Monday, Monday...

Well, today began a new crazy new week in our household. Well actually this week, mostly just in my life. Our Children's Ministry Conference is this Friday and Sat. I am leading a seminar so that means I need to finalize my talk. There's also a lot of job duties I have that surround Conference so that will be an adventure as well this week. Tomorrow is bible study (depending on the weather I guess--darn snow!) and I have to tell them that I will be leaving their group because of my new job...

Which leads me to the new job. As of March 1st my role within Children's Ministry will change. I will no longer be the Admin. Asst., instead I will be a Ministry Asst. in charge of programming for K-1, Clubhouse Kids (Tues nite 4yr-1st gr)and Camp Zoom (day camp for 4yr-1st gr). To finish out my 40 hours I will also keep some of my AA duties and then a 24hr AA will be hired. I'm so excited because I really love that age group. My friend Jackie is having a baby and so after her maternity leave she is only coming back part time--which left the open spot. Right away when I knew that she was choosing to leave those spots open...I wanted it. It's been in process since before Christmas...so it's been hard to keep quiet while the entire thing has come to fruition. Now that we're able to tell everyone and move forward with transition it's such a relief! :) As a result Feb and March will be pretty crazy because I will need to be trained, but I will also have to prepare my job and then train the new person.

Marlon has also made a change. I mentioned a few weeks ago about BASICS--well we are making the switch. While prison ministry will still be a part of his ministry...with BASICS he will be able to concentrate on city ministry, discipleship of young men, bridging the racial gap that exists in our churches... I love seeing him in his element and being right where God wants him. I see how my encouragement is so important to help him stay on track and keep his focus. Because he is a passionate person and feels strongly about what he believes in...it can be easy sometimes for him to get distracted. It makes me think of how that is the case with all of us so many times. We can get so easily distracted from what God would have us focused on.

***Disclaimer: Now I'm going to go to a place that might make some people who read this uncomfortable...or mad...or want to email and call others to talk about me...lol...that's ok. If you are feeling targeted it can only be because you in some way feel that you exhibit the things I am talking about. If it doesn't apply to you then nothing I am about to type should bother you.***

But the example that comes to mind as I write about this is with sports stuff. There are people who live and die by their kids lives. There are people who place wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much importance on their kids activities and the "fun" that they will have a result of their kids activities. This is often times because they have no activities outside of their kids activities. They don't do things or have friends that aren't directly linked to their children's lives. This is not smart because eventually your kids will grow up and leave and you will not have them in common and what other things have your friendships been based on? We have been involved with teams where this is the case. I am not just talking about soccer here so please don't send hate mail! :) Remember we have three boys involved in 4 different sports so I'm referring to a LOT of different experiences. But what I remind him, help him focus...and often myself as well is that we can NOT be those people. It is not Godly. Not that we don't have a right when it's appropriate to get frustrated and angry and irritated...we are human...lol...but we can't allow it to consume us or dictate how we respond and interact. It is a game. When things are not safe or healthy with the coach---such as with Elijah's basketball team---then we have a responsibility as parents to pull our kid. I don't care if it means we are out money, if it makes our kid angry, if it means they might not play. If the alternative is to put our child in harm's way or to potentially emotionally scarred by coaching==then the sport and our child's desire to play it==does not weigh stronger than the impact it will have. If the coaching is good and the skills they are learning are good==then the way we feel about the parents or whether or not we get along are not deciding factors. On all of the boys teams there have been parents that we have clicked with and there have been parents that we have not. I've said before that I think that's ok. What I encourage Marlon to do is ignore the drama if it doesn't directly affect our child. Ignore the drama because becoming a part of it takes us down a road that is not God honoring. To waste time and energy arguing mute points with people whose values are not ours is futile. I am not saying that we are right and the others are wrong. We are just not on the same page and are already beginning the conversation on opposite sides of the spectrum...so arguing is not going to end up anywhere pretty...lol. Sometimes there is no middle ground to meet on. I think that's ok. Whether our lives intersect for a season or for a long time (let's say on a high school team where there aren't options) it is our job to reflect Christ in what we say and do. To speak the truth even if it makes people upset. To show our sons that sometimes life is not easy and you will not like everyone and everyone will not like you. And that is ok. We can't hold grudges, withhold forgiveness, gossip, lie, hate. We are not responsible for other people's actions or reactions. We are only responsible for our own actions and our own reactions.

Example. If someone doesn't like me and gossips about me, ridicules me, calls me names or smiles in my face and then runs me down when I'm not around---I can't control that. No matter how hard I try to be nice, try to bury the hatchet...I can't control someone else's actions. HOWEVER...I can control how I react.

Whatever the case, we have to avoid the drama at all costs because ultimately it becomes a game that Satan plays with us to distract us from what we should be focused on. We can't forget that there is always a spiritual war around us and that Satan is just lurking in the background baiting us. God is always there as well and His hand is always extended to us to give us a way out of the mess. It's our job to be obedient to Him and allow Him to guide us.

Alright friends and random UK readers (who knew that Wedgie Boys was actually a musical group and would be googled so much...lol) I am off to sleep. I am making the concentrated effort to be asleep by 12:30 every night. If I lay down by midnight---that should happen. Sweet dreams!!