Summer streak

Our past few weeks have been filled with youth trips, a revival service, visitation, work and other stuff. At the end of this busy summer streak, I was going to write about the fun we’ve had, the relationships we’ve built, my Dramamine-induced haze and even a chaperone’s concussion caused by a thrilling game of slip-n-slide woffleball (sp?), as you see below.

But in the midst of our personal plans and hopes, something amazing happened. Seems like that’s how God always moves. Even though He calls for our obedience to open doors, He has His own agenda and His own way of doing things. What a pleasant surprise.

God has been prodding me in a certain area for a few years but has been working on me pretty intensely for the past few months. I’ve had several “mountaintop” and “valley” experiences lately – mostly valley – which I think He’s used to prepare me for what He was about to do in the youth group.

The evangelism part of the Christian walk has never really appealed to me. I tend to avoid conflict with people, so I don’t enjoy selling things, telling people they’re wrong or pushing them to act. Sharing the gospel usually makes all parties involved uncomfortable, so I naturally avoid it. In my mind, I knew introducing people to Jesus was important, but I just sort of hoped I could make friends and it would just happen with no confrontation and no venturing outside my comfort zone. In response, God began to make me quite uncomfortable inside my comfort zone – quite dissatisfied and yearning for a deeper, richer walk.

My faith was also a problem. Had I come to the point where I believed evangelism wasn’t important because nothing was going to happen anyway? Maybe. Until one night, I heard the testimonies of a bunch of former drug abusers whose lives were completely made new as a result of a faith-based rehab program in Covington County. Here were people just like I’d see at IGA, sitting on a front porch or at a trailer where we’d pick up kids for church – changed and talking about their new lives after meeting Jesus. That’s when I realized it was really possible. More on this ministry later.

So now I’m at the point where God is constantly pressing on my heart to talk with people about Jesus. I’m finally broken. I’m not sure how to respond, except from now on, it’s not going to take an act of Congress for Him to have my obedience. When He prompts me to act, I’m going to just do what He says. What a concept!

Back to the youth group…To make a long story short, God has moved among a several of the youth. I’m seeing a passion in some of these kids like I’ve never seen, and it doesn’t seem to be just an emotional flare from a youth retreat. Daddy has said before that it doesn’t matter how high someone jumps; what matters is how straight they walk once they hit the ground. They have definitely hit the ground walking straight. They’re making plans and are actually sharing Jesus with their schoolmates. WHAT?!

I can’t wait to see what happens this fall, and I pray God will let me play a part.