First post of 2009

posted 02.11.09 by Christian

My first blog of 2009 has been inspired by a phone conversation I had the other day with a young man I am mentoring. First let me say that I LOVE THIS DUDE!!! He is covered in tattoos, comes from the street, has an aggressive personality, a little crazy, and passionately loves Jesus.

He is a ministerial student at a Christian University and unlike most religion majors who enjoy spending most of their time playing intramural sports, X Box, and chasing girls, he is deeply involved in ministering to teenagers in the roughest part of town. All by himself this young man, who looks nothing like your traditional bible belt Christian, goes and finds these teens on the street, picks them up, and takes them to church several times a week.

With a beat up donated van and his own cash for gas he drives deep behind enemy lines, a line that most pastors and religion professors would never dream of crossing. Let me ask this question, who’s teaching who? As you dwell on that let me get to the reason I’m writing this blog.

This young man has become overwhelmed with the ministry that goes along with loving troubled teens. Teens that come from homes with single Moms, crack addicted Fathers, welfare support, and abuse. He has become the adopted father of hurting teens and the financial supplier to families hit hardest by today’s economy. He does all this while carrying a full time load in college as well as part time work to help pay off his school loan debt.

I have mad respect for this guy!!! We have probably all read the scripture of taking care of orphans and widows, or Jesus saying He came to save those who are sick not healthy, or how about when He traveled to Samaria to offer eternal life to a woman by the well that the Jewish people wouldn’t be caught dead with because of their racial prejudice.

But do we ever do anything about it? We all probably have greater resources than this young man could ever have but not the desire or the conviction to follow through with God’s hand being extended through us to a hurting world. So where’s the help going to come from?

During this phone conversation he told me that he had recently called and e-mailed local churches that didn’t return his phone call or hit him back with an e-mail response. By the way allow me to go off on a tangent, how bad do you have to hate someone to not return a phone call? Enough said. Since the local church has decided not to reach out to this young man and do ministry in their own community I am hoping that the help will come from those who read my first blog of 2009 and decide they are going to help make a difference.

There are several ways to help. One, PRAY!!! This young man is all alone on the battlefield unless we team up as a body of Christ and pray for him. Acts 2:42-47 says it all when it comes to the power that is released when God sees us working together in ministry. Two, financial support if at all possible. This can be done by clicking on the link below that will take you to this young man’s ministry site which is now non-profit.  .

This blog sounds harsh at times but as I was on my face praying when the clock struck twelve, the disco ball in NY hit bottom, and Dick Clark once again wished the world another great year, I was burdened for this young man. So let’s team up together in prayer and financial support of this brother as well as making 2009 a year where we reach out to those who are hurting and in need of a Savior. And one more thing, return your phone calls and e-mails, had to say that one last time. Happy 2009, peace!!!