Craig T. Owens

I loved being in church yesterday morning. I always enjoy being with my church family, but yesterday was extra special, as I got to sit back and watch our young leaders glorify God with their talents.

Our Impact! youth group is so appropriately named because our youth leaders are not only making an impact on our students, but they are teaching them to make an impact in their schools, homes, and workplaces. Yesterday they made an impact on me!

I have the privilege of leading worship alongside many of our young musicians and singers each Sunday, but there is something special about watching them worship God and lead others in worship of Him. Rich led us in an original song which he composed, and the message of God’s love through that song was so moving.

Then Josh, our youth pastor, challenged me to look at obstacles in a different light. He wove together the thoughts about the paralytic’s friends who didn’t let anything stop them from getting their friend to Jesus (Mark 2:1-5), with the simple truth that our faith-in-action can be as simple as giving a drink of water to a thirsty person (James 2:14-18 and Matthew 25:34-40).

Here are three thoughts I tweeted real-time during Josh’s message, and these thoughts are still working on me—

As I take Jesus to others, I don’t want to let obstacles become roadblocks; instead, I want to see those obstacles as opportunities for God to do something amazing through me. This will not only build my faith, it will win others to Christ, and it will glorify God!

If you live in the Cedar Springs area and have students that are in 6th grade or older, I encourage you to get them to Impact! each Wednesday evening.