In for the Long Haul

Hey Everyone, Thank you for keeping us in your prayers last weekend as we took 48 of our youth to youth quake (several of our boys dropped out at last minute which was too bad). It was an amazing weekend of building unity with our youth and also them growing closer to God. The speaker was a young man named Jared Herd from California, who was also the speaker last year. He has an incredible ability to capture our youth’s attention and keep them attentive (this is a big deal for youth who are not used to going to church and being respectful and quiet for ½ an hour). The theme was ‘Play Your Part’ and he took time over the weekend to share with the youth God’s grand story and God’s desire for them to be apart of it by becoming all that Christ created them to be.

Several of our youth stood up on Saturday night to say they wanted to start getting their lives right with God. This past Wednesday I spoke in Caronport at chapel about what it looks like to do discipleship in the 21st century. I wish I could have given them a 5 point formula of some sort but the truth is there is no formula in discipling new believers. As I prepared and gave this message God reminded me how this journey of faith is in fact just that- a journey. So often we get excited when people make decisions for the Lord but we then leave them alone to figure out how to live out this life of faith on their own. I also am guilty of expecting to see signs of maturity right away. I got home Sunday and felt overwhelmed by the implications of discipling these young people. However, God gently reminded me that this is a life long process for them (for all of us). They are not going to reach perfection this year or next year. This is a life long journey that we are all on together as a family. It takes patience, grace, love and perseverance to see fruit of maturity in all of our lives. At our Bible study on Tuesday I read Philippians 3:7-14 to our youth which says

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.[c] For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 1
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[d] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

God reminded me that this is what I have been called into youth ministry to do. To love, encourage, support youth as they learn what it means to put their past behind them and strive to become all that Christ created them to be. Yes, they will fall and make mistakes a long the way but just as parent raising their children into maturity we need to be gracious, patient and supportive as they grow in becoming all that Christ has created them to be. I have not reached full maturity and I am so grateful for all the people who God has put in my life to support, correct, love and be faithful in my life. Would you please pray for our volunteers and staff as we strive to be the body and support our youth as they grow into Christ like maturity. Our youth have so much going against them. Becoming a Christian for our youth is not easy because they often suffer much persecution from their friends and their families. Please pray that they would not give up because being a Christian is hard and that the Spirit would put a passion and a desire in their hearts to love God and live lives that reflect their love for Him.

Thank you all for all your continued support and prayers! You are such a huge part of this ministry and we know that your prayers are making a lasting difference in our youth’s hearts and lives.
May you be blessed as you continue to love and support each other as we are all on this journey of maturing in our faith and falling deeper in love with Christ!

God bless
Leanne