A Week and a Half Later

So, it has been a week and a half since the Chicago trip and I still don't fully know how to put all that God did into words. I have actually logged on three times now to write this blog but have yet to be able to communicate what God has been doing in my heart. So hopefully this time will be different. Hopefully, I will be able to give you a glimpse into how amazing God is and how good he is at making Himself known.

What I got to be a part of in Chicago this year, might be something that I never get to witness again as a youth pastor. It is definitely not like anything I have experienced thus far. For the first time as a leader I didn't have disciplinary problems or drama issues. Thirty-three people worked together with one goal as their prize. The trip was taken to make God famous, and that is precisely what the students and leaders from Gateway did. I have never been more proud of a group and the work they did. I saw passion and excitement in students sharing the gospel. I saw intention and purpose in every activity; I saw broken hearts and Christ-like love in every conversation students had with lost people. MAN! what an amazing week.

I would have to say the thing that set this team apart from any other I have ever taken was the group's intentional mindset. It was like the Holy Spirit put blinders on our students as they stepped onto the plane headed for Chicago. Every conversation, every song, every activity pointed to Christ. And usually when you boast in students, really what you are saying is there were a couple of kids who were lit on fire and they set the tone for the group. Usually, a couple of people have some really amazing stories and it makes the whole team feel as though they had been a part of something special. Usually there is one or two events that make the week seem like it was full of spiritual growth. This year was far from the usual. There weren't two or three students that did the work, it was done by every single person on the trip. There wasn't one or two events where students stepped up to share their faith; it was constant from the plane ride there to the plane ride home. It occurred on the "L" rides, walking down the street, time in the park, shopping in stores. Non-stop all week long, anytime was fair play for sharing the message of Jesus Christ, and no person was off limits from having the gospel preached to them. We had people from every economic class and from every ethic group hear about how God is crazy about them and Jesus Christ gave Himself so that they might be able to know the Father personally. It was amazing!

So there it is. In a very simple and inadequate blog, that is what God did in Chicago. He used a bunch of 12, 13, and 14 year-olds, who lived intentional for a week to make Himself known to countless people and in ways that I will never be able to fully grasp. It is amazing how powerful and meaningful a life can be when it is lived with intention and a belief that God wants to do great things. My prayer for each of you is that you would take hold of that truth and live in that mind set.