Ahh the smell of insanity

Trying to get different results by doing the same thing- insanity

I have never really felt like i am insane kinda person. I take risks, but still play the safety valve scenario in my head a lot. Currently i do feel insane.

Lets recap: Our family moved 7 months ago-we were homeless 5 of those months. We can't sell a home so we are facing foreclosure. We got into a place that works for us but can't have our dogs there. We remodeled a student facility (and only got 80% done with the funds we had), every day i see things that 'need to be done' but don't get done cause of time or money, we are still getting used to a new church family, we are living in an unknown place-liking it one minute & hating it another, we are incredibly tight financially, our oldest started school and both kids started baseball....

So after that recap here is what i am learning;

Last week i spent time with about 60 other youth workers from around the US. Several of them i love and would actually do anything for them or their family. We spent time sharing life, ministry, excitements & pains. I was greatly challenged by my time with these men & women. Challenged in these 3 ways-

1- God's truths are always there, it is up to us to celebrate them & pursue them. We live in a world that doesn't always understand the true core of Christianity so we need to help them see who Christ is. To live missionally isn't always easy, but it is healthy. Pursue health in ministry-not programs.

2- Laughter is a key to enjoy life. I laughed a lot with these men and women. Especially with 3 dudes named Joby, Neal & Brian. Joby is a MMA fighter who is also a police chaplain who is also a youth pastor. Neal lives in Vegas...plenty of stories there. Brian is a guy who i love how he thinks and he challenges me to do the same. Now when you go bowling with these 3 dudes and the bowling alley records your MPH-who cares about a score you just want to bowl the fastest. These guys reminded me that life needs to be celebrated.

3- Ministry brings bumps, bruises, scars and light. We wont always be encouraged, loved or supported but we also know that it is not about us. It is about Christ who saved and transformed us and his message of truth being spoken into the lives of teenagers (people) throughout our lives and ministries.

TO BE CONTINUED
other learnings in later blog post....