When paths collide...

For more than a decade now I've been in full-time ministry, specifically, working with teenagers!!  

I know, I know for some of you this sounds more like a disease or at minimum a disorder...we're not ruling that out quite yet!!  But truthfully, when you've seen what I've seen, life-change among young men and women, you can't help but want it for more students!!  

One example that comes to mind is Taylor (Whom we refer to as T-Doe)... When I met him he was a little 8th grader moving into his 9th grade year at a big new school across town!!  I remember having him, and a few others, in an early morning bible study each week.  We would joke around, eat some donuts and if we were lucky, maybe even get around to talking about Jesus before I took them to school (because they were not old enough to drive themselves yet).  Over the years he began to get extremely passionate about the service projects we did and the need to "share Jesus' love with everyone we met".  I'd like to say that his passion and focus was all me BUT Taylor has an amazing family who always supported him (and his brothers).  Over the years I watched as his mom and dad found ways to encourage this passion, from taking him to a local soup kitchen on weekends to even providing some finances when he had a "big idea": Serve-a-thon (which still happens every Spring Break in Oklahoma)!!  

Taylor got "Faith Mission" and his family understood that this was an important step of his "Faith Map"  (before we even had names for these things)!!  But that's not the point of today's post... Last week Taylor decided to invite others into a project he has been doing over the past handful of years (See video below).

With this short video he began to ignite the flames for others among a new generation!!  So with the challenge accepted two of our guys D-Groups from NBHighSchool took over South Tulsa invading grocery stores, gas stations and fast food restaurants delivering Valentine's to ladies working.  

They used their own money and purchased cards, candy and even roses to hand deliver and share a little of Christ's love!!  The stories are amazing and smiles, tears and hugs they received will live on for a long time.

I wish we had video but getting them to smile and take the picture was already a big ask!!

For me, this is the sweet spot of my job... Not every teenager or young adult is consumed with self or even walking around entitled.  Not that Taylor is perfect but he is following the example he saw in Scripture and through the support of his family and church he continues to change the world (literally)!!  To see old youth set the stage for new ones is so exciting to me!!  To know that many of the students pictured above have committed parents that are not only ready but are already engaged in the "Faith Map" with their teens, is why the future of New Beginnings and NBHighSchool is so exciting.  

However, the journey ahead isn't going to always be easy... We are going to have to work together (in prayer, service and support) to do what we have all been called to do: "to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength...and our neighbor as ourselves" (Matthew 22:37-39)!!

What can you do TODAY to make someone's life better!? 

Below is the video Taylor and a friend did his very first year of doing the FFVD (Fast Food Valentine's Day)... Please check it out (at least watch the last 30 seconds)!!

*Want to hear more about Taylor's ministry... Click on this link: Reach Ministries

**If you just love seeing smiling faces... Here's the 2011 video and this years (2013 video)!!