People who know me are aware that outside of an iphone, I am not technologically inclined. I am not the friend you call to help you fix anything on your computer, and if you need help untangling your ear buds I am not much better. I am not a good helper. But God has a way of taking things that we aren't good at and showing us that we can be good at them, or in my case mildly mediocre.
I have been trying lately to get my mind engaged with the idea of living a life with a purposefully spiritual relationship with God. As someone who is finishing grad school, working one too many jobs, and still trying to find community it is a real challenge to have the deep spiritual life I was used to. Church on sundays, small groups on thursdays, leading highschool small group wednesday, college group fridays, I was literally being spoon fed quality christian time. And it was awesome, and I needed it, and without I wouldn't know how good God is. So when I have free time now, I see that I can choose to fill it with things that make me happy, or I can choose to fill it with the true source of happiness. Being the christian hedonist I am, I have started filling my time with a little more Jesus.
This desire is basically how I ended up joining Young Life. Now I have done Young Life before, I have worked with students before, but this time around I am not a full fledged high school leader. I am a helper. My besties, and long distance friends, can attest that I enjoy being a leader. Maybe even a little too much sometimes. But I know that working in a high school group should require at least a four year commitment, and I just don't have the time to dedicate to that right now. So I didn't think ti was right to join for part of that time, then leave. (If you volunteer for at least four years in a highschool ministry you can see at least one group of kids through, start to finish. I highly recommend volunteering for this, it'll change your life) I do have time to show up on Mondays and help in any way I am needed. I never would have thought my volunteering would lead me to being the new AV person.
That's right, the last person on your IT help line is running power point, speakers, microphone cables and noise stuff. Part of me has been very frustrated. Clearly the man running this show doesn't understand that I have a great improv comedy background and that I would be great at church skits, or maybe he just doesn't realize I love sharing what God has done in my life, or maybe he just doesn't understand that I don't know how to use machines that are a lot smarter than me. I have gently, and then strongly, reminded this guy that I don't like computers, and that the other girls don't like doing skits, but I do. Yet, I am the computer person. Paul had it right, "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." So, I do the computer nerd stuff.
It made me frustrated, and then I laughed about it, and now I know its true, when it feels like God is doing a few things in your life on the surface, below surface level there's a lot going on. Working in such a behind the scenes position has made me realize how important it is for things to run smoothly so that divine appointments can happen. It also made me passionate about making these behind the scene things run smoothly, which has lead me to prayer. The number one behind the scenes devotion that we can take part in. No one see's you do it, no one knows you did it, and you can get some work done! It has been a while since I have started my mornings with prayer. I have forgotten just how sweet the day can be. In the book Spiritual Disciplines, praying is refereed to as this direct connection with God. A time for intercession. That book has helped me learn how to pray, and when you pray, things happen.
For a week I spent an hour in prayer every morning, it helped changed my days and it helped changed my thinking. Instead of my mind wandering to its typical hangouts, food, boys, netflix, and art ideas, I found myself continually thinking about what I had prayed for that morning and would keep asking God to be with those people. It wasn't a month long fast, and it wasn't a year in scripture. It was simply seeking the Lord, and asking for his intervention in some areas that need some help. I'm writing and telling you, not to brag or boast, but because it can be so easy to have a deep connection with God. God is so rad in that he will literally give you the wisdom for situations, the words when you need them, and just what you are thirsty for. Just brace yourself, because that desire for wisdom might lead you behind a computer screen. Not just a facebook, term paper writing computer either, like a real grown up computer with knobs and sound cord stuff computer.
I am so totally excited to see what else God has in store for this adventure, and I am really happy to share this with you. Because I used to pray a lot, and this has reminded me that praying is awesome.
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