At YMI, we often quote 2 Timothy 2:2. It says, “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” Our ministry exists to train those who can train others.
We call it “Training the trainers.”
These last few weeks have given me increased joy as I have had the privilege to minister alongside a few special people who I have trained.
When I was in Mexico a few weeks ago teaching the Youth and Family Class for the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary, I brought Josue Lara along with me to co-teach the course. He had taken that course from me and said how much it helped him and Kareny, his wife, as they have been ministering in their local church the last few years.
As I sat in class watching him teach, I was excited to see how much God has been working in his life throughout the years and how much he has matured in the ministry. I sat and watched him teach as someone who has not only thought through the material from a theological standpoint but has also lived it in a ministry setting and contextualized it for Mexico. He is more than qualified and gifted to “teach others also.”
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Youth Ministry International trains youth workers formally and informally around the world. We just finished a Master’s program in Mexico in June. Two new programs are starting the final months of this year in countries with huge potential, one program will finish in Africa next January, and a few other programs are likely to start in the next year or two.
Today, as I was thinking about the newest programs and reflecting on the time that I spent in Mexico training youth workers in the classroom, a passage in Philippians 4 jumped off the page of my Bible and really challenged me to pray specifically for practical application of the principles we work so hard to get into the minds of these youth pastors around the world.
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I’ve had this picture in my Bible for a long time. One of my Cuban friends gave it to me while I was there a long time ago. It sits there for me to remember to pray for Cuba and others around the world.
The caption says, “Our prayers will break the chains.”
My Cuban friends really believe in the power of prayer, and they should! The stories that they tell me about their parents, grandparents, and even their own lives are a testament to the power of prayer.
But the statement, “Prayer breaks chains,” isn’t just for them. It is for me and you, too.
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I’m gearing up for the next intensive class in my doctoral program. The title of the course is Models of Student and Family Ministry. As usual, I have a lot of pre-course reading to do. I thought I’d share the list of readings with you. Nine are books and one is an article.
I just finished one of the 10, and I’m hoping to read one of the assigned readings per week for the next nine weeks.
Here’s the list:
Hopefully I get through these next few weeks. I think I’ll be spending a lot of time in quiet places trying to get some reading done.
It’s been a year since my youth pastor, buddy, mentor, and friend went to be with Jesus. I’ve thought about Joe a lot over the last year, and I will remember him for a long time. I haven’t published this before, but this is what I said at his memorial service last February.
It’s a little long, but it’s what I could see in his life. I hope it encouraged someone that night and encourages someone today.
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We live in a world of activity. Busy lives lead to little time to actually look people in the eye and communicate that they are important. Even in many churches, people are hurried to the next event as if was more important to keep the schedule than it is to connect with others.
We have somehow forgotten that people are important.
Every single person is important.
Their importance is not predicated on your bottom line or the report you have to fill out at the end of the month. They are important. Period. They have a story and feelings and a desperate desire to connect with someone.
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