What a Great Season!

I have the privilege of coaching soccer at a local high school. I say privilege because it has been one of the highlights of my 6 1/2 years in Cincinnati. Of course, there are days when it can be a burden, but those days are far outweighed by the pure blessing that these girls have been to me. I am the head coach of the junior varsity team and one of the assistant coaches of the varsity team. I love coaching jv for one simple reason. I get the freshman! I think going from 8th to 9th grade is one of the hardest transitions for a student and I love that I get to spend time with this group of excited, fearful, nervous, passionate kids. It is fun for me to be able to establish a trusting relationship straight away so that they have a solid support system as they navigate the halls of the high school for the first time.

Of course my competitive side sometimes struggles with coaching jv, but I am learning (ever so slowly) that winning isn't everything and that the big win is their development...both as a soccer player and as a young woman. :)

But what is even more fun for me is to see how those relationships play out over the years. This has been evident in some of the conversations I've had lately with players I coached 5-6 years ago. And what is even cooler is how those relationships have fostered some amazing conversations about faith. I am amazed at how many times players have come to me and wanted to talk about their faith journeys. I have to be careful because of the laws that separate church and state, but I was so excited last year when a group of our players (jv and varsity) wanted me to start a Bible study with our team. Of course, not everyone attends this study, but it is still going strong over a year later. And as I think on the college students I still keep in touch with who have gone through our program I marvel at how God works to build His kingdom.

I guess I'm just super encouraged as I think about how God uses us to accomplish His purposes. Obviously God's purpose is for us to know Him and make Him known. But within that purpose He uses all kinds of crazy, messed up, people (like me...and you) to carry His story to those who need to hear it. And He uses the silliest avenues (like the game of soccer) to do it. What a privilege to be a part of His story, and to have some fun while making an impact on this world.

So my encouragement is this...just do it. A silly slogan from Nike, but truth when it comes to using the talents God has given you for His kingdom. You will be amazed at what God does with the little we bring Him. And you will never regret putting your talents and gifts on the line for God. It is well worth the sacrifice when you see lives changing and relationships building.

Resistance

Working in ministry with teenagers for 10 years, I've encountered a lot of resistance to the Gospel. Teenagers are naturally resistant to anything that looks like a boundary. To many of them, Christianity and even Jesus screams boundaries, so they start out pretty resistant to even talking about it. In addition to them having a negative understanding of what faith is all about, they are also a bit fearful of the unknown. They want truth, but they aren't sure what truth really looks like in many cases, and so they are skeptical. I can understand. They are growing up in a world that denies absolute truth. They are growing up in a world that tells them whatever they believe is fine, as long as they are sincere. If someone starts talking about one truth, they get skeptical about it and wonder if they can really trust what you are saying. But, I've found if you approach someone who is resistant with an open, loving heart and are willing to really listen to their point of view and not immediately shoot their ideas down, they are much more willing to have a conversation with you about it.
This was reinforced in my world this morning. I was having coffee with a college student who I coached a few years ago. We have stayed in touch as she has gone off and begun a new chapter in her life. Never very interested in the faith side of the journey, we've always had great conversations about the more practical things of life. I've always encouraged her to seek out truth, but I've never pushed it on her because the Spirit in me just kept telling me she wasn't ready. This morning was different. She had a pretty tough year last year and I could tell she was searching for a grounding point in her life. So I began just asking her questions about her faith journey. Immediately I got resistance. "The Bible is full of crap." "I just can't believe all that stuff." "It was written by a bunch of men and then a bunch of other men decided what went in it and what didn't so they could make the story what they wanted it to be." On and on the discussion went. I just listened and asked questions. I'll spare you all the details but after an hour conversation, her heart had softened to the idea of seeking truth for truth's sake. She had even let me in to hear the most difficult parts of her life and how faith in "a God", as she put it, was something she really might want to pursue...but she assured me it wouldn't be Christianity that she would pursue. In the end, I encouraged her not to toss the Bible out. (She told me she didn't even have one to toss anywhere...ha!) I encouraged her to read it critically and if she couldn't come to terms with the inerrant nature of it right now, that's ok...just read it and ask tons of questions. She walked away this morning with a Bible in her hand and a plan to read a gospel. Wow. Awesome! (and not only that, she confessed to going to the library and checking out Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis)
This interaction has stuck with me all day for two reasons. One is the reality that God continues to pursue us and chase us and want us. I see that in her life right now. God is pursuing her. He's allowing her to go through a bit of a desert time so that she will reach out. I know that if she seeks she will find.
The second is that no interaction is a wasted interaction. We have the opportunity every day to influence people...and we can influence them with the love of God or the love of self...but we will influence. I think about how easy it would have been not to dive into the issues and have a nice, surface level conversation with this friend today. And I'm so glad that the Spirit pointed me below the surface because the conversation blessed me in a way I can't even describe. I firmly believe that when we are willing to be the hands and feet of Christ, we are more blessed than we could ever be anywhere else.
Just something to chew on for a while...

The God who moves, works and heals

2010 has been kind of insane. I know I have not been writing much, but this is primarily because I didn't have much to say...until recently. Now I'm not even sure how to say all that I want to say.
I will start by just saying that this spring was difficult. It was more than difficult. I was feeling what many youth pastors and volunteers who work with high school students feel often, and that is just an overwhelming sense of apathy from students. It's the kind of apathy that makes you want to quit your job and work at Starbucks, because at least people get passionate about their coffee. I have a ton of theories as to why our students can be so apathetic about their faith, but that is not what this post is about.
This post is about when God brings us out of a very dry and miserable desert time into a time where He shows us His goodness and glory in a way that we cannot deny. And maybe what I've learned from what I'm about to share with you is that we have to experience the desert to appreciate the rain. And that God is always faithful, even in the midst of a difficult season.
So here goes. It all started with a conversation. My intern, Zac, and I were just sitting around talking one day...actually, if I'm honest, I was venting. I was just at the point where I was frustrated with the way we do church. I was frustrated that it seemed like our kids were more interested in being entertained than having an experience with God. I was frustrated that I felt like I poured out my heart every week to these students and for the most part it felt like I was trying to convince them to love God. I knew that there was more of me than God in any of that, and it was just time to be different. So we prayed. And then an idea came up. I thought, what if we just didn't set anything up on Sunday? What if we all just sat on the floor and asked some really hard questions about what our students were looking for in church and God? What if we opened the Bible and took a good, hard look at the early church and the way they sought after truth? What if we were honest with them about where we were and where we felt they were with this whole deal?
At first we got really excited about this idea...and then nervous. I mean, what if it doesn't work? What if they tell us they just want to be entertained? What if they really aren't interested in growing and being challenged? What then?
Well, to make a long story short, none of those fears were warranted. What God had been stirring in me He had also been stirring in a group of our students. They were receptive and excited about starting a deeper conversation. In fact, they decided that this was how they wanted to do church for a while...to take away the "show" and just have conversations that matter about truth that has the potential to change their lives.
Fast forward one week and we were off to Mexico with 16 of our students. I never could have prayed for what God did in their hearts during this week of service and fun. Our students took a hard look at what center they had been living their lives out of and decided that it needed to change. They came home fired up about what God is doing in their lives, in the world, and what He wants to do in our church. Since then it has been just an outpouring of God's Spirit on our group. Students are digging in deep to Scripture. They are praying for each other and supporting each other in this quest. They are willing to have conversations that are in no way comfortable, but for sure are life changing. I am watching them lean in to hear from God about direction for their lives. It is an exciting time.
I think back to the middle of the spring...the time when I was thinking about becoming a barista at Starbucks...and I am so thankful for a God who gives us strength even when we are in a desert. And I'm thankful that His grace is sufficient...always. I am excited to be able to share with you how this plays out. I can tell you what I hope and pray for...I hope and pray that our students, surrendered to God, will change the world. I know that is a big thing to pray for...but I am learning that with our God all things ARE possible. So, I will pray bigger prayers, trust more and be willing to be used in whatever capacity God wants to use me in. Because ultimately, He is the one who calls the shots...and it's all in His good timing.