STARPOINT HIGH SCHOOL - A Great Place To Be!

          Every person we met today at Starpoint High School treated us like royalty. The secretaries, lunch ladies, teachers, administrators and students were unbelievably cordial. Every single person we met went out of their way to make us feel welcome. The students were awesome!

           We talked to 5 classes of students about drugs, alcohol and good decision making. We told the students that they are perfect just as they are. There is no one like them that will ever walk the face of the earth after them. The formula for a successful life is this: 4S + ES = Success. That's the 4 Seasons plus Embracing Struggle equals Success. Just in case you have not heard about the Youth With A Purpose Four Season Philosophy, here it is in a nutshell:

Everything in life, including every breath you take fits into the 4 seasons. When you exhale, that's Fall, you let things go. After you exhale, there's a brief pause before you inhale - that's Winter. A time to pause and rest. A time to think deeply before you make your next move. Your next breath is an inspiration or Spring. A Time of new beginnings. A time to set new goals, start fresh.As the fresh air hits your lungs and heart, your body receives a revival of fresh air and blood. The summer is a time to celebrate a job accomplished.

          Struggle is a natural part of life. Diamonds are made from stress and pressure. Butterflies struggle out of their cocoons. Pearls are made from an irritant. The farmer has to break the ground before he plants. A muscle must be torn before it can grow bigger. Embrace struggle and you will gain greater understanding on the road of life.

           We sang a rap song and laughed as we learned together. Listening, laughing and learning - it doesn't get much better than that!

Thanks for your time.

 Go do something nice for somebody. 

A YWAP Mentor pauses, soaking up a great atmosphere!

I Feel Sad

          I hadn't seen my homeless friend in about a year. I smiled when he came in to the Youth Center. He stuck out his hand to give me a handshake and I pushed it away and gave him a hug. I was happy that he came back. Our reunion didn't last very long.

          He first starting coming to our Youth Center around dinner time. His demeanor was rather gruff and demanding. He would almost growl when he asked when the food would be ready. We served our food smorgasbord style and my friend would be first in line. That became an issue with the young people. Homeless folks can sometimes have an odor that can be pretty strong. He smelled like most homeless folks do. Their clothes are dirty and they lack the necessary items of personal hygiene. We serve a smorgasbord style meal for our snack and dinner. The kids did not want to stand anywhere near someone who had an odor. They did not want to touch the food after he had filled his plate. His hands were clean but they perceived him as a dirty person who could contaminate the food. They gave this homeless man plenty of space. They created space through avoidance. They created space through lack of understanding and compassion. They created segregation between themselves and a person who was hurting.

          We began seeking a solution about the unwelcome space of segregation in the food line. At a Food Bank of WNY Seminar, we received some very valuable advice: "Have the homeless man sit down and let the kids serve him." It was an awesome idea and closed the gap between the young people and the homeless dude. When in doubt; seek a compassionate solution.

          I had asked my friend what his dream was. He said he wanted to work on a farm. He liked to paint. I also asked him what his birthday was. He said it was August 8. I marked that date down in my phone. We always have birthday cakes that are donated from a local supermarket in our freezer. His birthday was on a weekend when we were closed at the Center. I grabbed a cake and drove around looking for him. I never did find him.

          A few weeks later he showed up once again at dinner time. His demeanor was the same, demanding to know when dinner would be ready. I told him about the cake and how I'd gone looking for him. All of a sudden his whole countenance changed. He brightened up knowing that somebody had remembered his birthday. He started asking if he could help us. He wanted to know how he could help. We gave him his cake after dinner and he left. I think I may even have seen a smile. that was the last I saw of him until this week.

          He asked me to help him get a roof over his head for the night. I took him to a shelter and told him that I would pick him up at 9am the next morning. I was there exactly at 9am. The lady inside said she was worried about him. She said he looked very sad and that he had left 10 minutes earlier. I went looking for him and never found him. That happened on Friday. I woke up at 4am this morning and prayed for him. He's still on my heart now. He will always stay in my heart.

          So why is a sad story a bright spot? Because a homeless man brightened my day. I was able to witness first hand the power of remembering a birthday. I learned how to serve a homeless person with compassion. I miss my friend and I will continue to pray for him. I hope you will pray for him too.

Thanks for your time. 
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

The Preacher Lost His Congregation

          The Preacher preached until no one was left.
As the congregation sat down for the early morning service,
the preacher dude turned his back on them.
He began to preach about the needs of the city.
Doors opened in front of the preacher revealing the city.

          As he preached a need,
several of the congregants would get up and walk past him toward the city. Eventually the preacher had covered all of the city gates and their needs.
Most of the folks understood the needs of the city and
walked past the preacher to go and help people in need.

          Some folks were miffed.
They had come to hear the preacher talk to them.
He didn't even face them,
he looked at the city and it's needs the whole time.
They got up and walked out the same doors
 of the church that they had entered.

          Eventually the church was empty, the preacher was alone.
All of the congregants had left him -
some went toward the need
 others left looking for feed.

          The preacher became a follower:
he followed the others toward the needs.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

A Bright Sin Spot

          As a child, I was taught to go to confession and tell a priest my sins. My friends and I would stand in a school hallway discussing our "sins." We would make up the sins and how many times we committed them. It sounded like this: "What did you do?" "Well I disobeyed my parents 4 times. I lied 3 times. I stole once and I said a dirty word (I said fart on a Sunday!)." It became a game of making up sin just so we would have something to say when we got into the wooden box with the priest behind the curtain.

          The priest would then give us some penance. It would be something like 3 "Our Father's," 4 "Hail Mary's," and 3 "Glory Be's." We heard that one really sinful kid had to say the whole Rosary! We understood penance as being prayers you would say to get rid of your sin. Our next assignment in sin removal would be to say those prayers. Then it was over and we didn't discuss sin until our next rendezvous before confession.

          Focusing on sin does not remove sin. It's a no-brainer to realize that we all have sinned. There isn't a human being dead or alive who has not done something with a dark character streak. Adding up our sins only causes a coagulation and clotting of darkness. If you sit in a dark room and focus on the darkness, you will not remove the darkness. Your gloomy heart will remain sullen until you introduce some light into your soul.

          There is a light switch for your soul called Christ. He designed a way of truth that reveals a new life. The Cross of Christ was first planted on a hill called Golgotha.  That hill was a nasty place filled with murderers, mockers, torturers, liars, thieves, hypocrites and cheats. Yeah, sinner folks galore with every type of dark sin you could imagine. Most folks have their own definition of sin and they use it to define other folks. Every definition of every kind of sin was present on that hill called Golgotha. It was the darkest place ever assembled until light was introduced.

          Death as we know it represents the final frontier - the place of no return. Viewing life with only a physical understanding presents limitations. Our world is full of examples of the appearance of death followed by new life: The four Seasons are a constant cycle of death and rebirth. A kernel of wheat has to fall to the ground and die before it is born again. Forgiveness lets resentment die and replaces it with a new life of grace. Park Rangers use a controlled burn to destroy old growth and make room for new life in a forest. Introducing light into your darkness will cause new life to grow within you.

          You don't have to pack your bag full of dirty character, fling it over your shoulder and drag your darkness through life. Just get up and go turn a light switch on. The light switch is connected to a current of grace that causes light to eliminate your darkness. Focus on the light. The coolest part of focusing on the light is that you become unaware of the darkness. The light becomes so inviting that you stop allowing darkness to exist. Even when you trip and fall back into the darkness, the light switch is always within reach. Eventually the light permeates every area of your life.

          Death on the Cross was followed by new life. As the grave stone was rolled away, Christ became a light switch that lights your present path as well as your journey into the final frontier of eternity. Just before he died. one of the last words that Christ uttered through tortured lips was: "Forgive." That word became a seed that died and fell into the ground before it came back to life as forgiveness for you and for me.

          Would you like light in your life? Start with that seed-word of forgiveness. Plant it today in some dark soil. Just believe that hope will water it and faith will shine upon it as it grows into new light in your life. Go and forgive your neighbor. Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. JLYASDW

Darkness becomes light through forgiveness.

The Value of Children

     This is a Bright Spot Report with some dark spots. Please treat them as seeds. Under the dirt, in a dark lonely place, there are seeds buried in bleakness. They will grow. Ideas will grow. Perseverance and commitment are the sun and rain that nourish the unseen seeds of potential in children.

Some children grow like trees.

Some children fall like leaves.

The Value of Children

     

      As a Youth Director in a violent and impoverished city, I've noticed a few things. Chief among them is the segregation of fairness and opportunity.
 

     The privileged "halo children" who always seem to get good grades effortlessly appear as tomorrow's sunrise in the eyes of society. Scores of children are labeled as "future failures" and become poster children for a disease called "recidivism. The value of many children has been taken from them and stashed away out of sight. Children are living behind barbed wire halos, encased in a crypt of concrete adorned with steel bars.

      I watch teenagers go to jail in large numbers. Many are sentenced by men and women wearing robes of haughtiness, lacking compassion. They don't have a clue what it's like to struggle through school, poverty or violence. The few who have had a glimpse of struggle seemed to have lost their compassion via an inflated life status. They act as if punishment instead of education is a deterrent to a life of crime. The rate of recidivism would suggest otherwise. Many young people sit behind bars for years while their cases are continually adjourned or postponed. They languish in a hopeless neighborhood of cells filled with hopeless neighbors. Public Defenders rarely visit or return phone calls. Their client is just another number in a jumpsuit.

      I listen to people complain about the cost of educating a child when the cost of incarceration is more than double the cost of education. Money is not really the issue, there is plenty of it. The flow of money is in the direction of the power brokers who want to make more money, whatever the cost.

      The answer is in the compassionate expenditure of money. Children are devalued by the focus of society. If we spend most of our funds on intervention instead of prevention, does that reflect compassion? Money should flow where your heart is. Where is your heart?

      The goal of Youth With A Purpose Inc. and Mentor Force is to identify a Mentor for every child in the Buffalo Schools. We are partners with Teachers and Parents. Through a united front and a repetitive message, all children will have a Mentor. We will operate an after school/community outreach program with athletic and education facilities. We will Mentor students in the classroom. We will Mentor students after school. We will teach people how to be Mentors and Coaches.

      Every child is gifted and valuable.
     Every child deserves the right to go to college.
     Every child is capable of becoming a disciplined employee.
     Every child is entrepreneurial and motivated.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

It's Good To Be Irritated!

           God sent one of my irritants to heaven last week. He was a man who seemed to lay in wait
for the opportunity to pepper me with annoying questions. I think he was one of God's people
who specialized in making pearls through irritants. I hope God sends another irritating person my
way to help me remove my own irritants. 

           God's jewelry is hammered gold, melted silver, diamonds that are made in a hot, lonely place under pressure, and pearls that are created from irritants. People will hammer you, burn you, pressure you and irritate you; start making God's jewelry!

          There is a special music that accompanies the fine art of God's jewelery creation. The sounds of falling leaves, breaking ground, dropping seeds, wind and rain, pelting hail, cracking ice, deep breathing, heartbeats, laughter and the snap, crackle pop of a campfire.

          Go make some beats and create some jewelery from your troubles. Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.  

SMORES! Eye jewelry made from the musical flames.

Urban Christian Ministries

 

This little light...hmmmmm

       Many years ago a large group of people were walking across the desert. They carried all of their personal possessions with them. When they needed light, they would use a golden lampstand filled with olive oil and trimmed with a wick. The people were taught the importance of becoming a Light for the world by their actions. They became branches of Light who illuminated the lives of others. The tradition of being a "Lampstand Who Lights the Way for Others" is continued today in Buffalo, New York. The folks at Urban Christian Ministries have been golden lampstands in Buffalo for over 40 years. They've brought light to dark places. They've ignited a light in thousands of young people. Those lights are now shining among us.

          As the Director of Youth With A Purpose, I've had the privilege of working alongside UCM for 10 years. Previously I've written about UCM in a book called: "Wisdom From The Hood." They have infected me with a contagiousness of their light spreading message. I can trust them to help young people that pass through our organization to theirs. They've lifted many young people out of a gang life. They mentor, teach, grieve, console, feed, clothe, visit, heal and support in more excellent ways everyday. They don't quit - they just keep lighting the way.

          Working in the youth ministry is the hardest, heartbrokenest (new word,) and most fulfilling job that I've ever had. We're in the business of watching kids die or live, go to college or jail, succeed or fail and everything else under the sun. We need to support each other and UCM has always been there for YWAP. We've received a lot of help in 10 years. Imagine how many countless organizations that have received help in the last 40 years. If you have an opportunity to return some support back on to their hearts, please do so.

 

Igniting lights of excitement for the future.

       I think maybe the story about Pinocchio and Lampwick just might be a good way to sum up a story about UCM. Pinocchio was a Disney character in a movie who began life as a wooden puppet.  He invites Lampwick to a party celebrating his transformation into a "real boy." Lampwick instead persuades the wood dude to go with him to the Land of Toys where they can play all day. They engage in idleness and play. One day they wake up with donkey ears. Once they admit their own condition, they begin to laugh at their plight. Eventually their laughter turns into brayings and they are transformed into donkeys.

          They're eventually sold as donkeys. Lampwick is sold to a man who operates a watermill. Pinocchio is sold to a drummer who wants to use his skin to make a drum. He tries to drown the donkey so he can skin his hide and use the skin for a drum. Pinocchio doesn't drown and tells the drummer that a fish ate his donkey skin because he's now back to his real self. Urban Christian Ministries is in the business of helping young people find their "real self's." In a world filled with many wooden, unyielding people braying lies, UCM gives kids the truth about a better way of life.

          Society attempts to turn many children into drum skins that we can beat on. UCM gives kids a beat they can walk by. They help young people walk to the beat of a different drummer; the beat they hear is the sound of hammering. That's the beginning of a golden lampstand. The gold has to be hammered. Once the gold is hammered into a lampstand, the oil is added. Olives have to be crushed to attain the oil. The wick is made from cotton and must have capillary action for the oil to move from top to bottom.  The cotton is cut, crushed and cleansed by beating. It's not an easy task to become a golden lampstand. It's not an easy task to help others become a golden lampstand.

You are changing the world one community at a time. JLYASDW

   
          To the folks at UCM: I say thank you for being a light to hundreds of thousands of young people and their families. I pray that you continue lighting through hammering, crushing and beating in the same way that the Light of the world revealed as the only way. Jesus loves you and so do we.

I Was on the Steps of City Hall

Last week I was invited to attend a rally on the steps of Buffalo City Hall. A large group of people gathered to show support for the current Superintendent of the Buffalo Schools, Dr. Pamela C, Brown, Dr. Ed.D. 
  As the Founder/Director of Youth With A Purpose Inc. and Mentor Force: 

I support the students in the Buffalo Schools. 
I support Dr. Pamela Brown. 
I support the Buffalo School Board.

Last year I supported Amber Dixon, I thought she did an admirable job. Some of the fruits of her labors are being borne now through children in the Buffalo Schools. She has moved on to climb another mountain on behalf of children. I now support Dr, Brown. It's time to focus on children. The best sign I saw at the rally said: CHILDREN FIRST!! 

Folks, I've been around the education block a few times. I have served as President of the Iroquois School Board and as an elected Trustee for 10 years. We hired great personnel who put children first. The Teachers were awesome as were their Union Leadership. All contracts were extended beyond the expiration dates. Iroquois was ranked consistently as one of the best schools in the area. We did have some dark history as we went through a period of mistrust. A group of people with a compassion for putting children first overcame adversity and the children gained more opportunities to excel.

The Buffalo Schools are showing improvement. There are bureaucratic forces beyond the control of folks at the local level. Doing the best we can for our students begins with our focus. Will the focus be on education or control of the process? The graduation rates and attendance rates have shown improvement while the dropout rate has decreased. Good news is something to latch onto and spread. Negativity is like a fox eating away at the roots of the grapevine. A little bite here, a little bite there and the damage is done. The vine is slowly destroyed and the fruit will not grow.

I am glad that some folks are seriously examining the expenditures and policies of  the Buffalo Schools. Accountability is a good thing, Dr. Brown welcomes accountability. It was only 3 months ago that the Buffalo School Board gave Dr. Brown passing grades in her first Superintendents Report Card. What has she done in the last 3 months that would warrant her removal?

Constructive criticism does not need to be negative. If children on a Student Council harshly attacked a fellow student that they disagreed with, we would reprimand them for their insensitivity. Can we hold each other accountable without personal attacks? Can we report more of the Bright Spots in the Buffalo Schools? Our schools have great Teachers doing a phenomenal job in a very tough atmosphere. Let's applaud their effort and focus on children.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

We Didn't Preach

Young men behind bars?

The young men were bouncing a ball behind bars. They weren't in jail - yet. On 7th Street, deep in the heart of a violent, segregated and impoverished city, young men played a game. They stayed busy at least for a couple of hours. There was a drug deal or two on the sidewalk but mostly is was young people playing ball. Is there any value in a basketball court? Is there a "Return On Investment" in building a Youth Center? Is there another way to reach young people with a positive, life changing message?

Most churches and community organizations schedule events that help people. That in itself is a community enhancing activity. Some folks seek out missionary opportunities and paint houses or do evangelistic outreaches. There may be a more excellent way - the unscheduled way. I hope that after you read this, you go play some basketball.

We stepped out of the Youth Center with a bag of chocolate chip cookies and some drinks. We walked across the street to the packed basketball court and smiled. Some of the young people who were not yet playing, gathered and asked if they could have some of our snacks. Food is a great tool in relationship building. One of us sat on the sideline with the food and the other went and played ball.

We talked about a shirt that one guy was wearing that was clearly demeaning to women. We talked about respect when a young girl walked down the street and the group made disparaging remarks about her. We talked about positive words and negative words. We talked about team play. We talked about anger, respect and friendship. One guy said that his brothers were in jail. He was trying to stay busy so he wouldn't end up there too. We watched some folks who were very "high" stagger down the street.

 One player fell down with an ankle injury. I walked over, touched his ankle and said: "Be healed in Jesus Name." The only other time I mentioned Jesus is when we left. I always smile and say: "Jesus loves you and so do we!" There was no preaching, no sermons, no altar calls and we did not count the number of salvation's that happened. We planted seeds. For everything there is a season.

You may find a gathering place in your neighborhood. If you want to be a missionary, go hang out there. Just go show some interest in people without expectation. Go love somebody. Go the extra mile.

Thanks for your time. Jesus loves you and so do we.

Are You A Cleaving Clefter?

Did you ever hear the sun complain about yesterday's overcast skies?
Did you ever hear a tree complain about losing it's leaves?
Did you ever hear a snowflake complain about melting?
Did you ever hear the wave complain about leaving the shore?
Did you ever hear a shooting star complain about falling?
Did you ever hear a raindrop complain about being lost in the ocean?
Did you ever hear the moon complain about sharing the sky?

The sun always rises, even after the darkest night.
Spring always sprouts even after the harshest winter.
Melting, raining or crying, there is movement.

Moving water is a river of life. 
Even the heavens dance in a storm.
The sky is a party announcing a new day is dawning - EVERYDAY!
Go share a new day!
 
CLEAVING & CLEFTING

Cleaving can be cutting or clinging.
 Some folks cling to the cutting
 and end up clefting (they become hardened hearts.)


Be careful in your cleaving,
you may end up as a cleft.

Cleavers hold on to bitter memories
causing calcification in their hearts.

If God is not your Rock,
your hardened heart will end up as sand.

God can turn your hardened heart into
a cleft where His glory passes by.

Sometimes God uses bitter folks
to cause brokenness in other people.

Is it I, Lord?

Isaiah 57:5
Inflaming yourselves with gods under every green tree, Slaying the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks?

Exodus 33:22
So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.

Jeremiah 49:16
Your fierceness has deceived you, The pride of your heart, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.

Song of Solomon 2:14
“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is lovely.”
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

HEY TEACHER LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!

All the nice little students with their halos march orderly into your classroom. Taking their seats, they sit in silence waiting for you to fill their heads with knowledge. A student in the front row smiles, raises his hand and asks: "Teacher, can we please take a test today?" If you think that's the normal beginning of a Teacher's day, you must be smoking something. A day in a Teacher's life is more like trying to stop a fallen leaf in the Niagara River from going over the Falls! A Teacher must be a highly skilled relationship builder who Teaches children how to navigate the rapids of life. How do you build relationships with students?

If you're looking for a quick fix and a simple list of rules to follow, go read a book on manners and etiquette. Go with the flow is a good way to describe relationship mentoring. That does not mean you hop into the Niagara River and join the leaf as it goes over the Falls. What I'm about to describe is a process that BEGINS WITH YOU! The first relationship you must build is with yourself.

If you have not already done the deep soul searching of knowing who you are, drop your pens, pencils and paintbrushes and start seeking. Here are some good questions to begin with:

• What are you good at?
• What is your learning style?
• How do you get out of your comfort zone?
• Do you know how to ask for help?
• Why are you a Teacher?
• What is a good risk?
• Do you know what compassion is?
• How do you form a relationship with someone who rubs you the wrong way?
• Are you positive or negative?

There are many other personal queries that will help you "know thyself." If you don't understand yourself, you cannot begin to understand the true responsibilities of a Teacher.

Here is a story I read once that describes the life of a typical child that will come to your classroom. Wolves eat caribou. The wolf pack will have a meeting and discuss which one of the caribou they would like to eat. They look at the young, elderly or disabled. After having made their choice of which caribou they will kill and feast on, they identify which of their own will be the killers. One or several members are chosen as the slashers. Their job is to chase down the chosen victim and slash the caribou. After the initial slashing, the wounded caribou retreats to the safety of the herd. Bloodletting begins to weaken the slashed caribou. The slashers renew their pursuit and slash the victim again. Sometimes the victim will fall, sometimes they return once again to the safety of the herd, The loss of life as the blood drains away eventually causes the victim to weaken and give up. The wolf pack moves in and dines on another defenseless victim.

Children come into the safety of your classroom. They are escaping a world of abuse. They are escaping the gang in the street. They are escaping the older sister who urges them to get pregnant and live off the system (because they did.) They are escaping a Mom who tells them to quit school and get a job so they can support Mom's drug habit. Everyday the caribou student comes into the safety of your herd and escapes the wolves of the world. Can you handle that?

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

Dear Teacher - NO RULES!

I hope your day is filled with heart smiles! I'm glad you're here dear Teacher. I personally believe that you have the most important job on the face of the earth. You are in charge of 100% of the future - our children. As an old head who has taught thousands of children in classrooms and on top of mountains, I thought maybe I could share some wisdom with you. Today's lesson is about rules.

Your first rule for the first day back to school is:

DO NOT START THE YEAR WITH RULES!

     Please start the year by building relationships. Rules will separate you emotionally from the vast majority of young people you are trying to reach.  Relationship building leads to the freedom of motivation. For many years, we engaged students in a process we call: "Relationship Mentoring." We cannot mentor unless we have a relationship. After we have built a relationship, we mentor in the power of the emotional moment where the student currently resides. Let me go a little deeper with the concept of "Power Moment Mentoring.

 Each student usually carries emotional baggage of some kind. Maybe they got kicked out of their home, didn't eat in a few days, has been abused, their family split up, somebody died or worse. The things our children live with today can be emotionally devastating. The average exposure age to porn is 9 yrs old. Statistics show that 1 in 3 girls have been victims of abuse and 1 in 5 boys have also been victims of abuse. The point here is that you as a Teacher will face many students everyday who carry emotional baggage. If you are going through a divorce, is your mind totally focused on the task in front of you? Children need to be given tools for their Emotional Toolbox. If you ignore the emotional baggage in the heart of a child, you might as well tell the child: "I don't really care about you as a person. You are just another student whose head I want to fill with useless stuff!"

Once a child knows that you care, you have planted the seed of possibility. It's a sad fact that your Teacher Evaluation will not keep track of all of the moments that you have truly made a difference in a child's life. Not every apple makes it out of a students heart and on to your desk. Not every student will say thank you. Some student may be sitting in jail someday remembering your words and then they will begin to emerge from their cocoon of struggle. The key to successful Teaching is building relationships.

Did you notice that every time I use the word Teacher it's capitalized? It's a sign of how much I respect you and your efforts to make a difference in a child's life. If you need help building relationships, we are available all year. You can simply email or call with a question. We mentor in schools with Students as well as Teachers. We mentor in assemblies, classrooms and campgrounds. Camping is a great relationship building tool!

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody!

(The next Bright Spot Report will give "Tips on Building Relationships." 
We will publish that article on Friday August 30, 2013

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood "All Children Are Gifted"

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240 ywapbuffalo@yahoo.com

http://www.youthwithapurpose.org/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible. You may give online at: http://www.gofundme.com/73te4
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  

Imperfect Fruit

     Our tenure at Holy Cross has been a very fruitful and imperfect season. Sometimes kids break things, We see the brokenness in their own hearts. Sometimes kids reject us. We sense their own rejection. Sometimes kids will lash out at us. We feel the results of somebody abusing them.

     Most folks do not have any desire to work in a place where your heart is broken once a week. It's hard to explain why you might want to be here. Our time here has been truly rewarding and we have been blessed immeasurably. Volunteers are hard to come by, especially in a place where devalued children act disrespectful. Police are regular visitors to our neighborhood. Gunshots, drug deals and threats of violence are the norm in the area around the Youth Center. Kids soak up their surroundings and bring them inside our walls.

     Children need discipline and supervision. We have not always been adequate in those departments. But when I talk to many of the thousands of young people who have come through our doors in the last 10 years, they speak about relationships. A kid knows he can come in and hear someone look them in the eye and say: "It's good to see ya!" Some kids stop in for a moment of feeling validated and then they are on their way. They know that even if we do throw them out, they are welcomed back unconditionally.

     We used to keep the gym open until 1am because there are kids on the streets with nowhere to go. Nobody knows how many homeless kids live from "couch to couch." If someone would ask me what I would do with a million bucks it would be this: We would create a 24-7 youth center. A place where young ladies could go to talk about the child in their womb. A place where young men could learn the game of life through a disciplined approach to basketball. A place where jobs are created through an entrepreneurial program. A place where Bible studies teach young people how to apply the love of Jesus to their broken hearts. It would be a 24/7 Relationship Center.

     In our gym, it was common to hear: "Pull your pants up!" "Watch your language!" "Respect the ladies!" We focused on character and Boaz Basketball. During our last Block Club Basketball season, all the young men heard about the Love of Jesus all summer long. The whole community heard about the love of Jesus all summer long. It was exciting. The guys smoking dope near the court were politely asked to stop and they did. The guys using foul language were asked to stop and they did. We do have some supervision that people may not see.

     We are very grateful for our season at Holy Cross. We will continue to operate the Center for the foreseeable future. It's a time of expansion for Youth With A Purpose Inc. Growth follows pruning. We are mentoring in the Buffalo Schools and reaching over a thousand children each year. Sometimes we take them camping. The owners of the cabin sometimes urge us to have more supervision. We try and provide that.

     I spent most of yesterday in Federal Court listening to Prosecutors talk about the bad kids. I hurt for these kids. I feel like we have let them down by not providing enough opportunities to be good kids. Thanks again for caring.

Jesus loves you and so do we.

 

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood "All Children Are Gifted"

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240
http://www.youthwithapurpose.org/

LIFE-SALT HEALS WOUNDS

A flower amidst thorns.

Yes, you can flower amidst thorns.

A thorny relationship can heal and

 flower into a more excellent love.

Our message yesterday morning (8-17-13) at Last Days Fellowship followed a root theme. In our families, the roots of generations of woundedness lie buried under layers of unhealed selfishness.

Life has a way of throwing salt on old wounds that causes them to bubble up to the surface of our emotional consciousness. As we try to control the pain, we place the cause of the pain on the people closest to us and try to control them. If we allow the pain to fester, an infection of evil will set in. There are only 2 paths in life: love and fear. We have the free will to choose our life path.

 Free will is a key that can unlock one of 2 doors: The door of self will open to demonic influence. The other door opens to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

God takes our understanding and flips it upside down. We would not choose a painful path of growth. The way of humanity is the path of least resistance. Physical salt on a physical wound will only result in preserving the pain. Only the Spirit of God can flip your physical understanding into spiritual wisdom. He wants to heal us from our controlling selfishness and preserve us for eternal life.

Salt on a buried wound is meant to be a healing agent. This type of salt is called: "Life-salt." By definition, salt is a seasoning and a preservative. The life-path of love is designed for deeper and continual growth. There can be no growth without brokenness. You are meant to be a heart farmer who breaks the ground in the fertile soil of wounded hearts. A heart farmer sows seeds in yielded hearts. The seed grows into a bigger heart capable of a more excellent love.  A good heart farmer seasons what he sows with "Life-salt." 

The world inherently pours salt on your old wounds reopening scarred tissue. The love of God is like a river flowing as a balm of healing. Do not be afraid to go deep into the crevices of pain in your soul. The wound needs to be exposed. The person who was wounded is not you because you are a reborn child of God. His mercies are new each day. Your heart can smile again with an infectious grin that stretches from heart beat to heart beat. Take the hand of Jesus and visit the place in your soul where you have hidden your emotional scars. Peel away the layers of control like a tree bares itself in the forest. Expose yourself to God's unconditional and unceasing love. He will heal you. He will restore you.

 

Let go, yield your pain to the Holy Spirit. Ask God to take your desire for control away. Seek to be filled with a more excellent way of love. Pursue peace in your soul. Make your life a continual quest to search for others who need the healing that you have received. Forage forgiveness on all of the days of your life. 

 Jesus is our "Life-salt." 
The Holy Spirit is our "Life-path." 
The Father is our "Life-everlasting."

The Holy Spirit will lead you into a space of repentance and healing if you yield your selfish control to God. The dormant wound left unhealed can open the door to the spirit of control.  That's dangerous and eternally life threatening. The answer is found in Galatians 5:16-26:

Amplified Bible
16 But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
17 For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.
18 But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.
19 Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,
20 Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies),
21 Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
23 Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [[a]that can bring a charge].
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.
25 If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit [b]we have our life in God, let us go forward [c]walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]
26 Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.

Galatians 5:16-26
The Message (MSG)
16-18 My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?
19-21 It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.
22-23 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
23-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
25-26 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood "All Children Are Gifted"

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240http://www.youthwithapurpose.org/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible. You may give online at:
http://www.gofundme.com/73te4
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  

Holy Cross Gym is Closed

A cross in a hoop.

Jesus was our focus

We hope your day is filled with extravagant opportunities to smile! Sometimes it's hard to smile when sad news is on the horizon. The last basketball has fallen into the rim at Holy Cross. After many years of young people playing basketball in the Holy Cross Gym, the backboards and rims have been taken down. The gym will no longer be used as an athletic facility.

The parish needs the space for other church activities. It would be great if there were more buildings we could use for youth programs. Space and funding are always a problem. For almost 10 years, Youth With A Purpose has operated a community center that included the use of the gym. It has been a fantastic era. We estimate that over 100,000 young people have come through those doors.

The gym has been a

We taught about the game of life.

relationship building entry point. Young men have been
told to pull up their saggin' pants and watch their language. We come down hard on any guy who disrespects a lady. We've broken up fights and restored peace. There has been only one serious injury that we can recall. That was a young man who broke his arm when he fell awkwardly. Already the absence of the gym is being felt. Our Block Club Basketball team will have to practice outside. They are in the Playoffs with 2 possible games left. Playing outside is good if the weather is good, so it is not a big deal. Winter weather fills the gym. We existed with a small staff of mostly volunteers. A little effort went a long way.

We will continue mentoring large numbers of young people. We feed many kids from our kitchen in the Youth Center after school. We tutor as needed and run a host of other programs. This summer has been one of our busiest. Check out all of the photo albums on our Facebook page at:
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470
You will see we have been unbelievably busy!

We will open the school year with a Freshmen Orientation at Global Concepts Charter School. Call us if you are looking for mentors in your school. 716-830-8240 According to one retired Buffalo Principal: "Since YWAP has been in our school, grades are up, suspensions are down and behavioral problems have leveled off." Every year we are asked to facilitate classroom mentoring sessions and assembly programs. We have speakers on all topics relevant to students middle school, high school and college. Our Wilderness Adventure Program continues to attract adventurers looking for some team building combined with a whole lot of fun and exercise.

The Alpha Omega International Music Ministry is exploding. We have a very talented group of musicians and songwriters from different countries including Russia, Korea, Burma, India, and America. We present programs in churches, youth camps, parks, city missions, schools and street corners. The team does something we call: "WWW" or "Word Within Worship." Music is combined with a fast moving message. We would love to rap to your group!

It is sad to think that the last basket has been made at Holy Cross. However,

 "All things work together for good!" Romans 8:28

EVERYTHING.....
Has happened so that the glory of God can be revealed.
Instead of blaming people for bad things,
just believe that all bad things work together for good.
Don't let yourself be blind to the limitless
and unfathomable glory of God.
He can soften hardened hearts in the blink of an eye.
If you are in the cleft of a hardened heart,
let God's glory pass by.

Exodus 33:22 Amplified Bible
And while My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.

John 9:1-5 The Message
True Blindness

9 1-2 Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?”

3-5 Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.”

We are grateful for all of the years that we had the opportunity to form relationships with young people in the Holy Cross Gym. We look forward to the new things that God will lead us to. His mercies are new each day.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

The focus of YWAP basketball is:

 Love God & Love your neighbor.

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood "All Children Are Gifted"

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240http://www.youthwithapurpose.org/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible. You may give online at:
http://www.gofundme.com/73te4
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.