Putting You Where He Wants You

This past Monday I returned from a children's ministry conference in Columbus, Ohio. The first thing I need to confess is that I didn't really want to go to said conference. I know, I know. It's an opportunity to learn more about what I am doing. I know how important this is. I signed up for it, after all. I knew I needed it. I was feeling very weary in my ministry, just as the year was kicking off. That is not a good time to feel weary and worn down.

There was so much going on at home. I really didn't feel good about leaving. I just put my youngest son Alex in public school after being privately educated and homeschooled most of his life. My daughter Annie just started a new job as a barista at a nearby hospital coffee shop, and my son Ryan, who daily battles the difficulties of Asperger's Syndrome started a new job working in the local high school cafeteria. Everyone was in the middle of big changes and adjustments. It didn't feel right to bail on them just now. Church was another story. Not a bad story, mind you, just a little chaotic right now. I just finished meeting with three groups of wonderful, dedicated volunteers, sharing with them the new child safety policy. I still haven't caught all of my volunteers yet. So a fourth meeting is on the way.  We added a new children's ministry wall in our fellowship hall. The wall was designed to provide a more child friendly children's area. There really isn't a children's ministry area in our church. One of my children's pastor friends suggested we ask for a wall since we don't have a room. We now have an awesome wall and a quarter, thanks to some of those amazing and talented volunteer children's ministry workers! We finished our BIG EVENT Fab Friday kick off the previous week- complete with monster mud trucks. In the middle of this I am working with my district children's ministry team to bring in FX (kind of like the Christian version of Nicolodeon, with slime and big props) to Western New York. I've never done anything like this before, so it is a bit daunting to say the least. To that we add the regular responsibilities of being a pastor, weekly children's ministry, counseling, and prepping for the upcoming months. I can see clearly now why I was weary. I needed to get away. I needed to refocus. I needed what I didn't want to do.

Have you ever noticed how God has a way of putting you right where he wants you when he wants you there? Yeah, he does that. As much as I knew I didn't want to go to the conference and the countless reasons I could have chosen to bail, God impressed on me clearly that I needed to be there.

So I went.  I took Jennifer with me. As you know from my previous post about Jennifer that everything is more of an adventure with Jennifer. And it was!

Jennifer @ the conference. Jennifer loves the @ sign. It seems to keep her grounded so she knows where she is @. You can imagine how happy she was to find a whole wall of @ signs! I'm thinking we need to do this in her house!



Now I won't bore you with all of the details you aren't interested in, but I will tell you how powerful God can press down on you when he wants you be somewhere. This conference was a huge conference. There were about a zillion classes and tracks you can choose from. (Well, maybe not a zillion, but it sure felt like it.) Name just about any topic from nursery to pre-teen and you will find something you need. So I chose a workshop with a speaker I am familiar with, I'd been to her workshops before. She was fun. She was engaging. The topic was fun and I was feeling tired. I knew I would need something to keep me awake. I went to her workshop about 15 minutes early and found a prime seat right up front. I like being upfront. I pay better attention and I'm less likely to doze. As I was getting myself situated I felt a very powerful "nudge" from the Holy Spirit. I wasn't supposed to be there in that workshop. There was no denying the nudge. It was powerful. So I got up and walked out of the room. This was probably one of the first times I've ever immediately acted on a leading from God without a "Why?". My only question was, "Where?". Remember there were a zillion classes to chose from. I had no clue where he wanted me. I made my way out of the door and down the hall, as I was walking along a class that had briefly caught my attention a week earlier when I was looking through the program was right in front of me. It was a full track leadership workshop.  Full track meaning that once you start you are in it for the long haul. I've done leadership in school, in pastors meetings, at the nearby Christian college. I just finished reading a book on leadership. I really didn't feel that was something that I really needed at this point, but my feet kept on going that way and into the room I went. Again I found prime seating upfront so that I would stay engaged and maybe learn something, even though I was sure I'd had enough leadership training to last me quite a while. Despite the topic I had a peace about me. I somehow knew I was in the place that God wanted me to be.

The workshop was AWESOME! It was just what I needed. I was engrossed from the first moment and when the first two hours were up I was so sorry to see it end. I couldn't wait to come back after lunch for another two hours of this stuff! I couldn't wait for the conference to start the next day so I could continue learning more in this class.

Steve Adams, Alex's Lego guys, and me. 
Steve is the children's pastor for all of the Saddleback Church's Children's Ministries. He's all over the place!
And I thought I was weary.....ppppfffffttttt!





In the midst of this I came to realize how poor my attitude had been. I was inwardly ashamed of myself. I had forgotten how blessed I am on so many levels to be able to do the ministry I do. I get to work in a great church, with a fantastic boss. (That was something else I learned while I was there. I work with a great senior pastor!) The ministry is growing and flourishing. God is making it fruitful.


Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9

We all become weary from time to time. It is part of the human condition. When we get weary, our attitudes tend to slip. My attitude toward this blessing in the form of a children's ministry conference was lousy.  It's okay to get tired once in a while. However, when you start feeling  your batteries depleting take it seriously. One of the topics in this conference was about making sure your batteries get charged regularly. For me recharging is going to be making sure I take time out every year to attend a conference. It's going to be keeping in contact with the other awesome children's pastors I am privileged to work with in my district. It means a DAWG- Day Alone With God! Just so I can be quiet and hear from him.

God has blessed each of us in so many ways. Daily we have his word speaking to our hearts and minds. He provides us with church families, and friends who can help us when we are down. We have learning opportunities in the form of classes, conference, or just daily life. It is up to us to take advantage of these blessings in our lives so that we will not become weary in doing good.

So now I am back! My batteries are recharged and I ready to take on whatever the kids have for me this year! God is good. He is there! I get to keep on keeping on toward the harvest and I'm excited about it!!