Fall Practicum Week 8
Week 8 (11/09/08)Record of Ministry Activities
Plan and Coordinate Youth Events on Tuesday (1 ½ Hours)
Typical Youth Group (3 ½ Hours)
Total Ministry Hours: 5 Hours
Personal Reflection on Ministry
Well, this is my last week, and it feels sort of a melancholy week for me. When I say it is going to be my last week, what I really mean is it will be my last week blogging about my experiences. I have done the 8 weeks that are required to blog about, so I'll be done with that. But I still will continue to go to youth group purely because I have invested in these students and want to continue to show them love and compassion. However, my outlet for dissecting what I learned that week will be gone and I will have to decide who or what to use to help divulge this information to. Unfortunately, it was not the best week to end on. I decided to blog about this week because it sums up my experience this semester as youth group. As I have described before, our youth group is in shambles and we can't see any light at the end of the tunnel. All I feel that I can do is try to shine my light and hope that it affects somebody in a positive way. There are certain students that I can still see are holding on to the idea of our youth group and do not want it to die. These are the students that I am clinging to and hoping that they begin to take some leadership in the group. One of the students mentioned the fact that J.C Bodyshop is taking all of our students and in the mean time, we are dying. I had to stand up at that point and point out to him that J.C Bodyshop does not "steal" students. They simply are another place in this city that is providing students an opportunity to worship Jesus and we should celebrate that. It was difficult for me to mean what I said when I said it. But I did mean it. I am proud of J.C Bodyshop and what Charlie is doing over there, and I hope they continue to grow and to serve God whole-heartedly in the process.
Spiritual Reflection
On a spiritual level, I realized a couple of things. The first one is kind of a shocker, so prepare yourself: I am not called into youth ministry. It has taken me 4 years to get to finally admitting this fact, but that is what it is. A fact. God has most certainly called me into ministry, but not youth ministry. He has been clear that I have a genuine calling to serve him in some capacity. But there is one thing that I have learned in my 4 years here at Indiana Wesleyan University: Youth Ministry is not where I am called. Now, while I thought that this would be an absolute shock to me, it really is ok. I feel God telling me, "You keep pursuing me and full-time ministry, and I will make you calling more clear". So, right now I am just seeking and finding God and asking Him to give me more clarity as I pursue Him. It has been amazing to see and feel the faithfulness of God in directing my calling. From calling me in Charlie Alcock's class on a campus visit to letting me know that I should be planting a church, He has been faithful. So in my final spiritual reflection, I reflect on the fact that God is faithful and that no matter what I feel or how scared I am, He is there. He is there to guide me and tell me and show me the beautiful way that is in front of me. Like a father shows His son a beautiful prize, I run towards Him and it at full speed knowing that He will catch me if I fall. So that is what I leave this practicum with and this blog with. Running towards my Father.
posted by Tyler Murphy @ 8:44 PM
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