The Joys of Being Unknown

“Enjoy being unknown and regarded as nothing” –Thomas Kempis


To start, there are two questions.

1. What does that mean? 2. Why in the world would I want to be unknown?

Well the answer to both of those questions arrives in one action; to imitate Christ. Becoming small is contradictory to everything that the world deems as worthy. Society tells us to climb the ladder of success, to make a name for ourselves, and to be as big as possible (in popularity, not the waist line). A vicious cycle of competition and selfish motives overtakes the average person on a daily basis, so why would anyone try to suggest that we need to deflate our egos? I’ll tell you why; it’s in scripture. Hebrews 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” For a more practical application, Luke 22:26 tells us, “But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”

You see, serving is all about becoming small, being unknown, and humbling ourselves. In the same way, when we slip to the background, we allow God to step forward and take all the credit. He deserves the glory; however, with our pride-driven actions and “me me me” mentalities, we end up pushing God into the background. And then what happens? Our mighty success fades, the name we made for ourselves dims, and God is still standing there waiting for us to allow him to step into his rightful place, the foreground.

Ultimately, when we make ourselves unknown and nothing we are at our happiest. This happens because this is the only time we can fully enjoy the love and grace of Christ. When we give of ourselves expecting nothing in return, when we step back out of the spotlight, we can see all the many works of the Lord that are taking place around us.

I encourage you to do as Kempis says and just see how much God works in and through you as you are “being unknown and regarded as nothing.”

Using Others to Grow

Let me start off by asking you a question. Have you ever stopped to wonder just how much the nature of who you are intertwines with the personality, morals, actions, and faith of another person? I can’t say this occupies my mind often, but recently it has pitched a tent between the school and Younglife compartments of my brain. Just to clarify, that means it comes up often because those are the most visited topics in my life. Anyway, I know that several people influenced my life dramatically throughout the years and I venture to say that I think their lives were impacted by my growth as well.


In Mark 2:1-12 an instance of this thought plays out. Jesus is talking in a building filled to maximum capacity. People had left behind a lot just so they could flock to hear Christ speak, which meant there was no sympathy towards those who showed up late and couldn’t get anywhere near an entrance. On this particular day there were four men who brought a paralytic to see Jesus. However, by the time they got there people were already spilling out onto the street. But don’t assume that this stopped the men for they were determined. In order to get the paralyzed man to Jesus, the other men dug a hole in the roof and lowered him down right in front of Jesus’s feet. Jesus healed the man of his sins and his nonfunctioning legs.

Now obviously the formally paralyzed man’s life was changed. For one he could walk now, and even better, he had met his savior. But what if we looked deeper into this story; what if we looked to see if the other four men’s lives were altered? Mark 2:5 says, “When Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ He didn’t mention the paralytic’s faith, but the men who brought him to Jesus, the men in the background. If these men did not have faith in the Son of God, what do you think would’ve happened? Or, get this, how much more do you think the four men’s faith grew after hearing Jesus say these words? The Lord used the paralytic to reach the four men’s hearts just as much as He used the four men to make His love and power known to the paralytic.

God uses the people around you to grow your faith just as much as he uses Himself in you. Here is a modern day example, or just a story of my life, take it as you wish. In the probably the last six months, I have seen more heartbreak than I know what to do with. From bumps and bruises to life altering decisions, it seems as if I’ve heard it all. My heart, in turn, breaks for these people I love. Even though I’m not going through anything traumatic at the moment, the Lord is using the close relationships I’ve formed to teach me compassion. A prayer that I’ve heard several times from those close to me, which I have now adopted into my life, is that God will help me to see others as He sees them. And part of that is hurting when they hurt; taking on their pain in a way that it becomes your own. I feel their distress as if I was the one going through the trial and it makes me love them as a brother or sister in Christ that much more. Joseph H. Hertz said, “Man is never nearer the Divine than in his compassionate moments.”

The Lord uses others to teach you, just as He uses you to teach others of His grace and mercy.

So start paying attention to the lives around you; you never know what you might learn.

Read Between the Sarcasm

As I reflect back on conversations I’ve heard/had in the last year or so, I can’t help but think that Spanish is no longer the common second language. Rather it has been replaced by the ever so sly sarcasm. Now sarcasm in itself is fine even comical at times, but I’ve been really distressed by the level of sardonic language that I’ve experienced lately. When comments and facial expressions tell an underlying rude opinion, it’s gone too far. Hurtful sarcasm can cut deep at the recipient’s heart without the sender even realizing it.


I guess the whole reason that this has been bothering me so much lately is that when we cross that line where the jokes are no longer funny, we stop representing Christ. The words that are spilling out of our mouths are not uplifting, encouraging, or loving in any way. The scripture that stands out to me with this issue is Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur on one another toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” When we fail to do these things we are no longer showing Christ’s love to our friends and peers. And you might say “Well we’re just joking around, that’s how our friends always talk” but that’s not a good excuse. In fact, I don’t think there’s any acceptable excuse for sarcasm when one party is actually put down, disrespected, or emotionally hurt.

Don’t get me wrong, I engage in some simple sarcasm every now and then, but there is a limit. When you’re no longer evidently showing Christ, it’s time to step back and reevaluate your word vomit.

I guess this has been so heavy on my heart, because I don’t see why it’s so difficult for friends to just love each other.

Some Things You Just Can't Fix

Living in a time where the stock market fluctuates mostly in the downward direction and divorce rates are rising above 50%, it’s hard not to expect disappointment. Jobs are no longer guaranteed; friends are not the same people who you once thought they were. If you really think about it, it can get pretty sad. Life happens and situations don’t always turn out for the best, at least for the best picture that we create in our minds. Lately, I’ve seen a lot of heartache and a lot of hearts that seem unmoving to the Word of the Lord. But as soon as I think of the latter, I realize my error in thought. Nothing can stop the power of God’s love for us.


“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angles nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” –Romans 8:38-39

Read that again. Slowly. This particular passage brings me so much peace. I’ve realized that often times when I see someone hurting, I immediately start trying to fix everything. It’s like on their own they’re going to keep failing and I’m the only one who’s able to turn that situation around. And I am so, so wrong for three main reasons.

One, I can’t just start doing, I need to go to the Lord in prayer first or I’m just going to make the problem more of a mess than it already is. Two, even my “doing” with prayer isn’t enough to change anything. Psalms 108:12b-13a “for the help of man is worthless.” Sure I can give all the advice I know and complete any physical labor needed, but I can’t change a heart. And the condition of the heart is the source of the problem. Despite all my efforts, the problem will always come back. Third, I always seem to forget that the Lord has already been at work in the person’s heart long before I was even aware of the situation. Deuteronomy 9:29 says, “But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.” Likewise, Isaiah 43:1b proclaims, “For I am the Lord your God, I have called you by name, you are mine.” We as a human race are God’s creation, His beloved. Of course He is going to be interceding in our lives to show us His glory and love.

We can’t control life and any effort that we’d make to do so would be pointless, but nothing that happens in our lives can separate us from the God that loves us and that brings a peace that trumps all desire to be a one man (or woman) problem-solver.

Meant to Be Relational

In case you were ever wondering, disconnecting yourself from the world and working endless hours to make sure kids you will never meet have the opportunity to hear about Jesus will teach you a lot about yourself.


In the month that I was at this camp, I heard the creation story in a way that exposed a characteristic of God that I’d never grasped before. The first part is found in Genesis 1:26 and 27. God is talking and He uses the words us, our, and them to reference Himself. Most of the time this would be over looked, but by using these words, God is stating that the trinity is present. The trinity in itself proves to us that the Lord is a relational being within Himself; three in one.

The second part comes from those same verses when it says, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” So God made us to be a reflection of Him; it sounds simple but stay with me. In design and characteristic we are meant to be the same as God, keep in mind that this is before the fall or the entrance of sin into the world. We are not exactly like God, but the human nature mimics the personality of our Lord, especially once we surrender ourselves to Christ. So by putting two and two together, if God is relational therefore we as His creation are relational.

If you still aren’t sure about this here’s some support. When God created Adam, the man was lonely. Despite all the animals on the earth, Adam could not find a suitable companion. God being a relational being, created for Adam a partner in the form of Eve. Now Adam had his relationship with the Lord and a relationship with another human. To place an emphasis on this, God basically recreated the trinity on earth through Himself, Adam, and Eve. We are meant to be relational with those around us; building a community of believers that will be support and encouragement when we go into the dark places bringing light and hope. God did not mean for us to abandon earthly relationships; we’re walking through this journey together. So why not give into the desire for companionship as long as those companions are loving and living for the Lord?

For me, realizing all this was mind blowing and it meant that I needed to start being more intentional with those around me. So go and be an active participant in the Kingdom of God, just like you were meant to be.

Reach For the Light

When Jesus rose into heaven he left with us the Spirit of Truth-a counselor to be with us forever. That is how we know how to live our everyday lives; because we know and understand the Spirit of Truth. It is in us. But John 14:17 says, “the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” The world doesn’t get why we live the way we do, fleeing from common activities because of their sinful temptation or even why we are so joyful most of the time when we live in a depressing world. They don’t see the wrong in society because they don’t know the Spirit of Truth. The world does not see Jesus, but we do. And we must live for Him and show Him to people everywhere so that they too may come to know Him.


Right now the world lives in darkness, for fear of their deeds being exposed in the light. And when they are left disappointed by situations, they have no one to blame but themselves, because in darkness you are on your own. No one could see to help you even if they wanted to. Here motives are selfish and conceited; this is no formula from happiness.

But when you embrace the Spirit of Truth you can step into the light with the knowledge of grace, mercy, and unconditional love. Then all your works will be exposed which causes you to start working for the Lord rather than yourself. Now you find help and guidance from God and a community of Christians around you. The deeds you do are not your own; they are only made possible by God.

When you lose yourself and start reaching for Christ, you will surely find satisfaction and fulfillment, unlike the results of living in darkness.

It's Not Just Another Friday

In honor of Good Friday, I ask that we all take a minute to reflect on the importance of this day. In addition to thinking about all Christ went through to save us, I ask that you also think about everything He gave up when he entered this world as a baby. Here are just a few that the girls in my small group came up with:

• Jesus gave up sitting on the right hand of His father.
  
• Jesus gave up living in perfection. He is pure and without sin, but when he came to earth, he was thrown into a society ruled by hate, deceit, and immorality. I can only imagine how a blameless man would feel when entwined in a sinful place.
  
• Jesus gave up control for a time. Yes, He has the angles at His beck and call, and yes, He has the power to do miracles. However, for all of His child and adolescent life, he had no authority. He was helpless in the since that He depended on his earthly parents for provide for him.

Jesus Christ gave up all of these things, to walk the earth for 33 years and to be tortured, beaten, mocked, and crucified… for US. He didn’t have to do that; He choose to. He loved us that much. The Lord rescued us from an evil death and adopted us into His family. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” Romans 8:17.

 

I challenge you to always remember this act of love and to stand in awe of the Almighty God who saved us from our sins.

Where Is the Fear

In the last 2,000 years, the world has come a long way in terms of traditions, technology, and customs. A few days ago, I was thinking about how “Christians” have changed throughout the centuries. Today, the church focuses on bigger and better services and exponential increases in membership. This in itself is harmless, but the problem arrives in how they attempt to achieve these goals. It seems that in a world of major natural disasters and nuclear threats between countries, people are searching for a “happy-go-lucky” type of faith. And for the most part that’s just what they’ve gotten. Pastors shy away from the hard sermons taught in the Bible and only focus on the miracles preformed or the successful spreading of the name of Christ. Once again all of this is great, but it’s not the whole story.


Have you ever stopped to think of just how great the Lord’s power is?

The people of the Bible reached out to God with fear and trembling. The last part of Philippians 2:12 says, “… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” In all honestly, how often do we fear God? The word fear has two meanings: to be scared or anxious; and to revere in awe. For the first definition, we have lost that fear of the Lord. We are taught that everything is going to be just peachy when you accept Christ into your heart and that God is always so pleased with your life. But that’s not it. As Christians we are held to a higher standard, so we should fear Lord as one in authority. We should fear falling into temptation which causes the Lord to be disappointed with us. For the second definition, being in awe of the Lord can seem so practiced and that’s not how it was made to work. This past weekend my soul was overflowing in awe of God through music and conversation. Let me tell you, it was probably one of the best weekends for my heart that I’ve ever experienced. Why have we lost that desire to give God all the awe he deserves?

Come to the Lord with fear and trembling; humbling yourself before Him. I promise you won’t regret it.

Otherwise Known as Hyprocrisy

Now I don’t know about you, but I truly enjoy thought provoking questions/statements. I find excitement in attempting to find the cause or solution to whatever made the gears of my mind start spinning. I tell you this because a while ago I came across an idea that had never crossed my mind, but that now I completely agree with.

In the book Basic Christianity by John Stott, an entire chapter is devoted to explaining and evaluating the Ten Commandments. It was all pretty basic, stuff I’d heard while growing up in the church; until I came to the third one; you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. This seems pretty self-explanatory, but once I read further, my eyes were opened. I like this point so much that I don’t want to cause confusion by using my own words, so instead I will quote straight from his book.

“His holy name can be profaned by our loose language, and most of us could do worse than revise our vocabulary from time to time. But to take God’s name in vain is not just a matter of words, but also of thoughts and deeds. Whenever our behavior is inconsistent with our belief, or our practice contradicts our preaching, we take God’s name in vain.” (p83)

Did you get that? Our practice contradicts our preaching and we take the Lord’s name in vain. This is also known as hypocrisy and I’m sure we can all list instances when we’ve seen hypocritical Christians. But you know, after reading this I realized that I’ve probably done the exact same thing in my heart. “To call God ‘Father’ and be filled with anxiety and doubts is to deny his name.” (p84) Denying God is not just done with the tongue, but perhaps even more with our actions.

Today I encourage you to practice what you preach; to glorify God rather than deny Him; to fall before Him in worship and praise.

The Cost of Money

The love of money is the root of all evil.

Unfortunately, money makes our world turn. We have been brought up in a society that measures success and happiness by monetary wealth. From the time we are talking we are told to do well in school and get a degree so that you will make ample amounts of money. For believers, I feel like this is a skewed mindset. Let me clarify before moving on.

Having money is not a problem; it is the lust for money that corrupts. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs”- 1 Timothy 6:10. Yes you should do well in school. We all need food, shelter, and clothing and having a college degree makes acquiring money to purchase those things much easier. However, I’m not talking about having just enough for the necessities. My point is that as Americans we are programed, more or less, to achieve the “American Dream.” Everyone wants the newest sports car, the highest paying job in town, a house with more bedrooms and bathrooms than the amount of people living there (including pets), so on and so forth. By continually reaching for these material possessions, we become susceptible to greed. Greed then worms its way into our minds and convinces us that it’s okay to step on others or to ignore other’s needs as long as our fortune keeps growing. “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction”- 1 Timothy 6:9.

Recently, I read Radical by David Platt and in one of the chapters he discusses how Americans hoard all their excess stuff while people across the world are dying by the thousands per hour because they do not have food or clean water. He does a better job of outlining the issue than I can, so I’ll just recommend that you read the book for the full picture. I myself am a hoarder, yet it’s so easy for me to forget about how all my excess could change lives if I gave it away for God. Giving away my money/possessions costs me little if anything; not giving away my money/possessions could cost someone in a third world country their life. This might sound dramatic, but in all seriousness giving to organizations that fight hunger or provide medical care to the poor will actually save lives.

This book opened my eyes and my prayer is that the Lord will keep my eyes open and my heart willing to give.

Pass It On

What do making the winning play and acing a test have in common? Praise. America has grown accustomed to living by a system of rewards and punishments; obviously everyone strives for the reward. In this situation, that is self-praise. We look for that satisfaction from others, hoping to be recognized for some great action or achievement. However, the thing people forget is where their ability to do those things comes from. The answer; God. All we have is not a product of our own doing; rather it is a gift from Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:4 says “who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” Just like comfort, Jesus shows us love, endurance through suffering, patience, etc. with the intention that we as believers will extend all those qualities to others.

We know how to love because Jesus loved us; we know how to endure because Jesus endured suffering for us; we know how to stay determined because Jesus never gave up on us. Referring to the opening statement, yes individual hard work and studying had a great deal of effect on the winning outcome, but without God giving you the ability or intelligence all the hard work in the world would not have been enough. So rather than bragging to your friends about how great you are at this or that, step back and give God the glory. If you brought a friend to church don’t say “I persuaded my friend to hear about Jesus.” No, God used you to help soften that person’s heart; He worked through you to let that person hear about Him. We are not meant to be originators of praise. On the contrary, we are the messengers; God’s middlemen if you will. He shows us how to live and how to handle situations so that we can pass that on to everyone around us. “But, ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’ For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” 2 Corinthians 10: 17-18.

So what hinders us from being a messenger? Pride. Pride has become so common and expected that most people don’t even realize when they are being prideful. It is blind and causes us to take the credit for accomplishments when in reality we never would have succeeded without the help of God. In our quest for approval from our peers and superiors we lose all self-sacrificing nature and become entangled in pride. We think to ME be the glory; which could not be further from the truth. God and God alone, deserves the credit.

Let go of that pride, be the messenger, pass on all that you have received, and give God all the glory and praise for your life.

No Credit For Good Works

How many times in the past have you been given a gift, excluding celebratory ones, and not tried to repay the person that gave it to you? For me, that number is quite small. In today’s society, things aren’t just freely given. Small presents are eventually repaid with small presents. We think in these terms: Oh they got/did this for me, so I’ll get/do this for them in return. It’s just a cycle of people “returning the favor” to everyone else.

Even the Bible recognizes this in Romans 4:4 when Paul says “Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.” Everyone expects something in return. I feel that it is because of this preconceived notion that many people find the concept of Grace so overwhelming. Unlike humans, God never did and never will anticipate anything in return. Plus, no matter how hard we try, we could never do anything that would stand up or compare to the gift He gave us; the gift of eternal life through his son Jesus Christ. Good works alone will get us nowhere. Don’t get me wrong, we are told to do good; “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). But faith must come first or the good works will not be credited out of love for Christ.

Now back to repayment. In God’s eyes it is much better to simply have faith and to trust that He is in control; “However, to the man who does not work, but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5). His faith, not his donation to the girl scouts in return for a few boxes of cookies, will bring him righteousness. Believe it or not, you can’t buy salvation. The Almighty Lord is giving us Grace and pardoning our sins with no regard to our past. Everyone’s slate is wiped clean; the only thing we have to do is have faith, believe that He is the Almighty God and that He sent us his only son. And to clarify the whole ‘works’ topic, once you accept Jesus as your Savior, a relationship begins to form and you want to do all those good deeds, not out of obligation, but out of love. Likewise, actions out of love never expect anything in return. The Lord loves us, each one of us and He doesn’t want us to try and reach Him through good works. Instead, He came down to us in the form of Jesus Christ to freely give us Grace and salvation.

I know I’ve thrown in a lot of scripture, but I’ll just give you one more in parting. “The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Romans 4:23-25

Yes, Humility is a Big Deal

Once again, I feel the need to direct your attention to the subject of humility. Somehow this topic keeps popping into my life and I find it to be more and more important at each occurrence. To start, let’s review. A blog or two back I talked about how people are always concerned with doing what is pleasing to themselves or what is best for themselves. Often times this can lead one down a wrong path. Donald Miller referred to it as self-absorption being the underlying cause of all sin. Alright up to speed?

Selfishness. It corrupts every human being at some point in our lives. If you really think about that it shows the seriousness of the problem. I mean what other quality or action can be said to affect every single person on the planet? Obviously this is a difficult trait to overcome. On the other hand, it’s not a widely discussed topic and I feel that a good portion of the world doesn’t even attempt to overcome it because it is seen as a minor character flaw.  But that doesn’t make since, because if it’s only a character flaw then why do I continually read about how we should flee from all selfish thoughts in order to be righteous and Christ-like. Something is just not adding up.

Well I figure that something is secular perspective. To those who do not believe in the Almighty Lord, conceit might not be such a big deal, but to those who live to praise Him it should be one of the biggest priorities. Philippians 2:3 specifically tells us “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Reread the last five words: consider others better than yourselves. Yes, that means that you are not the greatest thing to happen to your community or social group. Even the American Dream denies those words. I want a big family. I want a high paying job. I want an extravagant house. It’s all so individualized, but guess what. Being a believer of Christ means being a believer while in community with others, not alone where no one can see you. Furthermore, Philippians 2:4 says “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” So there’s two parts. Not only do you need to acknowledge that other people matter, but you need to be concerned and care for their needs. That means getting involved in their lives so that you both come out stronger on the other side.

Our goal is to model Jesus in all aspects of life. Well, Jesus did not sit on a throne making everything about himself. On the contrary, he took “the very nature of a servant” (Phil. 2:7). If you know anything about servitude, you know that the servant is at the absolute bottom of the hierarchy list. The only things lower than servants are the animals, and sometimes that’s not even the case. So Jesus put every type of person before himself. And what’s more, He was seen as a King, the Messiah come to bring a new kingdom. Now if a king can be humble and selfless, then why can’t ordinary people like you and me?

Overcoming selfishness; It’s quite difficult, but extremely crucial.

Link by Link

Over the break, I’ve been able to catch up on a few good reads. The other day I stumbled upon a quote that set the wheels of my mind rolling; in Great Expectations Charles Dickens writes, “Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day” (p. 69). After some pondering, I thought about the chain that binds me to Younglife. And I will proceed to tell whoever the readers may be just how that chain came to be.

To start chronologically, I first became involved in Younglife as a high school student. It was great in the beginning and I fully enjoyed being with all the people, but after a few years, I felt that the ministry was doing me no good. I gained nothing from the talks and my relationship with the Lord remained stagnant. Now skip forward a few years if you will to the summer before my freshman year at college. As is to be expected I was worried about making friends and getting involved in organizations that were sure to better me as a person and as a follower of Christ. Before I moved away I had assumed that I would go to the first few meetings for Quest, the college version of Younglife, just to test the waters. In all honesty I did not think anything would become of these visits. But boy was I wrong.

I cannot tell you the exact moment that my heart changed, but I know it was within the first few weeks of being on campus. I was invited to a Quest cookout and from there proceeded to attend other fun outings with the intentions of getting to know other students. Somehow out of those few occasions I found not only some of my best friends, but more importantly a dedication to serve. At some point I realized that I was holding a grudge over my unproductive high school experience with Younglife and that grudge was unnecessary, impractical, immature, and any other number of adjectives that depict a stupid action. Anyways, from there I knew that I was meant to be involved.

Now I have a desire to serve the Lord and to show the world just how great His love is, where as in high school that was not always the case. Don’t get me wrong, I was always a believer, just not always as willing to express that belief to opposition. Early into my first semester I decided to dive head first into Younglife and Quest. I am anxiously awaiting not only the training, but also the hope of becoming a leader in one of the area high schools. Jesus specifically told his disciples to go into all the nations exclaiming the Good News. As a disciple I begin my journey with the nation of high school students.

Looking back just on the past few months, I am amazed at how God has changed my heart; from barely wanting to give the organization a try to complete confidence in my dedication to become a leader. I rejoice in the gold, flowery chains that now bind me to serving the Almighty God in the best way I know possible; simply loving kids for just who they are.