Praising God for Answered Prayer

Thanking God for a successful scoliosis surgery for Alexia!



Continue to pray for Alexia as she goes through recovery and rehabilitation! God is good!

- Toni

Location:Grovedale Dr,Dallas,United States

Youth Minister Ramblings - The Challenge of the Good Samaritian

“‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”–Luke 10:36-37

The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the best known of Jesus' teachings. But it is one that consistently challenges me. Most of the time the challenge hits directly at what I tend to spend time doing - taking care of my needs and wants - and not thinking about the needs and wants of others. But the Samaritian was righteous because he looked after the needs of another person, and some would say the needs of an enemy. What a challenge! To have mercy on an enemy, on someone we think did something wrong to us or to a loved one!

As I watched the news this week, I saw this story of the Good Samaritan played out all over the world ... and not always with a happy ending. I saw military personal attempting to rescue people only to end up massacred in a road side bomb. I saw young people protesting, only to end up arrested. I saw people standing up for a convicted murderer only to have him put to death. These people were attempting to be merciful, to help someone in need of assistance or justice or freedom - and yet it didn't end up as nicely as Jesus' parable.

But then as I thought a bit longer, I realized we don't really know what life was like for the Samaritan once he helped the enemy. Maybe his friends were mad at him. Maybe his family didn't understand. Maybe people mocked him, called him names or didn't want him around. Maybe his life was totally transformed because of his act of mercy. Jesus seems to be saying that it doesn't matter who you are or who the person in need is or what the result of your actions are - helping/having mercy/being moved to act in compassion are ALWAYS the right response for a follower of Christ - no matter the cost.

This discipleship thing is not easy - it costs a lot - but ultimately I have to believe it is worth it! Because imagine life is there was no one moved by faith to have compassion? That was the other option in this story. The man was not dead - but those who should have helped left him for dead to take care of their own wants and needs - he could have died. The Samaritian weighed the cost and found mercy to be the best option - no matter the cost!

Wow! again I'm challenged!

Weekly Update - September 19th, 2011

THIS WEEK: WEDNESDAY:     JR HI EYC - 6:00pm YOUTH ROOM - Bring Bible! Parent = Andrea Roberts SUNDAY: Sunday School - 10:00am - Don't forget to read Chapter 3     SR HI EYC - 6:30 -8:00pm Bring a bible! Parent =  Margaret Bell and Mary Sonom
Dear Parents and Volunteers, This Sunday was a busy one! With preaching, Sunday School, Servant Sunday, and SR EYC, I met my quota of work for a week! A BIG thank you to the students who worked this SERVANT SUNDAY project. We were able to mulch half the community garden in about 2 hours. It was hot, dirty work but we managed to have some fun. And the garden (well half of it) looks great! A special thank you to Susan Ufer for being our parent volunteer and the best worker of the day! SR HI EYC was pretty fun too! We discussed Psalm 51 and talked about what faith and toilet's have in common. Then as a group we came up with the EYC@EPIPHANY "Flush It Away" Toilet Seat Covenant. Everyone participated in deciding what kind of behaviors we wanted God to flush out of our lives and our group and what kinds of behaviors would create a clean heart in us. I have to say... we have a very creative bunch of student! This week is a more laid back week for me! Just preparing for Wednesday and Sunday! So I'll have some extra time to pray for our amazing youth - there were a lot of prayers for school already! Have a blessed week! Toni

The Dirty! The Hot! The Mulchers

Thanks to all the youth who came out and helped in the Community Garden today! We were able to mulch half the main garden area! It was hot, dirty work and y'all rocked it!

A special thanks to Susan Ufer for being our awesome parent volunteer and putting in a ton of sweat equity! Thanks to the Turner family for cold bottled water too!!!
- Toni

Youth Minister Ramblings - Spending time with God

Len Woods, author of the book, “Unofficial Guide to Life After High School,” says that “borrowed faith is when people talk about God and do things for God instead of spending time with God.”

What is the difference between renting something and owning something ... how do you treat it? Think about it ... when you have borrowed something from some one else how do you treat it ... does it have the same value as something you have spent hard earned money on? For the most part, I think I value things that I've worked for more than things that are given to me or that I borrowed from some one else.

The same is true of my faith. I grew up in the church. I was an acolyte, in the youth group, and loved being at church but ... I did church ... I didn't really have a relationship with God. I didn't spend time trying to get to know God outside of my youth ministers talks or our Sunday school class. I had a borrowed faith - maybe my mom's cause she took me or my youth ministers because he was an amazing guy or even my priest because he told great stories. But it wasn't like I knew God outside of what I learned from them.

How did I get to know God on my own? I had to work at it! I had a crisis of faith in college and ended up going to look for answers by reading the bible and talking to God out loud in my school chapel. It was only once I started seeking God - and by seeking I mean YELLING loudly in a chapel! - that I began to have a personal relationship with the God my mom, youth minister and priest had been talking about for most of my life. It took being willing to open my dusty bible and read those weird sayings and ask myself how does this apply to my life right now - and do the hard work of actually thinking about the answer for myself!

Do you have a borrowed faith? Are you willing to do the work to own your relationship with God? I hope you are because it will be of greater value and a richer experience if you do!

SERVANT SUNDAY THIS SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18th, 12:30 - 4:00

Don't forget! This Sunday, Sept 18th, is SERVANT SUNDAY!!!!
We will be working in the Community Garden and need all available hands to help! We will meet in the youth room at 12:30 to eat lunch (BYOL) and then work from there. We need gloves, shovels, and wheelbarrows! Come one come all! :)
SR HI EYC will meet that evening at 6:30 too.

 

Another School Day

Today Elijah went off to his 2nd day of Mother's Day Out. He goes once a week to a program close to my office.
This morning was a glimpse into the future of school day mornings. It was a rough night, with EM waking up multiple times, and no one wanted to get up this morning. Normally Elijah wakes up and is ready to go, but this morning he woke up and didn't want to get out of bed! I had to go in multiple times before he was ready to get out of the crib and start his morning. Once he was up he was ready to go, but I could help think how this was a reminder of me and my mom's routine when I was in high school! :) She'd come in multiple times before I was up and ready to go! Lol!
On the way to school we talked about what he might get to do in his classroom. He was sure baseball would be on the schedule! My ball crazy kid!
He walked into school holding my hand again today. He was big eyed and a bit clingy when the teacher came to get him at the classroom door, but no tears! Even mom didn't cry!
One more day done 16 more years to go!
Toni

A New Year: 2011-12 is underway!

The new school year is already well underway as we begin this ministry year. It is hard to believe the summer is over and it’s time to get back to the essentials and the basics - like Sunday School, Youth group, and regular Sunday worship. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I like to take a break from the “have-tos” of life and just lay low, chill out, or spend the day hibernating in my home. But inevitably I have to start the routine again. I have felt this way about my spiritual life too. Just a desire to “take a break” from routine, to break out of the rut and to seek God in a new way. Most of the time I feel that way when in my prayer life I find myself asking “Can you hear me now?”

When faith becomes routine - another appointment in the calendar of life’s events, another to do on an unending list - it’s essentialness and extra-ordinariness can be stripped away. We can find ourselves seeking what we once had, doubting if our prayers are heard, and even wondering if we are really believers. In the myriad of responsibilities, projects, activities and assignments our youth deal with in a week at school it can feel like prayer/faith/church is just another thing they have to do, and not something that might actually help, comfort, or bring peace in the midst of chaos. Can God really hear me through the noise of my life?

This fall we are going to focus our youth group time on the idea of “CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?” We are going to ask some of the tough questions and journey through some of the essential promises God makes to God’s people. Like John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.”

Or Isaiah 55:3 “Incline your ear and com to me, and hear that your soul may live,…”
Not only will we find that God can always hear us, but I am confident we will end up hearing from God!

Blessings on this new school year! May God incline his ear to you, and may we all have our ears tuned to hear him.
    ~ Toni