One of the great dangers with working for Christ In Youth (or probably for any similar organization), is that sometimes we tend to get so caught up in the logistics of the planning.  Whether it be planning how the stage is going to be set up or putting together some killer marketing pieces or touching base with attending churches, sometimes the hustle and bustle of organizing so many complicated events can overshadow our purpose for doing it.

For me, it’s nice to attend a CIY event, whether it be MOVE, Believe, Know Sweat, or whatever as a spectator (or as close as I can come, usually they have me helping out with something part of the time).  I recently attended one of the evening services for our Know Sweat program and I got to stand near the back of the crowd and take in the worship and the evening speaker.  It was fantastic!  It was such a blessing to see all those teenagers worshipping God.  I remember being hit with a moment of clarity saying, “This is why we do this.”

It’s easy to forget that.  It’s easy to forget that the planning we do all year is to create powerful moments like what I experienced at Know Sweat that night.  What’s great for us is that we create multiple events that replicate these experiences for kids in different cities across the US.  The CIY staff puts in countless hours of work to ultimately bring kids closer to God.  From time to time we are blinded by the budget, the debates over planning, and the all-over busyness that goes into production.  But to finally get to take it all in and see the effects that all those hours and efforts have on youth groups is like finally reaching the top of a mountain.  You take a deep breath and just take in the moment.  This is why we’ve been called to do what we do and this is good.