It's a Blast by Erin Kirkland

Know a 4th or 5th grader? Ten or so years old, excited about life in general, and alternately jumping in and out of childhood with a frequency that startles everyone? Yep. A little goofy, sometimes, too.

It's a demographic that often is overlooked in church communities, these kids-turning-teens. A bit too old for Children's Ministry, not old enough for Youth Group, the 'tween set nonetheless needs the same guidance, support, and prayers as the younger and older kids.

My husband and I felt compelled, called, and certainly blessed to be a part of Trinity's Blast 45 this year; five ladies and gentlemen who are smart, funny, and incredibly insightful with their thoughts and actions. Yes, parents, your kids.

Have you ever asked them to pray for somebody? We do, every week. I'm not sure what I expected, maybe the typical children's request for health and wealth and good times, but what I heard was way, way beyond my own brain's boundaries. I heard heartfelt prayers for children starving in Pakistan, requests for awareness of our world's oceans, and not one selfless desire. Not. One.

Blast 45 meets every Sunday afternoon. Pray, play, and grow. All of us.

Want more information? Contact Megan Holliday at 345-4823 or visit the trinity web site HERE.

Uncomfortable, Yet? by Erin Kirkland

How many of you squirmed in your seats today when you heard that loving others like Jesus loved us was supposed to feel uncomfortable? I did.

How about that part of the sermon describing a stay at someone's house after they invited you, and the food is bad and the company even worse, and everything in your brain screams "I don't want to be here!"

But you stay, because this is a neighbor.

How about the person who loses their family, their home, and their sense of well-being through no fault of their own? Will you help? Will you stand by him or her? Or will you pass this person on to an agency who is designed to provide for their physical needs to save your time, your money, and perhaps your own sanity? This, too, is your neighbor.

How uncomfortable are you willing to be, to love your neighbor?

"Who Shall See God?" by Erin Kirkland

Just wondering, those of you who were at worship today or this evening at 7:07 (and even if you weren't)....

Did you ever feel terrified? No need to answer; I'm sure all of us at one time or another have felt so fearful we were absolutely paralyzed. Tom talked about some of these today: Fear of failure, fear of rejection, pain (for us or someone else), fear of being alone, fear of death, among other things. Like standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down.

Today's sermon asked this question: "Who shall see God?"

Can we see God when we are afraid?

Fear has a way of overpowering, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I've been victim to it. As the parent of a special needs son I have taken fear and terror to new levels with little to show for it but frayed nerves and strained relationships, and always, the fear was still there.

Learning to allow the feeling of fear to enter my heart was a risk. Would God really be there, not to save me, but to embrace fear with me? Seriously???

Yep. Right there. He said it himself.

I Am Here. Even on the edge of a precipice.

The Parable of 'God Doesn't Nag' by Erin Kirkland

For the record, I did not come up with that title. Tom Letts did as he was trying to help those of us gathered at last night's 7:07 service understand the Parable of the Sower, which doesn't sound nearly as compelling as the Parable of God Doesn't Nag, but, whatever.

In two weeks of diving into the inner workings of Jesus' methods of reaching the curious crowds, I am amazed at his ability to tell us what we need to hear in a way that makes us in charge of our own selves. In fact, the whole parable repeats the importance of recognizing what Jesus is trying to say about God's desire for relationship with us, the independent masses who always think we can do things ourselves.

We learned the purpose of a parable is to make us stay when everyone else leaves, and ask questions. Jesus doesn't give us the answer on purpose, knowing that if we want a relationship of deep intimacy with God, it is we who need to take the first step toward Him. Thus the "nag" part. If I don't nag my son to get ready in the morning, who ultimately wins once he figures out going to school without breakfast, or in his PJ's, isn't so fun? I'll wait it out. God will, too.

God tells us what we should do, based upon obedience and authority, as we learned in the morning service. But He doesn't make us do it, because of our own brokenness. We decide when we shall come to Him from rocky ground, in turmoil, finally realizing that asking questions when scattered blindly across the stones is the only way toward true understanding. It is our choice entirely to get up and walk away from the rocky ground, to sit somewhere else and listen, then ask How and What instead of Why.

Interesting last night when we were encouraged to ask questions of the parable, silence reigned for more than a few moments. Were we afraid?

Stay. Ask. God will wait for you to show up. In fact, He really, really wants you to. No need to be afraid.