Worthey Words

When I Say I'm A Christian

2010-04-22T10:12:00.001-05:00

I didn't write this, I'm not even the original person to post this. I swiped this off someone elses blog. Hope you enjoy....

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin."
I'm whispering "I was lost,"
Now I'm found and forgiven.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and need HIS strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow.

Time for An Update

2009-12-22T13:39:00.002-06:00

It's has been a while since I've written anything, so I thought I'd update everyone as much as I can anyway. Since the last miscarriage, Liz has been to more doctor's visits that I can actually remember. She has started calling them "the vampires" because they take so much blood everytime we go. I feel like we've (well, she) has been through every possible test there is possible. After one set of tests, they thought she might have lupus, which her mom does have. I think they have ruled that out, but said there may be some sort of auto-immune disorder. She had been referred to some other specialist (baby specialist) that took more blood and has found something called MTHFR, which is short for some gene. We have not seen/talked to the doctors at this point about this. What I have found on the internet, says that it is a mutation of a particular gene that messes with the body's ability to absorb folic acid, which is vital for a healthy baby. So, Liz has a prescription of a large amount of folic acid to counteract that. The doctors also want her taking a baby aspirin because there is still the issue of her blood clotting - not sure what that is tied to at this point, but it's there. At this point, Liz is on at least 3 different things a day now to "treat" all these issues. We go to see the doctor mid-January to talk about all this stuff, so maybe we'll know more then.

It has been one crazy ride, one crazy thing after another, with some hard conversations, feelings of just giving up at some points along the way. We haven't decided to give up yet, but I think we are at that point of questioning, "how much is enough?". It's something that only Liz and I can decide for ourselves, and it's not a decision I wish anybody ever had to make. It never gets easier hearing/answering the question, "so do ya'll have any kids? or when are ya'll gonna have any kids?" And I know they are completely harmless questions, but it's still not fun. It's not fun seeing seemingly everyone around you get pregnant and have babies either. It's not that we're not happy for friends, etc., that are having children, it's just that constant question of "why not us?". If anything, I can say that I know all of this has made our marriage stronger. Not that it was ever weak at any point, but it has definitely brought us closer together. It has even brought us other friends that we didn't realize were struggling with the same issues, and for that I am thankful!

I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas!

Update from LA!

2009-07-31T10:08:00.001-05:00

First off, I guess I need to explain the LA, since both Liz and I have had several questions about that... LA = Lower Alabama....I certainly didn't know it before I moved here, but you learn quick! Ha!

Amazingly, this Sunday will be our fourth Sunday here in Louisville. It doesn't seem like it has been that long already! I'm beginning to get settled in to a routine here now, and am finding it is best for me to get OUT of the house and come over to the church office to get my work done! Ha! I'm just not one of those people that can work from home! There are WAY too many distractions for me there! Ha! Right now, my office is pretty empty and I'm still trying to figure out what I want here and what I want at the house. Tough decisions, I tell ya!

So far, we've only had what I would call one "regular" youth group meeting. The first two Wednesday nights were spent devoted to VBS for the kids. It was really awesome, and I'm glad we got to make it here for that. On the second night, we had a record crowd of 65 kids, over 100 with the workers! (*Now for my Florence friends reading this I know that is not a lot...some of you may have had that many in one class! Plus, I remember youth trips with that many!*) But it was an awesome time. Liz is working at the bank here in town and is enjoying it. She can come home everyday for lunch, since it is just right up the street. She walks to work most days. We realized one day that we had not been in the car in almost a week!

Anyway, just wanted to give a short update on things here in LA! We are getting ready for a Back to School Bash in a couple of weeks and then the end of the month we are going to En Fuego! Should be a fun time!

Well, hope all of you are doing well, I suppose I should get to some real work now instead of playing on facebook.

Through the tears...

2009-03-30T10:32:00.001-05:00

Liz and I went into the doctor to confirm, what we felt we already knew. The doctors were not able to find either of our babies heartbeats. For whatever reasons, we have lost two more children. We know they are up in Heaven waiting on us, and that we will see them one day soon. We are left here with many questions, many unanswered questions. We are saddened, we're hurt, we're broken, we're mad, and everything in between. We feel empty right now. And the thing about it, these are my words, my descriptions, I can't imagine what Liz feels right now. She now faces another painful road, both physically and mentally, with whatever she chooses.

People talk about having heros, and this person or that famous person is my hero. My wife is MY hero. She has endured so much over the past years (lost count as to how many it actually is right now). She has gone through so much physical and emotional pain that a lot of people never experience, and that I believe a lot of people could never even handle.

Through all of these experiences, we continue to find out exactly how strong we are. Right now, I don't feel very strong at all. I feel weak and helpless. However, we continued to be reminded of how many people love us and are praying for us, and right now are being our strength. Know that we love each and every one of you as well.

Over the next few days, weeks and months, as we continue to heal, please keep us in your prayers. You've all done so much already, that I hate to even type that statement. If we still seem a little dazed and distant, well, it's probably because we are. This being the third time, doesn't make it any easier. In fact, it seems it is even harder this time. We don't know God's plans, only that He has one. We may not understand it now, but I know we will one day, and that one day we will see all of our children in Heaven one day.

Our Extended Family....and Thanks

2009-03-29T19:19:00.001-05:00

Words aren't enough right now. I want to thank each and every member of my family that is praying for Liz and I right now. We were reminded tonight that even though we do no have our actual relatives close by, we do have family right here in this town, in this community, in our church. Thanks, just doesn't do it justice at this point.

We go in first thing in the morning, and at this point it can't come fast enough. I think we are both emotionally spent at this point. I think we're hoping for the best but planning for the worst at this point.

We will keep everyone updated as soon as we know something. Thanks again for all your prayers and kind words.

Dazed and Confused

2009-03-29T19:17:00.001-05:00

I'm behind on posting, this is from the other day, but I'm just not getting it on here...

Well, Liz and I are not having a great start to our weekend. Liz has been having some complications, so we decided to go to the ER this morning. All I can say is that we are a bit confused right now. The sonographer could not find heartbeats for either baby. Other sings were good, but they could just not find heartbeats. We have to go back on Monday basically to confirm what we already feel we know.

Needless to say we are dazed right now. We're confused...we have lots of questions, but not a lot of answers. We don't know what to think or what to feel. I want to thank all of you for your prayers and continued support as we go through the next few days and next few weeks.

And then there were two...

2009-03-24T15:39:00.003-05:00

Well, Liz and I went back to the doctor today. We were having some "issues" this morning and freaking out a bit, so we wanted to know everything was still okay. She ended up going back to her original doctor for an ultrasound. They confirmed what we already thought. There are 2 babies in there! Baby A is measuring at 6 weeks 4 days, with a heartbeat of 132 (up from yesterday even). Baby B, however, is only measuring with a heartbeat of 69, and measuring at 6 weeks 1 day (I think I'm remembering that right).

So with that being said, yes, there are twins. However, the major concern is that Baby B's heartbeat is really low. It should be much higher at this point...at least around 100. Our doctor told us that she has seen cases where it's been that low and bounced back and everything been fine. Obviously we are hoping for that scenario.

When that happens, we will still have a long road ahead of us. Our twins are one of two types. I'll spare you all the details here (if you wanna know, just ask me). One is definitely more rare than the other. Right now, we aren't concerned about that. We are just praying/hoping for Baby B's heartbeat to come up. If it doesn't then, we have a whole 'nother scenario to face. So we're praying for that right now! We go back next Wednesday to see what's going on and to see if they can determine what kind of twins they are.

Until next time....

Doctor's Visit - 3/23/09

2009-03-23T09:29:00.000-05:00

Well, Liz and I went back to the doctor again today, hoping to be released back to our regular doctor. At our last visit, the sonographer thought she saw what looked like another sac, but did not see anything. That's right, my heart dropped, thinking we're gonna have twins! She told us she'd never seen that before, so we were really wondering. Well, we spend all of last week looking things up on the internet (bad idea), lots of possibilities here, but essentially, it could be nothing, it could be twins.

Obviously we are anxious for today's visit. The sonographer begins looking around, finds the baby (finally), and we heard a heartbeat! Up to 126 beats this time! Looking good. She keeps looking around, looking for the other sac...at first I didn't think it was there, but it looked like something was there. The doc finally joins us, and they continue looking. It seemed like forever, but am sure it was only about 3-4 minutes. Basically the decision was for us to come back next Monday for another ultrasound. They said everything from it was just blood flow, they mentioned 2 fetuses, 2 hearbeats....a little of everything.

SO! We could be having twins, we don't know at this point. IF, and I think this is a big if at this point, if it is twins it is what would be the most dangerous type because they are sharing a sac. With all that being said, we ask for your prayers, prayers for the baby or babies, prayers for us during the wait.

We'll keep you updated!

Gonna Have a Baby!

2009-03-18T13:16:00.002-05:00

So, many of you know the "road" that Liz and I have been on trying to have a baby. Many ups and downs to say the least. Well, about 2 weeks ago, Liz got a positive on a pregnancy test, so again the waiting and hoping started again. We went today for our first visit and got to SEE and HEAR a heartbeat. The doctors say she measure at 6 weeks 1 day, right about what we were thinking. Now, I know that picture isn't much, but when you've been through this 2 times before and seen nothing, you can imagine what that little blur and flutter on a monitor meant today! It was fricking awesome!

Gonna keep this one short, but rest assured there will be many more to come!

Altared

2008-11-06T21:14:00.002-06:00

Altared is the drama group that Liz and I, along with our good friend and former youth pastor at our church create a little over 2 years ago now. It is absolutely something we love doing, as it gives us yet another opportunity to interact and impact the youth we work with. Below are a couple of the dramas that we have done in the past. I'm hoping to get clips from the dinner theater we performed, Meet Me at Luigi's. Look for that soon, but until then, enjoy these two!

"Everything"

"For Annie"

Youth or Students?

2008-11-04T20:22:00.002-06:00

I thought I had posted this here, but apparently I didn't, so here ya go....

I have something I read recently that I'd like to share/see what you think about it....

I've found a GREAT magazine called Group. It is for youth ministers/youth workers. It has some amazing articles, sermon ideas, games, you name it! Well, there was an article in there about the change/shift, whatever you wanna call it, in youth ministry/youth groups. The article talked about the change in using the name youth, youth ministers, youth ministry, and instead using the words students, student ministers, and student ministry. While I didn't agree with all of the author's statements about continuing to use youth vs. students, he brings up some interesting points.

When did this push to change from youth to students happen? Why did it happen? One point he makes is that using the word student puts more of a "label", if you will, on teenagers. What about the teenagers that have dropped out of school? They are no longer students, but are still part of our ministry. Putting the tag of students on them also looks at them through one specific social role. The fact that they are students should not be the only thing focused on.

Maybe some of the change to students has been to gain credibility in the realm of other church ministries. Maybe some of it has to do with the fact that some churches include both children and youth under one umbrella, possibly even college age, thus covering "students" from kindergarten to college. I'm not really sure what it is. One thing that I do agree with on with this author is that I don't particurlarly like the label of "students".

I remember when I worked for a mental health facility, the descriptors we used in our daily notes changed several times while I was there for what we called the people we were working with. That statement alone is confusing, huh?! We work with people do we not? When I began we used the word, patient, then client, customer, and consumer. What? Customer? Consumer? The rationale behind those last two was that we (the mental health facility) was providing a service/product. People who use these services and products are considered customers or consumers. Wow! I'm sorry, but aren't we just working with people? Just like in the ministry we are working with people.

Sure, most of this is just my opinion and well, opinions are like belly-buttons, everyone's got one. The youth, students, whatever you wanna call them, that I work with know that I call them "kids". As I mentioned in an earlier blog, some probably don't like this, some probably never think about it at all. But this is why I call them "kids". In ministry, I believe one of the most important aspects is relationships, and you can even look at this from many angles. Not just the leaders relationship to them, but what sort of relationship the leader is cultivating and leading them towards to have with their friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, their parents, and most importantly with Jesus. (*Did that make sense?*) In the *very little* work that I've done in youth ministry, they become my kids, because of my relationship with them. This is partly why I think the term students is just so impersonal. Sure as youth ministers we are teaching teenagers things, and they are learning, but we aren't in school....at school they are students, at church...in life, they are people.

I'm sure I've rambled enough....but what do you think? Or do you think it even matters at all?

Perspective

2008-09-15T22:10:00.002-05:00

No, I'm not going to get into a big psychological rant about is the glass half full or half empty....if you ask me the answer to that question is "it depends". But anyway....I was sitting here tonight reading past blogs that I'd written on myspace (I hope to transfer some of them to here btw) and, well, it was pretty interesting reading my own words.

I bet you're thinking, boy, he's really egotistical. Yeah, sometimes I probably am. But, no, what I mean this time is this....looking back over each and everyone of those, I can remember exactly where I was mentally, what I was feeling, what was going on when I wrote those, and yes, still even some of the hidden messages behind them. (*Hidden messages, you ask....yeah, I was probably a bit shady in some of them.*)

I think it just goes to show us how powerful our words are, either spoken or written. Not only that, it shows how powerful putting your words down on paper or out on the net for everyone to read can be and what it can create. It can create a history that you actually want to remember or one that you wish that you'd never recorded. And if you look at some of the things I've written in other blogs, some of it was pretty painful and still is to read. But, it's all a part of my past, my history, and yes, I look at it as even where I'm going. It tells me that the story isn't over and there are at least a few chapters left to be written! And guess what?!? I'll probably be right here blogging about every one of them! HA!

First Post (Here anyway)

2008-09-14T21:59:00.002-05:00

This is a repost of a blog I just wrote over on another site....just wanted to go ahead and put something here so it didn't look so blank...

Youth or Students?

It's been a while since I've done one of these again, and I probably have about 10 in my head that I could write. I won't, don't worry. I do have something I read recently that I'd like to share/see what you think about it....I've found a GREAT magazine called Group. It is for youth ministers/youth workers. It has some amazing articles, sermon ideas, games, you name it! Well, there was an article in there about the change/shift, whatever you wanna call it, in youth ministry/youth groups. The article talked about the change in using the name youth, youth ministers, youth ministry, and instead using the words students, student ministers, and student ministry. While I didn't agree with all of the author's statements about continuing to use youth vs. students, he brings up some interesting points.

When did this push to change from youth to students happen? Why did it happen? One point he makes is that using the word student puts more of a "label", if you will, on teenagers. What about the teenagers that have dropped out of school? They are no longer students, but are still part of our ministry. Putting the tag of students on them also looks at them through one specific social role. The fact that they are students should not be the only thing focused on.

Maybe some of the change to students has been to gain credibility in the realm of other church ministries. Maybe some of it has to do with the fact that some churches include both children and youth under one umbrella, possibly even college age, thus covering "students" from kindergarten to college. I'm not really sure what it is. One thing that I do agree with on with this author is that I don't particurlarly like the label of "students".

I remember when I worked for a mental health facility, the descriptors we used in our daily notes changed several times while I was there for what we called the people we were working with. That statement alone is confusing, huh?! We work with people do we not? When I began we used the word, patient, then client, customer, and consumer. What? Customer? Consumer? The rationale behind those last two was that we (the mental health facility) was providing a service/product. People who use these services and products are considered customers or consumers. Wow! I'm sorry, but aren't we just working with people? Just like in the ministry we are working with people.

Sure, most of this is just my opinion and well, opinions are like belly-buttons, everyone's got one. The youth, students, whatever you wanna call them, that I work with know that I call them "kids". As I mentioned in an earlier blog, some probably don't like this, some probably never think about it at all. But this is why I call them "kids". In ministry, I believe one of the most important aspects is relationships, and you can even look at this from many angles. Not just the leaders relationship to them, but what sort of relationship the leader is cultivating and leading them towards to have with their friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, their parents, and most importantly with Jesus. (*Did that make sense?*) In the *very little* work that I've done in youth ministry, they become my kids, because of my relationship with them. This is partly why I think the term students is just so impersonal. Sure as youth ministers we are teaching teenagers things, and they are learning, but we aren't in school....at school they are students, at church...in life, they are people.

I'm sure I've rambled enough....but what do you think? Or do you think it even matters at all?