Today, I stepped way out of my comfort zone.
Let me start out by saying that chickens creep me out. As do cats with claws. And fish, but they’re irrelevant.
I grew up at Noblesville First UMC - a large church with the biggest youth group in the town. It’s a nice suburb of Indianapolis, IN. Great church, great people, but WAY different than where I work now.
I am currently the Director of Youth Ministries at Unity Chapel UMC in Ramsey, IN. Ever heard of it? Didn’t think so.
Anyway, back to the animals. Chickens scare me (rather irrationally, I suppose) because I always think they’re going to peck my face off. No idea where that comes from.
Clawed cats scare me because as a kid I got clawed in the face by one. De-clawed = no problem. But clawed makes me cringe!
And though the fish are irrelevant, I still feel the need to explain. My grandparents in Minnesota live on a lake. Big fish would rub againt me as a kid and I thought I was going to be eaten.
Now that you know my crazy fears of creatures much smaller than I, I can get to my point. Yesterday I was dropping off a volunteer that helps with FUEL (our youth group) at his house. I thought I lived in the country until I got to his house! 20 chickens, 19 cats, 2 guineas, 1 dog, 1 calf, and a 700lb pig greeted me when I got there. I was amazed - and a little scared.
But by asking him to show me around instead of booking it out of there, I was able to further connect with one of my best volunteers in ministry. His sister, a youth, came out and hung out for awhile, too. Then his parents.
Through sucking up my dumb fears I was able to build personal relationships with four different people. I love how God works!
And I even fed a calf. Pretty sweet, I know!
Step out of your comfort zone more often and God will reward you.
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