"I (Greg) have been asked to take on the role of teacher for our youth group over the next 3 months. It is a big undertaking... a big commitment, but I sincerely believe that this is the role that God wants me to volunteer in, at least for this spring. I have already diligently been working on my first couple of lessons, but no amount of human preparation can insure success. 

The most important preparation that I can do is pray, and I'd love for you to pray along with me. Please pray that I can accurately communicate the truth about the Gospel: about Jesus and who he is and what he's done for us. Pray also that I don't get full of myself, but can instead humbly present God's truth to these kids. And, most importantly, pray that God shows up and shows off, and that his will is ultimately done in that small youth room on Wednesday nights. 

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!"

(This was from the most recent Cranial Collision email.)

As I prepare to launch into this new season of ministry tomorrow (today, when this goes live), I decided to share a few thoughts in the hope that it would help you pause to reflect as well:


+I am not worthy. Nothing I can do or have done makes me worthy of communicating God's truth to these kids. Sometimes I remember my past ministry experience and the schooling I've had and think to myself, "I'm a good choice to be a speaker, to be the man-in-charge, giving the message." Quickly I realize that that is definitely not the case! I am a messed up sinful human being, saved only by Jesus' blood. Only by his sacrifice and continuing grace am I able to do ministry.


+This is a big responsibility. For the past several months I have been organizing the weekly icebreaker game. I like games. They are fun, the kids laugh and turn into competitive balls of energy. What's the worst that can go wrong: they think the game is lame and I try again next week? So, what's the worst that goes wrong if I don't communicate well? Could they be misguided and misunderstand the Good News for something it isn't? Yeah, that's a real possibility. People misinterpret things all the time.


+It's not as easy as it looks. Sometimes when sitting listening to a talk, I think to myself, "I wouldn't do that," or "I would say this differently," ...and in my mind, it would work better my way. The problem is, once you're in the position of actually being able to decide how the material is presented, you realize that it is much more work than you once thought it was... and that it is a much more complex situation as well.


+It doesn't depend on me. While being in front and speaking is undoubtedly a big responsibility, the effectiveness of my speech really doesn't depend on me. The Holy Spirit is powerful! In God's hands, even my feeble sentences and poor analogies can cause a teen's eyes to be opened. It's happened before... but not just because of something I did!

I pray that tomorrow (today) as I get up there to speak, that God shows up and shows off and does an amazing work in the hearts of those teens. And I know one thing for sure: it will be His work!