No Rights. Journal of a Christ soldier.

Hero Watch: Now That's Ambition!

I spotted another hero today! This one is a young hero. I was browsing through the yahoo news articles today, which I have really come to enjoy lately (they have some really random and fun articles!), and found a great article about a 13 year old girl with some incredible ambition....and courage! Laura, a young girl from the Netherlands wants to sail around the world. She would, of course, be the youngest person to ever do such a thing (but interestingly only by about 4 years)....and likely the youngest to ever seriously attempt it. Dutch authorities are not letting her do it so far. They even want her to be tested by a psychologist. They have threatened to take her away from her father. You may be wondering about a father's wisdom in letting her do such a thing. I don't know. Maybe it is a foolish thing and maybe it isn't depending on her sailing skills. Either way, you have got to admire her courage and ambition. If I were her dad...I am not sure if I would let her go....but I would be incredibly proud that she had the vision and courage to dream it. I want my kids to be bold dreamers and wise risk takers. I want the college students that I lead to have this kind of ambition for their lives.

This little girl is a great example of someone who refuses to accept the status quo....who is bravely attempting something great with her limited time on this earth! Kudos to her! Personally, I think her father is doing something very right in raising her.

William Carey said it best, "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God."

What am I attempting for God? What am I expecting from God? Is it brave and bold? Or are my plans incredibly ordinary and easily attainable? I say thank you to Laura for attempting something great!

Hero Watch: Youth Ministers

Speaking of heroes...I think I saw a few today sitting at an info table at the Christ In Youth (C.I.Y.) conference.(This is a conference for high school age kids.) Well...more than a few...I saw a whole bunch of them all in one place.Youth ministers. These people are heroes! In my business, I talk a lot about the statistics of students walking away from their faith in college and the great need for college ministry and outreach. And it is true. College is a tough place spiritually for a number of reasons. But the reality is that high school students are in the middle of their MOST vulnerable years. All of the temptations of life are crashing in on them for the first time and they have very little refuge (if any). Youth ministers and youth ministry in general is absolutely HUGE! Many times the one thing that makes the most difference for students in college in terms of their faith involvement is their youth group experience before college. Unfortunately, Youth ministers are often the center of criticism. They have to be cool with the kids and popular with the parents....and they have to be really good at ministry....oh yeah...and they have to live on very little money. It is a lot of pressure and a hard job! (no doubt too much pressure since parents need to be doing more with their kids at home.) I heard a statistic today...that a youth minister's average career at any one church is only 18 months. Wow....that is sad. Youth ministers...especially the good ones...are heroes for sure. They influence young people in their most influence-able times of life. They are many times the one refuge in the storm of these kids lives. Youth ministers everywhere... you have my respect!