An Abandoned Soccer Game

Teenagers at Youth

There are rare moments in life that we are able to witness an event and it hits you that it is an illustration of Biblical truth. On Saturday evening, I was walking with several of the team members who have been helping to plan the partnership between the Romanian Baptist Union and the Virginia Baptist Association when we ran into some teenagers who I have befriended over the years playing soccer in the street. Danny, Courtney & I were headed to youth group at Providence Baptist Church so when the teenage boys asked what we were doing. We told them & invited them to join us. And then an amazing thing happened: they did! They left their other friends that weren't interested. They left their soccer ball. They left their perfect spring afternoon in the sun to go... to worship our living God & to study His Word with their brothers & sisters in Christ. 

The VA team, Mishi, Oti & I visiting Castle Peles

This past week, the team from Virginia and leadership from Romanian Baptists had been meeting, discussing and planning ways for Romanians and Virginians could work together for others. After a week of these discussions, I was feeling overwhelmed with all the things that were potentially going to happen with the partnership. I was feeling like I don't know enough about youth ministry or anything at all about church planting for God to have me a part of what He is doing for His kingdom through this partnership. Then, I saw those teenage boys literally leave their soccer game and close friends behind and go to youth group. It reminded me of when Jesus called Simon-Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4, He didn't ask about their knowledge, He didn't ask about their skills, He didn't ask anything other than to join Him where He was going and working. What is He asking you to join Him in? What "soccer game" is He asking you to leave to follow Him? He is doing great things in Romania and all over the world... I encourage you to just follow and trust the Master to position you perfectly into where you fit in His jigsaw puzzle of the Kingdom.