But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22, 23 ESV)
Rowdy, disrespectful, loud, rude, frustrating, and the energy! Middle ministry is dirty work. It provokes and reminds me often that it can't be done in the flesh. As much as I love these kids my flesh gets impatient, frustrated and irritated by their attitudes and behavior. If I hope to have any sort of success in teaching them who God is I must function in the power of the Holy Spirit
I was reminded this week of the fact that the majority of the students that walk through our church's doors do not go to church anywhere with their family, many of whom have no relationship with God at all. We see evidence of that in their behavior rather quickly and can easily become frustrated, almost to the point that we dismiss them as unreachable or beyond hope. I propose though that if that was true they wouldn't even be there. The fact that they are there gives me tremendous hope that the Word will be planted and bring forth fruit; some ground takes a little more work to prepare than others but the joy of seeing the fruit finally push through is worth every drop of sweat we put into it. Before we give in to the temptation to write-off any of these crazy kids we need to remember what is at stake if they continue on their current path.
My daddy had to fight many uptight Christians to keep his church's bus ministry alive because the kids that came in through that ministry were rough, loud, sometimes dirty and difficult to get to conform to church rules. Thank God they kept that ministry for many years because through it pastors, missionaries, and many healthy, serving Christians were born.
We can't see now where any of these kids will be in 15 years but we can hope that with love, prayer and consistent compassion that the Spirit of God will penetrate their hearts and change the course of their life, and in turn, the lives of their families.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20, 21 ESV)
Welcome!
- Kathy Unger Marshall
- Dallas, GA, United States
- As a wife, mother of three and a full-time employee Kathy is well acquainted with the struggles to maintain balance, a right attitude, contentment and health in the midst of chaos. All the hectic times in her life, including seven major moves and five minor ones have served to reinforce her dependence on the only anchor she has found to hold her steady through the years; Jesus. Kathy writes of her personal journeys through the pages of scriptures, deserts of dryness, showers of blessings, the darkness of depression and the bright days of joy. She speaks of all she has learned about herself and her God in these journeys with the hope that her experiences will serve to encourage other women, who are fighting these same battles to stand strong.
