Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Unseen Struggles in Youth Ministry

4 comments:

Apple said...

I don't know that there could be an article more applicable to the youth of our county especially.

Bonnie said...

I think one of the biggest struggles I have with this, is that I can't 'fix' them. When I find out there's an issue, I immediately start an action plan in my mind. A lot of time, I'm not sure 'a plan' is what they need. They might just need to have someone listen. Stephen evidently trusted his youth worker a lot to even tell him about the 1 year anniversary. I think the comment, said jokingly, was a way of letting the worker know there are more struggles.
Doug hit the nail on the head when he said if it wasn't one thing, it's another. I know in our own life, every time one fire appears to be almost out, I turn around and there's a raging inferno that I was clueless about. I am soooo grateful that adults at NHC are investing in the lives of my children. They might not have the answer, but the kids know they care!

Andy Lawrenson said...

I think the key is to listen. I struggle with that sometimes, especially when there is a lot going on around me.

Another thing I picked up on is that youth leaders need to take advantage of time when they are with a student to build those relationships. This kid obviously had a trust relationship with his youth leader.

We don't always have to have the answer but we need always show love, listen, and invest in their lives.

Sharon P said...

HELP! I am new at this. If one of my girls shared something like this, I would want to have a conversation with their parents. Is that okay? I would want whoever my child shared that with to let me know.

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