USING CHRISTIAN BIOGRAPHY
While the sports hero illustrations are good for keeping attention and underlining truth, I like to include stories of great Christians, both contemporary and from church history. In a world with few real heroes stand out in student�s minds, we need to introducing them to some fascinating Christians who touched the world for Christ.
Just think of the wealth of colorful personalities and events we have to draw from! God miraculously blinds border guards to smuggled Bibles in the back of a car. Christians die bravely in Roman arenas. Hudson Taylor trusts God alone for financial support as he penetrates an unreached culture for Christ. The pope condemns Martin Luther, who is promptly kidnapped by friends and taken to the safety of a castle. He marries a former nun who slipped out of the convent via a wooden barrel. George Mueller supports thousands of orphans by faith, without asking for a dime.
True stories like these can challenge students beyond the "just keep them off the streets" mentality that many have concerning youth work. We were never called just to hold down the fort. We were called to storm the heights. C.T. Studd gave up fame and fortune to become a pioneer missionary. Our students need to be challenged with the words that represented his life:
"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell. I want to run a rescue shop, Within a yard of hell."
Ruth Tucker�s From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya presents short, interesting biographies of Christian missionaries, warts and all. This book alone added over 50 illustrations to my file. Many interesting biographies are available through your Christian bookstore, Amazon.com or can be found freely on the Web.