These Past Few Days...

We just spent this past week up in my neck of the woods doing what we love to do -- sharing our hearts with people and sitting down with them - listening to them share their hearts with us.

It was one of my favorite times of "ministry" so far. I say ministry very loosely, because I really believe that all of life - every day should be ministry within our own little spheres of influence and responsibility. I don't really believe in separating life from ministry anymore. It's all connected to me. Nor do I believe that only a select few "do" ministry while the rest of God's kids just live life. While maybe only pastor's and missionaries get paid for their service....if God is living in us, and if He possessed all of the spiritual gifts, then chances are really good that He's given us a few of those gifts, and He's wanting to live out some of those gifts THROUGH us.

For example...my Dad teaches at a secular school, he drives bus, and is the town's Fire Chief as well as their Animal Control Officer. He does only "secular" work by the world's standards, but that man "does ministry" just as much as any pastor or missionary that I know. He is discipling new believers, he is a major support system to his church pastor and all who go there, the entire town knows and respects him, and he is constantly doing things behind the scenes - dropping off a load of wood to a struggling family down the road, buying a pizza for a little family that doesn't get treats very often, and sitting down in people's homes - getting to know them and loving on them in tangible, honest to goodness ways that make people love him and want to be like him. He LOVES Jesus, and all of his little town knows this because of his love for them. We ALL "do" ministry if we love Jesus and let Him live life through us. "They will know we are Christians by our love,......right?"

Okay. So, having said all of that...this past week was one of my favorite times of "ministry", so far. :0) We were up at my old church where I spent all of my growing up years, and we were with MY people, so before we even went into this week, I was totally invested. I love my roots. I love my people. I love the culture that I grew up in. It really is completely different than from where we live now - just two hours south. Two bitty hours. Two different worlds. And, so while it was a week that I was most looking forward to - I also went into it with a little bit of fear and trepidation...and with my eyes wide open -- knowing full well "my kind of people." Fiercely independent. Maybe slightly suspicious of new ideas. And not overly quick to spill out their emotions for all the world to see. I can say these things...because I'm one of them.

But, oh my goodness -- it was such a time of blessing for Kev and I. The service that we bring to people is one that was offered to us while we were living in PA, and it was really kind of life changing for us. In offering assessments and teaching tools and in hours spent together both as teams and individuals, we try to help others clarify and define their God given gifts and talents, and help them as individuals bring all of who they are into unified teams that better radiate Christ to others. Often times we don't even see how Jesus is already living and operating through us until a fresh pair of eyes brings it to light. Our time up there was so awesome and so mutually encouraging. We were welcomed into people's homes, we had honest depth in conversation, people trusted us with their hearts, and we in turn trusted them with ours.

And like so much of life lived up there, we just walked into people's lives, they loved us for who we are, and we were able to live life with them for just a few short hours. We were fed delicious meals, offered some of the most amazing coffee we've ever had in our lives, and I even got to give a bottle to a sweet newborn calf...and we went home with some of the Mama's milk to boot! Now that's hospitality!