Under
the Influence
This phrase
typically evokes a negative connotation that might cause us to
wonder who has been inebriated while behind the wheel. But in
its broader sense the term applies to everyone. The truth is we
are all under the influence of
someone or something every day. Conversely people around us are
also under our influence
every day. So the real question is not if
we’re making a difference in our world; the question is
what kind of difference
are we making?
Crosswalk’s
birthday party program is a perfect example of how much influence
we have with very little effort. We show up, serve kids, and let
God do what He wants to do in these young lives. The following
is an excerpt from a letter we got last week from a young man
whom we have known for 8 months. He has 2 years still to serve
in the adult system, but he left Griffin RYDC last week with a
smile on his face and a new Bible from Crosswalk in his hand.
| "You
guys just left from celebrating my birthday for the month
of August. To be honest, I really enjoyed myself and I'm
going to miss you all like crazy because this will be the
last party where I see you all until I get out. I have promised
myself that I've got to join Crosswalk when I get out and
become one of the speakers that talk to the youth at the
RYDC's......I need you all by my side to keep me on the
right path. I love you, Mrs. Gina and the rest of you, and
I will miss you all." |
This influence
thing is really a pretty simple concept. It was God’s, you
know. His idea. Community. Doing life together. Each person a
combination of every other person whose path he has crossed, for
good or for bad. Jesus said we are the light of the world and
the salt of the earth. Think about that. Light and salt have a
great deal of influence on whatever or whoever is in their paths,
but they don’t really have to try. Light
and salt only have to be what they are—light
and salt.
By that same logic,
we don’t have to try either. We have only to be what we
are—flawed but forgiven human beings filled to overflowing
with God’s Spirit who lives in us.
Then and only then will we have the kind of influence
that God created us to have. Henri Nouwen captured
this thought when he wrote,
| "I
know that I have to move from speaking about Jesus to letting
him speak within me, from thinking about Jesus to letting
him think within me, from acting for and with Jesus to letting
him act through me. I know the only way for me to see the
world is to see it through his eyes."
|
Want to practice
influence? We need volunteers and mentors to see juvenile offenders
through God’s eyes and spill His love and mercy all over
them. Thank you for participating in our influence with your time,
your talent, your treasure and your prayers. We’re in this
together!
|
The
fall is the time of the year when we start planning
and budgeting for next year. Looking back on this past
year, it's been a season of growth.
We've
tried to communicate better with you that this is a
WE ministry—we're in this together, and the REALITY
is if you're not on this team, the ministry doesn't
get done just as the REALITY is if we're not in and
out of prisons the work doesn't get done.
We
need you and your committed prayer.
We
need you as volunteers.
We
need you as champions—introducing us to your circles
of influence.
And
yes, we need your financial support.
As
we go into another year of ministry, I'd like to ask
you: how big do you want OUR MINISTRY TOGETHER to be?
Your
input—or failure to give input—will speak
volumes in how much or how little work we get to do
together in 2011.
Please,
let me hear from you. Help us to plan a budget that
makes sense for all of us.
Help
us reach out to kids who otherwise won't get the REAL
SECOND CHANCE that we all need—and that's Jesus.
Be
blessed,
Gina
|
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