"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #14 - THE FINAL ENTRY

Change is in the air.

Summer has come and gone.

This summer, God helped each one of us to see – sometimes making us painfully aware – of just how much “ME” was still in each one of us. God has guided us, directed us, worked us and molded us, and sometimes lovingly dragged us kicking and screaming on down that dusty road - until He got us to the place where we were empty of ourselves.  It was at this place we began to realize that “ME” is not our source. 

God does not desire another group of people playing ministry. He wants us so humble and empty of ourselves that we won’t get in His way. He wants us to have a servant’s heart full of love and compassion for others. He wants us open to His love and truth, trusting Him in all things and for all things…even when it doesn’t make sense to us. 

So, as our summer journey down the dusty road ends this season of our lives, we have found that another journey has begun…the journey of walking out all that we learned this summer.  It’s about becoming the ministry that God created us to be. We will always be Evergreen…but Evergreen will not be the same. We are currently working with God to create and develop new ways to share more of His love and truth... “to grow the families of tomorrow.”

 As our ministry verse says… “Blessed are we who trust in the LORD, whose confidence is in HIM. We will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. We will not fear when heat comes; our leaves are always green. We will have no worries in a year of drought and never fail to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7, 8 (our paraphrase)

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #13

Spotlight please.

          Give  our “ME” a top hat and a cane…position the spotlight just so… be sure it captures the best side of our  “ME”…add a microphone so that our “ME” can be heard …and now presenting ….center stage…drum roll please... “ME.”

          Isn’t that how we want it? We want the attention, we want it to be all about us, we want to be heard, we want to be right, we want it our way, and we want it now. It’s all about me…ME...ME!!!

          Oh Lord, forgive us. We know in our hearts that it is not about us. But our “ME” can be so demanding, so dramatic, so loud …so like a diva. Help us to take off the top hat, lay down the cane, step away from the microphone, and step out of the spotlight.

          Give us a song and dance for You. Not to draw attention to ourselves, not for our applause…but for Your honor and glory… to praise and worship You.

          In the dance, in the song, in the beating of the drum…help us to abandon our “Me” in humble submission to You alone.

          Goodbye “ME” …your journey is over. 

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #12

        We took a little detour from the road we’ve been on this summer and spent a week at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, attending the Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers. This little side trip was a much needed break from the dusty journey that we have been on.

          And what we found among the puppets, between the mimes and the clowns, in the sign language and in the dance, and hiding in the shadows of the black light…were friends of the creative arts. They blessed us so much as they shared of themselves and their talents. We ended the week with enough encouragement to keep us moving ahead on this journey.

          We’re going to keep on singing and dancing and moving on down this dusty road. 

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #11

Yea…we’re still here…but Lord…our feet hurt.

It’s been a tough six weeks. A lot of rough terrain on this dusty road.  It’s been a nasty part of this journey.   It’s been hard. It’s been painful. It’s been emotionally wretching. We’ve felt the frustration and cried the tears. We’ve felt the pressing and the pain. We have, at times, wanted to quit, to turn around, to run away.   We have fought and kicked and screamed.

But you know what Lord… I think we’re finally getting the purpose of this journey.

IT’S  NOT  ABOUT  US!!!!

Are we empty yet? Empty of ourselves? Because that’s what this journey has been about. Being emptied of ourselves. Being emptied of ALL that is not of YOU, Lord.  Our flesh is stubborn. It wants center stage. It wants to be heard. It wants its own way.

So, here we are Lord…in this empty, desolate place …where we feel emotionally drained and battle weary. A little bruised, a few scars, and sore feet…but you know what, Lord…we’re beginning to see the value of the past six weeks…the value of this whole journey down this dusty road.    We’re beginning to move out of Your way, to allow You to take the lead. You’re becoming greater…we’re becoming less. And we know it’s all because You love us and desire only the best for us…even if at times it’s a dusty, painful journey to get there.

We’re wondering what’s up ahead.

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #10

Lord, is that singing we hear?  It’s faint, but someone is singing.  Hey, it’s coming from us!   There is music rising up from the inside of us. When did that happen? Somewhere between the complaining and the praying and the waiting, You put a new song in our hearts…a new heart attitude.

It’s not that we have any more answers or direction, and we still don’t know where we’re headed …but…singing beats complaining. It’s much more pleasant to listen to. Even if we aren’t singing on key…we just need to keep on singing.

 Even though the road is still dusty and the journey still seems long and the new places are still unknown…we’re going to sing our way down this dusty road.

And if we lapse into complaining Lord …get the duct tape.

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, praise His name…for great is the Lord

and most worthy of praise.”

Psalm 96: 1, 2a, 4a NIV

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #9

“I will lead you and guide you and not let you fall by the wayside.”

It’s been a while since our last blog.

 No, we didn’t give up and take another road.

We’ve been going over some rough terrain.

We’ve had to stop and rest for a while.

Dump the sand out of our shoes, dust off our feet, nurse our stubbed toes.

Those rocks and hills can be rough.

Lord, we admit that want to run ahead of You, and when we do we catch a glimpse of a mountain in our way.   We admit that we allow frustration to set in as we become discouraged with the pace of this journey and the road conditions.

But as we find rest in Your promises and wait on You and Your timing…we find that the mountain… was just a speed bump.

We just need to slow down and take our time…one dusty step at a time.

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #8

OUCH, Lord. We can feel you pulling out the weeds inside of us.

Is that a rototiller You’re running Lord?

 We know that You are preparing the ground. You alone know the type of soil inside each one of us.  

Lord, plant Your seeds deep. Anchor them in so that the storms of life can’t uproot them.

That is the purpose of this journey. And we know that both sunshine and rain are needed for growth.

Please grow the reality of Your love in our hearts.

Help the roots of joy to run deep and burst forth.

An abundant crop of peace would be welcome.

Plant extra patience, Lord --

 we use a lot of this and we don’t want to run out.

Help kindness to come up early and often so we can share it with others.

May giant buds of goodness grow from our hearts.

Let the fragrance of gentleness flow freely from us.

When the storms come, keep us staked in faithfulness.

Help the seeds of self-control to grow tall and sturdy,

 so we won’t easily break.

Fertilize us with Your words of truth.

Continue to pull out those weeds Lord, even if it hurts.

Help us to continue to grow and mature to become more like You.

May we in turn sow into the lives of others.

 What a great harvest!

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #7

Lord, I’m not sure we packed the proper attire for this journey. We may need to rethink our wardrobe. This road, this journey to new places, is dustier and rougher than we first thought.

We need the right size belt – to hold us up in truth.  We don’t want to be caught with our guard down.

Are breastplates in fashion this season? I suppose if we want to survive this journey with our hearts intact, we’ll be sporting the latest style.

Ah, yes, shoes, Lord…these sandals aren’t cutting it. Our feet are getting dusty. This road is rough and we need more protection so we can walk in peace.

A shield…what every well-dressed warrior is wearing these days. If it gives us the faith to keep moving on down this road…we’ll take one…make that seven.  Do they come in different colors?

Yes, if there is one thing that needs protection – it’s our minds. Lord, for You we’ll gladly sport helmet hair.

A sword. Cool.  Nothing better than a double-edged sword. Now there’s some power. We’re packin’ Your Word.

Thanks for paying the price for this outfit with Your blood.

We could never have afforded it.

Help us to wear it well.

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #6

What’s a summer journey without a little side trip…to Hershey Park…and four of our team members took that side trip.  Life’s journey can sometimes feel like a few of the rides at an amusement park. It’s all a matter of perspective.

On those days when you feel like you can’t take one more thing…and one more thing is sure to happen … it’s like the feeling of being on the Wild Mouse going around the bend and over the edge.

Sometimes life is moving so fast that we may feel like we’re in the backseat of the Comet ready to fly off the track.

There are days we may feel like we’re going under on the Tidal Force because the pull of the waves of life seem too much for us to stand.

Sometimes circumstances can leave us feeling like we left our stomachs back on the Fahrenheit.

Waiting on the Lord can feel like going around and around and around and around on the merry-go-round.

And the ultimate “Get ready……Here we go”……the drop, twists and turns of life, like the Storm Runner, can take us by surprise.

Are you screaming? Or are you laughing?

It’s all a matter of perspective.

Sure glad God has the control switch of our lives in His hands.

What’s our journey in life (or to Hershey) without some thrills, excitement

 …and…

CHOCOLATE!!!

Sit down and buckle up…the “thrill” of this summer journey is just getting started.

Kristofer and Matthew in the front 

seat of the Storm Runner at Hershey Park

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #5

Aauuuggg!

Do you ever have any of those Charlie Brown days? Where you strike out, miss a fly ball, get your kite stuck in a tree and land flat on your back after missing the football?  No matter what you do, all you get are rocks. And you walk around saying, “I just don’t understand.” Days like that make you want to go sit in a pumpkin patch by yourself.

 Most of us have days like that, including those of us in this ministry. It’s not our intent to whine our way through this blog, but to be honest and upfront with you about how we “feel” and what we “see” on this journey down this road.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, we know, we “walk by faith and not by sight.”   But when you are dealing with flesh being crucified, it’s just plain hard some days.

Charlie Brown had to wait for his “love letter” from the little red haired girl …but for us, we don’t need to wait, we just need to pick up our “love letter” from God. We can read His words of love and truth. We can  invite Him to come into the pumpkin patch with us as we wait. He will help  us to get our kite untangled and out of the tree and even make it like new. He will pick us up off of our backs and help us to stand on our feet again.  And we can know that He is moving us into position, and when the timing is right, we will get the right pitch and hit that ball out of the park.

 Now that’s a new thing.

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #4

OK…so over the past few days… there’s been some whining and complaining… and some kicking and screaming as our flesh is being emptied of self.  And an occasional “are we there yet” has been uttered. And to be honest, we may feel like we want to plop down, dig our heels in and say “I don’t want to do this anymore, it’s too hard.”

But, if we stop for a moment and are very still…

We can hear the gentle whisper of … “Come to Me, you who are weary … and I will give you rest…”

We can see the mountains of obstacles crumbling before us and moving into the sea.

We can feel the potter’s wheel turning as the Lord moves and molds us.

And we can learn to appreciate the experiences of the journey on this dusty road to new places.

Lord, about these new places.   Your Word says in Jeremiah 33:3 NLT, “Ask Me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.”

Lord, we’re asking.

In the mean time, we’re on the road again. 

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #3

Ah yes, the road of “I know this doesn’t make much sense right now, but will you trust Me and be obedient?” Try fitting that on a road sign.

It helps us to know there are others traveling this same road – on a journey to new places. We know the new places will be well worth the experience of the journey. It’s just that right now we can’t see what’s up ahead or around the next bend.

Lord, if we stub a toe on this rough, dusty road, we may need you to carry us for a while. 

In the meantime, thank you for the traveling companions and your awesome faithfulness. 

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #2

WAIT  UP  LORD!!

 We’re having a little trouble keeping up – can’t quite find our direction yet.

This journey, on this dusty, rough road is difficult.

Is this what it looks like to follow You to a new place, to wait on You and allow You to do a new thing in us and in this ministry?

Oh, please don’t let us “whine” our way down this road.

Wait Up Lord……we’re coming.

*This entry was written at 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 2.

God is so faithful. By 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 2 – we found others traveling down this same road.

Maybe we’ll meet you on this road. 

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #1

“For I know the plans I have for you…”

That’s great God. But could you let us in on those plans, please?

“For I am about to do a brand-new thing.”

Change is good, we’re all for it – but what is this brand-new thing that 

you’re about to do?

“Follow Me”

God is taking us down a road this summer. A road to a new place.  He is asking us to walk down this road with Him, even though we do not know the places to which this road will lead.  We cannot see these places through our eyes of human perspective. We cannot hear in these places through ears tuned into the noise and confusion of this world. We cannot process these places through our minds of logic and reasoning.  The journey down this road to unknown places will change our lives and the life of this ministry forever……and ultimately your life too.

          Lord, please open  our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our minds to discern, and our hearts to love……as You do.

We are inviting you to follow us down this road …

…this road of dusty feet.

……and so……here we go……

A New Year’s Message from Evergreen Creative Ministries

When God called us to begin this ministry two years ago, we had no idea what God was going to do or where He was going to lead us. We were more concerned with how the ministry should look; God was more concerned with how the heart of each team member should look. During the past two years God has been preparing and polishing us individually and as a team to better serve Him and you.

What does that look like?

* Individual spiritual growth and new directions, fresh visions and a deeper passion to see God’s will walked out through this ministry.

* A ministry team with a collective heart to reach out and help others—not just as a form of “entertainment”- but to truly minister to others.

* Becoming a professional Creative Arts Worship Team that promotes God’s love and truth through many creative venues.

 Whether you are a child or a child at heart, a member of a family through relationship or part of a family of friends – we believe our ministry has something to offer you. We will continue to “grow the families of tomorrow by rooting them in God’s love and truth today.”

As we prayerfully go into 2011, join us to see what God is up to and have a blessed year.

-The Evergreen Creative Ministries team