In the culture of Youth for Christ we have 5 Essentials for Fruitful and Sustainable Ministry Sites: Widespread Prayer, Loving Relationships, Faithful Bible Teaching, Collaborative Community Strategy and Adults Who Empower. We believe that each of these Essentials need to be evident for a ministry site that is powerfully impacted by God’s power and people.
Last Wednesday morning we received word of God pouring new resources and continue
I think one of the hardest parts of ministry—whether you’re a pastor of a mega-church or an urban youth worker—is developing people to become “self-feeders” (i.e. people who can grow in their relationship with the Lord on their own through personal disciplines in prayer and the Word). So when our youth become self-feeders, there is great rejoicing in heaven (at least in Hilltop).
I’ve been discipling Nathaniel ever since he first gave his life to Christ two years ago. It’s been such a joy to walk with him from ground zero to the honest, pure-hearted man he’s become. In order to encourage him to become a “self-feeder,” I made a challenge: I ask him a question, and he has one week to answer it. Here’s the catch…the only valid answer must come from the Bible. Nothing else is valid (even if it’s the right answer). I also challenged him to reading one chapter per day (starting with Mark). We meet every Tuesday. In order to add a little accountability, we made the following rule: if he hasn’t done all of his homework (including question answered), then he has to vacuum my car. If he does all his homework and has the question answered, then he comes over to my house for dinner.
It’s a win-win for me…either I see growth in my disciple or I have a clean car.
So far, Nathaniel’s won every challenge. He not only comes every Tuesday with his reading done and the answer, but he always comes with a complete hand-written word-study on the topic. He never answers the question with two verses…I’m talking 15 different verses. He’s very thorough!
The best part is seeing the personal revelations that He is having as He’s digging into the Word, and the way that they’re translating into action in his life. Last week’s question was, “What does God think about laziness?” We met yesterday, and he was so anxious to get started and tell me all the things that God showed him.
He read me verse-by-verse all the scriptures about laziness, the sluggard vs. the diligent, etc. When he was done, he exclaimed, “Doug, I found out that laziness is a sin!!! I’ve been lazy my whole life!!! I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it…but it’s a sin! When I woke up this morning, I wanted to turn off my alarm clock. Then I realized that I was being lazy…and that’s a sin! So I got up and went to school.”
We take these simple truths for granted, but Nathaniel was never raised with Biblical truths. His “right and wrongs” looked very different than mine or yours. What joy to see God transforming him by the renewing of his mind (Romans 12:2). God looks past the outward behaviors that made me first overlook Nathaniel, and he sees the man who desires to know God and to please Him. What a joy and an honor that God has allowed us to partake in this ministry!
-Doug Jonson, Sozo
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Last Sunday I thought about Keithely Middle School, the youth and children I pastor and more importantly my own children, Malachi, 8 and Makinzy, 5. I love all my kids; Campus Life, children’s ministry, Core Youth and the two amazing and loving ones I helped bring into this world. I am a big, loud and an overall fun guy. I want to reach, invest, impart, challenge and see God change the youth of this generation.
Last Thursday we were doing club at Keithley MS with only 12 students yet the crowd was rude, disrespectful and overall our team of 5 couldn’t seem to take control. I have been involved in youth ministry for almost 20 years with over 10 years of full-time pastoral experience and 3 years with TYFC. I know kids, love kids and want Jesus to live inside of them. However, last Thursday I felt like a cattle driver, prodding, yelling and becoming a little over-bearing, even frustrated. A cattle driver pushes and commands.
I am a city slicker but a few summers ago I had the opportunity to go to a 80 square mile ranch in Montana with my family. We had the chance to drive in the cattle from the pasture. The cowboys were constantly yelling and swinging whips. They had to push and force the cattle’s direction. These were the thoughts running through my head when I hit the pillow Sunday night. I woke up Monday morning to get my kids off to school. Again, pushing, prodding and even yelling at my own children. Sure, I apologized and asked their forgiveness but was overly immobilized at the thoughts of the Good Shepherd. I thought about Jesus and of the characteristics of a sheep herder. A Shepherd leads, guides and directs. He encourages and builds confidence and truth. He leaves the 99 and goes after the 1, in a loving, thoughtful and caring manner. How amazing! I want to be a sheep herder. I want to be like the Good Shepherd. I want to lead by example.
Are you a cattle driver or a sheep herder?
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In this economy there are plenty of people in search of a new job and the power of a good resume has never been more apparent. When we recently advertised for our Finance Director position we received a large number of applicants. However, I can honestly say that the number of people who sent a complete and compelling resume was minimal. Many prospects quickly jotted down their most recent experience but ignored any continue
God seems to delight in changing our plans, then bringing special, fruitful moments through the different set of events that he intended to take place. My plans frequently fall apart. They often must change in a matter of moments. One matter of growth for me has been to learn to accept changes of plans with peaceful trust in God’s control, and to meet the opportunities before me with confidence and grace, believing that the Holy Spirit is in control of events, even when I’m forced to fly by the seat of my pants.
Last week as we made plans for Thursday club, plans kept changing right up to the last minute. The first message came on Tuesday: one volunteer wouldn’t make it this week. A simple adjustment to make a couple days ahead of time – no problem. Then on Thursday came a voicemail, a text, and a phone call: 4 more volunteers would be absent or late. (By no fault of their own, just unexpected schedule changes beyond their control.) Suddenly some last minute preparations for games and content fell on only two of us, as we braced for the onslaught of 20 + middle-schoolers.
But the Lord worked in special ways on this day – the first work took place inside of me. A year ago, a similar thing happened, and a lot of stress and nervousness built up within me until the last student walked out and I breathed a sigh of relief. This time, however, I saw how my faith had grown as I prayed, “Lord, I trust that you are changing our plans for a reason, that you are still in control, and you intend to bring fruit from what happens today.” The peace and trust inside of me, in contrast to a year before, evidenced growing faith.
And as I grew in my faith, 20 + students were called to take a step towards Christ and put their faith in him. As the two of us shared with the group the stories of how Jesus has changed our lives, they listened intently. They heard how Christ was able to help one person overcome self-mutilation, and another learn to replace bitterness with forgiveness and love. At the end, I offered a copy of the gospel of John to those who wanted to know more about Jesus and how he changes lives. The response was greater than I expected – I ran out of books, and several students walked out reminding me to bring a copy for them the next week. Would this club have looked different if our original plans had worked out? Yes. What was special about the way things went instead? Just that the Spirit was in control, growing my faith and calling students to faith. And he’s got a plan for this next week – it may not match up with mine, but I’ll hang on for the ride.
Nate Duriga – Woodbrook Campus Life
