Shepherding

One way Arthur and I have gotten involved at our church is helping with the middle school and high school youth groups as "shepherds".  This title for the position is a little intimidating.  The term shepherd denotes leading something such as sheep somewhere.  I think the term "cowboy" would be more appropriate for what we do which is more riding herd on a bunch of teenagers.  I think our actual job is to be more of a mentor at some point.

I have been working with the high school girls.  I have really been enjoying this but it makes me feel really old.  Surely it hasn't been 10 years since I was I high school girl.  It is also a tad strange to be considered in the adult age range on the spectrum now.  Although at times I have had to specify that I'm a leader and not a new student.  I also have forgotten how much girls can talk, how fast they talk, and how all can be talking at the same time and somehow still comprehend 3 separate conversations (not including the multiple texting chats they may be having on their phones at the same time.)  I'm looking forward to working with this group.

On Sunday we did a service project raking leaves for older members of the church. This was a good idea except for the weather on Sunday.  There were swirling wind gusts up to 50mph.  This makes doing anything outside a little more challenging--especially raking leaves.  I honestly have not raked many leaves in my life before.  While our yard had a lot of trees they were small, newer trees so leaves were never a problem. (This also means there wasn't any leave piles to jump in which was a downside.)  We did a few yards and then found some shelter from the wind at the church kitchen and had frozen pizza and Sonic drinks.  I am also realizing that my pizza consuming is spiking the more I hang out with high schoolers.

I (Arthur) had a blast raking leaves.  I probably did not rake more than the average amount of leaves as a child, but I was always very competitive and thorough about it.  That tradition continues on today.  I have a very nonphysical job, and while I love the mental aspect of it, I had a huge hankering for some yard work by the time Sunday rolled around.  Besides that, I feel a moral obligation to show all the young whippersnappers how a man works, so I went at it hard.  I suppose it could be argued that you shouldn't really "feel the burn" while raking leaves, but I would say that I was employing my upper body with as much exertion as I would performing the front crawl swimming; and I had that nice, satisfying burn in my shoulders afterwards that always felt rewarding after swimming.  Added bonus: I can still outwork a gaggle of teenagers five times over (they're called a gaggle, right?)

We would also like to thank anyone who invested in our lives while we were in youth groups.  I now have a much deeper appreciation for all you did and also probably what you had to put up with.  When we first met with the pastor of our church I mentioned that the time period in my life that had the greatest impact on my spiritual growth was during high school and that I had a few women who poured into us and really challenged and encouraged me.  After making that comment it was suggested that we might be a good fit to be "shepherds" since we know the value and impact it can have on a life personally.  Which lead me to raking leaves in the wind instead of taking a Sunday afternoon nap.  Omnia Vincit Amor.