Seems Mike yaconelli's wisdom was more than helpful yesterday, so here's another of his musings for the benefit of your souls. A wonderful man who filled my life with big moments:
Me: "Hey, Jesus!"
Jesus: "Hey."
Me: "I’m a youth worker."
Jesus: "I know. I’m Jesus—remember?"
Me: "Okay. Okay. But...um...why did you make me do youth ministry?"
Jesus: "I didn’t ’make’ you do youth ministry, I called you."
Me: "Yeah, right. Called might as well be the same as made. I mean, you made it so I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else. You ruined all the other options, Jesus."
Jesus: "You’re welcome."
Me: (sigh) "Here’s the deal: If you wanted me to do this youth worker thing, you must think youth ministry is pretty important."
Jesus: "I do."
Me: "Well, how come the adults in church don’t think it’s that important? And have you looked at the pay scale lately? We’re always at the bottom of the priority list."
Jesus: "I can relate to that."
Me: "And all they want me to be is a recreation director. You know...plan nice activities and keep their kids from drinking, doing drugs, and getting pregnant."
Jesus: "They think youth ministry is about making young people nice?"
Me: "Well, yeah. I mean, they think you’re a nice guy and everything—and they want their kids to be like you."
Jesus: "Look, these parents think I’m a nice idea. They think I care about what they care about. They want me to be an enhancement to their lifestyles—and they don’t want me making their kids uncomfortable with their lifestyles. Basically they think I died on a cross to help their kids get good SAT scores, be captains of football teams and cheerleading squads, and have nice lives. They think I want to help their children become good Americans. Yuck!"
Me: "I didn’t think Jesus would say ’Yuck!’"
Jesus: "It’s a Greek word."
Me: "Oh...but aren’t Christians supposed to be nice?"
Jesus: "You think I died on a cross to make people nice? You think I want to be relegated to the status of motivational speaker? Listen, I don’t even like football, and I definitely don’t like nice people. Look at my disciples! Talk about loud, obnoxious, rude, flaky—hey, these guys were anything but nice. Remember when ’Mr. Nice Guy’ John wanted me to send fire down on a little Samaritan village because they wouldn’t let us stay for the night?
"Start telling parents that their sons and daughters should take a year after high school and do missions in South Africa and see how long you last. Tell them it isn’t a good decision to make their kids go to soccer camp instead of church camp and see how supportive they’ll be. Truth is, I came to ruin people’s lives—just like I ruined yours. I came to turn people’s lives upside down. Remember all that stuff I said about being a sword and turning parents against children? I wasn’t kidding."
Me: "But if I let you start ruining kids’ lives, we might lose some of them."
Jesus: "Good."
Me: "How can you say ’good’?! Look, I’m beginning to wonder if you’re really Jesus."
Jesus: "Why?"
Me: "Why? Because everybody knows youth ministry is about reaching as many students as possible. We’ve been trying to reach every student for Christ by the year 2000! I mean, this year we’re going to have rallies and crusades nationwide with more than 100,000 kids at each of them. We’re going to link the entire world by satellite. We’re going to have the largest crowds ever!"
Jesus: "I don’t like crowds."
Me: "You don’t like crowds?!? What are you talking about?!"
Jesus: "I don’t like crowds. Go back and read my story. Yes, I had crowds from time to time, but most of the people in them just wanted more wine, food, and power. Then—when I didn’t give them what they wanted—they killed me. Nope. I don’t like crowds. Besides, my best work was done one on one. You know...the woman at the well, the crazy guy, the blind man, the prostitute. That’s when I did my best stuff."
Me: "But...um...that isn’t very efficient."
Jesus: "I know. I don’t believe in efficiency."
Me: "What?!?"
Jesus: "Let me put it this way. I believe in making disciples one at a time. Very slow stuff."
Me: "But Jesus, I thought you were into ’fast’."
Jesus: "Nope. I’m about slow. And small."
Me: "Oh, man. If I keep listening to you, I’m going to be fired!"
Jesus: "Good for you."
Me: "Good for me?!? Uh, Jesus, it’s not that easy!"
Jesus: "I didn’t say it would be easy. I said it would be hard."
Me: "But hard is...well...hard."
Jesus: "Tell me about it.
6 comments:
Hey from Australia! I enjoyed your site mate. Well done.
Thanks, just one question ~ are these two extracts from the same book?
thx for this quote - it is true in every church - unfortunately.
life with Jesus isn't the easy way out - it is the hard way.
cheers (for oz!)
I seem to have made some new friends down under, thank you all for your comments - you are kind and easily pleased - and i am grateful
Mike was a deep well – a contemplative man with a mushy pastor's heart. Mike was one of those rare people who truly lives in the upside-down kingdom of God; he valued mercy, change and truth (even when it was uncomfortable)…He was a reluctant prophet, and reminded me of Jeremiah, but more fun, they probably even looked alike.
Am not going to put any more Yac stories on my blog. There is lots to read about him on the youth specialties site www.youthspecialties.com
These aren't from his books (Dangerous Wonder and Messy Spirituality) they are articles he wrote a few years ago...he was working on his 3rd (though he was struggling with it he always told me - which probably meant it was remarkable) when he died
heaven stock of chardonnay will have taken a dent in the last 3 years!
Paul, this is a fantastic quote - hope you don't mind but I've linked to it from my own blog. Cheers
Don't mind at all my friend, hope it helps, stirs, holds many...
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