felix

One of the highlights of 2013 was Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the edge of space. It wasn’t too long ago that Red Bull released an amazing video of Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the stratosphere that was pretty epic.

If you somehow missed this awesome story, Baumgartner (that’s the coolest last name ever by the way) jumped from the record breaking height of 24 miles up and lived to tell the tale. The first video of it was from tons of different angles and showed his incredibleleap from a lot of perspectives. The new video that got released was of his point of view. Helmet cam. Chest Cam. I even think one is a foot cam. It’s uncut so you can fall the entire TEN MINUTES with him.

It’s pretty incredible and you can watch both videos here. And when I saw the new one I got to thinking:

How cool is it to get to see what he saw during that jump?

We get that insider look. The stuff only he saw while it was going on. Complete with gauges telling us that at one point he was falling at EIGHT HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR.

I feel like that needed to be in all caps for effect.

Isn’t seeing something from someone else’s Point of View what most ministers want?

And actually, isn’t being the one with the point of view that’s “better” than ours what we yearn for?

We may be doing well at our church, reaching kids and making a difference, but oh man if we only had Hot Shot Youth Guy’s budget. Or wow, if we could get a building like First Awesome Church down the street.

If we were in the driver seat of those churches who are really “thriving” then we’d be all set and doing well and loving ministry and…

…probably miserable.

Why? Because we’d be in a POV God hasn’t given us. Sure it’s fun to think that seeing ministry like Mega Church Guy down the street is, but hasn’t God placed you specifically where you are right now for a reason?

It’s not that you’re unqualified to do ministry in a bigger, cooler, trendier, more expensive ministry than you are in right now. You may have everything those guys have and more!

But God put you where you are right now for a reason. He’s got you seeing from your POV so that you can make a difference there.

Sure you can benefit from trying to see things from other’s POV cam every now and then: read their blogs, look at their resources, pick their brains. But don’t neglect the view God has given you by always wishing you were where someone else is because it seems cooler. And yes, your POV may help out others, so don’t think you have nothing to say. Get your POV out there by writing your own stuff!

Your students are being impacted by YOU because God put you there to impact them.

So enjoy the view from someone else every now and then, but don’t forget that God has you were you are on purpose.

Do ministry through your own point of view.

Ronald Long has been the youth minister for FBC Lexington, TN for six years. He’s married to Bekah and dad to Sophie and Penny. He blogs a bit at ronaldlong.org and tweets at @ronald_long. He also runs, plays video games, and eats Taco Bell. Check out his resources in the Download Youth Ministry store!