Sabbatical

I am blessed to work for an organization that grants us a sabbatical every seven years. For me, it’s been nine. In my time with YFC, I’ve never once felt “burnt out.” I’ve never felt like I have needed a sabbatical. Then someone told me, “don’t wait until you need one to take one!”

Beginning June 15th, I will be taking a three month sabbatical. I’ll turn off my email, shut off social media, and take a step away from local and national ministry.

As my sabbatical approaches, I’ve been thinking through what I want to get out of it and how I will spend my time. Here are a few things on my list…

• Learn something new

• Write a children’s book

• Take a vacation (or two)

• Read a long list of books

• Write a prayer

• Go skydiving (and live to tell about it)

I’ve split up my time into a few different ‘phases.’ The first month will focus on REST. I’ll be vacationing, spending time with family, and establishing margin away from ministry.

The next month will be focused on REFLECTION. I’ll spend this time asking God, “Is there anything you want to say to me?” I want to experience God (and myself) in new ways.

The final month will be about REFOCUSING. I will ask myself, “What needs to change in my life and ministry based on what God has spoken to me?” This will be the application phase of my sabbatical.

I am so excited to see what God is going to teach me during this rare opportunity. Will you pray for me? Will you help fund my sabbatical? Do you have any advice for me?

If so, give me a call - I’d love to hear from you! Seriously, reach out at 309.826.1427.

Breathe

Over the week of New Years, we had a scare.  Our three year old, Jet, wasn’t feeling well. A day later, we noticed he was struggling to breathe and was clearly in rough shape. A doctor’s office visit sent us straight to the hospital. Jet was immediately put on oxygen and an IV, then hooked up to all sorts of monitors. A bad case of RSV and bacterial pneumonia put us in the hospital for the next six days. 

I was so relieved when they put my little buddy on oxygen. His struggle to breathe was brutal and I figured as soon as he was on oxygen, he’d breathe easier. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case - he continued to struggle. 

Our walk with God is similar.  The teens we work with are similar. When we say yes to following Jesus, the Holy Spirit enters us… the breath of life enters us. Just like I thought there would be an immediate change when Jet put on that oxygen mask, we expect an immediate change in the students we work with (or in ourselves). We think the struggle will end when the breath of life enters us. Typically that just isn’t the case. 

I’ve seen countless students say yes to following Jesus only to continue to struggle. The sin continues, the pain lingers, and the mess remains.  BUT, there is progress.

With each day that passed, Jet was able to breath easier. The nurses periodically turned down his oxygen until he was breathing “room air.” Progress! As students follow Jesus, we see progress. We see things that once consumed them begin to fade. We see them breathe in the love of Jesus until it starts to seem like second nature. They move forward, nearer to The Father.

May we never take a breath without being fully aware of the One who gives us that breath in the first place. Thanks for partnering with us to help teens breathe in new life. Your prayers and funds are life-giving!

THANKFUL

Revelation 3:20 reads, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” 

When I was young it was normal to have neighbors at our dinner table. Everyone tried their best to look after everyone else because that is what we were taught to do. Even the old ladies who sat on their porch all day, and told your family the bad things you did before you got home, were only looking out for the neighborhood. I am so thankful for all the people who cared about my family growing up because I know what a strong neighborhood can do to nurture a young person.

Today people have lost the meaning of the environment and how important those relationships are. Most have separated NEIGHBOR and HOOD, which has confused the young people, where all they know is “The Hood.” Where I’m the only one that matters , and being from the HOOD means I make my own rules. Most people won’t answer a knock at the door if they don’t know you. Getting into the house to eat at their table is really out of the question.  

Thank God that most of the leaders on the City Life team know what a healthy neighborhood looks like and the love and peace that comes with answering the knock at the door. We get the opportunity to share with the teens how good the food is when Jesus comes to visit. Not because how good we cook but because the presence of God makes everything sweeter. We thank God for allowing us to build Christ-centered relationships with the teens in these environments. 

City Life is building with trips, meals, and new experiences, and most importantly daily life in the streets of the Hood, modeling what neighbors look and sound like. Hopefully our voice is the voice of Jesus, and not only their doors but their hearts open to invite Him in. Thank you so much for the love and support that makes this possible! As we try to put NEIGHBOR and HOOD back together, be sure the meal on the table is the Bread of Life.  

A FOUNDATION

AFTER SEPTEMBER 11TH, the City of New York decided to rebuild the twin towers. Instead of immediately building back up, they initially dug down. They spend three years building below the street level. That’s three years of work before people from the street could even tell a new building was going up. They did this because they wanted this new building, Freedom Tower, to be the strongest building ever built. They knew the importance of having a strong foundation. 

Since October, I feel like we’ve been digging down at Richwoods Campus Life. Five months of laying a foundation - five months of raising funds, five months of putting together a leadership team, five months of building community support, five months of building awareness… 

Now we build up. Now we have a solid base of financial support (a good start anyway.) Now we have a leadership team that is trained and empowered to dive into the messy lives of teenagers at Richwoods High School. Now we have the structure in place that we need to ensure that Campus Life at Richwoods isn’t just a one or two year thing. We want Richwoods Campus Life to leave an impact far beyond the students who are just here now. 

We want years and years worth of Richwoods students to be impacted by the gospel. 

On March 17th, we had our first Richwoods Campus Life event… Richwoods students met their ministry leaders for the first time. The students have no idea now, but the truth is that many of these leaders will have a lasting, eternal impact on those students’ lives. Some of these leaders will be invited to students’ graduation parties. Some of these leaders will be invited to students future weddings. Some will stay in touch decades after high school because of the impact they’ve made. Each one  will love kids where they are at, in the midst of their mess - and in the process, point them to the hope that is found in Jesus.

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YFC Camp - Carolina Point

This summer we are taking around 175 students and leaders to YFC Camp in North Carolina. Every year, this is life-changing trip for any kid that comes. I’m hoping to take one cabin of guys and one cabin of girls from Richwoods for our inaugural trip to YFC Camp. We will have fundraisers and scholarships available for students, but even then we often have kids who can’t come to camp because of financial reasons. Would you be willing to sponsor a Richwoods student’s trip to camp for $525? Send me an email if you’d like to help!