Being Thankful in a Tough Week

Sunday was hard. The church got to the last stage of church discipline for a dear friend and I felt shattered. I cried a lot that day and in the days after. I still cry sometimes. I have been grieving for him and his refusal to repent, for his wife who stood with him in his sin, and for his family who were by extension affected. I am grieving for our broken fellowship and for the loss of a family I counted as one of my own.

It took a few days before I started to see things to be thankful for in the midst of my grief.

I am thankful that God gave us faithful elders who are willing to do the painful task of church discipline, not out of anger or a desire to punish, but out of love and a desire to for repentance and restoration. I am thankful that if I start to stray, they will do their best to bring me back. I am thankful that they will protect the church family from those who would cause them harm. 

I am also thankful for their willingness to answer my questions and pray for me and encourage me in the midst of this trouble.

I am thankful that it happened the week I would spend the most time with members of the church family. This was the first week of fall meetings, and both Monday and Thursday I met with friends from church. I also had lunch with friends on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. And Wednesday is women's ministry so I was with the ladies and my homeschool kids that morning as well. It was helpful to be surrounded by people I love and who love me and, to remember that despite the loss of one family whom I love dearly, I am not alone.

I am thankful that God used this to show some areas in my heart that needed attention, some sinful attitudes that I needed to deal with right away.

I am thankful that God left this family with us for around 15 years. The parents had every chance to know Him for real (and even in the process of church discipline, every chance to repent and to turn to Christ), and the children were able to grow up in a loving church where the gospel was preached regularly.

I am thankful that God is so invested in the unity of the church and in the protection of His sheep that He will remove someone who would cause them harm.

I am thankful for years of friendship; even in my grief, I wouldn't wish those years away.

I am thankful that God is patient and forgiving, and if my friend and his wife repent, He will welcome them with open arms.

I am hurting, and there will probably be more tears, but there is still much to be thankful for.

September

I know that the new year technically starts in January, but since I was 5, I've followed the school year, first for school, then work, and now also ministry, so the new year really starts in September. It was a crazy busy month!

Work started up for real this month. We had our annual fall staff meeting, then our first parent group. I'm going to be looking after the preschoolers during parent meetings this year, so I also had to attend the Plan to Protect training. 

There were program plans to approve and parents to contact and meetings to book. I held my first fall meetings yesterday already.

Then, of course, the ministry year started. Women's ministry kicked off on the 13th and started for real on the 17th. I am, as always, delighted to be back with my homeschool kids. We have 5 rooms, although someone else watches over the junior high gang (mostly boys and prone to noise and trouble if left alone). That leaves me with 4 groups of kids ranging from 5-11 years old. 

Sunday School started as well with its usual craziness. The new class meant more time prepping for and training the new teacher. I think he's going to do well. We had our staff meeting (very short between services one Sunday), and later I remembered all the things I forgot to mention! I already have notes for next year's meeting. Then Sunday School itself started on the 21st. We've had 2 Sundays and I think everyone is in the right class now. 

So September was busy, but things are all in place, and it will settle down now, right? 

Not a chance; I can already see the crazy busy that is October on my schedule! It's all good stuff, though, and I'm enjoying it.

Finally Fall!

It is officially fall, both by the calendar (several days ago) and the temperature, which finally cooled down properly yesterday. I am not a fan of hot temperatures and fall always comes as a relief after the heat of summer. Granted, this summer was rainier than usual and there weren't as many hot days, but it obviously decided to make up for it by being still hot well into September.

Now, at last, it is fall. I can turn the oven on without wondering if it is going to make the apartment too hot and how long it will take for it to cool down. I can wear jeans and I need a sweater outside for at least most of the day (sometimes all day) and don't feel overheated.

I love fall. The temperatures drop and life starts up again. I have my Sunday School class, my Wednesday morning kids, and my homeschool meetings.

And, as a bonus, my sunflowers have finally bloomed, with all 4 of them bright and beautiful. My cosmos plants all have buds (one has been flowering for a few weeks, but the others have not) and should bloom before the frost comes. Even my tomatoes have finally agreed to ripen. 

It smells good outside, nature is giving us its last beautiful show before winter, and I am loving it! 

Sunday School!

Yesterday was the first week of Sunday School for the year. I had many, many things to accomplish to be ready, and by Friday I had finished my list and felt ready for the first week. 

Sweet, optimistic me. No one is ever quite ready for the first week. The service went long and then there was a very important announcement, and then there were 12 minutes before Sunday School started (instead of the 25-30 that I normally have). Any other Sunday it wouldn't matter, but this was the first week with all its craziness.

I had emailed the class lists to parents. I had sent a second email with some reminders and pointing them back to the first email. I still had children unsure of where they belonged, thinking they should be in a different class (adding a new class confused some), and attending the wrong class (because it was chaos and too late for the library class to make its way to the rest of us when they realized they had extra children, so they taught them this week and we'll have things sorted out for next week). 

Things weren't quite ready in the library (they had to find the tables and bring them upstairs). Because time was extra tight, the nursery class wasn't set up (because we have to wait for the babies to be picked up before taking over), so people decided that the class that I told them would be there wasn't actually going to be there and wandered off to look for it.

In the end, everyone ended up in a class and we were able to teach. My class was only about 10 minutes late getting started, which was pretty much normal for the first week. And I love my class. They are, for the most part, lively and inquisitive and willing to participate in discussions. 

The first week is done and the rest of the year is going to be so much fun!

Wednesday Morning

 The women's study at the church has started again, and that means I get to be with my homeschool kids again on Wednesday mornings!

There was the usual first day chaos, with things not quite set up and children going to the wrong rooms (despite the email that told their moms exactly which room they were in). There was also some "but that child told me we were in this room" nonsense. Don't listen to the other children; listen to the person who set up the rooms! There was also one unregistered child who showed up, but since he was with the junior high kids, there was plenty of room for him.

After things settled, I was able to spend some time with the four rooms of elementary aged children. We played fast games of "Pets" trivia (courtesy of Professor Noggin, maker of many, many sets of trivia cards). I had time to read to the little ones as well. 

Reading to the little ones is my favourite part of the morning. There are around 12 of them and they're all 5 and 6 years old and they love story time. This week we read The Many Problems of Rochel-Leah by Jane Yolen, which I have written about previously; The Pigeon Needs a Bath by Mo Willems, which is just as funny as all the pigeon books; and Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett, which is a fun story with excellent illustrations. It was an excellent start to the year with some of our favourite authors.

I am so happy to be caring for my little (and not-so-little) lambs once more!

Teaching Children

When I was working on my masters degree in Biblical Studies, one of the advisors was helping me decide on electives when he used the words "You'll just be teaching women and children." 

No. Absolutely not. I am not "just teaching women and children". I am teaching women and children. This is not a lesser ministry than teaching men. Yes, it's not at the same level as the pulpit ministry, but it's not somehow less important than every other ministry in the church.

Mostly I teach children, so that's probably a level under teaching women. After all, it's mostly just child care with some nice little Bible stories and games and crafts and cute songs, right? 

I am so thankful for a church where Scripture is so important and is part of every ministry. Our women's study is on year 2 of an in-depth study of 1 Corinthians and the women are in the word weekly. 

The younger half of the Sunday School program are learning Bible stories so they know what is in the Bible while getting to know about the God of the Bible. The older years are building on that and learning about salvation and sanctification. I've started creating a new curriculum that goes through biblical doctrine and teaches the children to know Scripture more fully.

Teaching children is a huge responsibility. They don't have as many critical thinking skills and can't go to the Bible to see if what we say is true (some of them can't read yet). Everything we teach them needs to be backed by Scripture and we need to make sure we're clear and precise. 

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the responsibility. I have 114 children under my care this year (I don't teach them all, but I do oversee the Sunday School program). We're helping raise the next generation of godly men and women who will then help raise the next generation....all the way until Christ returns. They need to know God and His word so well that they can stand firm for the truth, boldly, courageously, in the face of opposition.

No, I am not "just" teaching children. I am teaching children. 

The Threefold Cord Keeping of God's People

 "In the first place, God the Father keeps him, -- 'kept by the power of God'; the power that created and upholds the world, keeps the believer. The eternal purpose, love, and grace of the Father keeps him: this is the first cord.

"Again, God the Son keeps him: 'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.' The covenant engagements, the perfect obedience, the atoning death of Immanuel, keeps the believer: this is the second cord.

"Yet again, God the Holy Ghost keeps him: 'When the enemy shall com in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him' [put him to flight]. The effectual calling, the personal indwelling, the tender love, the covenant faithfulness, and the omnipotent power of the Eternal Spirit, keep the believer: this is the third cord. And 'a threefold cord is not quickly broken' Eccles. 4:12. Exceedingly great and precious promises!"

from Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul by Octavius Winslow