Gentlemen.
I have something to tell you. Something you need to know:
I’m not who I should be, and I’m not who you think I am.
Before I explain, let me introduce you to a couple of men:
Roscoe, Carl, Randy, Dave C., Raymond
Bob, Tommy, Matt M, Dave O, PJ
If you met any one of them on the street tomorrow, you
probably wouldn’t take much notice. In fact, most of them were just “regular”
guys.
One guy fixes computers.
One works at the GM plant in Flint.
One crunches numbers at a bank.
One sets up displays at Home Depot
One guy is between jobs.
When I first met them, some were married. Some were not. Some
had kids. Some did not.
One dude was 19. One guy was my dad’s age.
And I think one of them went to high school with Moses.
To themselves and others, they were ordinary. But to me?
They were extraordinary.
Because at some point, each of them were MY leader or
teacher at church when I was young.
I’M NOT WHO I SHOULD BE
I say this, because if the events in my story and my family
history were tossed into a statistic, I SHOULD be an absolute trainwreck. Or
living in a van down by the river at the very least.
But thanks to Jesus, I’m not.
And thanks to these dudes who joined others in telling me
about Jesus, I’m not.
These guys showed up, and they didn’t have to.
Looking back, most of them weren’t even “qualified” for the
job.
They didn’t have all the answers to my questions. And it was
ok.
Heck, they didn’t have all the answers to their OWN
questions. And it was ok.
They were busy guys, with busy lives. Sometimes they took
weekends off from leading us. And it was ok.
Very few of them lead us because working with kids was
“their thing.” And it was ok.
One was my leader for only a year. Another for 3 years. And it
was ok.
Most of them were just trying to figure things out
themselves. And it was ok.
NONE of them had any idea how to make me shut up and sit
still. And it was ok.
In fact, for me, it was MORE than ok.
For me, it was life-shaping, because I got to see how
“regular guys” live out their faith. Which in turn helped me figure out my own
faith a little more each week, and slowly changed the course of my life one
fist bump at a time.
I’M NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM
By nature of the job, most ministers pretty much live in the
spotlight.
Some love the idea, and it suits them well.
Some of us, however, are sometimes horrified by it.
For me, the thing prickles the most is the thought that when
people see me serve/speak/lead, they might think that it’s me.
I shudder at the notion that someone might think I do what I
do simply because it’s “who I am.”
Because what people DON’T know is that…
Every time I get on stage to speak, they see a little bit of
Randy & Tommy
Every time I embark on a faith conversation, they see a
little bit of Raymond & Roscoe
Every time I lead a worship song, they see a little bit of Carl
Every time I pray with someone, they see a little bit of Bob
& Dave O.
Every time I read a Bible verse out loud, they see a little
bit of Dave C.
Every time I serve and meet a need, they see a little bit of
Matt
Every time I toilet-paper a house, visit my students at lunch,
or encourage kids to eat disgusting foods on stage so they’ll remember a bible
story, they see a whole lot of PJ
So again, gentlemen,
I’m not who you think I am, and I’m not who I should be.
Because of these “regular” guys.
And every weekend in KKids, we have classrooms full of FUTURE
men who are in need of CURRENT men to come help them become the men that they
“shouldn’t” be.
They’re in need of some “regular guys” who are willing to
give up a couple dozen hours a year to show them what it looks like to be a “regular
guy” who prays, who serves, who learns, and who loves God and others.
And there seems to be a shortage of men who are
willing to step up to the plate.
FUTURE MEN WITH FUTURE LISTS
I am fully convinced that there are future Dave Wilsons running
through our kids’ area every weekend. There are future Steve Andrews laughing
obnoxiously loud while silently plotting their plans to change the world. There
are future Ryan Morrills thinking deeply about pioneering new lands, future
Dave Shumans breaking all our rules, and even future PJ’s (Heaven help us).
There are also future Roscoes, Carls, Raymonds, Randys, Daves,
Bobs, Tommys, and Matts who will be “ordinary” guys who do extraordinary things
in the lives of others.
And I guarantee you that none of these future men are
looking for qualified experts.
However, all of them ARE looking for a familiar face,
an exploding fist-bump.
a person who knows their name
a person willing to pray with them (we’ll even teach you
how)
a person willing to pray FOR them all week
a person willing to play games with them (we’ll even provide
the stuff)
a person willing to toss them a football
a person willing to ask them questions that will help them
learn and apply the most important truths they’ll ever hear (we’ll even provide
the questions!)
Right now, regardless of whether or not he knows it, every
single one of these future men in our program is ALREADY forming a list of his
own. A list of “regular guys” who helped shape his life, one fist bump at a
time.
Wouldn’t it be great if one of the names on those future
lists was yours?
All you gotta do is say yes.
(If any of this interests you at all, send me an email, or
send me a message. You don’t need to be a professional. We’ll do our best to
help you get what you need, and then Jesus will take care of the rest. He’s
pretty good at it.)
(NOTE: WOMEN ARE AWESOME TOO! I thank GOD for the women who
were equal & major stakeholders in my life. Missy, Louise, Debi, Cindy, Michelle,
and Stephanie were pillars and lifelines for me as a kid/teen. Those women taught
me more about Jesus and doctrine than all of my university Bible professors
combined. We need women in kid’s ministry, too. But women seem to be quicker
than men when it comes to saying yes to God on these kinds of things. ;-))
