Imagine a treasure hunt in the dark…for all the different parts of a flashlight that are hidden throughout a building.
The goal?
To find and assemble and then shine the light on a particular person.
Yes … this is a church youth group game.
You can imagine the fun that youth would have with this ridiculous game.
But can you imagine that this game could be a sort of divine nudge?
That it might even guide a young boy in grade 7 towards full-time ministry as a youth pastor?
God uses all kinds of things and people and situations to give us direction.
For Desi Lederer, Students Pastor at Charleswood Community Church, the flashlight-treasure hunt game was one of the things that prompted him to think about being a youth pastor when he got older.
Desi describes himself as a goofy eccentric kid who felt totally at home and welcomed and loved by his church community.
He looked forward going to youth group each week – the conversations, the games, the leaders.
Youth group had a culture of welcome and love that was not about popularity or performance or competition.
Instead, as Desi looks back, it was about the hospitality of God.
To grade-7-Desi, he couldn’t imagine a better job in the world.
It was shocking that someone would get paid for this!
Fast forward a few years and Desi is now that youth leader who has been called and equipped to serve the youth at Charleswood Community Church.
For the past ten years, Desi has been caring for and discipling children and youth as they grow in the love and knowledge of God.
It makes me smile to think God used a fun youth group game to call someone into ministry.