I sent out the following email to a number of friends who have supported me in prayer over the years tonight, but thought I'd put it here for all of you as well. I really would appreciate your prayers over the course of the weekend.
Hi All!
I haven’t talked to some of you in a while, and some of you I talk to all of the time, but you’re all friends, and I wanted to send out a quick update on what I’ve been up to lately, and to ask you to pray for an event I have going on this weekend.
I think a lot of you know that a number of months ago I very carefully and prayerfully made a decision to return to the church I grew up in for a season of time, and got involved in working with the youth group there. I can honestly say that this has been one of the most difficult, challenging and occasionally satisfying seasons of my life. As I’ve gotten to know these young people, God has given me a great heart for them, and to see them grow deeper in relationship with them.
So here’s where the prayer request comes in. This weekend we are taking them away on a retreat. Just a short, overnight Friday, back late afternoon on Saturday kind of thing, but I’d love it if you’d pray for us. You can pray specifically for me on Friday night, as I will be doing half of the teaching portion of the evening, talking about ways God speaks and how we can learn to hear his voice. This is a rather intimidating setting for me to broach this subject, as the church I grew up in is not particularly open to things of the Spirit. However, I strongly feel God’s leading as I have studied and prepared over the last couple of weeks, and am excited (and very nervous) to be presented with this opportunity. I believe that the Spirit has helped me put words around the things I want to communicate, and I am especially excited to talk about the times when God is silent, not speaking, since I know that a number of these students (and particularly some of the girls that I have been getting to know these last months) struggle with this at times. I am praying that God will give me complete freedom to speak what he’s laid on my heart for these young people, without worrying about whether or not this is exactly how the church I’m involved in would say it. I’m also asking God to give me many opportunities over the course of Saturday as we take the kids hiking and wander around the town we’re going to to have individual conversations with these young people and challenge and encourage them to continue pursuing the deep things of God. Pray specifically that any cliquishness that exists will be overcome, and that the group will really come together. As we’re hiking on Saturday, we’re going to pause a number of times along the way and invite the kids to journal (none of you should be particularly surprised that I get to give them a five minute introduction to why journaling is a useful spiritual tool) and begin to notice what God is saying or doing in the context of creation, their friends and families, and in their own lives.
For those of you who like specific details, we’re holding the retreat at a hostel in Canmore, Alberta. This is the most affordable solution we could come up with, and we were able to book a private meeting room on site for our gathering on Friday night. This will also allow us to cook together, and hang out in a relaxed setting. We think our teaching time will probably start around 9:30 p.m. or so, and I am teaching the second half, so probably starting around 10. Saturday we’re hiking in the morning, then wandering around town in the afternoon, returning to Calgary by around supper time.
Thank you all for your friendship and prayers. It’s greatly appreciated! I’ll be posting an update on how the weekend went on my blog at http://ofalltheliars.blogspot.com sometime after Saturday night (probably Sunday or Monday) if you’d like to find out how things go.
Blessings,
Lisa
Thursday, May 10, 2007
One Word Quiz
Thought this was fun, so I did it and am passing it along.
1 Word quiz
You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.
Not as easy as you might think.
1. Where is your cell phone?: purse
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?: nope
3. Your hair?: ponytail
4. Work?: boring
5. Your father?: pastor
6. Your favorite thing?: books
7. Your dream last night?: didn’t
8. Your favorite drink?: tea
9. Your dream car?: anything
10. The room you're in?: office
11. Your pet?: dog
12. Your fears?: lots
13. What do you want to be in 10 years?: counselor
14. Where did you hang out last night?: Narnia
15. What you're not good at?: math
16. Eyebrow rings on the opposite sex?: unsure
17. One of your wish list items?: apartment
18. Where you grew up?: Calgary
19. The last thing you did?: lunch
20. What are you wearing?: clothes
21. what aren't you wearing?: socks
22. The website GoofyAuctions.com (filled with eBay spoofs)?: huh?
23. Your computer?: MAC
24. Your life?: good
25. Your mood? bored
26. Missing?: Kari
27. What are you thinking about right now?: speech
28. Your car?: non-existent
29. Your work?: boring
30. Your summer?: unplanned
31. Your relationship status?: looking...
32. Your favorite color?: green
33. When is the last time you laughed?: lunch
34. Last time you cried?: home
35. School?: yes
1 Word quiz
You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.
Not as easy as you might think.
1. Where is your cell phone?: purse
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?: nope
3. Your hair?: ponytail
4. Work?: boring
5. Your father?: pastor
6. Your favorite thing?: books
7. Your dream last night?: didn’t
8. Your favorite drink?: tea
9. Your dream car?: anything
10. The room you're in?: office
11. Your pet?: dog
12. Your fears?: lots
13. What do you want to be in 10 years?: counselor
14. Where did you hang out last night?: Narnia
15. What you're not good at?: math
16. Eyebrow rings on the opposite sex?: unsure
17. One of your wish list items?: apartment
18. Where you grew up?: Calgary
19. The last thing you did?: lunch
20. What are you wearing?: clothes
21. what aren't you wearing?: socks
22. The website GoofyAuctions.com (filled with eBay spoofs)?: huh?
23. Your computer?: MAC
24. Your life?: good
25. Your mood? bored
26. Missing?: Kari
27. What are you thinking about right now?: speech
28. Your car?: non-existent
29. Your work?: boring
30. Your summer?: unplanned
31. Your relationship status?: looking...
32. Your favorite color?: green
33. When is the last time you laughed?: lunch
34. Last time you cried?: home
35. School?: yes
Youth retreat, moving out, and so on...
Okay, so I’ve caved and made a cup of tea. I’m freezing. For some reason I can’t seem to regulate the thermostat in my work area to a comfortable temperature. The rest of the building is fairly warm, but I’m cold (and I’m even wearing long sleeves today!) Oh well, tea it is… I was trying to not drink hot drinks in the mornings, in deference to the fact that it seems spring has finally arrived, and the weather has warmed, trying to stick to water and iced teas, but today, I’ve caved, and made a cup of hot tea.
And, while I was in the kitchen, someone gave me a couple of shortbread cookies to go with my tea that were extra food from what they’d brought in for a meeting. Fantastic!
I wrote the second half of my talk for the weekend last night. This part covered “God in the Silence,” and flowed much more easily than the first part. I think it quite nicely covers the points I’m hoping to draw the kid’s attention to. However, I still can’t figure out how to wrap the first part up and make some points. I’ve had no trouble figuring out how I want to tell the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel, highlighting certain parts, but can’t figure out exactly how to turn from that story to a bit more practical application. So, my evening tonight will have to be devoted to packing, reviewing what I want to say, and figuring out how to wrap this up into a cohesive package… and I might preach it to myself in my bedroom, just to make sure that I’m around the right amount of time for what we’ve allotted for each section. Maybe no one will be at home tonight to hear my weird behavior!
If you have any big ideas, let me know!
Other than that, life moves right along. It’s beginning to look very possible that if I curtail my spending by a chunk (no more impulse purchases I guess!) I’ll be able to afford to move out in July (providing the roommate situation works out) and that I’ll also be able to add to my independence by buying a car. YAY! It might actually be better for building friendships anyway – lots of eating in, hanging out watching movies, instead of eating out (which I really do LOVE) and then just going our separate ways because we don’t know what to do next, or don’t have a place that works for inviting people over. Megs and I were talking about that last night – how we’re both looking forward to living in places where we feel comfortable inviting friends over, instead of in places where you have to wonder what your parents or in her case aunt and uncle, are doing, and whether you’re infringing on their plans. We’re looking forward to living in places where we don’t have to hole up in our bedrooms if we want to have a friend over and talk about personal stuff, but can have nice, open conversations on the couch in our living rooms. Whoo hoo! (And by the way, if I end up moving out, I’m accepting donations of furniture – so I have the aforementioned couch on which to have a conversation!)
Alright. I’m going back to work now. Not that I have all that much to do, just that I don’t particularly have anything further to say here right now.
If I don’t post tomorrow, please remember to pray for me this weekend. My great desire is that the words that come out of my mouth as I speak tomorrow night would be ordained by God, and directed by His Spirit to be the very words necessary for this group of young people to hear. Pray that I would feel free to be who I am, and not worry about what people will think.
And, while I was in the kitchen, someone gave me a couple of shortbread cookies to go with my tea that were extra food from what they’d brought in for a meeting. Fantastic!
I wrote the second half of my talk for the weekend last night. This part covered “God in the Silence,” and flowed much more easily than the first part. I think it quite nicely covers the points I’m hoping to draw the kid’s attention to. However, I still can’t figure out how to wrap the first part up and make some points. I’ve had no trouble figuring out how I want to tell the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel, highlighting certain parts, but can’t figure out exactly how to turn from that story to a bit more practical application. So, my evening tonight will have to be devoted to packing, reviewing what I want to say, and figuring out how to wrap this up into a cohesive package… and I might preach it to myself in my bedroom, just to make sure that I’m around the right amount of time for what we’ve allotted for each section. Maybe no one will be at home tonight to hear my weird behavior!
If you have any big ideas, let me know!
Other than that, life moves right along. It’s beginning to look very possible that if I curtail my spending by a chunk (no more impulse purchases I guess!) I’ll be able to afford to move out in July (providing the roommate situation works out) and that I’ll also be able to add to my independence by buying a car. YAY! It might actually be better for building friendships anyway – lots of eating in, hanging out watching movies, instead of eating out (which I really do LOVE) and then just going our separate ways because we don’t know what to do next, or don’t have a place that works for inviting people over. Megs and I were talking about that last night – how we’re both looking forward to living in places where we feel comfortable inviting friends over, instead of in places where you have to wonder what your parents or in her case aunt and uncle, are doing, and whether you’re infringing on their plans. We’re looking forward to living in places where we don’t have to hole up in our bedrooms if we want to have a friend over and talk about personal stuff, but can have nice, open conversations on the couch in our living rooms. Whoo hoo! (And by the way, if I end up moving out, I’m accepting donations of furniture – so I have the aforementioned couch on which to have a conversation!)
Alright. I’m going back to work now. Not that I have all that much to do, just that I don’t particularly have anything further to say here right now.
If I don’t post tomorrow, please remember to pray for me this weekend. My great desire is that the words that come out of my mouth as I speak tomorrow night would be ordained by God, and directed by His Spirit to be the very words necessary for this group of young people to hear. Pray that I would feel free to be who I am, and not worry about what people will think.
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