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Running A.M.O.K.:You ARE Your Ministry
by Dave Weiss (Dave's bio)
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A few years ago when I first began my ministry I heard something that planted the seed for A.M.O.K. and I thought I would share it with my readers this week. I was young inexperienced and looking for ideas on how to do youth ministry better when I stumbled upon an ad for a local Youth Specialties Resources Conference. The leader of the forum was a guy by the name of Dave Ambrose. I gained a lot of input into resources, techniques, etc. but what really impacted me was not so much that as one sentence that Dave said. He said, "You ARE your ministry." At first I was taken aback by the statement but when I thought about it a little more, it made a whole lot of sense. I mean think about it. God has made each of us a different way, with different histories, different gifts and talents, different likes dislikes and tolerances and different personalities. Yet he calls each of us to use what we have been given to serve others. Are we doing that? Are we being true to the selves that God made as we attempt to do ministry?
Now I know this may ring a little hollow coming from someone that is writing a column full of ideas and techniques for doing ministry, but think about it. Part of the reason I took this ministry on is that there are a lot of people out there that are better teachers, better artists and better a whole lot of other things than me. But God has gifted me in unique ways. First, I have worked on a series of low budget/no budget projects that uniquely equip me for working within the constraints of the average church youth ministry budget. God has also gifted me with a passion for doing things in ways that they have never been done before and a real disdain for the status quo. God has given me a love of creating and most importantly a love for lost and misunderstood people especially kids. I went to seventy rock concerts in about a five year period and now I write for a music ministry publication. I was drawing pictures when all my friends were out on dates. Even the dumb mistakes from my past have been made a useful tool in the hands of a loving God. Roll this up in a ball and you come up with A.M.O.K. and I am my ministry.
Now please don't think that this is an article about me, it's not even really about A.M.O.K. It is really designed to do no more than make you ask yourself a few questions. Why did God make me this way? How can God use what He has given me? How can He use my talents, gifts and abilities? How can He use the mistakes I have made in the past to His glory? How would He have me use my gifts to serve others? Who would He have me serve? Pray over these questions. Run them through your mind. Study them in the scriptures. Don't be afraid to think way outside the box and be creative, after all, your Heavenly Father is the creator of the Universe. Creativity is in your genes. You say, "It's never been done like this before." Perfect. You say, "The folks at church may not approve." Search it out in the scriptures, pray over it and try to explain it, keeping in mind that a lot of the folks didn't approve of Jesus in His day. God is ready to do a new thing. His unchanging message must be presented in ways our culture in 2002 will understand. Find your gift, seek His will and run A.M.O.K.
Copyright 2002, Dave Weiss. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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About Dave Weiss: Dave Weiss is the founder of A.M.O.K. (Arts Ministry Outreach for the Kingdom) a writer, speaker, graphic designer and a licensed minister with a background in youth ministry. For more information on A.M.O.K. or to learn more about using the arts in ministry go to the A.M.O.K. website at http://members.christhost.com/amok or join the A.M.O.K. list serve at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amokarts/.
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