December 19th, 2007 by Pastor Matt

We just finished one of those services.  Those long… hard services where everything doesn’t quite go how you imagined it.  When I was just now sitting here thinking about our service, I thought… what went wrong?

We had a special service, a Christmas party… and we had lots planned.  We had so much planned that as soon as the clock struck 7… we were off to the races.  It just wasn’t working though.  None of the kids were paying attention, most were talking, and the ones that weren’t were just staring at me like, “why aren’t you getting everyone to calm down?”  We struggled through the service, and we made it through quite well.  We had an excellent craft (thanks to my wonderful Wife) that got everyone’s attention back, and it was pretty smooth sailing from there.

So… where did we go wrong?  We started off so fast that we didn’t even pray!  I can’t even believe that we just finished a children’s church service without even praying once!  I feel like a children’s church teacher or something should come by and slap my hands with a ruler.

Well… lesson learned.  That’s how we all get better right?

December 3rd, 2007 by Pastor Matt

Last week was absolutely incredible.  On Sunday our Senior Pastor came up to me and told me that we were going to be very busy.  Our youth group had outgrown their area and had to be moved.  So we were getting a new room for the youth, moving the nursery (who had also outgrown their area) into the old youth room and my office.  Within a week we: moved 1 office full of every Children’s Ministry supply, the youth ministry and all supplies, the nursery and all their supplies, the entire church’s supply closets.  Whooooooo!  What an incredible week… and man was I stretched thin…
One of two things happens to someone when they get stretched.  They grow, or they tear.  Last week I had plenty to do on my schedule, and it would have been very easy for me to tear.  If I weren’t a born again Christian… I would have!  However, this past week I have grown.  I have become a better man, a better person, a better Christian… all because of last week.  I had to kill myself though.

Whenever you feel like you are getting stretched thin, and the gas in the tank is running out, just go ahead and get it over with.  Kill your flesh!  I absolutely loved it the first time my pastor said this, “God isn’t trying to hurt you, he’s trying to kill you!”

If you will die to yourself, you’ll grow through those times of stretching.