I had a geat weekend. This is one of my favorite weekends every month. Not only did I get to spend time with students, but I got together with my Adult Youth Staff. It's awesome! We get to talk and dream about ministry. We get to see how our youth have grown over the past months and years. We get to lift each other up when we are down. We get to be in community.

We read through the life and ministry of Elijah last night. It was comforting to see how even the greatest ministries ever have ups and downs. I understand Elijah because I get really excited about what God is doing and then it gets shut down by someone who doesn't see it. A part of his life that really struck me was his relationship with the widow. He listened to God and went to her town. He asks her for a drink and a meal and the first response he hears from this community is "I'm gathering sticks to make a fire so I can cook one final meal before my son and I starve to death." There's no handshake or "I'm glad you're here". His first encounter is with a person who is hopeless. This happens a lot in ministry. You meet a lot of people lacking hope.

And it gets better. After God provides the water, flour, and oil so Elijah, this woman, and her son can survive, her son becomes ill and stops breathing. The first thing this woman does is curse Elijah because it must be God's fault that her son died and since Elijah is connected to God he's responsible also. This is one of the most difficult things about being a Christian. We still have to live life just like everyone else and bad stuff will happen. We aren't perfect. There's still suffering that we experience. And we dwell on hard times like there's nothing good that comes out of them. Everyone who has experienced suffering in whatever form has learned and grown from that experience. However, suffering is something we avoid at all costs.

God doesn't say that your life is going to be perfect here on earth...which turns alot of people off because it means it isn't a quick fix. Elijah's life shows that God doesn't just work through the people who are organized or have it all together. He works through all sorts of people, even those who live a rollercoaster life.