Wednesday, June 18, 2008

nail starter...

do you remember that show on saturday morning's where the kids run the racket? they run the cameras, they are the on air talent and they even invade the control room and play with all the fancy little buttons. some little future crack addict anchor energetically tells you that this is the show where kids are in charge.

i've often describe middle school volunteer opportunities like that. while it looks like kids are doing everything... adults for the most part have set the stage and made it possible for the show to actually get done and not end in a "take my ball and go home" incident.

yesterday while doing a service project with my small group... i felt that God was teaching me a similar lesson. i love my small group of seventh grade guys, but they are wimps. they really wanted to drive the nails into the wood of the house we were building. if bending nails was a high school sport... my middle school guys would have been moved up to the varsity team like a basketball prodigy.

then i had the idea... "hey guys, let me start the nails and then you all can go behind me and finish them up," i said. the rest of the time on the work site this is what i did. what a great metaphor for leading middle school kids. i didn't have the rush that comes from perfectly countersinking a nail into a fresh 2x4 but i did have the rush that comes when middle school kids are succeeding at their task.

overall, sos is going very well. there have been a ton of great God things going on and i hope to share more later this week.

milthaler

1 comment:

cdwalker247 said...

It was good chattin with you today at the playground. It is always very encouraging to connect with others who get excited about Youth Ministry. Hope you have a good week.