What are you doing to me?

Ministry is not without its twists in the road. You know the feeling? Driving along the perfectly planned road of youth work and then you see the sign. The one with the S-curves on S-curves! The one that looks like there might be some serious slowing down to be done ahead.

I don't like slow downs. They frustrate me! I am a top-down-Porsche-911 (black with camel colored leather interior and real wood dashboard and accessories)-open-'er-up-and-let-'er-rip kind of guy. And youth ministry is no different.
Yet it is exactly those curves, those speed bumps, those traffic lights that God wants there. If left up to us, we would blast through the neighborhood at 100 mph on our way to the next big event or conference or vacation spot. So God slows us down with a speed zone in a quaint little town or even in the inner city to make us wait and watch and be on the look-out for people that need ministry.

Last night we kicked off our first of 4 training sesssion prior to going on our summer missions trip. I had envisioned a great group of teens excited about ministry and about God's Word who were on fire and waiting to be infectious fervent zealots for the cause of Christ. What I got was two pair of siblings, a gog-goo eyed couple, half of the 6 teen team signed up for summer soccer on the evenings reserved for training, young, inexperienced underclassmen who didn't bring Bibles or persmission/consent forms to the first meeting. God what are you doing to me? I asked for zealots and you gave me these teens! Are you sure I need a slow down? ARe you sure about these s-curves? Couldn't you straighten them out a bit?

And then it hit me... God is giving me the next generation. I get to lead them into zeal. I get to light their fuses. I get to see them explode into fervor. But I don't want to wait -- remember the Porsche, God?? (By the way, I'll take red if that's what you have planned). What do you mean 1st gear? okay. okay. I'm slowed down now.

Help me Lord to see the needs of these teens clearer than I ever have before. Help me to give them little sips of refreshment from the fountain not turn the firehose on them. I want so much to give them all of the joys (the end) first, but help me now to train them to serve. So that they will outrun me later and be spiritual giants in the future. Help me to be patient with them. Help me see the flaws that need work in me too. Help them to be patient with me.
Amen