J A N U A R Y
2 0 1 1
Happy New Year! I know, we are already one-twelfth done with the year, but
I still wanted to say it. It feels like yesterday that the ball dropped, and yet the
new year is WELL on its way! For many of you, January is the start of the new
year. It is a time for you to refresh and look ahead at new horizons. In Young
Life, however, it feels more like the middle of the year. Our first semester of
the school year with kids was EXCELLENT! All four clubs were strong, with
new kids showing up every week. We took MORE kids to weekend camp in the
Fall than we have in 5 years! Our leadership teams were strengthened with new
volunteers who want to give away their lives to share the Gospel with teens. It
was an excellent start to the year!
Now, we are entering our next part of the year, the second semester with
kids. This upcoming semester is a crucial one. While the first semester is filled
with meeting new faces and learning new names, the second semester is a time
to truly grow deep. It is when our relationships with new kids become solidified
and we begin to have many more opportunities to sit down and talk to kids about God’s love. The second
stretch of the year is a time to prepare us for the final leg, the climax of our year, which will be our summer
camping with kids. These next few months are crucial for us to build the solid relationships needed, so when our
volunteers invite kids to camp, the kids will want to go with their leaders. It is at camp with their leaders that SO
MANY will have a truly life-changing experience. So please be in prayer for our leaders, that they can build true,
lasting, deep, solid relationships with kids.
One of my favorite months of the year in Young Life is always January. The reason is because we haven’t yet started back up our weekly club meetings. While I
love Monday nights (getting together with 75 kids in a living room), the month of
January can be a time to simply be present in kids lives. I can go and hang out
with them at the school or at the mall, and they know I am not there to push an
agenda or encourage them to attend Young Life meetings. I am there to simply be
with them. They feel that their leaders above all else care about who they are.
This morning, as I studied scripture, I came across the verse above. It immediately reminded me of our leaders. They have given up their time, energy, their
lives to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. I am so proud to work with such
an amazing group of men and women. I want to be like them, and would encourage all of us to find away to do so, whether it be in Young Life or something else.
That is His call for all of us.