The Church is a Hospital for sinners; Not a Museum for Saints.

If students are to develop to their fullest potential as leaders, we must be willing to take five basic steps to help them grow into leaders:

1. Hear them out. Listen to student needs and discover those areas where they need to be stretched and challenged.

“People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. Worry, self-doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair; these are the long, long years that bow the head and turn the growing spirit back to dust.”

Douglas MacArthur

Don’t make every youth meeting “the same old thing!” Variety is he spice of life, especially with youth.

Here are some ideas for ways you can change things up a little bit!

1. Rearrange the chairs or layout every couple of weeks.
2. Rearrange your normal schedule for an event

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about Nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, “What was that all about and who are you?

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.

In a few days time, Chinese people in Singapore and over the world will be celebrating the start of the Chinese New Year.

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband’s employer’s home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the water-way, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live.

A Spiritual Leader compassionately guides others

• ‘He should be sympathic with the weak and erring. “He was to ‘specialize’ in mending bruised reeds and fanning the smoking into flame” (29)