Preparing the book of Ruth

I'm in the midst of writing our new Bible study for Term 4. This is something that takes a while and yet I learn so much about the topic because I have to sift through context, meaning and application. It's a process that can be frustrating, particularly when trying to discern what key point I want the girls to take home.

Another challenge is the time-frame of each lunchtime group. We have about 30mins to read the passage and discuss it. For Ruth I have a few choices - choose key verses that point to the main purpose of the chapter, read each chapter each week or spend Week 1 reading the whole story. The main drawback with that option is that I have different girls coming each week and they need to hear the story too. I could email the passages out each week for the girls to read, but will they do that? I need God's help in discerning how to best tell the story of Ruth while not leaving anything out.

Proverbs 19:21 - Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

End of Term

Friday the 12th saw us hold our last Mustard session of the term. We ended with 'Gentleness', leaving 'Self-control' for another time. At the start of the term I planned how many hours I would be leading and engaging with this ministry (as I have to have 100 hours to meet the criteria for my subject) and it easily added up, so I thought great! My plans are working. However, as the term has gone by various 'planned' hours have slipped off the list, such as bi-weekly mentoring the student leader and regular catch-ups with the chaplain. This means that my hours are down according to my plan.

But recently I have been having many opportunities to hold lightly my plans, and to not get (as) stressed when it looks like things aren't going to work out (such as trying to find another KidzBiz leader with Term 4 just around the corner).

I don't know the implications for this component of the subject, but I have learnt that because ministry is about people, and people are dynamic, things will change! And it is better to be flexible and persevere than to get worked up just because your schedule is not being filled how you want it to be. God is at work in people's lives and I get to see that!

Faithfulness

What a joy Friday was! 7 girls, including 2 new girls! We enjoyed a robust discussion, at times it was tricky to steer the conversation back to the topic of faithfulness - what it means, how God is faithful, how we can be faithful. But as I grow spiritually I am loosening my hold on things to go my way. I realise the importance of Mustard being a fun, caring space where we can share what's going on in our hearts and sometimes the topic at hand triggers something in someone. We shared stories of faithful Christians we had heard of - people in jail who would rather preach the gospel for an hour and receive an hour's beating in return, in place of staying silent.

Being faithful requires strength! And patience, and hope. And we have hope not in the impossible and unattainable but in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. For Him, anything is worth remaining faithful.

Leading on the Frontlines

Friday and Saturday I spent at the national Acts29 conference: Leading on the Frontlines. A fantastic, soul-and-mind refreshing conference filled with gospel teaching exhorting, correcting and challenging us.

Some reflections:

- To rest my soul I need to dwell on the majesty of God. I know that I don't think and feel God's awesomeness very much, I too easily get caught up in logistics, people management and to-do lists, I forget who I'm working for. Majesty is the fear and gladness of the heart. Be captivated by, dwell on and pursue God's majesty.

- Like a father takes his little daughter to work for the day, not because she's helpful or insightful but because he delights in her and she takes joy in being with her Daddy, so my Father invites me to play with His work, to dabble and potter and help in the little way I can. He delights in me working with Him and I too (should) delight in working by His side.

- In order to lead from the Word you must believe it is the breath of God. To lead effectively the Word of God has to be premier in our lives, acting as the lens through which we interpret the world, residing at the core of every decision. Can't lead by His Word if you're not walking by it, and if you don't know it. Be thirsty!

- Know Jesus and make him known. Create opportunities for unbelievers to hear the gospel, the sower finds the soil, not the other way around. Live with gospel consistency, good deeds point to the gospel.

Goodness

This week in Mustard we discussed 'goodness'. I had a study prepared and we started working our way through it, but God had other plans for the discussion. I felt strongly that we should more deeply discuss the first verse I had chosen for the study, and leave the rest of the questions for personal reflection during the week:

Luke 6:27-28, 35

But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you... love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Why can Jesus say this to us? Why are we to love and do good to our enemies, the frustrating, the manipulative? It's because God loved us while we were still His enemies. This certainly struck the girls in their heart, and mine too! It's easy to say, hard to do.