When the darkness closes in, Lord ... I will say

Blessed be your name. 

Lately I have been thinking about my luck. It has seemed lately that it’s one thing after another with my family lately. Last week someone said, “Man, you have had a string.” All I could think of was a pendulum and that as it swings to the one side up high; it has to swing back the other direction, right? When things get tough, when the darkness closes in, what will you say? Will you curse His name, or bless His name?

“Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised” (Psalm 113:2-3 KJV)

However, how many times do we slip? How many times do we let out a curse? I know I do, and when I do, I feel so embarrassed. You know when the person cuts you off, when you stub your toe, or your child does the one thing you told them NOT to do. It’s in those very moments that I curse His name. I forget sometimes that there are blessing all around us, even in the dark, we can find him and praise him. I have started to think, just what life would give me if I didn't experience those things. 

Many people know Nicole and I have four beautiful children. You also know they are close in age. We have been so blessed with our little ones. Lately we have had some struggles with our 3-year-old G-man. Those that know him absolutely know just how special he is to our family. He is funny, sweet, crazy, loud, loving, and full of energy kind of boy! He has had some little struggles lately that have set him on a path that is uniquely him. We do not know exactly what it is, but what we do know is we would not have it any other way. What many of you do not know that after our oldest Kennedy was born, we actually experience a miscarriage. It was pretty early on however after being so excited that we were going to have another one join our family, it was devastating. I was pretty new in my faith with Christ that I really had to think deep down why this would happen? Nicole and I grew closer together and said that God has a plan for everything. Even when we do not know, there is a reason. It was still tough. There was a pain and hole in my heart that I never even thought I could imagine. I mean, I did not even know who he/she was. It was a tiny little being, a peanut, but it was my child. Not too long afterwards, we were blessed to find out that we were once again pregnant, but as any father knows, I immediately had my guard up. What would happen? 

As we passed the week of our saddens before, we could breathe a sigh of relief. If I could control it I would have Nicole on permanent bed rest, hooked up to the monitors 24-7. I would have her wrapped in a bubble, surrounded by the best doctors to prevent what would happen before. It was a rough period for us emotionally as we carried this baby and grew excited when each day, week, month passed. Eventually on March 5th we were blessed with Grayson! Our little, perfect bundle of joy, my first son. When I look back on it now, I have said before that I could not imagine my life without him. He is a perfect fit for our family. There is a shine of light in our story because I remind myself that if we didn't lose our child we wouldn't have Grayson. I know that is tough say and some would balk at it, however It reminds me to say Blessed Be Your Name! Even with Grayson’s energy, I wouldn't want it any other way. 

I try to remind myself that through it all God is on my side. Even when I curse His name, I know that He loves me anyways. Even when I forget to bless His name, I can always turn to him to protect me, I ultimately know that I am a treasure in the arms of Christ. We do not have to be perfect. We do not have to wear a mask to cover who we are. As I finish this, my pray for you is that you can release your pain, anger, hurt, frustration and give it to God. I pray that your pendulum will swing back in your favor and if you give it to God, in the good and the bad, we can continue to sing Blessed Be His name! 

Jesus Practice!

It’s been a while. Actually it’s been a long while, so excuse my absence. Life has been keeping me busy, busier than I can ever imagine. Not sure where I left off but we have a new addition to our family, actually almost 6 months old, Quinn, my 3^rd son and 4^th child. I have switched careers, where I no longer am the slave to downtown and work a lot closer to home. Currently I am in school studying for my undergrad degree, which has always been a life-long goal of mine. A lot has happened. More importantly I have been able to serve in Student ministries at our church the past couple years and it has been an absolute blast. I have learned more about myself and working with young students than I had even known before.

Last couple years I had the honor to work with 7^th and 8^th graders and this year I am blessed to work with the 6^th grade guys! I was so open to it, that I dove in and suggested it. 6^th grade boys can be a challenge for sure. They are still little boys who have to start the journey to grow into young men. I am excited to see how they grow over the course of the next year. So enough of me, but I wanted to focus this a little on something that has been pulling on my heart over the past couple years.

When will Jesus “practice” be just as important as sports practice? When will we put God on the same level as sports for our kids? All sorts of practice: football, basketball, cheerleading, etc. You name it. And it’s not just Wednesdays. Travel basketball, travel cheerleading, and travel baseball and softball take up a lot of students’ weekends. I ask myself why is it ok for students to miss “Jesus” practice and let down their small group team however they can NEVER miss a sports practice, otherwise their commitment to the team wavers. I have struggled with this over and over.

I read an article from a student ministry leader who asked his Small Group of 9^th grade guys, all of them athletes, what the number one challenge was to being a teenage Christ-follower in their cultural context. He would have been willing to put “peer pressure,” or “temptation,” first. Maybe even “influence from media,” or something similar. However do you, know what their unanimous response was?

Time.

They are tapped out. He said they all say that their prayer lives are in a good place, but their time to devote to meeting God in His Word (where they are focused and not exhausted) is admittedly slim.

That is scary to me. As 6^th-12^th grade students this is one of the most important times in their lives as they learn and grow. They will take all of what they know from the first 12 years and in the next 6 it will really shape who they are as a person as they move from children to teenagers, to young adults.

It scares me because I have started to see students faith attacked by over commitment. This is not just athletics it is all extra-curricular activities...and yes, church is part of that. I have come to the conclusion that if I am going to be able to have any integrity as a student minister and therefore spiritual guidance in the lives of students I have to be able to confront the issues with mom and dad. However, we all need to watch out for our students and realize that mom and dad have not been down this road before so they may need some help. Students do not have to do everything...and the reality is that very few of them are the next big thing in whatever their activity...but they are all the next big thing as far as God is concerned. When my students are under attack, I pray that they be strong in their faith.

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:10-13 NIV

However, if I am the only one praying they stay strong, then how can I reach the people who are supposed to be their ultimate role models? My Pastor says, church is supposed to be experienced in circles not rows meaning, small groups is where true relationships are formed. The weekends are just to reinforce the relationships. If we do not get them in the circles now on Student nights, will we ever get them? If we do not reach them now, will we ever reach them? Since the first Christ-followers met in small groups in Jerusalem in the first century, believers have been gathering like this to grow together in their faith. All throughout the Bible, we can see the call to grow and mature in our faith. Salvation is about belief. But living the Christ-life is about growing in our knowledge of God and looking to let that knowledge shape our lives.

As my kids start to grow and get involved, it is important to me to help them continue to grow in their relationship with Christ. How can I help them role model what is right? How can I be sure that the priorities of life are intact always and when the tough decisions have to be made, they choose what is right, what is most important in their lives? They choose God first above all else and if that means alternating between practices, or deciding to study Jesus first, then I have to pray that is what they will learn. Society says different, even from some of the most faithful parents I know. The pressures on athletics and sports is too much influence on their family. I pray that never is the case for me. That I will always put God first.