“But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.  I will give thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.”  Psalm 52:8-9 (NASB)

This past weekend, our hometown had straight-line winds blow through.  Branches broke off, trees were uprooted and anything outside was fair game to be moved.  Chad, I, and the boys were on our way back into town on our motorcycles when the wind hit.  As soon as the weather became scary, Caleb leaned around me and said, “I’m praying to God right now”.  Bless his heart!  The next mile I feared for our lives, but we had to keep going to get to shelter.  We were able to get the bikes parked near a dairy barn to ride out the storm.  A car pulled off with us and was able to give the boys and I shelter while Chad looked for his windshield. (His key was in his windshield bag, and the wind blew it across the road and into a field).  Looking back, I should say I have no idea how I was able to hold my bike against the wind, except I do have an idea- Caleb was praying.  While my body is still sore from holding the bike against the wind, I am thankful for our lives.

Storms come and go in our lives; when they blow in, we have no idea how we are going to handle them.  We think we have to physically muster through, to plan our route and take care of the details.  We worry, we fret, we get busy.  These are our first thoughts because we are human.  As a believer, we need to be constantly reminded to start with prayer- to get our minds focused in the right direction.  He will iron out the details and make them work- yes we still need to do our part.      Our part is preparing our hearts for when the storms do come, because they will.  James 1:2; “Consider it pure joy my brothers when you encounter various trials”; When, not if.  So how do we prepare our hearts?  By getting in the Word, knowing the Word, studying the Word, and in prayer.  In other words, growing strong roots that will withstand the storm.

The roots of an Olive Tree, while strong, are closer to the surface than most trees, and spread out under the canopy of the tree.  The root system can then absorb moisture that could easily evaporate in a desert air.  It needs a steady dose of nourishment to maintain its strength.  The tree can survive fire as well, even if it was burnt down to the stump, it can recover and grow back.  The tree is resilient.

Lord, let me be like an Olive Tree- let my roots grab hold quickly and deeply into your Word.  Holy Spirit, help my faith to stay strong; help me to trust in your providence for my daily needs.  Lord, when the trials come, and I get burnt, help me to grow back stronger and share my story of what you have done for me.   “The phrase, “wait on Your name” means to hope and depend on the character of God as expressed in His great name.  The psalm ends with David vowing to praise the Lord in the congregation as soon as God established him in his kingdom.  The private victories God gives us should be announced publicly for the encouragement of God’s people.” (Wiersbe, 2004)

The storm did topple/uproot many trees in our fair town so we were reminded that storms will come- that our faith will be tested, so I will continue to pray that God would make me like a green, young, strong, olive tree.

I am a Youth Pastor.

It is very weird to hear myself say those words after 17 years of not doing full-time ministry. Actually my title is Director of Youth Ministries, but this is what I am introduced as…  When God called me to minister to youth in 1998, I never dreamed I would be doing it as a volunteer for so long, but God had a lot of life to teach me first. Looking back, there were other opportunities, but God shut the doors for reasons I can now see.  I am excited to say I am now doing my dream job, although it isn’t really a ‘job’ but more I get to ‘do life’ with some adult leaders and students that God has put in my life.

I was reviewing catechism curriculum today and as I studied the Question and Answer #1, “What is our only hope in life and death?” I was reminded “that we are not our own, but belong body and soul to our Savior Jesus Christ”  This brings so much comfort knowing that God’s got a plan for our lives and we need not fret the little stuff.   We are to strive to live our lives according to His will, asking Him to show our meaning and purpose.  Romans 14:7-8 says “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.  For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord,  So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lords.”  Whether you believe in God or not, you cannot deny the feeling of peace when someone else is in control; (unless you’re a control freak of course).  For example, if you are riding in the car with someone you trust driving, you are able to relax and enjoy the ride.  It’s like knowing Christ is real- that He’s got the steering wheel and you are along for the ride.  Yes, you need to do your part and be a ‘good’ rider- such as not throwing fits which distract the driver, or paying attention to what is going on around you so you know when to get your shoes on for a stop.  In our ride with Christ, we still need to do our part and live according to how He guides us to live through Scripture.  When you kick and scream and want to get out of your safety belt (not live the Christian way) it creates a difficult time in your life, and sometimes an arm, (or consequence) will attempt to redirect your attitude or life back on track. 

Knowing that I am ‘along for the ride’ in Christ’s plan for my life gives me an assurance that whatever happens, as long as I am in tune with God’s Word and staying in touch with Him in prayer, that what comes out of my mouth and heart will be for His glory.

I am super excited to see where we get to go.