There was a time when I seemed to interpret being "servant of all" as meaning I had to do "all the serving." What I know now is that, if I'd continued at that pace, it would have left me burned-out, embattled, bitter and ready to stop serving altogether.

It's a dangerous place to be, and perhaps you've been there too. It's easy to see all the things that need to be done (especially in the church) and assume you're the man for all the jobs.

That was the old me.

Then, thankfully, I learned something. In a fit of frustration, I asked the Lord what He was calling me to do--in this life, in the church, for the kingdom. I can't say whether the answer came quickly, but once it came, it completely changed things for me. Now, when I'm asked to serve, or I see a need, I filter it through the answer He gave me. If it doesn't fit, I say no. No guilt. No condemnation. No second-guessing.

Of course there have been times when an opportunity didn't seem to fit but I believed the Lord was leading me to say yes. It hasn't happened often, but when it has, I've seen the Lord's hand in it all the way. I have never felt free-er to serve or more blessed in serving than I have since learning this. Need this lesson as badly as I did? There's an empty seat in the classroom and it's waiting for you.

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Anitra Elmore is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.

Jesus was the servant of all servants. When it comes to what I like to call "living low," He set the bar pretty high.

He washed His disciples feet, refused an earthly crown, hung out with undesirables and took the frail form of the humans He came to save. His pattern of humility and servant-leadership left us some big shoes to fill. How are you measuring up? Here are a few questions (a short survey, I suppose) that I'm pondering:

1. Are you spending more time serving or being served? 
2. Which are you pursuing more, your own needs/interests or the needs/interests of others? 
3. Do you most often serve cheerfully or begrudgingly?
4. Do you serve primarily for your own glory or gain?
5. Are you content with serving secretly or do you prefer that others know about it?
6. Are you faithful in serving others?
7. Are you willing to "get your hands dirty" for others?
8. Have you allowed yourself to grow weary in your serving?
9. Have you allowed serving to take the place of spending time with Jesus?
10. Is love the basis of your service?

Full disclosure: My answers to these questions expose a heart more concerned about self-service than serving others. Weighed on this scale, I'm definitely found wanting. I invite you to take the survey along with an introspective look at your servant life. Care to discuss? Let's chat a bit in the comments section.

Some Scripture to Ponder: Matthew 20:28, Philippians 2:4, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 25:21, 1 Corinthians 4:2, John 13:5, Galatians 6:9-10, Luke 10:38-42, Galatians 5:13

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Anitra Elmore is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.

Are your eyes open?

Open to the needs around you?

I'll admit. My eyes aren't always focused outside of myself. Well . . . wait a minute. I SEE the needs. I have momentary urges to "help" in some way. But, sadly, I don't always follow those urges and SERVE.

I have great intentions.

Maybe not the greatest follow-through when the Holy Spirit nudges.

A few weeks ago, I was told our church would be facilitating a free basketball camp in a neighboring city where we also opened a community center. So far, other than a few visits to The Center to help clean and organize, I've not really served outside of my comfort zone.

And, I know nothing about coaching basketball.

However, the camp came just one week after I jumped out of another comfort zone and got certified to train clients in a fitness program called P90X. Now, here I was with this camp in my face. I felt a nudge. Then doubt. And then, I volunteered to run the warm-up and stretch part of the camp.

I'd never lead a fitness warm-up before now. Or a stretch. I HAD taught countless children in theater classes in the past. I channeled that, planned a warm-up, and stepped up to help.

I had something to give.

It made the kids sweat. And maybe even dislike me a tad . . . haha!

Listen.
Deal with your own self-inflicted hesitations.
And then, SERVE.

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Joline Atkins is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.

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Debbie Legg is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.

Thursday night is Community Cookout night at any Youthworks mission site. All week long young people paint houses, do yard work, serve the elderly, deliver meals, teach local kids about Jesus, and volunteer at any number of local shelters and food banks. The young people and their leaders work hard at the tasks before them, but more importantly, they build relationships. That is always the main focus. Be like Jesus, sit with people, get to know them, love on them, AND invite them to Thursday night’s Community Cookout!

I’ve always loved this seemingly ordinary expression of hospitality because it’s a whisper of a bolder message. It’s this message I’ve been pointing to all week as I’ve reflected about Serving.

(1) Know that Service has an underestimated fueling potential for your faith.

(2) We must serve people because they belong to Jesus. And everyone belongs to Jesus.

(3) The ability to serve with the love of Jesus is the one thing all Christian Denominations can do in unity.

AND….drumroll, please…..

(4) There’s a big cookout coming. And we’re supposed to invite everybody to it.

“Sharing the Gospel”, “Spreading the Word”, “Evangelizing”, “Proselytizing”….call it what you will. It all means the same thing. Jesus is coming back. And when he does, there’s gonna be a feast. A big Par-tay with room enough for everyone. Our job is to invite them all. Tell them, “Ya’ll come!”

In anticipation of this banquet…we’ve got to give people a Full Serving. We’ve got to give them a foretaste of the Feast to come.

Amen.

“Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” – Luke 14:15

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At the beginning of my first Youthworks’ summer, I remember marveling at how excited the local kids were to see us. We were a staff of four, and with the exception of one of us, we were total strangers to the kids. And yet, when those kids first saw us, they ran to us as if we were beloved family they hadn’t seen in months. And as the summer progressed, I continued to marvel at this same eager acceptance week after week as the local kids couldn’t wait to meet the next round of youth groups that had come in for a week of mission.

I imagined it would be difficult for the kids to meet new missionaries every week. And when you add to that the diversity of the visiting groups, I would think the kids would be downright cautious every time a new group came in. But they weren’t.

It was this observation that led to a profound understanding of Christ followers that I have kept with me ever since. You see, Youthworks is non-denominational. And every week of mission at a Youthworks’ site brings a new variety of Christian denominations that manage to powerfully serve together side-by-side. As Christians, we may worship differently on Sunday mornings, read different versions of the Bible and disagree on some of the finer aspects of our faith. But as children of the Father, we all carry the same Love. It was this same Spirit that drew the local children to us with such enthusiasm. It wasn’t us they beloved…it was Jesus. And through us, they saw Him week after week after week.

Oh Lord, may we all carry your Spirit in such a way that You are recognized wherever we go. Amen.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 12:4,5

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When things got dicey, Peter split. His focus made him a coward. And while I’m sure there was a lot Jesus could have said to Peter when he saw him again after the resurrection, Jesus simply said, “Feed my sheep.” This is the best and hardest lesson that has stayed with me from mission work.

My mission experiences are full of moments when I’ve been tempted to run. I’ve been made fun of because of my weight, laughed at, blatantly lied to, as well as lied about, stolen from, scammed, treated with an ungrateful attitude and generally disrespected all while actively working in the mission field.

Jesus never said, “Feed my sweet sheep.” He just said, “Feed my sheep.” In fact the only thing we know about said sheep is that they belong to Him. And I think, when we’re trying to take a head count of who we’re supposed to serve, that’s all we’re supposed to know.

Feed the sheep that belong to Jesus.

That’s true in every mission field… including those with crabby neighbors, difficult coworkers, cranky kids, and snarky spouses. And you know what? You can’t feed folks like these if you focus on them. You’ll chicken out like Peter. But if you change your focus, like Peter did (Acts 4:13), you will no longer be cowardly. If you focus on the One to whom those sheep belong, you will be bold; courageous even!

Be brave, the world needs a full serving. It’s a jungle out there. Don’t serve because they deserve it. Do it because Jesus does. And he totally deserves it. He’s the King of the Jungle.

Roar. (Amen)

And for those of you still struggling to dole out a full serving to those who “get your goat”, here’s a little math short-cut to help you count the sheep that belong to God…

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.”- 1 Corinthians 10:26

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Love and forgiveness, prayer, reading the Word, worship, fellowship…all of these things drive our faith. But, in my opinion, service is the thing that ties all of these elements together into a high octane fuel.

Think about it this way: If the journey of faith is a road trip, then every gas station is Full Service. This means when you’re running low on fuel, you need to pull into a station, and either allow yourself to be cared for and rejuvenated through the service of others (note that this cannot be done ALONE. It’s about fellowship, folks!)…OR…you need to get OUT of your car, take a look around and see who needs their tank topped off. Let me reiterate the second part of that statement. Sometimes, when YOU’RE running low on fuel, YOU need to get out of the car, look around, and figure out who else is running on empty. Because in fueling the lives of others you will see the miraculous happen. Your own tank will become filled to overflowing.

And remember one last thing about fuel.

You don’t need fuel to park. You need it to move.

A life fueled by the likes of Service and built on the foundation of love, forgiveness, prayer, scripture, worship and fellowship is one that is bound to be full of miraculous life-changing surprises. And yes, you’re right. Fuel of this caliber doesn’t come cheap. It’s a sacrifice to serve others. But don’t worry, this fuel has already been paid for at high cost. All you have to do is receive it and pump it into someone else’s life. So, tank up. Top off. Get back out on the road and drive your faith! It’s a wild ride.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. – 2 Corinthians 9:12

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There is a season for everything under heaven and, for me, June marks the beginning of the Summer Mission Trip season.

I have had a long love affair with Summer Mission Trips. During the summers of 2004 & 2005, I had my first taste of mission work while serving as a leader of a Youthworks mission site staff team. Imagine eight weeks of hosting 50-70 visiting youth and leaders a week, and a summer full of amazing, shock and awe, God-adventure. After my Youthworks staff days were over, I became a Youth Director and led my own youth mission teams for several memorable summers.

And now, as June 2011 has arrived, I greet this summer with a little regret. For the first time in seven years, I will not be participating in a summer mission trip.

Life has changed a bit for me. I am concentrating more on my own little youth group of two (Noah, nearly 3 yrs, and Simon, 7 months). They keep me busy and are a bit too young yet to paint houses by day and attend the wild worship that is Youthworks' “Club” by night.

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