Friday, May 29, 2009

learning to juggle

so i realized today why i am more nervous about the next 2 weeks of the summer than i am for the 8 weeks we'll have with actual youth participants on site. i have a rather lengthy list of to-do's that need to be checked off over our 2 weeks of preparation...and it's up to me to build structure around that, to establish routines & patterns. once we have everything ready to go, i'll run like a well-oiled machine. but it's that state of stasis that is my adversary. there are a lot of balls to juggle, a lot of small details to set into place. so i'm learning to juggle at the same time that i'm leading others in the juggling act.

God has given me a lot of confidence this week, though. when i wrote my last post, i was riding a roller coaster of emotions. but over the last 3 days, i've asked God to help me focus on one day at a time--to live fully & full of fire each day. Jesus tells us that we shouldn't worry about tomorrow, because today has enough troubles of it's own. and i've been thinking about and working on living in the present for the last couple of months. and that type of focus has really filled me with great energy & purpose, without letting me get overwhelmed. but it's also been a delicate balance, because this whole week has been about thinking ahead, preparing, mapping out 10 weeks of upcoming summer programming. but i know that even more so in the next 2 weeks will i need to close my eyes on the day without having the mental rolodex whizzing. God will give me work to do one day at a time, and it will get done one day at a time without me needing to stress & worry over day 10 on day 2.

okay, taking a break from the deep thoughts for a moment--i've gotten a lot of cool stuff in the past few days! i just received 5 YouthWorks t-shirts to wear for the summer (we'll get 4 more on site!), a YW ballcap, a necklace, a water bottle, a cell phone, a credit card, and countless binders of training manuals and site information. plus my team has 2 sweet rides for the summer--a '99 minivan and a '09 Chevy Cobalt rental. yes, be jealous :) but we've also got to drive those bad boys from Alabama to the coast of NC over the course of the next 2 days, so be happy that you don't have to do that.

(PS--YouthWorks partners with a really awesome ministry to supply t-shirts to staff & to sell to youth participants. It's called Youth Enterprise and the ministry gives high schoolers in Minneapolis a chance to learn business skills while working on screen printing tshirts. They have also boosted graduation rates by huge percentages & offer tutoring as a part of the students' work days. The students are also discipled. Go to www.getyourshirton.com)

We roll out tomorrow at 7:20 am (I've already gotten better at functioning on low levels of sleep!) and drive to Fayetteville, NC. Then on Sunday morning we have another 4 hours or so until we reach Hyde County. Please join me in prayer for safe travels, and for our initial transition into the community.

I would also ask for prayer on continued team bonding & trust, my leadership during these 2 weeks of prep, and for all of us to carry our weight & work efficiently during this time.

Here's a few verses from Colossians that I'd like to share--this passage has really been focusing my heart for this ministry I'm preparing to enter with my team:

Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtures, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:12-17

3 comments:

Kristen G said...

Nine t-shirts?! Dude, that's a wardrobe! :-)

Unknown said...

I'll keep you in prayer. I can't wait to hear about how everything goes this summer!! Love you!

BTW- my word verification for this post is "chroist"...which is almost like "Christ". Coinsidence? 'Doubt it.

Sherri Jane said...

Thanks for your thoughts about living day by day! God has been reminding me of that lately too and how refreshing that is :)