Wait...hold on a second. Let me read my own title again. WHAT? I am a senior now, in COLLEGE, when did that happen. It seems like just yesterday I was starting my senior year of high school. But now 4 years later, my last year of schooling has begun. There are a couple of emotions running through my mind.
First of all, I am very happy to be back. I absolutely loved this summer, and I would go back to it in a heart beat. I miss the BUMS very much. But I am also so glad to be back among all my friends here at Erskine and just be able to get the ball rolling on what is going to be an incredible senior year. I am, as always on a first day of school, a little bit nervous. I don't really know fully yet what this year is going to entail. But that also brings along some excitement of the unknown, and ready to embrace what ever God presents me with this school year.
But most of all, I am scared. This year is going to be very interesting to me. I absolutely love Special Education, which is what my major is here at Erskine. It has always had a very special place in my heart, thanks to the influences I have had on my life. It will always have a special place in my heart. However, now, that I am also influenced by this past summer, and a desire to do youth ministry, I am worried that I may lose that passion and fire I have for doing special education. So I ask you, my blog readers, to pray for me, that I will continue to do my best in my major here at Erskine, and be able to complete this senior year and the years of teaching after that with a heart full of joy, and worry about crossing the bridge into youth ministry once it gets here.
There is going to be one bible verse that I am going to live by this school year:
1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it ALL for the glory of God."
I am going to do my student teaching and everything else to the glory of God this school year, because I know that is what he would want me to do. I am very excited to be a senior at Erskine College!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Leaving a Legacy
I can't even begin to describe how much of an impact this summer has made my life. And now, it has come to an end. I literally can't believe it. It seems like yesterday I was just starting this internship. Yet 14 weeks ago today, I was just beginning the journey of this summer that would truly be life changing. And even though I only got paid for 10 of those 14 weeks (which was what I signed up for) I wouldn't trade back any of those 14 weeks. And now I am about to go start my senior year of college (How crazy is that, that's a whole different blog post.) I am honestly struggling to write this blog post because I am literally at a loss for words to try and describe this summer. Ill try: Amazing, God-filled, super-blessed, incredible. I don't what else to say. It was awesome!
I have grown so close with so many of the kids in my youth group. And so many of them have impacted my life in ways that I will never forget. I never even thought that I would gain so much from this summer when I first began way back in May. I thought this summer was going to be so much more about me making an impact on the youth. And I know part of it was. But I seriously ended up making some great friends this summer in the youth group. I hope and pray to God that I did make an impact to these youth this summer. But I do know for sure that each and every one of them made an impact on my life this. But that's the hard part about ministry. You don't always get to see the fruit that is produced after you planted the seeds. I hope that I planted a seed in these youth this summer, a seed that wants to grow closer to the Lord. But I don't know for sure. Now, I do have an advantage since Bethel is my home church, so I know I will be back for frequent visits over the next year in school.
But it wasn't just the youth who made such a strong impact on my life this summer. Probably the biggest influence came from my boss, who was also my youth minister, Chad Deetz. Chad has always had a special place in my heart. And he always will. He always seems to know what to say to me, and help me out through hard times. And even though I may not always listen to him, I know he still loves me all the same. Chad displays one of the best examples of unconditional love I have EVER seen in my life. People have made jokes all this summer about me being Chad's "mini-me". But I have constantly blown it off, as if I didn't enjoy it. But in all honestly, if I turn out to be half the man that Chad is today, I will be very happy with myself, and where I am. Chad has literally changed my life this summer. He has changed who I am, and what I want to do with my life. If it wasn't for him, I know there is no way I would feel the strong calling towards Youth Ministry that I am now ready to pursue.
Tonight, as it was my last night at youth, I taught the lesson. I talked about leaving a legacy. Everywhere we go, everything we do, we leave a little part of us. We are leaving our mark on this world everyday. But how we do that is what makes it different among everyone. Many people in this world have left being remembered well. But just because someone is remembered as being a good person, doesn't mean that they have left a positive legacy on this world. God calls us to leave our legacy through Him.
There is a great song called Legacy, by Nichole Nordeman. It talks about how we all want to hear good job while we are hear on this Earth, or an "atta boy or atta girl" as it says in the song. But the song goes on to say that stuff doesn't really end up mattering in this world. What truly matters is that when we get to Heaven, we hear God say to us "Well done, my good and faithful servant." We need to live our lives to God so that when people remember what we are all about here on this Earth, they will remember us by the Godly lives we lived, that were dedicated to him, and loving on others here on this Earth, so that our lives may impact the lives of others.
I have definitely been impacted by many others this summer. And I hope that I made an impact on at least one youth, if not many more. I thank God so much for this amazing opportunity he blessed me with this summer. And now I know that he is really calling me into Youth Ministry. What kind of legacy are you leaving on this Earth? What will people remember you by?
Here are some pictures to recap my summer:
I have grown so close with so many of the kids in my youth group. And so many of them have impacted my life in ways that I will never forget. I never even thought that I would gain so much from this summer when I first began way back in May. I thought this summer was going to be so much more about me making an impact on the youth. And I know part of it was. But I seriously ended up making some great friends this summer in the youth group. I hope and pray to God that I did make an impact to these youth this summer. But I do know for sure that each and every one of them made an impact on my life this. But that's the hard part about ministry. You don't always get to see the fruit that is produced after you planted the seeds. I hope that I planted a seed in these youth this summer, a seed that wants to grow closer to the Lord. But I don't know for sure. Now, I do have an advantage since Bethel is my home church, so I know I will be back for frequent visits over the next year in school.
But it wasn't just the youth who made such a strong impact on my life this summer. Probably the biggest influence came from my boss, who was also my youth minister, Chad Deetz. Chad has always had a special place in my heart. And he always will. He always seems to know what to say to me, and help me out through hard times. And even though I may not always listen to him, I know he still loves me all the same. Chad displays one of the best examples of unconditional love I have EVER seen in my life. People have made jokes all this summer about me being Chad's "mini-me". But I have constantly blown it off, as if I didn't enjoy it. But in all honestly, if I turn out to be half the man that Chad is today, I will be very happy with myself, and where I am. Chad has literally changed my life this summer. He has changed who I am, and what I want to do with my life. If it wasn't for him, I know there is no way I would feel the strong calling towards Youth Ministry that I am now ready to pursue.
Tonight, as it was my last night at youth, I taught the lesson. I talked about leaving a legacy. Everywhere we go, everything we do, we leave a little part of us. We are leaving our mark on this world everyday. But how we do that is what makes it different among everyone. Many people in this world have left being remembered well. But just because someone is remembered as being a good person, doesn't mean that they have left a positive legacy on this world. God calls us to leave our legacy through Him.
There is a great song called Legacy, by Nichole Nordeman. It talks about how we all want to hear good job while we are hear on this Earth, or an "atta boy or atta girl" as it says in the song. But the song goes on to say that stuff doesn't really end up mattering in this world. What truly matters is that when we get to Heaven, we hear God say to us "Well done, my good and faithful servant." We need to live our lives to God so that when people remember what we are all about here on this Earth, they will remember us by the Godly lives we lived, that were dedicated to him, and loving on others here on this Earth, so that our lives may impact the lives of others.
I have definitely been impacted by many others this summer. And I hope that I made an impact on at least one youth, if not many more. I thank God so much for this amazing opportunity he blessed me with this summer. And now I know that he is really calling me into Youth Ministry. What kind of legacy are you leaving on this Earth? What will people remember you by?
Here are some pictures to recap my summer:
Having fun during some Sing and Play on the Mission Trip!
Hanging out at one of the Block Parties!
Helping out with the Praise Band (which I did a lot of on the Mission Trip.)
Having fun on the Bus Ride!
The Man himself, Chad Deetz! Thanks for everything dude!
Our entire Youth Group having Worship on the Beach!
Our Entire Youth Group on the final day of our Mission Trip!
Thank you Bethel United Methodist Church for an amazing summer and thank you BUMS for an awesome time this summer. I am going to miss you guys like crazy, and I will be back to visit soon!
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