God Made @ MindSay 
This last Sunday was a treat for me. I'm the coordinator of the children's ministry at my church and we recently broke the classes up into age groups. It has been so satisfying to work with more focused classes. Not only was that refreshing, but the topic I taught the kids was something that changed my life in '99. I was very amazed that I could have the opportunity to share this with my class so they could enjoy applying it to their life now, instead of suffer like I did.
I'm not vain when I say this, but I am beautiful!
However in Middle School and High School, I often doubted it and even despized parts of me.
I believed the lies that boys would tell me and the lies I whispered to myself as I looked in the mirror.
In '99, I was in England, taking a training course to help myself know God and others as well. If I knew how to link the website I would. It's called Youth With A Mission (YWAM). The school is unique because every week or so you study a new topic, some include "Knowing the Father Heart of God," "Knowing Your Purpose," and "Studying the Bible."
The one that I was most interested in, was about "Hearing the Voice of God." I believed it was possible since in the Old and New Testament people had conversations with God and even met with Him face to face. Also I was interested in supernatural things since I was very young. And because I needed to hear from Him specifically, I really pressed in. I also believed that I had encoutered Him directing me prior to the class, but it was hit or miss at times.
During the week, our teacher would stop class, look at someone and then start telling them about something they were going through and when that happened I would pray, "Please speak to me. I need you so desperatly. (I felt exhausted and so much shame and feelings of worthlessness. Even when I went for a walk during this time, I told God about this. I saw a dried-up crumpled leaf by the side of a stream and thought, "God that is how I feel. Wasted and ugly.)
God answered my prayer that week. I think it was on a Thursday or Friday (It could have been sooner, but it felt like forever) that the teacher stopped class, looked into my eyes and told me, "You are God's princess. (My name is Sarah which means princess). You feel like a dried-up, crumpled leaf. You are worn out and tired." Immediately, I started crying because I was realizing how much God cared for me and how valuable I was in His sight to be a His princess. I was comforted because He saw the pain I was going through too. During the week we were studying a scripture that explains the care God took when He created me in my mother's womb. It really hit home that not only was I significant to Him, but He made me perfectly-without one mistake. How I look is on purpose and that I needed to stop saying what God made is ugly.
That day instead of tearing myself down in front of the mirror for my high forhead or dark circles that I saw under my eyes, I told myself that I had beautiful eyebrows and a nice shape to my face. I felt so much better. I felt loved, valuable and beautiful.
At church we have ordered a curriculum from Group for the winter quarter and last week focused on a scripture that was similar to my life changing one. It's Jeremiah 1:5 "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb." I was able help the kids see that they are perfect so they can love what God made them into instead of believing others at school or their own doubts. They also know that God made them unique and with a special personality and way of doing things that will help them fullfill the good things God has prepared for them to do.
We formed cookies into shapes after thinking about who we wanted to make it for and then we ate them! It was fun and I am so thankful that I get to work with children! I pray that no one will feel like I did, but cherish who they are every day! I feel so refreshed and useful!
Last night we discussed many things about life, faith, and love. We started discussing the connections between the Creationism and Evolutonist theories. As I stand, I am a firm believer in the fact that the Big Bang happened, but I believe that God orchistrated it. As it is in the natural selection (only the strong will survive) theory, I believe that God was also behind all of that. Last night Kristina mentioned something that really made my brain start working. She mentioned that she believes that God, as he says in The Bible, created each type of species. Taking the canine family as an example, she went on to say that she feels that God created one canine, like a phenotype, generic "dog". Which in turn, due to certain environments and God's hand behind natural selection turned into the different kinds of canines we knoe today, the wolf, the coyote, the dingo, and so on. This was really interesting and I think it's a pretty neat way to explain thse natural phenominon.
After she said this, I pointed out that God created Darwin, and his thoughts, so therefore a correlation between the two seemed a given.
Another thing she mentioned was something that she was interested in doing was putting fossil records beside Genisis and seeing if the fossil records supported the work of God during those 6 days. Seeing if fossils of plants came before those of the birds and sea creatures and such. I think that's nifty.
After she talked about this I started talking about when she thought humans came around. Both of us came to the agreement that what we know today as the "Homo Erectus" was where human development started. Both of us believe that Adam and Eve were more primitive humans such as the Neanderthalls. Scientific and anthropological evidence shows us that those types of people were alive, she there really is no denying it.
One other thing we disussed was what a "day" during the Creation story was. Was a day the 24 hrs we know today or was it more like 7 million years? I think that a day then was as many years/decades/centuries as God needed to complete His work for each "day".
Something else that struck me yesterday happened while I was on the phone with Eric. He mentioned to me about the fact that one day his mother mention to him that maybe we are still living in that 6th "day". I mean, clearly, humans haven't figured out how to rest yet. Something else that I have been pondering this morning is maybe that time of rest doesn't come until our death. Maybe the 7th "day" will only happen when all of humankind can rest together. Awesome.
Today I am literally walking on sunshine. Today has been such a great day so far.
More later, perhaps!
Oh wow, old song on Pandora.com
"you can run, you can hide but you can't escape my love"-Enrique Inglesias "Escape"
and I sat on the east side in a phone booth
and I sat there contemplating the shadow
so that I might see what would become of truth
and the Lord God prepared a gourd
and He made it to come up over me
that it might be another shadow o'er my head
to deliver me from my grief
but then God prepared a worm before the morning arose
which smote the gourd and made it die
and it came to pass that when the sun did arise
that a vehement wind blew across the desert sky
and the sun did beat upon my head
and I fainted and wished myself to die
and I said, "it's better for me to die than to live"
"and observe vanities and lies"
and God said, "doest thou well to be angry"
and I said, "I do well to be angry even unto death"
and God said, "thou hast had pity on the gourd"
"for which thou hast not laboured nor given breath"
"which came up in a night"
"and perished in the sand"
"should I not spare those who cannot discern"
"from there left or their right hand?"
I couldn't sleep much last night. Well, actually, I got home around six, watched the news and a bit of Wheel of Fortune, and then fell asleep (at about quarter after seven) 'til around ten. Because I had slept for those two or three hours my sleep cycle (which is always a swinging pendulum of crazy ass insomnia anyway) was way out of it.
I watched TV for another hour or two. (On a side note I have to get this thought out of my head. It's totally off subject, I know. Ok, is it just me or does anybody else think that Law and Order has become really preachy lately? Last nights episode was all about the war and how evil Pentagon billion dollar contracts are. I don't disagree with the point of the eppisode, but please don't turn the entertainment into a bunch of crappy, lecture stuff.)
So, I tried sleeping again but couldn't. So I gave in and made a pot of coffee and just decided I would read my book and drink coffee all night.
(I'm just getting to my point, hang on)
The novel is A Long Way Down by the English author Nick Hornby (one of my favorites)
In the book the four main characters have joined a suicide pact of sorts. They are trying to look out for each other until (what I think is) the inevitable.
Two of the main characters, Maurene and J.J., have this conversation about what it would take for them not to jump off of a fifteen story building (as they plan to do). J.J. asks Maurene what she would ask God for. Her answer was that just having a meeting with God would be enough, because in God infinite wisdom if he wants you to live it’s got to be hard to say no.
So, J.J. asks her if it were a president or Prime Minister with cosmic powers that can get thing done what would she ask for. The two start calling this person "Cosmic Tony" (because of Prime Minister Tony Blair).
I thought it was a very funny and interesting concept of discussion. Of course, Cosmic Tony is only man (and a made up one within a fictional story at that) and can't, say, take back fifteen years of a person's life (the thing used by J.J. to answer his own question).
If your life was on the line what would you ask for to save your life?
(You don't have to answer that. I was just wrapping up my point, which I took forever to get to)
It's quite deep, really. This is the stuff that normal, nonsuicidial, people may only face once in a lifetime, if that. I'm not suicidal but this book has made me think about life and unhappiness. If I were on the roof of a fifteen story building and was offered this question I would probably ask God for my sister and myself not to have our syndromes (which would be major life changing stuff). My Syndrome has not cause much unhappiness (and as far as I can tell, not my sister either) but still, it would be very nice to see my sister living a "normal" life and my life would be a lot easier.
But, if it were Cosmic Tony (who is mere mortal not God) I would probably have to think much longer about that one. I can't even think of a half way decent answer right now.
But, being that I don't want to off myself (and this is all hypothetical) the question is kind of inconsequential, isn't it?.
Thanks,
Mark
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions !!!
Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mum just the same like he made me. He Just used bigger
parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in
the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use
string, I think.
Why did God give you Your mother & not some other mum?
1.We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mums like me.
What kind of little girl was your mum?
1. My mum has always been my mum and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty
bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
What did mum need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk
on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to
chores?
Why did your mum marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mum eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mum didn't have her thinking cap on.
Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mum doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof
ball.
2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more
to do than dad.
What's the difference between mums & dads?
1. Mums work at work and work at home & dads just go to work at work.
2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but mums have all the real power 'cause
that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.
What does your mum do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mum perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of
plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of
that.
2. I'd make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did
it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of
her head.
WHEN You STOP LAUGHING - SEND IT ON TO OTHER MOTHERS and fathers !!
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