Day 2 of Forest Lakes Districts Youth Conference in Green Bay began with a total of 6 hours of sleep behind me. Woo hoo! That's actually a lot based on my experiences in prior years. I was blessed with a lovely trio of girls in my room, who unselfishly gave me a bed to myself and respected my wish for lights off at 1 a.m.
I also had a great group of young ladies in my small group. Sometimes it can be difficult to get middle school girls to discuss things beyond the superficial, but these girls seem to have a real desire to live for Christ. They are also honest about their struggles and want to know how to change. Not the norm in middle school girl world, so I'm excited to see this.
Another rally kicked off the morning with gut-busting laughter courtesy of comedian Daren Streblow. I highly recommend you check out his videos on YouTube. The guy is not only funny but incredibly nice. I saw him hanging out and talking to kids all weekend.
We heard another great message from Bill Allison about making Jesus the center of our lives, not just a piece. He drew a pie chart with a circle in the middle, and wrote Jesus inside the circle. The other "slices" were things like school, friends, work, sports, etc. When Jesus is in the center, we can then allow Him to influence every area of our lives. He also taught us (with actions) Colossians 3:23, which was the centerpiece verse for the weekend. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." He called it living the C323 life, and he illustrated how this looks with examples from playing football or volleyball. Working at whatever we do full throttle, but doing it for the glory of God, not the glory of man.
The afternoon began with a middle school rally, complete with a HIGH energy worship (never seen middle schoolers worship that way before! Wow!) and a "So You Think You Can Dance" contest. The comedian was one of the judges, so you can imagine the entertainment value. One of my girls, Nora, was chosen to compete in the dance competition. She didn't win, but she represented well!
Saturday afternoon offered a number of options for the kids. Some attended workshops, many went to the mall, and I imagine a couple took a nap. Kelsey and I spent some time in the booth, talking to kids and handing out more clothespins.
Saturday night was the "main event", so to speak. Bill Allison shared his personal testimony, which included a story about nearly being murdered at the age of 7, along with his mother and sister, by his alcoholic stepfather. Through a series of incredible events that could only have been orchestrated by a mighty and loving God, his mother became a believer. But I think it was his own moment of salvation in high school that really connected with the kids. He had been attending church with his mother but had this notion that you didn't really become a Christian until you were an adult. He believed that because he didn't know of any other Christians his age. One day in school, again through an almost eery chain of events, he encountered two young men (although through his description, sounded a lot like angels to me) who delivered the message of the Gospel and led him to salvation in Christ.
He went on to share of nearly giving up on his faith - twice. Both times, God pulled him back in the most extraordinary ways. He shared how God had broken the curse of alcoholism that had been in his family for generations. Not only was he the first in his family to graduate high school and college, he became an English teacher, then a youth pastor, and is now a missionary (and he joked about having all those high-paying jobs). :)
After sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he asked all the youth leaders in the room to stand. He told the kids they have no idea how much these people love them and sacrifice just to be with them. He then asked that any wanted to give their lives to Christ for the first time to go to one of their leaders and pray with them. I had the privilege of praying with two young ladies, one from my small group.
Then he asked that anyone who was already a believer but wanted to commit themselves to living a centered life to stand. Nearly the entire room stood. Wow. Over 3200 young people across the state of Wisconsin are now striving to live full out for God. I dare say we will see from fruit from that!
As we went into worship in song to celebrate, I glanced over and saw my daughter, Emma. She was in tears. She looked at me and walked over to where I was. She asked if we could talk in the hall. When we got out there, she hugged me and began to weep. I asked if she was OK. She replied, "Yes, I'm just so happy! For the first time in my life, I really know God is real, and He is here!" Then she said there was something else. "I think God is calling me to be a missionary!" Another 'wow' moment for me. She was so excited, she was ready to get on a plane for Panama right then. I encouraged to start with our neighborhood as her first mission field, and we'll take it from there.
As the evening wound down, I felt the effects of the day: a physically exhausted body and mind, but a spirit that was still celebrating. After tending to some girl drama, I returned to my "rock-starred" room, found my pillow, and passed out. Ah, God is good.
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