Greetings from Poppyland...For the past few days I've been consumed with preparing for NaNoWriMo (see previous post).I've been trying to get a good handle on my book idea before I start writing.
Last night I went to a Nano kick-off event that was held locally. It was pretty cool to meet other people in my area who are taking up the challenge with me this November. They actually have write-ins at local coffee houses and bookstores planned. So I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time away from home this month.
This past week I had my first small group meeting with a group of teenage girls I'll be helping to lead. It just reminded me how much I like working with young people. I remember what it was like to be 14 and full of questions about God and life. My goal is to just be as honest and transparent with them as I can. I became a Christian when I was 15, and one of the best things that happened to me was meeting a lady in my church named Pam Shaw. She was my Sunday School teacher, and she made it her business to help me grow in my relationship with God. She basically discipled me. She really helped me build a firm foundation of faith. She challenged me, and I know that I am the "Christian" I am today because of her. I'd love to pass that on to someone else. Plus I think after working in youth ministry for many years, I'm tired of a lot of the shallowness I see. I don't know if I'm expressing that well...I've just seen so many instances where we're not really being honest with teenagers about what following Christ means. So many youth ministries are full of games and pizza, and movie clips, and not much else. Where's the substance! I think it's like that because most adults think kids can't handle anything else. We do them a disservice when we have that attitude.
So I'm just praying that God would use me to impact my small group in a REAL way.
I'm off to stress some more about my novel!
(The picture is of my nieces Tahani and Richelle...they ROCK!)
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