Hurting at 10:30 p.m. Friday Night

Dave (one of my leaders) and I were putting the chairs and tables back in the church after our murder mystery dinner on Friday night. We ran into 7 high school students who were getting ready to pile into a 5 passenger SUV. I asked them if they needed a ride because there weren't enough seats. This past week Bear Creek high school lost a girl in a car accident and I didn't want it to happen again. One of the fellas mentioned he lived in the neighborhood right across the street and then he said something that caught me off guard.

He went on to explain how the group of students was just hanging outside the church to talk about the student who died this past week. They figured hanging outside the church was probably a good place to meet and talk. Most of them went to Bear Creek and I spent about 10 minutes listening to them process the reality of losing one of their peers. Our conversation ended with two of the girls asking me if we were meeting on Sunday morning. I gave them the information and they showed up yesterday! I found out as I was talking to them that one of them left work that morning to come to church and was going back after we were done. They heard the cry of Jesus from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

God is moving. This morning. 10:30 p.m. on Friday night. Tomorrow. This summer. Forever. What a privilege it is to walk alongside students when they are hurting as they try to find their part in the story of God.