Powwow = Wowwee!

Before I share some thoughts and pictures about the Powwow that we attended over the weekend, I want to share just a bit from the handout about what a Powwow is.

"A Powwow is a celebration of unity of all the Indian Nations of the Americas.  It honors the earth and as we dance we give blessings back that the earth and Creator God gave to us.  The Powwow teaches respect for the earth and for others."

Now, before you start wondering why a church would host some gathering where people are "honoring the earth", stop to think about native culture.  Native culture is tied to the earth in a way that contemporary culture only strives to grasp.  We are just now starting to realize how important our resources are and that we need to be taking better care of the earth if we want to continue using it.  The earth is a gift to us and we have treated it very poorly.  Why not take some time and be thankful for the food and resources that we get from earth?

It is also important to note that the church should be a place of healing.  The Powwow is a place for recognizing unity among people that are often divided.  I think the church should maybe start following the native plan for hosting celebrations of unity, maybe we could learn a thing or two about getting over past hurts and differences and learning to support each other in our own cultures and beliefs.  Hmm.. could Baptists and Methodists have a Powwow to celebrate that even though they have different beliefs, they share a common God?  Maybe they couldn't dance, well.. at least, not the Baptists!

So anyway.  The Powwow.  Amazing.  So much fun worshiping and celebrating.  We were honored to be part of such an amazing event.  Relationships were formed and renewed.  There was healing of hearts and lives.  Wow.. just, wow.  I'm going to share a few of our pictures.  Take some time and listen to the sermon podcast, it was wonderful.

Powwow Sermon Podcast Here

FSP

At this very moment I am meeting with the moms in my church group, "Mom Time".  Yep, right now.  Okay, well not while I write this blog, but while it's posting to my site.

If you remember, a week ago at our meeting, we took spiritual gifts tests and I felt challenged about being responsible to actually be using my gifts.  Randy and I are still working out exactly what that means in light of my call to ministry and our current family situation.  We're getting an idea about what it means, but we're not fully there yet, so I'm not telling you where I think we're headed!

What I want to share is actually about another challenge that was put forth to the group: What can we do as a group to minister in the church/community?  Hmm, I spent some time on this today and I really think it would be a good thing for the church or our mom group to offer monthly service projects designed for families.  So here I am, getting ready to meet with these moms and I don't have a clue what kind of service projects for the church or community would be great for our group.  I do know, however, that this is one area that my gifts of administration, service, and leadership are about to get pulled in to play.

Please leave me comments on my blog with ideas about Family Service Projects (FSP) that we might be able to do with 4-40 people of all ages, once a month, once a year, weekly, whatever.  What kinds of service projects have you done with your family?  What would you like to do?  What do you wish someone would do in your community?

Spiritual Gifts

Every other Friday I get the privilege of getting together with some great women.  We are moms.  I seriously could not ask for a better group of women to spend 2 hours with every other week (I'd gladly meet every week if we were able, and love the weeks that we are able to throw in an extra gathering).  This week during our meeting, we talked about spiritual gifts and took an assessment.  I have taken spiritual gifts assessments before and anticipated to discover that my gifts are "teaching, service, and helps".  Not so!

Today, as I completed the 125 question assessment I was surprised to find that my gifting has changed.  I still ranked high in the areas that used to rise to the top, but somewhere along the way, as I've grown in faith and obedience, and changed as a person - administration and leadership took the places of teaching and helps.  This was not shocking to me.  I was slightly surprised that hospitality was tied with leadership. 

I am left now to examine myself.  See, I know what my gifting is and that makes me responsible to use it.  Poop!  I need to figure out what I should be doing with what I've got.  I've been sloppy and lazy recently.  As I focus on growth over the next year, I've got to kick myself in the butt and get moving.  I am now responsible to do something.  So look out... here I come.


*** What are Spiritual Gifts? ***

*** What are my spiritual gifts? ***

My ministry call and journey

This is a short version of my call to children's ministry, and my process of practicing my call.  I am getting ready to begin the search for a full time children's ministry position in a church.

When I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher.  I even had the opportunity my senior year, to help in one of the elementary classrooms for one class period each day.  I made preparations to go to the best teaching college around.  I had no question about what I wanted to do.

And then... (it never happens like this, but I promise, this is what happened)
One day I was driving down the road taking a jaunt home from church to pick something up before evening service.  I heard God's voice... HEARD it audibly.  I heard, "You need to be a children's pastor".  I thought that was ridiculous.  Ihad never heard of a children's pastor.  What would such a person do?  Where would they work?  How would you prepare for something like that?

I did not tell anyone about my encounter with the divine, at all.  I thought it was just plain silly.  Months later, someone asked what I was going to study at college.  When I told them education, a discerning pastor butted in and said, "but it should be children's ministry."  I was aghast.  I still did not tell anyone about this, I went to college and started studying elementary education. 

I loved college life, but quickly realized that I really did need to figure out how to study for children's ministry.  1 1/2 years after I started college, I moved to a school that had a youth ministry program.  I ended up completing a church ministry degree after 5 years of college (and 4 schools).  It was a wonderful adventure and I learned a lot about myself in this journey.  I went on to seminary and completed my Masters of Divinity, then I began looking for the perfect children's ministry position.

While I was in college I helped in a variety of capacities with children's and youth ministry at the churches I attended.  I had an expectation that I would easily find a church that wanted to hire me as a full time children's pastor.  I interviewed with 4 or 5 churches and got 1 offer.  I sadly determined that I was not the right person for this ministry.

I ended up working at a children's home with young boys who had been abused, many of these boys also abused other children.  While working full time (and a lot of over time), I tried to help with ministry at my local church.  I helped with youth, and then volunteered to lead the children's ministry.  I discovered that working more than full time and volunteering for a position that needed full time attention, did not work for me. 

I dated, got married, had a baby, had a foster son, and then another foster son, and then another baby.. all within a year and a half of our wedding.  My children's ministry was in our home.  I also helped with the church youth group.

Now we have moved, we have no foster children, I stay home with my boys.  I need to be involved with children's ministry.  I volunteer in the church nursery about once a month, but that is not fulfilling my call.  I need to begin looking for a full time ministry position.  I don't know what that will mean for our family.  It might mean that we look at moving again, or that we split days at home with the boys, or have to consider daycare.  We are at the beginning of another phase of our family faith journey.

Thanks for reading.  If you have any knowledge about churches seeking children's ministers, please let me know!

Fallen Angel?

No, just human leader. Yesterday Randy and I attended one of our churches and heard a small part of the story about one of our leaders. He resigned to the church yesterday, and shared that he had engaged in sexual flirting with someone other than his wife. We are sad for him, his family, and the other family that is involved. We are praying that he will be restored to his family and to the church. We will pray for the church in its healing from the wounds that have been and will be caused through this. How easy it would be for any of us to do the same, and how difficult to stand in front of a room full of others and admit it.

I see this man as one of great integrity. More than I realized before yesterday, I really admire him in ways he will never know. I'm sure he does not see himself this way right now. Lord bless this man, his family, the other family, and the church.