First week down.

So unless I suddenly implode during the next hour or two I will have managed to complete my first full week as the new intern.

There has been a lot going on around here. Some of it a little awkward, some of it just busy work in the hopes of getting settled, and a whole lot of glimpses of the good things that I can see coming into my future in ministry.

I had a meeting today with another youth pastor in town. I wanted to know what kinds of things are going on in his church and what has worked or not worked in his time within his church. They have a tremendous ministry, the group he leads is quite large and compared to the physical size of my group is HUGE! As the meeting went on I found myself learning a ton. This man is and will be a valuable resource. God has truly blessed what they have been doing. As excited as I was about the things he was saying however I felt a strange urge to scream/cry and run out of the building. How often we as humans are sucked into the idea that someone else is way beyond you. That you will never stack up. That what you thought was great a half hour before is now a stupid idea and you could never pull it off anyways so throw in the towel. I remember a story I heard quite a while ago about a poor family in the church that I was attending who visited a wealthy family in the same congregation. At entering the building how easy it would have been for this family to say, "why not me, how come they get the good stuff, man am I a failure." But rather, they decided to take a healthy approach and what they ended up saying was "Praise God, it's it cool how blessed you have become, isn't it great how God provides."

I am now faced with a challenge. Do I give up on what I am doing or do I praise the God who has made it all possible. I am doing my very best right now to lead with the latter. I was told that almost 30 kids in his group have made a commitment to living for Christ in the last year. How dare I diminish that by getting upset because I don't have the kind of numbers of attending teens, a facility, or the budget that this church has.

At some point everyone will face this same type of scenario in one form or another. I would challenge you today, before this creeps up again (and it will come up again), to ask yourself some questions before you form a response.
1. Does God have a plan for me?

2. Do I value what God's plan is for me?

3. If where you are is what God has for you, are you willing to accept that role?

4. Do I know the real reason I am envious of this someone/something else?
What is on the surface is usually not what is causing the real issue.

5. Do you place value on yourself?

6. Do you think God really loves you?

7. Are you someone special?

If you are confident in your standing with Jesus then the answer should be yes to all of the above. If you are unsure for any reason where you stand...doubt will cripple you. If I let the attitude fester inside me I know that what I learned today would be lost. Be humble, and know that God is who He says He is. Ask for him to share with you what you are meant to do with the hand you have been dealt. Then understand that value, true value, comes not from what we do but from what God has made you to be and what He is doing within you as His child.

Now to get ready for week two. :)

God bless,
Nate.