Bruchko

Just finished reading the above book about Bruce Olson, a teenager who followed his God given dream of bringing the Good News of the gospel to the Molitone tribe in the South American jungle. Amazing story of a guy who passionately pursued Gods calling in his life, no matter what the personal cost. An interesting point when reading that struck home with me : others had tried in the past to reach the tribal peoples with the gospel with limited success. Olsons approach was to spend time learning the language, investigating the culture and customs, and only then did he attempt to present the gospel to the people. And when doing so he didn't present it in a way that was threatening, he used customs and legends familiar to the tribal people in order to present te key elements of the Christian faith, the breakthrough coming when he found a way of presenting Jesus as a molitone who walked the jungle trails.

Struck me heavily that as we carry out our youth ministry programmes, we need to find new ways of presenting unchanging biblical truth's in a format relevant to the culture of our day. This is where the challenge begins!!

Been a while

Well its been quite a while since i've updated this, thing are pretty hectically busy at present and I haven't been taking the time to jot down my thoughts. But while i've got a few minutes at present i'll jot down a few things that have been on my mind recently.

MAKING TIME
Part of the reason i've been more hectically busy than usual is that youthwork responsibilities have increased over the past month or so, and will be that way for a while. Jill, a fellow youthleader who was heavily involved in youthwork has had to take a step back due to the many other stresses she is facing right now, so that leaves me with taking bible class and youth club responsibilities until she is well enough to come back on board. She has been so devoted and passionate over the past year, but it has got to the stage where she simply has to take a step back or face burnout.
Its a stark reminder to me to be careful how much I take on, and in my willingness to serve and tell our young people of the savng grace of Jesus, to be careful not to push myself too far. Learning to gain strength from God, dwelling in his presence regularly and listening to His voice are all disciplines I need to make a priority in my life.

TRADE JUSTICE
This is what i'm currently looking at with our young people, and hope to use for our youth service in a couple of weeks time. Tearfunds Lift the Label campaign resources have been great and have certainly opened my eyes to the tremendous injustices that exist in the area of internetional trade. The campaign seeks to highlight the need for ethical trading standards, where the worker receives a wage they can live on in working conditions that are hospitable.
The following comment sums it up perfectly
"Jesus asked us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, but today it is the poor who are feeding and clothing us."
As Christians we should be voicing our concern's over the injustices in this area, indeed being a voice for the poor, and adopting a spirit of compassion as demonstrated by our Saviour