Christian Youth Leader- Replacing Negativism With Gracism

“I identify with becoming a Christian youth leader because having children of my own it was important   to me that they learn more about living a Christian life and being raised on good morals rather than     occupying their time with other things of the world. It was also important that we recognize that these       children will be the ones to carry on our church legacy one day. I have witnessed overwhelming         feelings beyond my control to serve God in the children’s and music ministries and I am proud of         what the Lord has been doing in my life and allowing me to do in the lives of others. It is my dream one day to expand the children’s program to the point where we actually have a school including a gym, and an auditorium to hold many types of school functions and after school activities not only for the children involved in our ministry but for the children of the community.”       – Leah Thomas, Christian Youth Leader in Training

          Replacing Negativism with “Gracism” and Leading our Youth towards                                               the Love of All People through God- The Future of a                                                                                      Christian Youth Leader

My name is Leah Thomas and I am happily a part of a bi-racial family. I am white and my husband is African American. We have two beautiful mixed children. Living in the United States this family trend is becoming more and more popular. In our area and local churches, we see many mixed families. Although this trend has become widely accepted we still face many challenges in our day and age. God is love and wants all of His people to love one another. There is not one race that is to be more superior to the other. God is the only one who should be held in such a high regard. Keeping God in the forefront of our minds should make doing God’s works and ministry a simple task, but with hate groups and many self motives of the world, challenges will arise no matter how focused a Christian may be. We must omit sin as much as we can, and truly live our lives as close to the Lord as possible. God has shed His grace on all of us. Even when we may not have deserved it, it was done anyway out of love and selflessness.

Unfortunately many people have lost their way. With all of the bullying, sexism, media, and mainstream “idols” people have turned to sin as an easy way out. Discrimination and superiority, paired with any advantage of becoming someone who can be noticed by the “in” crowd has become a worldly justification for not carrying out the Lord’s will. We need to remember that Jesus did not necessarily make the popular decision by spreading the word of God and loving all of those who opposed him, but he followed the direction of his father to do what was right for a greater good. We need to remember that as followers of Jesus Christ we must do the same in our lifetimes. We do not have room in our hearts for hate. We cannot even begin to think for a moment that we are better than someone else. We must remain humble, help other people, be fair, love everyone, forgive, and follow the word of God; So that we may have a glorious place in heaven.

I have come to know the Lord through my husband and his family. He invited me to Mt. Tabor Baptist Church for father’s day in 2009 and I was captivated by what had taken place that day. I had never been surrounded by so much love. In a room full of strangers, I was accepted, I was loved, I felt at home for the first time in a long time. Shortly after this experience and becoming a member. I gave my life to Christ and was baptized with my husband. See my very own family had disowned me for dating someone outside of my own race. My father had never even met my husband and could care less about who he was, he was to focused on what color he was. At the time I really could not comprehend how my family could just turn me away so easily (racism alive and well) but I have come to realize that God truly had something so much better in store for me.

Through the Lord, my church, and the music ministry I learned how to forgive those that hurt me and to love them anyway, and started to notice the joy that replaced anger and bitterness in my heart. Although I still have not seen or heard from most of my immediate family in over 7 years, I have become a part of a church family who loves without conditions, just as God has intended. It is my goal to one day pass on what the love of God has done for me and let others know that just because you are hated on and turned away by one set of particular people does not mean you have to turn your back on the rest of the world. Hatred should never breed more hatred. God opens and closes doors in our lives for a reason. His reason for me was to bring me closer to him, to use my gifts and talents in my church community, to raise my children with true Christian beliefs and love and to familiarize others of the Lord’s grace.

It is a privilege to do ministry in my country. With the support of my church, my most recent engagement has become coordinating a children’s program at our church. Recognizing the youth are our future. There was great need for a bible based program to thoroughly teach and guide their young minds and souls to our Savior.  I know that with the proper Christian youth leader training from CLI this dream can quickly become a reality. I know that I will be able to receive the Christian youth leader classes that will aide in my progress not only with the Lord but to show the officials of my church that I will continue to grow and develop myself. It would absolutely mean the world to me to receive a Christian youth leader training from CLI so that I can pursue my knowledge on becoming the Christian youth leader that my church and the children’s ministry deserves.

I ask that you pray for me on my journey that I may become everything that God intends me to be and that I remain humble and know that it is only possible through Him. I ask that you keep me lifted as I will be interacting and be looked upon as a role model in the lives of so many young children and that I may mold, shape, and guide them to a path of salvation with God. I ask that you also pray for the people of the world who have been lost in their ways and that they truly find the love of God. And finally I will ask that you pray with me to replace our world of racism to a movement of “Gracism” through Jesus Christ. Amen!

                                              Become a Christian Youth Leader Today!