BLAST OFF! into the alien world of youth work

So I just started a job as the Director of Youth and Family ministry at a church in Lethbridge. I say "a" church because although I attended this one when I lived here, I knew next to nothing about it when I accepted the position. I maybe should have looked into that.

A week in and already there have been so many cross-communication errors and phone calls from concerned parents (what in the world?) that, had this not been a job plopped into my lap by God, I would be screaming "FIIIIIREEE! ME!!!!" running from the building. So I am forced to trust and have faith that God's will WILL be done, and that exactly what He wants me to do here will happen. And how?

A dear lovely wonderful woman who is rich with wisdom insight and a love of God and Christ's teachings (Anita) gave me a verse from Malachi 6:8 that reads, "He has shown you O man what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." This year for me, is all about walking humbly with God, being guided by God, and listening to Him step by baby puncy step. Another woman, who is unsurpassed in beauty creativity and honesty (Lynne) decided to do devotions with me one morning from a province away and we talked all about: Guidance! Thank you Lynne. Also, I was looking back at some emails and I had a cut and dry one from the most intelligent and righteous man boy I know, Josiah Klassen saying simply, "Well, God will guide you..." It makes me so thankful for such a GOOD God that would set me up so wonderfully and (because I'm so blind) give me so many verses to hold on to.

I am struggling right now with some of the rules set up for me: not allowed to use the NIV, not allowed to teach certain things, or use certain authors and maintain a clearly "Lutheran" youth group and sunday school. I am not against Lutheranism by any means, but this is difficult for me , especially coming from a Church that I fell head over heels madly in love with in Abbotsford (Fresh Wind) which is not Lutheran. My mother explains denominations as cousins: you have the weird ones that are always dancing and laughing and being slain in the spirit, you have the quiet cousins that don't say much etc... and I really like that illustration because it remains that we are all part of the same family: our family in Christ.

So what can you do? Email me, pray for me,write me a real letter, share a verse with me...I NEED to hear from you!!

I have 2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight" hanging up in my "office". It reminds me that no matter what my physical human senses say; Jesus is looking at things a lot differently. Oh, that I will cling to that!