Bells and Prayers

C.H. Spurgeon once said, "Prayer pulls the rope down below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give only an occasional jerk at the rope. But he who communicates with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all his might."

So if you have been near me as of late...you have probably heard me quote this to you! I know that I sometimes overdue things. I am a pretty passionate person. But...this quote is life changing if grasped. Its true that in our daily lives, there are periods of time when we scarcely pray. We are the ones who walk by the bell daily but forget to pull the rope. We may think....gee....I wish God would work in my life like he did a year ago. We forget to pursue, forget to pray, forget to connect with God. In the midst of our daily lives, we offer an occasional, often apathetic prayer, or a prayer over our food...a meaningless tradition.

Other times, crisis times arise and we grab the rope in desperation....asking God to work. Yet, as the hard time roll by, we again forget to pray. We get caught up again...in our lives. Only when we really need something from God do we pray.

However, who are the men and women who will begin to pray with such passion, determination, and dedication to the cause of God that the bells in heaven begin to ring with such fervency that God cannot help but begin to move with revival in this generation. Sometimes I find myself falling in the apathetic prayer or crisis prayer rut....and I complain about things...complain about the church...complain about how people don't love God as much...etc. However, what if I began to pray for the church...and a move of God in it. What if I began to pray for students like their lives depended on it. What if I began to pray for my friends....that God would light a fire in their souls. Is it not true that George Muller lived his entire life dependent on prayer. Do I live my life dependent on prayer. DO YOU? What if we began to live our lives dependent on prayer....? I bet we would begin to see revival in our churches. I bet we would begin to see creativity stir in ministry. I am sure we would begin to see miracles happen again. I am sure of it....when we begin to pray....GOD MOVES!

Aren't you sick of it....wanting more of God...but never doing anything about it. Guys...and gals....lets go hard after God. Lets run after him. Lets ring that bell until God begins to move in new creative ways we have never seen before!

Frustrating conversations

SO tonight I had this conversation. I said a lot of things that came from the heart. The other person I was talking to towards the end of this conversation said that everything was surface! SURFACE....it was so frustrating. Have you ever been in a conversation when you have said so much....BUT not what you really were wanting to say. That was tonight for me. I feel the agonizing pain now inside of know that I did not say what needed to be said tonight and wondering when I will finally muster the courage to say what I need to....ugh sometimes its hard to be honest!

Spoons and Duct Tape!

Who would think that a little duck tape and spoons could bring so much fun in youth ministry! WOW...what a night last night! We had this incredible bonding moment as a group when we played the shower cap duck tape spoon game! I have never had so much fun watching my students and leaders rolling on the floor trying to get spoons stuck to their heads! It was one of those great moments when you are like, This is why I'm a youth pastor! :)

Ugh....

Ugh...today is one of those days where I feel like I'm losing control! I feel like I am losing more than just money out of my wallet to more and more bills...but I feel like I'm losing one of my best friendships. This hurts...because it seems that every day that passes the less communication that happens, the one less phone call, the one less shared story. And I know...I should just blame it on busyness, but I know there is more to it than that. When I finally do try to extend myself to fix what is being torn apart phone calls go unaswered and texts seem to fall into the ozone and never returned. I hate this feeling...I hate that the one person who means the world to me has become so distant. I hate that we don't laugh on the phone for hours anymore. I hate the fact we don't hang out. I hate the fact that when we do talk it seems to be another argument. ugh...I hate what is happening today and I just don't know what to do!

Element Launch Service

On Wednesday night it began! I could not believe it was really happening. Four months of work finally coming together to create this youth ministry, Element Student Ministries. Now....let me tell you, what a week. On Monday I started to feel so sick, not the normal sick, but beyond aweful sick. On Tuesday, I went to the doctor and found out I had pneumonia. On Wednesday I have Elements launch service. Now as a youth pastor at a church plant, you just don't miss your launch service. Wednesday was exhausting. I kept losing my energy and prayed the whole time. I must admit that I thought that I was not going to make it. I must admit my faith was low...and I was tired.

Let me tell you how awesome the night was. I didn't know if any students would show up. We had 5 students show up. These students don't come to church. They are students that we have connected with by eating lunch at the middle school every week! I was so excited as Element began. By the end of the night I was curled up in the church nursery crying from exhuastion, but crying tears of joy because God had began something awesome tonight. I just know its gonna grow. I know Gods heart breaks for the lost students of Willard. I am excited to sacrifice to be a part of this ministry. Its gonna be worth it. Its gonna be worth it!

Now....pray I get better! I am still very weak and my lungs hurt! :(

Hiking Adventures with Josh and Denise!

Disclaimer: Soo...I thought I would finally post a fun post with pictures! I've been super busy and must admit I've not been the best blogger! :)

Sooo....I love hiking! Recently my I have found friends who are beginning to love hiking as well. Which let me tell you, these people are hard to come by in Missori! Anyways, the other day I took two of my friends with me. The girl...it was her first time! The other guy has already hiked a mountain...so it wasn't as exciting. But it was a lot of fun EXCEPT FOR ONE FACT: Missouri hiking is so different. (Spiders as big as gorillas and snakes tormented us!) My friend josh walked ahead swirling a stick in order to avoid cob webs with creapy spiders everywhere!

It was super fun! Above are some pics from the adventure! :)

NERVES

nerves....that is all I feel right now! I need this job....Lord provide! Please....deliver me from Crystal Suites! AMEN!