God - Are You Out There?

Has there ever been a time in your life where you have questioned your faith in God or maybe had a “God, are you out there" moment? Maybe because life has just been tough, or you have suffered a tragedy, maybe you have been trying to get an answer from God and you just weren’t getting it, or maybe your life just became mundane and you began to lose sight of who you are and where you are headed. You feel as though if He is ever going to show up in my life, now would be a good time because you have no idea what to do or what your next step is. I have been there several times throughout my life where I felt as though He was ignoring me or possibly not even real.

I have learned in these seasons that God is not playing hide and seek with me but rather teaching me how to fully rely on the Holy Spirit. It’s in these seasons that I really begin to tune my ears to His voice and His wisdom through church on Sunday mornings, time in prayer, reading His word, worshipping, my personal devotional time, talking with my mentors, co-workers and close friends.

It’s in these seasons where I go back to the basics and remind myself of His word. Scriptures like Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Or John 10:10 where it says, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Or Proverbs 3:5-6 where it says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

If you are currently in what I call the “Dry Season,” take heart, be encouraged, and know that God may be trying to teach you how to fully rely on Him. If you take this advice, I can guarantee you that there will be great fruit that comes from it as well as being drawn closer to Him.

An encouraging token that was given to me in Bible school was this: “When the teacher is giving out the test, there is no talking.”

-Hayden

Love.Serve.Give...So Others May Live.

WOW…I can’t believe that Encounter 2012 has already come and gone!  If you weren’t able to come, then I’m not going to lie; you missed out big time!  God showed up spoke so powerfully into the lives of every student and to VOX Student Ministries as a family.

Night One Pastor Hayden and I were prompted to tag team a message titled: “Love.Serve.Give…So Others May Live.” It was a good word from the Lord and is worth us unpacking a bit more to make sure it sinks in how I believe the Lord wants it to in our lives.

Here at VFC our mission is: “We exist so people get it.” In a sense, you could also say: “So others may live,” because when people actually “get it” (a relationship with Jesus, victory, healing, etc.) they are able to truly live how God created them to live.  We are all about students “getting it” and that’s one of the main reasons we even have Encounter.  In order for students to get it our vision comes into play in which everyone must have this spiritual DNA: 1) Love 2) Serve 3) Give in them.  So naturally, if we all love, serve, and give, then other may live and have tons of opportunities to “get it.”

This is all great and true, but I have found it very difficult to walk out this vision without God’s help.  You see, in order for us to love, serve, and give to that people can get it, we must first experience these qualities of God in your own life.  You can’t give what you don’t have!

So if we want to love others, then we must first experience God’s love in our own lives like it tells us in 1 John 4:19.  If we want serve others, then we must first experience the Lord’s servanthood in our own lives.  We are always quick to serve others or serve the Lord, yet we miss that the Lord also wants to serve us just like Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. And if we are really going to give – of our time, energy, and emotion in attempt to reach the lost, then we must first come to the realization that God gave it all to us through His Son Jesus Christ! If are to experience God’s love, observe how He served, and learn to sacrifice and give like He did, then I believe we will be much more effective in reaching people for Christ.

So the question is: “Have you encountered Jesus in these areas lately?”  Let God minister to you in these areas first, then boldly step out and Love.Serve.Give…So Others May Live!

-Eric

There's No "I" in Team

Growing up playing sports, I heard the famous saying, “There’s no ‘I’ in the word team.”  Simply put, one person cannot make up a team.  When a player begins thinking he’s the only one that really matters on the team for it to win, the team becomes fragmented in its effort and inevitably isn’t successful.  In ministry here at Valley Family Church, we operate with the same mentality.  As a Student Ministries team, we understand that to accomplish one goal we need to work a cohesive unit.  In day to day ministry, we need to put aside our personal preferences and ideas of how things should operate in order to be successful with the big picture: creating an environment for students to have fun in God’s house, make great friends, and really connect with God.

In addition to viewing ministry as a team effort, the Student Ministries Team also recognizes that each person on the team has unique gifting and strengths that benefit the team as a whole.  I played soccer in early elementary, high school, and college.  If you have ever watched 1^st graders play soccer, it can be quite humorous at times; you’ll notice all of the students running in a clump trying to kick the ball.  It doesn’t seem like the most effective way to move the soccer ball up the field to score a goal.  In high school and even further in-depth in college, you are taught that on a soccer field, there are specific positions strategically placed on the field to move the ball up field for a goal.  No longer is the entire team running in a cluster trying to kick the ball.  Instead, each person is assigned to a field position based on their personal area of strength to give the team its best shot at scoring a goal.

In the ministry, we also “play” to the strengths of the team.  We have creative people and detail oriented people working alongside each other, using their God-given strengths to ultimately make ministry happen.  I challenge you to look at your team and first make sure you are all on the same page, reaching for the same goal.  Secondly, I’d encourage you to take inventory of your teams’ strengths and see if any adjustments can be made so that your entire team is using their God-given strengths and giftings.

-Ruth