One7

Yesterday we got to do ministry with an urban ministry called One7. One7 comes from Jeremiah 1:7 which says, "But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." The students that make up this ministry are from 18 different countries around the world all living in Charlotte. They hang out, play games, worship, and study the Word. I have worked with urban ministries before but this one was special. I have never seen kids like this worship God like they did. It was extremely encouraging! I got into a small group with about six 16 year olds and one of my buds Nehemiah brought the lesson. He did a fantastic job and really got the kids interacting. By the end of the conversations one of the kids spoke up. His name was J'amie. We had been talking about temptations and he said straight up that he's with a girl he shouldn't be with and he wants to get out but doesn't know how. He is just like any normal 16 year old who struggles with temptations but he wanted to do something about it. It was awesome to see God work not only in his life but in the lives of the boys in the group. We got to pray for him and get him some accountability to help with the process. J'aime knows he needs Christ in every area of his life and he is boldly taking the steps to get there. It is truly amazing when you get to experience stuff like that first hand. That is what ministry is all about. These kids don't get the love that most kids get. To me, their relationship with God is more real because they desperately rely on Him for love. Often times we cling to other things in different seasons when all we need is Christ. Thank God His love is not like human love and that it is everlasting and never fails. We have so much to be thankful for. 


For those of you reading this...get involved with students some how. Whether thats leading a small group in your local church, being on volunteer staff in the local youth ministries, or mentoring students one-on-one...they need some spiritual guidance from older men and women. Take the time to pour wisdom into their lives to help mold them into the man or woman that God wants them to be. You never know the impact that they will make in this world and you could be missing out on many blessings that God has in store for your life.