Stepping out and stretching

Pearls and Dreams

Sounds like I'm getting ready to work out huh?

Spiritually, emotionally I am.

I am finding my quiet little box harder and harder to remain content to be in.

I have agreed to co chair the mother/daughter sleepover in April for our children's ministry. I had one of my sons birthday parties that could be classified as a success. The rest of them (oldest son is 15, youngest is 13 so you can see, there has been plenty of experience) have all been BOMBS.

I can't throw a birthday party for 5 to 8 kids ..but I'm co chairing a sleepover for 25 to 30 girls and their mothers. Had I not been the co chair for the kids night out in September ... I'd not be as excited as I was. It seems, I can't throw a party for 5 kids, however, my FROG nite was a HUGE success and kids are STILL talking about it. THREE kids asked me today if I'm planning the Valentines Kids night out!!!!


So, I have one success under my belt ..and idea's forming for the sleepover. I thought it was ironic after the planning meeting yesterday that the 2 women who are co chairs ..have sons not daughters. Then realized how that would work to the advantage of all. A mother in charge of the event with a daughter there ..would have to do both. Now, all the mom's of daughters ..can play with their daughters. Soooo

We're going to have a beach party as our theme ... I can't wait! They're going to make designer flip flops (adding material, ribbons, buttons etc to flip flops) and do sand art and maybe a sand candle. The devotion that I told the children's pastor that she's going to do is out of Psalms 139 where David says that he is grateful for God's thoughts toward him that number greater than the sand. So the girls will learn that God thinks about them every day and planned for them to be just exactly who they are.

Ok ..that's off in April ... sooo fun.

But right now ... I'm starting a new ministry in the kids ministry. It's been weighing on me for quite a while that it needs to be done. I shared the idea with someone else and they said they loved it, and they were going to do it ..and they never did ...
Well, we used to have a ministry at our church called PIPP ... Pastors intercessory Prayer Partners. People would commit to praying for one staff member for a full year and the staff member would committ to sharing with that partner 2ce a month what needs have to be prayed for. Well, I knew we have some kids in our kids ministry that are REAL prayer kids ...my son is one of them.
I wanted my son to be a part of this ministry but at 13 and developmental delays ..he's not quite up to being able to really be able to properly be a part of PIPP ... so then it hit me ...why not a PIPP Jr.? Why not have it aimed AT the kids, we could do it on a Sunday where the parents wouldn't have to bring the kids in on another day. (PIPP meets on a Saturday)
Well, it was going to go under the PIPP umbrella ..but PIPP never got going again (met from Sept - June) and I waited and I waited ... and I realized ...I'm on the children's ministry team ... and there is no reason why PIPP jr cannot be done anyway.

So I emailed our children's pastor and she was in full agreement. The week after Feb 7th when the staff meeting meets ... I go in and talk to the kids and invite them to pray ... I'll go get the kids who want to do it ..and once a month, take them to the staff member to pray outloud for the pastor or staff member.
The staff member would know that it's their month and would have a list of prayer needs (in kid friendly language) that the kids could take home with them to remember what it is that they are praying for the staff member.

This is one way to start the kids off realizing that they have a vital role in the development of the church and the functioning of the church ...

I'm excited and nervous ..working with kids is not my strength, I only joined the Children's ministry team as a 'brainstormer' as a way of being a part of the ministry to my son ... my heart is in the worship ministry ... but ... I'm finding that it doesn't matter where I am serving at this point ... God is asking me to step out and stretch.