“Keep my teachings as the apple of your eye” (Prov. 7:2)
As a teenager, I spent an inordinate amount of time playing basketball, and I had some wonderful coaches. One coach, who was deeply impactful in my life, was fond of saying, “As a team, we can’t spend time practicing and focusing on our weaknesses. We have to build a team around our strengths. Let’s do what we do best.”
I never have forgotten this lesson and have used it to strengthen many aspects of my life and ministry during a period of 35 years. All of us need to find our strengths and then live through them. The same holds true for our youth ministries.
It is important to recognize those essential teachings and goals that define our respective ministries. No church, no youth group, can do everything well. Yet every congregation, every youth ministry, can do some things exceptionally well. What are those ministries you do best?
By focusing on these golden apples, great ministries are further strengthened. Marvelous things happen when we put our best gifts toward accomplishing God’s work at the right time.
