Here’s part of a text message exchange I’ve had with a student as of late:
Student: lets have a group nite at in n out sometime.
Me: Um. Ok. Not sure that they really want or that we could do a bible study there but maybe we could eat there.
Student: Ok. How about a challenge- more burgers wins.
Me: I saw a kid eat an 8×8 once.
Student: ya so what if u r scared. U can’t beat me I understand.
A few days later…
Student: So, there’s group tonight right?
Me: Yes, 6:30.
Student: ok. great. I’m taking a crap at school right now.
later that day…
Student: Hey, there’s a great book called a Christian Manifesto by Francis A Schaeffer. U need to read it.
Me: Did you read it?
Student: I’m on chapter 4. I really like it. I’m in class right now and my teachers don’t pay attention. Ok.. you should read it. See you at church tonight.
Me: great. see you then.
right before group that night….
Student: Hey my parents r drunk or a little buzzed so I can’t get a ride. See you wednesday.
Me: Ok. When do you get your license yo?
Student: wen I study the papers I have.
Me: you should get on that.
A few days later:
Student: We have group tonight rite?
Me: We have a worship night. 7 to 8:30pm
Student: K, I’ll be be there.
Later that night:
Student: sorry I could not make it tonight.
Me: No big deal. you were missed. Is everything OK?
Student: kinda. I have to return a saw to home depot. I need to pay for it.
Me: I’m confused, did you steal it?
Student: Yes, I stole the saw last sunday after church. I was at my friends house last weekend and we have always wanted to make a treehouse so on Sunday we went after church.
Me: Dude. We we need to talk on Sunday.
Student: Ok, on sunday can we talk about how God could help me stay away from porn.
QUESTION: is youth ministry still needed?
ANSWER: um… this exchange references drunk parents, classic christian reading by Francis Schaeffer, the bible, stealing, and porn. No wonder he’s confused. I also took a student to grab some ice cream after school last week and we discussed the pitfalls of drug dealing, and what God would have us do with $10,000 in cash piled up from such an activity.
CONCLUSION: Either my youth ministry isn’t working or discipleship sure is a long, slow, process.
Husband. Dad to 5. Student Ministry Pastor. Follower of Jesus. Yatta yatta.
Dood… the fact that your students have those conversations with you shows that in fact your ministry to them is effective! And yes, as if you needed the reminder, discipleship is an annoyingly, painful process.
Brian,
You don’t know me, but I’ve been reading your blog off and on since seeing a link to it on Marko’s page. Not sure if your original post was more of a request for support or a roundabout encouragement to the rest of us to persevere in the effort to help kids grow as disciples. I’m going to guess it was the latter, but just in case it was the former – I thought I’d toss you a second look at how some of those conversations might have looked, care of Clarence, the angel from “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Because you love Christ and his kids you built a relationship with this kid, and you heard:
Student: lets have a group nite at in n out sometime.
If you didn’t care enough to build that relationship, somebody else might have heard:
Student: I’m sick of in n out – let’s get stoned
Because you love Christ and his kids you built a relationship with this kid, and you heard:
Student: So, there’s group tonight right?
Me: Yes, 6:30.
Student: ok. great. I’m taking a crap at school right now.
If you didn’t care enough to build that relationship, somebody else might have heard:
Okay, so, yeah, I don’t have anything clever or pithy for this one, but you have to admit that in some freaky, weird, only in a teenager’s mind could this ever make sense kind of way – the fact that he told you this, while very gross, is kind of cool. Notice I assume it’s a he, because if this came from a girl, seriously, wow.
Because you love Christ and his kids you built a relationship with this kid, and you heard:
Student: Hey, there’s a great book called a Christian Manifesto by Francis A Schaeffer. U need to read it.
If you didn’t care enough to build that relationship, somebody else might have heard:
Student: Hey, there’s a great book called “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” by Christopher Hitchens. U need to read it.
Because you love Christ and his kids you built a relationship with this kid, and you heard:
Student: Hey my parents r drunk or a little buzzed so I can’t get a ride. See you wednesday.
If you didn’t care enough to build that relationship, somebody else might have heard:
Other Student: Hey, did you hear about Student? Yeah, he was killed last night in a drunk driving accident – apparently he had just been drinking – with his parents.
Because you love Christ and his kids you built a relationship with this kid, and you heard:
Student: Yes, I stole the saw last sunday after church. I was at my friends house last weekend and we have always wanted to make a treehouse so on Sunday we went after church.
Me: Dude. We we need to talk on Sunday.
Student: Ok, on sunday can we talk about how God could help me stay away from porn.
If you didn’t care enough to build that relationship, somebody else might have heard:
Student: Yeah, when we got away with stealing the saw, it only made sense to come back and steel the screwdriver. Then we used the screwdriver to steal the car, and we stole some pliers to help us hotwire it. But we lost control when we were running from the cops. That’s how Other Student died.
Don’t ever forget – you love God. God loves you. God asked you to love them. He never told you it would be easy or fun, but he did promise that he’d be with you through every step.
cHRIS wEBER
http://2smallcoins.org/My_Two_Cents
thanks todd and chris. crazy thing this youth ministry dealeo is.
serving Jesus with you.
I think it is awesome what you are doing. Without you in their lives, imagine how tough it would be sorting things out on their own! God is using you to impact many lives!