Wanted

Three to twenty six…as I sat and listened to the seniors honor their parents and peers; I couldn’t get that thought out of my head. Even I didn’t believe this was possible and I had dreamed big. Just two years ago…there was only three of them.
How did it happen? What was the formula? How can we do it again? As I began to think about all those questions, one thing stood out. There was not one senior that graduated that we didn’t have story with. There was not one senior that had not experienced a life long memory. All of them had close relationships with their life group leaders and me.
As I went to sleep I had an overwhelming sense of contentment. We did it the right way. We had not used these kids to boost numbers. We did not manipulate them into coming. We did not simply entertain them for a year. We had invested in their lives and they began investing in their friends. That was the plan and it worked.
The truth is students are smart. They know when they are being used and when you really care. At the end of the night…one comment stood out and forever changed my view of student ministry. She said when she started coming to Rock Creek, she felt wanted… not needed.
And so it all begins again. There are thousands of students in Little Rock who need to feel wanted not just needed. As I fell asleep, I found the answers to my questions. The formula is simple but costly! We must continue to take Jesus as he is to students as they are! We will love them. We will serve them. We will invest in them. That is what we do…it is why we breathe.

Seniors

The past few weeks, I have spent a ton of time getting ready for all of our senior activities. We make a big deal out of our seniors’ graduation. We will make a video honoring them and showing highlights from the year, recognize them on a Sunday Morning at Rock Creek, have a seniors dinner for family and seniors, and then I am taking them to St. Louis for three days.

I demand these events to be the best and everyone who works for me hates this time of year because I can be very demanding. I want to come up with creative ways to show them how much I care and give parents opportunities to make incredible memories. I want them to walk away seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling, and experiencing how much they mean to me.

As I started thinking back to the past year and what these seniors have done...I was blown away. They doubled the size of every trip we took this year, gave $1500 to buy Kenyan orphans new shoes and backpacks, gave $500 for Peru students to get new computers, pulled off a dinner theater in front of 1,000 people, built relationships with the residents at the Union Rescue Mission, saw over 25 of their peers baptized, and are getting teams together to participate in Relay for Life.

When they were juniors, they were not looking forward to this year...mostly because there were only 4 of them who were involved. When we have our seniors’ dinner, there will be 25 seniors to honor. The reason is simple.... investment. Those 4 took a challenge to live a senior year that was not about them. One by one, a new senior would come along and begin to do the same. I watched as each new relationship was formed and then another and then another. To watch them live the vision of the student ministry has been on of the most rewarding years of student ministry I have ever had.

As many student ministries grow, it becomes hard to continue to have close relationships with students. Some student pastors and student staffs just give up and put all their energy into a once a week event. I fight very hard for our ministry to stay away from that path. It is very hard work...but then again...making disciples always has been.

I am going to miss this group very much. I am going to miss their leadership and friendship. I am excited to see what God is going to do...because God has big plans for these seniors. I have never seen a so many leaders in one class with so many gifts. My prayer is that they would live a life that only God can get credit for. I pray that they will throw up on the idea of the American dream, and consume the life that Jesus has called them to. If that happens...the world will change because of these seniors! I can't wait to watch...what a story...God is good!