“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” – Isaiah 6:8”

As I think about the approximately 1700 YFC ministry sites operating across the country every week… the locations where lost young people are being engaged with the gospel, I am inspired by the stories of those who said “Here am I” to Jesus and are actively living out the Great Commission.

• I think of Deemus, a retired pastor in NC who is voluntarily leading a group of 20 others into four schools and is preparing for a county wide rally this month expecting some 1500 kids!
• I think of Renee, a young mother herself, leading a Teen Parents Ministry in TX reaching girls as young as 14 who are pregnant or navigating motherhood.
• I think of Randy, who on permanent disability and unable to work full time in MO and establishling a Juvenile Justice Ministry reaching young people who find themselves in the court system.

I am also humbled to think about the thousands upon thousands of places we are not and am propelled by the mission of reaching every young person with the message of salvation in Jesus Christ.

I have written to you a few times about my new role of leading YFC/USA into a Ministry Expansion Initiative. A major component to this will be our ability to increase the number of YFC ministry sites without multiplying our budgets. To do this we will need to multiply our part-time and volunteer leaders and church partners within the movement; feeding their passion with excellent training, resources and coaching.

During the next three years we will be strategically looking to start 400 new ministry sites throughout the country. As a sign of affirmation toward our plan, we have received a grant which will help us develop the needed materials, technology and training systems to accomplish this objective. Praise be to God! Please join us as we move toward empowering the “Remy” in each of those who say “Send me!”

I hope you enjoy this embedded video from Miami YFC.  Please click the video and allow it time to stream ahead before playing… you will enjoy it better without interruption.

Miami Youth For Christ from Oscar G Torres on Vimeo.

Whatever part you play in the work of serving the mission of God, Thank you!  Your time, prayers and gifts are all indications of you saying to Jesus, “Here am I… Send Me!

Change. We want so much for change to happen immediately. We often want our lives to be different and want it to happen… now. But change does’nt always work that way. It takes time for flowers to bloom, for eggs to hatch and for trees to grow. The maturation process is long, slow and sometimes difficult. But the results are worth it!

This is again true in my own journey of walking with Jesus. Sure the change He made in my life was immediate, but the process of my own transformation of being like Him will take a lifetime. Consider the words of the apostle Paul when he says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image…” God’s grace and mercy has initiated a change process in us all whereby we are becoming more and more like Jesus every day.

Yes, change is taking place and running its course in my life. Happy Birthday Madison! No, your arms don’t look longer today then they did yesterday, but you are changing… inside and out.

Living, and traveling, with a disability like muscular dystrophy demands forward thinking.  The moment my leg braces come off for the night and I am no longer able to walk or stand, the opportunity to prepare myself for the following morning will be gone.  I must be specifically focused on the goal of the next day.

Our leadership opportunity toward the mission of raising up life-long followers of Jesus also demands such attention.  If we are to truly multiply not only the number of lost young people who hear and follow Jesus’ words but also the number of ministry sites engaging those young people we will need to incorporate another leadership lesson of Jesus:  Intentionality.

Jesus models for us a leadership lifestyle where every question and every action is laced with purpose.  This is especially visible in his interactions and assignments given to his disciples.  In John 6, leading up to the miracle of feeding the 5000, we see Jesus asking Philip “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”  Then verse 6 gives us a glimpse into the lesson plan, “He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.”  Likewise, in Luke 10, Jesus assigns seventy disciples to go out in pairs and spread the gospel and afterward was present with them to debrief their experience.  Jesus knew his time on earth was limited and he was focused on his mission; to prepare his followers to birth his Church.

Exercising this discipline is hard work.  It calls us to make the most of every opportunity we are given and to maybe do things differently, efficiently and intentionally.  For instance; does your annual ministry calendar reflect purposeful programming?  Does YFC Impact give you insights into how intentional you are at pursuing lost young people?  Who are you raising up to lead alongside you?  Better yet, who are you developing to take your place?

As I prepare to speak at YFCamp this summer I am reminded of the benefits such an intentional approach to ministry makes in the life of a young person.  Every activity… every spoken word… every moment is critically examined to fulfill the mission.  Let us strive for the same.

Every question… every action… The Intentionality of the Master.