Our Reflection to the World: Enduring Humility

By Olle Larson

In many ways, an organization’s culture should be like a well-composed culinary dish, where all of the ingredients of the dish complement one another and the flavors are perfectly balanced. At Stateline Youth For Christ, our goal is that the youth we serve would taste Christ’s love for them through our ministry. To help them taste Christ’s love, a key ingredient in our organizational culture is enduring humility. But what is the proper flavor profile of enduring humility, especially when our zeitgeist’s cultural ethos promotes the elevation of one’s self and a hyper attentiveness to “me and my rights?” In other words, what does it look like for us to practice enduring humility in the Stateline area today? 

In order for us to truly embody and reflect enduring humility in our ministry, it requires each of us to recognize that…  

1. Enduring Humility begins with seeing our true reflection in God for what it is.

In 2021, it is very easy for us to run from our true reflections and become lost in the elevated self-image we want others to see. Perhaps the easiest place to see this is our social media platforms. On Facebook, we can have the picture-perfect family and portray ourselves as the impeccable significant other, parent, or even grandparent. On Twitter, our thumbs dish out “expert” hot takes in 280 characters or less. Even our Tik Tok account provide us with the opportunity to win “Entertainer of the Year” in our social circles. In the chase for comments, likes, and followers, we often construct a carefully manicured, idealized, and elevated self-image with “me, myself, and I” as the central gravitational force of our lives. 

And yet when God enters the frame, a Copernican revolution rocks our carefully constructed universes. The famous pastor-theologian John Calvin once eloquently stated that “we must infer that man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God’s majesty” (1). At the same time, C.S. Lewis once penned that “in God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that—and therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison—you do not know God at all” (2). The point these two theologians make is that once we experience God for who He is, we begin to see ourselves more clearly for who we truly are. This mutual knowledge between knowing God and ourselves is foundational for enduring humility because it makes us aware of our own insignificance and messiness.

Thus, the first step in embodying enduring humility is recognizing our reflection in God and embracing its messiness and our own insignificance. When we take the time to peer into the mirror of Scripture, God’s self-communication of Himself to us, we discover not only that we are God’s image bearers but also begin to recognize the ugliness of our fallen condition and our inability to affect our own rescue (Gen. 1:26-3:24; Eph. 2:1-3; Rom 1:18-3:20, 3:22-23).

At the same time, Scripture marvelously declares the immensity of God as the holy and sovereign creator and ruler of the Universe and His graciousness as the one who rescues creation from the fall and redeem us from our sins through person and work of Jesus Christ, His Son, so that we might be called sons and daughter of God (Gen. 1:1-27; Job 38-41; Ps. 2; 95; Isa. 45:7-9; Matt. 10:29-31; Jn. 1:9-13; Col. 1:16-17; Eph. 2:4-10; Rom. 8:1-17; 11:33-36)! Once we grasp our reflection against God’s reflection in Scripture, our own self-importance and self-centeredness only begins to melt away, and we see our true self starring back at us in the mirror. In seeing our true reflection, it should lead us to conclude with C.S. Lewis that “the real test of being in the presence of God is, that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether” (3). Which brings me to our second point…    

2. Enduring Humility has no time to think about our own humility.

While embodying enduring humility begins with recognizing our prideful tendencies and seeing our lowly status against God’s majesty, these things should push us beyond a mere acceptance of these truths into a particular way of thinking. Once again, C.S Lewis is both witty and informative about the mindset of those seeking to embody enduring humility. According to Lewis:

“Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call humble nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody…[the truly humble person] will not be thinking about humility; he will not be thinking of himself at all” (4).

In other words, the person who models enduring humility will be so paradoxically preoccupied with something else, that he or she won’t have time to think about whether or not that individual is truly humble. But what then becomes the preoccupation of those seeking to model enduring humility?

In this case, the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians is informative and completes the logic of Lewis’ insight. In his appeal to the Philippians to maintain their unity as a body of believers, Paul provides both the Philippian church and us today with the most crystalized depiction of enduring humility. Enduring humility does “nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit.” Enduring humility “values other above yourselves” (Phil. 2:3 NIV). Finally, enduring humility does not look only to our own interest but also to the interests of others (Phil 2:4). Thus, the reason the truly humble person has no time to think about his or her own humility is because he or she is too busy being focused on others. Yet, what does it look like for the mindset of enduring humility to actually be lived out in our relationships with those around us? If we track a little further with the Apostle Paul in this letter, we discover that…

3. Enduring Humility imitates Christ’s humble servanthood and reflects it to others through sacrificial service.

For the Apostle Paul, as well as any other Christian, Christ is the ultimate example of enduring humility that we try to emulate in our relationships with others. In expounding on the example of Christ, Paul reminds both the Philippian church and us today that Jesus, aka the Second Person of the Trinity/God, did not even consider His own divine status something to be exploited for His own advantage but became a humble and obedient servant for the benefit of others (Phil. 2:6-8 CSB)!! A clear example of this humility and servant-nature is when Jesus, the disciples’ teacher, reversed his role and washed the feet of his disciples, an act so offensive that Peter at first refused and barred Christ from doing this to him (5). Yet the ultimate example of His humility and servanthood was His death on a cross and redeeming God’s people from their sins in total submission to the Father’s will, despite the fact that he was totally undeserving of bearing this punishment (Phi. 2:8). 

Paul’s point in rehashing Christ’s humility and servanthood for the Philippians (and by extension us today) is that Christ is the gold standard of enduring humility. In fact, Paul exhorts us and the Philippians to emulate this example by having “the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). As a result, the person seeking to embody enduring humility, imitates Christ, by humbling oneself, serving others sacrificially, and letting God glorifying him or her in His own time.

The Flavor Profile of Enduring Humility

Now we are in a position to examine the flavor profile of enduring humility that will go into the dish that makes up Stateline Youth For Christ’s culture. Enduring humility has a strong and distinct flavor profile. The first thing that hits the tip of the tongue is the distinctly sour recognition of one’s prideful, self-centered tendencies and lowly status when contrasted with God’s majesty that initially puckers one’s lips. In the back of your throat you are hit with an acknowledgement that enduring humility has no time to think about you own humility because the eventual flavor that dominates is an imitation of Christ’s humble servanthood that is reflected to others through sacrificial service.

Bon Appétit

O.T. Larson II.    

Sources

1.  John Calvin, The Institutes of Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, Library of Christian Classics, vols. 20-21 (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960) I.1.3

2.  C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (New York: Harper Collins, 2001), 124.

3.  Lewis, 125.

4. Lewis, 128 

5. Today it may seem odd that Peter refused to have Jesus wash his feet, especially when it has been adopted in wedding ceremonies today as a symbol of serving one another. In the ancient world, foot washing was typically reserved only for slaves and was a very demeaning task as one’s feet were typically crusted in filth. Perhaps the closest equivalent for today would be wiping someone’s backside after relieving one’s self. Edward Klink III, John, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, vols. 4 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 577-578. 

Addressing the Mentoring Gap

“One in three young people will grow up without a mentor outside their family. This is the mentoring gap in America.”

— The Mentoring Effect 2020

By Zabrina Ramirez

YFC USA recently shared a report that explored young people’s perspectives on mentoring. This report found that of the estimated 24 million at-risk* young people in our country, there are “an estimated nine million at-risk youth who will reach age 19 without ever having a mentor” (Bruce and Bridgeland 3).  Nine million young people without a mentor is a staggering number, especially when you consider everything that young people are facing today. 

Collectively, we are moving into another year of experiencing a worldwide pandemic. Not to diminish the weight of the situation, but you may remember another pandemic that our JJM Mentoring Director, J.R. Flannigan, brought to attention at last year’s banquet. He said, “I’ll be honest with you. Our city has had a virus for a long time now, and that virus pretty much consists of young people being involved with violence and crime.”

We believe that our young people’s stories do not end there. They are not just another statistic, but rather a child of God, just like you and just like me. 

It’s time to remove the old idea that the youth in our city are problems to be solved; they are to be loved and cared for. In an interview with faculty members from The Fuller Youth Initiative they discussed shifting the approach from “what’s wrong with youth,” to focusing on the potential of youth. They said,

When I think about some developmental resources that can be promoted in the church, I am thinking primarily about adults investing in young peoples’ lives in the form of mentoring, being connected to good role models, and that they have opportunities for involvement in meaningful activities that will develop their capacity for leadership (Bjørdal). 

Through engaging youth in authentic, Christ-sharing relationships (ACSR’s) we are investing in their lives by sharing the Gospel and helping to bring more opportunities for youth to develop their gifts that God has already given them. At Stateline YFC we have set the goal of engaging 1,000 kids through these ACSR’s across the Stateline area from 2021-2025. We believe that young people’s lives will be forever changed when they encounter true experiences with God. This trickles down from impacting one life to impacting many lives. Mentoring as a whole has the ability to address challenges that we’re facing in our region and in our nation:

At the local, state, and national levels, mentoring should be leveraged as a key tool to address the pressing issues facing the next generation. When integrated into national initiatives, mentoring strengthens efforts to reduce poverty, truancy, drug abuse and violence, and promote healthy decision-making, positive behaviors, and strong futures. (Bruce and Bridgeland 8).

Let us all continue to see our youth as beloved children of God, and not the problems of our community.  If you feel the nudge to join us in some way: in prayer, as a potential ministry leader, or a giving partner, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at info@statelineyfc.org. 

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*It’s important to note how at-risk youth is defined in this study: “For purposes of this survey, an at-risk youth is a respondent who is at the time of taking the survey disconnected (out of school and out of work) and/or responds “yes” to any of the risk factors reflected in the survey screening tool that are linked to decreased rates of achieving “productive adulthood”: incarcerated parent or guardian, regular absenteeism, poor academic performance, behavioral problems in school, delinquency, teenage pregnancy, and homelessness.” (Bruce and Bridgeland 13-14)

Sources

Bjørdal, Maria. “A new perspective on at-risk youth.” Interview with Dr. Sofia Herrera Maldonado. Fullerinstitute.org, 13 June, 2006, https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/blog/a-new-perspective-on-at-risk-youth. Accessed 2021. 

Bruce, Mary, and John Bridgeland. “The Mentoring Effect: Young People’s Perspectives on the Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring.” Mentoring.org, January 2014. 

The Mentoring Effect. (2020, September 10). Retrieved February 02, 2021, from https://www.mentoring.org/resource/the-mentoring-effect/

At NextSteps, We are Family

NextSteps is a program of the Juvenile Justice Ministry here at YFC. Our vision for NextSteps is to bring restoration to youth involved with the justice system by inspiring hope through relationships and new opportunities. We do this by building new relationships and strengthening existing relationships with at risk young people through holistic support from a positive caring adult. 

Our time together includes playing games, tutoring, team building, sharing a dinner together, teaching a biblical lesson, having small group discussions, and sometimes hosting speakers. Along with our NextSteps group meeting, we also have one-on-one mentoring times. 

At NextSteps, we focus on introducing youth to new and different life experiences outside of their norm. Something like cutting down a Christmas tree can be taken for granted by most, but can be a whole new memory for some of our youth. 

We recently started up NextSteps again, and have had 8-10 students regularly coming each week. We’ve played games, ate a meal as a family, and delved into God’s word together and discussed some tough life questions in small groups. This is where trusting relationships are being cultivated and life goals are encouraged and attained. 

In this giving season, consider blessing this amazing group of young people with a meal at their weekly NextSteps meeting on Monday nights. Email us at info@statelineyfc.org if you want to get involved. 

Welcome to YFC: Olle Larson

We’re excited to welcome Olle Larson to the YFC team! Olle is our Director of Operations which means he makes sure that ministry is well supported and running smoothly. His job primarily revolves around financial management, human resources, event planning, and other administrative tasks.

Olle grew up on a farmette just south of Belvidere and graduated from Belvidere High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts in both History and Psychology at DePaul University and is currently pursuing his Masters of Divinity (MDiv) at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and will graduate in May.

He now lives with his wife Kelley of 7.5 years here in Rockford. For fun they like to spend time together and look for new places to visit. Olle also reads, A LOT. When he's not reading you might find him snowboarding, fishing, learning to love golf, or trying new foods.

When asked what his impression was so far of working at Stateline YFC he said:

“The staff is very personable and friendly, as well as highly adaptable and creative as we try and navigate this pandemic. I love the ways we are utilizing this time to think creatively about doing ministry now during a pandemic as well as looking to the future."

Welcome to the YFC Family Olle!

Fear, Anxiety, Worry Overcome by WORSHIP

Fear, Anxiety, Worry

Overcome by Worship

By Cory Whitford

Have you ever had one of those days when nothing goes right? When the odds are stacked against you, you’re overwhelmed, and you wonder if you should just give up and go back to bed? When you have a day like that—or maybe even a year like that—we have two choices: We can worry, or we can worship. We can’t do both. If we’re worrying, we are not going to worship. If we’re worshiping, we are not going to worry. Sounds so simple doesn’t it?

Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (NLT).

At Harlem Campus Life we have been going through a series focused on the topics of fear, anxiety and worry. This series has been impactful for all who have been in attendance; including us leaders. In the first few weeks, as a group, we have gone around in a circle and discussed how fear and anxiety have an effect on us. We also defined what they mean to us. One of the students defined anxiety as, “the anticipation of fear.” Now that’s deep… As we move forward in the series, we will begin to discuss the antidote to all of our fear, worry, and anxiety.  You might be wondering “what is the antidote?” I’m glad you asked. WORSHIP— PRAYER, to praise God, and ask him for what you need. Just like with fear and anxiety, we will also define what worship and prayer is to us. What it means and why it’s so important. 

“Anxiety is the anticipation of fear.” - Harlem Campus Life student

When many people hear the word “worship,” they think of music. Music is one way to worship, but really worship is an entire lifestyle. Every aspect of our life can be an act of worship to God. In the book of 2 Chronicles, three enemy nations—the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites— join forces against King Jehoshaphat. The king received a report that they were on their way to fight the nation of Israel. The odds were three nations against one. Rather than worrying, Jehoshaphat chose to worship by asking God for help: “Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to ask the LORD what to do” (2 Chr. 20:3). His first reaction was fear—and, considering the odds, fear was reasonable. The king could have let his fear intimidate him, discourage him, or cause him to give up. Instead, Jehoshaphat let his fear motivate him to worship through prayer. He also didn’t do it alone. He gathered others to pray with him: “The country of Judah united in seeking GOD’s help—they came from all the cities of Judah to pray to GOD” (MSG, 2 Chr. 20:4). 

Let’s be real with each other. More than likely you will never have a day when three nations are united in war against just you. However, this year has brought with it much fear, anxiety and worry. There has been numerous days when the odds were not in your favor. However, when impossible days come, remember to choose to worship God by asking him to help you. He will always hear and respond.

Blessings,

Cory Whitford

Harlem Campus Life Director

YFC Golf Outing 2020

On September 14th, we enjoyed a beautiful day for our annual Golf Outing. Thank you to all our participants and sponsors (listed below)!

Ace: Joy Box Foundation

Par: Illinois Bank & Trust, The Luedke Investment Group - Stifel, SVL Productions, Subway

Putting Green: John Widell Construction, Inc., Bill & Terri Roop, Lorna Haugen Tutoring, Mid-Northern Management

Hole Sponsors: MembersAlliance Credit Union, Dan & Jean Clark, Advanced Machine & Engineering (& Hennig), BSLBV (R.C. Pottinger), Business Advisors, Eric & Andrea Fulcomer, Joe Sosnowski, Attorney Peter A. Savitski, David Zierke - State Farm Agent, Thrivent, Trekk, A & B Freight, Troy's Lawn Care, Inc., Tyson and Billy Architects, P.C.

Kingdom Inspired Diversity

By Haddon Anderson

Will lament over injustice towards the black community fade in a few weeks? Will cries for change wane?

Maybe this is already happening. Maybe buzz about this was simply a trend for many.

But the black community is still grieving and desiring change. Will their cries be heard?

Personally, I find this conversation to be critically important for a couple reasons:

1) As a believer in Jesus Christ, concern over injustice is central to God’s heart. Isaiah 1:17 states, “seek justice, correct oppression.” I am compelled to consider the ways the gospel of Jesus Christ invades broken hearts and broken systems to bring about transformation. I am learning here, but this is my heart.

2) One of our cultural attributes at Youth for Christ is “Kingdom Inspired Diversity.” The diversity on our YFC team is a reflection of God’s kingdom, and we believe there is great beauty in this. We will not allow this to be a trend that fades. We are committed to Kingdom Inspired Diversity. This is at the core of who we are.

Yesterday, some of our staff had conversation outside a restaurant for around three hours. Multiple black and white team members were present. We discussed race vulnerably with one another. We listened. We learned. We laughed. We even prayed at the conclusion of our time.

Kingdom Inspired Diversity…in action.

And this is merely the beginning. There are more conversations to be had. There are more books to read. Efforts need to be made to understand history and to grasp the systemic nature of the injustices before solutions for change can be realized.

This will not happen overnight. This is a long journey.

But through a posture of humility, we are committed. Kingdom Inspired Diversity is not fading from who we are, because who we are is rooted in the love of Jesus Christ who brings beauty out of our brokenness, who brings lights where there is darkness, who brings hope where there is none, and who is beautifully reflected in the diversity of His image bearers.

We invite you to join us as we lament, learn, and move towards action—action that uplifts Kingdom Inspired Diversity.

The Emotionally Healthy Leader: "Endings and New Beginnings"

By Titus Starks

I am grateful to join my YFC team in reading The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero. Each week’s reading followed by discussion have been impactful both collectively and individually. The final chapter entitled “Endings and New Beginnings” could not have come at a better time during this “Stay at Home order.” There were so many nuggets, but I want to share thoughts on understanding my practice of endings and new beginnings.

Life is a continual cycle of endings and beginnings. I must admit, I thought letting go and beginning again was something I should be quite practiced in by now. Lord knows I’ve had my share of experiences.

For me beginnings are exciting. They're full of promise, excitement, and an opportunity for change. Beginnings are joyful, painful, exciting and uncertain all at once. However, greeting the new also means saying goodbye to what you know and are familiar with. Saying goodbye to the old brings up the uncertainty of “what now?” But what I’ve found to be more painful is the IN-BETWEEN while waiting for the new beginning. Author Peter Scazzero helped put this fear of mine into perspective. Scazzero states “We miss seeing what is ahead in part because we fail to apply a central theological truth-that death is a necessary prelude to resurrection. To bear long-term fruit for Christ, we need to recognize that some things must die so something new can grow” (Scazzero, pg. 274).

You may be like me and accept the Biblical truth that death leads to resurrection, but you may question, “what do I do when my new beginning does not happen immediately?” No one enjoys waiting. I must admit I have often failed in the past, and honestly feel as if I am failing now in the waiting process. Our author points out that both endings and waiting are the gateway for our new beginnings. So, here is what I have resolved to put into practice during this season of many endings.

Spend time alone with God. “Leaning into God” can be done through my journaling, singing, reading scripture, and praying as a way to process my thoughts. Also, seeking counsel from those God has placed in my life is another solid path. Scazzero suggests this is helpful in posturing me for expectancy, that is, I am listening for God’s voice, learning what is needed for growth, and finally looking and expecting signs of new life.

Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ and Him rising from the dead, I am able to affirm that endings are always a gateway to new beginnings. Scazzero suggests that God’s purpose for us experiencing endings and losses is not simply to change our surrounding environment, but more so to begin a profound level of transformation in and through us.

Staying the Course,

Titus