The WEEKEND!

For those that aren't aware, there is an annual-monumental event at Calvary of Albuquerque called... "The Weekend"! I was a part of it this past weekend and I had such an amazing time. This is an event for middle-schoolers from 6th grade all the way up to high schoolers in 12th grade and anywhere in between. It is a weekend from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon where it's just you and your group all weekend long. It's sort of like a retreat, but we stay in Albuquerque. We stay Friday and Saturday night at a "host home", which pretty much explains it, a home that hosts about 10 girls or 1o guys plus their leaders. Then the whole weekend you go to the church for these different sessions and we have worship and a speaker come. The twist is that one day you play the Y-Games which intails eating a lot of gross things for money and doing weird things. All the while, dressed in whatever your group decides is your theme. Which can be anywhere from fast food workers to a glam band as a theme, but it should coincide with the theme of "The Weekend", which was the 80's of course. 

My group's theme was "The 80's Punk Rockers" aka "The Young Ones", which comes from, of course, an 80's punk-band name. I might look ridiculous but it was the most fun I have had since... probably Bible College. The first picture is our 7th grade girl group, can you find me? My co-leader was the one in the red leather jacket, yeah I picked it out! Then the next picture down is one of the guy leaders, me in the middle if you can even believe it, and then my co-leader again, Seruih. The next picture down was the 7th grade boys group. Their so cute, I did their make-up and I must admit their pictures better than ours :( 

Pretty crazy weekend, but awesome spiritually. I am a leader for the middle school group at my church "Velocity" and it's definitely the hardest ministry I do. The kids are just too cool for school, they intimidate me. But I just really see the Lord humbling me with this ministry because it's not something that I'm not always stoked to do, but it's so needed for me to be there. This is the age that most people give their lives to the Lord and decide what type of life they are going to live. To these kids their style is kind of a way of life, whether it be a christian-punk, secular-dork, or a clueless-prep. This is the stage that they are deciding who they are and who they are going to be because of the friends they hang out with or the music they listen to. This is the molding time, it's just that they don't want to be molded by just anyone, they want to be molded by someone cool, or someone they can look up to, someone who inspires them. 

It's a hard thing to be, someone cool or someone to look up to and that's why it's a tough ministry. But it's also why this weekend was so good, I got to know this small group of girls and hear what they think about and remember what it was like to be their age. It made me want to relate to them so much more because once you get them talking you almost cant stop them. Then once you start talking and they trust you they will listen to every little word you say, especially if you say a word wrong or if you don't make sense, they catch onto things like that like no other. Because of that though it made my Velocity ministry all the more worth while, I can reach these kids and they will pay attention. 

Also, more than that this weekend really ministered to my heart. When you are serving, the Lord always seems to teach you things so much, maybe even more than when you are attending and not serving, I don't know, maybe. But the Lord just showed me so much in my flesh, all these ministries I am involved in I am not making an impact at all. I am just going and going and not spending any time with Jesus, the whole reason I am doing all the ministries. It just seemed so ridiculous to me, like Hayley what are you doing and why are you doing it. When we were in one of the small groups on that friday night, I just remember wanting the girls to open up and tell us wonderful things the Lord is doing in their lives. But I remember thinking, what types of things is the Lord showing me or teaching me? I mean He's always teaching me something whether I am in the Word or not, but when I am in His Word it's Oh so much sweeter and clear and He's speaks way more. I don't know I guess it just hit me because lately I have been over analyzing EVERYTHING and I feel so confused and I am like Lord why am I so confused. I thought He would be teaching me one thing, but it would change and I was like Lord you are not the author of confusion and I know this so why do you seem to be saying one thing and then it ending up to be another? What is going on? Then it just hit me, Duh Hayley, you haven't been in the Word and of course it's confusing because you hear all the whole world talking before you actually hear Me. Yeah, that is confusing. 

Actually, I just watched this amazing video that really displays this exact thing. Go to http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=15552926 now, then after you watch read the next paragraph. 

This is definitely not a silly, cheesy little skit. I love that the girl meets Jesus first. This can sort of be interpreted two different ways, one way is that she met Jesus and she was dead "spiritually" before she met Him. This is why maybe her head was down in the very beginning and she didn't liven up until Jesus awakened her, I would call this getting "saved". Then Jesus moves with her and she does all the things He does, she sees life in a whole new light when Jesus is showing her new things around her. Or the other way is that she wasn't saved first because she was wearing the black shirt and then after all her dealings with the world she does get "saved" and then wears a white shirt, representing holiness. But then what was the beginning part with Jesus about then you might ask. Well I think it could also be the beginning of her life, because the Lord says "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you," (Jeremiah 1:5a). Maybe this was when Jesus was forming her in the womb, what type of women she would be, as He lifted her arms and legs. Then it's her journey through the world and the trials she faces without the Lord and always reaching for Him when she's in trouble. Either way you interpret it, it's an amazing story. I sort of prefer the one where she is saved first then goes through all the trials with the world. It's brutally honest and completely true, of course not the same things in everyone's life like drinking or wanting to commit suicide, or struggling with eating disorders but it's all still the same thing, self satisfaction, self self self. It's so funny how there are so many thoughts and more skits like this that show all the drugs and "bad stuff" first then they find Jesus and it's a whole new wonderful life with no struggles at all. It's not the complete opposite it's just different after Jesus. First, you are ruined to your old life, nothing satisfies as well as Him anymore and if you try other things instead of having Him satisfy you then it just doesn't feel the same, it doesn't taste the same. But some people just dive into it more and more because they think they'll forget about Jesus one day, and they do, but the Lord says worst off are those that know His word and choose not to follow after it. But for those that stick it out and continue in the faith, those are the most satisfied. Yes, they may get off track every once in a while or they may a lot. But when they seek the Lord and continue in their race, they know their end. I fear for those out there that do not know their end, like in this skit there are those that were trying to get the girl to stay with them and fighting against the Lord to get her. Where were they in the end, what happened to them? They fell, they were thrown back to the ground, it's sad to say, but it's where they belonged. The Lord says if you are not for Me then you are against Me. There has been and will be many times in my life that I am not for the Lord, but am against Him. Not reading His word and trying to minister to His people is one way of being against Him. Of course the Lord is sovereign towards us, but there is a point when you are too much against Him. No one else knows that point except the Lord, but it's a scary place to waver at that point or anywhere close by. It's definitely something to think about and something to more than that, ACT ON! Don't anyone dare read this and watch that video without taking an inward look into your life and change what needs to be fixed. It might seem confusing to you right now on how to do that, it might seem impossible. But if the Lord's making you think of it then the Lord Almighty can give you a way. Take it. 

But I just love when I see the Lord speaking so clear because the things of the world are gone for a moment. I love forgiveness and starting anew again with the Lord by my side.