Borrowed From my Friend Jimmy Cochran's Lent devotionals

”Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and in your purity.”
(1 Timothy 4:12)

For almost all my adult life I have been involved with Student Ministry. It has been one of those things that could be called a passion. A love. A calling. I’ve been a Minister of Students full-time in a church, but also gladly worked as a volunteer leader. There are those who would say I enjoy student work because my emotional age is somewhere in my mid-teens, but my poor injury-ravaged body knows differently. After so many student retreats where I’d tumble from a ropes course and from mission trips where I’d hammer my hand into a pulp, and Disciple-now weekends where I ended up tied to outdoor playgrounds with duct tape across my mouth. My doctor just shakes his head and mumbles something about “age-appropriate behavior. Unfortunately, this same zeal often landed me on “probation” and on “double secret probation” numerous times because of my love for pranks.
Looking back on these years, so many students ended up teaching me far more than I could have ever taught them. I may be sharing some of them during these next days because their impact was (and is) so important to me as I continue to grow.
One student who continues to teach me much is Lauren S. Knowing her for the past 12 – 13 years, I’ve seen Lauren grow from a quite rambunctious, independent-minded girl to a (still) rambunctious, independent-minded collegiate young lady with a heart for God and people. Out of the many stories that I could tell of Lauren’s impact, one in particular stands out in my mind. This is when Lauren was in high school. Our student choir had taken on a project to go help clean up one of Atlanta’s most crime-ridden, poverty stricken, inner-city public housing developments – Bowen Homes. This was part of Hands on Atlanta, but also to begin training our students for an upcoming choir mission trip where they would be doing ministry in inner-city projects, food banks and homeless shelters in Louisville, Kentucky.
The students piled off the bus and vans, we adults were handing out brooms, bags, gloves, shovels, and other outdoor cleaning tools and warning them to watch for loose needles and other drug paraphernalia that was lying all over the area. Lauren was in my group and we headed to an outdoor basketball court where a car had recently been torched and the concrete was covered with broken glass and other “interesting” matter. As we cleaned, we noticed curtains and blinds being pulled back in the apartments as residents began to watch us at work. In a few minutes, Lauren came up and asked if she could get a couple other students, go around to apartments to round up some children and play with them in the open areas. She even said they’d tell Bible stories to them. Naturally, I told her this was fine and a great idea and off she went. It wasn’t 15 minutes later when we heard screams of laughter and we looked up the hill and saw Lauren and a few other of our students surrounded by these children from the projects…different from them in every imaginable way – ethnically, financially, background, etc. The only common thing was that God loved them all. After playing all the games of kickball, tag, Red Rover and others, Lauren finally gathered all the children together under a tree to tell them of Jesus. And she did. And they listened.
Did I think of the children when we were out there cleaning? Nope. All I was doing is strictly what we were there to do. The things on the approved schedule for the day. Lauren and her friends saw the need and went to meet it. That’s why I love student work….their vision. Their lack of shyness to share the Gospel. Their ability to see the need and take it on, regardless. Regardless.
There’ll be more stories of my students in coming days, but for this week, think about Lauren. The high school girl who saw beyond color and material things and did what she knew best. Shared Jesus and, at the same time, taught a group of adult leaders a thing or two about one-on-one true evangelism. Don’t count our teenagers out, just because they are teenagers. They are the future of our churches and of our faith. And they can teach us a thing or two if we just pay attention. That’s my goal for today. Open my eyes, Lord.

Blessed be the name of the LORD! - Jimmy Cochran Tuesday March 29,2011

Do you see what He sees?

“When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them…” Matthew 9:36 NIV

Monday evening my youngest son Ben and I walked through the church building, and then drove around the 104 acre campus just “checking things out”. As we did so I found myself once again amazed at God’s kindness to the church staff and me for the privilege He gives us to serve at a church like Salem. As I walked through the empty halls and drove the campus I was able to “see and hear” all the faces and voices of the people that come and go from this place weekly. They are many. And many of them are being drawn into a deeper walk with the Lord. And I pray that many more will. My prayer for our staff is that as each of them does their “work” the LORD might allow them to “see and hear” the multitude of individuals as well. Each and every one regardless of age, etc is a treasure to our Lord and should be to us.

Earlier in the day one of our senior adult widows stopped me in the hall and began to express her gratitude to me for what she said “is the most wonderful staff and church in the world.” She literally offered example after example from the overflow of a sincere heart.

While in the ministry, or in any vocation for that matter, we often only hear the voices of the complainers and grumblers there are many more who do love and appreciate each ministry team member for the service they offer to the Lord and them. I am excited about what I sense the Lord is doing and going to do in our midst. My prayer as we serve together is that the staff and you, the membership of Salem, might also see not only the people the Lord has assembled as a local fellowship called Salem, but also the ARMY of the Lord that surrounds us in the spiritual realm…..they are many and mighty. We are not alone. Give thanks to the LORD for He is good and His mercy endures forever, RCS

Prayer

“and pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and request.  With this mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18 NIV

In recent days I have found that my own personal afflictions have all the more turned my heart and mind to the Lord Jesus and to those whom He has called me to serve.  

Over the past several weeks I have faced sleepless nights due to the constant pain of gout in my right foot.  It would be hard for a “non-gout” sufferer to understand the pain gout brings with it.  Even the weight of a soft cotton sheet can bring shots of intense pain by coming in contact with the foot.  If you have never experienced it, I pray that you don’t.

In the midnight hours of darkness and quiet I have found a renewed desire to pray for those in need – regardless of the need they might have.  I was scrolling through Facebook on my iphone about 2:45 am one morning when it hit me.  Why not do what my daughter Lauren had done just the day before?  Just post a status update that simply says “How can I be praying for you?”  I did so and within minutes the requests began to come – one after another.  Since that early morning I have posted the same question each day.  The prayer requests continue to come night and day.  They have come from elementary school classmates, college friends, church members, family, and even those I don’t really know. 

But one thing I know – that Jesus, along with me, is interested in them all.  What a privilege to intercede on behalf of others in prayer.  Once again I have found a way to embrace technology in a way that I believe can impact other people’s lives for the good and bring Glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Many would choose to use an outlet such as Facebook to vent their latest frustrations, share the latest gossip, or waste time and energy on meaningless debate but shouldn’t those of us who claim Christ seek to use it as an avenue to further the ministry of Jesus Christ?  I think so!  Let me encourage my Facebook friends to ask a simple question via their status “How can I be praying for you?” And when the responses come – just pray.

One other thing about prayer – I found it helped me to not be so focused on my own pain and discomfort but rather to use it as a stepping stone to be available to serve others in the name of Jesus Christ.  

-Pastor Rick