It’s been a while since I posted because I have been preparing and experiencing a service opportunity within the Body of Christ, yet outside of the house where I serve on staff. It’s become so important to intentionally take on 2 service opportunities and 2 professional and spiritual growth opportunities each and every year. It keeps me balanced, encouraged, and lets me be like everybody else – a follower and a servant of Christ.

I love serving in the local church day in and day out, week in and week out. It is thrilling to be on the front lines sharing the love of Christ and the good news – no, GREAT NEWS, of God’s plan for His people. But it is also a thrill to spend time being the hands and feet of Jesus (or maybe even the tail or the ear) for folks outside your own house for a short period of time that enables someone else to see Jesus afresh.

I remember inviting our daughter, the summer between her junior and senior year in high school, to participate in a movement for Christian leaders for the sole purpose of introducing her to a group of folks on fire for the Lord outside of our own home church. We kept seeing too many youth drop off the face of the church-earth once they left youth group and saw this as a great opportunity to gather some insurance. Boy, were we right.

Going to Children’s Pastor’s Conference and Catalyst Conference annually provide intentional spiritual and professional growth. I bring back lots of good ideas and resources that help in my service to the local church.  But the time I get to spend with people whose sole purpose is to take on the role of servant, whatever that may look like, in submission to the God-ordained leaders to help others see Christ in a fresh new way; now that’s a service that feeds my soul and reminds me that we are meant to be in service in the world, not just in the church.

Plus, I shuffle around my own house with a silly grin on my face as I recall comments such as, “Does this go together?” and “Just sayin’.”