untitled

I can't come up with a title for this post. It's just... some random thoughts at this point. So. Sorry.

I started helping out at my church's AWANA program as soon as I was old enough to go listen to the Sparks memorize Bible verses. What I do now isn't so much like that.

My Tuesday and Wednesday nights are often filled with music from some of the most talented people I know and hundreds of kids, hopefully looking for and finding a place they are safe. 

I looked around this week during our high school youth group and realized I wasn't just looking at 200 high schoolers. I saw the kid who's dad has ripped apart their family. The seniors stressed about getting into college. The loner who desperately wants to be noticed. The loud group in the back who have never set foot in any other church ever, but come here because their friends are here or they don't have anything else to do or... actually, sometimes I don't know why, but they show up. 

Every kid has their stuff. Something that keeps them up at night and rules their thinking. Just standing there, surrounded by students from every crowd in high school, it felt overwhelming that we would have the responsibility to point these students - wherever they're at - to Jesus, the most important thing, the person they are searching for, the value they desperately want. 

And I was grateful to be surrounded by a group of volunteers who wants to do the same thing. 

Overwhelming responsibility. But a great team to work at it with.