The Island

On May 23 I stepped onto the island. Some days I am on the island alone. Some days I have company. But it always seems that i am on the island.

My first experience on the island was my first day of youth ministry. I moved into an apartment in the middle of a neighborhood that wasn't very nice/safe/fun. The apartment just seemed to be convenient for the church. I spent the summer learning to deal with living alone and working in a way that I never had. The youth ministry of a church is important but usually get attention only when something goes wrong. It is an island. Some people find the bridge over to the island. Some come out of concern for their children. Others come out of concern from the church. And even a smaller few come out of a personal concern and friendship. During the first two years on the island I experienced some of both but continue to travel with those who came out of concern for me.

I continued to learn about the island as I moved to a new place of ministry. Looking back, I realized that my island experience was completed by having an office across the street for the church. As long as my side of the street was silent my island was left alone. Not even the pastor traveled across the bridge. Living and ministering from the island is difficult. Youth will usually come to your island as long as you love them. I love youth because I love helping others who are on their own island.

I have recently started reading youth ministry magazines. One talked about how youth ministers live life on an island. I now have terminology to put with my experiences. Those who join me on my island mean the world to me even if they are only there briefly. I find myself occassionally with the feeling of being alone on the island. I have many that cross the bridge to my island. Some know more about my island than others do. Others don't have a clue about my island but they at times seem to touch me more than most.

I guess this is how life is for many people. They are the only ones that really know what it's like to be them. Some people try to reach out to them but most just keep allowing the island to exist. I hope that we never destroy the bridges that allow people in. Though I live on an island you are invited to join me.

Ever wondered why...

you do what you do? I wonder that almost every day of my life. As a Youth Minister I deal with adolescent individuals that can be disrespectful, hurtful, uncaring, and thoughtless. But at the same time they can also be wonderful, caring, insightful, and generous. There are many days when I sit and wonder why in the world would I want to inflict this upon myself day after day. On some of those days I think about some of my friends that I grew up with or went to school with that are working in jobs that don't cause them such stress. Yesterday I had 3 nosebleeds out of nowhere. I don't know why, but I think it's because of stress. But I love what I do. I love the ones that I get to go through life with. Regardless of how strange it seems, I feel good about what I do. In youth ministry you are required to get close enough to kids so that they know that you care but that leaves you vulnerable to getting crucified. I get so frustrated about not succeeding sometimes, about not seeing results in kids, about seeing those kids I love get hurt by each other. But God calls me to do it. So onward I go. To what end? I don't know. But I will go as long and as hard as I can until God calls me to something else (which I hope never happens).