I feel like I could be on the edge of something huge. One more step and everything could change. Do you feel like that? What if God showed us things if we only paid attention? I used to pray to God, asking for Him to be clear if he ever spoke to me, because if He wasn't, I probably wouldn't catch it. In English class, you read a story and are asked to find the theme. Maybe. Amongst other stuff. Maybe there are themes in life that come and go? Well, there are, but maybe God could be saying something through them. Saying words is dangerous. You're supposed to back them up. Here we go anyways.
I am involved in stuff at the church. I help with the children's ministry that we are launching new and fresh. I help with youth. I attend young adults. I attend a cell group for Catalyst youth. I also attend a cell group of some of the church members. And then I go to church. That's a lot of stuff. It's good. I'm not trying to brag. I just want you to know where I get some of this stuff from. When I mention these, you can say okay, I sort of know what he is talking about.
The kids program has taken the name of our most recent vbs, Reach. Sunday mornings is run through a kidmo thing. That's okay. So far, I have only been in meetings for that...I don't like those meetings either. But once a month, we hang out with the kids for a couple hours for the evening. Always on a Tuesday. The theme there is prayer, which is sweet because prayer is great, and I don't do it nearly enough. We get kids to write prayers in a book, and over time we will look back and see prayers answered. I decided, for that part, that I was a kid. Then I was disappointed when I discovered I had to give the book back at the end of the night. I'm gonna write so much more in that book when I get it back. Oh man. It's supposed to be for the kids... Lead by example? oh dear...
Catalyst youth is also focused on prayer right now. Sort of. Because Andrew is. He reads this...Whatever. Here is my mind window, and other people don't stop thoughts, do they? Andrew's wife is having a baby! Isn't that sweet? I love babies...But they are all scared of me. Andrew and Nelia went and had some regular tests done, and discovered that the baby might not be as healthy as they hoped. Now they are praying harder than they ever prayed before, and taking lots of people with them. Which is great. I wish I was there. With that much prayer surrounding it, God is guaranteed to be there. Andrew said that disaster will drive you to your knees, but it won't keep you there. Even before this happened, Andrew was talking about how prayer should be more than a thing we do, but a part of us. I agree, and wish I could draw what that looks like. Catalyst youth is fairly new. We changed our name, are downstairs, and are launching it all off in prayer.
I tried to pray a bunch a while back. I would lay there in my bed and try talking to God...and then realize I have nothing to say and fall asleep. Maybe I needed sleep more than prayer? No...err...I heard someone talk about something like that once. Marcel talked about how we needed to start small. Practice praying. Pray for a couple minutes a day. Then maybe five minutes the next week. Ten minutes, building up to the level of prayer warrior, praying for hours at a time. I'm not too grand at practicing stuff though. I might lack self discipline.
The Airlock, the Catalyst youth cell group I lead/attend, is going to do this pretty cool thing. Or, Jon Bryden is going to do this cool thing and bring it to the group where we can share in it. He is going to research on the promises God makes to us in the Bible, and then we can pray God's promises. This excites me. No excuse of having nothing to say. Maybe it will help me pray again. At the youth group, a couple ladies who pray for us came in and said some things about prayer. One said to pray the scriptures. That it was powerful. I believe it.
I have more to say, and hope to tell you. We are on the edge of something huge. Let me tell you about the fictional character of Peter Petrelli. He was a hospice nurse. He had dreams that he could fly. Then he flew, and did some more incredible stuff. He found someone who knew about this stuff and had even written a book about it. He quit his job, and even though everyone thought he was a fool, he pursued this thing. He gave up his life to try to figure out what was going on.
I want to be like that. Wouldn't that rock? So now, what if prayer is the first step for everything? New stuff is popping up, and prayer is the focus. The foundation? How possible is it to be like that? Well, let's break down a standard week for me and see what it looks like.
Let's function in hours. One week is comprised of 168 hours. Say I sleep 8 hours a night. That's the recommended amount, right? 8x7=56. 168-56=112. Okay. Then let's say I work 40 hours a week, even though I don't. 112-40=72. Then, church for 3 hours on Sunday, Airlock for 3 hours Monday, Young Adults for 3 hours Tuesday, Church group for 3 hours Wednesday, Heroes for 3 hours Thursday, and Youth for 6 hours Friday. darn...I should probably cut back. 7x3=21. 72-21=51. So even with all the stuff, there are about 50 hours a week that I don't really have anything better to do in. Sure, there is eating, and bathroom stuff, but the doesn't affect it too much. I probably should have broken down what I do a long time ago.
I don't want to stop, but I work in 7 hours and am definitely not getting 8 hours of sleep tonight.
4 comments:
Heres a thought, from being in your position a couple years ago. Weekly i was exhausted, from working, driving to work, youth, at the time NZ, When does our time become pluged, and our bodies tired, that we are rendered useless to God. I have swung the other way though, spending no time in a church, doing programs, I have turned closer to the world, and being where they are. I think alot of acts, and the early church was a community with the community at large.. i wish to pursue this goal, whats your thoughts dunsel?
Welcome to the digital world,where instead of saying I don't know, I can try to give you answers. I don't consider what I do a waste of time, or stuff that plugs my time. I don't really look into a lot of things. Most times I take what I see at face value, and end up not thinking a lot about it or at all. I go to tings that say 'pour yourself out' and others that say 'we are pouring, come fill yourself up'. I'm not tiring yet. Now with that said, I might start to. It's important to have community with the people who are stuck in the world, but it is important to connect with like minded people too. Brothers and sisters and such. If I can't be like Jesus to them, then what will be different in the world?
The community I am in now is reaching to the communities that surround it. I agree with you on Acts being amazing. And that we should be reaching and connecting to the people of the world. But that doesn't mean I should abandon the community I am in that is trying to reach because I think running out there solo with God is a better idea. I really don't think it is. I'm not as grounded as you are. I don't think I can do that yet. But if you can, that is excellent. We need people on both sides.
Did that make sense?
I agree bro, one thing, unfortenaly i ts a bad idea to be solo, always go out with somebody, keeping with the acts theme, they always walked around in two's
thats all my thoughts for now
Good thoughts werner. Challenging and thought provoking.
Andrew
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