"Man Spice"
Over the last months at the Factory Drop In there is a spicy little shaker that hits the counter.
It adds some "fire" to the forever lovely "Little Ceasars" pizza slice or the occasional Supper Club Casserole. This little spice bottle contains dehydrated & ground jalapeno flakes made so lovingly and shared by my YFC brother. It is a spicy powder that has brought tears to the eyes of many youth who try and prove their "toughness" by the amount they can consume. It goes by the name "Man Spice" around here and most days I shake my head at the thrill my friends get out of watching each other choke, cry and spew on the stuff! This is just part of Youth Ministry...part of the crazy, "brightly intelligent ;)" things that I get to see in my day!
One particular night last week though this little bottle and a new friend who came in, taught me the heart of Jesus...taught me the heart of the Gospel in a way I will never forget! We met and she was quick to share her back story of life. Hurt, identity confusion and family dysfunction hid behind this beautiful face! I walked over to the snack counter and went behind it to relieve our volunteer so he could take time in our prayer room. This girl followed me to the counter to continue our conversation. I was shocked at her openness especially since this was our first time meeting! We continued, but in the process of conversation the yellow "Man Spice" dust got spilled and played with on the counter. I brushed it off the counter with my hand into a nearby napkin, but without thinking my fingers rubbed my eye and the "Man Spice" did its thing and burned my eye!!!! This new friend sat there and watching my pain quickly rubbed her fingers through the pile on the counter too! Before I could stop her, she put it right in her eyes! "I wanted to feel your pain," she said! Ah! and that's when my heart got it! She wanted to take on my hurt, to feel what I was feeling...to walk in my shoes!
Jesus did the same. He carried our grief and our sorrows! He is the One who empathizes with us in our pain! As the Man of Sorrows, He knows what it is like to feel pain and hurt! Just like my friend when we are hurting He says, "I feel your pain!" He gets it! He was beaten, mocked, murdered! He endured the pain...because of love! The power of pain had no match for the power of love He felt for you...for me...for the world!
So my friend with the "Man Spice" may never know how much she taught me, but I do hope I get to tell her how she was like Jesus to me that night at the Factory Drop In! Oh Yes,
I am most times taught more from the students then I could possibly teach them! I am humbled to see the Lord show me how He is there! The Gospel is a powerful thing...complex and yet so simple that even a bottle of "Man Spice" can be used to point people to Jesus! It is not just a story that happened years ago, but it is REAL...it is a Person...it is Jesus! How will He show Himself in your conversations today?
It adds some "fire" to the forever lovely "Little Ceasars" pizza slice or the occasional Supper Club Casserole. This little spice bottle contains dehydrated & ground jalapeno flakes made so lovingly and shared by my YFC brother. It is a spicy powder that has brought tears to the eyes of many youth who try and prove their "toughness" by the amount they can consume. It goes by the name "Man Spice" around here and most days I shake my head at the thrill my friends get out of watching each other choke, cry and spew on the stuff! This is just part of Youth Ministry...part of the crazy, "brightly intelligent ;)" things that I get to see in my day!
One particular night last week though this little bottle and a new friend who came in, taught me the heart of Jesus...taught me the heart of the Gospel in a way I will never forget! We met and she was quick to share her back story of life. Hurt, identity confusion and family dysfunction hid behind this beautiful face! I walked over to the snack counter and went behind it to relieve our volunteer so he could take time in our prayer room. This girl followed me to the counter to continue our conversation. I was shocked at her openness especially since this was our first time meeting! We continued, but in the process of conversation the yellow "Man Spice" dust got spilled and played with on the counter. I brushed it off the counter with my hand into a nearby napkin, but without thinking my fingers rubbed my eye and the "Man Spice" did its thing and burned my eye!!!! This new friend sat there and watching my pain quickly rubbed her fingers through the pile on the counter too! Before I could stop her, she put it right in her eyes! "I wanted to feel your pain," she said! Ah! and that's when my heart got it! She wanted to take on my hurt, to feel what I was feeling...to walk in my shoes!
Jesus did the same. He carried our grief and our sorrows! He is the One who empathizes with us in our pain! As the Man of Sorrows, He knows what it is like to feel pain and hurt! Just like my friend when we are hurting He says, "I feel your pain!" He gets it! He was beaten, mocked, murdered! He endured the pain...because of love! The power of pain had no match for the power of love He felt for you...for me...for the world!
So my friend with the "Man Spice" may never know how much she taught me, but I do hope I get to tell her how she was like Jesus to me that night at the Factory Drop In! Oh Yes,
I am most times taught more from the students then I could possibly teach them! I am humbled to see the Lord show me how He is there! The Gospel is a powerful thing...complex and yet so simple that even a bottle of "Man Spice" can be used to point people to Jesus! It is not just a story that happened years ago, but it is REAL...it is a Person...it is Jesus! How will He show Himself in your conversations today?
Great lesson learned from life in ministry. Thanks for sharing.
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