For the past few weeks, I have sat in front of my computer multiple times trying to write
this post. The struggle to write has been less about having something to say and more about having so many thing to say that I don’t know where to start or the best way to do it, or as I call it, “paralysis by analysis.” Maybe you find yourself there today.
The other night we had a committee meeting to catch up on how ministry is going, what’s next, and where are we going? These are fun conversations, as long as things are going well, and they are, Praise the Lord! Our numbers on Monday nights continue to increase, we have over ten kids that are interested in summer camp, and we’ve made some headway on our Golf Outing - our final big fundraiser of the year! From the outside, everything is “up and to the right.” Honestly, I am extremely proud of the headway we have made. These things haven’t happened on accident. We (committee, leaders, and I) have worked hard and pounded the pavement. We have also been beyond blessed by the generosity of friends, family, and even people that I have not met. Everything is “up and to the right,” but I know that this can at times be a dangerous place.
I want to explain what I mean by that. I’ve come to realize that efficiency, growth, and
numbers in God’s Kingdom work very differently than anything here on earth. Growth and more kids at club doesn't necessarily equate to good ministry. It's crucial that we check in frequently with ourselves and with each other to make sure that our hearts and our focus is in the right place.
Over Spring Break we decided not to have a traditional Monday night club even though a lot of the kids were around. The decision was twofold. I wanted to give my leaders a break from having to “be on” for the night, and I also wanted us to have an opportunity to step back and praise the Lord for what he has done and ask him to direct us moving forward. I felt that the best way to do this would be to pray as we walked around the property of East Kentwood High School followed by fellowship as a team. So Monday came, and so did the rain. Not a sprinkle, but a HEAVY rain. Not quite “two of every kind” rain, but stay in your home rain. It would have been easy to send a text out and tell the team to skip the prayer walk and meet at Peppino’s across the street, but deep down I knew we needed to make our way around the property and pray for the kids, teachers, administrators, coaches, the future of Young Life, and much more. As I made the decision to keep the prayer walk on, I told Annika that “Prayer is not a fair weather sport.” We laughed, but when I take a step back and think about that joke, I think there is some validity there. Prayer isn’t always convenient and doesn't always feel like an efficient use of time when there is so much work to be done. However, I am reminded by the quote that "prayer does not fit us for the greater work, it is the greater work."
In the 1930s, an elderly woman, Clara Frasher, recruited a group of her friends to pray for the teenagers attending Gainesville High School in Texas. Six years later, Jim Rayburn began meeting with kids at the school and ended up developing the vision and ministry of Young Life. Similarly, it was through years of faithful prayer by our committee and many other members of the community that Young Life was able to be re-launced at East Kentwood high school. Prayer is what got us here, and it will push us to where we are going. We may have left the campus of East Kentwood a little wet that day, but we also left feeling grateful for God's faithfulness and with a renewed passion and urgency to keep pursuing the kids.
Will you join us in praying for our ministry? Right now at your desk, or dining room table, or while waiting in a line, will you pray with us?
Pray For…
-The kids going to Timberwolf Lake Camp this summer (July 8-13)
-The future of Kentwood Young Life and possible expansion to Wyldlife as early as next year
-Wyldlife Leaders
-For the kid that hasn’t quite mustered up the bravery to come to club
-For a new connection in the lunch room with a student
-For the kid that needs healthy community
-For our volunteer leaders that give so much, that they connect with our students and are
refreshed each week with a renewed spirit.
My hope is that things continue to grow in the ministry of Kentwood Young Life, but even more I hope that we don’t lose sight of who the gospel is for. It’s not for a ministry to thrive, it’s for the kids of East Kentwood to belong and to know how much they are loved by the creator of the universe. It's continuing to create a space for the next kid, for the outsider, for the one that needs to belong before he or she believes. Pray that those miracles happen and we share those stories well.
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