T's Weekly Thought: Problems, Perspective, and God's Love.

Hey Everyone!

Hope you are having a fantastic week!

 

So, this last weekend I lost someone very dear to me. One of my dearest friends lost her precious Mom - who was very dear to many.......

 

As a group of of us sat around at my friends home the night of this enormous loss, we began to discuss how in the midst of hard stuff -great things can happen.  A lot of us have seen that.  I have experienced it in my own life.  Through difficult things come profound lessons.  Life changing lessons.  I think I used to get worked up about a lot of things that now......well......just don't seem all that worth getting worked up over.  Traffic, running out of butter, something in the dirty clothes that I wanted to wear, someone's late, waiter gets my order wrong.....well, all those things just don't seem like that big of a deal.

 

I love the sermon series in Cornerstone right now.  I think that Paul is right -through our problems we gain amazing perspective - and some of life's greatest lessons.

 

The question that came up is......where do those problems come from?

 

One friend, who spoke up, thought for sure that God gives us all those things to teach us a lesson.  I had a hard time with this....

 

So.....let me get this straight.......Tova needed to learn perspective so God shattered her life with broken dreams, illness, suffering, loss???

 

What kind of God is that??  And why would I believe in Him??

 

And then how on earth do we explain the millions of people that encounter difficulties and end up bitter, angry, hurt, resentful, jealous??  Did God give that trial to the wrong person? 

 

Here is what I know.  The Bible in 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. God loves his children.  I think that through difficulties in life - because we live on earth - in an imperfect world, full of imperfect people- comes a choice.  I think that choice is to praise God and grow stronger in spite of it - or make excuses and live a life of despair and hopelessness because of it.  I don't think God gave it to us - but He's absolutely the only one who can see us through it.

 

Wednesday, August 31 is the 8th anniversary of the death of my precious son Charlie.  God - through His amazing love- has seen me through the darkest of nights to show me the brightest of days.  I live to praise His name because I believe that His amazing love is the very thing that has seen me through - and continues to every single passing day.  He didn't give a disease to my son to teach me, or my husband or my family or friends a lesson.  But......praise His holy name we learned one in spite of it.....and here it is.....

 

God is good.  All the time.  And all the time......God is good.

 

He knows you.  He loves you.  And no matter what this life gives you........I promise you his love is big enough to hold you through it.  Use those things to strengthen you - refine you......make you better.......in spite of it.  Never worse off - because of it.

 

I love you.  Always will.

 

T

WOW Starts Tonight

HPUMC youth has had a long tradition of gathering on Wednesday night for worship and fellowship with friends.  As you know, that tradition continues.  Worship on Wednesdays (WOW) is a worship time to grow deeper in your faith for 9^th-12^th graders.  As you have probably seen or heard over the summer we’ve done some slight improvements to WOW.  We’ve added food and LifeGroups.  WOW is already such a great time to gather for worship and a message on Wednesdays, but we know that eating together is such a great time for fellowship and meeting in LifeGroups is such a great way for support.  The first WOW will be tonight Wednesday, August 24^th.  At 7pm food will be served in the Great Hall.  This is an optional free meal that is offered because Wednesdays are crazy, and sometimes it’s just nice to sit and eat with your friends from Youth…and meet new people as well.  Then worship and a message will start at 7:30 in the Youth Room/Basement.  It will be songs, a message, testimonies, and more.  If you’ve been to WOW before or you’ve been on mission trips with HPUMC, it will look and feel like what you’ve experienced there.  After that time of worship, youth will have an opportunity to be involved in a LifeGroup.  This is a small group of people your age and gender that will “do life” together.  And if your LifeGroup can’t meet on Wednesdays after worship, you can meet anytime you want.  So, if you stayed for the whole WOW, you could be involved from about 7-9pm.  If you are in a LifeGroup that meets another time and you don’t want dinner, you can be there from 7:30-8:30pm.  We are so excited and we hope you are too about these new additions to help make WOW even more meaningful.  Please join us in spreading the word about WOW.  Every Wednesday starting August 24^th from 7-9pm in the Great Hall and the Youth Basement.  See you tonight.

T's Weekly Thought: Show Me Your Friends...

Hey Everyone!!

 

I can't tell you how excited I am to kick off another year!  But I have to say.....it's always a little bittersweet.  Last week I had to say goodbye to all the kiddos who have graduated - those little 7th graders that somehow blew through this ministry and are now getting settled in to their dorm rooms in college!  Last week I was invited to a special dinner for one of these great girls in our ministry.  Over dinner people who loved her dearly shared "pearls of wisdom" - small words that could make a big difference in her life.

 

One of the people around the table shared something that I really really liked.  She said - "Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future."

 

I have to say.......I'm way on board with this!  Just loved it.

 

Time and time again I see youth hanging out with kids who they have no business hanging out with.  "Friends" that are anything but.......a friend.

 

I actually looked up the definition of a friend.  Here goes:

 

1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.

2. A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.

3. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.

4. One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement.

 

Interesting. 

 

So according to the definition - A FRIEND - is someone you can trust - so that means they don't talk about you.  They don't tell your secrets.  They stand up for you - and by you - especially when you need them most.  Someone who is there for you.  Likes you. Picks you up when you are down.

 

And according to the old saying - will determine your future. 

 

Of course there are exceptions to every rule.  But here's what I think - you keep the company you keep for a reason........and whether you like or admit it or not - ALL of those relationships are affecting you in one way or another.  Some of those friends are bringing you up - challenging you - leave you better than they found you.  And then there are others that just don't.  They don't lift you up - make you feel good - encourage you - or challenge you in a positive way. 

 

I do believe that our relationships - our FRIENDSHIPS - have a MAJOR impact on who we are - and especially when you are young.....who we BECOME.  I have seen time and time again great kids change - make choices that they swore they would NEVER make - do things they thought they would NEVER do - simply because of the company they are keeping.

 

I do believe that YOUR friends- your relationships DO affect your future. 

 

SO......take a look.  What company are you keeping?  What choices are they making?  Are they REAL friends?   Do they make you better - just because you were with them?  Do they impact your life in a positive way?  If not.....why the heck are you hanging out with them?

 

After all.....those friendships.....could very well be your future........and if so - it might not be what you were hoping for.

 

It's a new year!  Think about those you surround yourself with.....is that who you would like to be? Are they people you would like to become?  If so -awesome!!!  If not......get out.  Life is too short to throw it away to friends that are anything but..........friends........

 

Show me your friends.....and I'll show you your future.

 

I love you. Always will.

 

T

Sr High LifeGroup Retreat

As you all are getting ready for school, buying new pencils, notebooks, and backpacks (or whatever it is you need this year), we've also been going 100 miles an hour around here getting ready for the fall. We've seen lots of you over the summer, but we know there are bunches of you that we've missed and can't wait to see.  So...as you've probably seen, we are kicking off the new school year with a retreat/lock-in here at the HPUMC this weekend.  The retreat will be Friday, August 19th-Saturday, August 20th.  You can arrive from 9:00-10:30pm on Friday and we’ll be done by 4pm on Saturday afternoon.  We know lots of you have Friday football games or scrimmages or maybe have to work Friday evening, so we scheduled the start time a bit later so you all could attend.  You can just come over when you're done.  The cost for the Retreat is just $49.  This is going to be a great time to connect with your friends you may not have seen over the summer, to hang out with the Youth Staff, to get to know LifeGroup leaders, and to just have a great time. 

            Register as soon as possible (like today) to take part in this kick-off.  If you haven’t been to HPUMC Youth stuff in awhile, you’ve never been, or you come all the time, we hope you will come to the LifeGroup retreat and the first WOW to see what things look like around here.  To register for the LifeGroup Retreat, go to http://www.hpumc.org/pages/youth-retreat.  

Live Love

As many of you know there are lots of exciting new opportunities coming with this new school year.  One of them is an opportunity for you (9th-12th graders) to give and serve on Sunday mornings.  We read in scripture that we are called to love God with all we have and love our neighbors.  Starting this school year we are rolling out a weekly opportunity for you to do just that, to Live Love.  God says in the Bible, "I will bless you, so that you will be a blessing."  In Gen. 12:2 God tells Abram "I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."  We, like Abram, receive blessings from God not just to be blessed, rather so we can be a blessing... so we can bless others or "be God's channel of blessing to the rest of humanity."  At first, one could think, "Well why are you blessed in order to be a blessing and I'm not?"  I think one could easily argue that all receive blessings from God, each person's blessing looks different, but each person does have the opportunity to take that blessing and use it to become a blessing to others.  We believe each person has been blessed by God with different talents and abilities and it’s their responsibility to use that blessing to bless others...just like Abram did.  Starting this Sunday August 21st, 9th-12th graders will have the opportunity to serve, to give, to volunteer, to Live Love in lots of different ministries every Sunday.  Some areas in which you could serve in are Confirmation, Junior High Life Group Leader, Children’s Choir, Children’s Ministry, as Greeters and Ushers in the Sanctuary and in Cornerstone, with the Tech Team, and with Special Needs Children.  We know many of you may not have any idea how you want to serve on Sunday's...or maybe you know exactly how you want to help...no matter your situation, we please contact Phil Dieke at DiekeP@hpumc.org to find out more about how you can Live Love each and every Sunday as a part of your worship experience.

T's Weekly Thought: Live It!

Hey Everyone!
So this week has been full of so many highs and so many lows!  One of the great highs was celebrating our kids being here from Ghana for one year!  What a year it's been.  I think with all the talk of the anniversary - a lot of memories surfaced about their "old" life.  Their past......and the way it used to be.

Without going in to a lot of detail here - let's just say that their lives in the orphanage......well, were just not good, happy, safe, or fun.  And they have experienced things that I just wouldn't wish on anyone.  Especially precious children.

As we talked through some of those memories this week - it was tough.

And even more tough to know what to say - how to "make it all better" - the way that moms are supposed to do.

How do you put bandaids on the past?  Make it go away?

I'm quite sure that not a single person receiving this email was adopted from an orphanage in Ghana.  BUT......I do know that every single one of us has a past.  And that each one of our pasts for is littered with "stuff" that we wish didn't happen.  Whether it's something we have done - or something that has been done to us - the past is full of "no take backs" or "do overs" - it's just......well......past.  Done.

So how do we move forward?  How do we move on?  How do we use our past to TEACH us - but not DEFINE us?

There's a very big difference.

I was talking with my sweet wise dad today about all of this and he shared a great quote with me.  Here goes:

"The past is gone.  Learn from it.

The future is yet to come, prepare for it.

The present is here now.  Live it."

What a great quote!

Our precious Savior did not die on a cross for us to wallow away in the sins and regret and hurt that EACH ONE OF US have experienced - by things.....in our past.  He came to give us Hope.  Hope in every new beautiful day.  Every precious moment.

All of us (well, except me) are about to start a new school year -some of you are leaving for college and starting a new life in a new place.

Wherever you are in your life.........LIVE IT. Consider who you are.  Who God created you to be.  What you want to become - and gosh darn it - stop making excuses for why it can't happen because of this or that or him or her - or what is in the past! - LIVE IT.

How many excuses did Jesus have for NOT dying on a cross?  Well, for starters He was God........in the form of man.  And that's just for starters.  He made no excuses.  He just did what he knew he was sent to do.

Why don't you?

Stop making excuses.  Stop using your past - either what you have done or what's been done to you as some excuse for why you can't LIVE today.

Today is a precious gift.

Live it.

I love you.  Always will.

T

T's Weekly Thought: God's Love is Enough

It's funny - someone asked me the other day how I come up with my weekly thoughts - I responded.....they are just that.....a thought of mine that just happens to stand out in my week.  Sometimes I think these thoughts are 100% mine.  Other times I feel like someones trying to tell me something.....like a theme that just keeps coming up over and over - so maybe it's not only for me - but for all of us.

 

That's what happened this week.

 

I heard it in Pauls sermon from Cornerstone a couple of weeks ago.....and then I am reading this book called Biblical Parenting with the same thought - and then thought it today as - through tears - I said goodbye to some of our youth who are leaving for college......

 

So here goes - here's the thought.......God's love is enough.

 

The idea is that - no matter what - God's love really is enough.

 

This book I am reading talked about how important it is to love your kids - duh.  BUT - it's even MORE important to tell them about God's love.  I mean......parents aren't perfect.  We are human - full of sin.  So are youth ministers, senior ministers, best friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, coaches, teachers - and so on and so on and so on.  SO.......if and/or when those people let you down, disappoint, fail.....the GOOD NEWS is......

 

God's love is enough.

 

It's funny how much we rely on people beyond our God for our value.  Our worth.  Approval.

 

What happens when those people let us down?  Move?  Pass away........

 

It's still okay - because we have a great understanding of our worth - our value - our place.  Because all of those things are defined by our Creator.  Not a "insufficent", imperfect human.

 

When I was young I can't tell you how much I put my dad on a pedastal.  Man - I worshipped that guy.  He could do no wrong.  Make no mistakes......

 

So when he did......wow, that was tough.

 

My poor dad is just like me.  Human.  And so he has temptations, failures, fears - and he disappoints. 

 

I wish growing up I had a great understanding of my value, worth and place as God's child.  A God who never lets me down.  Never disappoints.  Is always there.  I would have looked more to God for answers instead of others......who sometimes just couldn't be there the way I needed them to.

 

So.....where does your value come?  Who are you looking to for approval?  Who do you "worship"?   

 

For all of us - the answer should be simple.  It should be our God. 

 

Because you know what........

 

God's love is enough - especially when other people's isn't.

 

I love you.  Always will.

 

T

T's Weekly Thought: Real Problems

Hey guys!

So.......I'm getting old, so believe me when I say I know I am super behind in the "hip websites" department.  In Costa Rica Andrew told me about a website where people post "rich people problems". I haven't visited it, but I giggled hearing some of the things the kids said were posted there.

I couldn't help but want to post something myself on my recent trip home from costa rica.  As I sat there on the plane....reflecting on all the sweet memories I would take with me....the youth, the poverty, the experience, the love......I had to block out a 20 something sitting next to me who did nothing but complain about how sick he was of hiking the rainforest, eating beans and rice, staying in hotels for 6 weeks, etc.  He had obviously been traveling with friends in costa rica for some time.  I couldn't help but think......rich person problem.  

Was he seriously complaining about a hotel bed?  Food on his table?  Hiking in Gods beautiful creations?

It was hard for me to keep my mouth closed.  But alas, I just put my headphones on.

I guess the most embarrassing part is there are a lot of days I sound like this guy.  I find myself complaining about things that most people in this world will never even experience.  I completely lose perspective.  Fail to remember that this really is.......a rich person problem.  And I don't even care who you are reading this......if you have a computer or phone to read this on.....you fall into the same category as me.  Someone who has more "rich person problems"..........than real ones.

We are blessed....and most of our problems are as bad as we make them out to be.   Most of our "problems" really aren't problems at all.  It's just us....losing sight of what's really important and how lucky we really are.

So....think about it.  And watch yourself.  Watch your words, your perspective, your problems..........

You might see, that you really don't have any problems at all.......

I love you.  Always will.

T