to occur. 

One of our pastors then got up to welcome everyone and have us greet each other. I love this time in our service, the excitement of us all seeing each other and getting/giving hugs, it puts a smile on my face. After announcements our Pastor got up to preach. He spoke about our friend, Holy Spirit! 

I love Holy Spirit! I love learning new things about Him. I love hanging out with Him. I love when I hear Him speaking to me! The day I met Him, I was forever changed. And it wasn't about any particular gift that He offered me, it was about the transformation He brought in my life! I can now be more effective in ministry and life because He's with me. I truly love Him, and I don't tell Him that enough!

With that being said, I get really excited when people around me start desiring Holy Spirit to come and fill them! It pumps me up to know that someone else is going to be able to be more effective in this earth for furthering the Kingdom of God! So when our Pastor asked us all to stand and ask for Holy Spirit to come be with us, live in us, use us... I was ecstatic! But then he called forth the children and teenagers, and I knew, in that moment I knew what was different about the day! The Lord was getting ready to fill and release a generation to their purpose!

I work with the youth group at our church, I am around teens more than I'm not lol. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes I think, "man, I need to get some friends my own age!" But my best friend and I were talking last week about how blessed we are that in this season of life we don't have to worry about caring for a family and so we are able to freely give our time and attention to these kids who WILL change this world! We get to help them grow and mature but we also get to enjoy them and their WIDE VARIETY of personalities. We get to help pull out gifts in them that they may not even see yet and speak life into them when they are struggling, knowing that these are the things the Lord will us to shake a nation. We are blessed to get to share life with students who long for the Lord! I'm truly honored that they allow me in!

But back to Sunday morning... as our Pastor called the kids forth I expected that it would take a little pushing to get them to go to the front, but when I lifted my head and opened my eyes I saw the front of the church FILLED with children ranging from babies to teenagers about to graduate. There was a desperation and it was felt across the sanctuary. As I sat there praying for Holy Spirit to have His way, my eyes began to swell with tears and I caught myself saying this over and over again: "Lord, if you will fill these kids overflowing this world can't help but be changed! If you will fill them to overflowing, their families won't be able to stay the same!" 

I know it may not have seemed like a big thing happened because there weren't people laid out on the floor or people taking laps around the church, but something shifted yesterday! I saw kids who I personally know have been struggling, I saw them lift their eyes to Jesus in a new way, with a new longing! I feel like a new perspective was giving yesterday and a new passion... a passion for His glory to be released through them in this earth! AHHHH!!! COME ON HOLY ONE!!!

Lord, I am in awe of Your wondrous hand! Though I may not see Your moving at every moment I know without a shadow of a doubt that You are worthy of praise! I thank You for allowing me to be a part of that moment yesterday morning where You changed lives and called these students to higher places! Thank You for allowing me to be a part of their lives! I ask that You would be their protection and their strength to stand upon You and Your word! May the same power that raised You from the dead Jesus, may it overflow out of them... ALL FOR YOUR GLORY! Amen

A Note to Parents Far and Wide (lol)

Let me start by saying this post is not meant to be one of judgement, but one of my observations and revelations. I feel like I needed a warning at the beginning of this topic because my thoughts today are on parenting, and since I'm not a parent as of now (PTL! lol) I could see how it could easily be taken as judgmental. But I do have a lot of experience with children and their parents since I nannied for a little under 10 yrs and have worked in several preschool environments, including the one I'm currently working in. I have seen it all! And so I have some thoughts and hopefully encouragement for you parents out there.

As I think back over the last decade (plus some) of being around so many different family structures something really sticks out to me, not one is the same as the other AND not one is perfectly done. There are parents that use techniques that I could never imagine using to raise a child. Then their are parents that I imagine I will be like, using techniques that are on the opposite spectrum from the previously stated ones. Then there are the parents that mix in bits and pieces of so many different techniques. The thing is, no technique is perfect. No parent is perfect. And no child is exactly like the previous or the latter. There are just so many things that play into how a child will turn out. But often I look at parents and how defeated they look and sound as they compare themselves to one another and my heart breaks. Comparison in any aspect just brings destruction. It is a deadly weapon of the enemy... but our God is bigger! And He created each of us in very unique ways with very specific personalities. I say all of that to make the point that, what works for one parent, may not work for the other. :)

I watch the families coming into the office as they drop-off or pick-up their child. There is often a wide variety of children walking in and out every day.  One day Melon (fake name given for the protection of our students) may walk in with the biggest smile, so happy to see everyone and get to play with her friends... the next day, she's throwing herself on the floor in a tantrum because mommy has to go to work. Then we have Choco (again, fake name) who is as silent as silent can be as they walk through the office, but get them on the play ground and they can't stop jabbering! It's not only personalities that affect how these kids act but how they are feeling, their environment, how much sleep they got, etc... the list could go on for days. It's because of this that trying to be the perfect parent is impossible!

But here is some encouragement for you parents, the only thing that will get you through this crazy thing called parenting is our Heavenly Father. Only His ways are perfect! When we try to do things in our own strength or mold children into what someone else's child might look like, we fail! Why? Because we aren't perfect and no child will ever be perfect (except sweet baby Jesus of course). And I just feel like the Lord wants me to tell you that His ways are higher then our ways (Isaiah 55:9), so trust Him!

You could waste your life trying to read every parenting book known to man (I am NOT against parenting books) and trying every technique that's ever been used to raise your child, but the reality is that placing yourself firmly in the Word and teaching your child to be firmly placed in the Word, will be the strongest and most secure technique out there. There will be ups, there will be downs, and there will be a whole lot of in betweens, but being faithful to raise your children to honor the Lord is what will give you sanity at the end of the day! They won't be perfect, they will still make A LOT of mistakes (trust me, I've done it and I work with teens who do it more often than not) because there is freewill but the Lord is faithful to His word where it says "Train a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6.

Last thoughts... don't let the weight of this world try to cause you to believe you are a bad parent because your child does look like, talk like, play like, sit like, run like, or sleep like the way the child next to you does. In fact, be encouraged that the differences in your child will be used to glorify the Lord in ways only they can, because they are unique! Their personalities are unique and their strengths/weaknesses are unique and so their callings will be unique! But ask the Lord daily for the wisdom (Proverbs 2:6 & James 1:5) and strength (Isaiah 41:10; 1 Chronicles 16:11; Philippians 4:13) to trust Him in raising your child/children and know that He will make your path straight (Proverbs 3:5&6).

Lord, tonight I bless every parent I know. Every parent that is struggling to raise a child in this crazy world. I pray that You would be their strength and wisdom in training them in the way they should go, but also that You would be their peace and hope! That even in the hardest times, in the most tiring of times that You would be there speaking to them and loving on them. I ask for a stirring in their hearts to be consistent in raising their children to love You and honor You... that through their obedience to raise them as Your children, they too would receive the honor they deserve as parents. Remind them in the imperfect times that You are still there and You still love them! Thank You for their hearts to love You and love their children! Amen!

For those of you who are not parents, these basic truths from His word can be applied to every area of your life too, don't dismiss it! lol