It doesn't look too bad, does it? And Blaine looks super excited in the picture to be getting ready to go up! It's much more intimidating in person, I promise, to us non-thrill seekers! And they even time the riders to see who comes down the fastest! Of course, fast is the goal!
But if you look closely, you'll notice there are several spiraled tubes way up high to go through and then a verticle drop just after them. The verticle drop is what did it for me (and eventually my sweet boy).
I didn't want to put the weight of my anxiety on my child and simply asked him if he was sure. I explained he would have to go up alone like the other slide and he was totally fine with that. Lovingly, I tried to point out the verticle drop but he was determined it would be fun and off he went! I made him promise me he wouldn't be scared! :)
I've never heard my child scream in quite that way. Sheer terror is what I think he felt. I think his heart was pounding too fast for him to realize what he had just done. He knew he didn't really like it but he simply stated he wouldn't be going on it again until he was much older.
We then returned to the wave pool and beach area to relax. Before leaving there was one more slide that he wanted to try. It was a tube slide that went through an aquarium with dolphins inside. It wasn't a particularly fast or tall slide. It was just one he'd been waiting to go on because the line had been long all day. There wasn't much of a line at this point and the slide was all his for the fun!
Blaine must have gone up to the top about 6 or 7 times. But each time fear would seize him and he would come running back down the path with tears in his eyes saying he couldn't do it. It turned out he was so distraught because of his promise to me that he wouldn't be afraid! He didn't want to let me down but he just couldn't make himself go down the slide no matter how hard he tried. I told him that I released him from his promise and that I only meant he needed to be brave for The Racer because it was so fast! I hugged him. We watched a couple of other people come down the dolphin slide, noting how slow they came out of the tube. I encouraged him. He tried again but couldn't go down. I told him he didn't have to do it that I loved him no matter what and was super proud of him. He got dressed and we packed up to leave; as we started to leave he turned around, took his shirt and shoes off, and tried one final time up the path to the top of the slide. He returned from the path a few minutes later, tears streaming down his sunburnt cheeks. He just couldn't do it. It broke my heart to see him in so much distress. At the same time, it warmed my heart to know how hard he tried!
Wouldn't it be awesome if we treated our faith and relationship with Christ in this way. Determination. What would it look like if we got really good at loving God so much that nothing could stop us, no matter what! What if in the challeging times we tried with all of our might not to let God down. Imagine in the scary times of the teenage years if there was nothing that could pull you away or stop you from climbing the path to God ... no peer pressure, no fear of failure, no view of yourself that you're not good enough, no nothing! I don't know that this exists or is even possible, but wouldn't it be cool to try!?
And isn't it a comfort to know that even when we fail and let God down, God loves us more than we could ever even imagine?! Isn't it helpful to know that God is there waiting for us at the bottom of our slides, never turning His back on us but always with His eye on us and ALWAYS there to comfort us!? What a relief we should feel to know that there is nothing we can do (or fail at doing) that would ever stop God from being our biggest cheerleader! There is nothing we can say (or not say) that would ever stop God from loving us and wanting a relatioship with us. There is nothing that we could feel (or not feel) about ourselves that would ever make God feel anything but love for us. There is nothing that could ever keep God from waiting at the bottom of the slide for us.
Now ... get busy sliding!
Jillianne
Monday, April 15, 2013
Water Slides!
Last May at Party with a Purpose (our silent auction / Costa Rica youth mission trip fundraiser), our family won a trip to Orlando over this Spring Break! Blaine and I went on the trip and we had an amazing week and really enjoyed the warmer weather! We ended up spending one day at Sea World's water park called Aquatica! If you know me, you know that # 1 I'm pregnant so there wasn't much I could do in the way of slides other than wait at the bottom with the camera and # 2 I'm not at all a dare devil and fast/high water slides really aren't my thing anyways (remember last summer's helicopter incident on the middle school mission trip - if not, just ask?!). But we found a 50% off deal and Blaine REALLY wanted to go, so we did! They had a great wave pool and kids water playground that he enjoyed. But, my child is a dare-devil (thank goodness he didn't inherit my fears) and he loved going down some of the smaller slides throughout the day.
After lunch we were walking through the other side of the park and we came upon "it." The Racer:
It doesn't look too bad, does it? And Blaine looks super excited in the picture to be getting ready to go up! It's much more intimidating in person, I promise, to us non-thrill seekers! And they even time the riders to see who comes down the fastest! Of course, fast is the goal!
But if you look closely, you'll notice there are several spiraled tubes way up high to go through and then a verticle drop just after them. The verticle drop is what did it for me (and eventually my sweet boy).
I didn't want to put the weight of my anxiety on my child and simply asked him if he was sure. I explained he would have to go up alone like the other slide and he was totally fine with that. Lovingly, I tried to point out the verticle drop but he was determined it would be fun and off he went! I made him promise me he wouldn't be scared! :)
I've never heard my child scream in quite that way. Sheer terror is what I think he felt. I think his heart was pounding too fast for him to realize what he had just done. He knew he didn't really like it but he simply stated he wouldn't be going on it again until he was much older.
We then returned to the wave pool and beach area to relax. Before leaving there was one more slide that he wanted to try. It was a tube slide that went through an aquarium with dolphins inside. It wasn't a particularly fast or tall slide. It was just one he'd been waiting to go on because the line had been long all day. There wasn't much of a line at this point and the slide was all his for the fun!
Blaine must have gone up to the top about 6 or 7 times. But each time fear would seize him and he would come running back down the path with tears in his eyes saying he couldn't do it. It turned out he was so distraught because of his promise to me that he wouldn't be afraid! He didn't want to let me down but he just couldn't make himself go down the slide no matter how hard he tried. I told him that I released him from his promise and that I only meant he needed to be brave for The Racer because it was so fast! I hugged him. We watched a couple of other people come down the dolphin slide, noting how slow they came out of the tube. I encouraged him. He tried again but couldn't go down. I told him he didn't have to do it that I loved him no matter what and was super proud of him. He got dressed and we packed up to leave; as we started to leave he turned around, took his shirt and shoes off, and tried one final time up the path to the top of the slide. He returned from the path a few minutes later, tears streaming down his sunburnt cheeks. He just couldn't do it. It broke my heart to see him in so much distress. At the same time, it warmed my heart to know how hard he tried!
Wouldn't it be awesome if we treated our faith and relationship with Christ in this way. Determination. What would it look like if we got really good at loving God so much that nothing could stop us, no matter what! What if in the challeging times we tried with all of our might not to let God down. Imagine in the scary times of the teenage years if there was nothing that could pull you away or stop you from climbing the path to God ... no peer pressure, no fear of failure, no view of yourself that you're not good enough, no nothing! I don't know that this exists or is even possible, but wouldn't it be cool to try!?
And isn't it a comfort to know that even when we fail and let God down, God loves us more than we could ever even imagine?! Isn't it helpful to know that God is there waiting for us at the bottom of our slides, never turning His back on us but always with His eye on us and ALWAYS there to comfort us!? What a relief we should feel to know that there is nothing we can do (or fail at doing) that would ever stop God from being our biggest cheerleader! There is nothing we can say (or not say) that would ever stop God from loving us and wanting a relatioship with us. There is nothing that we could feel (or not feel) about ourselves that would ever make God feel anything but love for us. There is nothing that could ever keep God from waiting at the bottom of the slide for us.
Now ... get busy sliding!
Jillianne
It doesn't look too bad, does it? And Blaine looks super excited in the picture to be getting ready to go up! It's much more intimidating in person, I promise, to us non-thrill seekers! And they even time the riders to see who comes down the fastest! Of course, fast is the goal!
But if you look closely, you'll notice there are several spiraled tubes way up high to go through and then a verticle drop just after them. The verticle drop is what did it for me (and eventually my sweet boy).
I didn't want to put the weight of my anxiety on my child and simply asked him if he was sure. I explained he would have to go up alone like the other slide and he was totally fine with that. Lovingly, I tried to point out the verticle drop but he was determined it would be fun and off he went! I made him promise me he wouldn't be scared! :)
I've never heard my child scream in quite that way. Sheer terror is what I think he felt. I think his heart was pounding too fast for him to realize what he had just done. He knew he didn't really like it but he simply stated he wouldn't be going on it again until he was much older.
We then returned to the wave pool and beach area to relax. Before leaving there was one more slide that he wanted to try. It was a tube slide that went through an aquarium with dolphins inside. It wasn't a particularly fast or tall slide. It was just one he'd been waiting to go on because the line had been long all day. There wasn't much of a line at this point and the slide was all his for the fun!
Blaine must have gone up to the top about 6 or 7 times. But each time fear would seize him and he would come running back down the path with tears in his eyes saying he couldn't do it. It turned out he was so distraught because of his promise to me that he wouldn't be afraid! He didn't want to let me down but he just couldn't make himself go down the slide no matter how hard he tried. I told him that I released him from his promise and that I only meant he needed to be brave for The Racer because it was so fast! I hugged him. We watched a couple of other people come down the dolphin slide, noting how slow they came out of the tube. I encouraged him. He tried again but couldn't go down. I told him he didn't have to do it that I loved him no matter what and was super proud of him. He got dressed and we packed up to leave; as we started to leave he turned around, took his shirt and shoes off, and tried one final time up the path to the top of the slide. He returned from the path a few minutes later, tears streaming down his sunburnt cheeks. He just couldn't do it. It broke my heart to see him in so much distress. At the same time, it warmed my heart to know how hard he tried!
Wouldn't it be awesome if we treated our faith and relationship with Christ in this way. Determination. What would it look like if we got really good at loving God so much that nothing could stop us, no matter what! What if in the challeging times we tried with all of our might not to let God down. Imagine in the scary times of the teenage years if there was nothing that could pull you away or stop you from climbing the path to God ... no peer pressure, no fear of failure, no view of yourself that you're not good enough, no nothing! I don't know that this exists or is even possible, but wouldn't it be cool to try!?
And isn't it a comfort to know that even when we fail and let God down, God loves us more than we could ever even imagine?! Isn't it helpful to know that God is there waiting for us at the bottom of our slides, never turning His back on us but always with His eye on us and ALWAYS there to comfort us!? What a relief we should feel to know that there is nothing we can do (or fail at doing) that would ever stop God from being our biggest cheerleader! There is nothing we can say (or not say) that would ever stop God from loving us and wanting a relatioship with us. There is nothing that we could feel (or not feel) about ourselves that would ever make God feel anything but love for us. There is nothing that could ever keep God from waiting at the bottom of the slide for us.
Now ... get busy sliding!
Jillianne
Monday, February 25, 2013
Psalm 139
Lent is all about taking time to stop and examine our relationship with God. Having a relationship with God means that we ‘know’ God. And, for the record there is a difference in ‘knowing’ God and ‘knowing of’ God. Many of us, I would dare say, fall into that later category.
We tend to think that having a good relationship with God is quite complicated. I don’t know why this notion exists. Yes, a relationship with God requires some work and intentional effort on our part … but doesn’t a relationship with anyone take effort? Or maybe it exists because we can’t just outright physically see or hear God when we ‘talk’ to God.
Honestly, though, having a relationship with God is really quite simple. While God certainly is God and deserves that respect and reverence, I think it is okay to think of having a relationship with God as being just like having a relationship with your best friend, your parent, or your favorite teacher! And the even better news is that God desires a relationship with us. Scripture tells it. God designed us with a God shaped hole inside that can only be filled by this relationship! Nothing else can fill or satisfy that God shaped hole, by the way! It’s actually quite a cool thought … we were designed to have a relationship with God! God knows everything about us and loves us regardless! This is awesome news.
Having a relationship with God requires that we make a commitment to God and we must trust God to see that commitment through. We must also show up and maintain regular contact with God (a.k.a. talk to God and thank God) … this simply means to pray and participate in worship. Also, we must be good listeners! Since we can’t outright hear God face to face, we must listen for God’s messages to us through other people and events, through reading Scripture, through nature, and through just about any other means God uses to reach us! Finally, having that relationship with God requires us to serve and love ALL others ALL the time!
Psalm 139 is all about one person’s relationship with God – David’s! Pull out your Bible and read it or click here to read! In this Psalm, David comes to God being very open and honest and laying it all on the line! This beautiful poem shows us that God wants to have an intimate, serious relationship with us! Hopefully they are words that you can (or will be able to) identify with and make your own in your relationship with God! And the most excellent news is there is nothing we can do to screw this relationship up! There is no way, no how, no nothing that would ever make God stop loving us and desiring this relationship! Amen?!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Change the World: 3 Simple Rules!
Change the World: 3 Simple Rules!
This past weekend at EYC was a change the world weekend and 30 hour famine kick-off! At Sr. EYC we talked about Christians who are currently changing the world like S. Truett Cathy (Chick-fil-A founder and foster parent), Dave Dravecky (baseball player who lost his arm/motivational speaker), and many more! Then we talked about an Anglican priest named John Wesley who also once changed the world! He was a priest in England in the 1700s and saw that people claimed to be Christians but it in no way changed the way they lived. Eventually John Wesley accidentally changed his world by beginning the "Methodist" traidtion in which he created a "method" for living a more Christian life.
One piece of his "method" was that he offered 3 rules by which to live ones life! These rules completely apply to us today!
1. Do no harm. Yes, this does mean physically like with violence or stealing, or hurting others. But John Wesley probalbe also meant to think about the harm that our words, actiions, attitudes, and even Facebook/Twitter/Instagram posts can cause!
2. Do good! God looks for us to do 'more' than just our every day life! These acts of good can be easy - return the cart at the grocery store (or offer to do it for someone else), hold the door for people coming after you, recycle, pick up trash you see even if it isn't yours, listen to others, don't pass on gossip or walk away when others start to do it, pray for people you don't necessarily like, or just simply think before you act!
3. Stay in love with God. Perhaps most challenging for us in our busy lives as teenagers and adults is this 'rule'. However, it's relatively simple! To stay in love with God, just stay in touch with God! Notice God all around you (i.e. in a sunset or another person), give thanks to God (simply say thanks!), and pray ... lots! Also key in staying in love with God is getting to know God better! To do this, simply find the time to read and understand your Bible, go to a Bible study, or talk with your friends about Scripture! You can even paint, draw, or journal Scripture! This will help us to know why and how to love God better!
Of course .... part of chaning the world is also DOING misisons! So we invite all of our 6th - 12th grade youth to be a hero to somebody else and do the 30 Hour Famine! Sign ups are happening now! There will be a famine central table in Tilson Hall weekly where youth and parents can sign up to help save the world from hunger! We will also continue sign ups at EYC over the next few weeks! Contact Matt or Jillianne with your speicific questions!
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