Youth Ministry Redux

To all of you who actually read this. Thanks.

Well, we are back in the grind of latte pouring and tutoring. We had an excellent trip to Madison, AL a town just outside of Huntsville - home of the NASA space camp. We really enjoyed the experience. I wrote about the busy schedule on my myspace blog. I am not going to go into the details of the scheduled visit. I will instead blog about what Kimberly and I are going through.

Ever since we left Boston to help my Mom we have been asking God - "why?" and "what are going to show us now?" Because for us Boston was just as much about the things God was doing in us as much as it was about the things God was doing through us. On this side of Boston and the Church Public and the CCPC and the wonderful friends and the beautiful experience that was a year of our lives - we thank the Father for giving us the gift of ever increasing our faith. In walking the Proverb, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." When it seemed like our path was crooked or not really fitting our definition of what we thought was "right" Jesus showed us His way.
And even now, living with friends, being humbled by His mercy and knowing what it is to be content in all circumstances we have discovered that we desire to live our lives in passionate pursuit of Jesus. And to live such a life in the midst of teenagers and young adults and adults for that matter for His renown. I am still learning that whether I am at Starbucks or working in a church, that I need to live a life fully submitted to the cause of Jesus and to the will of the Father. I believe that though I am often times a failure at this purpose - I do not lose hope because God is already causing me to love Him even more because of His amazing beauty and majesty.

Why write this?

Well, we have known dark times in the past two years. We have known moments of triumph and the ugliness of sin. the one thing that has remained constant is the grace of Christ in our lives. And it is this grace that continues to beckon me to be in vocational ministry. Being on a church staff seeking to do God's will and to be a servant. Rob Woodrum has always quoted the words of Jesus to me in saying, "no matter what happens, we are still unprofitable servants." I do want to make a difference in young people's lives for the sake of Jesus' name. But it is for His name that I desire to see Him lifted up. As for me and anything that I would consider "mine". I am unprofitable. May Jesus be glorified in all things. May people see and be brought to joy because of it.

SO...
With that being said, my hope is not for Kimberly and I to go to Hope Church for the sake of Brian and Kimberly or even the sake of Hope Church. I do hope that no matter what happens that the glory of the Father will fill our hearts and our heads as we continue to trust Him. That if we remain and Hope finds the person God has for them - that our journey with Jesus will be united in the victory of the Son over sin and death at the cross of calvary. If we go to Madison, then I hope that the untamed Son of God will show us His way and lead us to His cross so that we may lift Him high in that place among those people. Jesus be Jesus.

That is my hope.