What I learned from attending NYWC

The National Youth Workers Convention is always a treat, and always promises and delivers so much to those who attend. Coming away from this year’s conference it did not disappoint, and there are so many takeaways that attempting to cover them all won’t be feasible but I will attempt to hit on some that I personally walked away with, and hope that they will bless those who didn’t attend and hopefully drive you to attend next year’s!

• In order to be used by God we must submit to His timing. Which means acknowledging that when we ask God why He is waiting, perhaps He is waiting on us. So GO!
• Our view of heaven is directly reflected in how we live our lives and do ministry. If our view is small our ministry will never grow because we are not letting there be room for God to do great things.
• Youth ministers come in all shapes, sizes, genders, ethnicities, and denominational backgrounds.
• There are tons of resources out there to help you succeed in youth ministry, and a lot of them are free! 
• If we can’t imagine how we will spend time in the presence of God in heaven, we will not live on earth like we are spending time in God’s presence.
• Youth workers totally fangirl over Josh Griffin, Doug Fields, Greg Stier, and many more.
• Youth workers love free stuff (that’s a given but if you are in desperate need of a new wardrobe, unlimited candy, and tons bracelets then come to NYWC).
• The church of God is the only plan, and there is no other option! What are we doing to unite the Bride of Christ to reflect what it will be in eternity?
• God is not done with you or your ministry. As long as He sits on His throne He still has a move left and He will move through you! Be encouraged that this isn’t it and that God will work through you.
• Sand art is visually stunning.
• The church of Jesus Christ is “plan A”, there is no “plan B.”
• God has a long history of using broken people for His honor.
• Good neighbors don’t drive through, they journey with.
• Worship is meant to be the force that shoves us outside the church, not the doors that keep us inside of it.
• By loving students and spending time with them, this is how we will impact our schools and neighborhoods. This will be how we make a transformational difference in the lives of students.
• Eugene Cho is not Francis Chan.
• Worship does not need to be and shouldn’t be stagnant but full of vibrancy, joy, and praise.
• Racial reconciliation is something we must be pursuing in our youth groups and churches.
• Youth workers love Instagram and Twitter but spelling and grammar can go unheeded…mostly because we type too fast and our thoughts run together.
• The LGBTQ community needs to know that the church extends love, grace, and reconciliation for past wrongs, future poor choice of comments, and the alienation they have received.
• Concrete can do lots of damage to your face if you fall and don’t catch yourself.
• God has a heart for students.
• Programs don’t change people, Jesus changes people.
• Youth leaders must do more to engage their schools and neighborhoods.
• The Download Card from YS is the best offer out there. Most of the sessions are on there with the ability to listen, take notes, and have them at your disposal.
• The YS Blog is a phenomenal resource for youth leaders.
• DYM has a lot of fun games for youth groups and youth leaders alike.
• Youth Specialties will not shy away from talking about the hard topics.

The joking and humor aside, NYWC is something that every youth worker should attend at some point in their career. It provides resources, rejuvenation, lasting friendships, networking opportunities, and invaluable teaching and education. My advice to those who budgets cannot support them in going to the conference is begin saving for the future. A little money put away at varying times will accrue and allow for the funds to develop. Also, ask Youth Specialties if there are any opportunities for a scholarship or volunteering at the conferences that will help to supplement the cost. NYWC is completely worth it, and is life and ministry changing. Hopefully we will see you next year.

Post-Election Thoughts

Waking up this morning I was greeted with the headline "President Trump". I wish I had stayed awake last night to watch the turn of events, but my warm and comfy bed was calling my name, plus I am getting older.

To be perfectly honest, I had thought Hillary was going to win the election and I had already prepared myself for that. I had voted not for either of the main candidates because morally I could not align with their views, policies, speech, or denials, so instead for the first time in my life voted third party.

This morning was vastly different from what I expected. I had thought I would see the normal post-election celebrations, the rejoicing among the party's supporters, boisterous parties after the victory speech, but instead there seemed to be two things that stood out. Fear and peace.

Together they seem like an odd coupling because when one normally fears, peace is not in direct sight. But these emotions came from opposite ends of the spectrum. Democrats and Republicans alike expressed both emotions and feelings. Neither party rested upon either one reaction but instead these feelings were expressed by people of all walks of life and political affiliations.

Too often I fear that we allow our political parties to define our faith. We place our faith in politicians. We place our faith in security that political policies will offer. We place our faith in change or hope. We place our faith in something tangible. We place our faith in something fallible...mankind.

My heart broke this morning as I witnessed young women I work with saying they were now scared of what this election meant for them. Scared that a president who advocated for using and assaulting women was now in control. Scared that they would become a victim and a statistic. Scared that they were once again marginalized and forgotten.

I cried as I saw many friends who are first generation immigrants wonder if their families would be torn apart. They questioned if they should move from a land they had fled to for freedom, because they now feared persecution. They feared that what happened to the Japanese Americans in World War Two may happen to them.

I watched in wonder as many people thanked God that "His candidate had won." I saw many pastors proudly post that "God placed the right man, and not the corrupt woman where he belonged." I read rants about how those who voted for Hillary needed to be expelled from the country and how America is once again God's chosen nation.

Is this truly the culture that we have allowed to become reality? My friends, have we allowed the political institution of one country to define how our lives are run? Do not hear me as advocating for some type of uprising or anarchy, but instead please pause for a moment and think about what would happen if we treated the Gospel the same way we treated this election.

Instead of posting constantly about the election on social media perhaps we should post about the Gospel. Instead of proclaiming God's candidate maybe we should proclaim the King of Kings. Instead of lambasting the evil political party that you oppose perhaps extending an olive branch and bringing cookies and coffee to those who differ in opinion and praying together may change something. Instead of stating that the president elect will turn back the dial on change for women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community perhaps we as believers should do better to initiate change within our own churches and congregations.

When did it become politics that changed the world? When did politicians begin to instill fear or peace in the hearts of man?

There is only one Man who brings both peace and fear. One Man who will change this world. One Man who died so that you may live, not in fear but in the glorious hope He offers.

Let us not rest in the fear or peace that this election has supposedly brought. Instead let us live in confidence knowing that Christ is alive, Christ died so that we may live, Christ will come back, and Christ most assuredly is in control yesterday, today, and forever.

Do not let this election define you or your mission. Let the Gospel always do that. Let the Gospel not our political stance be our voice. Rest assured that no man or woman, no country, no political stance, no policy will define you. It is the grace and restoration of the Gospel that defines us. Today, and every day, we should stand for the Gospel and its mantra.

Politicis - Get past the temporary and look to the eternal

Politics. Bleh. That very word brings such disdain right now. In case you are reading this and missed it, or maybe this is way past this time and years away in the future (if so I am hopeful it is better than now), but we are in the midst of the 2016 Presidential Elections, and it has been one for the record books.

I cannot adequately summarize the way this election has gone other than to say it has been one filled with anger, deceit, name calling, questioning of one's moral compass, and deep divides within friendships and families. And to think that is just within the church.

"Oh no," we cry out in protest. "It isn't us, it is the candidates who throw out all that verbal hate speech." Is it though? I abhor this time of year because of what it does to the body of Christ. I feel that during this time of year people become brazen, foolish, outspoken critics of one another with little fact or basis for what they do.

Never once do you see Christ champion for a political candidate throughout the entirety of Scripture. Of course Jesus and the Apostles argue for following our government and paying taxes, but never do you see Jesus hitting the streets proclaiming Caesar as the correct leader. Never do you hear Him champion for taxing the rich and giving it to the poor. Never do you hear Him advocate for either small, large, or no government. He simply says "give to Caesar what is Caesar's" and challenges us to think of things eternal.

Our red--and blue--flags go up and we huff and puff because we point to statements Christ made, people He cared for, His calls for social reform and we proclaim loudly, "See! There, that is why I vote..." you fill in the blank. But let me ask you something: Are you simply trying to shape Jesus to fit your political beliefs and ideologies, or are you allowing Jesus to formulate your political beliefs.

I would assert that all too often we fall prey to the former. Whether it be from parental influence, socio-economic status, the state we live in, a disillusionment with a political franchise that has distanced itself from its original stances, we allow our own self-righteousness and desires to shape how we view Christ in order to use that as our platform for change.

How dare we?! How dare we try to contextualize the King of the universe into so small of a box. To truly try to declare God to be a republican, a democrat, an anarchist, a green party member is to say, "God here is where I have contextualized You to be. Step into my confines and fit my mold." My how arrogant we have become.

I would dare to assert that our God, the Creator and the Alpha and Omega, is far greater than any political establishment, and we as Christians have a moral obligation not to any party but to glorify God Himself and proclaim Him crucified, dead, and alive. To proclaim He and He alone will save our country, our world, through His shed blood because no politician, no broken promises, no audio tapes or emails will ever bring salvation, it is only the Son of God who died in our place who will bring social justice, restitution, and healing to a hurt and broken world.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that He cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." I believe the reason we are so frustrated with this election and its candidates is because we are crafted for so much more than a career politician or television star. We are designed to long for eternity. We are formed to long for something past the temporary.

The disillusionment after November will come no matter which party succeeds. Whichever wins the race the other side will protest, and a few years later even the candidate's party will protest certain policies because we are never satisfied with the temporary. We always want more. We have an innate longing for the eternal. We have a desire to see God come and rid this world of its immoralities and failures. To see a kingdom where Hispanics and Caucasians live together without a wall. To see a kingdom where black and white are no longer racial divides but instead a declaration of the craftsmanship and beauty of the Creator. To see a kingdom where sin no longer causes divides and rifts in denominations but instead is wiped clean by the precious blood of the Lamb.

Brothers and Sisters let me implore you to not vote for a party this election. Do not vote simply because you believe in a political scheme. I encourage you to vote out of what will glorify God the most. I cannot tell you who to vote for, but I can ask you to saturate this election in prayer. To call for unity not divide. To treat others as your brothers and sisters not the enemy.

Neither candidate is perfect by far. There is a misogynistic reality star on one end and a habitual liar and cheat on the other. Both are so far removed from the Christian perspective that neither stands for Christ in my opinion. This is not a call to choose the lesser of two evils, because to do so would still allow for evil to win. In this case I do not know who to vote for. In many ways I am considering a third party candidate which many say is a vote against my past political party. But is it entirely wrong to say I am considering writing in the name Jesus Christ as my candidate?

This world is not my home, and praise God for that. This political circus will not define me, my beliefs, or my desire to proclaim Christ. In fact it has created a desire to distance myself from politics and instead seek to see God change hearts that will then change this country. My prayer today is that we unite and build the Body of Christ not our political parties. Keep God in the pulpit, politics out of it, and let us hope Christ returns soon.

Break the Mold

Back in the 90s there was a stereotypical youth pastor. He was a young, hip, 20-something who had just graduated from Bible college or grew up in the church he was now serving. He was loud, played guitar, and had a stellar video game collection. He introduced students to games that today would lead to a lawsuit, drove the church van like it was a hot rod, and only stuck around for 2-4 years. He typically got talked to by the elders at least once a month about the students' and his behavior that the church didn't like.

Fast forward to today and youth pastors look exceptionally different. We come in all different shapes, sizes, personalities, ages, and backgrounds. And not all of us are male either. We live in a very different world where youth ministers have changed and grown into capable leaders and servants who remain in with youth ministry for years, even decades. But the reality is that the perception of a youth pastor has not changed.

There are still those who look at youth pastors as assistant-level staff, who do not function in the same capacity as senior-level staff. They still see a youth pastor as the immature and brazen young person looking to make a name for themselves. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Many of today's youth pastors look exceptionally different and conferences like NYWC, Simply Youth Ministry, and Orange are helping to showcase that.

Yes, many youth pastors will be young and fresh and looking to take the world by storm for Jesus, but that doesn't just describe youth pastors. I became a senior pastor when I was just 23 and I will tell you, that was a challenge. I was seen as the young and rash pastor who was trying to move in on the turf of the veterans in town. But the truth is that there a variety of styles, shapes, and personalities when it comes to being any type of pastor. It isn't an age or maturity issue, it is a calling.

So what makes a youth pastor? The calling and passion that God Himself has instilled in someone's life. I have had the pleasure of learning under, working with, and witnessing youth pastors of all different types lead and care for students. They were loud, soft spoken, energetic, reserved, up front people, the behind the scenes type, gifted in speaking, a counselor, a Disney movie lover, a cat hater, a big kid, a theologian. But most of all, they were men and women who above all else loved Jesus and loved students as He did.

Today, youth pastors are vastly different than they were back in the 90s. They aren't looking to use youth ministry as a stepping stone to being a senior pastor. They aren't looking to break all the church rules and upset the elder board. They aren't looking to be everyone's best friend. They are looking to love students where they are at, to be a beacon of light in a dark world that tells students God doesn't matter or care. They are ministering to students who have been hurt, abused, told they aren't worth anything, forgotten, cast out, and left alone.

Youth pastors stand together under the banner of Christ to care for the upcoming generations that are hurting and broken. They are old, young, short, tall, black, white, Bible school dropouts and seminary grads. They are dynamic speakers who draw crowds and quiet disciple makers who draw 4-5 students. They are musicians and people who sing poorly and loudly proclaiming the salvation of Jesus. They are fallen people who would do anything to be the hands and feet of Jesus today to the students they serve.

I am proud to say I am a youth pastor. I am not a silicone mold, I am my own person. I do not fit the stereotype. I am broken, I am sinful, I am forgiven, I have a calling, and I love students. To all my fellow youth pastors: you matter more than you know! We may never hear it, but the impact we have on the lives of the students we serve is greater than we will see this side of heaven. Fight the good fight brothers and sisters, and never fit the mold! Be you, be unique, and be the hands and feet of Jesus to students you serve.

I am a youth pastor! What's your story?

Fallen Servants

I had just returned home from a mission trip to Central America and I looked at the trending news and saw a headline that read "Megachurch Pastor Perry Noble Removed From Church." My heart sank, and inwardly I cried out "God not again!" As of late it seems too often there are church leaders failing in their leadership.

Darrin Patrick was removed from his position in the Acts 29 organization and from his pastoral position in the Journey Church for running over people and pushing his own image and agenda. Mark Driscoll was forced to resign from Mars Hill Church after allegations of plagiarism, belittling staff, and misappropriation of funds.  Perry Noble was dismissed by his church for his alcohol abuse and issues within his marriage. Tullian Tchividjian was let go for infidelity and dismissed from his ministries.

These are just some of the latest pastors to fall in their positions of leadership, and I must be honest these are only the ones that we hear about because they are the high profile leaders. The statistics for senior pastors failing in or leaving ministry (for moral, ethical, physical, or spiritual reasons) are startling to say the least. But what was even more startling is the amount of pressure that is placed upon these leaders to heed the calling God gave them.

Simply looking at the link above for statistics shows the undue stress these men and women are under and one can only imagine the added pressures of caring for an entire church body. That is not to say that simply because someone is a pastor they will fail, but we must acknowledge that as purveyors of the Gospel of Christ, it is easier for that to happen to those in ministry for these reasons and more:

• We tend to believe that whatever happens in a ministry is because of our works not God's.
• We convince ourselves that the ministry is ours not the Father's.
• We believe that without us the ministry will falter.
• We take all of the hurts, needs, and desires of our parishioners and place them on ourselves. 
• We become convinced that we can do all things through me who gives me strength.
• We become the end-all and be-all because people trust us and give us the room to do what we see fit.

The sad reality is that failing in Christianity is a part of life. We are sinful in nature and because of that we will fall, but too often we say "no not me." I am guilty of that. When I read of Noble's removal not only did I say "God not again," I also inwardly said, "God thanks that I work in youth ministry where this won't happen to me." 

How foolish am I to believe that this is a problem strictly associated with those in senior pastor roles? Sin afflicts us all, and we must take steps to combat sin in our lives! We must look to having the proper safeguards in place no matter if we are a volunteer, an elder, a youth pastor, a children's worker, or the executive pastor. Sin will always look to corrupt what God has necessitated for good, and we must not allow for that to happen. Satan would love nothing more than to see the Bride of Christ falter and fail. So what can we do to safeguard the church of God? First let's look at how to protect the ministries we serve in, and then how to help others - especially senior pastors - in their ministries. 

• Always cover the ministry you serve in prayer. Jesus constantly prayed for His disciples and the calling God had given Him. We should do likewise.
• Have accountability within the ministry. Allow for other leaders to speak into your life, your leadership style, and what you do. This helps to keep us humble and focused on the reality that these ministries are not about us but about the Father.
• Ask yourself if the ministry would succeed without you, and why or why not. A good ministry will carry on without you because it is God-centric not you-centric. 
• Do you find yourself calling it "your ministry?" Maybe practice calling it God's ministry and yourself the servant.
• Take regular breaks from your ministry. Our staff team takes a monthly recharge day. It is a paid work day where we do not come into the office but instead make sure our spiritual walks are where they should be. It looks different for each person. For some it includes reading their favorite Christian books, others take prayer walks or some take time away to pray, and others just get the rest they need to recharge. 
• Be willing to accept change and critiques. One of the hardest things to do is change, but we must be willing to because God calls for us to be vulnerable and eager to hear the Father's direction.
• Talk to and listen to your spouse and children. Ask them for their honest input. Have you changed since being in ministry? Do you find joy in what you do? Do you spend enough time with them? Are they resentful of the ministry you serve?

These are just some ways we can safeguard the ministries we serve, but what about our senior pastors? These men have such a weight on their shoulders that can be understood by only those who have held these roles. I stepped into such a role at 23 and held it for roughly two years, and it almost made me walk away from ministry. To those men who serve faithfully in this position day in and day out for years on end: THANK YOU! The stress these men face is huge and daunting; we must fight for and with them as they face daily attacks from the evil one. So what can we do for them? Here are a few ways to love and support your pastor:

• Send them a note of encouragement and thank them for what they do.
• Take them and their family a meal or dessert and thank them for their sacrifice and love for you and others. 
• Stop into the senior pastor's office to talk. Ask how they are doing, how you can pray for them, or ways that you can help outside of the ministry you serve. 
• Ask your senior pastor to go on a prayer walk in the community and pause to pray for them specifically. 
• Regularly engage with your senior pastor. So often it is easy to revert to our silos and rarely interact with other ministers, but we must engage! Have lunch together, take breaks together, have dinner at your homes, go on double dates. 
• Ask your senior pastor to be your accountability partner. Go beyond Covenant Eyes, and actually sit down and share life together. Encourage one another and pray together.
• Pray for them daily. These men of God need our love and support, but also heavenly support. 

To say that we are above failure is foolish and asinine. That is a lie of Satan and must be met with the truth of the Gospel. We are all fallen but we are redeemed in Christ and it is only through His power that we can accomplish anything. We must stand firm and not lambaste or lament these men who have fallen but pray for restoration, reconciliation, and protection for our ministries and those who lead them. Let us rise up in prayer and humility to serve the bride of Christ and honor the Great Shepherd who allows us to tend His flock. 

Going to Belize

This Friday Elise and I, along with some other leaders from our church, are taking a team of 28 students and adults to serve in Belize for ten days. While there we will be helping to build a home, lead a VBS program, assist in upkeep at the orphanage we are staying at, and various other projects as they develop. This is my second time going, but for many who are on the team it is their first trip to this South American country.

I am so excited to be a part of this team again because the last time I was there I truly felt God calling us to serve the people of this country. My heart was moved by the generosity of the people living in a third world country, their love for others, and their love for life itself. I was humbled by how blessed I am and I truly saw God work in the lives of our team and the people we served. In the end it was us who were served by the very people we went to serve.

In three days I will be back in that amazing country and I am immensely looking forward to it! God has already done so much for our team. We have been praying hard for this trip and it has been awesome seeing the prayers answered. Here are a few of the answered prayers God has provided for us:

• Our team is fully funded! We met our goal before our deadline and people have been more than generous.
• Our team is unified and excited about what is in-store for us. Tonight is our last team meeting before we head down and everyone is excited for this.
• We are preparing for our VBS program and have all the supplies and teaching teams assembled. 
• The construction team is excited and ready to build a home for a family that deserves it. 
• Our flights and hotels have all been finalized and we are ready to depart this week.
• God has continued to alleviate any fears and hesitations that anyone has.
• Our team need a specific type of bug spray to help prevent against any Zika strain, and we were able to get a great deal through the company. But God further provided as gracious donors provided all the money needed and the team owed nothing out of pocket!

These are but a few of the ways God has answered our prayers, and we believe He will continue to answer more as we go into Belize shortly. I would love to have you pray for us as we head down to serve this week. Here are some requests that we have:

• Pray for continued unity for our team.
• Pray that our team adjusts well to the heat and humidity.
• Pray that we have joy even if there are frustrations.
• Pray that we serve and love well. We have been learning as a team that we aren't going to fix a country or its people but rather to serve and care for them. Pray that we remember that.
• Pray for safe travels and our luggage to arrive on time. 
• Pray that we can be flexible as things change.

This is an amazing opportunity for us to go to Belize and serve God. I am so excited and believe that God can use trips like this to grow our team, and also to help others see the love of Jesus. I cannot wait to see what God does and I hope to update you as soon as I return. I will be posting to our youth's Facebook page throughout the week so feel free to look there for updates. We also have a page on our website that will feature updates, photos, and blogs from the team so feel free to check this out periodically. 

Mission work is near and dear to my heart and I am incredibly privileged to be a part of this team and am hoping that through this trip we can serve God and the people of Belize. This will be a time to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus and I couldn't be more excited!

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And, behold, I am with you always to the end of the age."

Kitchen Floors

It was a conversation I wasn't expecting. He had followed me into the church kitchen in hopes of getting an extra snack from me, but the conversation that followed tore at my heart.

S: Hey, let me get a bag of those chips.
N: If you come to leadership on Wednesday, you will get these snacks and more there.
S: But I'm not on leadership...(voice trails off)
N: Why not?
S: I'm...I'm not sure I am a Christian. I don't always act like it, and people that know me would probably tell you I am not a Christian and that I don't believe in God.

So many thoughts flooded my mind that night. My first was, why is this conversation happening as I am kneeling on the floor in a kitchen frantically stuffing chips into a cabinet where hopefully they will last until Wednesday night? Then my second (after God slapped upside my head) was, thank you Jesus for letting this conversation happen.

Ministry happens in many odd and miraculous ways. This young man is an eighth grade student who has dealt with a lot in his life and knows who Jesus is but hasn't fully committed to letting Him rule His life. I never would have expected this conversation to happen the way it did, but it opened up a door for us to begin meeting weekly together and he agreed to answer the "hard questions" about Christianity honestly. I thank God for days where ministry just "happens" on kitchen floors and across counter tops.

The question we should ask is how do we get there? So often conversations like these happen at times and in ways we would least expect, but they happen because there has been trust built! This student has been someone I have intentionally been plugging into in small but very meaningful ways, and I am convinced that if we do more of this we will indeed start having more kitchen floor conversations about Jesus. From these kitchen floor chats we will see that the next logical step is a mentoring relationship, but first we must get to the kitchen floor. The following are just some helpful and practical tips to begin the framework--the trust factor--that will lead to these conversations and more!

1. Acknowledge them
   You cannot run an effective ministry if you don't even acknowledge students when they are there. Not just on youth group or leadership nights. Acknowledge them all the time. On Sunday mornings, at the grocery store, where they work, even on date night. My wife and I bump into students all the time on date night and we love to pause and chat with them. Our priority is our time but we also love and acknowledge our students so they know that we care about them.
   
   
2. Know their name
   It doesn't seem like much but there is so much value in being known. When someone calls you by name it means they remember you and care. This is more than many students get on a daily basis. Their teachers don't always remember them, their coaches forget them (especially if they aren't a starter), employers see them as a number, and sometimes in families they feel forgotten.
   
   
3. Invest in their lives
   Go to their activities, and follow up with them! A huge thing with students is caring about what they do. I recently went to an orchestra concert for a few students and the smiles that came across their faces knowing they had an audience filled with supporters who didn't need to be there made my day! They still tell people "my youth pastor cares enough to watch me play the bass." Another student is into knitting (something I am not) but I ask all the time what she knits and who she knits for. She gets so excited sharing what she is passionate about and loves to come and show me gifts she makes for local widows.
   
   
4. Follow through
   If you are going to do something then do it! Do not "forget," do not "find something else to do," but do it. Of course we will all miss things, but tell them you won't be there, don't leave it up to them to figure it out. Students have enough people letting them down, far be it from us to let them down also.
   
   
5. Live a life worthy of imitation
   This is one we should all be doing. If we are going to call students to live like Jesus and to give their lives for Him we should be doing this as well. Students should see this in all aspects of our lives. How we speak to our spouses, how we raise our children, how we respond to frustrations (like when they talk during our messages or overflow the toilet twice in one night), how much time we spend with Jesus, how we care for others, and how we love. 

This list is not exhaustive, but it is the framework for building the relationship that leads to kitchen floor conversations about Jesus. I am excited to see what God is going to do through this mentoring relationship and after that night, I am praying for many more conversations about Jesus in places and ways I would never expect!

Lord Jesus, use us to have conversations about Christianity and salvation in ways we never see coming so that many more students will enter into Your kingdom and experience Your everlasting love!