It's been a while...how God has worked!

I am amazed as I look back at the last few years and how God has worked in my life and in my family's lives. I know that if you had asked me on the day that I graduated if I would be sitting in an office doing 789 ministry and school at the same time I would have called you crazy. I was going to be the next great Engineer who was going to make tons of money have a big house and a new truck with a great family. That was my dream...the American Dream. But as I entered college I realized that there might be more to life. I fell away from the church for the first semester at LeTourneau. I was dating a girl from school and I wanted to do my own thing. I didn't have time for God and really didn't have much of a desire to make time for him. But as He has been known to do, He kept pursuing me even when I was running the other direction. It didn't take long before I realized that if I didn't listen to His voice that I would not find any true happiness anywhere in my life. And so I switched my major to Christian Ministries and started volunteering with my old Jr. High ministry. I was offered a volunteer spot in my old high school ministry too, but I felt like I would be too close in age to some of the people in there and I remember that my 789 years were when I was closest to God, so it made sense to try to go back there and see what would happen. Up until this time I was focused only on myself and my future. I had put little thought into what God wanted for me or from me. After just a short few months I was invited to begin an internship with the 789s which has slowly transformed into a full time job where I have been privileged to work with youth and pour into their lives with mine.
There is alot of pressure put on a minister or pastor...even one to Jr. Highers. We are expected to understand biblical truths fully enough to present them in an understandable, interesting, ADHD captivating way. Recently I have been convicted because it seems that I have fallen into a comfortable pattern of being a good youth pastor on Sunday mornings, evenings, and Wednesday evenings, but a regular Joe on the other days of the week. God Has been putting it on my heart to be real ALL the time. That's easier said than done.
For instance, when I was driving to school yesterday I passed a man in a business suit holding a 'Jesus is Alive' poster and a Bible who was preaching while he was walking down the road. My first thought was that I ought to pull over and tell him that it is through love, not loud, confrontational preaching that people will be reached today, but then I was stopped cold. 'LOVE': it was the message that I used to condemn the man. I took a position of judgment over the man because I thought I could do what he was doing better than he could when I know that I don't have the guts to even tell the guy carrying out my groceries that 'God loves you'...
So I suppose that I just wrote nearly a whole book just to say this: If you live what you believe, others will believe what you are living.
Be the example. Be the difference. Be real.