It was a hectic Thursday night at the Northside Adolescent Unit where I used to work as a counselor.  We were short on staff with a full unit of troubled kids. I was involved with two take downs and all three time out rooms were full.  It was very stressful.  But, the biggest problem of the dreadful evening was Darren.

If you were to meet Darren you would think, “Wow, what a nice kid.  What is he doing in a place like this?”  And in many ways he was a very pleasant young man. He was fifteen years old, a bright smile and a good sense of humor.   However, Darren was obsessed with the Mafia.  He combed his hair like the gang leaders of the twenties and had been involved in multiple “Mafia” type crimes around his school and community.  He was eventually court ordered to our facility.

I stood at the door of the Time Out room. Darren sat slumped in the corner, head in his hands crying.  He had become very violent on the unit and after multiple commands to walk to the time out room we had to take him in a struggle.

“What are you thinking about Darren?” I asked him.

He looked at me with his tear stained face and replied, “I feel so lost.”

That was in June of 1992 and his words have echoed in my mind ever since.  $500 a day plus doctor bills and medication and there was still no help for Darren.  He truly was lost.  The therapists were working to change his mind, the medication was working to change him chemically, but there was nothing that could change his heart.  He needed the Lord Jesus in His life and until that happened, he would remain lost.
There are so many ways we try to change people.  Millions and millions of dollars a year are spent trying to change people.  Advancements in medicine, changes in education, and social reform are all aimed at changing a hurting people both here in the US and abroad.  I am not a cynic.  I applaud the many people who commit their time to making life better for the masses who need help.  The problem is that only a changed heart with Christ as resident King brings real, long lasting change to individuals, communities, and nations.
Bruce Olson was a 19 year-old boy who left home against his parents wishes to go to the jungles to evangelize a murderous tribe of Indians.  He suffered capture, disease, terror, loneliness, and torture. Through a long series of events, he began living with the Motilone tribe of Indians.  He taught them health measures, agricultural techniques, the value of preserving their heritage and translated the Bible into their language.  Since then, Bruce Olson has spoken before the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the personal friend of four presidents of Columbia.  In his biography, Bruchko, Olson writes,
“The most important thing I can say to those who want to help people is this:  They will not be helped very much unless they find purpose in life through Jesus Christ.  Without Him, whatever development takes place always will be twisted or corrupted.  It will embitter those who try to hold it together, and those who don’t care about it will be ruined by apathy and alienation.  But with Jesus, there can be real change.  Not just change by and by.  Real change, now, with visible power. He is the source of all change.” ( Bruchko  p. 162 ) [1]

As the Lord brings people into our lives and our church to help, let’s remember that real change is change where the Lord Jesus gives hope and purpose.  Are you inviting people to church?  Please begin this week.  Do you know how to present the gospel?  Learn how to share your faith.  Let’s be a people and a church of real change, change found in Him.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone.  The new has come.”  2 Corinthians 5:17

[1] – Olson, Bruce  Bruchko, Creation House, 1983

Popularity: 5% [?]

In our last article, we discussed that when selecting a unit study
for your group, be sure to choose what the kids need to know, not
necessarily what you want to teach. Now let’s assume that you have
made a decision about what you will be teaching at “Sunday Night
Youth Group.” It is time for a look at the next step…

Step #2 – Find the Very Best Materials on that Topic.

What I am about to share may not be popular but take some time and
at least think about it.

My observation has been that lots of youth leaders (and churches!)
hold loyalty to certain publishers without ever really evaluating if
the material is good for your kids.

Now do not misunderstand me…I realize the importance of using material
that is consistent with your churches doctrinal positions and I
respect that and also think it is important. But, there may be
several publishers who are doctrinally sound and may have materials
you can use.

Here is the point; if we are not careful we will get
lazy and just use what we have always used without exploring new
frontiers. The curriculum source and approaches that worked five
years ago may still work now, but then again it may not. My point
is that good youth leaders are always looking for the best
resources to teach their kids!

Before starting a new unit of study, set out to find the best
materials. Check out the books/curriculums you already have. Check
online for resources on your topic and do not overlook free stuff you
might get on the web. Ask your pastor or other church leaders for ideas.

After you have collected lots of materials, sit down with it all
together. From that point, begin putting together the best unit you
can by pooling the best of the resources you have in front of you.

The best unit will be one where you use ideas from several sources!
I realize that this approach takes some time and work. But, ministry
is work. Remember, quality is not an accident and excellence is a
choice. If you choose excellence, then you will need to work.

Here is one last tip before I finish. Make files for yourself on the
different units you teach or may teach in the future.

For example, you may have one file for “Dealing with Stress” and
another for the “Book of Galatians”, etc.

As you stumble upon resources you may even think you’ll use in the
future, put that information in a file you created.

Over time, you will collect some great materials and ultimately your
youth will receive the blessings for your work by your rich, engaging,
and well prepared lessons. Hurry up! Get going! Go find the best
materials!

Popularity: 3% [?]

“I don’t know what I am going to do with these _______ kids!” the angry grandma lamented to me with alcohol saturated breath.  The smell was so strong I took a half step backwards.

“Tell me what is happening.” I replied.  We stood beside my car in her small front yard in an otherwise quiet neighborhood.

The story was a sad one. This women was in her early sixties and just retired. Without warning, she ended up her three teenage grandchildren after the sudden death of their parents in a car accident.  Grandma had lost a daughter. The children lost their parents. And they all were lost for a sense of direction in what appeared to be a senseless tragedy.

Her grandkids were in my youth group. There were twin girls, both in the eighth grade at that time.   The third child was a tenth grade boy who was always in trouble at school.  All three kids dripped with potential and loved church and youth group.  The kids had as many problems with grandma as she had with them.  They shared with me often how she would lock herself in her room, watch TV and drink for hours at a time.  She would emerge in a drunken rage and retreat to the room again to sleep for several more hours.

Standing by my car, her tears flowed as she poured out her broken heart.  Tears would flow as the kids would share their hurt at church.  A family related by blood, divided by tragedy, headed full throttle toward a train wreck of an existence.

It has been many years since that day and I am still amazed as ever at the number of people all around me who live their lives day to day with no hope or purpose.  They function as productive citizens, earning a living or going to school or raising their children.  Yet a short conversation will begin to reveal the depth of emptiness within them.  Their smiles are superficial, their eyes hollow, their futures uncertain.  My heart hurts for them.

Who will be the ambassadors of hope for these people?  Who will be light for those who are accustomed to darkness?  Who will be salt for their frozen hearts? Who will be a voice of testimony to the lost and hurting that God is crazy about them and offers them hope through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus?

How about you?  Would you be that person?  Would you be an ambassador of hope?  I want to challenge you. Ask God to put you in a position to be an ambassador of hope.  One of the best ways to do this is simply to invite people to church. Inviting is so simple yet we do it so infrequently.  Invite one person or family to church per week.  Maybe it will be your neighbor, a co-worker, or a store clerk.  You never know how many people in your circles of influence are living without hope or purpose.  Maybe it will take someone like you to invite them to come and hear how awesome our God is and that He loves them so very much.

Popularity: 2% [?]