Take It All
by Hillsong United
Searching the world
The lost will be found
In freedom we live
As one we cry out
You carried the cross
You died and rose again
My God
I’ll only ever give my all
You sent Your Son
From heaven to earth
You delivered us all
It’s eternally heard
I searched for truth
And all I found was You
My God
I’ll only ever give my all
Jesus we’re living for Your Name
We’ll never be ashamed of You
Our praise and all we are today
Take take take it all
Take take take it all
Running to the One
Who heals the blind
Following the shining light
In Your hands
The power to save the world
In my life
Jesus we’re living for Your Name
We’ll never be ashamed of You
Our praise and all we are today
Take take take it all
Take take take it all
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Day Camp
This past week I was a counselor for day camp. Let me tell you, I jumped right in. I was told to get back to camp at 1:00 PM on Monday, but I gat back at 7:30 AM with my Dad before He went to work. So, I went outside and asked some staff if they knew where I was going to be that week, and they told me that I was on day camp. To which I said “oh, ok, and when do the kids come?”. To which they responded, “some of them are here already.”. To which I replied, “Okay then, here we go”.
Overall, I’m glad that I was placed in day camp. However, it was a huge challenge to my counseling abilities and mentality. I found myself quickly coming down from my strong spiritual high from IYC and falling into lost focus, because of the large amount of energy that I had to pour in to these kids. For the first couple of days I just felt like we were baby-sitting all day.. I haven’t had a bad cabin yet, but this was about as close as it gets…except there were twenty-four of them. So, Yes, there were some really good kids, but there were also so many who just chose to be defiant simply because they thought it was fun. We would tell them to go do something and they would simply tell us "no." We would tell them again, and again, they would say "no." They would continue to say no until they decided that they wouldn't even bother to respond because it was easier to just ignore us. That is, until we took away five minutes of waterslide time. Then, suddenly, everything was put into perspective for them (until the next issue came up). It took us so much time just to control these kids that time was often lost with the kids who behaved themselves, and our own focus as counselors was lost soon after.
Then, on the third day, we talked about salvation during SMASH. It was explained as a gift that we could choose to receive. I found myself battling with my own focus on the follow-through of what needed to take place. But I was faithful to God's call and let Him do the rest. When we were in our small groups, I expanded on salvation. It was a new concept for some of these kids, and I doubted how much they would take it to heart.. After I was finished explaining, I simply said, "So, if any of you haven’t received that gift before, and you want to, I can help you do that, now or even later." Before I could even finish, one of the girls in my group quietly raised her hand and simply asked, "Can you help me do that?", and another followed. Suddenly, like I was six and someone had taken away my waterslide time, everything was put back in to proportion. My priorities were straight, and my perspective was renewed. Like I have said so many times before, that is why I am here. God in His faithfulness has called me to work in these kids lives, share with them His love and truth. He does the rest, and their lives are changed for eternity. Thank You, Lord.
It didn't matter last week how many times we had to tell these kids, to "stop," "come back," "wait up," "don't do that," “go do that," "don't throw mud," “listen,” “you can’t,” "you have to," "spray your suntan lotion only on yourself," "pick up your trash," or "keep your hands to yourself." All that mattered was that through all of that, we showed them the love and truth of Christ though our words, actions, and even attitudes; while we learned with them, sang with them, played with them, ran with them, and waterslide-ed with them. It all can be done for God's glory; He is faithful in working in their hearts. So, if it takes all of that for fun to be had in His name, spiritual seeds to be planted in kids hearts, and two more girls to accept Christ as their Savior, then that's exactly what I want to be found faithful in doing.
Thanks for the prayer, God is amazing :0)
Overall, I’m glad that I was placed in day camp. However, it was a huge challenge to my counseling abilities and mentality. I found myself quickly coming down from my strong spiritual high from IYC and falling into lost focus, because of the large amount of energy that I had to pour in to these kids. For the first couple of days I just felt like we were baby-sitting all day.. I haven’t had a bad cabin yet, but this was about as close as it gets…except there were twenty-four of them. So, Yes, there were some really good kids, but there were also so many who just chose to be defiant simply because they thought it was fun. We would tell them to go do something and they would simply tell us "no." We would tell them again, and again, they would say "no." They would continue to say no until they decided that they wouldn't even bother to respond because it was easier to just ignore us. That is, until we took away five minutes of waterslide time. Then, suddenly, everything was put into perspective for them (until the next issue came up). It took us so much time just to control these kids that time was often lost with the kids who behaved themselves, and our own focus as counselors was lost soon after.
Then, on the third day, we talked about salvation during SMASH. It was explained as a gift that we could choose to receive. I found myself battling with my own focus on the follow-through of what needed to take place. But I was faithful to God's call and let Him do the rest. When we were in our small groups, I expanded on salvation. It was a new concept for some of these kids, and I doubted how much they would take it to heart.. After I was finished explaining, I simply said, "So, if any of you haven’t received that gift before, and you want to, I can help you do that, now or even later." Before I could even finish, one of the girls in my group quietly raised her hand and simply asked, "Can you help me do that?", and another followed. Suddenly, like I was six and someone had taken away my waterslide time, everything was put back in to proportion. My priorities were straight, and my perspective was renewed. Like I have said so many times before, that is why I am here. God in His faithfulness has called me to work in these kids lives, share with them His love and truth. He does the rest, and their lives are changed for eternity. Thank You, Lord.
It didn't matter last week how many times we had to tell these kids, to "stop," "come back," "wait up," "don't do that," “go do that," "don't throw mud," “listen,” “you can’t,” "you have to," "spray your suntan lotion only on yourself," "pick up your trash," or "keep your hands to yourself." All that mattered was that through all of that, we showed them the love and truth of Christ though our words, actions, and even attitudes; while we learned with them, sang with them, played with them, ran with them, and waterslide-ed with them. It all can be done for God's glory; He is faithful in working in their hearts. So, if it takes all of that for fun to be had in His name, spiritual seeds to be planted in kids hearts, and two more girls to accept Christ as their Savior, then that's exactly what I want to be found faithful in doing.
Thanks for the prayer, God is amazing :0)
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Middle School Camp
Camp two weeks ago began as a struggle. I was wiped out. I began to think, what about me? I was feeling drained emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally. I was also very home sick for the first time since I started camp. Nonetheless, God is faithful and He taught me once again to be dependent on His strength. I was reminded of the lesson that I leaned before I even began. It’s not me, but God that is at work. I am only a vessel, which He works through. So, if I was fully surrendered to Him, it shouldn’t really matter if I felt insufficient, because He is sufficient. It was His strength that I needed to depend on, and that I did. He surrounded me with fellow counselors who supported me and He lead me to His word for strength. The second day of camp I read Psalm 90 at random, which discusses that Christ is our strength, foundation, and the one who establishes the work of our hand. Amazing.
This seemed to be the theme of the week. I was exceptionally burdened for my campers last week. However, all I could do was earnestly pray for them and trust God to do His work through me and in their hearts. I was reminded that sometimes we need to be satisfied with sowing rather than reaping, if that is what God calls us to do. I had a wide range of spiritual maturity in my cabin. Some of the girls had been Christians as long as they could remember. Then there were others. One was a practicing Catholic who didn’t fully understand salvation. She had a heart to serve God and others, and yet had never truly known Christ, it saddened me that all she did for God was, in essence, for nothing because He was not working through her. Another attended church, appeared to worship with all of her heart, and knew everything about the salvation message, and yet had no interest in accepting Christ herself. This left my asking “why?”. Still another had heard about God all of her life, but did not fully understand how He could be her personal Lord and Savior. All I could do was care for these girls and attempt to show them who Christ really is, and who He could be in their life. God definitely was at work as the Catholic girl began to understand the significance of Christ and the way that He made for us to God as our intercessor. The second is still a mystery to me, but I trust that God is still working in her heart among the seeds that were sown. Finally, the last girl made a commitment to Christ during SMASH and even wants to tell her fiends about Christ and start praying in her very anti-Christian school.
God is good, and, as always, He is faithful. He amazes me. I am so in love with Him. I am astonished by His love. I praise Him for His sacrifice. I thank Him for His grace. Finally, especially in response to this week, I stand in wonder at the strength that He gives us when we are weak. He is amazing.
I spent this past week volunteering at an International Youth Conference in Tennessee. It was incredible to see God at work there and in my own heart. I’ll post details soon! Thanks again for your continued prayer!
This seemed to be the theme of the week. I was exceptionally burdened for my campers last week. However, all I could do was earnestly pray for them and trust God to do His work through me and in their hearts. I was reminded that sometimes we need to be satisfied with sowing rather than reaping, if that is what God calls us to do. I had a wide range of spiritual maturity in my cabin. Some of the girls had been Christians as long as they could remember. Then there were others. One was a practicing Catholic who didn’t fully understand salvation. She had a heart to serve God and others, and yet had never truly known Christ, it saddened me that all she did for God was, in essence, for nothing because He was not working through her. Another attended church, appeared to worship with all of her heart, and knew everything about the salvation message, and yet had no interest in accepting Christ herself. This left my asking “why?”. Still another had heard about God all of her life, but did not fully understand how He could be her personal Lord and Savior. All I could do was care for these girls and attempt to show them who Christ really is, and who He could be in their life. God definitely was at work as the Catholic girl began to understand the significance of Christ and the way that He made for us to God as our intercessor. The second is still a mystery to me, but I trust that God is still working in her heart among the seeds that were sown. Finally, the last girl made a commitment to Christ during SMASH and even wants to tell her fiends about Christ and start praying in her very anti-Christian school.
God is good, and, as always, He is faithful. He amazes me. I am so in love with Him. I am astonished by His love. I praise Him for His sacrifice. I thank Him for His grace. Finally, especially in response to this week, I stand in wonder at the strength that He gives us when we are weak. He is amazing.
I spent this past week volunteering at an International Youth Conference in Tennessee. It was incredible to see God at work there and in my own heart. I’ll post details soon! Thanks again for your continued prayer!
Saturday, July 7, 2007
......
Sooo, sorry it's been a while since I updated...
First of all, thank you to all who have been praying for me and this ministry. It shows. God is doing amazing things. He is changing lives and turning hearts toward Him. He's working in my heart, and I am thankful for the opportunity He has given me to be His light.
Two weeks ago all of the counselor staff took a missions trip to Detroit. It was an awesome experience and God was faithful in doing His work. God taught me a lot and helped my to learn to rely on His strength all the more. We were able to work with a local church that was in need of some general upkeep and some fresh ministry. So, we cleaned the church, and advertised for, and ran a day camp for the kids in the community. We bonded a ton, and even went to a Tigers game on the side. We also had the opportunity to work with local organizations that work with the large Islamic population. We spent time with kids while their mothers learned English. A few of the nights we helped a group that came and toured different parks in the area with a concert, craft time, and carnival ministry. It was awesome to see God at work in this culture.
Last week I was able to work in the Primary camp, ages 6-8. This camp was full of kids ready for one of their first overnight camp experiences. It's so awesome to see them bond with each other, try new things, and understand God and salvation with such fresh understanding. During the first part of the week, my LIT and I had ten campers. Since they’re only there for two nights with one full day in between, it was difficult to connect with all of them, and at times, even remember their names. I caught myself getting discouraged and had to question what my purpose was for the brief time that I had with this set of girls. They were so young, and I began to wonder how much of an impact one day could make in their lives. It wasn't until we played water games during the second night that it truly his me. We competed in a relay that required the girls to hold an empty cup on their head, wait for the person behind them to dump in some water, and then pass it down the line. I watched their smiling faces and listened to their squeals as water dripped down their heir and all over their clothes. They weren't being forced to have fun getting water dumped all over them, they just did. Their counselors told them to do it, all of their friends were doing it, and they competed like their life depended on it. They are at an age when they are so impressionable. Camp gave them the opportunity to hear truth, see God's people having fun, and experience the love of Christ. That's what they will take to heart. My purpose was to authentically live for God in front of them, and along side of them, while sharing His truth. Then they could see what it truly means to follow Him.
My first cabin of girls last week was good and my second was great. My second cabin only had six girls and I got to work with a really sweet LIT named Spaz. Our girls bonded well in the short time we were here. They played hard and came to new understanding in there walk with Christ. God even chose to use me again to lead two of them to accept Him as their Savior for the first time. God is good and He is faithful.
God Has continued to work in my heart last week. He is challenging me to be completely real in every area of my life, so that my heart and thoughts and actions all align. Then I can serve Him without reservation, from the overflow of my heart.
I would greatly appreciate your continued prayers this week. My cabin is once again sweet so far, which is such a blessing. However, the extreme heat at night was really hard on them. Several of them felt really sick and it took them forever to get to the point when they could fall asleep. So pray that they will get some sleep this week so that they can have enough energy to thrive in their packed day. Pray also that God would soften their hearts and give me the words to speak to them. I'm feeling rather drained as well, spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. So, I would appreciate your prayer for me this week more than you know. Pray that I can maintain energy. Pray that I can create unity in my cabin, among the girls in my cabin and between my LIT and I. Finally, Pray that God would give me His peace and His presence and fill me with Himself so that I can serve Him well.
First of all, thank you to all who have been praying for me and this ministry. It shows. God is doing amazing things. He is changing lives and turning hearts toward Him. He's working in my heart, and I am thankful for the opportunity He has given me to be His light.
Two weeks ago all of the counselor staff took a missions trip to Detroit. It was an awesome experience and God was faithful in doing His work. God taught me a lot and helped my to learn to rely on His strength all the more. We were able to work with a local church that was in need of some general upkeep and some fresh ministry. So, we cleaned the church, and advertised for, and ran a day camp for the kids in the community. We bonded a ton, and even went to a Tigers game on the side. We also had the opportunity to work with local organizations that work with the large Islamic population. We spent time with kids while their mothers learned English. A few of the nights we helped a group that came and toured different parks in the area with a concert, craft time, and carnival ministry. It was awesome to see God at work in this culture.
Last week I was able to work in the Primary camp, ages 6-8. This camp was full of kids ready for one of their first overnight camp experiences. It's so awesome to see them bond with each other, try new things, and understand God and salvation with such fresh understanding. During the first part of the week, my LIT and I had ten campers. Since they’re only there for two nights with one full day in between, it was difficult to connect with all of them, and at times, even remember their names. I caught myself getting discouraged and had to question what my purpose was for the brief time that I had with this set of girls. They were so young, and I began to wonder how much of an impact one day could make in their lives. It wasn't until we played water games during the second night that it truly his me. We competed in a relay that required the girls to hold an empty cup on their head, wait for the person behind them to dump in some water, and then pass it down the line. I watched their smiling faces and listened to their squeals as water dripped down their heir and all over their clothes. They weren't being forced to have fun getting water dumped all over them, they just did. Their counselors told them to do it, all of their friends were doing it, and they competed like their life depended on it. They are at an age when they are so impressionable. Camp gave them the opportunity to hear truth, see God's people having fun, and experience the love of Christ. That's what they will take to heart. My purpose was to authentically live for God in front of them, and along side of them, while sharing His truth. Then they could see what it truly means to follow Him.
My first cabin of girls last week was good and my second was great. My second cabin only had six girls and I got to work with a really sweet LIT named Spaz. Our girls bonded well in the short time we were here. They played hard and came to new understanding in there walk with Christ. God even chose to use me again to lead two of them to accept Him as their Savior for the first time. God is good and He is faithful.
God Has continued to work in my heart last week. He is challenging me to be completely real in every area of my life, so that my heart and thoughts and actions all align. Then I can serve Him without reservation, from the overflow of my heart.
I would greatly appreciate your continued prayers this week. My cabin is once again sweet so far, which is such a blessing. However, the extreme heat at night was really hard on them. Several of them felt really sick and it took them forever to get to the point when they could fall asleep. So pray that they will get some sleep this week so that they can have enough energy to thrive in their packed day. Pray also that God would soften their hearts and give me the words to speak to them. I'm feeling rather drained as well, spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. So, I would appreciate your prayer for me this week more than you know. Pray that I can maintain energy. Pray that I can create unity in my cabin, among the girls in my cabin and between my LIT and I. Finally, Pray that God would give me His peace and His presence and fill me with Himself so that I can serve Him well.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Amazing.....
These two weeks have been awesome. God is amazing!
First of all, my name is Shalak (i.e. Shellac) :0). All of the camp staff receives an official camp name that you use for the rest of the summer. (It's a huge deal for campers to figure out their counselors real name.) Basically everyone tells stories until another staff member thinks of a random word with which to dub the new counselor or staff member. Mine came from a story about sprinting across my school campus to get a laptop power cord from my dorm before my class started. It had been raining which makes the sidewalks at my school extremely slippery. So as I booked it around a corner, I totally whipped out, getting soaked and conveniently smacking my hand in a puddle of mud that splashed all over my face. Not realizing that I had a lovely layer of black chunky mud all over my face, I proceeded to walk across campus until I got to my room and saw the wondrous sight....yep...... Anyway, when I told the story I said that the sidewalk was so slippery that it looked like it was "coated with 'shalak,'" to which someone yelled "SHALAK" and my name was born.
Staff training was absolutely great. I have never bonded so closely with a group of people so quickly before. Our counseling and LIT (leader in training) staff is amazing. Each person has such a heart for ministry this summer. Everyone is focused on Christ, reaching kids for Him, and supporting each other as a family and the body of Christ. Like I said....amazing. We spent the first week learning the ropes of keeping kids safe and having fun. We had some great info meetings, awesome times of worship and Bible study, and sweet times of waterslide-ing, paintballing, go-carting, hayride-ing, nature center-ing, gold rush-ing, and marshmallow roasting. We also learned (and sang like nobody’s business) all of the crazy camp songs that we would lead our kids in before and during any and every event. Overall we prepared ourselves for the summer of camp ahead. We filled ourselves with Christ and bonded together so that we could serve Him together.
Last week was Junior Camp (4-6 grade) and Jr. High camp (7-8 grade). I was placed as a counselor with the Juniors. Honestly, at first I was disappointed because I thought that wanted to be in Jr. High. However, I quickly realized that my place that week was orchestrated by God. I was able to work with another counselor named Ziploc that I had grown pretty close to the week before. Together we led a truly amazing cabin that quickly became "our girls." We had a blast with them and saw God work in so many ways. It was "creation week." The speaker at Smash (chapel) and other speakers really broke down the creation story, and how it relates to us as God's creation. I never realized how much kids this age are influenced from school, media, and pop culture to believe that evolution is true. They don't realize the love of God for them or His amazing plans for their life; and it leaves them wondering why they are really here. It was awesome to see these girls encounter truth, understand God's love in a new way or for the first time, and worship Him. God gave me the opportunity to lead one of these girls to understand her need for Christ and ask Him into her life for the first time. Then He continued to work and called five more of the girls in my cabin to be His daughters. He orchestrated the salvation of this second group in a way that I would not have expected, with details too long to go into here. However, it taught me that God is not limited by methods. He simply accomplishes what He wills in His amazing plan. I watched my cabin change from quiet girls to a bonded group of sisters in Christ. Thank you Lord.
Thanks for all of the prayer! I appreciate it more than you know. God is doing amazing things, all for His glory. I would greatly appreciate a lot of prayer next week as we go on a missions trip to Detroit and Dearborn. We’ll lead a day camp at a local church with a lot of need as well as minister to the surrounding community. Pray for safety and that God would use us as His vessels to reach people for Him!
- Shalak
First of all, my name is Shalak (i.e. Shellac) :0). All of the camp staff receives an official camp name that you use for the rest of the summer. (It's a huge deal for campers to figure out their counselors real name.) Basically everyone tells stories until another staff member thinks of a random word with which to dub the new counselor or staff member. Mine came from a story about sprinting across my school campus to get a laptop power cord from my dorm before my class started. It had been raining which makes the sidewalks at my school extremely slippery. So as I booked it around a corner, I totally whipped out, getting soaked and conveniently smacking my hand in a puddle of mud that splashed all over my face. Not realizing that I had a lovely layer of black chunky mud all over my face, I proceeded to walk across campus until I got to my room and saw the wondrous sight....yep...... Anyway, when I told the story I said that the sidewalk was so slippery that it looked like it was "coated with 'shalak,'" to which someone yelled "SHALAK" and my name was born.
Staff training was absolutely great. I have never bonded so closely with a group of people so quickly before. Our counseling and LIT (leader in training) staff is amazing. Each person has such a heart for ministry this summer. Everyone is focused on Christ, reaching kids for Him, and supporting each other as a family and the body of Christ. Like I said....amazing. We spent the first week learning the ropes of keeping kids safe and having fun. We had some great info meetings, awesome times of worship and Bible study, and sweet times of waterslide-ing, paintballing, go-carting, hayride-ing, nature center-ing, gold rush-ing, and marshmallow roasting. We also learned (and sang like nobody’s business) all of the crazy camp songs that we would lead our kids in before and during any and every event. Overall we prepared ourselves for the summer of camp ahead. We filled ourselves with Christ and bonded together so that we could serve Him together.
Last week was Junior Camp (4-6 grade) and Jr. High camp (7-8 grade). I was placed as a counselor with the Juniors. Honestly, at first I was disappointed because I thought that wanted to be in Jr. High. However, I quickly realized that my place that week was orchestrated by God. I was able to work with another counselor named Ziploc that I had grown pretty close to the week before. Together we led a truly amazing cabin that quickly became "our girls." We had a blast with them and saw God work in so many ways. It was "creation week." The speaker at Smash (chapel) and other speakers really broke down the creation story, and how it relates to us as God's creation. I never realized how much kids this age are influenced from school, media, and pop culture to believe that evolution is true. They don't realize the love of God for them or His amazing plans for their life; and it leaves them wondering why they are really here. It was awesome to see these girls encounter truth, understand God's love in a new way or for the first time, and worship Him. God gave me the opportunity to lead one of these girls to understand her need for Christ and ask Him into her life for the first time. Then He continued to work and called five more of the girls in my cabin to be His daughters. He orchestrated the salvation of this second group in a way that I would not have expected, with details too long to go into here. However, it taught me that God is not limited by methods. He simply accomplishes what He wills in His amazing plan. I watched my cabin change from quiet girls to a bonded group of sisters in Christ. Thank you Lord.
Thanks for all of the prayer! I appreciate it more than you know. God is doing amazing things, all for His glory. I would greatly appreciate a lot of prayer next week as we go on a missions trip to Detroit and Dearborn. We’ll lead a day camp at a local church with a lot of need as well as minister to the surrounding community. Pray for safety and that God would use us as His vessels to reach people for Him!
- Shalak
Thursday, June 7, 2007
camp
Well, I’m almost done packing for camp. I have all the essentials . . . clothes . . . toothbrush . . . and all the things that would make little girls think their counselor is sweet like nail polish, markers, stickers, and, yes, even supplies for matching bracelets. It should be a sweet experience. I’m really excited and really nervous all at the same time. I’m trying to be prepared, and yet have no idea what to expect. I was talking to my cousin about camp and soaking up her “former camp counselor wisdom.” I told her that everything that I learn about camp helps me to be more prepared. Her response was a good reminder. She said, “yes, but you can never really be prepared.” It’s true and a little intimidating. But as crazy as that thought is for me, it’s part of what makes me look forward to this summer with great expectation. “If we go only where we know and do what we’re certain will succeed, we remove our need for God” (Erwin McManus, Seizing Your Devine Moment).
So, this summer pray that that I can lead a cabin full of girls well. Pray that I will fill their week at camp with lots of crazy fun. Pray that I can bond them together as a cabin. Pray that I will help them encounter the love of Christ. Overall pray that I will stop thinking about what I can do, and start thinking more about what God will do through me when I offer each day to Him. There will be times when I feel like I’m on top of it all, and times when I’m burnt out beyond belief; But ultimately, that shouldn’t matter if it’s God working through me.
I know that God has amazing plans for this summer. What He is going to do in the lives of the kids who spend a week of their summer at camp is going to be greater than what anyone of us could ever accomplish on our own. It amazes me that I’m going to have the opportunity to be a part of it. Basically, I want to be a vessel. I want God to be able to work in and through my life so that I can serve Him out of the overflow of my heart, acceding to His heart. For, “Christ does not exist in order to make much of us. We exist in order to enjoy making much of Him” (John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ).
So, this summer pray that that I can lead a cabin full of girls well. Pray that I will fill their week at camp with lots of crazy fun. Pray that I can bond them together as a cabin. Pray that I will help them encounter the love of Christ. Overall pray that I will stop thinking about what I can do, and start thinking more about what God will do through me when I offer each day to Him. There will be times when I feel like I’m on top of it all, and times when I’m burnt out beyond belief; But ultimately, that shouldn’t matter if it’s God working through me.
I know that God has amazing plans for this summer. What He is going to do in the lives of the kids who spend a week of their summer at camp is going to be greater than what anyone of us could ever accomplish on our own. It amazes me that I’m going to have the opportunity to be a part of it. Basically, I want to be a vessel. I want God to be able to work in and through my life so that I can serve Him out of the overflow of my heart, acceding to His heart. For, “Christ does not exist in order to make much of us. We exist in order to enjoy making much of Him” (John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ).
Friday, May 18, 2007
"ministry"
What truly is ministry? Sometimes I think that people, myself included, forget what ministry is, what it’s intended to be. They get so involved in “doing Ministry” that they lose their focus and ministry jsut becomes a sort of performance. Ministry itself becomes an end, when really it should be a means to a grater purpose.
I’m tired of simply “doing ministry.” I’m tired of apathy, legality, and conformity. I don’t want to build a ministry that simply fits a mold. Instead, I want to do ministry out of the overflow of my heart. I want to stop doing for it’s own sake. For ministry to be effective, we must reject a mold and adopt the heart of God. It is only through His power that we can do anything, without Him we can do nothing. We must stop simply going to church and focus on being the church.
It’s not always the easiest route. I don’t always understand the will of God, but that’s not really bad. In fact, I am thankful that I can’t always understand the extent of God’s amazing plan, because that’s the beauty of it. What I could think up on my own would be so much less than what God can do. So, I simply must run and strive to be a part of God’s heart work.
When ministry simply become something on a list of things that we do, then it’s easy to take it into our own hands, and then what’s the point of ministry? It seems that it would have no point because the most meaningful and greatest points in ministry occur when it is out of our control. Then we are only a vessel of God, a tool for Him to accomplish His amazing plans. I don’t want to do ministry, I want to live ministry, all for God’s glory.
I’m tired of simply “doing ministry.” I’m tired of apathy, legality, and conformity. I don’t want to build a ministry that simply fits a mold. Instead, I want to do ministry out of the overflow of my heart. I want to stop doing for it’s own sake. For ministry to be effective, we must reject a mold and adopt the heart of God. It is only through His power that we can do anything, without Him we can do nothing. We must stop simply going to church and focus on being the church.
It’s not always the easiest route. I don’t always understand the will of God, but that’s not really bad. In fact, I am thankful that I can’t always understand the extent of God’s amazing plan, because that’s the beauty of it. What I could think up on my own would be so much less than what God can do. So, I simply must run and strive to be a part of God’s heart work.
When ministry simply become something on a list of things that we do, then it’s easy to take it into our own hands, and then what’s the point of ministry? It seems that it would have no point because the most meaningful and greatest points in ministry occur when it is out of our control. Then we are only a vessel of God, a tool for Him to accomplish His amazing plans. I don’t want to do ministry, I want to live ministry, all for God’s glory.
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