Reflections on the Eve of Something New

I've had the opportunity to speak God's truth in a lot of settings. Tomorrow is a new one. I will be the main speaker at CDYC, a youth conference of the Central District of the Missionary church. There will be approximately 850 high school students and leaders from multiple youth groups there to take a week to get away, connect with each other, connect with God, and have a ton of fun.

I'm really excited about the opportunity for several reasons:

• I can encourage students to move past religion and passionately pursue a relationship with God.
• I get the opportunity to encourage youth pastors and youth workers in their efforts. I'm a youth pastor. My heart beats and bleeds with these people who desperately want to see a generation rise up with selfless faith.
• Chris Lehane will be leading worship with several from our church. I'm super pumped for some "team time" together.
• CDYC was gracious enough to allow Janelle and Katylynn to join me at the conference. I'm excited to enjoy the conference with them.

At the same time, I'd like to be really honest and vulnerable that I'm a little freaked! I accepted the opportunity to speak nearly 15 months ago. At the time I was really excited and had all kinds of great ideas. On the eve of the conference I'm having some different feelings...

• Who am I? Like I said, I'm a youth pastor. I'm not a touring evangelist or big time speaker. I'm just a guy that's been investing in a church youth group. Although I've had the opportunities to speak, this is not my gig.
• What do I say? I've been laboring and praying over these messages for quite some time. I've been asking God to make it very clear what this group of students needs to hear and where we go over this time. I have some great clarity in some ways, and I'm totally lost in some others.
  

The reality is that I've come to grips that I'm way out of my league on this one... and tonight, I really think I'm okay with that. I'm a great big dork. I don't have my stuff (my life) all together, but I know my God does. Dude, he used a donkey to speak... and I'm pretty darn close to that one at this point!

So with angst and excitement I say, "He must become greater, and I must become less!"