Knowing My Master's Voice

There are so many things about the story of Easter morning and the events following that are so completely awesome! Just the way that God chose to orchestrate the whole turn of events speaks to his awesome power. But there is one part of the story that no matter how many times I read it still makes me pause in awe and wonder. In John's account of the resurrection of Christ, he tells of how may was crying outside the empty tomb and Jesus appeared to her.
                       

                                 John 20:11-18 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she

                                 wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in 

                                 white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the 

                                 other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

                                 "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know were

                                  they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus 

                                  standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked

                                  her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

                                  Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried 

                                  him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him."

                                  Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in

                                  Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means "Teacher"). Jesus said, "Do not

                                  hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead

                                  to my brothers and tell them, `I am ascending to my Father and your

                                  Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went to the 

                                  disciples with the news:  "I have see the Lord!" And she told them

                                  that he had said these things to her.

The part of this that always grabs me is when Mary is so upset and distressed and all Jesus has to do is say her name and she immediately realizes its him. She knows her Master's voice, and she knows the sound of her name when spoken by him. And all of a sudden you see everything change. Instead of panic and worry, Mary is clearly relieved and rejoicing. Jesus had to tell her not to cling to him most likely because her first instinct was to jump up and hug him close to her. To celebrate that he came back to life just as he said he would. A moment of despair, grief and confusion changed in an instant when she heard Jesus say her name.

 This reminds me of earlier in the book of John when Jesus is speaking about the good shepherd and how the sheep know his voice and follow him. To hear my God speak my name audibly would rock my world. And it is my hope that the relationship I am building and growing in Him will cause me to know his voice when he speaks to me. Even in the times of deepest despair or trials I want to be like Mary and be stopped and shaken out of my panic by the simple sound of my Lord calling my name. I know that I may never hear Jesus speak to me audibly this side of Heaven, but I do want to recognize my Master's voice when he speaks to me in a still small voice within my heart. 

Continually Growing at The Grove!

Miss Megan

Full Circle

Last week, I met with a college student to discuss the possibility of her joining us this summer to complete her practicum hours. As I was preparing for the meeting I was reminded of my own time spent right here at Liberty doing my own hours, and learning so much more about ministry than what was being taught in the classroom. I am not saying I didn't learn a lot in the classroom, or even that it was sub par. But there is nothing like learning ministry first hand from someone in the trenches. It was through my time spent physically doing ministry instead of studying ministry that I began to come into my own as a leader and a teacher. I was blessed to have Ryan as my Children's Pastor, he wanted me to experience all there was to experience in my time working for him. He knew that there were alot of diverse things that you encounter in this ministry and he wanted me to experience all that I could while under his supervision.

Now as I am the Children's Director and I face having a college student come work under me, I see that this experience has come full circle. Now I am thinking of ways that I can teach this student about ministry, give her experiences that will enrich her learning, and build upon what she has been taught in the classroom. Just as I had a great leader to work under, I want to be that type of leader now.

I believe that God give us these full circle times for 2 reasons. First to allow us to repay or pay forward what was done for us. There was no way that I could repay Ryan for all of the time he spent training me or for the things he allowed me to experience. However I can use the knowledge I was given and pass it on to someone else in the same way.  The second reason I believe God allows us these full circle times is to show us how far we have come. This should not be a time to give glory to ourselves, but to remind us of the path that God has led us on, to show us how we have been brought from one place to another and grown in the process. 

I am so thankful to be in a place of a full circle. I hope that God continues to give me times like these where I can reflect on where I have come from and pass on some of the lessons I have learned along the way.

Thankfully Growing at The Grove!
Miss Megan

A Not So Lonely Island

After quite an exciting discussion with some of my fellow staff members after lunch a few days ago, I've been churning an idea over in my head. We were discussing working together as a team to build up each other's ministries because in the end it benefits their ministry, our ministry, the church as a whole, and the body of Christ. We do not have to go it alone in ministry, or at least we shouldn't have to. And this truth goes beyond the 4 walls of the church as well. I have to say that I feel blessed to be living and serving in this time in history, because we have the internet which provides us with shared ideas and connects us to others in ministry. We do not have to feel like we are alone in our problems or successes because there is someone else out there struggling with the same or similar things, or someone who has found the solution. There are people whose strengths match up with your weaknesses and can help you make the most of your ministry. I am frequently on the I Love Kidmin facebook page, reading what other children's ministry leaders and volunteers are discussing. And when I can I like to chime in on the conversation. It is so awesome to think that I can talk to a fellow children's leader on the other side of the country about something that is going on in both of our churches. There are many people I may never meet in person, but I have had the privilege of building a relationship with through this common calling.

It makes me sad to see ministers feel as if they are all alone. We all struggle with our unique problems that arise in our churches and ministries, but we do not have to go through it alone. I would like to encourage you, if you feel you are alone in ministry, to go online and check out some of the online communities that are growing up.  I will place a link a the bottom of this page, to 2 of the ones that I frequent most often.

Another way to step off your lonely island is to attend conferences. I understand that some childrens ministries operate under strict to non existent budgets. But there are small conferences out there that are little to no cost to you. Its not necessarily about who the big name speakers are, its about connecting to other ministers around you. Some of the best lessons I have learned, and the strongest inspiration has come from conversations I have had with fellow children's ministry workers. If it is possible set aside some money each year so that you can splurge with a big conference every 2-3 years. After attending CPC (Children's Pastor's Conference) I believe it is something that every children's leader needs to experience at least once. The focus is to inspire and refresh the leaders there through worship, teaching, and encouragement. And I can most definitely say that you will not walk away from that conference feeling like you are alone in ministry!

Connecting with the other Children's leaders in your commmunity is a great way to be reminded that we are not lonely islands of ministry. It doesnt have to be anything elaborate or ceremonious. I have been a part of community meetings that take place once a quarter at a local restaurant. We all gather in the back room of the restaurant and talk about whats going on in each of our ministries over lunch. Its simple, and yet I always walked away feeling connected and encouraged. If you want to make it a little more personal, each church involved can host a meeting at their church and after eating can give a tour of their children's area. Lets face it, who doesn't want to peek at what the other churches have going on? There are many ways that you can connect to the other children's ministers in your area and build a strong community that is there to support each other as we go through the journey of ministry.

I hope this has been an encouragement to you, or at least a reminder that we do not have to be lonely islands in ministry!

Graciously Growing at the Grove!

Miss Megan

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ilovekidmin/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/168690393204553/

CM Connect

Will Work for Jello

One of the signs that hangs in my office says, "Will Work for Jello." This came from my best friend Amy but signifies a standing tradition. For the 4 years that I served in Memphis, we had jello as one of our snacks during the week of VBS. No matter what craziness the week of VBS may hold, no matter what challenges I may face, I knew that at some point that week I would be rewarded with jello. And for whatever reason, that brought me joy. I could face the trials that awaited me because I was gonna get jello! You see I love jello. Its one of those things that makes me happy inside and takes me back to childhood. As an adult I can make jello any time I want but its just not the same as when someone else makes it.
There are a lot of times in life where things are crazy and chaotic and you just feel like giving in. Maybe its Vacation Bible School, or starting a new program at your church, taking over new responsibility, or something big going on at home. Life is filled with things that can weigh us down and tempt us with throwing in the towel. But I have some encouragement for you in the form of jello. No I am not going to send jello to anyone who comments and says they are going through a rough or stressful time, though that would be a nice thing to do. Instead I would like to encourage you to break down whatever it is that seems like the unclimbable mountain. Take things one step at a time, one day at a time, one task at a time. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13  that  God will never give us more than we can handle. We have to believe in that promise, and trust that God will see us through. Lets face it, even though I would like to believe it does, jello never held any magical power to make my week of VBS go any better. The truth was that by taking things one day at a time, and honestly at some points one hour at a time, I was able to make it to the end of my goal. Jello was just one of the rewards I gained along the way for making it to the goals I had set. I heard an old saying that in order to eat an elephant you must do it one bite at a time. And the same is true with any large problem. Equipped with the knowledge that God will not give you more than you can handle, and the wisdom to know the steps you need to take, any problem or project can be won.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed and like there is no way I can accomplish the task in front of me, I look up at my sign and remember my motivation.  One step at a time, all the way to the top of the mountain, always remembering to reward myself along the way.

Gracefully Growing at The Grove
Miss Megan