With patience, she loved me.

Disciples who make disciples. What a dream and vision. It's one that we have at YFC and we are now making bigger steps toward that goal. Even better, its combining two things I love, training teens and working with kids. July 18-22 is our next Equipper Camp. In the past we have done several work projects teaching the teens to get out and serve. But this years work project hits me right in the heart. We will be leading a bible club in one of the neighborhoods where I frequently visit, Burch Ave. Ministering in government housing makes it easy to attract kids. They are always out and about playing in the streets. Building relationships there does take patience though. Many have no concern for your ways and discipline is seldom enforced unless the parents are inconvenienced in some way, and well, thats not much discipline at all.

I remember the discipline of my mother when she would stand over my shoulder at night for an hour making me do my homework as I learned to work with ADD. I actually didn't realize I had ADD until I was in college and couldn't focus to study. I came home after a month to reveal to her the fact that I thought I had ADD. Her response, "Yea, you do." She never had me diagnosed or used it as an excuse for my behavior. With patience, she loved me. She endured whatever came her way to teach me how to get things done without making excuses. She gave up her free, relaxing time and would stay up late to do laundry when I required all of her time doing homework. In retrospect she taught me what it meant to love sacrificially.

Many of the kids I work with get in trouble when they don't do their homework too. Not because they chose to be irresponsible or they are neglecting their education, but because the phone calls from the teachers are a pain.

But as the body of Christ we are not called to complain. We are called to action. Making disciples, loving people. Please, join us in this battle.

"This my brotha"

I visited some of my kids from church today at North Elementary. One young girl had asked me to eat lunch with her again. I was standing in line with the young black girl with my hands in my pocket. She was leaning against me, head laid on my side and her arm hooked over mine. We waiting for our turn to pass through when her classmate turns around and asked who i was. She didnt say anything so he asked,"Is that your uncle?" Very animated, she responded, "I ain't got no white uncle!" So he asked again and after smacking her lips she said, "this my brotha." I just smiled. This is the same girl i blogged about Monday, September 20, 2010

Last year at Earl Bradsher when visiting Kashawn he told his classmates when asked who I was, "This my daddy." They are now in Kindergarden and several of the kids when I come say. "There's Kashawn's daddy." I just smile. I don't mind.

With the state of most families or lack there of, many kids are left in need of more love. Even some of them who have a parent and perhaps two might still fit that label of "orphans" from James 1:27. It reads:

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

I know that taking Jesus serious to "take up my cross daily" left me spending my one day of the week that I could do what I wanted and spending it on some kids. Jesus command was very proactive when he said

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself ”

Going through James has caused me to see how well I love myself. I'm quite good at it. I spoil myself regularly.

The question we need to ask ourselves are we responding to Jesus with action? I'm not sure this meant that we start attending church or go to seminary. That we start reading the right trendy books or know all the big name pastors. That we build for ourselves a tight christian bubble. Its a call to action. To love and to love sacrificially. Like me, the blessing will be yours, not theirs.