Gotta be the Shoes

A few years ago, I was fortunate to be present at a worship service when a little girl felt Jesus tugging at her heart. When the invitational hymn began she left her pew in a hurry and ran to share her decision with the pastor. The pastor greeted her with a warm hug and they prayed together. Then as the girl sat on the front pew next to me waiting for her decision to be announced to the congregation I noticed something strange. She wasn't wearing any shoes! The little girl was in her bare feet. As the pastor called her up for the traditional 'stand at the front to be welcomed,' the little girl's mother arrived carrying her shoes. I laughed out loud when I saw the mother trying to get the little girl to put her shoes back on. Later I had to ask about the shoes.

The little girl shared the most delightful and inspirational story. See, the girl's shoes were a little too small and well, you know, Sunday shoes are rarely comfortable to a child. So, it was her habit to remove the shoes during the worship service. When she felt Jesus' tug the little girl tried to leave the pew but her mother stopped her. Her mother tried to get the little girl to put on her shoes, however, the girl could not wait. Shoes or not, she was responding to Jesus. The shoes were not important and just something to hold her back from accepting the call of Jesus. And, responding to Jesus, she left her shoes behind.

I was speaking to the mother after the service. I shared how happy I was for her and the little girl. As we spoke, the mother told me how she also had been thinking about asking Jesus into her heart. But, she said there were many things she needed to straighten out and take care of before she could give her heart to Jesus. Standing there in shock and dismay I noticed something startling. The mother was still holding on to the little girl's shoes. Just like the little girl's shoes, the mother was holding on to things in her life that she put before a relationship with Jesus. It was almost as if the shoes represented her sin. Why couldn't she follow the lead and witness of her daughter and leave everything behind to follow her heart and accept Jesus? Why couldn't she leave the shoes behind?

What are your shoes? What is holding you back?

Get out of the traffic!

It's been a while since my last entry. Things have been really hectic and busy over the last few weeks. In fact one night, I actually told my wife I was physically, emotionally, spiritually, and grammatically exhausted. Whenever I get like this I have to be alone. I know this may catch some by surprise but I am an introvert. In my previous career in sales and in my current ministry position, I have to flip an internal and unnatural switch to become an extrovert. Becoming an extrovert has taken years to learn and when I have to do it for extended periods of time, such as the last three weeks, it takes a lot of energy. It takes time for my 'batteries' to recharge. I just want to get away and have some silence.

Last Sunday night with the youth, I recharged my batteries. Some nights I can plan and plan and nothing seems to work. Then, you have nights like last Sunday when you go back to basics and feel you get it right. I opened with a story of my busyness and told of my exhaustion. I actually confessed of how my exhaustion led to a very short fuse and I spoke rather direct if not rudely to several people. It was time for me to have silence with the youth. It was time to be still.

Our topic for last Sunday night was Psalm 46. In verse 10, it says, "Be still, and know that I am God." What a wonderful sight to see all the youth in a room getting comfortable and being still. A few even lingered in their relaxed positions after youth time ended. In Eugene Peterson's The Message, verse 10 is written as, "Step out of the traffic! Take a long loving look at me, your High God…"

Remember the old video game Frogger? I loved playing Frogger. Frogger was a game about a frog, duh, trying to stay alive. The frog had to cross busy roads by timing jumps just right to avoid traffic. If hit by the traffic the frog was squished, flattened, pan caked, and/or killed. Game over. Sometimes though, if the frog moved to quickly it would jump in front of traffic and splat. So, the frog had to jump to survive and other times it had to be still to survive.

Last week I needed to recharge and be alone. I needed to get out of the traffic and the busyness. I needed to "be still." I needed to take a long loving look at God. And with the youth's help, I was still and God was there with me. And, His presence in my stillness was energizing!!

God bless!!

Worry

It was really windy one day last week. I remember driving home and seeing lots of little limbs and pieces of small debris all over the roads. The first thing I thought of was how bad my yard must look. For you who do not know me well, I hate yard work. I always have. If I had my way my entire yard would be artificial. I would have green carpet or artificial turf for grass and plastic azaleas for a springtime look all year. Even my trees would be big plastic fichus trees. But anyway, when I arrived home that day, sure enough my yard was a mess. Pine straw (needles for my western NC friends) and broken limbs were all over my somewhat neat yard. What a mess! Slowly I walked around surveying and thinking of what to do next. Then, something caught my eye. In the middle of my yard was a small mass of debris. It really did not look like a pile of random mess but more like a constructed mass of debris. My heart sank when upon closer examination I realized it was a bird nest. It must have been blown out of a tree or had fallen with a broken limb. My mind raced with sorrow and pity for the bird or birds. Did the birds' lose their eggs? Have they laid their eggs? What are they going to do now? The birds must have toiled for who knows how long to make this nest and now their hard work was destroyed. I kept thinking of ways to help the birds but nothing came into my mind.

During these difficult economic times, people too are losing their homes. People also worry about their jobs and what impact on the lives of themselves and their families if a job is lost. It is on the minds of most and it is not fun. The Bible has the words of Jesus speaking about worry.

Matthew 6:25-34 (Today's New International Version)

 ²⁵ "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

    ²⁸ "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 

I know it's difficult to not worry but try not to. Jesus says we do not add a single hour to our lives by worrying. Also, share your burdens to the Lord and His church. Let the church know about your burdens. There are people in the local church looking for ways to minister and lend a helping hand in times of need. Let people help. Please do not deny someone the opportunity of serving the Lord. And, be mindful of people around who are suffering and look for ways to assist. Jesus was all about being a servant.

 

Your somewhat humble servant,

 

Brooks

Losing Sheep and Sleep

I must be the oldest youth in the world. I say this because 44 year olds should not enjoy lock-ins! However, I love them. This past weekend I attended a lock-in with the youth and had a blast! I bowled till 1am, walked through the late night drive-thru at Krispy Kreme, went shopping at Wal-Mart till 3am, and then made youth try to spit chewed bananas through panty hose. Oh, let's not forget the scavenger hunts in a dark using only cell phones for light! As far as I know there were no major injuries and we actually had more youth at the end of the lock-in than the start. It is never good for a youth minister to lose youth during an outing though from time to time I may want to lose one or two along the way. LOL. Seriously though, I follow the armed service special forces' motto of 'never leave anyone behind.' So, I guess picking up some along the way is a good thing!

In the scavenger hunt, I made up a clue leading to the Lost and Found box in our church. The clue mentioned the parable Jesus told about the lost sheep. In this parable, if one sheep out of a hundred is lost, the one is looked for until found. Then let the party begin! I draw comfort from the grace and love of Jesus knowing I am cared for so much that He looks for me and there is rejoicing when I am found. I hope my youth are comforted in knowing I will do all I can to look for them when they are lost. But don't make a habit of getting lost. Remember, I may be the oldest youth in the world!

 

In His grip,

Brooks