High School Students

I love high school students. I love their energy and enthusiasm. I love the malleability and I enjoy being someone who they can talk to like they should be talking with their parents, but there is no way they will. I am one of the few who came through high school unscathed by the "coming of age" phenomenon. I like being able to proclaim--yes you can get through high school without smoking, drinking, drugs, sex, and all that other crap that is so attractive to that age group.

So when I noticed God guiding and then eventually shoving me towards High School Ministry again, I was happy to respond. Then I was handed the application. I've filled out many a ministry application before. Different from a job application it asks questions like "Briefly describe how you came to know Jesus as you Savior." (Typo was intentional on my part, probably not on the part of whoever created the application). Then there are three and one-half lines on which to write the answer. How do you answer a question like that in 3 lines?

If that wasn't enough it is followed by a checklist of youth-related leadership roles you are supposed to check and explain your involvement in. OK--I've done youth ministry since I was 14 and now I'm a teacher. Hmmm. Let's see if I can fit over half my life onto...wait for it...2 1/2 lines.

Then we get to fun questions. "List any general skills, natural talents, spiritual gifts, or special abilities you possess." ARGHHH "What do you consider your strengths?" "What do you consider your weaknesses?" These I find much easier to answer briefly; I prefer not to answer at all! I find it difficult to naturally answer these questions without sounding cocky or artificially humble.

"Briefly explain why you desire to be a part of the youth staff at TRF." "Explain your preference for the age group you are interested in working with." OK--weeding out crazy people. I get it.

"Briefly summarize how you came to know Jesus Christ as your savior and what your faith means to you." Followed shortly by "How do you maintain a growing relationship with the Lord?" Again 3 lines per question!

One's faith is difficult to summarize. On Tuesday, I watched as the first "tour" of Focus on the Family's "Truth Project" spent over one hour just to say Truth=God. But it truly takes time to explain the why and the how of my faith journey and what that looks like and how that may have changed in the past weeks, months, years... If it is such a struggle for me to briefly answer these fundamental questions about my faith which I have lived by virtually all my life, it is no wonder that people struggle to comprehend and accept the truth after a short conversation on a plane.