Simply Truth: Roll With The Unexpected

So I am inheriting a lot from the previous youth leader at my church as I start my new endeavor as being the new youth leader. One of those things is to make sure that everyone gets their shirts decorated for camp. The group previously decided that they will decorate shirts for camp; I'm cool with that. The shirts are already tie-dyed and ready to be painted; also I am cool with that. So I organized a time the students before Wednesday night church to paint the shirts; the plan is coming together. I get to the church a couple hours early to pray and prepare a little bit for this shirt painting project. I go to look at the shirts and all the guy shirts have hat brims on the collars; yes hat brims. The youth leader before me got a deal at a local close out store on shirts and all the guy shirts were shirts folded up into hats. Let me be frank, they were weird shirts. Now I'm not saying that it was the former youth leaders fault for buying these shirts because she had the best intentions when purchasing them, but I know my guys would not want to wear these shirts. So what am I to do? I go to the local fabric store, buy a stitch remover, and quickly remove the brims from shirts. It was hilarious. I remained flabbergasted about the magical transforming hat-shirts for the rest of the night.

The crisis was averted, but it was a reminder of a very fundamental truth with youth ministry: we need to roll with the unexpected. It is true that we try to expect the unexpected, but where is the fun in that? As human beings it is nearly impossible to try to expect everything. I want to encourage anyone reading this that we need to roll with the unexpected. There was no way that I was give these shirts to my guys and try to make them cool. But instead I had to find a new way to redeem these seeming odd shirts. We are to blessed to be stressed. Take the things that come your way in ministry and make the best out of them. Remember, when like gives your hat-shirts, make memories and make the most of the situation. God blesses us with the strange and unusually.