what MIGHT BE?

PRUNING-PURGING-BREAKING UP: The beginning of fall… as I look back at coming off summer assignment, there was an overwhelming sense of what’s next. We went full swing into leadership weekend, which was a sweet time to love on and cast vision to our leaders. In the midst of changing it up a bit, “breaking up the fallow ground” (from Hosea), I believe that for a moment I was hesitant. I wasn’t sure what that process would look like. I was discouraged at some leaders who stepped off our team. If I was truly honest, I would say that I felt attacked and questioning how this was a reflection of my leadership. Andy and I walked through this and I was allowed to see the beauty in the “breaking up fallow ground” and let go of this urge to fix it or question what went wrong…but truly experience God’s hand in this purging. I thought about the vine and branches in John 15 and how the vinedresser prunes the branches that aren’t bearing fruit. I will say that I have moved past this discouraging feeling as God has again returned being faithful as always. And am looking forward to what might be, rather than what went wrong.

A TIMID LEADER-FRUIT ABOUNDS:

So LHS has a team of 3, including myself. Suzanne doesn’t’ have Young Life experience and last semester really just stood back and observed. Due to our decrease in leaders on our team, Suzanne was a little nervous to what ministry would look like for our team. At our first team meeting I shared out of the first chapter of Acts. A small band of disciples, waiting out of a sense of abandonment from their Master, and then came a charge. “You will go into all of Samaria, Judea and the ends of the earth.” What a challenge! I wondered what that must of felt like. I remember hearing Suzanne say, “The whole world…and we are just having to conquer a small little high school with 800 kids.” At our first “club” event: Glow in the Dark Dodge ball, it was just Suzanne and I because DC had to go to a funeral. It was such an awesome night. 29 kids. Glow paint. Glow sticks! Afterwards, we go to Sonic to hang out. Suzanne and I were standing talking and a parent of two freshmen girls came to pick them up. Immediately, as the girls walked away to leave, Suzanne exclaimed, "Bye Summer and Kirsti!!” The face of the mother lit up at the acknowledgement of their child's name. She knew their names. She remembered. She reached out. She was Jesus to those girls and maybe their mother. I was extremely proud of her. She challenged herself to step out of her comfort zone and to be known and to know these girls. She may have been the only person that exclaims their name with such love and joy. I know that if the fallow ground had not been broken up, there wouldn’t have been a need for Suzanne to step up and get out of her box. There is fruit in the midst of the broken ground and I am excited to see what begins to grow!