Summit...01/05/05
So tonight was the first official "Summit" event for Cascade Hills Church of Christ.
When you turn to the next page in the book of your life, you have to be able to expect completely new experiences as well. Tonight was a first for me. As the appointed youth intern for this new church plant reaching out to south Salem, it is my job to try and build a youth program. I've been a part of a few youth groups, working with them, hanging out, etc. The difference is...they already had an established group. The newness and the challenge comes when there is no formal youth group established, and I'm responsible for developing one. YIKES! This is where all the formal education I have received in youth ministry kicks in.
As I've grown and matured, I have realized several things about myself. One of these things and probably the largest obstacle that I am facing at this point in time is my deep rooted genetic make up to be shy! SHY! Me? YES! There is probably nothing more scary for me than to initiate a conversation with a complete stranger...let alone try to keep the conversation going.
Tonight at Summit I was able to make my first real contact with a teenager from Salem. It's true that I did not invite her there (she's Jason's cousin), but God granted me the boldness to have a wonderful conversation with this 15-year-old girl. Not only did we talk, but Brittany and I are planning on getting together for coffee so that I can get to know her better.
In a book that I recently read regarding mission work, the author makes a point that in a new culture that you are unfamiliar with, all one must do is make a connection to ONE person within that culture and they are the ones that reach the others that are the same as them. The same is true in the story of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. While the disciples were in town gathering food and supplies, the story does not account for them ministering to anybody. They probably didn't know how since Jews and Samaritans were never socially mixed. But Jesus, being the outstanding example that he is, ministered to one woman from that town and because of it, she went back to her people and told them of Jesus. It's that simple! Maybe Brittany is my in to the youth culture that resides in the Salem area. Hmm...thought provoking.
All of this randomness of thought to say, "Wow...God is amazing!" I don't think I say that enough. God knows what he's doing! Tonight was a perfect example of God's workmanship. Dwayne talked about how we see our world and the concept of reality. What shapes our reality? Why do we see what we see? As a Christian, we naturally realize that it's because of how we see God, his role in the world, and what he has done in our lives that makes us see the world the way we do. For a nonChristian, however, the answer is not so clear.
One more random thought for the night before I turn in. It's amazing to me that not only does the birth of this new church mean new believers coming to know the all-powerful God, but it (for me) also represents the new birth of a new phase in my life. The ministry that I have been longing to do has begun. Yay! :)
When you turn to the next page in the book of your life, you have to be able to expect completely new experiences as well. Tonight was a first for me. As the appointed youth intern for this new church plant reaching out to south Salem, it is my job to try and build a youth program. I've been a part of a few youth groups, working with them, hanging out, etc. The difference is...they already had an established group. The newness and the challenge comes when there is no formal youth group established, and I'm responsible for developing one. YIKES! This is where all the formal education I have received in youth ministry kicks in.
As I've grown and matured, I have realized several things about myself. One of these things and probably the largest obstacle that I am facing at this point in time is my deep rooted genetic make up to be shy! SHY! Me? YES! There is probably nothing more scary for me than to initiate a conversation with a complete stranger...let alone try to keep the conversation going.
Tonight at Summit I was able to make my first real contact with a teenager from Salem. It's true that I did not invite her there (she's Jason's cousin), but God granted me the boldness to have a wonderful conversation with this 15-year-old girl. Not only did we talk, but Brittany and I are planning on getting together for coffee so that I can get to know her better.
In a book that I recently read regarding mission work, the author makes a point that in a new culture that you are unfamiliar with, all one must do is make a connection to ONE person within that culture and they are the ones that reach the others that are the same as them. The same is true in the story of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. While the disciples were in town gathering food and supplies, the story does not account for them ministering to anybody. They probably didn't know how since Jews and Samaritans were never socially mixed. But Jesus, being the outstanding example that he is, ministered to one woman from that town and because of it, she went back to her people and told them of Jesus. It's that simple! Maybe Brittany is my in to the youth culture that resides in the Salem area. Hmm...thought provoking.
All of this randomness of thought to say, "Wow...God is amazing!" I don't think I say that enough. God knows what he's doing! Tonight was a perfect example of God's workmanship. Dwayne talked about how we see our world and the concept of reality. What shapes our reality? Why do we see what we see? As a Christian, we naturally realize that it's because of how we see God, his role in the world, and what he has done in our lives that makes us see the world the way we do. For a nonChristian, however, the answer is not so clear.
One more random thought for the night before I turn in. It's amazing to me that not only does the birth of this new church mean new believers coming to know the all-powerful God, but it (for me) also represents the new birth of a new phase in my life. The ministry that I have been longing to do has begun. Yay! :)
