Young Life..not just another organization By Danny Sipiora

There exists an organization that has the worthy goal of bringing teenagers to God, I’ve got nothing against that, but sometimes I question their techniques.

They try so hard to be relevant that I can’t help thinking that their training must include at least one hour of MTV a day. I understand and respect what they are trying to do. They want to make
Christianity appealing to the younger generation-but Jesus holds no more appeal when you call Him “dude” and his disciples “His crew.”

Their well meaning attempt to make a connection with teenagers often falls short when they assume, because of my age, that I talk and think a certain way. I may or may not want to join their organization but I can’t make that decision in the school cafeteria or …

And right here, at this very moment, I realized I was wrong.

What you just read was the beginning of a column I started writing sophomore year, I was so fed up with people trying to spoon feed Christianity to high schoolers that I found it my obligation to try and demote organizations that I thought were just slapping the “Jesus” brand on a social club to attract more attendance.

Before I started writing my column I attended two Young Life meetings just to gather notes and compile facts. Then I decided to go to the club again, just to see. And for the next to two years my column was untouched and reminded that way until now.

Because one night, at 10:47pm, sitting alone in my boxers, looking at the pale blue glow of my computer screen I realized there is more to Young life then games and guitars, And there was more to Christianity then the stories I heard through Sunday school and from my Grandpa. So for the rest of my high school career I attended club every Monday and even went to Young life’s summer camp twice.

I’m not saying that YoungLife is the only way to find and have a relationship with God, but for me it was my outlet. My break from the stresses of home, life and the world, just to learn of a God that loves me more then anyone, just for who I am, even if I didn’t love myself.

So the girl you like thinks you’re not that cute and kinda weird, but do you really care? Honestly, if the creator of the entire universe and everything in it, is your biggest fan, then whatever what’s-her-face thinks, doesn’t really matter anymore. I’ve had many rough patches in my life and the scars show up sometimes no matter how hard I try to hide them, but through the love of God I can find balance in my life. Regardless of what comes next, I know that God will be there and cares for me. So now, more then two years later and a recent graduate of high school, I have decided to finally finish this column, not by ending it with my original last line. “God doesn’t need a gimmick” but by saying to all the readers that you can’t do it by yourself and as much you think you have your life under control, you really don’t. I challenge you to search anywhere and everywhere for God. I promise you will find Him, because He is looking for you.

God is waiting for you to come to Him, but if your ten steps away from God he’s only going to take nine. For me, taking that one step forward was the last step this shy, depressed, low self-esteemed Danny ever took.

Danny Sipiora served as editor in chief for the McKinney High School newpaper, He plans to
attend the University of Missouri this fall majoring in journalism. His goal is to become an editor for Rollingstone Magazine.