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Faithfulness in Little Things

Dignity in Tilling a Field

Being Found at One's Post

Ordinary Duties and Labors

"Semper Fi" and the Marines

God never compared the Christian life to a tea party. He 
did compare it to warfare. 
 
"Put on the full armor of God..." (Ephesians 6:13)
"...extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one." 
(Ephesians 6:16)
 
If you entered the ministry thinking it would be a tea 
party, your expectations were soon shattered by reality. 
Ministry is warfare. In that light, there's so much we 
can learn from the military. 
 
The Marines are one of the U.S. military's super tough 
special operations units. If you look closely at their 
emblem, you'll see an eagle holding a banner, which reads 
"Semper Fi."  It's an abbreviation of the Latin phrase 
Semper Fidelis, which means "Always Faithful." Where did 
it come from?
 
According to Leatherneck: Magazine of the Marines, 
after the Beirut bombing in 1983, General Paul X. Kelley 
visited a wounded Marine in the hospital. The young man 
shook the General's hand and scribbled the words "Semper Fi" on a piece of paper. The general became emotional and said, "Lord, where do we get such men?" 
 
The official Marine Corp site explains that Semper Fi 
describes their commitment to each other, their organization, and their country.
 
After Marines pulled off their recent (during the war with Iraq) daring rescue of  
7 American soldiers from behind enemy lines, two of them 
accompanied the former POW's to safety in Kuwait. The Marines could have requested some rest and relaxation, hoping to hang out in Kuwait and bask in their glory. After all, they'd already risked their lives. Instead, The next morning, the two Marines requested to be flown back to the battlefield as soon as possible. One explained, 
 
"We have to get to our unit. There is still fighting. 
We can't miss that."
 
Youth ministry's tough. Expectations of churches are 
unreasonable. We're underpaid and under appreciated. 
We knock ourselves out to prepare a life-changing talk 
and get a "ho hum" response. Get over it. A war is 
raging. Get back to your unit. There are new battles 
to fight. Give your comrades high fives and repeat 
to your last breath, semper fi - always faithful. 
 
Endure till the end. Ministry is war.

Opening Up a Pathway for God

Legacy Youth Ministry Resources

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