Have you ever felt like you’re just overwhelmed? Like everything around you is falling apart? Or is it just me? It’s not a good feeling right? I was having a couple days like that, where it just seemed that everything that could possibly go wrong, was going wrong. Things at home, at church, with friends, work, marriage… like everything just seems to be piling up!
Please don’t hear what I’m not saying, my family is great, my marriage is strong, friends are awesome, and ministry continues to amaze me… but sometimes, sometimes we can often drown in a glass of water, right? At least that’s what I was experiencing just a few days ago. It seems like no matter how hard you try sometimes to focus on the important things in life, bad news and gossip always seem to come to you, always seem to try to bring you down and get your focus off the Cross and onto insignificant worldly things.
- When things go right at church, I celebrate immensely, not because of my efforts but because of God’s goodness.
- When things go right in the home, I celebrate that too, not because of amazing parenting skills, but because of God’s compassion.
- When things go great in my marriage, I so celebrate the gift of my wife, not because I’m an amazing husband, but because of God’s generosity.
But when things don’t go right, then what?
Then things change… things are different, they’re no longer the same, then I beat myself up. I no longer look to God but instead question myself, horrible right? So that’s a struggle of mine, one amongst many others, but I’m so grateful and full of joy that instead of trying to shift blame when things don’t go right, instead of trying to find fault in myself, I analyze and try to think what God is doing and teaching me in the midst of it. I can be very hard on myself and that inward focus can make me miss what God is actually doing through any given situation.
As I was reading and praying this morning, I don’t know how the heck this song came up in my mind but before I knew it, I was humming it, and then I was singing it, and then I had to look it up on YouTube and play. Here’s the link #DontJudgeMe:
I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary,
To save a wretch like me…
O Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever…
Any victory I have is in Christ… from salvation to ordinary and daily living. God is sovereign, yet I’m not a puppet or robot. God uses me, He uses my gifts, and He even uses my flaws and mistakes to bring Him glory. He reconciles all things to Himself, He redeems, and He restores… such a refreshing reminder.
1 Corinthians 15:57,
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you’re struggling today, be reminded of how God is blessing you. I don’t mean material things… but think of the small and usually overlooked things, like coming home each day to your family. With our beloved Kobe Bryant having been tragically killed in a helicopter crash along with his daughter and 7 other people, the world is very aware and sensitive to how short life can be and literally gone in the blink of an eye. It was a startling reminder to me that I can’t allow even ministry to come between spending quality time with my family. I’ve already made the mistake of focusing too much on others and not enough time on my family. That’s a wrap, won’t happen again!
So when I find myself drowning in a glass of water, I’m reminded of God’s goodness, allow me to share some of those celebrations with you, that you might give God glory too for the victories that Christ is giving us:
Our Men’s Group just continues to grow
Our Youth Group has been restructured and is looking amazing. They’ve got some fundraisers prepped for this year, they’re being refreshed with the Gospel continuously and growing spiritually. Yvette, Kristina, Paul, Jerett, and Ricky are doing a great job with our teens. It’s not just fun and games, they’re gaining the trust of our Youth, and teaching them deep theological truths.
Our Women’s Group is growing, look at these beautiful sisters whom are striving to encourage each other, love each other, and build each other up. Ruby and her crew (Edna, Maribel, Kristina, and Rachel) are putting it down!
Our Children’s Ministry has also recently undergone a restructuring and we’re amazed at how smooth it is running, our sister Liz Price has outdone herself with an easy system she’s implemented, the amount of support she has is awesome. Edna, Gabby, Tabitha, Ica, Melissa, Christine, Maribel, Oralia, and so many other ladies got her back. As a pastor I’m thankful for her giftings being used to comfort parents knowing their kids are not just being watched, but taught, catechized, and instructed in the ways of the Lord.
And as for our worship team, it started off with many problems but under Rachel’s leadership she’s taken us beyond any expectations we could’ve had, not just in how she leads, invites others to step up, but in how she’s pouring into the next generation of worshippers, and discipling them outside of church and worship ministry.
Thanks for following my/ our story! Thanks for praying for us, encouraging us, supporting us, holding us accountable, but most importantly for just being there for us and not turning away or forgetting about us. We love you!
Church Planting In The Hood 