Let's Get Real...

This week we are at my parent's church in IL helping with their VBS. I am so glad we can be here again this year!

Our responsibility is to teach the youth Bible- this year it is the Book of Ezekiel! And that, my friends is NO small task. But, I am married to a scholarly theologianey (yes I made up a word!) man and he is loving every second of this challenge and is doing  great job.

Someone commented to me a while back that they couldn't believe we would "give up a week of ministry to do VBS......"

Wait, What?

 "Give up a week of ministry"

Are ya kidding me?

I didn't quite know how to respond at first.

I don't think that is quite how they meant to say but it is what came out. I am pretty certain (since this was a sensible, or what seemed like a sensible person) they meant "give up a a week of ministry" as in not preach or sing  somewhere in a revival, camp meeting, etc....and get all dressed up and have our nice sound equipment set up and our CD table and sell lots of CD's and get a hefty love offering at the end of the week....well, you get the picture.

Well, I want to tell you plainly and as matter of factly as I can: We DID NOT GIVE UP anything for this week.

 This is REAL stuff. This IS ministry.

 I sat in a room with a group of teenagers tonight and watched God speak and move in that Bible Study. I heard my husband and a young man praying at the end and this precious young man was praying to be delivered from drug addiction! My heart broke....

The kids we are privileged to work with this week have hard, awful, sad lives. I can't imagine living one day like some of them have to live. I saw kids tonight eating plate full's of food during dinner time because they hadn't eaten all day....heartbreaking!

I say all this to say this: Serving Jesus isn't about being behind the microphone. It's not always pretty. It's often messy...It's often more than we sometimes humanly handle, but it's the best life there is! There is no higher calling. None...

I don't know about you, but,I want to tell them, to love them, to show them, to feed them, to cry with them, hug them, laugh with them, offer them hope ALL in THE NAME of JESUS!

It's time we get REAL...let's quit playing and go do! There are a lot more kids (and adults) like the ones we're with this week out there that need to know....they can be set free! They can live a victorious life because of Jesus!