Risk Journal #2

On Sunday I picked up Damio'n for church around 9:30 am. For the lat year he's been one of our student leaders and a really faithful one at that. As a result of our youth retreat he's absolutely in love with Boggle. Every chance we get he wants to play so I brought the game to youth church on Sunday. After a few rounds he was absolutely dominating the other kids. Once his vocab improves a little bit I'm sure he'll be giving me a run for my money.

During youth church we talked again about the importance of "closet time" - daily, personal, intimate time with Jesus. After giving out the "risk journals" during the youth retreat it seemed an appropriate follow up. So we talked about Luke 10, Mary and Martha's differing approaches to Jesus, and the need for us to sit at Jesus' fit each day in some fashion. The youth seemed open to the idea and I gave them a little bible reading devotional guide for the next two weeks.

As I drove home with Damio'n to drop him off at his grandmother's for a family birthday party I asked about his risk journal to see if it was something he had followed up on or if it was already collecting dust under his bed or in the closet.

He told me that his mother had been worried the past week about being able to pay rent. They just moved into a pretty decent place at 58th and Normandie and just when things seemed to settle down a bit for this family (they endured a stretch of homelessness earlier this year), Wal-Mart cut her hours to part-time. She confessed to Damio'n her fears in an unusually vulnerable manner. So Damio'n, at his own initiative, journaled and asked Jesus to provide. This was his very first entry.

Just two days later, Damio'n's older sister had good news - her 19 year-old friend who has a full-time job was looking for a place to stay. The friend moved in and took on a portion of the rent. There seems to be some relative stability on the housing front. It was a grand and timely provision from Jesus.

As Damio'n told the story, there was a sparkly in his eye that said - "Jesus, I am in awe of you. I can't believe you answered my prayer like you did. You're becoming real." He verbalized something similar. It was beautiful to witness his eyes and heart opened to Jesus in his life. His faith is growing!

I was equally blown away. At different points in the last year I found myself openly doubting the impact of God on our youth. Scripture, activities and prayer often seemed like wasted effort. The kids, student leaders like Damio'n included, just seemed uninterested in really follow Jesus. It seems that he is now pursuing Jesus after Jesus has pursued him for so long.

4 years ago a different student leader in our youth group had a similar breakthrough. God answered one of his prayers in a really personal way, but for whatever reason (perhaps there are many) it didn't last. Now I see him from time to time, but it's clear that his life has gone down a different path.

Please pray with me for Damio'n. I long for this breakthrough to develop into a persevering, transformative and staisfying relationship with Jesus. The tree images from Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17 come to mind - deep roots in the living water Jesus gives, fruit that comes each and every season of his life. Would it be so.