Teaching Youth to Shine
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“Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” (Philippians 2:15)
Guest author: Steven Turner
Made in the image of God, we are created to shine. In our ministry to teens do we equip them to shine or give them the bushel to hide their lights?
I started asking this question because of something that happened at school. (I teach at a public high school) Recently, a senior asked me to fill out a standard reference form that guidance counselors use to prepare college recommendations.
The Wild Frontier Youth Ministry Paradigm
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Originally published June 2005.
Wild Frontier began 15 years ago with a call on my heart which was already seven years old and a nagging gut feeling that youth ministry could be done better, done differently. I was inspired by a Randy Stonehill song, "Out on the Wild Frontier," (my inspiration and accomplishments have blessed him too) and a quote "Every other human being has no choice but to bow to their human limitations. Only believers can draw upon God's supernatural power to live beyond their limits." These are the hallmarks of my personal life which pour into my professional life.
I could go on and on about what I have discovered in my journey. In fact, I have over the last fifteen years, in the Pair of Cleats issues. But I thought I would surmise all of my random thoughts into one working document. It is a working document because I am no where near done with this journey.
Along the Way
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Originally published March 2004.
John 14:27-31 (CEV) - "I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid. You have already heard me say that I am going and that I will also come back to you. If you really love me, you should be glad that I am going back to the Father, because He is greater than I am. I am telling you this before I leave, so that when it does happen, you will have faith in me. I cannot speak with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. But he has no power over Me. I obey my Father, so that everyone in the world might know that I love Him. It is time for us to go now."
It is time for us to go now. Jesus taught the disciples along the way. They didn't get seminars or conferences. Sometimes they got boat times or sit-down times to learn. But often, it appears, that they were walking and learning. Jesus would walk, see a situation and teach. Jesus saw wheatfields and that became a lesson. Jesus saw a blindman and asked His disciples who is at fault for this man being born blind. The disciples learned something and the man was healed.
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About Wild Frontier
Wild Frontier is a mindset. It is a mindset that there is something more out there than what is normal or what is within human limitations. Only the brave dare to have this mindset. The brave dare to be vulnerable. The brave learn to recognize and expose numbing behaviors so that bravery can now be what defines our lives. And vulnerability is the beginning of hope.
Who is Brenda?
Brenda is a brave one. She stutters yet is a national speaker. She loves teaching so much she’s been a substitute teacher for over 20 years. She’s brave enough to enter any classroom at a middle school. She also simply loves teaching groups, whether they are teens or adults. You could say she was created for this, stuttering and all. She has been in youth ministry for 34 years and has no plans to “grow up” and be a real pastor. She bravely loves teenagers, especially that middle school age. She has served in her church, New Covenant Fellowship of Manassas, Virginia, since 1990 and they will probably bury her there.
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The most popular resource from Wild Frontier is Moms & Pops Stuff. This is a monthly newsletter of ideas for parent to pass on their faith to their children. To see the newest issue, click HERE. To become a free subscriber, click HERE.