The Importance of Being [Honest]

Senior Night 2011 at the Dwelling Place has come and gone. I wondered if I would be sad...after all, its the last Senior Night with Tim as the youth minister...well, actually, he's not even the youth minister anymore, but he's been doing the Dwelling Place this year while we wait for God's new person for the job (can I get a Yahoo for Crews!!??!!).

Anyway, of course I cried because we mother-types tend to always cry at events such as these, but it was not a "sad because our lives have changed" cry. It was the same cry I've cried at every other Senior Night in the last 10 years. It was a "happy/sad/love what God's doing in all of our lives" type of cry. I remember in college that my sweet friend Monica told me that God prepares us for each season of our lives and when we get to it we will be prepared for whatever it is. This is so true. Five years ago if someone had told me that our last Dwelling Place (in that capacity) would be coming in five years, I would've been a blubbering mess. However, now that the season has changed, I'm not a blubbering mess (or at least not any more than any other mother-type in the room that night), but instead I'm a child of the King with a heart that's been prepared for His plan.

Well, enough about that...let's move on to what I intended to write about.

So, I think wonderful and fabulous things happen when we are honest. I saw teenagers and adults speak honestly on Wednesday night, and we all left being a bit more like Jesus than we were before....

...when Miriam reminded us of the pain she has seen, we were able to see in living form God's restoring of the broken-hearted. As Tim said afterwards, "our worlds all became a little bigger by being reminded of Miriam's story".

...when Bradyn told us his story, his testimony, concrete ways he is different now because of Jesus, we were reminded that Jesus CHANGES our lives, makes us new, gives us life to the full.

...when Josef spoke honestly about the way he feels about the members of his family, we were reminded that many of us have heroes right in our own house.

...when Ann spoke honestly to Julie, we remembered that all of us have such extreme worth and value in the eyes of our Savior.

...when Andrea shared that she found God during her time here with us, we were reminded that the way we love people matters...that God can be found in us...that the God of our hearts will be going back to Germany inside of Andrea in July.

...when Charlotte spoke about the friendships she found here, we all remembered that this is a special place filled with special people loving an incredible God together.

...when Thomas told Landen that he models himself after him, we were reminded that people are always watching, whether we know it or not, and others know more of Jesus by the way that we love.

When we take the time to speak the feelings of our hearts, we become more like Jesus, we know more of his love, we understand and love each other more.

I love nights like this.

A new chapter...

Our family is getting ready to turn the page to a new chapter of life. For nine years, Tim has been the youth minister at FCC in Marshall. This has been our lives. Our boys have continually had this group of older siblings who have loved them and taught them (some good stuff and some not so good stuff) and played with them and invested in them. Tim and I have been surrounded by jr and sr high students who have loved us, challenged us, grown with us, worshipped with us, and laughed with us.

Starting September 27th, Tim will become a chaplain at the federal prison. In other words, he will no longer be the youth minister and we will no longer be the youth minister's wife and kids. Although Tim will not be worshipping there on Sunday mornings, our family will still remain a part of FCC.

My heart is full...it is a mixture of excitement and sorrow, hope and dread...a mixed bag of happy and sad.

I am feeling thankful today that the One who calls us is faithful. He has gone before us...He knows our every thought. I have seen His goodness, and I trust Him.

The Body of Christ, oh, it is beautiful...

We just finished the Dwelling Place (our jr/sr high ministry at church), and I rushed to Tim's computer so that I wouldn't forget a moment of what just happened...

Tim spoke about grace, about Jesus' perspective on people stuck in pig slop, about the fact that we really should still be stuck in the pig slop if it weren't for his fantastic grace. After he spoke, we sang a couple of songs about the cross. What happened next is what struck me...

Tim put his guitar in its stand, stepped off the little stage, and picked up some communion trays. He said, "We're going to have communion, but I'd like you to all sit down on the floor and pass the trays to each other. As you pass the bread, I'd like for you to say, 'the body of Christ, broken for you' and as you pass the juice, 'the blood of Christ, shed for you'. [That's not something we typically do in our church, so that's a new thing for most of us.] Once you've had communion, go ahead and stand up and join me in singing some more songs that deal with the cross."

Before Tim can even pass the bread to the first person, we hear, from a 7th grade boy (I'm not going to use their names to protect the innocent, or guilty, whichever the case may be.), "Is that real wine or grape juice?" "Shut up," says his friend, "this is supposed to be a moment!" These boys are not whispering, either. Then, as Tim is just about to start the passing, the 7th grade girl who is first, says, "Can I go spit out my gum?" Tim replies, "sure, anyone else? Anyone else need to go spit out their gum?" and 5 or 6 people head over to the trash can. Tim says, "Hmmm...I didn't exactly plan for that when I was preparing for this." Okay, finally Tim passes the trays to the first girl. He says, "the body of Christ broken for you, the blood of Christ shed for you," and she takes the trays...

...She passes the trays on somewhat awkwardly, not knowing whether to hold the tray while the next girl drinks her juice or just pass it on and let her deal with having her hands full and trying to drink from a little shot glass-sized cup....

...The next girl, also a 7th grader, forgets what to say and starts giggling. All of her friends, somewhat loudly, remind her what she's supposed to say...

...At this point, Tim has started playing his guitar and singing, "My chains are gone, I've been set free..."

...A 7th grade boy in gym shorts walks on his knees over to a 9th grader who recently got some press for playing varsity b-ball and, in his still somewhat squeaky voice, says, "the body of Christ broken for you, the blood of Christ shed for you"...

...the 9th grader and his friend snicker when one of them almost drops the tray...

...a seventh grade girl, with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands in the air, belts out, "My chains are gone, I've been set free, My God my Savior has ransomed me"...

...a whole string of 8th grade boys who I would describe as being in the in-crowd pass the trays along and the last one passes it on to the boy sitting beside him, who is perhaps not always "in", saying, "the body of Christ broken for you, the blood of Christ shed for you"...

...a thirty-something youth sponsor lifts her hands and sings with all of her might, "Why should I gain from His reward? I can not give an answer, but this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom," and I know from our conversations that this could not be truer...

...I sit at the computer, trying to keep pushing the buttons to make the words display on the screen, while feeling overwhelmed and awed. This could not be a more vivid picture of the body of Christ. I'm sure of it. I am certain that Jesus was here and that he loved it! We remembered His body and His blood tonight and, at the same time, we WERE His body tonight. That's what He wanted us to do. I'm glad I was here in this holy place tonight, smelling of gym shoes and 7th grade girls' body mist. I know Jesus a little better than I did before I came.

Isn't she a beauty?

**updated:  recipe at the bottom**

One of the perks of lovin' on jr and sr high students with us is that you get to enjoy this succulent (that seems like it should be a bad word...is it??) pasta salad at our house tonight.  We do what we can, you know.

She (she just looks like a girl to me!) was so gorgeous, I just had to snap a picture.

Gorgeous Pasta Salad

One box bow tie pasta, cooked, drained, and

        rinsed with cold water

5 or 6 roma tomatoes, sliced

2 cans whole black olives, drained and rinsed

1-2 stalks of broccoli, chopped

1 bottle of Italian dressing

 

Mix it all together in your big Tupperware batter

bowl, then transfer it to a pretty bowl to

complete the look.

Oh, wow. It feels good to be home. Simon is asleep...the big boys are watching a movie and hopefully drifting off...Tim fell asleep on the loveseat...and I am loving the quiet of the house.

We've been at The Institute this week--a summer program we do at our church for students who would like to go deeper. We had eleven kids this year, and we discussed the book Adventures in Missing the Point by Brian Mclaren and Tony Campolo. We had some fantastic discussions--don't ever let anyone tell you that teenagers can't think deeply. It is an honor to be involved in their lives.

Tomorrow, we will rest up, do the laundry, buy some groceries, wash some sheets, air up the air mattresses, and make a peach pie cause, as Grammie says, "Company's coming up the road." Tim's Grandma (GG, as we call her), uncle, aunt, cousin, husband of cousin, and baby of cousin are all coming in this week. I'm predicting we will eat and laugh a lot.