I have this problem.. I am a perfectionist. While you’d never be able to know that from looking at the interior of my vehicle or my bathroom counter – I am. I can get this strange idea that everything has to be “just right” in order for certain things to happen. I try to control it all.
What I am learning day to day is that it doesn’t have to be all together in order for God to show up in the middle of it.
Our family has recently started (we’re in our second week) of taking some time on Monday nights to read what the Bible says about certain topics. I have a resource that points me to specific scripture and I create a small object lesson for my children to apply to what we’ve learned, a memory verse and questions to answer.
Well, here’s the snag. We’re one kid short during the summer. My son travels to visit his father in Illinois – so we’re a family of three and the first thought I had after the initial conviction to start doing this was “you should probably wait until your boy is back home again”. I actually contemplated that for a while…. my perfectionism, my need for everything to be just right was being used against me. I stepped back and felt that stirring.. you know the one.. that said, “Just start where you are, I’ll meet you there.” So I did.
I swallowed back that feeling that I had to wait and I started. The first week went well as we talked about anger and the second went fantastic as we discussed what the Bible says about beauty. Not only did my step-daughter remember a good chunk of her Bible verse from the previous week but having that environment created a safe space for her to admit an area in her young 8-year old life that she was struggling with.
In that moment, of her sharing and reciting her verse, I realized that I didn’t have control over any of it and that I couldn’t have orchestrated her memorization or her confession. I don’t have that power.
God met our little family right where we were and BOY am I glad I didn’t wait. I cannot wait until my son comes home so I can share this experience with him too.
What are you waiting for? Is there something you feel led to do as a family that you’re holding back on?
Melissa Millwee
Preschool Coordinator
Central Kidz – Henderson
Seasons. We all have them, where we are in such a valley with our kids that we can’t see the forest for the trees. We are busy in their lives and then with a snap of a finger it is gone. Snap! You just brought them home from the hospital. Sleep deprived, you simply go thru the motions some days and then Snap! They are walking. Snap! They are talking. Snap. They are in kindergarten.
Where did the time go? That season? We look back as if it was yesterday. When the season is over we feel it was. But during that season we are so busy with our plans that life just happens. My oldest son is entering kindergarten in the fall. We drive by his new school and he says, “today Mommy, do I get to go today?” “Not yet,” I say. “How many sleeps is it?” I just smile and say “lots”.
I pray every day for perspective and wisdom. The ability to see the forest as the lush greenery that it is and the mindset to slowly walk through it enjoying the moment all the while putting out the fires that a 3 and 5 year old can cause.
Lori Aguirre
Weekends On Wednesdays Ministry Leader
As I write this blog today, I am in an unusually reflective mood.
It’s the middle of June and, after a great year at Fuse High School, I’m so grateful for what has happened this year. But, I am also feeling fatigued. Last night, 125 students came over my house for our first Fuse summer POOL PARTY (BTW…if you’ve never seen 80 high school kids in a pool at the SAME TIME, it is an AWESOME thing to behold). It was incredible!! To see that many students laughing and hanging out in my backyard was a dream come true.
As I took a moment last night to look at the faces God has brought to Fuse, I felt a sense of gratefulness for the opportunity to be part of their lives in some way. High School is a unique and confusing time for most students, and I can’t tell you how proud I am of our team and how they have partnered with parents to help students navigate some difficult years. I’ve also realized how quickly time goes by. Over the last week, each of my own daughters has made the transition to their next grade and adventure. I’ve also had the opportunity to be at a few senior graduations and celebrate them and their next big steps.
God reminded me this week, in the middle of all the busyness, events, and pace, it’s easy to miss important moments. God is at work…constantly. God loves these students more than we ever could. He has a plan for their lives that is significant. It’s so easy to miss that in the activities, schedules, and discipline.
I am so grateful for what has happened this year…the laughter, the tears, the life change. Can’t wait for the moments God brings this summer and beyond. Grateful to be a part of it.
I always look forward to summers. Schools out…summer vacations…camps. I recently returned from some time off with my family. We spent a week in Texas with my husband’s mom, his brothers and their families. This summer, however, was a little different than last with his family. It was our first summer without my father-in-law, who passed away this past January.
I think we were all a little ansy about how we would feel walking into the house and not seeing Pop sitting in his rocker. Questions of “Do we talk about Pop?” or “Do we not talk about Pop?” circled around all of us in the beginning. We talked about Pop! We laughed, we cried, we remembered. It was good.
On one particular morning, the three brothers, along with “Mom”, gathered together to go through all of Pop’s things. That was a rough morning. Tears were shed as clothing, books and keepsakes were doled out among the family. One particular item was given to our oldest (married) daughter. It was the grayish/silver tie that my father-in-law wore on her wedding day. I sat briefly with her as she mourned her grandfather and then stepped away to let her remember him. It meant the world to her to have something that belonged to her Pop that was a part of an important day in her life. For me, the tie was symbolic of the man my father-in-law was. He was a family man. Family meant everything to him. He instilled in each of his sons a strong sense of family.
I walked away from that moment with my daughter and the tie with an even greater sense of family. Even though my father-in-law is gone, the bonds that have been created in the family are stronger and greater because of the man, the husband and the father that he was. I walked away challenged to be the best wife and mother for my family that I can be. I walked away thankful for having had him in my life as long as I did
Has someone impacted your life in a way that it has challenged you to be a better person…a better parent? Hug your kids today. Tell them you love them…EVERYDAY! Be the tie that will bind your family together through good times and bad.
Happy Father’s Day, Pop! I love you and miss you.
Laura Murphy
Central Kidz
Camp is almost here!!! Ah!!! It’s a little silly how excited I am for these weeks. I believe with all of my heart that camp has the potential to be the most transformative week in the life of a student. I hope that every student from Fuse can come to our camp, Ignite, in Prescott, AZ.
I’m so passionate about camp because of what it did in my own life. As a punk, 16-year old kid I went to a church camp at the insistence of some friends. Prior to going to that camp, I always assumed I was a “Christian,” but I didn’t have a clue what that meant. Personal relationship with Jesus? Nope? God’s grace and forgiveness? Uh, I didn’t know what grace meant. And what did I need forgiveness from?
That week, God broke through to my hardened heart and I experienced his radical, transformative grace for the first time. There was something about getting away from my cell phone, car, and television that God used to break through to me.
My life has never been the same since that first week of camp. I believe that for many of your sons and daughters, God may change their life in a similar way this year.
Please do whatever you can to get your kids there on July 30-August 3 (Junior High) or August 4-8 (High School). If you need more information, contact your ministry leader via e-mail on this website.
Matt Vairetta
Central Students
Student Pastor- Southwest Campus
Junior High here Jordan comes! Wow I can hardly believe that my only son, Jordan, is headed to Junior High this upcoming school year. Is he ready for the peer pressure? How much homework will he have? Will he make new friends? Every parents concern for their soon to be junior higher, right? Well if I’m honest, the real questions running thru my head are… “Am I ready to give Jordan the opportunity to lean on God and His word dealing with the peer pressure?”, “Do I trust God’s plan to surround Jordan with a healthy environment of friends?”, “Am “I” ready for more homework?!”. It’s all part of the transition as our children grow and we grow in our parenting along side God. It can be scary to let our kids go and grow but that’s what we are called to do throughout this parenting journey.
Not only will he go to Middle School next year, he will also join the FUSE Junior High Ministry. And that is exciting not only for Jordan, but also Paul and I as his parents, as Christ followers and as members of the FUSE Junior High Ministry Team. This ministry up in the Rotunda ROCKS! In the last several years I have seen students grow to know who God is, begin to grasp His love for them, begin to realize who He’s called them to be and deepen their own faith and relationship with our Heavenly Father. How does that happen with a group of often distracted by the world, hormonal, parent testing middle schoolers? I’m here to tell you it’s the work of the Lord in this Central Students FUSE ministry team! It’s our pastors, staff and volunteer members that have invested so much love, time and passion in their service to and for your student. Just imagine having a front row seat in your students life – AMAZING! That’s exactly how we feel in FUSE getting the chance to partner with you and God in all He has does in your student’s life. As a parent, I know that my partnership and support with the FUSE team members means getting Jordan to weekend services, small groups and camp this summer. Camp is where it all starts, be sure to check out our website at www.centralparents.com for camp details. And if you have an incoming 6th grader stop by the rotunda to check it out and meet some of my favorite people at Central. We also have an informational packet to give you, “FUSE the Basics for Junior High Ministry”.
Lastly, I ask that you all partner with me as a parent in praying for this exciting season of graduations and transitions for both us and our students. Remember, God is the ultimate parent and we can learn much from our daily time with Him and His word. So go ahead, cast those fears, anxieties, frustrations, questions, hopes and dreams on the Lord and set back in the front row watching what God can do in your student and through your student….you too will be AMAZED!
Marlene
FUSE Junior High Ministry
I can remember the things in life that I have worked for. Those are the things that I remember clearly: my goldfish tank, my 1st place swimming ribbons, my first car, my internship to Africa, graduating college with honors, my triathlon medal. I remember when my family saved up for months to pile into our un-air-conditioned car, for our first ever family vacation to some Podunk state park, as one of the happiest moments of my childhood. The things that were handed to me in life, however, those I don’t remember so much.
It is a difficult time, financially, for most families today. But it is also a great time for teaching your children. Remember back to when you were a child? Did you ever earn a toy or prized possession? Do you recall how much you valued great belongings or trips you got to take? Those things definitely didn’t come as easily as they do today. In America today, there is more abundance and option then there has ever been anywhere in the world before. What a blessing this is, but what a curse it can be to our children.
Now is a great time to teach your kids about Ownership and Value. I know that the times in life when I had to work and wait for something I wanted it shaped and sculpted me as a person. It made me appreciate my opportunities. It made me grateful! And it taught me, that life in I would have to work at the things that I found important, they wouldn’t just fall into my lap. This concept changed the way I pursue life and pursue God!! If your kid really wants a toy, help them to save entirely on their own to get it. If your kids are going to Summer Camp this is the perfect opportunity to help them take ownership of their desires; Writing letters to friends and family, mowing lawns, babysitting, saving their allowance. Take opportunities to teach your kids about ownership, it will change how they pursue life and pursue God.
Heidi Sandifer
Central Kidz/Henderson