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Do You Feel Powerful?

Summer time brings about one of my favorite season in ministry with that being Vacation Bible School. I love VBS. I loved it as a child, I love it as an adult, and I love it as a minister. Children, songs, snacks, decorations, activates, the energy and excitement all crescendos and equals fun. It is a time when all generations involved sort of take off the formalities of faith and just have fun together. We get to tell and experience the stories of the Bible and the stories of our faith with a renewed energy and perspective. We get to come together with future generations to reveal to them in stories, songs, and activities, the character and characteristics of God

As I got to speak to the children, the catch phrase was “God is strong.” Whenever I said God is strong all the children and adults would stand up, flex, and give me muscle arms and shout, “God is strong!” The literatures of our faith, the ancient stories of our religion are filled with descriptions about the power of God. David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion, three guys and a furnace, are all stories about a powerful God. Strength is something that always characterized the followers of God. Each character that followed God all shared the same boldness, strength, and confidence. It made me ponder the question of how many people today, outside of VBS would use the adjective “powerful” when they think about God?

How many people who follow God would view themselves as powerful? While some ministers tread on egotistic power or success, and may display a powerful arrogance, for me, most times I feel the total opposite. I think of so many times where I have been sacred. When I know God wants me to do something, say something, take action, and I talk myself out of it. I know God is call-ing me and I rationalized myself out of following God because I am scared. I read volumes of stories about strong, fearless, conquerors for God and I want to be like that but many times I am frozen in my own insecurities. I compare myself to others, their gifts, their talents, and I drift down the river of “I’m not that good.” I want to be powerful but not in the way our society wants power. I want to stand confident, powerful, and courageous in God and with an unquestionable faith of what He can do through me. I desire to be like those characters from VBS who display the Spirit of God living inside them. I want to navigate through life with the Spirit of a living God that has the power to bring back life to the living. I want to be reminded of just whom I worship each week, the powerful Creator who de-sires and wants only the very best for me. I want to turn those insecurities into power. I want to live each day like its VBS. Maybe it’s time we all begin to lessen our fears and listening once again about the power of our God.

Peace, Love and Happiness:

Tommy