Practicum Blog #2

This past week I spent less time at the church because it was closed most of the week but also because I wanted to spend more time with my family.  For the church I was there on Tuesday and led a song for worship for the guys bible study.  Today, Eleesha and I did a skit for the Sunday morning service.  It was a little last minute for me but we pulled it off.

I believe I completed a total of 10 hours this past week for my practicum.

In ministry you're going to have to learn to adapt to different personalities.  You have to learn people and in order to do that you have to have friction and get into their lives in every aspect.  Sometimes you're going to be placed with someone who is a polar opposite from you but you have to decide to be flexible and learn to work together effectively.  Flexibility and understanding people.

I found myself most being most beneficial around my family because right now more than ever they need me around as much as I can be.  They're being strong and pushing through but I can see in them that it's taking a toll.  At the same time I'm not sure how beneficial I was to them.  I tried to be there as much as I possibly could, so I hope my time spent was a benefit to them.

My favorite aspect about this week was Thanksgiving and my least favorite was leaving.  The only reason it was leaving was because it was hard to leave my family with what's going on now.  I knew I had to though.

God is still telling me to stay strong but He's also ready to start a big work in my life to be the man that He wants me to be; and it's time to let Him.

Practicum Blog

This week for my practicum at South Hill Church of God, I did a number of things for the church.  I helped with worship on Sunday and ran sound for the Tuesday night youth service.  I also served in other ways such as raking and bagging leaves, moving tables, and teaching the Sunday school lesson for the guys.  There were a total of 17 hours that I spent serving the church this week.

Sometimes the unexpected comes about and that is something I learned while serving this week.  Especially in today's Sunday service.  Our practice went reasonably well but we had technical difficulties at the beginning of worship which ended up throwing off most of the rest of it.  I also learned that you have to learn to prioritize what you can and have to do for the church.

I found myself most beneficial in a worship setting and teaching setting.  I don't remember a particular time this week where I felt least beneficial except for in the beginning of worship when my guitar wouldn't stay tuned.

Honestly, my favorite aspect about this week was the time I've gotten to spend with my family.  To me that is what a break is about.  My least favorite part of the week was balancing all the stress that I've felt on our practicum.

God has been telling me, plain and simple, to persevere

Personal Ministry: Football

For this month of personal ministry I was working with Tim filming high school football games again for his son Isaac's team. I had a total of 8 hours in ministry hours for the football team this month. We record every game play by play so the coaches and teams have something to watch for the next week. They use these recordings to see what they do right or wrong in each situation and what they might need to improve on. This month Century, the team we film for, won two games and lost two games. They played their final game this past Friday against their rivals, the Liberty Lions, and lost 15-8. Being in the lead for the first half, Century gave up their lead to Liberty at the beginning of the 3^rd quarter which ended up giving the game away for them. It was blistering cold that night as well and while I really wanted Century to win it got to a point where I was just ready for the game to be over. However, I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve the football team for these past two months. It is my hope that the coaches and players of the football team saw a little bit of Jesus through our willingness to volunteer and serve them.

For our recording time we had to record each play made. In order to do that you not only have to get every player in the shot but you also have to follow the ball or the ball carrier throughout the entire play. Sometimes it can get tricky but for the most part it was easy and enjoyable. During half time Tim would drop the video file for the first half in to iMovie in order to get a head start on editing for the next day. Ben and I were the two running the video and we would take turns recording at each quarter. This was really helpful for cold nights when our hands were half frozen because of the weather. This whole month of video and football was enjoyable for both me and Ben and I'm sad to see it be over, but football has to end sometime.

Alone In Hardship

This week I learned that sometimes you're just going to have to be on your own. Despite what you may want out of life or how you expect things to go, there are just sometimes when you have to go it alone. I've been feeling a little off center lately, and looking at what's going on in my life I can see why. Aside from God...sometimes it feels like no one really cares for the affairs of my life. I've been challenged to take a good look into the hourglass and see how fast I really want the sand to fall. Is my life just passing me by while I wait for it or am I living it the way I should? Am I making the right decisions? Are people around me being affected by the choices I make? By the actions I take? I believe that the root of my feelings of loneliness come from the sheer gravity of my care for others. Most people don't know that I care, but I do. I suppose that when people don't care as much as I do it discourages me, even though it shouldn't.

I've been learning to encourage myself and to put others around me that are going to encourage me...to find people that actually care instead of assuming that everyone should; because here's the reality, not everyone cares. In fact, most people don't. It's a cruel world and most of the time people are going to do what they can to get ahead of you. The best that anyone can do is trust in God...trust that He knows what He's doing, and also, find some good friends along the way. Encourage yourself and find love in Christ and in life. It is out there I promise you that...as the world gets darker it gets harder to find, but it is out there for you. There's a calling for the Church, for Christians, to be a light in a dark world...in order to do this we have to find the way that we're supposed to shine our light. You can't shine a light if you have pain and hurt covering it up. Let God get rid of all of that first before you end up dumping your strife on other people. Seek counsel if you need it. I guess this is just a post of advice on my part...a lot of these thoughts are things that I need to listen to myself, but it's what I felt I needed to tell you guys about.  Don't give up when you mess up; it doesn't mean that God loves you any less.

Don't abandon yourself because you think all is lost. Hold tight and be strong...eventually things will let up and you'll get your footing again. To be honest, I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I believe I'll get there. Most of all...don't be fake. If you're feeling like the world is about to crush you under its proverbial boot, ADMIT IT. Don't act like you have it altogether if you haven't the slightest clue of what to do, because if pretend, it will destroy you. I believe that good leaders aren't fake. That's my motto anyway. Take it how you want, but it's what I believe. When you start to feel like you're alone lean on God. You might be alone for a purpose.  Remember that.  The sand is going to fall whether you're doing anything in your life or not.  Be someone who makes something of themselves despite adversity.  Be a leader.  Be a lover.  Be a fighter.

Being A Band

I spent this past weekend on the road with Julian Drive. It was an awesome experience with some great people. Their ministry is a genuine one and I really appreciated seeing that as I spent time with them. Amongst all of the fun and the work I saw a great team; five people who came together to make their band greater than what it was. What they all had in common was their love for God and their passion to do what they love to do. I found myself missing the camaraderie of a band. I missed being able to play music with a group of people who love it just as much as I do. The members of Julian Drive are all great people in their own right and they have many trials that they have to face but I saw how worth it all of it was.

Any time you have a team you have to have good vision and leadership for it. A band is no different...you're not going to go anywhere if you can't come together as a team under good leadership. However, a good team isn't made up of one leader and a bunch of followers, it's made up of a team of leaders who all contribute equally to a common goal. For a band, this isn't just applied behind the scenes but on a stage too. Everyone has to pull their weight equally for a band to be successful. Most people look past these things and don't see how much work it takes to be a part of a good band. You have to give musicians credit where credit is due...the ones that are on the road have a lot of work they have to do.

Leaving A Legacy

 Change is a powerful thing. Time changes all of us and keeps the memories we have stored away. Time gradually unleashes who we are and before we realize it, we become who we always wanted to be...or who we never wanted to be. I want my life to be a reflection of a man worthy to be remembered. Not because of my greatness, but because of God's greatness in me.

We were in South Hill, VA ministering at South Hill COG this week and I found my past rapidly smacking me in the face. I didn't see what I used to, but I saw the way that the people I knew had changed and how my life wasn't my life anymore. People that I'd known so well, I didn't know anymore. It's reflective and it's sobering when you come to a reality like that. That moment when you realize that you're becoming the person that you want to be but you're leaving so much behind. It's that same moment that begins your true legacy on the world.  In that breadth  of awakening; when all the time that has been spent in your life begins to turn like a clock, you realize that all the time wasted up to this point was precious and the rest is going to be equally as priceless. The Law of Legacy says that “Lasting value is measured by succession.” I see that my life and the legacy I leave is going to be measured by the way I live it. I hope and pray that I leave a legacy worthy of the time I invested on this earth.

Where Grace Is Given

Leadership, as I'm learning, is tough.  I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but when you're actually in the midst of it, it's quite a hill to climb.  I've observed much since beginning the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and my eyes are being opened to how the different laws are either in effect or not throughout my surroundings.  Living in a community of people, I'm having to learn quick how best to apply each law and in which situation to use what.  At times this thought process can be overwhelming but it gets easier through trial and error.  That's really what this year is all about for me and the rest of the leadership students.  We have to learn by doing...we can't just sit by and learn the book material, we have to apply it.  Of course, that's harder said than done in an atmosphere of transition and change.  What makes it equally as hard is that in our first year we have been learning to lead all girls.  This would be much easier if we had at least one girl leadership student on our team, but we don't.  From the beginning of time, men haven't been able to fully understand women and this situation is no exception.

The law I want to briefly talk about however is the Law of Buy-In.  This says that, "People Buy Into The Leader, Then The Vision."  You can't get people to believe in your vision unless they believe in you.  The key is getting them to believe in you.  How do you do this?  By applying all of the other laws learned in the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.  You have to be a leader worth following in other eyes in order for them to buy-in to your vision.  I know, that for me, this is a law that I have applied already, not as a leader.  I bought in to the vision of our new director.  While others haven't, I believe in what he can do and where he wants to take Mission Baltimore.  Anytime you have a transition of leadership things are going to start out tough and that is something that needs to be full understood in order for grace to be given.  While I have bought into our director...I can only hope that others are buying in to me.  If not...something will have to change.