Where Your Greatest Passion and the World's Greatest Need Can Meet
It was one of those days that would forever dominate my destiny…but I never saw it coming.
I also didn't see a bloody nose coming either, but man does God work in mysterious ways or what?
Let me fill in the details.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Imagine an absolutely sublime sunny Sunday afternoon. Our youth pastor invited the group over to his house for a picnic/game time. What further enhanced the sublimity of the event were the following realities:
Number one - I had just purchased an off the chain yellow Izod polo that was sure to make the other guys green with envy.
Number two - my girlfriend who doubled as the head cheerleader of her high school (yes, she was waaay out of my league) was going to be there.
And of course, a plethora of picnic vittles awaited to complete the trifecta of the occasion.
It started out well enough… an epic game of Ultimate Frisbee commenced and all was in sync with the world until-
Number one - the 220 pound dude I was covering as the Frisbee was in the air decided it was time to change direction, so in a flash his fist connected with my nose like two freight trains colliding, causing an ensuing stream of blood to paint a red and yellow tapestry on my no longer off the chain shirt.
Number two - My girlfriend rolled up with her posse at the exact moment, which might not have been so bad, except for the fact that her friends found my nose splatter beyond hilarious.
Flash forward 30 minutes of nasal triage and a grieving period for my wardrobe and embarrassment, and the youth pastor announced we had a guest speaker. Some kid from a tiny Christian high school in town named - Greg Steer - I mean, Stier.
Stier? Pronounced "steer"? Really? Wow, getting bashed in the nose didn't seem so bad after learning that some people shared a last name that could be roped into many a joke - no bull!
And in less than 20 minutes on a disastrous day, Greg Stier taught us how to share the gospel with anyone – anywhere - anytime. But more importantly, God used him to ignite a passion for souls in my own soul that is equally ablaze even as I write this article. I left youth group that day with a ruined shirt and a restored soul. The physical sight of my own blood was a graphic reminder that my Savior shed His innocent blood so I could receive salvation and be empowered to obey His Great Commission:
Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT).
Greg and I started a friendship that day that will continue through eternity. He busted me out of my suburbia bubble and God used Him to embolden me to share the gospel as a way of life. To this day I still share the message of Jesus' forgiveness at least once a week largely because of that day Greg came to our youth group.
And guess what? You have an incredible opportunity to experience something that I guarantee will forever dominate your destiny as well: Lead THE Cause University (LTCU).
Imagine a week long intensive in beautiful Colorado, learning from Greg Stier, Zane Black and Jason Petty ("Propaganda") how to make disciples who make disciples. This is going to be a challenging and intense experience that will ignite a passion for Jesus and His heart for the lost just like mine was ignited on that sunny Sunday back in the day.
As well, this transformational adventure will give you the opportunity to work side-by-side with Greg, Zane and Prop to develop your own personal, customized strategy to go back home and rock and shock your campus and community with the gospel. Can you imagine hundreds of teens unleashed with the same empowerment and message as the ones who turned the world upside down 2000 years ago?
After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31, NLT).
Sometimes I wonder how my life's journey would have differed had I not listened to Greg's challenge. What about all the people I've been able to share my faith with? What about the powerful life change I've witnessed through the awesome power of The Holy Spirit?
And perhaps instead of wondering about your future, you could start dreaming about how God wants to use you in THE Cause to bring many to Jesus Christ who will pay it forward in their faithfulness to sharing the gospel!
