Tread Softly

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

By W.B. Yeats

This is a follow-up to my post about "the Walmart Effect" and isn't any effort to delve into the underlying causes of small church mega internecine squabbles. Yeah, consumerism is rampant everywhere, in every social setting. True, emerging generations are massively enmeshed in that trap that we boomers built. Got that. And no, I'm not whitewashing every mega. I don't know them and maybe somewhere a mega is doing a better job at being a small church than we are. Unlikely, but I could see it happening, and I'd do everything in my power to make it happen if I was say Bill Hybles.

Oh but wait. They were doing that, going to neighborhoods, and now they are not and Randy Frazee is gone. Back to doing what megas do best I guess. But no. That's not why I'm here typing today. I want to get to the heart of the matter. Why I wrote the first post. And this goes out to New Hope's workers, and every other youth worker who reads this.

What I really wanted to write about was youth worker's hearts.

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere, 16 I have never stopped thanking God for you.
Eph 1:15-16 (NLT)

That's so true for me when I think of you and your families. I know you are serious about your pursuit of Jesus' call on your lives, and passionate about what He has given you to do. That naturally flows into your relationships with everyone, but especially with those God has given you to nurture and to care for.

I want to tell you thanks. Thanks for being there for them. Thanks for putting your heart on the line again and again. Thanks for caring so much that one 13 year old girl's decision that you feel (as do I) is a step away from a walk with Jesus, hurts your heart.

I'm honored to serve alongside you. All of you.