The Hidden Mass
Posted on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 by
By Tim Butler, Director of City Engagement & Juvenile Justice Chaplain
“Blake” began attending church at his facility in February, and it wasn’t too long before he was a “regular” at the Wednesday night Bible studies. He wasn’t embarrassed to say that he didn’t know a lot about the Bible, and was he ever eager to learn!
At one of those Bible studies, Blake asked the volunteer (Scott) who was leading the study what it meant to surrender his life to Christ, and that question began a relationship between Scott and Blake that continues to this day. Blake is now staying in a community group home and when I met with him just recently, he proudly showed me a $520.00 paycheck from his job at a carwash. New believer…check! Being discipled…check! Rebuilding his relationship with his mom and step-dad…check! Has a steady job so he can start paying off his restitution…check! Mission accomplished, right? Hardly!
Roughly 90% of an iceberg’s mass is hidden underwater, and that’s true of young people like Blake. There’s so much more to him than just what we know from his case, or even what Scott and I have learned from many conversations with him the past 6 months. Blake’s revealing that “hidden mass” as we gain his trust and remain in a long-term relationship with him.
What’s some of that “other 90%?” Like many other young people, Blake’s been dealing with anxiety from a young age, and feels detached from others. He wants nothing to do with his biological father. And his pleasant personality masks the overwhelming guilt and shame from being involved in a traffic accident that took the life of a younger friend more than 2 years ago. But with Christ’s power, he’s replacing destructive beliefs and behaviors with right thinking and holy living.
Because of your support, more young people like Blake are encountering the One Who alone forgives sins and transforms lives from the inside out. Young people like “Alex” who’s headed to an intense drug program for the next four months. And, “Beth” who has almost given up on God but still wants to believe He cares about her. And, “Steven” who’s going to spend the next 5 ½ years in a maximum-security facility. And “Brandon” who at the age of 13 is waiting to find out if he’s going to be a father.
Thank you for being a part of the ongoing conversation with youth in our city and helping us share God’s story. It's our honor to be the storytellers on your behalf who meet kids right where they are and give life to their story.
Providing young people in our community with the opportunity to make an informed decision to be a follower of Jesus Christ and become part of a local church.