Hurting

The Spring Semester is in full swing! Three weeks have come and gone, and papers and tests have arrived. I have always enjoyed starting a new semester, because it gives you the opportunity to start things on the right foot. I always vow to be more studious than the previous semester, but for some reason I end up getting stuck in the root of mediocrity. You know? Just doing enough to get by. However, so far this semester I have been true to my vow about my studies. I am actually on top of all of my required reading and homework! This semester is looking good.

Not only are the academics on all four cylinders, but also the athletics. I play on the Ozark Baseball team, and we have been working out for the past three weeks. We run, lift weights, throw the ball around and hit in the cage. Sometimes it gets pretty depressing knowing that we still won't play a real game for another month, but all of our hard work will pay off when the season rolls around. Besides playing on the baseball team, I play on an intramural basketball team called the Gamophobes (the fear of marriage). We had our first game last night, and we played very good! WE won by 18 points, and we upset the #1 team which catapulted us to the top of the rankings.

But on a serious note, sports are not everything. They have always played a huge role in my life, but I do not live for sports. I am not attending Ozark so I can play sports. I am at OCC so I can better equip myself to lead teenagers to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Since high school, I have known that I wanted to go to Ozark, but I never really felt a strong passion for youth ministry. I guess I was just doing it, so I could have a plan for my life.

But this semester has really opened my heart and my eyes to what youth ministry is about. It is not an occupation but a mission. I am reading a book for my Counseling to Youth class called Hurt. This book takes a look inside the world of today's teenagers. Personally, I look around and I see kids who have no purpose. They try to find worth in friends, sex, and material objects. Their search never ends because nothing will satisfy them. I want to....I NEED to help the youth of America find that they do have purpose and love in their life. Even if they can't find it in their families or friends, Jesus has what they need. Teenagers need to know that they are loved by an all-powerful God who would do anything to have them in his family. He would even go so far as to kill his own son.

Before I felt like I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, but now God has instilled within me a passion for teenagers. I Hurt for the kids who have not met my Jesus, and I want to show Him to them. What are you hurting for?