I think I've posted about this before, but I think I will post about it again. Tonight was youth group. It went pretty well. Charity had to drive one of the youth leader's home, so I stayed around to talk with the rest of the youth and wait for their parents to arrive. Once everyone had left I began the treck home - three minutes by car, fifteen by walking. As I walked the heavy burden of working with teens on a part-time basis struck my heart once again.

    I love my job. As a Network Engineer at Collages every day is filled with challenges. I have the opportunity to architect solutions and work with technology many geeks only dream of. But at the end of the day there are only so many more hours left. And yes, I do what I do with those hours. We meet on a weekly basis. We have special events two to four times each month. We see the teens outside of youth group occasionally. But that isn't to say that that is all there is to do. There is so much more.

    First, there is learning. I believe that we teach out of the abundance of our own learning. If someone hasn't internalized material it is evident. Thus, every week I do my best to internalize my material. One way I have attempted to do this is by reading the portion of Scripture we will be working through every day of the week leading up to the event, as well a studying it using commentaries and bible dictionaries. But still, there is much more time that could be spent internalizing the material, as well as studying the intertextuality of the text. No Scripture passage is alone, rather it weaves a complex story interlaced with references.

    Then there is the teaching. I can push myself, but there is a certain passion that comes with the well-rested soul, a certain clearness of thought, which must be ushered in through sheer willpower when exhaustion settles in, and cannot still make up for the real passion.

    There is time spent in the community and in relationships. Attending sporting events and other school events - dramas, opportunities to tutor. There is establishing relationships with parents, teachers, and community leaders.

    There is an insurmountable amount to be done, without even looking at duties outside of the youth ministry itself - assisting in a service, preaching a sermon, performing a visitation, assisting in communion, attending a funeral.

    In my opinion, work and ministry should only be combined by those who desire "full-time" ministry when there is no alternative. Some have promoted the idea that one should perform both, and while I think it is a nice idea theoretically, it fails miserably practically. I would suggest that if we claim we can fulfill both roles without sacrificing something in one we need to re-evaluate the height of our work ethic or the comprehensiveness of our ministry.

    For those of us who are relegated to performing both we must look to God as our strength, and as Paul and Barnabas did when they had to leave the believers in modern day Turkey after their first missionary journey - entrust their souls to the Lord, for He is capable even when we have nothing left  to give.