Disappointing Week: A letter to a bummed out youth group.

Dear Cornerstone Youth,

This week did not turn out like most of us expected it to.  In case you haven’t heard, the trip to Gleanings for the Hungry was canceled this week.  While this is certainly a great disappointment for those planning to attend it is also a great opportunity.  That’s right, I said (wrote actually) opportunity.

It is an opportunity for you to grow in trusting God’s sovereign control over all things.  Nothing in this life happens by accident.  God is in control of it all and has a plan and purpose behind it.  This week, not going to Gleanings was God’s better plan for you than going to Gleanings.  So think about that and pray about it whenever you start to think, “Oh man, I am so bummed I am not at Gleanings right now,” and ask God to help you see His greater purpose for you this week.

It is also an opportunity for you to serve right where you live.  It is great to get away from home for a while, spend some special time set aside to love and serve others and to grow closer to your brothers and sisters in Christ.  But trips like Gleanings can also have the unwanted side effect of convincing us that we have to go away to be used by God.  To that end, our leadership team is trying to organize some service projects for this week that we can all get behind.  So be on the look out for information from Mr. Widstrand or Mrs. Pedone for some of those opportunities.  But don’t wait for them to arrange something.  Get out there and find some ways to serve.  Maybe you can do some extra chores around the house, pull weeds for a neighbor, help serve dinner at ECHO (El Camino Homeless Organization), offer some free childcare to a busy mom, help Mrs. Kramer (the church secretary) with some office work, whatever. Get out there and use your time to the fullest.

I appreciate each and every one of you and I greatly value your heart to serve others.  Keep up the good work.

I will be contacting Gleanings about the possibility of rescheduling our trip and looking for some other opportunities we may have to get away this summer.  Keep praying for God’s wisdom in these decisions and for the Gleanings team as they recover from this trial.

Why am I starting a blog?

In this information saturated world, why am I starting a blog?  Good question.  There are two primary reasons for me launching out on this new endeavor: 1. I am not a great writer and 2. Albert Mohler told me to.

The first reason may seem counter intuitive.  If I am not a great writer why should I write?  I answer, "Because I want to grow as a writer."  I am one of those people who tend to shy away from things I am not particularly good at.  It is much more comforting to tackle something I am confident in and tend to excel at.  However, if I desire to grow and become a better person, I must be willing to challenge myself in ways that will stretch my limits and abilities.

I lead the youth ministry at the church where I serve and recently challenged the youth not to waste their summer break.  I pushed them to come up with a plan to take on difficult and challenging activities  to better themselves.  It is a short term lesson that I hope will have long term implications.  In order to lead by example I am taking up blogging.  My plan is to post at least one post a week.  This will force me to set aside time and focused energy to improve on something in my life in order to make myself a better person and hopefully a greater servant for my King Jesus.

Albert Mohler told me to is the second reason I am throwing my two cents into the blogosphere.  Now I did not have the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Mohler myself and have a heart to heart chat where he advised me to begin blogging (in my dreams!).  He did, however, direct those who desire to lead well to write.  His book, Conviction to Lead, is an excellent resource for anyone in any position of leadership.  Along with many other great pieces of advice, Dr. Mohler encourages leaders to be lead with compassion and conviction through writing.

Whether or not anyone will read this blog is yet to be known, but my prayer is that through this blog I will become a better leader and a better writer so that I can lead others well through the written word.

So if anyone does read this, my challenge to you is twofold; lead well by writing well and don't waste your time but use it to try new and challenging things.