Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
I Peter 5:2-4
Recently, God has been teaching me what it means to lean on Him in all circumstances. I’m sure we are all guilty at one point or another of giving insincere “How are yous?” I am guilty of looking beyond who I am present with, and instead look at the next task that needs to be done. So often I am lost in my own objectives, thoughts, anxieties, and worries rather than giving those to God and being there for the person God has led into my life.
Life is made up of a series of ups and downs. The test of a true Christian is not whether there are more ups then downs, but what we do with each of those experiences. I find myself meditating more and more on who I live for. Do I live for myself? My family? The youth group? Happiness? Can I truly say that I live to give God glory?
For the teenagers of PCC and their friends that they bring, I can’t help but to feel inept to their ongoing struggles and how to help them. I don’t say it in a prideful way, in fact it helps me to continue to remind myself and them that we are just silly little sheep that would walk off a cliff if our Shepherd wasn’t there to lead us back Read Story. It’s so easy to get lost in the pursuits of this world, the fears of this world, the temptations of this world. We need to keep our gaze on the Good Shepherd. He preserves His flock, He nurtures His flock, He lays His life down for His flock.
Lately, I’ve tried to be more honest with my “How are you?” answer. It is simply “living day-by-day”. It sounds like a feeble answer, but for me it’s a reminder to keep the mission in front of me and give it all my attention. God receives all the glory. Period. That’s the mission we carry into the youth ministry. To celebrate the blessings and praises together. To be transparent with our hardships and be there for each other through the struggles.
In the evenings, we have been walking through the book of Esther and how God is provider even in the worst of situations, God is provider when we are faithless, God is provider when we reject Him. In the mornings, we have been tackling tough questions that the youth wrote down in the Spring. They have really challenged me to speak more clearly to what I believe and more importantly what God says about Himself.
Please continue to pray for this group that God would ‘knit’ their hearts to Himself. That they would choose to remain with the Shepherd and not wander away from His present love, to grow in their relationship with Him just as they grow in physical stature. Also pray for those who don’t see, to have their eyes opened to see God. For those who have not accepted God as their Savior that they would have their hearts broken. Pray for the youth leaders that we would pour everything we have into loving on these young men and women, to do it with passion, fervency, and zeal.
As far as what to look forward to in October, here is the week-by-week breakdown. Full printable schedule can be found here.
- We have youth group at our normal times: Oct 3, 10, 17, 24
- October 30th is the Halloween Party; check out our event page next week for a breakdown
- October 31st PCC will be hosting Trunk-or-Treat from 5-7pm
As always, email me here if you ever have any questions, concerns, or prayer requests. Thank you for your encouragement, support, and prayers. It is a true honor to serve these young men and women.
In Christ,
George
