The fun parts

Sometimes ministry is work and sometimes it is fun.  Let me share with you some of the fun parts.

#1.  I got to pray with a little girl as she asked Jesus to forgive her, and change her life.  It made all of the effort that went into VBS well worth it.  Seeing the joy on her face was amazing!  I was SO tired and drained from all the work that went into all of it, and those feeling just evaporated, when something of eternal significance happened.  You can read more about it on the Blog I run for our youth group cbcbrewerteens.blogspot.com.

#2. Networking with other Orange Thinkers.  On Thursday I got a call from Sarah, a mother of 3 and the Children's ministries worker at another church in our area.  She wanted to come see our VBS, because she'd heard that we were doing things a bit differently this year.  Friday night she made it to VBS, and we got to chat for a few minutes. I spend so much time talking Orange to people who don't see the need to combine the influences of church and family, that it was refreshing to spend some time talking to someone who was excited about it, and looking hopefully toward what God was going to do at her church.

#3. Serving with my wife!  Shandy lead the Parents group at our VBS this past week, and it was great to spend time with her finding out what had happened and how people were responding to the ideas she presented.  Since Bi-polar became a part of our lives, she hasn't been able to be "in the trenches" with me as much, and I had forgotten just how awesome it is to have a partner that you trust completely, taking care of vital parts of the ministry.

#4. Hanging out with teenagers.  I had a lot of fun with my skit crew this summer.  I have spent so much time recently with the new believers in our youth group, that I felt like I was neglecting some of the teens that used to get much of my time.  Last night after VBS wrapped up, we had a cast party.  We rode go-karts and played mini-golf and laughed.  We cranked up the radio in the church van and sang at the top of our lungs, and spent time as friends.  It was very good.  (only sad part was that David wasn't able to join us)

#5. Family Day.  This may not sound like part of ministry, but believe me, the cycles that God planned for us are a vital part of ministry!  A day of rest with my wife and kids, is just what was needed after the long busy season of summer ministry.  We went yard sale shopping, bought lots of lemonade from young entrepreneurs and took a drive.