“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
-St. Francis of Assisi

Weekend of a Lifetime – Recap

I had the pleasure of spending last weekend with 417 high school students from all over Texas and Oklahoma for a program that we (LIFE!, Inc.) host a few times a year called Weekend of a Lifetime (WOAL).  This event is intentionally not a “religious” event, yet we spent the entire weekend preaching the Gospel.

We are not a Christian company (companies don’t have souls) but a requirement to be on staff is that you are a Christian.  We don’t talk about Jesus but we demonstrate His love to every student, sponsor and to one another.  We are simply sowing seeds as we teach leadership skills to teens (and adult sponsors).

This weekend was energizing spiritually (physically exhausting) and has given me valuable insight into teaching, leading and mentoring youth.  It taught me that we can set high expectations for these kids and they will surpass them every time.  It taught me that youth are capable of understanding deep and meaningful truths and that they are capable of applying them to their own lives.  It has also taught me that youth need guidance, direction and a lot of encouragement to do so.  That is my role as a leader of youth — to guide, direct and encourage.