Refresh a Youth Worker in 2012: Dip Into the Well

 

“Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

“When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’” – John 4:6-7

It’s hard to imagine Superman tired. Harder still to imagine the creator of the universe exhausted from a walk.

Yet there it is in print: “Jesus, tired as he was from his journey.”

I’m comforted by Jesus’ humanity. He didn’t save us from His rightful posture as Almighty God. He saved us by first cloaking himself with flesh and blood. And as a man, he got tired too.

I’m also comforted by Jesus’ practicality. When the journey wore him out, he “sat down by the well.” He positioned himself next to a resource that could bring refreshment, and anticipated that help would come to access the water in time to quench his thirst.

We know the rest of the story. The Samaritan woman gives Jesus water. They engage conversation on a profoundly personal level. He drinks the well’s physical water. She drinks of the spiritual water he provides, then leads her village, a community that had previously rejected her, into revival.

The seed of revival was planted when a thirsty traveler sat beside a well hoping for refreshment.

It’s hard sometimes to imagine superhero youth workers tired. Harder still to imagine them so exhausted that they might need to lean on someone else to draw water from The Well.

Yet if Jesus got tired and needed the help of a social outcast to access refreshment, maybe it’s OK for us to sit by The Well and allow others to draw its waters on our behalf. When we do, perhaps then we will encounter the kind of revival the Samaritan woman experienced along with her people.

Urban Youth Workers Institute has led the effort to innovate low-cost, high quality, transformational training resources for traditionally over-extended, under-resourced youth workers for more than a decade. Whether via the 360 conference, the national RELOAD tour, or the RELOAD Labs, UYWI has generated and continues to provide enough free or low-cost training content to equip you and your team for a decade.

The Well is a new addition to the UYWI landscape.  An online resource program designed to provide 24/7 access to practical youth ministry training taught by urban ministry experts from across the country. For a nominal fee, you’ll have access to live webinars, coaching, practical resources, articles and content designed to equip you for efficiency and effectiveness in ministry. Yes, the UYWI training Well is deep, a reservoir of refreshment for youth workers who would find the time to sit beside it and drink. Enter The Well.

Better yet, gift a subscription to The Well for your favorite, under-resourced youth worker in 2012.

2 Comments

  1. Larry Acosta on January 3, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    Thank you Jeremy for your timely words! As I read your post I felt my soul “sip from the well of refreshment” and I was reminded about the importance of having refueling friends like you along the journey. I was also reminded of the importance of taking in new learning info./reading material to refuel my mind so I won’t boil dry amidst the demands of ministry- Thank you!

  2. Walter Sotelo on January 9, 2012 at 11:24 am

    In a world where youth leaders are misunderstood and even more our students, we all need a time for fresh water! Thank God, The Well is here!
    Inwood Church is offering a year subscription to 2 under- resourced youth leaders in NYC.
    To apply simply email me or @inwoodchurch your short story! Long live The Kingdom!
    Pastor Walter.

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