Hey Everyone!

It has been close to a month since the Des Moines ATF. Despite the changes in dates and bands, the event finally came together. First Federated Church became the meeting ground for the first sparks of new fire that God is beginning in the Midwest.

Fasting, prayers, money, time, planning, and energy went into the making of this ATF in Des Moines, IA. You youth pastors spent so much of yourselves to get your youth to this event in hopes that Jesus would ignite a passion in their hearts for Himself. My call team and I prayed with many of you, we learned the different things that were going on in your groups and prayed that God would move specific things in the spiritual realms. One of my main prayers was that God would begin a new thing. I believe that He did, even it was the smallest blossom of beauty.

As people piled in the doors on Friday night, my anticipation grew with every youth pastor I had the wonderful chance to meet. We enjoyed finally getting to put a face to the names of those we had been faithfully praying for. I know that some of you may have felt like nothing was being accomplished in the hearts of a few of your students. Maybe the sound was bad where you were sitting, kids were talking or caught up in the Jr. High drama, or maybe they were paying more attention to their cell phones for most of the weekend. Despite these frustrations that we can see with our own eyes, I know that the Spirit goes so far beyond  what we can see and it was penetrating to some pretty deep corners of these students’ hearts. You may have not even seen a heart change, genuine sorrow and tears, or alter commitments from some of your students, especially the ones you desired so bad to see a breakthrough in. But know that something was moved and shifted in the spiritual realms. Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the mighty powers in this dark world. With that in mind, know that we are not always going to visible change and stirring, but that doesn’t mean that things are not happening. 

You are daily in the battle for the youth that you are leading. There is no denying this fact, but it is our choice of whether or not we are going to engage daily in this battle or will it only be on youth group nights. God has entrusted you with this precious gift of the Gospel message of life. The Good News that Jesus saves. I have stated this a few times to some of you, but I will say it again- you are in these teens’ lives for such a time as this. You are the leaders in their lives and you have been called to equip them in the name of Jesus.

Since we have been entrusted with such magnificent truth, let us run hard to deliver that message, and realize that this will never come on our own strength. It comes by the grace of God. We need Jesus because we are weak and inadequate people. But God has chosen us. We will be held accountable to what we chose to do with the life He has so graciously given us. First, we must align our hearts with the will and heart of God. Your own relationship with Him will effect everything else you do in this life. Second, if you have a family, make your spouse then your children second and thid priority. You are the example of a godly marriage and parents to these students and God wants to show your youth what He meant for the family to look like. And finally- your teenagers. Then God will use you as His vessel of life and truth in the way that He wants, accomplishing the things He desires.

I say all of that to prepare you for next year… Be praying for the hearts of your students way in advance, so that the soil will be completely tilled for God to plant seeds over this next year, and so that God can blossom the beauty that comes only from Him. I will be praying over this event for next year, as I hope to stay another year with Teen Mania and would like to become the regional director of the Des Moines event.

Regardless of what happens, I will pray. I had the chance to know many of you on a deeper level and you are my brothers and sisters in Christ and I will do my part to support you as the body of Christ.

God is beginning a new thing.

~Christina Harrington~