Taking Time Off

So it’s now been right at a week that I’ve been off work, taking a break from my role as the Youth and Worship Pastor at our church, and while I haven’t exactly been able to relax much, I have to say that it feels very good to trust that things haven’t fallen apart in my absence.

It’s actually very interesting because this is the second time that I’ve had to miss our Wednesday Night Middle School Youth Program in the last month and a half. The first time was because we were celebrating  my mom’s 50th birthday and then, of course, this time is because I’ve been spending some quality time at home helping my lovely bride acclimate to her new role as a stay-at-home mom. Now, to be quite honest, the first time that I missed our Wednesday Night Program, I was a little worried. Just to set the record straight, I wasn’t worried that our volunteer Youth Staff couldn’t handle to job. I was more so worried that our group of 45 or so middle schoolers were going to drive my volunteers so crazy that they’d drive away after 5 minutes and never return. It was definitely a good feeling to get a call Chris, one of our Youth Staff Members, saying that the church was still standing and so was he. Yes, that meant that above all, the night could be considered a success.

So, this past Wednesday, knowing that I was going to have to miss our Youth Program again, I was much more at ease. Our volunteers had already proved themselves, and both they and I were confident that they could do it again. Well, let me say that they did not disappoint! They led a rather intense (and rather violent) game of musical chairs and managed to teach our students one very simple fact: that there is no reason for people to look down on them just because they are young, especially in matters of their faith in Christ. It was great to see (I watched the whole thing on video the next morning).

Having told you all of this, it brings me to my main point for writing today… It is great to know that you can rely on those around you, especially when you are in time of need. This is the greatest thing about the Church (as a whole). It truly is more than just a bunch of people getting together once a week to sit through a sermon and sing a few songs. It can be a family that is able to rely on each other so that a common purpose can be reached. It is great to know that our purpose for our Middle School Youth Program was still being reached, even without me being there. Cool stuff, cool stuff.