We minister to people, not to ideas.

Yesterday in my meeting with Mike and Joey, one thing we talked about is that we minister to people, not just ideas. If you haven't met someone, how can you know how to minister to them?

Just some food for thought.

One of my students-- we'll call him John-- is a trouble maker. In my heart, I know that he is a good kid... he just likes to impress his friends. So last year, we went to Worlds of Fun for a day with the youth. And John, oh John, did something stupid and got himself arrested. The funny thing is he had two accomplices and if they had all run away as originally planned, they wouldn't have gotten caught. But, John felt bad and went back to the scene of the crime, because he just didn't know what else to do.

So Mike tells me this story about last year at WOF (after I have planned a WOF event for this year, mind you) and my only thought is: so why on EARTH would we take them there again??

But, then on Wednesday, I had the students break into small groups and then they each had to teach the large group about what they talked about. The high school boys were talking about John the Baptist doubting that Jesus was the messiah after he got put in jail. I watched 4 of them trying to explain to the other students what they had learned. And finally, John says, "You know, someone told me, it's not always going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it. Jesus knows what he's doing, and that's what always gets me through."

I'm sure, my mouth was gaping wide open at that point. You see, John is not just a trouble-maker. He is a student who needs guidance, and needs to be told that he has a lot to offer. He does have a lot to offer.

So some would question my bringing him back to WOF. I would do it every time.

I pray that you may see what I've seen-- Jesus in the eyes of someone you least expect.