Teacher's Seldom Talk When Giving A Test
I wasn't raised in a "Leave It To Beaver," kind of family and so I wanted a dad I was close to more than words could express. The night I officially gave my life to Christ, I truly "felt" my heavenly Father in an incredible way. I guess I just assumed that the warm, fuzzy feelings would hang around. No so. Like nearly everything else in life, extraordinary feelings (both natural and spiritual) come and go. C. S. Lewis called it "The Whirlpool State," Mother Teresa called it "The Silent Years," and Billy Graham talks about when God "lifts His conscious presence."
You see, the Word of God makes it clear that if we follow Christ, God never, ever leaves us. But for a lot of different reasons, our conscious awareness of His presence can be blocked from time to time. For instance, before the Lord took my amazing hero home, my husband might have been in a different room of our home. Even though I might not have been aware of his presence, that didn't mean he wasn't there. There's a huge difference between "feeling close to God" and "being close to God."
When I began to sort through the times when I felt like God was really far away, I remembered that when I was growing up, the teacher seldom talked while giving a test. I wonder if that has anything to do with some of God's silent times in my life? All of us love the luxury of "good feelings" even in our walk with Christ. But it takes no character or maturity to follow Him when experiencing all sorts of spiritual sensations and goose bumps. If you want to rank up there among Christ's most trusted friends, base your relationship with Him around His Word, not your feelings.
I wasn't raised in a "Leave It To Beaver," kind of family and so I wanted a dad I was close to more than words could express. The night I officially gave my life to Christ, I truly "felt" my heavenly Father in an incredible way. I guess I just assumed that the warm, fuzzy feelings would hang around. No so. Like nearly everything else in life, extraordinary feelings (both natural and spiritual) come and go. C. S. Lewis called it "The Whirlpool State," Mother Teresa called it "The Silent Years," and Billy Graham talks about when God "lifts His conscious presence."
You see, the Word of God makes it clear that if we follow Christ, God never, ever leaves us. But for a lot of different reasons, our conscious awareness of His presence can be blocked from time to time. For instance, before the Lord took my amazing hero home, my husband might have been in a different room of our home. Even though I might not have been aware of his presence, that didn't mean he wasn't there. There's a huge difference between "feeling close to God" and "being close to God."
When I began to sort through the times when I felt like God was really far away, I remembered that when I was growing up, the teacher seldom talked while giving a test. I wonder if that has anything to do with some of God's silent times in my life? All of us love the luxury of "good feelings" even in our walk with Christ. But it takes no character or maturity to follow Him when experiencing all sorts of spiritual sensations and goose bumps. If you want to rank up there among Christ's most trusted friends, base your relationship with Him around His Word, not your feelings.
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Exodus 33:7-11 tells us how Moses used to pitch the "Tent of Meeting" outside the camp. It was the place where the Lord would speak to him, face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
Don't you long to create your own Tent of Meeting, a place where you can spend some face time with the Lord? I know I do, but I also know I'm going to have to fight for it on a daily basis. For I know, no one will create a Tent of Meeting for me, but me. And, no windows of opportunity will ever magically appear. My Tent of Meeting will only come through sheer determination, a refusal to let anything else encroach upon my time with Him. Without it, ministry will inevitably get messy.
I'm up for the challenge, the fight and the relentless pursuit! Are you? Draw near my friends! For He promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.
Lovingly,
In the church world, I think we "motivate" well toward growing closer to Christ, but sometimes don't "lead" well when we fail to give students pragmatic steps for success. Our continual "10 & 10" (10 minutes in the Word and 10 minutes in prayer) challenge is one of our attempts to do just that, but in this Youth Leader's Coach, "Stood Up Again," we take it a step further.
Through a simple but powerful drama, the reading of David's heart cry found in Psalm 42 and the sharing of a transferable illustration involving deer, we try to help students become more aware of and responsive to the Lord's constant presence. Specifically, drawing upon the wisdom of Brother Lawrence, we encourage them to transform their prayer lives by "Practicing The Presence Of God." And finally, in the giving of a 30-day challenge to have a secret, silent, running conversation with the Lord, our hearts' desire is to stir up a deep longing in them to be in His presence and submerged in Him daily, not just in times of trouble.
This message, however, is not just for students...it's for us too! In the chaos of life, I know too many leaders who are better at being youth pastors than they are at being Christ-followers. May this message serve as a reminder to be "Practicing The Presence" ourselves.
Lovingly,
Welcome to God's "Hall of Fame"! We can all feel like a loser more often than we care to admit. There's not one of us that doesn't go through seasons when we feel like our heads are getting kicked in. Whether it's because of fatigue, mind games, doubts, sin, or personal pain, I just wanted to remind you that this is completely normal.
In this month's Youth Leader's Coach, "When You Feel Like A Loser," I'm unpacking some of the ways we can combat seasons of discouragement. I just want you to hear my heart say to you, that when you feel like a loser, you're not alone.
Lovingly Yours,
What habits are you developing when it comes to your relationships? In so many ways, that's really what it boils down to isn't it...relational commitments and habits? That is what it's going to require to take our youth ministries to the next level. And, as odd as it sounds, that is what it's going to require to sustain us through the desert times.
We believe this Alliance topic, "Surviving Desert Times In Youth Ministry," will be timely for so many of us as we franticly rush out of the non-stop action of summer into the feverish pace of fall. If we were honest, some of us would admit to not having stopped long enough to even breathe, let alone have a quiet time. As a result, I believe some of us and our youth pastor friends are heading hard and fast into a "Desert Time" as a result of it. Before we feel deflated, defeated and want to throw in the towel, let's put on the brakes, determine the warning signs and kick Satan in the knees by implementing some preventative measures and developing some new relational commitments and habits.
The church world was recently shocked with the devastating news of Senior Pastor Andrew Stoecklein, who took his own life. His suicide is bringing attention to all the pressure on men and women in the ministry. One prominent senior pastor wrote about his death, "Depression is real and pastors are not exempt or defective who experience it. In this generation, pastors are expected to be business savvy, Instagram quotable preaching celebrities, fully accessible, deeply spiritual, not too young, not too old..."
Though in this Youth Leader's Coach, I don't focus on suicide...I talk about something I have dealt with myself that led to Pastor Andrew's tragic decision, depression and anxiety, which is experienced by many of God's finest in ministry circles. Listen in as I share three root causes of depression and anxiety, why we in ministry circles deal with it so often, and then give you ten ways to help, if you or someone you are counselling is dealing with this issue.
So listen in. Even if you've never had to deal with depression or anxiety, I promise someone in your world probably does. Never underestimate the importance of learning to be a caring friend who is willing to simply listen.
Lovingly,
