Be ready

The winter blues have very much so sat in. We have had a record number blizzard, ice, more snow, cold weather and it is being forecasted for us to receive 2-6 inches of snow tonight. The winter blues have set in…

I have the privilege of spending my Tuesday nights with around 80 7th-12th graders, almost every Tuesday. There are times when I spend my tuesday’s going through the motions. Game, meeting, open doors, music, preach, music, groups.  Tuesdays have become part of my routine. Sometimes we get bored with our routines.

But then we have conversations that remind us why we do what we do.

1 Timothy 4:2 says:

“Preach the word, be prepared in season and out of seasion; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction”

On a Tuesday 2 weeks ago, I got the chance to explain to a student the concept of Grace. This student comes from a rougher background. Dad passed suddenly, not the most popular kid, searching for where he belongs.

On this specific Tuesday however, I feel that God was working in his life. He came to me and asked “what is different between our church and godhatesfags.com church?” I explained how some will take certain aspects of the bible and turn them to the extreme. How some feel they see a massive devastating event and believe that God made it happen.

Grace. At Suncrest we believe in the power of God’s grace. We believe that the scriptures teach us God’s grace from the very beginning to the very end. God’s Grace for each and every one of us is so overwhelming that it makes us forget how powerful it is. The power of Grace from God in people’s lives has the power to change, transform and energize.

The conversation was short, the conversation was not that in depth. But that student walked away full. He came up and gave me a hug and said thanks. Now, this particular night we were talking about self promotion and how we need to be aware of what we put out there in the public’s eye. So the night wasnt even surrounding the topic of Grace.

I say be prepared in season and out, because as a youth worker, it is easy to sometimes lay back and relax. The startling truth though is that youth ministry is not all about games, food and videos. Youth Ministry is about teaching God’s word to students. Youth Ministry is about creating the next generation of Christ Following leaders to lead our world.

So if you have the winter blues………. dont lose traction. Dont lose hope. Those conversations are coming.

Be ready.