My Lively Little Stones: September 2010

Monday, September 13, 2010

One Amazing Kid

I'm sorry! I know, I have not been on here in 2 or 3 months! I forgot all about my blogger account because summer is amazing and I don't think I stopped moving till ... todayish.

I have some long overdue good news (sorry again). You see, I know this guy...

His name is Ben Graves. He come from an amazing family; you know the family that has parents who are so nice and have done such a great job with their kids that you want to ask them what the secret life is? The family that has kids involved in everything, and good at everything. Good grades, good at all the sports they are involved in, popular, good looking, and not even stuck up because of it. These are seriously some of the best behaved and well mannered kids I have ever met. ... you don't know that family? Then you don't know the Graves.

Ben is one of the students that I noticed always pays attention, always has an answer, and always seems to genuinely get whatever we were studying. But he had never been baptized... that is until the one day I decided to neglect me phone. I missed the call to come and baptize Ben! Ben had been thinking about this for a long time, and finally made the decision... and I was unreachable. *sigh* epic fail on my part. Oh well, Austin came to the rescue and I picked up my phone about 30 mins after he got done baptizing Ben.

I think Ben took the Lord seriously when He said to count the cost of being His disciple before making that all-important decision (Luke 14:25-35).

So now, this awesome friend of mine, can add Child of God to his long resume of awesomeness. Here's to you Ben. ... oh! and if you are wondering which stone Ben is like... humm, I'd have to say the Rock, lol.

Precious Gems

Let me explain this blog for you. It is based on the passage above, and the way I perceive my youth group.

Few people appreciate young people the way that they should. They are like many people who seeing an unfinished diamond or other precious stone think it nothing more than your average, everyday pebble and cast it aside. They don't recognize the great treasure that is within their grasp and they let it slip away. I'm no better, only different. I have trouble, at times, seeing past the problems, habits, and less than attractive attributes of those who count themselves as set in their ways. When I look at a child I can only see the potential.

When I was 5 or so years old, my grandfathers were my favorite people. My mother's father was a rock collector, or at least a rock lover. I would bring him all the amazing finds of the day and ask to put them in his rock polisher. He would often inform me that what I had found was glass, fools gold, gravel, flint, slate, or some other worthless thing. He meant no harm by this, he simply knew his rocks, and he taught me how to better recognize the worth of a stone. I am still that same kid, I see the beauty in the glass, pyrite, and gravel of the human variety... but you know what? With children, telling them that their worth something often raises their market value. I think I have gotten pretty good at spotting the gems (not that I really ever toss any rocks out). I believe I am learning to see each child as the Lord sees them, precious.

It helps that I have been blessed with an exceptionally good and godly youth group. These guys make up my joy and prove my labor in the Lord is not for nothing. They give me so much more than I could ever give in return, and I want them to have the recognition they deserve. So youth, if you are reading this, think of this blog as a display case to help more people to be able to see you shine. I love you dearly... and even with you guys not here I'm still tearing up the way I would if I tried to tell you this in person. God help me.