(posted : Monday Aug 6, 2012)
Well, summer is almost over. I feel like it has flown by, partially aided by the fact that I was not in one location for very long. We spent a week with my sister in Wisconsin, came home for VBS, then Emma and I, along with 18 others, left for 11 days in Peru. After being home for 12 days, our student ministry left for camp at Word of Life Florida Youth Camp. Now, WOL is only 11 miles away, but I was not in my own bed for those 8 days. After being back home for 6 days, we headed for Islamorada in the Florida Keys. There, I was the Morning Bible Hour speaker for Word of Life's new Camp in the Keys. A week later, we headed home, only to take Emma and Keira to Word of Life for their week of camp two days later! This was Keira's first year at camp and Emma's third year. All in all, I traveled over 10,500 miles this summer! Glad I didn't have to walk them all!
Well, summer is almost over. I feel like it has flown by, partially aided by the fact that I was not in one location for very long. We spent a week with my sister in Wisconsin, came home for VBS, then Emma and I, along with 18 others, left for 11 days in Peru. After being home for 12 days, our student ministry left for camp at Word of Life Florida Youth Camp. Now, WOL is only 11 miles away, but I was not in my own bed for those 8 days. After being back home for 6 days, we headed for Islamorada in the Florida Keys. There, I was the Morning Bible Hour speaker for Word of Life's new Camp in the Keys. A week later, we headed home, only to take Emma and Keira to Word of Life for their week of camp two days later! This was Keira's first year at camp and Emma's third year. All in all, I traveled over 10,500 miles this summer! Glad I didn't have to walk them all!
Needless to say, I was out for a number of Wednesday's and Sunday's this year. I am grateful that we have a group of men and women that I am proud to work alongside of who can carry the load when I am not able. Our Student Ministry Leaders are some of the best people I know! They give of themselves tirelessly in working, teaching, praying, counseling, discipling, loving, crying, giving, going and much more every single week! As I have been thinking and dreaming about this upcoming school year and our student ministry, I am amazed that these men and women would join with me in our quest to reach students with the Gospel and see them grow into fruit bearing, mature believers!
In my Quiet Time this morning, the passage was Colossians 1:9-14, and I listed these 9 things that Paul was praying for the believers in Colosse:
1. Filled with the knowledge of His will in wisdom & understanding
2. Walk worthy of the Lord
3. Be pleasing to God
4. Bear fruit
5. Grow in His knowledge
6. Be strengthened
7. Have endurance and patience
8. Be joyful
9. Be thankful
I thought of our student ministry as I listed these, and realized that these are the same things we desire for our students. We do not simply want to see teenagers come to fill the seats, have fun or hang out. We want to see them be world changers. Not tomorrow. Not someday. Not in the future.
Today.
Simply put, I believe that teenagers have the capability to reach their friends and family with the Gospel, live it out and change the world today.
If in the Olympics, a 15 year old swimmer can win a gold medal, and a 16 year old gymnast can win multiple gold medals, then there is no reason that we should not expect Christian teenagers to do big things for God! This is way past, "Please show up and bring your Bible." This is, "Start a Bible study in your public high school"; "Let the Gospel invade your life in every aspect"; "Go to another country to share the Gospel"; "Go across the street to share the Gospel"; "Be Gospel centered"; "Live pure, surrendered lives" and more. No where in the Bible do you see God put an age restriction on who is supposed to live for Him and do big things for Him. So why do we?
I'm excited about the students we will meet for the first time this year. I'm really excited about the students who will meet Jesus for the first time this year. Yes, summer's been good, but I am excited about what is next!
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