Top 10 Excuses for Not Serving in Hopeland

In every church there are ministries that struggle to get volunteers.   In our church, one of our greatest challenges is getting people to volunteer their time in our Childrens Ministry.  So I thought I'd take a look at a few excuses that have gone through my head and that I've heard about serving in Hopeland (our birth-age 5 area). 


#10 "I didn't know we needed more volunteers."

It's true that we don't hear the pastor begging from the stage every week for people to volunteer (although he may have to start soon!), but that doesn't mean the need is not there.   I looked at the schedule this morning for the weeks ahead and it is SAD.  I love my church, but this makes me ashamed of the investment our church family as a whole is making in our children.

#9 "I am not gifted to serve in that area."

Sometimes it is necessary to serve in a secondary ministry in a church if there is great need, regardless of gifting.  I am not a "natural" when it comes to kids, but I am capable.  Maybe you are too.

#8 "I am too busy!"

If you are already serving in another ministry on Sunday morning...ok, valid excuse.  But if not, is it really too much of a sacrifice to give an hour or two of your time once a month?  Invest in the ministry of the church...don't just be a consumer.

#7 "The chaos will drive me crazy!"

Maybe so.  But consider this...the chaos is mainly due to the fact that we have a shortage of volunteers.  Be part of the solution.  There is safety in numbers :)

#6 "I need a break from my kids."

I understand.  Being a mother is very energy-consuming and we all need a break.  But when you are enjoying sitting in service and allowing someone else to care for your childs needs, why not return the favor?  Hopeland exists to teach our children about God, but also as a ministry to mothers and families so that they can worship and learn without distraction.  Without volunteers, no one will have this luxury.

#5 "I have no one to watch my kids while I'm serving"

If they are old enough, have them help.  If not, it won't kill them to spend two services in a row either in Hopeland or XTreme Kids (trust me...I've tried it).  Yes, sometimes my boys complain when I tell them daddy is leading worship and mommy is watching babies so they have to stay at church longer.  BUT it is also a great learning opportunity for me to show them how we all have to sacrifice and serve if our church is going to function well.  Plus, they really learn their lesson well for the day after hearing it twice in a row :)

#4 "I don't know what to teach"

Great news...the lessons and crafts are all planned out in detail.  And if that's still too intimidating, you can volunteer in the 0-2 year old room or to do Check-In. 

#3 "Children scare me/I don't know what to do"

Ask someone to volunteer with you who is more comfortable with kids and can give you direction.  You don't have to do it alone.  This Sunday I had 4 in the nursery, two under 1 year and two that were walking.  I finally had my 8 year old come in to help me because I just needed more ARMS.  No skill was needed...just someone to pay attention to the babies and keep one of the toddlers from throwing hard objects :)

#2 "I don't enjoy spending time with kids"

Sometimes it's just a matter of adjusting your perspective.  Remember that this ministry is vital to our church body.  The children are our future.  And by volunteering you are doing much more than caring for and educating the children.  You are blessing the ministry leaders who give TONS of time planning lessons and covering for people who don't show up to serve (I won't even go there...it happens way too often) . You are serving families by allowing them to fully engage in the service.  And you are also serving the Lord who has made it clear how precious children are to Him.

#1 "I don't know how to sign up"

Just ask me, or anyone on the staff for that matter, and we would be glad to help you with that!

Are You Plugged In?

Our family loves watching movies.  We need to make decisions about which movies to allow ourselves or our children to watch and be influenced by, and ratings don't help very much.  There is one resource that I use frequently and am so thankful for, and that is http://www.pluggedinonline.com/ by Focus on the Family.  This website reviews new movies coming out, older movies, tv, and music from a Christian perspective.  The reason the reviews are so helpful is that they don't just give you thier opinion, but they break down the movie into specific content areas so that you can make an educated decision.  Instead of merely knowing a movie might have "foul language", the review will tell you exactly which foul words are spoken and how often they occur.  You can know what the sexual or violent scenes consist of in detail.  The reviews sum up positive elements and negative elements of the film.  It's the first place I go before deciding what to see at the theater, what to reserve from the library, and what to say when asked the question "Mom, can I watch this?". 

Normally the only theater we see the inside of is the dollar theater because I refuse to pay top dollar for a new movie.  I've learned to wait.  But every now and then a movie comes out that I REALLY want to see!  Recently the movie Courageous fell into that category, and it didn't let us down.  As I was trying to decide if we should indeed spend the money, a friend of mine told me about a way to get cheaper tickets!  So this tip is for my frugal friends: http://www.halfpricemovieticket.com/.  You enter in your zip code and the movies playing in your area come up.  Select the movie/time that you want.  The tickets are 50% off, plus $1 each processing fee.  (So instead of $8.25 per ticket, you pay ~$5.12.)  You pay with a credit card and within an hour they email you a Pick-Up number.  You can go up to the cashier or the kiosk, enter the number, and out come your tickets.  I was nervous about trying it, but it worked!  Got to see a great movie and save money at the same time...woo hoo!  The one thing we had forgotten though was to show up earlier than the start time of the movie.  Being given the choice of the first or second row in a movie theater was not so great...

Learning Something New

I love to look downstairs and see this.  Plenty of salsa, beans, and applesauce to last us through the winter.  I've always thought canning was a great idea "in theory" but was never willing to put in the effort...until a good friend coaxed me into it.  She has a garden and asked me if I would be willing to help with the weeding and canning.  In exchange I could have half of the goods.  I agreed right away!  Any job done with good company is a whole lot more enjoyable. 

For the apples, "Gramma Jan" and I took the boys to Scenic Ridge Fruit Farm in Jeromesville.  Wow, is that place huge!  I didn't know if the apple picking would be kid-friendly, but to my surprise it was perfect.  There were lots of trees and they were so low to the ground that even Brady was able to participate easily.  Later that day I got to show them how to make applesauce (which was a first for me too).  I was in awe of the Squeezo Strainer that allows you to dump in cooked apples (skin and all) into the hopper, turn the crank, and out comes the applesauce while discarding the skins and seed out the side.  Simply an amazing invention!  Although you do have to turn the crank the right direction for it to work properly as I found out :)

And while I'm on the subject of food, I have never been able to get banana-nut bread to turn out right.  This week as I was staring at two large brown bananas that no one in my family would dare eat, I decided to try a recipe given to me many years ago.  I now wish I would have tried it sooner!  The bread was yummy and moist and so I want to share it with anyone else who doesn't like to waste their brown bananas.

BANANA-NUT BREAD

3/4 c. sugar, 1/2 c. vegetable oil,  1/2 c. applesauce
1 c. very ripe mashed bananas (2 large)
1 3/4 c. flour, 2 t. baking powder, 1/2 t. baking soda, 1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Mix together and bake at 325 for 65 min.  Makes 1 loaf.

My dad was always the cook when I was a child.  He had a garden, canned, and cooked from scratch.  Of course I was never interested in learning it all then.  I suppose I'm making up for lost time now :)  And I'm very thankful for knowledgable friends and family who are willing to teach me!

Sept 11th

 September 11th has another meaning for my family now.  It is the day we lost Freddie.

I grew up with cats and have never been much of a dog person, but Jeremy talked me getting into an adorable boxer puppy and so began our pre-parenthood training.  I had so much fun raising him...until he grew too big for me to control and my responsibilities grew with each little boy that entered into our family.  I still liked Freddie, but my perspective changed.  I began to only see the bills for dog food, vet care, and heartworm medication.  I got tired of picking up poop in the backyard so Jeremy could mow or cleaning it out of my boys shoes.  I got tired of cleaning up muddy footprints, slobber on the window, accidents on the floor.  He had bad breath, bad gas, and was a burden when we were going to be gone overnight.  The common phrase at our house was "Go lay down, Freddie!"

And then on the 11th he had a seizure that took his life.  Jeremy and I were right there with him, and frankly did not expect it to happen since he'd had seizures in the past which he recovered from quickly.  I became focused on doing what needed to be done and comforting my boys who had never known life without their dog.  The next day I created a slideshow for the family with all the pics of Freddie over the years. It was easy because they are all still on the computer :)  Seeing scenes from the past 10 years and watching my boys grow up with their dog touched me.  We buried him that evening.  Something happened to me that next morning as I finally began to feel the loss and realize that even though I had all these complaints, I missed him.  The house seems so much more lonely when I'm here by myself.  When I open the garage door I still expect to see him stand up, shake, and run out to greet me.  I scanned the Classifieds just to see if any boxer pups were for sale.  I'm even hesitant about cleaning the last of the slobber marks off the window because it's one of the last remaining traces of him (or maybe I'm just too lazy to clean it and that's a good excuse!) 

Freddie may have been a pain to take care of at times, but he was mine.  It was a reminder for me to think about all the people/pets/circumstances in our lives that we complain about, and stop to be thankful that we have them at all. 

Jacob



Isaac



Brady



A War Between Confidence and Doubt

The title of this post came from a song lyric, but it's one I can relate to.  A war between confidence and doubt...a war I've been in for too long.  I've filled my head with the truth and I know who I am and whose I am, but allowing that to take root in my heart and live it out takes time.  At times I get inspired and really excited at how God could use me to make a difference, and then the doubt sets in.  Do I really have anything to say worthwhile?  Do I have anything to offer?  Someone else could certainly do it better.  I take my eyes off of "Christ in me" and start looking at just me with all my insecurities and weaknesses.  That's one reason my blogging has become infrequent recently.  I think too much about how something might be perceived and eventually talk myself out of writing it!  Even now that Backspace button looks appealing :)  However, this blog is one thing I have received positive feedback on, and I don't want to be guilty of neglecting or failing to develop something that may have been given to me as a gift.  My plan is to post something each Monday, whether I feel like it or not.  I'm making no promises as to the content other than it will be me.

I had a cool "God Moment" this morning.  I was reading 1 Timothy 4:12 "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young.   Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity."  I thought that sounded like a great mission statement for me and decided to not only put it on an index card with the intent of memorizing it, but to actually do it.  Then I continued on with my morning routine and got on the treadmill with my iPod, ready to listen to the latest podcast by Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church (who by the way is an amazing preacher and the sermons can be downloaded for free from iTunes).  He finished his message and had a teen come out to talk for a minute.  The verse that was shared?  1 Timothy 4:12.  I love when God confirms something in that way.

Here's the song that I referenced earlier.  May you all have a blessed week!

A Few Good Reads

If you have followed my blog very long, you know that there are two things I love to write about...books and music.  Today is no exception.  Lately I have been drawn to biographies about real people, with real problems, that have encounters with a very real God.  I have been so blessed the past 11 years that having faith has been easy.  But I want to know what faith looks like when things are falling apart.  (And I'm quite content to learn that from other people rather than from my own experience for now!)

This first book is about two missionaries who were given a great love for the people of Afghanistan.  They left the comforts of home to live among the people, serve the poor, and offer the hope of Jesus to anyone who sought it.  The sharing of their faith led to imprisonment, which became even more complicated since it occurred during 2001 when the terrorist attacks on America and the war began. 

I decided to read this next book because I've heard it referenced many times by other authors, and I was not disappointed.  It tells the story of Corrie Ten Boom, who lived in Holland during the time of occupation by Nazi Germany.  Corrie's family was part of the underground movement to protect the Jews, and they ended up imprisoned in very bad conditions.  But the faith of Corrie and her sister Betsie are very moving.  Here are women who put the safety of others above their own, truly prayed for their persecutors, shared God's Word and love with those around them, and saw some mighty works of God as a result.  The whole time I was reading I thought "this should be a movie"...and I just checked...it is!  So I've got it reserved at the library and plan on sharing it with my husband soon :)

These two stories have shown me a few things about faith during hardship.  First, when people are suffering they hunger for God's Word...for hope.  I often take for granted how accessible the Bible is.  For them it was a precious treasure that sustained them.  I was also amazed by how many miracles these people experienced, things the world might say were "coincidence".  But when you stack so many "coincidences" together, God's presence is so very clear.  It was through the trials and the hardship that their faith and ministry grew. 

Just last week I stumbled across this song that fit with the things I've read and have been thinking about.  May it be an encouragement to those who are going through a hardship now.  I pray you find Jesus in the midst of it.

Remembering Janie

Ecclesiastes 7:2-4  "It is better to spend your time at funerals than at festivals.  For YOU are going to die, and you should think about it while there is still time.  Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.  A wise person thinks much about death,while the fool thinks only about having a good time now." (NLT)



Janie was someone who said what needed to be said.  I only knew her through our church family at New Hope, yet she had a profound impact on my understanding of what it means to be a godly woman.  Janie would greet me with a smile and a hug, express her appreciation for the smallest acts of kindness, and make me feel special.  She was a woman who clearly put the needs of others above her own.  You never quite know what someone is made of until the storms of life hit.  During her battle with cancer, Janie proved that her faith was genuine.  She shared in His sufferings so that she may also share in His glory, and has been an example to many as to how to fight the good fight, finish the race strong, and keep the faith.  I am glad her suffering is over.  And I look forward to seeing her smiling face again when I enter the gates of heaven.