Calling All Cowboys
My friend Michael once told me that the best thing his father ever gave him was a cowboy’s heart. His whole life he wanted to be out on the frontier, not where it’s safe or subdued, but out on the frontier where its wild. Blazing a new trail where others might follow. If you have the heart of a cowboy, you can’t help it. You were made to be out on the frontier.
I was on Young Life staff for 8 years in Tennessee. Chattanooga is a town with a rich YL history: a seasoned Metro director, several staff people, a thriving Young Life College program, 13 YL clubs, 6 WL clubs, Young Lives and Capernaum. We ran two WyldLife camp weeks every year, put on family camp, took hundreds of kids to outreach camp and wilderness/ski trips, and sent multiple kids out on work crew every summer. At our fall camp at SharpTop Cove last October, I got to share the gospel with over 700 kids from our area. I learned more about life with Jesus and ministry with kids than I could ever put into words. For me, my experience in Chattanooga YL was incredible.
But it was safe.
This past December we packed up our family and headed west to Oxford, Mississippi. It didn’t take me long to realize that I had given up a lot, for what felt like a little. Two high school clubs, one middle school club, and a developing Young Life College club. I had gone from one hundred leaders to thirty. And when I showed up to our staff retreat for the mighty Mississippi region, the room felt a little empty. There were only nine of us in a little cottage outside of Jackson, MS. And I realized something … I’ve got a cowboy’s heart.
I’ve told many of my friends in the Young Life world that Mississippi is the “Final Frontier” of Young Life in the south. A widely unreached, underdeveloped state where few dare adventure. And before you pass this off as literary drama or exaggeration, let me tell you why I’ve come to believe this.
Currently we have three job openings in our region:
- Area Director (Jackson, MS) - Jackson is the capitol of Mississippi and has a rich YL history
- Young Life College Director (Starkville, MS) - Starkville is the home of Mississippi State, an SEC school with 21,622 students. Dak Prescott could be in your small group…
- Area Director (Hattiesburg, MS) - Hattiesburg is the home of Southern Miss, a university with 14,554 students and a YL committee in place ready to launch the area
And here’s the crazy thing … no one is lining up to interview for these jobs. Let’s just be honest for a second: in more developed Young Life regions, scenarios like these would have people banging down the door to get a shot at one of these jobs. But not in Mississippi … not yet. Why not? Because it’s the frontier, uncharted territory only for the brave of heart.
If you live and serve in one of those more developed areas, I’m not implying that it’s not hard or that there aren’t battles to be fought or that it’s any less glorious a calling. I’m just saying that it’s safer. It’s the home front, not the frontier. If that offends you then you can can stop reading this, because I’m not writing to you. But if this excites you, or sparks a nervous flicker of light in your spirit, then this is my invitation…
Could it be that you have a cowboy’s heart? That a final frontier in Young Life is whispering your name on the wind of the Spirit of God. We need cowboys in Mississippi. People who aren’t afraid to venture into the unknown. These cities and towns are waiting. Could it be that the Lord is calling you to our little region?
I believe that King Jesus is doing something incredible here! That we’re at the forefront of a great movement of God. If you’re reading this, and you’re daring to dream, know that I am praying for you as I write this. That God will give you His vision and His courage. That you might pack your bags and move to Mississippi. If you have cowboy’s heart, call me. Let’s talk