Strange trust

I got a call yesterday from a friend of mine that lives back in Knoxville. She and I had not talked since I wrecked my bike at the beginning of the summer. She let me know how she was and what all was going on in K-ville. It was exciting to hear her talk about what she was doing in her church and some other things that were going on there. I was a little shocked when I heard about who was doing the youth ministry there now. I know the girl who's working there and can see how she would do a good job in that setting but just never in a million years would have thought that she would have been doing youth ministry. Just to clue you in on why I'm a little surprized: 1.) She has a degree from U of Tennessee in International Business with a minor in Italian. 2.) She's never been to Bible college. 3.) She grew up in that church. Along with a handfull of other things, its strange to think about (I can only imagine what was going through her mind as she was starting out!) but it works! And it evidently works well! She has a lot of resources and people around her to help fill in the gaps where she lacks experience. But she knows her people and the enviroment in which she works and, most importantly, she is letting God lead. So as my friend and I were talking about our business-major-turned-youth-minister friend, I was just assured of what, interestingly enough, I'll be commenting on below.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Ok, since I've started commenting on Proverbs, I've been excited about doing this one. I'm not sure, but this just might be the most popular Proverbs known to man. Like I said, I'm not sure. It's popularity doesn't make it any easier to live out, though. In fact, it probably makes it a little harder. People toss this passage around like a baseball expecting it to be the end-all and be-all of Biblical pick-me-ups. But when you're on the receiving end of these well-intentioned wise words, it's a hard pill to swallow for a number of reasons (none of which I'll discuss here). It's hard to let go of one's life. To trust in the Lord with all your heart is a hard thing to do! It's not a normal thing to do. We are so used to doing things in our own way, according to what we know. But this proverb tells us not to lean, or rely on, our own understanding of life to guide us. We are to rely on the Lord to lead us. To acknowledge him in all our ways is to consult his will for the answers. When we are faced with a decision, big or small, we go to the Word or we go to him in prayer saying, "Lord, you know and I don't". Know that he's there and know that his will is best. When we do this, we are assured that he will direct the course of our lives. On the few occasions when I have accomplished this, I have been amazed at how well the situation worked out. I would have never thought that that was the way it would happen, but God knows and I don't. It's true that life would be so much easier if we could all get the idea that the Lord knows best and we would have the faith in him that we ought. We would save ourselves from so much heartache and worry we would need to take up another hobby or two because of all the free time we now had. Don't think I'm trying to throw around warm fuzzies here because I know more than anyone how hard this is for me. But if we will all take life moment by moment and allow God to work in each of them, then we will see how our lives will change and our faith in him will grow.

Sunday 12/5: 7 week LIFE group fellowship dinner-no regular Youth Group (come hungry!)Sunday 12/12: Christmas carroling (come ready to sing!)
Saturday 12/18: Toys for Tots distribution @ Harmony United Methodist Church
Sunday 12/19: Holiday Dinner (come hungry!)
Wednesday 12/21: A Big Deal Christmas (White Elephant gift exchange & party)

Later...