STRETCHED.............

This post may seem boring, but I couldn't resist sharing with you what God has been teaching me!=)

I have learned SO much, spiritually and practically, the past couple days. Some of it has come from my own personal quiet time, but mostly, God has been teaching me through the wisdom of others. I've been so excited to share these tidbits of revelation but know I can never begin to justly say what the Holy Spirit has said to my heart. Nonetheless, here goes...

On Thursday, Jeremy and I, along with 2 of his staff members, attended a ministry workshop at Green St. Baptist in High Point. The guest speaker, Reggie Joiner, is the founder of reThink, which is the curriculum Summit Kids is presently using. Admittedly, I was a little skeptical going in and not really in the "mood to learn." Reggie, though, made it impossible not to! I'm still thinking on all the new and refreshing concepts he shared. Here are some things I wrote down in my notes:

*"People change when the pain associated with the status quo becomes greater than the pain associated with the change."

*"Make sure we can differentiate between what is core and what is cultural."

*"We will never be able to compete with culture (Nick, MTV, etc.), but they will never be able to compete with relationships." When everything falls apart, a child will cling to a strong relationship, not a character on a TV show.

*"Students (and kids) will never feel significant unless they are given something significant to do...ministry!"

*"Encourage parents (including myself) to make steps/do one thing more, not reach a goal (ie-perfect parent)."

*"Engage in culture with our kids (ministry) while they're home instead of letting them figure it all out one day on their own." In other words, I'd rather my boys be exposed to drugs or alcohol while Mommy and Daddy are serving these people, as opposed to the temptation of partaking one day in a college dorm room. This is so convicting, and Jeremy and I are still figuring out how to "flesh" this one out.

*Deuteronomy talks about constantly presenting Christ before our kids (in everything we do and everywhere we go). I agree, but I've tried to internalize this too much, and have put way too much pressure on myself as a parent. God gave this commandment to His people in the OT, so they would not forget all He had done for them. It was a different time and place. When Jesus ascended, however, and left His disciples, He told them to take the message out, not keep it in among their families. This understanding (and I'm sure I did a crummy job of explaining it) offered me so much freedom yet conviction. I am to pour Christ into our boys, so they can then take it out. We should be serving together now, not waiting til they've "learned it all!"

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the scattered thoughts of what the Holy Spirit so clearly showed me through the words of Reggie Joiner last week. I'm still mulling over it all...

And then, there was JD's message on Sunday, which was awesome. Right now we're studying the book of Ephesians. Here are some of my notes from then:

*"God wants people who love and worship Him, not religous rule followers."

*"We are to love God and serve Him; not just avoid sin."

*"When we know we have God's approval, we won't try so hard to impress others."

*3 questions we "asked ourselves:"
-What is my source of hope, worth, and power?
-What am I living for?
-Do I realize how much power is available to me?

And that concludes (or really begins) the "spiritual streching" God has been doing in my life lately. I know lots of it may seem simple, but the Holy Spirit knew I needed the reminders. I'm so thankful for His still small voice (and tremendous patience!).

In conclusion, here's a picture of Stephen and his "Valentine card eater" we made yesterday! He is so proud of it, and we are seriously getting into the Valentine's spirit!