What students taught me about ministry

Matthew 18:20
^"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

This weekend was the first of many weekends I spent working with teenagers and those teens taught me so much in such little time and I don't even think they realized they were teaching me. They taught me that the important thing is God the rest isn't always pretty, that we all have the ability to serve God, and that we all have a story and no matter how that story started God makes the ending good.



Isaiah 55: 9

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." I would be lying if I told you that I held on to these words all weekend and fully trusted God to do what only he could do in this ministry. The truth is my human nature kicked in and I wanted everything to go according to my plan. I was being selfish I wanted to check the pretty boxes and say that everything went exactly the way I intended, but it didn't happen that way. Saturday after I started to let defeat sit in someone came over and showed me a photo they took of myself and a group of students praying in the middle of the Krush lobby. In that exact moment I felt that I had totally missed the boat, because this ministry wasn't about me it wasn't even about checking boxes and being perfect. This ministry was about exactly what that photo captured, creating a mindset of prayer for these students and giving them an outlet to be lifted up in prayer on a regular basis. So I left my selfish pride at home today and I took a back seat so God could do what only He can do with these students. It didn't have to be pretty or perfect and the words didn't have to be well rehearsed the simple action of prayer made these students and I small in the grand scheme of things but the mindsets we created and the presence we made known was far greater than anything we could have done alone.  

 

 

Deuteronomy 13:4

 

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him." If you're reading this your alive which means you have the ability and duty to serve God! You can scroll past this part, but God calls us to serve Him. He doesn't tell us exactly when and where He leaves that part up to us, but we are ALL called to use our gifts\talents to serve and honor God. I watch these students in awe of them, because I know I wasn't serving on every team possible in youth ministry when I was their age. The world these students live in is tough. John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The "thief" for these students looks like, no parental support in their faith, no friend support in their faith, no school support in their faith, and the list goes on and on,  but they don't stop fighting against all odds these kids fight to use their talents for God. So someone please tell me why the "grown ups" aren't taking a page out of the student playbook? They are making time for community, serving God, school, studying, family, friends, Gods word and still search for more ways to be involved. I'm guilty as well of the "too busy" "not enough time" excuse, but enough is enough what if God woke up this morning and said you know I really don't have time to solve your problems today or I'm a little to busy for you today how would we feel?

 

 

 

 

Titus 3:8

"This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone." Each of us has a story what we do with that story is up to us. We can choose to be defined by the things that have happened in our lives and dwell in them and never move on, this isn't what God wants he wants us to allow him to do a good work in us. The other option is to allow God to write your story from this point forward understanding that your past will always be a part of you, but it does not dictate your future. I stood 5 times and listen to 5 different sets of kids share a quick summary of their testimony and how God moved in their life. The stories I heard were not all happy some were painful and hurtful, but the key in all of the stories was they decided to follow Christ and allow Him to move in their life no longer choosing to live in the past. I time a student shared their story their peers sat and listened and each time I watched as lives were changed. God can change your story you just need to ask Him to be the Author and Perfector of your life.



This weekend was a one I will never forget a weekend in Krush Prayer Partner history and a weekend in the history of me. I pray you too can learn something from these students that have so much to offer if only we'd give them the chance and encourage them in the process.