Can you see me?

Can you see me?  I am right here with you.  When you fall down I pick you up.  When you are tired I give you strength.  I hold you when you are scared and smile with you when you are happy.  I wipe the tears from your face when you are sad and wipe the tension from it when you are stressed.  I watch you when you succeed and encourage you when you fail.  I open doors for you and give you opportunities.  I help you to clean up the messes you make when you ask me too.  I see the things you do and I do not judge you.  I see when you sin but I always forgive you.  I tell you to leave your problems, trials, and tribulations at the foot of the cross and I will help you to find the answers.

I comfort you during your hard times and celebrate your achievements with you.  I listen when you pray and worship.  I love you.  Oh I love you so much.  I have an unconditional love for you.  I wait for you when you turn from me.  I understand when you are mad at me.  I commune with you when you commune.  I held you when you were baptized and stood beside you when you were confirmed.  I put people in your lives so you know I am there with you.  I put them there to help you live, laugh, and grow.  I help you grow spiritually and emotionally.  I celebrate you and your life. I am always here for you and waiting for you to talk to me.

So why do you turn away from me?  Why do you walk away when I reach out my hand?  Why can’t I see your face so that I can wipe your tears and hold you close? I love you so yet you decide that earthly things are more important.  You turn away from the people I put in your lives.  You don’t let them help you yet, I am the one that put them there.  I try to hold you and love you but you ignore me.  I call to you and you do not answer.  I provide opportunities for you to worship, learn, and grow your spirituality but you chose not to take them. 

I watch the decisions you make and the places you go and although I don’t agree with them, I wait for you to talk to me about them, and you don’t.  You bottle them up inside.  You don’t think I am there but it’s because you’re not reaching out to me.  Sometimes you think your problems are so bad that you think of taking away the most precious gift I have given you, your life.  

I don’t judge you, I love you.  I answer your prayers although sometimes it may not be the answer you’re looking for.  I am here for you and waiting for you to reach out and grab my hand so that I can hold on tightly and help you through your rough times.  I want to be a part of your life.  I want you to feel me, see me, and hear me.  I want you to know that I am there for you.  What will it take for you to see that?  What will it take for you to understand that?  What will it take for you to know that I am always here?  I am telling you now through this.  I am here please come walk with me.  Come talk to me.  Please come close so that I can hold you and make you feel this unconditionally all powerful love I have for you! 

Just come…

Day 94

Well today was a good day.  My workout kicked my but this morning which was great.  I saw a great volleyball game and got some good work done today.  I am so tired and my neighbor is blasting his stereo making my walls vibrate.  I can't concentrate so I may wait till tomorrow to write my devotions.  We shall see if it stops!

ACC Week 6 Eric's "Predictions"

Well I went 7 and 1 last week with the one being the only game I truly cared about.  It just shows that my Hokies were very overrated and by the way they played they deserved to lose.  It is the first time I think in all my years of watching the Hokies I have turned off a game in the third quarter.  It is the same story every year with our offense.  Ok off my soap box.  Otherwise I have a good week with 7 wins.  Let's see how I do this week!

Last week:  7-1            Overall: 25-11

Maryland vs 13 Georgia Tech:  Wow does Georgia Tech look good this year.  They offense is crazy good. Their defense has looked good as of late as well.  Maryland on the other hand has not looked good at all. In fact they are down there with my Hokies right now.  I think that this week the Yellow Jackets continue to roll.  My pick is Georgia Tech.

Louisville vs North Carolina:  I like the way the Tarheels looked on Saturday.  The Defense could be a little tighter in the second half but they are known for good defense.  The offense is what surprised me. Louisville is 2 and 2 on the year and honestly I am not sure who they have played.  I am not too worried about it because my faith is in the Heels.  My pick is North Carolina.

23 Florida State vs Wake Forest:  Wake Forest has been very improved this year over last year.  They have a chance of making a bowl game this year.  I do believe however that Florida State is ready to get off the losing streak and that Wake may be getting ready to hit a buzz saw. Florida State is a really good time and just played two good teams in a row, one of them without their starting quarterback.  My pick is Florida State.

Boston College vs 8 Clemson:  Wow Clemson looks good.  They have beaten three ranked teams in a row and deserve to be highly ranked.  I hope they keep playing well. I would love to see an ACC team play for a championship.  They have get through Georgia Tech in a couple of weeks but I think they will roll through Boston College.  My pick is Clemson.

Central Michigan vs NC State:  I liked what I saw from the offense of State last week but their defense needs help.  However I do believe they are good enough to beat Central Michigan.  Please don't let me down wolfpack!  My pick is NC State.

Miami vs 21 Virginia Tech:  We don't deserve to still be ranked.  What we put on the field on Saturday was pitiful.  The offense was bad, the defense was bad, and special teams was terrible.  We are going to be hurting for the rest of the year.  I think Miami has a good team, they have been hot and cold this year, but I think they have a great offensive line.  Since I am trying to do this with my head instead of my heart, even though it pains me, I can't pick my Hokies again until they show me something.  My pick is Miami.

Joyful Noise League

This past May we started a three on three basketball league at the church.  It was so much fun.  Although there were some injuries, everyone seemed to have a great time.  We had five teams and played each other twice during the season.  There was one team that was an elite team, but every other team was very close in skill and each game was down to the wire.  We had a mixture of youth and adults that played.  The best part of the league was getting to know some of the other adults of the church.  Through basketball, we were all able to build closer relationships with each other. 

This coming Sunday we start our second season of the Joyful Noise league.  I am really excited for it to start and to play again.  I had a toe injury last year but it has healed.  We still have 5 teams but do not have any elite teams.  All the games will be tough but a lot of fun.  We have added some new folks and are excited to meet some new adults; we also had some new youth that are playing.  I have gotten almost everything ready to go and we are now just waiting on the new t-shirts to get here.

The most exciting thing about the Joyful Noise league is watch our youth grow in their basketball abilities as well as grow in their relationships with the adults of our church.  So many of our youth have improved over and it is so wonderful to watch them get better.

Each of them brings something special to the court and tries so hard.  They make each other so comfortable and enjoy the time that they get to play.  It is such a blessing to watch and to see God at work in each of them.  We may not be the best basketball players but we enjoy playing the game. 

I really hope that each of them sees God through this league.  Yes it is a sporting event and for entertainment, but God is there.  He is there when they get the pat on the back or when someone says “Nice Shot!”  He is there when someone explains a rule to them or they learn a new play.  He is there when a hug is given after a missed shot or a bad play.  The laughing and joking are gifts from God as well.  It makes you smile and warms your heart to see them all interact together.

I think the most important thing that this league has done is make the youth more comfortable talking with other adults in the church.  They know that if something happens and they need someone to talk to there are so many people they can turn to.  It is a good feeling as a Youth Director to know that our youth are taken care of not only by the youth mentors and me but by the community that is our church.  So let’s get this party started and start with season two of the Joyful Noise League.  He shoots…He Scores!!!!

Planting the Seeds of Growth

Working with youth is my passion.  I love what I do and I love the youth that I work with.  Sometimes it is hard to tell how much of a difference you are making when you work with youth.  With so many social media outlets in the world we see many different faces of your youth.  They may act one way on Sunday at church and youth group and then a totally different way on their facebook page.   It is just so hard to be sure of the difference that you are making.  I always talk about the many different activities and distractions that are available in the world today that can pull them away from church and in a lot of ways pull them away from God.  Being a teenager can be a very selfish time in life.  I was selfish as a teenager.  It is important that you see that the difference that you make with your youth starts with the fact that they show up on Sunday nights.  That is a huge step in their spiritual growth.  I like to look at it like you are planting the seeds of their spiritual growth.

Have you ever walked through the forest and seen the huge trees with thick trunks and wonder how long it took those trees to get that tall?  The interesting thing about those huge trees is that they started out as a tiny little seed.  That strong, thick tree is as big as it is today because of the seed that was planted many years ago.  When working with youth you need to have the same outlook.  When we have them in church, on mission trips, at youth group, vacation bible school, and youth choirs we are planting those seeds of growth.

Our youth’s spiritual growth has to start somewhere.  It is up to us to teach them, to mold them, and to help them grow.  We have to teach them the love of Jesus.  We have to teach them that we love them for who they are and that they need to do the same to the people around them.  If we can teach them about the love of Jesus and plant seeds rich in faith, love, and knowledge, we can then sit back and watch them grow into powerful, strong, excited disciples of Jesus.

There are so many things at we have to fight as we try to plant our seeds.  We have to fight against bad soil which are the things that pull our youth away from us and youth group.   We fight against stormy weather which are the times of self doubt, self expression, and lack of self esteem that can wash away the seeds we have planted.  We have to deal with extremely dry periods which are when other things like band, sports, and cheerleading that pull them away from us.  Sometimes we use too much rich soil by our expectations and trying to cramp in too much knowledge which overwhelms them and cause them to take a step back.  

The soil can be rocky at times.  Sometimes weeds and thorns poke into our manicured soil and cause unexpected problems.  Each youth is an individual and that makes the seed planting process so hard.  We have to keep trying; we have to attempt to plant the seeds of growth.  We work with youth for a reason; we have green thumbs that allow us to plant those seeds. So the next time you doubt whether or not you are making a difference.  Look deep down in the soil and make sure you have planted seeds and that each week you are watering them with love, understanding and trust, and I guarantee that you are planting seeds of growth.  One day in the near future a tall oak tree of spirituality will be standing in front of you.    Keep planting one seed at a time.

Day 92

Wow!  What a workout this morning.  I started a new program and honestly it kicked my butt but in a good way.  I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to it from here on out or at least for the next 9 weeks.  My youth mentor meeting was good and there is a rumor that the youth group shirts will come in this week.  We shall see!  So tired, I should really try to blog earlier in the day!  Oh well. Good night!

The Original Green Mile

In 1999, a movie came out called the Green Mile.  This movie is based on the events that happened on a death row ward during the great depression.  The story revolves around John Coffey and the many different supernatural events that occur while he awaits his execution.  The movie is called the green mile because there is a hallway that the inmates have to walk down to reach the electric chair when it is time for their execution.  The floor of the hallway is green linoleum. 

When a person is sentenced to death, they are put on death row.  On death row, there is often a long appeals process that they go through.  This can take years.  While on death row an inmate might be isolated or in a special ward that is only for death row inmates.  They are however treated with respect and receive meals and the proper standards of living while they are waiting to see what will happen.   Eventually however if their appeals run out they have to take the walk to the execution area.  One can only imagine what this walk must be like.  When they reach the execution area, they are humanely put to death.  For centuries inmates have walked “The Green Mile,” but the original “Green Mile” was walked by Jesus.

When Jesus was arrested and his fate decided, he was taken by soldiers and flogged, mocked, and spat upon.   When they had finished, stripped to nothing but his loin cloth, bloody and beaten, they forced Jesus to carry his own cross on his back through the streets.  Stumbling under the weight of the cross, dehydrated from the lack of water, exhausted from flogging, Jesus started to take the long walk to where he would be crucified.  This public display of a man headed to his own inhumane execution must have been a truly gut wrenching experience for the family, friends, and follows of Jesus who watched him struggle.  On the way when the cross became too heavy, the soldiers forced a man named, Simon to carry the cross the rest of the way.

Upon reaching the placed called Golgotha, Jesus was crucified and nailed to the cross.  People would pass by and hurl insults at him and shake their heads.  They told him to come down if he truly was the son of God.  After a lengthy time upon the cross, Jesus asked God “why have you forsaken me?” Soon after, he died and became seated at the right hand of God the father.

During an early period in history when being humane was not an issue with the way things were done in society, Jesus was forced to take the original walk to his execution.  He was forced to carry the cross on which he was crucified.  With the sun beating down, a lack of water and food, the pain of not only the heavy wooden cross but the flogging and beating that he had just taken, Jesus walked “The Green Mile.”  He walked with those that loved him watching him and those that didn’t believe in him.  He walked to his death, but he also walked so that we all would be forgiven all our sins. 

Jesus walked.  He was crucified.  He died and was buried.  On the third day he rose again.