Crazy Jobs, Sweet Words

It's September 19th. Youth ministry is back in full swing and I heard the sweetest words come out of my husband's mouth tonight (i'll share them as you read on).

As Tony's wife I often find myself giggling at some of the "jobs" I end up doing throughout the week. The last couple of weeks have been as interesting as ever. Youth group kicked off last week in our town square. It was an incredible night - 75 students gathered in the center of our town to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and worship through song with The Ransom Project. It is a beautiful thing to have the Lord's praises ring out from the bandstand in the square. Wow!

In order to prepare for such a great event, a YP's wife can expect to do a couple things:
- Head to Orscheln's Hardware store by herself and purchase eight 50lb bags of sand to secure screens on the stage. If you can picture this weakling lifting eight 50 lb items into a trunk, you may get a little chuckle. Needless to say, it wasn't a quick trip. Preparing for youth events can leave a YP's wife very sore.
- Set up enormous wall dividers to serve as screens (on a stage six feet off the ground) only for a large gust of wind to come and blow them off the stage. Hence, the need for sand. Be prepared for slight embarassment as passerbys gasp and run to help with the dilemma.

Tonight we had Sunday Night Alive at the church for the first SNA of Fall 2010. It was a blast. Tony spoke on Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." He used an analogy of a Defensive Line for an NFL football team and the tremendous effort they pour in to protecting their end zone and keeping their opponent out. In the same way, we need to go to great lengths to protect our hearts from evil influences. We launched a new format for youth group that divides junior high and high school students completely and allows for small groups each week. It was a success!

To prepare for a weekly SNA, a YP's wife can expect to:
- Make a last minute run to Hy-Vee to grab as many bags of chips as she can hold on to without taking the time to get a cart. The lady at the check-out may give her one of those super rude "you eat way too many chips" looks when she rings up nine bags of chips. Okay...maybe the look was just my imagination. I get a little self conscious while checking out with 5 bags of jet-puffed cheetos. Ah well.

After the crazy chip errand, I served as the sound/powerpoint/techy person at youth group. I'm not all that techno-savvy, but I'm good enough for Tony to trust me with the reigns. Luckily, things went well. I beat him home by a couple of minutes tonight when things were done and as I turned the corner to see him coming in, the first words he managed to say were "I could not do youth ministry without you.". WOW! Those words were so precious to me! I love serving alongside my husband and I work hard to be a great support and encouragement to him, but to hear him say he couldn't do it without me was enough for my eyes to swell. Sweet, sweet words from a sweet, sweet YP.