Taking Advantage of a Teachable Moment

Recently on the way to an 8th grade basketball game (I'm the coach for Clark/Roosevelt) I overheard some of my players calling an Indian boy on our team a "terrorist". Knowing the two boys who were making the comments I understood that they were mostly joking around with the boy whom they both like. Yet as I sat there I sensed the Holy Spirit prompting me to take advantage of the opportunity, a teachable moment if you will. When we entered the locker room I told the kids we were having a team meeting. I gathered them around a marker board and began to write the words: Black White Indian. I then told them that I had been offended by some of the language that was used on the bus and wanted to talk about it. I asked them to shout out negative terms or thoughts that people have about each of the three races on the board before them. "Racist" they said for whites, "poor" they said for blacks, "terrorist" they said for Indian. I then had three boys come forward as representatives of each race and asked them to say things that described them. "Funny", "Hilarious", "Fun to be around", were some of their responses. I told them that language, whether joking or not, says a lot about how we choose to think about each other. A prejudice, I said, was when you chose to have negative views about all people in a race or ethnicity, because of a few bad apples. "I am a white man, and there are white men who are in the KKK, but I hope that when you met me you didn't think I was an angry racist bigot." I closed the time by saying that scripture says that we should treat others the way we would want to be treated and that we should do the same with the words we use toward each other. As I reflect on the whole interaction, which lasted about 5 minutes, I am thankful mostly that I was "there", that I was able to speak the truth of God into a teachable moment with these young men who have come to really like and respect me. I am convinced that many of them, especially the Muslim Indian, will remember my words for the rest of their lives. Thanks to everyone who supports SCYM and gives me the opportunity to be "there" in teachable moments like this.

Chris LeMaster
Associate Director

Elizabeth Baker

For the last few months, I have been leading a bible study once a week with 3 eighth graders from Clark Middle School. These ladies all attended Impact World Tour in the fall, and said afterwards that were interested in attending a bible study. Although I didn't know these ladies, I was involved at Clark WyldLife and was asked to start the study with these girls. Initially, I was very excited to meet these girls, but also a little intimidated by the idea. I had no idea what their church background or understanding of the Bible might be, and I was worried about how to explain something as complex as God and the Bible to a group of girls who might very possibly have no prior understanding of them! I was also curious how open and willing to interact these girls might be with me, since I was a complete stranger.

On the first day I met with the girls all my concerns with them not opening up were immediately relieved. These energetic, talkative young ladies were excited to meet me and wasted no time in getting to know one another. As I drove them over to Un Mundo for our bible study, they told me all sorts of information, from what their day was like at school to what they thought about my shoes and everything in between. I soon realized that rather than struggling to get them to open up, I might struggle with getting a word in edge wise!

This was my first time leading a Bible study for people younger than me, and my biggest concern was how to present the bible as being real and relevant, without dumbing it down and selling it short of the power of the words. As I was looking for material to study, I came a cross a lesson on the fruit of the Spirit. I thought that this would be a nice, easy topic to start with, since I could break it down easily and do just a couple every week. The girls seemed to enjoy the study, and were excited to come back every week. We have moved on to a new topic now, but I still ask them each week if they can remember all nine of the fruits of the spirit, and they've still got em! The most challenging thing for me is that while I was leading this study, each week the Spirit would convict my heart while I was speaking. Although I was starting with what I thought would be an "easy" topic, I realized that the Bible's truth cannot be lessened or simplified, and that it always has the power to teach and convict. The word was just as sharp and true in my heart, although I had heard it many times, as it was to these girls who were hearing it for the first time! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have with these ladies, and I ask that you would be praying both for these girls and for the work the Spirit is working in their hearts, and also to me, that I would be open and obedient to his pushing and prodding in my heart as I meet with these girls.

Elizabeth Baker
SCYM Volunteer