Complaints abound as we are all still trying to figure out what in the world the fall is going to look like with a pandemic still happening around us.

We recently got a lovely response to an anonymous survey that outlined several complaints. We’re taking them point by point and reflecting on them to see if there is any truth to them. But also making sure we’re on top of what we need to be on top of.

Part one was about playing too many games. Part two was about our Bible study not being intellectually stimulating enough. And part three was students not feeling prepared by us to share Jesus with their atheist friends.

And yes, it was a doozy of a parent complaint via an anonymous survey.

They also laid out how they felt out of the loop. Like they didn’t know what was going on when. That’s something EVERY youth pastor has heard before. And here’s how I would normally respond to someone with that complaint.

Are you subscribed to our email list? (following our Instagram, subscribed to youtube, etc)

The main way we communicate is via email. This is the first question I ask parents when they say they don’t know what’s happening. I follow it up quickly with: are you subscribed with an email you ACTUALLY check? Then I pull up my phone to check right there. Sometimes I can see that they received the email and even opened it about the event. There’s a small part of me that feels vindicated showing that off, but I digress.

Sometimes I see that they have unsubscribed from our emails. Cool. That’s on you then.

The point is, ask them if they are in the loop on whatever your MAIN way of communicating is. Now we still put info up on social media and the church website and bulletin and skywriting, but I want to make sure that parent knows where the most reliable source of information is going to be.

And then make sure they are getting it!

What do you need us to do better?

I don’t ENJOY asking this question, because you’ve already heard a complaint from this parent. Why invite more? Well, sometimes you NEED to hear what they’re saying! A parent once told me early on that they needed way more time than one month to see if their student could go on an overnight trip. They had other family members to arrange for, a split house to check on, school calendar to get a hold of, etc.

I needed to know that I had to communicate further in advance than I was at the moment.

Maybe you need to condense your info to bullet points. Maybe you need to drop the cool graphics and get right to the point. Whatever it may be, ask to see if there is a BETTER way for you to communicate and then see if you can adjust.

Who else do you think this is affecting?

It’s usually not just one parent out of the loop. And parents who are out of the loop tend to find one another and talk about how out of the loop they are.

Well, ask and see if this parent has heard about any others who feel like they aren’t getting the information that they need and then follow up!

Parent Tip

Don’t force it! You may LOVE tik tok. But that’s not where your parents are going to get their information. If you can’t get the majority of your parents to check twitter for updates, then switch to whatever form the majority of your parents check.

Do what you need on the other platforms like the website and the bulletin, but go with what parents tell you they use most.

Even if it’s not the one you love the most.

How do you try to communicate to parents?

I love to go paddleboarding. There are so many lakes in Central Florida and I take advantage of every chance I get to go exploring.  Paddleboarding is great for two things: a solid workout or an escape to relax and reflect. If I’m lucky, I can accomplish both of those things simultaneously.

Last Saturday, I went to a paddleboarding birthday party (amazing, right?!) for one of my favorite kids on the planet.  I’ve gotten to know her and her family over the years they were celebrating her 11th birthday. When I arrived, the birthday girl and all of her friends were pumped for the day – because paddleboarding is awesome! There were approximately 18 kids at the party. Now, I know what you’re thinking…we’re these kids turned loose on the lake all on their own? Absolutely not! There were four paddleboard instructors ready and waiting to do the impossible – lead the flock of tiny humans across the lake.  Herding cats is cake compared to this endeavor.

Once we got everyone on their boards and in the water, they were having a blast. After a few minutes of getting acquainted with the tricks of the trade, it was time to head out across the lake. On this particular day, it was cloudy and the water was pretty smooth…until we were well on our way to the other side of the lake. It started lightly raining and the wind picked up, causing a pretty strong current. If you weren’t consistently paddling, you were drifting, spinning around, or going the wrong direction. Imagine 18 tiny humans, some of which have never paddle boarded before, in the midst of this current.

Needless to say, several of them were separated from the pack. They were trying everything to turn their boards around, paddle in the right direction, but the current was too strong. I could see they were struggling, so I paddled towards them (did not have to do much work because the current pushed me along). Props to them, because they weren’t very panicked or stressed, just frustrated because they were missing out on the fun adventure with the rest of the group (in reality, they were having their own adventure, not by choice).

As I approached, I was trying to show them how to turn their boards around and head in the right direction. However, when one of them was on the right track, another would be drifting away. I could not get all three of them on target at the same time. One of the instructors noticed how far we had drifted and came to the rescue.  He put one of the kids on my paddleboard with me and put the other two kids on the same paddleboard. He took the now empty boards and threw me a leash (it’s a strap surfers use that ties to your ankle and your board). I strapped it to my ankle and gave it to one of the kids to attach it to their board. Now, we were connected. Wherever I paddled, they were sure to follow. Genius, right? But what you might fail to realize is the physical workout that I just inadvertently signed up for…I went from paddling for one to paddling for four…yikes is right!

Over the next hour of paddling my heart out, ultimately enjoying it even though the exhaustion, the Lord revealed some very important truths about leadership.  I know some of you are thinking, “That was just the introduction?” Why yes, it was, because stories are one of the best foundations for learning and discovery. But for those of you who need the bullet points, they will be numbered and bolded as you scroll down (no judgment, because deep down I’m actually on your team).

• If you try to do all of the work yourself, exhaustion is inevitable, leaving you of no use to anyone.

This is a harsh, yet true reality. Too many of us strive to be the hero. We want the recognition of being the strong, competent, uncompromising leader who brought the team to victory. But the reality is we need the whole team working together in order to achieve victory.

By the time I got the four of us situated and headed on our trek back to the dock, we were way off course. On a good day, paddling by myself, it would take me 25-30 minutes to make it back to the dock. On a windy day like this, heading against the current with the weight of 3 other people, we could easily double, if not triple the time. At first, I told everyone to sit on their boards and hold their paddles.  It wasn’t that I did not want their help, I just wasn’t sure how helpful they would be, given their track record. I don’t mean that offensively because let’s be real, they are kids who were beginner paddle boarders on a windy day that showed no mercy. About 15 minutes into our journey, my arms were already fatigued and the leash on my ankle was beginning to hurt because of the weight of the board in tow. It was at this moment that another leadership insight came to me.

• If you are doing all of the work yourself, when you stop, your followers stop.  And, you won’t just stand still…you will drift in the wrong direction, losing all of your progress and momentum.

I knew if I stopped paddling, we would lose valuable work and time. My arms were sore and I couldn’t decide if my knees were hurting or going numb (on a windy day, kneeling on your board is better for aerodynamics and balance). As you can imagine, we were not making record time by any means. If anything, we were in competition for the slowest run across the lake. Any time I would get a streak of momentum, it would come to a screeching halt because of the tug of the board behind me. The wind was pushing against it and nothing was being used to propel it forward through the water. The second I took a short breather, we were losing ground. We had to keep going because we had to make it to the other side. Why? Because pizza and birthday cake were waiting for us (#goals). Something had to change. It was time for the kids to join the work effort, and the next leadership insight is why.

Hey! My name is Kayla and I’m the Student Director at a church in Orlando, Florida. Student ministry has taken on many forms in my life – the public school system, churches, leadership organizations, and camps. Most of my experience was developed while working with FUGE Camps. I spent eight summers serving on camp staff, two of which were spent as the Director. I enjoy using the gifts God has given me to create environments where students can grow closer to Jesus!

This is the third in a series of blog posts titled The Emotionally Healthy Youth Worker by veteran youth worker and therapist Jason Wilkinson. Click the link to find the first and second postings.

As a youth worker, you receive a whole lot of messages that could be painful. They come from congregation members, students, parents, volunteers, and fellow pastors. All of these messages can send you into a long-lasting funk, but they don’t have to. The work of therapists Dr. Terry Hargrave and Sharon Hargrave, and the Relate Strong material, provide us the steps to find that place of peace. With it, we can remove ourselves from the funk of the pain cycle and enter into the flow of the peace cycle. Here are three steps to help you do it:

Step #1: Find What is True: Let’s say the painful message you receive about yourself from post #2 is one of failure. It is possible that you have failed in a task or challenge, but are you, as a human being, a failure?

Some hard reflection will likely come to the conclusion that no one is a complete failure, including yourself. If you are not a failure, what is the true message about who you are? How do you find what is true about you?

Consider the messages you receive about yourself from your best moments? What feedback have your gotten from others? What does God have to say about who you are?

Go back to the previous blog post and look at your pain cycle. Ask yourself if the message you receive from that pain is true. If you feel alone, is it true that you are completely alone, or is there even just one person you can rely on? If you feel unloved, is it true that you are completely unloved? Find what is actually true about your pain. Then say the truth out loud. Then say it again. Now…say it one more time.

Step #2: Know Why it is True: The next step is to know why this is true. There are a number of different ways to accomplish this. For example, if you feel unloved, but the truth is that you are loved, you might know this is true because your family loves you, your spouse, your kids, a friend, a dog (Not cats. Cats don’t have hearts. It’s science!), and/or a God who loves you. This is how you know it is true that you are loved.

Now, reflect upon what is true about you. How do you know what is true about you? Let that message sink into the depths of your soul. Meditate upon that for a minute or two.

Step #3: The “Now What?”: Hypothetically, if I feel like a failure and tend to cope by withdrawing from people, but the truth is that I am good enough or measure up because God created and loves me, what do I want to do now?

My coping behavior of withdrawing takes me away from what I really desire and need. In this step, I can intentionally choose to spend time with my those that I enjoy, love, and respect, rather than reactively withdraw.

So, rather than react with your coping behavior that you discovered in the pain cycle, what do you want to do in light of what is true about you?

Spend time this week getting to know what is true about you and how you want to act in light of it. Next, we’ll everything together and provide a technique that will help you to get to a healthier place emotionally so you can be the best pastor you can be to lead students.

Jason Wilkinson lives with his wife and two kids in Portland, Oregon. After 18+ years of leading in various student ministry roles, Jason recently transitioned into the profession of mental health therapy where he runs Wellspace Counseling, a private counseling practice in Tualatin. You can read more about Jason at wellspacepdx.com or contact him at [email protected].

This is the third post in my series “Something to Complain About”. The reality is that lots of youth pastors get to hear parents who complain. These are different than the parents who will walk up to you, offer a suggestion on what you’re doing or, God bless them, offer to jump in, and help solve a very real problem.

The first post was about playing too many games and you can read it here.

The second post was about your Bible study being too shallow. It’s here.

This one is about their student saying they don’t feel like the student ministry is offering them enough skills to share their faith with their atheist friends.

Every week I’m posting in the DYM Facebook community group and asking other youth pastors (especially those veterans of ten or more years) how they would answer each complaint.

Here’s what I would say to a parent who comes to me with this one:

I’m so glad your student has atheist friends!

No seriously, this is great! There are lots of students who get told they can’t have any atheist friends and the fact their student has someone they WANT to share the Gospel with and needs to hear it is awesome.

Now, that said, I might make sure and ask if their students have any solid friends who are also believers. They may not want to share because they have no one to back them up, and that can be daunting.

I promise you we’re talking about the Gospel and how to share it with their friends

I’m about 95% certain you are doing this in your ministry. I’m 100% sure we are. We talk about it about every month in some form or fashion and have an entire small group curriculum solely devoted to the topic. But maybe their student isn’t in small groups? Or missed last month’s Gospel sharing series?

Regardless, this parent says their student doesn’t FEEL equipped. It’s not that you’re not doing it. It’s that the student may not just feel like they could handle your method.

Or…

Your kid might genuinely be concerned about losing their friendships

Friends can mean EVERYTHING to a student. And they may have real, genuine fears of losing their friends if they get labeled as “the weird Christian kid”. Now there’s a lot to unpack here. A parent can easily say that faith is more important than friends, and they wouldn’t be wrong. But that isn’t listening to the very real concerns of their student. I’d encourage parents to listen to their student. Help them unpack their fears about being singled out or losing good friends. Ask them if they thought their friends would reject them if they brought up their faith more often.

Let this parent know this is a long conversation and won’t be a “one and done”. But neither should the student’s conversation about Jesus with their friends. It’s more than throwing a Gospel tract in their friend’s faces.

Parent Tip:

Ask them about how many conversations they’ve had about the Gospel with their own atheist friends. And not posting Jesus pictures on their Facebook walls. Actual, knee to knee, toe to toe, eye to eye conversations. If they are having them and modeling them for their kids, odds are their kids will get it, even if it takes a while.

DYM Resource:

I wrote a small group series about how to start talking to your friends about Jesu without being awkward. Feel free to check it out if you’re not sure where to start with your students!

Grab it here!

Ronald

This is the second article in a series of blog posts titled The Emotionally Healthy Youth Worker by veteran youth worker and therapist Jason Wilkinson. You can find the link the first blog post here.

Let’s be honest, youth ministry is not for the faint of heart. It’s the kind of job that requires you to wear the hat of the speaker, teacher, counselor, janitor, recruiter, and accountant all at the same time, and often without much in the way of guidance or mentoring. It’s the kind of job that often requires one to live in a constant state of being “on” and emotionally available to others, all the while leaving you emotionally drained and empty. And if we’re not careful, that emotional emptiness can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness — and eventually to burnout.

The idea of caring for our mental and emotional being can easily be overlooked and not dealt with until we have reached a breaking point. However, if we can learn to be at peace with our emotions, we will be empowered to live and lead as Christ calls us to.

Dr. Terry Hargrave, from Fuller Theological Seminary, provides us with a framework to get us to be at peace with our emotions. Those steps again are:

#1: Recognize Your Pain

#2: Find What’s True

#3: Replace the Pain with Peace

Let’s dig more into Step #1: Recognize Your Pain.

We all have something called a “pain cycle”. A painful emotion will provoke an automatic and unintentional coping behavior. Often we don’t even recognize it. We just do it. And that pain can then manifest as anxiety, depression, withdrawal, anger, or something else. However, this response doesn’t usually give us what we really want or need, so we end up feeling more emotional pain. This is our pain cycle.

Research in neuroscience is showing, however, what the author of Romans already knew to be true — that God’s creativity allows for our brains to be rewired, or in other words, transformed (Rom. 12:2).

Here are three ideas to help you recognize your pain:

Tip #1 — Name Your Typical Emotions: Think of a recent conflict you had. What kind of messages did you receive about yourself? Perhaps it was that you’re not good enough. That you’re a failure. That you’re alone or that no one cares about you. Reflect on what those messages and emotions are. Name them. Check out my sample list of emotions to help get you started.

Tip #2 — Learn How You Cope: How did you immediately react to the emotion from the conflict? Did you get anxious, angry, withdraw, isolate? Reflect on what that coping was. Check out my sample list of coping behaviors to help.

Tip #3 — Link the Emotion to the Coping Behavior: Start by simply saying “When I feel _____, I typically cope by being _____.” It could look like, “When I feel unappreciated, I typically cope by getting angry.” Write it down somewhere you will see it and say it out loud once or twice a day. As you continue to link the emotion to the behavior and say it out loud, you’ll begin to realize when you are acting out of your pain cycle.

God has given you the ability to manage the ups and downs. Being able to do so will help in all of your relationships, including the one with yourself. Recognizing your pain is a step that can help you do it. In the next post of this series, we’ll discuss how you can Find What’s Truth.

Jason Wilkinson lives with his wife and two kids in Portland, Oregon. After 18+ years of leading in various student ministry roles, Jason recently transitioned into the profession of mental health therapy where he runs Wellspace Counseling, a private counseling practice in Tualatin. You can read more about Jason at wellspacepdx.com or contact him at [email protected].

My husband Alex and I made a hard decision this year. We decided to leave the Bay Area and head to his home state of Idaho. When we were praying through all of this and felt this was the right decision, COVID-19 was not part of the plan. Like many, I was searching for a new job in the middle of a pandemic. I truly had no idea what to expect, I desperately wanted it to be like the old days where I could show off my firm handshake, and my carefully picked out outfits. However, what it really looked like was awkward zoom calls, regular phone calls, and meetings from 6ft apart and masked up. 

Searching for a job during a pandemic is no joke. So many churches are on hiring freezes, have seen declines in giving, or just not even sure of what they need right now. 

If you are in a season of waiting and seeking, you are not alone. During my time, I truly questioned if I was even supposed to be in ministry anymore. I felt lost, I felt confused, I felt like everything around me was slowly falling apart, but what kept me pushing forward was seeking advice from trusted friends, and staying close to the Lord truly asking for doors to be open. 

Don’t give up. If you are in the middle of this right now, try and see what God is doing. Maybe it’s trying something new out, experiencing a different type of job or role, whether that’s in the church or not. Even in the midst of a pandemic God is still in control and working. He will never stop fighting for you. 

Michelle is a Middle School Director in Boise, Idaho where she and her husband spend way too much money on coffee and rent. She possesses the ability to kill every plant that comes into her home.

She’s one of the hosts of the Middle School Ministry Podcast. Listen here!

Ministry is draining. So often we can walk away from a small group, service, or event feeling tired, rejected, or like a failure. I know of the anxiety that comes with not feeling “good enough.” I have gone into the office depressed, weighed down by the unending uphill climb of reaching kids and completing tasks.

And now, having moved into the field of counseling following 18+ years of student ministry, I have gained a greater appreciation for the importance of valuing my own mental, emotional and spiritual health. The emotionally regulated pastor is one who can constructively deal with his or her own personal pain, understand what is true about oneself, and benefit from having a clear mind to make good decisions.

So…the question is how to we get to a place of emotional regulation? Techniques from Restoration Therapy and the Relate Strong Curriculum can be helpful in guiding us.

Step #1: Recognize Your Pain: We all carry pain, but we don’t all cope with it in the same way. Knowing how you cope with the pain you carry is the first step in helping you self-regulate.

Step #2: Find What is True: If we are feeling depressed, the message behind that depressed feeling might be “I’m a failure.” That’s the pain we are feeling. But what is true about you? While it’s possible a person may experience some sort of failure in a task or event, is it true that the person, as a person, is a failure? Not likely.

And this falls right in line with what we believe as Christians.

Step #3: Replace the Pain with Peace: After discovering your pain cycle and the greater truth of who you are, the final step is to replace the negative message. Our brain has a link of neural pathways that go from our emotional pain straight into an automatic coping behavior. The goal is to start building a new pathway. This can happen through a mindfulness tool called, The Four Steps, which was developed by Dr. Terry Hargrave from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Youth ministry so hard on a person’s emotional, mental and spiritual health, but it remains a worthy calling. And it deserves you at your best. Prayer and meditating on Scripture helps you discover what is true about God and God’s love for you. The steps of Recognizing Your Pain, Finding What is True, and Replacing the Pain with Peace will help you own those truths that can often escape when emotionally activated.

In God’s infinite wisdom and goodness, a person is able to be transformed, no matter the age. The brain is capable of developing new neuropathways. In a very real way, following these steps is working to accept the message of goodness God has for you!

Jason Wilkinson lives with his wife and two kids in Portland, Oregon. After 18+ years of leading in various student ministry roles, Jason recently transitioned into the profession of mental health therapy where he runs Wellspace Counseling, a private counseling practice in Tualatin. You can read more about Jason at wellspacepdx.com or contact him at [email protected].

We recently sent a survey to all of our parents asking about reopening and the COVID-19 season.

While we did get some really great feedback, there were a couple complaints that every youth pastor has heard at least once.

In this blog series, I’m going to break them down one by one explaining why we do what we do, and then give one tip for interacting with “that” parent in the future.

The first complaint was that we play too many games. In the summer, there is some credibility to that. We actually change our program to be more activity-oriented because people are traveling or busy with summer activities. There is still solid biblical teaching time going on weekly, but it would be easy for a parent to look at our social media and think, “all they do is play games!”

But there is still a method to our madness!

1. Fellowship is a biblical thing!

As Christians, we are supposed to spend time with other believers! In student ministry, that means we sometimes spend time with other believers while also throwing hotdogs at targets on the other side of the room or stacking Oreos on our foreheads.
Spending time together is important! Just because we structure it to look a little crazy, doesn’t mean we have no purpose in it.

2. Games break down walls

Students who laugh are more likely to let down their walls. If they keep their guard up the entire time they’re at youth group when it comes time to share the Gospel, that same wall is going to be right where it is always been. Sometimes we play ridiculous games in order to help students feel more at ease and relaxed. We are setting ourselves up for a win when it comes to sharing the Gospel!

3. Students learn differently

Not everyone learns the best from having somebody lecture at them. I don’t learn when somebody lectures at me!
Teachers and educators have said for decades that we need to teach using different methods.
So when we relate a part of our lesson back to playing four corners, it’s going to hit students differently. And that’s the way we planned it!

4. Even adults don’t fill their time-slot with just Bible study

The most serious and Bible-based small group in your church still has a time where they drink coffee or eat snacks and just talk.
We have an hour with the students! We’re going to plan some fun. Just because when the adults do it it looks mature and more subdued, it doesn’t mean we can’t get a little crazy with how we fill our time!

Parent Tip:
Ask them to come and serve! Usually, parents don’t get a chance to see the inner workings of the ministry. Ask them to come to hang out with a week for a week or two so they can get an insider scoop. Usually, that lets them see why you play games or what makes your ministry run like it does.

If they don’t take you up on your offer, then you know there’s probably something else going on that’s causing the complaint. There’s probably something else going on behind the scenes. Ask them to come to serve!

Games help students learn, fellowship, and prepare them to receive the truth we teach.
Do you play games with your students? Why do YOU play games? Let us know in the comments!

Ronald

by Mignonette Bailey

Have you ever heard of a “Good Samaritan?” You know, someone who does a good deed for someone else. This term originated in the Bible, but at a closer look, this Bible account goes beyond good deeds and encompasses complicated issues of racial tension and reconciliation.

In Luke 10:25, a religious scholar asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered his question with a question; “How does the scripture read to you?” In the man’s own words, he answers, “It states, ‘You must love the Lord God with all your heart, all your passion, all your energy, and your every thought. And you must love your neighbor as well as you love yourself.’ “ (Luke 10:27 TPT) Jesus signs off on the religious scholar’s answer and tells him to go and do exactly what he said.

The scholar asked, “Who is my neighbor?” I believe this man was looking for a neat checklist that would help to ease his religious conscience by doing “just enough” for whomever he deemed his neighbor. He wanted Jesus to give him a limit to who he was commanded to love as much as he loved himself. Jesus shared an account of radical compassion that included the complexities of racial tension.

Why wouldn’t Jesus just provide a simple answer to his question? Let’s dive into the story and find out.

In Luke 10:30-37, a Jewish man was traveling when he was robbed and left for dead. Two Jewish religious leaders, a priest and a temple assistant (called a Levite), saw the man’s condition and literally crossed the street. We don’t know why, and maybe their reasons were legitimate to them. Nonetheless, they crossed the street.

The man who eventually helped him was a Samaritan, who many Jews referred to as dogs. There was major racial tension between these two ethnic groups that spanned generations. Generations of stereotypes and sweeping generalizations were perpetuated. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to conclude that the man who was robbed and helpless may have even held racial discontent for the Samaritan people. Yet, his own people crossed the street and didn’t bother to help him. The Samaritan man went to absolute extremes of compassion to help this injured man. He transported him to safety, bandaged his wounds, extended his name as credit on the injured man’s behalf and spent his own money to ensure the man’s needs were met while he healed. It’s not likely that this Samaritan man was out for a casual, daily stroll when he noticed the Jewish man lying helpless in the street. He was headed somewhere. Undoubtedly, he had plans. Nonetheless, he allowed his life to be interrupted by doing what was inconvenient.

After Jesus finished the story, he returns a question to the scholar, “Who was a neighbor to the man who was attacked?” The scholar replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus is clearly not restricting our show of mercy to those who live in our direct proximity, or even those with whom we have more in common. He is challenging us to show radical mercy by allowing ourselves to be made uncomfortable and inconvenienced by the pain of others.

As we all process the current events happening in the United States surrounding the death of George Floyd, Jesus is asking us not to cross the street. Jesus is asking us not to step over or ignore this issue. Jesus is asking us to keep our humanity. Jesus is asking us not to miss opportunities to be radical compassion in action by hiding behind preconceived ideas and sweeping generalizations. Just like the religious scholar, we must realize that focusing on eternal life doesn’t mean that we ignore our godly responsibility to tend those who are hurting.

In Luke 10:28, the Bible says the man made “an attempt to justify himself.” It is our nature to want to defend ourselves and to assume that we are right! Even when we engage with others, many times we don’t fully listen to understand, but to build a case in response. We are guilty of already choosing a side before we ever hear another perspective. When we seek to justify ourselves, we latch onto things that justify our bias, while missing the big picture.

I believe the Bible answers every issue of life and that the Lord does not step over or skim over deep, human issues. Jesus didn’t and doesn’t gloss over racial tension; neither should we. As Christians, we must follow the Leader. We cannot allow fear or discomfort to keep us from going “there”, because “there”, the place of our human weakness, is where the grace and strength of God awaits us.

Who is your neighbor?

Mignonette “Mimi” Bailey is the proud cheerleader of her husband, Karim and three children. She enjoys serving in local and global outreach, and has served in youth ministry for over a decade, both as a volunteer and a full-time youth pastor. As an ordained minister, Mignonette enjoys equipping the body of Christ for effective ministry. She is a Regent University graduate and when she isn’t changing diapers or drinking coffee, enjoys gardening and being an actor and entrepreneur. She calls Los Angeles, California home.

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