Why is January 1st considered New Year's day when we spend the first 20 to 25 years of our lives basing time off of summer breaks? Think about it. About the time we start to comprehend time and how it works, we head off to school. This means our year starts sometime between the beginning of August and the middle of September, and it ends sometime between the beginning of May and the end of June. I'm about to turn 21 and when I look back on my life, I determine the path of my life by what grade I was in, not what year it was at the point. With this being the case, I have never really become excited for New Year's Eve because it has always meant that it was almost time do go back to school after Christmas break. BUT the start of a new school year is completely different.
The start of a new school year means new classes, new friends, new clothes, nowadays a new living situation, and more importantly new school supplies! Every year when I was little I would get super excited to go to the store and get fresh pencils, markers, notebooks, folders, and tons of other school supplies. The older I got, the less I needed, and the sadder I became. You don't know how exciting it is for an enthusiastic learner to walk through isles of erasers, pencils, paper, calculators, pens, markers, crayons, poster board, and oh so much more. However, as I got older, my money turned from being spent on new pencils and notebooks because I had more than enough from previous years. Instead in started to be spent on new clothes. Exciting. But not near as joyous as the smell of freshly sharpened colored pencils and scented markers to the learner. Then college starts. Oh boy. Bring back the excitement. You get new clothes! You get new school supplies! AND you get items for a whole new bedroom!!!!
Then you get to where I am at in life. I'm a junior in college. What's exciting about that? I've been here a couple years. I know the ropes, but I still have two years to go for my undergraduate degree. So what do I have to keep my motivation up? What keeps me from just giving up and saying it's too hard? Simple answer? I don't give up on anything. Complex answer? I'm involved in so many different things that I don't have time to get bored. This year means practicums--my first opportunity to get into a classroom and actually teach a few times. It means the chance to take fun classes and not just gen-eds--classes like croquet and creative writing. It means another opportunity to act in the university's bi-annual play. It means my first year of being Social Life Director and Student Representative to the Alumni Board--meaning I plan a lot of events. It means I don't have to live in a dorm anymore--instead I get to live in a campus house. There are so many other things I could mention, but you don't want to read about every second of my life.
So any way, I guess my point is to wish you all a Happy New Year! No it's not January 1st, but to me and most of my friends (even quite a few of the adult friends) our year has just begun anew. So rejoice. Enjoy the new things and revel in the old things. Commit to make it a great year. If you have finally grown up and your world doesn't revolve around the school year, think back to when it did and encourage those people who have just celebrated new beginnings.
Well, have a quacky day and go pick up a new package of pencils just for the sake of the good ol' days.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Summer with the Ducks and a Million Other Things
It's been a while since I last blogged. This summer I served as the children's ministry intern at my church. For most people that would have been a daunting task. For me it was so exciting. Yes it was tons of work, but it's fun work. Different work. Every summer since I was old enough to hold down a part time job, it has involved hard, physical work. I have mowed lawns, cleaned houses, babysat, painted houses, and oh so much more. This summer I still painted houses, but I also got to spend the summer planning events and teaching the wonderful children of my home church.
So did I spend my summer playing with kids? No. I spent my summer ministering to children. There is a huge difference. Most people don't even realize how much work goes into different events. I did three main things this summer: Children's Church, Mondays with Miss Mysti, and Vacation Bible School. Children's Church didn't happen every week but it happened a lot. I couldn't afford spiritually to be with the children every week. I had to be fed myself. This is an issue that a lot of people in ministry positions forget. We cannot be in continual ministry. We have to allow God to speak to us and not just through our daily devotions, but through the fellowship with other Christians and the wisdom that comes from more mature Christians. So, I make this point not because I want to preach at you but because it explains why, even though I really wanted to, I knew I could not minister to these children every Sunday. However those Sundays that I did work with them, we were emphasizing witnessing. Have you ever tried to teach a kid how to share the love of Jesus with their friends? It's a lot more difficult than I thought it would be, and for awhile I wasn't sure that I was even getting through to them. Then one Sunday close to the end of the summer, one of the girls came up to me to tell me all about her friend--a friend that she had been sharing Jesus with over the past few days. I was excited, but at the same time I knew it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with God. He did some awesome things this summer.
Remember that thing I called "Mondays with Miss Mysti" just a little bit ago? Yeah, big name for saying I spent my Mondays playing in my backyard with groups of children. Okay so maybe I did just spend some of my summer playing with children, but every child needs some time away from home with other kids during the summer. In fact for a certain age group, I even let them spend the night "camping" in my backyard. I still can't decide if I went crazy or if I just underestimated what that night would be like. Don't get me wrong. I had bucket loads of fun with those kids, but trying to get ten children in the same age bracket to sleep at a decent time is nearly impossible.
The piece de resistance of the summer came in mid-July with Vacation Bible School--an extremely tasking week. Yet the results--the results--were worth every minute of work I put into the five short days. That week the kids of our church managed to raise over $350 to send 10,000 vaccinations to the children of Africa through MAF. It was awesome to see the way God was working through those kids and that week was just the culmination of all the things He did this summer.
I was extremely blessed this summer. I also did many things like attending kids camp, youth camp, and district conference. Yet working with those kids and seeing God do amazing things through them, that made my year. The one thing I regret from this summer? I spent too much time working and not enough time enjoying. Being home with my parents is become a rare and wonderful opportunity--one that I need to take advantage of as much as I can. The lesson to be learned? Work your heart out for the Lord, but never forget to stop and enjoy the blessings He has provided for you.
Well, be watching for an update on the start of the school year soon. Oh and pay close attention because I shall shortly introduce you to Lieutenant James T. Duck and Colonel C.S. Quackerton, the newest citizens of Big Blue Tubs.
So did I spend my summer playing with kids? No. I spent my summer ministering to children. There is a huge difference. Most people don't even realize how much work goes into different events. I did three main things this summer: Children's Church, Mondays with Miss Mysti, and Vacation Bible School. Children's Church didn't happen every week but it happened a lot. I couldn't afford spiritually to be with the children every week. I had to be fed myself. This is an issue that a lot of people in ministry positions forget. We cannot be in continual ministry. We have to allow God to speak to us and not just through our daily devotions, but through the fellowship with other Christians and the wisdom that comes from more mature Christians. So, I make this point not because I want to preach at you but because it explains why, even though I really wanted to, I knew I could not minister to these children every Sunday. However those Sundays that I did work with them, we were emphasizing witnessing. Have you ever tried to teach a kid how to share the love of Jesus with their friends? It's a lot more difficult than I thought it would be, and for awhile I wasn't sure that I was even getting through to them. Then one Sunday close to the end of the summer, one of the girls came up to me to tell me all about her friend--a friend that she had been sharing Jesus with over the past few days. I was excited, but at the same time I knew it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with God. He did some awesome things this summer.
Remember that thing I called "Mondays with Miss Mysti" just a little bit ago? Yeah, big name for saying I spent my Mondays playing in my backyard with groups of children. Okay so maybe I did just spend some of my summer playing with children, but every child needs some time away from home with other kids during the summer. In fact for a certain age group, I even let them spend the night "camping" in my backyard. I still can't decide if I went crazy or if I just underestimated what that night would be like. Don't get me wrong. I had bucket loads of fun with those kids, but trying to get ten children in the same age bracket to sleep at a decent time is nearly impossible.
The piece de resistance of the summer came in mid-July with Vacation Bible School--an extremely tasking week. Yet the results--the results--were worth every minute of work I put into the five short days. That week the kids of our church managed to raise over $350 to send 10,000 vaccinations to the children of Africa through MAF. It was awesome to see the way God was working through those kids and that week was just the culmination of all the things He did this summer.
I was extremely blessed this summer. I also did many things like attending kids camp, youth camp, and district conference. Yet working with those kids and seeing God do amazing things through them, that made my year. The one thing I regret from this summer? I spent too much time working and not enough time enjoying. Being home with my parents is become a rare and wonderful opportunity--one that I need to take advantage of as much as I can. The lesson to be learned? Work your heart out for the Lord, but never forget to stop and enjoy the blessings He has provided for you.
Well, be watching for an update on the start of the school year soon. Oh and pay close attention because I shall shortly introduce you to Lieutenant James T. Duck and Colonel C.S. Quackerton, the newest citizens of Big Blue Tubs.
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