True Teachers, Friends and Heros

True Teachers, Friends and Heroes
by Jason Pogue
volunteer in the junior high ministry at Saddleback Church


can you name the five wealthiest people in the world?
can you name the last five Super Bowl MVP's?
can you name five people who have won the Nobel Peace Prize?
can you name the last five Academy Award winners for Best Actor/Actress?
can you name the last five Grammy Award winners for Best New Artist?

Pretty tough huh? I don't think I can get any of these right and these are "important" people who are at the top of their game! how about these?
name your favorite teachers who aided your journey through school.
name two or three friends who helped get you through a tough time.
name several"heroes" who have stories that inspired you.

My junior high group starts up again tonight, and while preparing last night I started to think about how every year I set out to be the best small group leader ever. I set out to make true and authentic disciples out of these 7th and 8th grade guys; ther're gonna memorize books of the bible, know their "swords" forwards and backwards, have quiet times everyday, pray for hours on end, etc. but then reality sets in, I get busy, (they get even busier) life gets going, and things end up getting lost in the normal everyday crazy routine each of us calls life.

And then I thought about Kurt Johnston and his youth ministry setting. that maybe my approach has been wrong/skewed. Kurt's been teaching me for years that "a caring adult + a jr. high student = good stuff." Am I too focused on these guys becoming giant disciples of Christ instead of just focusing on showing up in their life? How often am I attending their sporting events, band competitions, skating at the skate park with them, taking them out for dinner, dirt biking with them, etc.

Now don't get me wrong here, I still want to teach my guys what an authentic follower of Christ looks like, and i want to teach them good habits for developing spiritual disciplines, but maybe - just maybe, my focus should be more about loving them and caring for them instead of just trying to get through a 30 minute lesson each week that will lead to life altering times with God later?

So, to Dominick, Drew, Ben, Nick, Daniel, Max, Sean, Matt, Chad, and Josh - you guys are studs. I’m sorry for being a crappy small group leader last year and I’m sorry my focus was more about ME changing you, instead of God showing up through me in even the smallest of ways. I hope I can be a teacher who aids your journey, a friend to help get you through a tough time, or a hero who inspires you someday!