I have been cashiering at Walmart for a while now, and I tend to be scheduled to work in the Lawn and Garden department quite frequently. What this means is simply that I often am working alone, and it is slow. I have found this to be some of the best time I've had to reflect on my life, and to actually slow myself down. (And I get paid for it!) I never would have expected this to be a relaxing job, and often times it's quite the opposite, but nights like tonight offer a unique opportunity to thoroughly think my way through things that I otherwise continue to push back for lack of time. In many ways, this job has been quite a blessing to me.
Tonight I was reading "Contemplative Youth Ministry," by Mark Yaconelli. Such a great book so far that has caused deep introspection into my feelings and expectations as a person working in youth ministry. So often we get caught up in the programming, and marketing, (even in the church) so much so that we forget the incredible value of relationships, and being vulnerable with each other, and the impact that can have on peoples lives. I know that I have and will again get caught up in the planning and marketing side of ministry, and frankly those things are good in moderation, but I will then come back to the whole reason we are here, and the whole reason I want to even be involved in the lives of youth.
I want to give youth the opportunity to feel like an equal, safe to ask
any and all questions, and to know that they are loved without
condition.
This is not about the religion, it is not about agreeing with me or anyone else, and it is not about having good attendance or long attention spans. It is about being open to God, and about embracing the truth that you are loved--without exception, without question.
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