AG Youth Ministries, AG Youth Ministries


“Do not let anyone condition you my grandson.”

These were the words of wisdom my grandmother constantly spoke over me growing up in Southwest Pennsylvania. Yet I never knew how profound of an impact those words would make in my life until today.

I was never someone who needed affirmation or expected the status quo to stand. I’ve come to realize today more than ever before when you promote God, He promotes you. He loves to show up on our behalf and doesn’t expect the results of our past to be the results of our future. However, He is still the same God who split the Red Sea, dropped manna from heaven, and rescues from the lion’s den.

My fear is that our conditional thinking has limited our capacity to lead with faith.

This is why I appeal to you today. God has set you apart to lead a generation to greatness. Too many times we have been inhibited by our thoughts of failure and inadequacy. So how can we lead someone to something we don’t believe in ourselves?

I want to encourage you: God has placed you where you are for this season. Whether you are a full-time, part-time, or volunteer leader, God has called you without condition to lead.

This truth has enabled me to dream like I have never dreamed before. This upcoming year, we are celebrating Speed the Light and its 75th year of impacting the globe by spreading the gospel. We are continuing to propel this by bringing an intentional initiative to National Speed the Light Sunday on October 21, 2018. I am asking you to help me lead a movement of generosity across our fellowship to raise $1 million, in one day, in one offering. 

How is this possible? Could God really use us to do something so unrealistic? Yes, but only when we realize that through Him all conditions are tossed out and He simply desires for us to be faithful.

On October 20, 2018, students from all over our nation will be taking part in the 1 in 1,000 challenge. We are already seeing students like Seth from Missouri blocking one thousand soccer goals as he asked people to sponsor him per goal blocked.

This generation of students are some of the most creative that this world has ever seen. Do you believe in Speed the Light enough to facilitate their Speed the Light goals?

If the answer is yes, I want you to hear these two core values when it comes to leadership: leaders lead, and leaders give. We will never be able to take our students on a journey of generosity if we ourselves are not generous.

What would it look like if leaders decided in their heart an unconditional amount that they are committing to give to Speed the Light over the remaining twelve weeks of 2018? To invest in the goals of their students? To sponsor students on October 20 as they creatively raise money for Speed the Light? Like Harry S. Truman said, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

I believe this is how we change our culture. It is our God-given responsibility to disciple students to be generous.

Through generosity, God will own a student’s heart, and through the ownership of their heart, His Holy Spirit will begin to lead them to action. They will become our greatest missionaries on their campuses, in their homes, and across the globe.

And it starts when we recognize that this is God’s unconventional generation.

Looking ahead to 2019, as we celebrate 75 years of Speed the Light, the ask to you and our students will be simple: will you give up your birthday this year and give it to Speed the Light?

How amazing would it be to have every student and leader sacrificing their one big day, so those who have never heard the gospel of Jesus could have the opportunity to hear? Like Jazmyn from Kentucky, let’s unconditionally ask others not to celebrate us, but to celebrate Speed the Light’s 75th anniversary!

It is an honor to stand beside you as we aggressively advance the gospel through Speed the Light and lead our students toward the greatest missionary movement our world has ever seen. My wife, Liz, and I are with you every step of the way!

Spreading His gospel together,

Eric Hoffman

 

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