Breaking through walls and jumping through roofs



I have been reading a book called "Shaping the Spiritual Lives of Students" by Robert Dunn, and it is an amazing book and I've only half way through the 2nd Chapter. The other night I was reading and God sent a jolt to my heart of a vision of his purpose for my life. The book refers to the time when 4 friends helped the parapalegic friend reach Jesus' feet to be healed. The house was pack and there was no way into Jesus.. but the friends did not despair. Rather they thought around the barriers and found away. They hauled their friend to the roof.. made a hole within the roof to lower their friend to Jesus. They did everything possible... even at the risk of making others mad.. to get their friend to Jesus.

That night I saw the vision... that as a teacher and a youth leader.. it is my job to break through the barriers that seperate my kids from knowing Jesus. God has blessed me with more than 200 high school kids in my life. Kids whom I love with an overwhelming love like a parent to a child. I desire the best for them... I desire for them to know Jesus.

Sometimes, helping kids to know Jesus means breaking down the barriers. Paul said, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." We must learn to speak the truth to our kids meaningfully... learning who they are and what they care about... so that we can use their language to share God's love.

Ministry is probably one God's most amazing blessings but also one of the scariest. There are those who desire to be healed but there are barriers ... prejudices and strange vocabulary that seperate them from seeing Jesus who loves them so very much that he died for them.