What City Kids Does For Me

Emma and friend in class with their "scrolls"

I show up every 3 weeks, about 2 hours early for church to help get our little class area set up. I miss being in adult service completely on the week I do this so I can teach children. (One of which is my own little ragamuffin) It takes energy and patience and effort to do this and it is 100% worth it to me!  There are lots of reasons I have loved about my return to children's ministry after years of serving in different areas. I love hugging on the kiddos and knowing I am another safe and caring adult in their life. I love watching them play and form their own little community. It's hilarious to watch my own girl in her element. But mostly, I love seeing them learn God's word.

sweet friends!

 The week highlighted in these pictures we were studying the book of Revelation. Many adults shy away from Revelation, so I was excited to dive in and see the kids learn from it. We were learning about Jesus as both lion and lamb, and how He is the only one worthy to receive glory and power in our lives. The kids loved it! But for me the sweetest part comes from hearing their simple answers to the questions we ask: why should Jesus be the one who is able to read the scroll and sit on the throne? One answered, "Well He's the only one who died for me." (true and yet how many other idols do I

answers from children about Who is Jesus

place on the throne of my heart who have never proven any love to me?) How is Jesus like a lion? "Lion's are king of the jungle and Jesus is supposed to be King of our life." Don't you just love it?? Simple, child-like faith.  If you've never served in your church, I highly recommend children's ministry as a starting place. And as a side note, I just want to say thank you to our Children's Director, Amber Alfonso. She is a precious mommy of two girls who holds a regular rotation as teacher but misses adult service often to fill in when someone calls out sick; she shops for all our craft and snack supplies; sets up every week; schedules volunteers and TONS of other thankless tasks. But mostly she truly loves our kids and as a mom I would rather have that than any other trait or ability. When we were first visiting our church 10 months ago, she sought out my Emma, made her feel welcome and remembered her every week. She was the way God settled Emma's heart during our transition and I will always be grateful for that. If you have some time this week, pray for your church's children's minister/leader. And give them a hug. And sign up to help in some way!

Pinterest, No Interest

I wish I was crafty. For quite some time I have made attempts at various little projects, but not until Pinterest did I fully embrace (with a sigh) my lack of crafting ability/mindset/creativity. I have given it a lot of thought and finally come to the conclusion that I can still consider myself a fully acceptable woman in spite of the lack of craftiness. But the whole issue has clearly highlighted some insecurity for me. It seems that most women I know can either sew, craft, build or decorate cakes. But somehow in the passing out of talents, God did not see fit to give me much of any of those. Not that I think I've been short-changed mind you. I fully believe God blessed me with abilities and skills that I enjoy using and see as a gift to my family, church and friends. Still, when we're all swapping updates on Twitter and Facebook about the latest cute or clever thing a friend has accomplished I get a little twinge. You know that twinge- the one that says "You are pretty good, but not quite enough."

I'd wager I'm not alone in this, although we probably all feel it about different issues. For some it may be not cooking, or not knowing how to style their hair or update their wardrobe. Others may not be naturally good with babies, or not enjoying shopping or some other typically female activity. Maybe you were never good at flirting and always felt awkward around men. Maybe you have terrible handwriting or big feet or some other quality that makes you feel less feminine. Whatever it is, when we get around other women who seem to possess that quality in abundance, we begin to compare and find ourselves lacking.

I have found a solution for my craft-challenged insecurities: Stop comparing. Stop focusing on the talents I don't have. Instead, mainly inspired by my Jesus Calling devotional, I have begun to practice thanking God both for what I do well and what I don't. For the talents that highlight my femininity and the way lacking something draws me to Him. Here's how that looks: "Thank you God for giving me the ability to cook and organize my home and create family traditions. Thank you for reminding me that my value to my family and to my friends lies not in what I do for them specifically but in how the things I do convey love. Help me to show love the way you wired me and not compare myself to other women. Thank you for giving my friends the ability to express creativity in their homes and in their  as a blessing to their families. Thank you for making us all different so that when we all come together, it shows us more of who you are in the gifts you dispersed among us."

Finding Your Voice

I've been reading several really good blogs lately. There are so many gifted writers out there in internet land and it's a little overwhelming the volumes of perspective you can get lost in. I have found a curious thing happens to me after reading other writers- I tend to start mimicking their "voice" when I sit down to write later. I've always been that way though. My husband says he can tell which friend I've been with because of the inflection and tone in my voice. When I was little I used to love to watch Gone With the Wind. After watching it for several hours I would end up speaking like a southern belle for days. I just tend to pick up on the way other people phrase or pronounce their words and absorb it into my own little linguistic melting pot.

Part of growing up is figuring out who you are and what you have to say and how you need to say it. I'm still on that journey to some degree I suppose. But I am learning more and more who I am. Which has led to knowing what I have to say. The part I am still wrestling out is how I need to say it. I think we all are influenced in finding our voice by who we listen to. (which is a good reason to seriously consider the company you keep, or you may find yourself reciting a mantra you don't even agree with, or worse yet- one you agree with, but know God doesn't) For better or worse our families shape our voice, both literally and metaphorically. But along the way, we still have to decide who God has created us to be in this world. As a christian, I believe my primary message is the Gospel of Jesus. That all other messages should ultimately point to that one. But within that context, there are many, many issues and causes that point us to Christ and lots of ways to express them.

I find as I read other blogs I am drawn to the deep, insightful and somewhat poetic writings. I appreciate that kind of thinking very much. Yet that is not really my natural voice. I am not sure exactly what my voice is, as there are days when I feel like I am almost preaching, times when I want to teach and other days where I want to be funny and light-hearted. If I had to label it I would say my voice is conversational- I write the way I would talk if you were sitting down at my kitchen table and we were chatting. That's really my favorite way to share my heart. Too bad we can't share coffee in blog land.