Last week I spoke to a group of students at Durant High School, near Tampa. Durant’s basketball coach, Jeff Shotwell, hosts monthly workshops for his players and students where people come in and talk about what it takes to be successful. He wants to build his team into a group that thinks like winners; but not just on the court; he wants them to win in life—in their schoolwork, in their community, and at home.
I enjoyed talking to them about being “Uncommon;” about being good students, good teammates, and good citizens. I talked about not only success, but significance also. I talked about long-term goals and how these young people should see themselves in the future.
It’s one of my favorite things to do—talking to teenagers and trying to get them to see the big picture; what they want to do with their lives and where God fits into it all. I’m encouraged by the number of high school kids who want to set a great example at their schools.
On a different night last week, my wife Lauren and I went with Abe Brown Ministries to visit The Leslie Peters Halfway House in Tampa. This center houses young men ages 14 to 18 who have had trouble with the law. It was a very moving experience as we participated in the bible service that is the norm for Tuesday nights there. The young men were attentive, polite and very engaging. After some bible reading and singing (most of which was done by a Christian rap group), I got to talk to the young men for about 20 minutes. We followed that up with some picture-taking (I’ve posted a photo and a video of us and the Leslie Peters staff) and got a chance to talk one-on-one with many of the boys.
I was really impressed with the staff and the programs that were in place to help these young men. They seemed to have a great rapport with the boys and it was a very comfortable atmosphere. When we threw it open for questions and answers we got a chance to understand some of the problems the boys are dealing with. But it was our hope to give these young men encouragement and help them as they’re learning to make better life choices.
What I learned from our visit was to be thankful for the parents I had and the environment I grew up in. Some of the boys we talked to had grown up in a stable family environment and admitted that they didn’t always listen to their parents’ advice. But many of them haven’t had the guidance and direction that they needed; so it may not have been entirely their fault that they started down the wrong path—but now they’re the ones who are going to have to change that direction. They have to take control of their lives. That really starts with changing from the inside out and letting Christ guide them in making those decisions. Even if they don’t have a parent there to guide them, Christ can do that for them.
We finished with a time of prayer and we left with some new friends and a hope that these young men would move forward, get back in school, and look to the future.
