Not My Own

I have been reading through the book of Joshua and Judges and I keep seeing this theme which is through out the entire Old Testament of how God is a jealous God. The first and most broken commandment in the Old Testament is "You shall have no other gods before me." The Israelites break this commandment over and over again. God rescues them again and provides for them endlessly; yet again they choose to worship other gods. While reading it I keep yelling in my mind at the Israelites, "Are you that stupid!? How could you forget that God has brought you out of slavery and performed miracle after miracle to save your butts!" I closed my Bible and took care of my breakfast dishes while laughing at how dumb the Israelites were. Call me crazy but that's when I heard this in my head... "You really think you are that different than the Israelites?" Well, I don't worship other gods. I mean how does this really apply today? I guess some people have ot

After watching the movie "The King's Speech" I had an incredible fresh view of how our relationship with God  works - or at least how I think my relationship with God works. Some people think of God as a parent figure comforting them at every turn and putting band aids on life wounds to make everything instantly better. They treat God as if He exists to keep us pain free or someone we go to for a quick fix. Others take the "Jesus is my homeboy" approach making Jesus out to be a buddy who has got their back in all situations and decisions even if they make stupid mistakes. I suppose there are some theological truths to these views, but my relationship with God never quite fit into these views. I suppose just as there are no two people who have the exact same relationship with others, God has a different relationship with each of us.  Watch this clip first... Lionel Louge ends up being the King of England's speech therapist; however, the King has

Here is the Wedding Message I gave during my brother's wedding Oct 22, 2011...  I have only lived with my brother for 16 years. And today Wendy you are committing the rest of your life to Jason! Now that I have been married for 3 years myself, as I reflect on the 16 years of living with my brother I realized that God had used Jason to prepare me for my own marriage. I learned 3 key important ingredients that have helped me in my own marriage and I hope will help you in yours as well. INGREDIENT # 1 -  Open Communication Thanks to Jason, I learned in my own marriage that it’s somewhat healthy to wear your emotions on your sleeve. My brother and I always spoke freely with very honest feedback about how we were feeling. Even though it could be hurtful at times I could always trust with Jason that there were no surprises since communication was so open. For example; even though we disagreed in high school and had very different lifestyles; there’s a part of me that always

My husband and I are preparing to have a baby in November so we decided it would be a good idea to take a birthing class. We signed up for a five week class called "New Beginnings" at Vanderbilt Hospital since that is where we will be delivering. I thought the class would talk about baby facts and would offer relaxation techniques to prepare you for birth. But first they feel the need to inform you of everything you will experience before, during, and after birth. The first class our teacher showed us exactly how the baby pushes through the pelvis as she literally shoved a baby doll through a fake pelvis while stretching the pelvis wide apart. It hurt just looking at it! I kept waking up in the middle of the night picturing a baby being shoved through a fake pelvis yelling... " TMI TMI TMI!!!!!" (Too much information). The second class was titled Relaxation and Breathing Techniques . "I am really looking forward to this class now that we are past the anatom

The sanctuary filled and everyone waited eagerly for the church bell to ring so we could start service lead by the youth. However, the church bell never rung and where was the praise band? At the traditional service folks whispered in confusion as they watched the acolyte put out the candles on the altar as he took the flame out of the sanctuary. Then the strangest thing happened... freshman, Hannah Maynard, asked everyone to rise and receive the benediction as she prayed for God to be with everyone as they left church today. There were many blank stares and puzzled looks as people were flipping through their bulletins trying to figure out what was happening. We then sang our closing worship song and some of the confusion was cleared up in the sermon by seniors Alli Dickey and Susan Crawford. Why on earth did we do the church service backwards? The message of our youth Sunday was to remind the congregation that worshiping God goes beyond a structured order of service at church. Wo

Neighbors standing outside our apartment stopped and watched with puzzled looks on their faces at what looked like a funeral procession or a parade of cars behind a moving truck exiting our apartment complex. It is common to see a moving truck with a few hired helpers or a few family members helping neighbors move in or out of their apartment. So when our neighbors saw an entire youth group plus their families come and help us move people were left scratching their heads. As the last car in line of the car parade I had the best view of eight other vehicles loaded with our stuff following a moving truck. Trying not to tear up, I took a snap shot in my mind of what is one of my favorite pictures of the church. Church and I didn't start off on the right foot. Growing up I went to church on Christmas and Easter. I grew up with the mind set that one didn't have to go to church to believe in God and church was full of hypocrites. Obviously, my family had been burned by the church a

What would Jesus' opinion be about real or fake flowers on the altar? I don't think Jesus cares one bit if there are even any flowers on the alter at all.  He couldn't care less if we worshiped in the sanctuary or in the fellowship hall. He doesn't care if we sing praise songs or hymns. It doesn't matter to Jesus if we are wearing name tags or not. Jesus is not concerned with what time church starts. Jesus doesn't care if the youth area is messy. He doesn't care if someone has to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the service. It doesn't matter to Jesus if the altar candles are lit or not. Jesus doesn't care if the church repeats a creed or not. It doesn't matter to Jesus if the pastor preaches in a white robe, a suit, or a t-shirt. Jesus couldn't care less exactly where the altar is positioned. He doesn't care if communion is bread or crackers. Jesus doesn't care if people walk in late to the service. He doesn't

I had a dream last night that I was sitting with a friend staring down at a road congested with traffic. I was so angry and frustrated by the structure of the road system I kept complaining to the friend how dumb the design was and how road crews have no idea what they were doing. I persisted in my complaining and he finally said to me, "Don't you see? It's not the design that's screwed up... everyone is fighting against God and going the opposite way. We need to go with God to make this work." When I took a second look at the road suddenly I felt as if I was at the edge of making sense of something big God was trying to tell me. Of course, that is when I woke up feeling clueless. It's time to be real honest but this tough chic here is not doing so well. I have a disease called Ulcerative Colitis and in short it means I have severe inflammation in my entire colon known as Pancolitis. Most of the time I am in remission with help from incredibly expensive medi

While I was taking my dog out I ran into one of my neighbors. He asked the usual question, "How are you?" and I responded with an automated response of, "Good. How are you?" while running down the stairs quickly. He surprised me by answering, "Not so good. I am in a lot of pain. I have nine screws and a metal plate in my shoulder." He then proceeded to tell me how it happened right before BMX racing season. Even though this is the most info I have learned about him in two years I didn't ask questions I just listened and nodded. I kept thinking of how I should tell him that I will be praying for him. But when the one sided conversation wrapped up I all I could say was, "Well... good luck with that." As I walked away I kept asking myself why on earth was I afraid to let him know that I was praying for him? I am RIDICULOUS! Protestors against homosexuality I honestly think I was afraid he would assume I was Christian, even though that would

I had a friend say to me the other day he has two big G's in his life. God and Google. At first I just laughed but  his seriousness about the subject made me see a new realized reality. He went on to explain how using Google he has researched his own faith questions that he has had for years about his beliefs. This has allowed him to find titles and definitions matching more closely to what he believes and has wrestled with for years. I could see on his face that he found a new joy and peace knowing he was not alone in his walk or in his questioning. I am thrilled for his faith exploration but I worry about the accuracy of potential sources one can find through a search engine online. I also think, as a youth minister we need to more conscious of this instant-search generation than ever before. It redefines how we do youth ministry. It redefines how the Church in general should do ministry. This new research era no longer desires to eat and digest beliefs they are taught when the

If you haven't heard by now this Mother's Day will be my first mother's day to celebrate! Except, I don't know this child that I carry yet and it feels more like an imaginary friend. It is there, but I cannot see it or feel it yet. All I can do is pray for God to help this child grow healthy and full of love in his/her heart for the Lord and for everyone she/he meets. As I have been preparing in my mind and heart to be a mom, I have been heavily reflecting on my relationship with my mother. I can't remember a time in my life where I have appreciated my Mom more than I do now. I hope that will only continue to grow stronger when this child arrives. When I think about all the responsibility that I will have to carry I can't help but ask my myself... How did my mom do it 24/7 for 25 years (27) for my brother. Being a mother is a forever role! Now that I am grown up, married, moved out in a different state, I still rely on my mom for advice, love, and friendship.

I was having a conversation with my hair stylist the other day about how I am a youth minister and my husband is a neuro scientist. She looked at me in shock saying, "How does that work? Those are at opposite ends of the spectrum." I laughed and nodded. But after thinking about it I realized they are not so different. When I tell people my husband is a neuro scientist I get about three different reactions. Some people have no clue what I am talking about and change the subject, or they automatically separate him in his own different category of human existence, or they are genuinely interested in what he does. The people from the first two categories almost always ask... "So is he looking for a cure or something?" I used to have the same thoughts myself but now let me explain to you a much more enriched understanding of how science works. Neuro scientists study the brain. They don't just whip up a cure or discover one by chance. Through years and years of

It is hard to know we are loved unconditionally by God when we live in a world that loves conditionally. Take Tiger Woods, for example.  Tiger was loved by fans, media, and businesses as the most successful golfer ever and the highest-paid professional athlete in the world. He was also recognized as a good family man who even set up youth charities. However, once the media revealed his multiple affairs, many people lost their love for Woods, and he lost several of his endorsements.  Hateful tabloid articles and news reports about Tiger spread all over the world. This is a picture of how fast the world can turn love into hate based on one’s actions. The hard truth is God loves his son Tiger just as much as he loves you and I. Comparing my life to Tiger’s makes me feel sick, but deep down I can see in some ways that my story parallels to his. Besides my professional golfing career (just kidding), like Tiger Wood’s, I try to fill my life with other stuff instead of God to make me happy.

Looking down the aisle, a daunting feeling overwhelmed me while glancing at the endless row of paper products to choose from. I am so sick of making decisions and trying to make the “best” choices. Going against my normal routine, I chose to not check brand names or prices but simply grabbed the closest package of toilet paper within my reach. After all, does it really matter what I wipe my butt with? I am exhausted of getting tied up in the details of life. I was in search for simplicity, merely in search for the essentials… bread, milk, cereal, and toilet paper. Since that’s all I could fit in my hands, I decided to be done. Not many people were in the store, but the few that were there were on their own quest for essentials. I doubt they noticed the emotional weight I was carrying. I know this because I was too focused on my own problems to think about theirs. I walked up to the counter and laid my items down anticipating the dreaded question to come. I knew the cashier

I think this is a prayer we could all learn from if we prayed it. It is from one of my inspirational youth.  Thanks Molly for sharing this... God, Lord, maker of all, power over everything, all knowing; you have adopted me, a sinner, who makes many mistakes one after another. You love me for who I am and allow me to be forgiven for all that I do against  your word. You take me in every mood rather it be I'm down and not following your way or think theres no hope, or in the highest spiritual time in life and happiest I could be. You're the center. You're my center focus in my life.You created me and use me to do your great tasks. You sent you're only begotten son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for OUR sins, MY sins, You saved me and blessed me all and more than I could ever ask for. Whenever I need someone to count on your always by my side. Through thick and thin it does not matter either way. Rather I follow your word on the dotted line or a little off

I wrote this two years ago today and thought I would post it on my blog... I want to share with you an incredible experience I had today. Two years ago today, a friend and girl who lived two rooms down from me in my dorm passed away in a car accident. I was thinking about Melissa this morning and reflecting on memories and moments I got to share with her. Along with the good, I recalled the hardship of the day she passed. I remembered hearing the news and being in shock. Most of all, I remember thinking... How am I going to help her friends, this floor (2nd Rooks), the entire dorm and other lives she touched in the Calvin community. After all, I was the dorm's spiritual leader and had a duty to help people grieve... or so I thought. I didn't make much time to grieve myself. At one point I finally fell to my knees in my dorm room completely emotionally exhausted for attempting to carry others through. I prayed to God admitting I was completely lost and had no idea

I started planning for a youth lesson with the goal in mind for students to find their true identity in Christ.  How was I ever going to accomplish this? How do you get someone to understand who they are? One of the biggest questions teenagers ask is... "Who am I?" I thought endlessly about how I could answer this question for them. But then I realized I can't answer this. If they want to know who they are then they have to ask, "Who is God?".  So how do I get them to ask this and find the answer? I tried to look up the best bible verses and create some kind of incredible sermon I could preach to get them to understand. Nothing seemed good enough so I then turned to intense prayer. Haha not really... I went straight to google and typed  "finding your identity in Christ best youth lesson ever" in the search bar. Shockingly enough, google didn't seem good enough either. Somewhere in between prayer and google I came up with the idea that I can't