I moved on August 25th, and a mere four days later - on the 29th - as a group we started our journey of reading through the whole Bible in eight days. Cover to cover. Wild, right? Trust me, it really was.
We read for at least eight hours every day, only taking a day off on Labour Day. Sometimes we read as long as twelve hours in a day. It was a longgg haul to say the least.
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| camping views at Craigleith Provincial Park last week. |
And I think that's why it feels like I've lived here for a year and a half already. As a group we spent so much time together in close proximity reading the Bible aloud for eight days, that I felt bonded to my fellow classmates/housemates/friends pretty quickly. But at the same time, the reality that we've only been here for two weeks sets in when I realize that I don't know very much yet about the people that I now live with.
I've been trying to find the balance between being a full-time student, part-time worship leader, and an RA (residence assistant) over the past two weeks, and there have definitely been some bumps in the road, lemme just say.
God's been good and faithful throughout these past two weeks... y'know, as He's prone to be. Which has been so so so good, because I'd likely have lost my mind trying to balance the three aforementioned roles, as well as reading so much of the Bible every day and also wanting to be a friend to the people I live with, friend to my friends that I don't live with (and now live farther away from), sister, daughter, and just a general human being. And I'm sure I've failed in at least two of those areas over the past weeks.
As this post's title states, I'm adding another role to my life this year.
A day after having moved into the house, a couple of the guys were going to a youth leader meeting. When I heard they were going, something in my heart made me feel like I should go too. I've never been a youth leader before, and as much as I tried to suppress this idea of maybe possibly being a youth leader this year, I just kept on feeling like I should go to the meeting.
So I did.
I felt awkward and uncomfortable, not knowing a number of the people there, but just taking in the information that was being given. A few people asked me what I wanted to do in terms of leading youth, and I gave a variation of non-committal answers. I was still kinda trying to get out of being involved in youth ministry. That being said, it was harder to give excuses when my friend Jake hardcore called me out, telling me that none of my excuses were valid. Which was true, and I already knew that, but I needed the outside confirmation.
I was able to keep the youth leader idea out of my mind for the most part as we read through the Bible intensively for the past eight days. But when we finished on Saturday, the thought snuck back in, mostly because I knew there was a youth parent meeting on Sunday night.
Yesterday morning before the church service started, I was talking to the pastor that I work with, telling him that I still wasn't sure about serving with the youth, what would I even do anyway, and why can't I stop making excuses for not helping out even though I don't have even one good excuse as to why I wouldn't help? His response came quickly and enthusiastically:
"I can't WAIT until you hear my sermon this morning!"
It was the last sermon in the ten week series we've been going through this summer. I'd previously been the one who put all of the series information into our online planning website, so I totally should have known what the sermon topic was yesterday, but I didn't. Whoops.
The service started, I did my thang music-wise, and then it came time for the sermon. The topic?
Making disciples.
After pretty much every point the pastor made, I added "...and that's why I'm going to be a youth leader." It was convicting, and definitely the sermon for me.
"Our mindset and plans are eclipsed by what Jesus wants us to do."
"No matter where you are in your journey, the Mission remains the same."
"Obedience in making disciples will change your walk with God."
"Our relationship with Jesus is fuelled by our desire to follow Him."
"Make disciples, not excuses."
That last one really got me. So did the first one. And all the other ones in between, really.
Last night I went to the parent meeting which I really didn't need to be there for, seeing as I'm not a parent. But, I mean, a number of the other leaders were there too so it was fiiine.
I still felt awkward and uncomfortable, and wasn't 100% sure what I was doing there, but I think there's been enough evidence over the past couple of weeks that this is an area I should be investing in this year.
So, we'll see how this goes, and I'll keep trusting God's faithfulness and goodness to carry me through.
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