The Love of Jesus
I've not wanted to write this for a while. Mainly for fear of seeming like I'm tooting my own horn. And please please hear me when I say, that is not my desire.
At the end of last year, I joined Young Life as a volunteer leader. I'm not going to lie and say I was confident about doing this. I wasn't and I'm still not. I love my city, and I love Jesus. The reason I say I'm not confident is because I'm not a good Christian. I still struggle with God's sovereignty today. But God uses broken people to further his Kingdom, not by us, or our power or words, by Him alone. I also had never had any contact with Young Life, or worked with high schoolers in years. Being given a role, and position to impact people still at a young age is intimidating. I grew up in a smaller predominantly wealthy white city, I don't have any idea what life is like for most of the people I encounter in Denver, let alone what many students in DPD deal with on the daily. We are also starting YL in a brand new school. New YL, new school. We are in on the ground level, and most weeks, I feel like I'm not making any impact by crashing a class and hanging with students. We don't have Club, or D Group, and the weight of things not being tangible sometimes gets the best of me.
But God put my city on my heart, and asked me to go. He has lead me, and will not forsake me.
A week ago, I went to Snow Camp with 5 students and 3 leaders. It was a whirlwind weekend. I just remember sitting in the last talk of saturday. This talk was about the cross. The speaker was talking about what Jesus did for us. What he did for me. For our students. On that cross. And I began to weep. The Cross is ugly. What they did to my savior was horrifying, and messy, and unbearable. But He did it willingly. That hit me like a ton of bricks, like I had heard it for the first time. Willingly. Jesus knew he would come and die. And he did it anyway. I couldn't control my tears as I sat in a room of 500 Denver high school students, many who were hearing about Jesus for the first time. Many who would meet him for the first time that weekend.
Last night at my church home, our Pastor was talking about where we as a church were going this year. What our calling of Gospel, Community, and Mission look like for 2015. And in the middle of talking about mission he mentioned a few people doing ministry in Denver. My being at Cole DSST was one of them. He didn't mention me by name (THANK YOU!) but I began to cry again. That feeling of being overwhelmed and under qualified hit me again. But then God's love for Young Life, our students at Cole, and me washed over me. I cried because I am so excited to see what Cole will look like in 4 years. What will God's love do in those 4 years? What will the ripple effect be in Denver because of whose life he is going to move in?
I'm about to leave for our first D Group. First EVER! And I'm overwhelmed by God's goodness and mercy. If you have made it this far, Please pray for the team I am working with, the students we will encounter, and the future YL has at Cole DSST.
At the end of last year, I joined Young Life as a volunteer leader. I'm not going to lie and say I was confident about doing this. I wasn't and I'm still not. I love my city, and I love Jesus. The reason I say I'm not confident is because I'm not a good Christian. I still struggle with God's sovereignty today. But God uses broken people to further his Kingdom, not by us, or our power or words, by Him alone. I also had never had any contact with Young Life, or worked with high schoolers in years. Being given a role, and position to impact people still at a young age is intimidating. I grew up in a smaller predominantly wealthy white city, I don't have any idea what life is like for most of the people I encounter in Denver, let alone what many students in DPD deal with on the daily. We are also starting YL in a brand new school. New YL, new school. We are in on the ground level, and most weeks, I feel like I'm not making any impact by crashing a class and hanging with students. We don't have Club, or D Group, and the weight of things not being tangible sometimes gets the best of me.
But God put my city on my heart, and asked me to go. He has lead me, and will not forsake me.
A week ago, I went to Snow Camp with 5 students and 3 leaders. It was a whirlwind weekend. I just remember sitting in the last talk of saturday. This talk was about the cross. The speaker was talking about what Jesus did for us. What he did for me. For our students. On that cross. And I began to weep. The Cross is ugly. What they did to my savior was horrifying, and messy, and unbearable. But He did it willingly. That hit me like a ton of bricks, like I had heard it for the first time. Willingly. Jesus knew he would come and die. And he did it anyway. I couldn't control my tears as I sat in a room of 500 Denver high school students, many who were hearing about Jesus for the first time. Many who would meet him for the first time that weekend.
Last night at my church home, our Pastor was talking about where we as a church were going this year. What our calling of Gospel, Community, and Mission look like for 2015. And in the middle of talking about mission he mentioned a few people doing ministry in Denver. My being at Cole DSST was one of them. He didn't mention me by name (THANK YOU!) but I began to cry again. That feeling of being overwhelmed and under qualified hit me again. But then God's love for Young Life, our students at Cole, and me washed over me. I cried because I am so excited to see what Cole will look like in 4 years. What will God's love do in those 4 years? What will the ripple effect be in Denver because of whose life he is going to move in?
I'm about to leave for our first D Group. First EVER! And I'm overwhelmed by God's goodness and mercy. If you have made it this far, Please pray for the team I am working with, the students we will encounter, and the future YL has at Cole DSST.
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