Wednesday, August 8, 2007

"the Call"

I recently got back from our trip with our high school students as they were on a mission trip to the California/Nevada area where they did 2 vacation bible schools a day. I have done this trip 10+ times with students, and it's always a blast to see how God is going to work in and through the lives of the students that are involved. This trip has a high level of commitment and can be tough for anyone, 15 weeks of training for a trip that some have never been on can be frustrating and doubts can set, and each year there are students that drop out and at the end, they always wish they wouldn't have. But for those who do go, it is always without a doubt the most impactful and meaningful trip that they maybe apart of. When we prepare spiritually, and are prayerfully dependent on the Lord, and have put our best effort forward, God does something awesome! I know cause I've seen it happen each time! It's during this time that students are so open to what the Lord is saying to them, they are focused, away from distractions...oh yeah did I mention that we put cell phones away for the week. Like I said, no distractions.
It's during this time that I believe if you challenge a student they will rise to a new level in their walk with Christ, and also in their leadership. These are after all the core students that you have, so why not challenge them to a high level leadership, and when you do, they always respond.
This year I focused on "the Call", meaning how to know if God is calling you to ministry. Each time I study how Jesus called his disciples, I'm always reminded that He called teenagers, and they where not the best and smartest, they where the nobodies. But God used a bunch of nobodies to change the world!
I really believe that Jesus called teens because when they are dedicated to something nothing can hold them back.
Several of the students who went on the trip with us last month, knew that God was "Calling" them to full time ministry, and I'm excited to see how God is going to continue to use them!